Latest news with #WorldofSecrets
Yahoo
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why BBC Podcasts Are Moving to Its Website and App Outside the U.K.
Listeners and fans of BBC podcasts outside of Britain will soon get to discover and access them via and its app, while the BBC Sounds audio service will become exclusive to U.K. audiences. The change is set to take effect in the spring. 'The newly launched audio section of and app is curated with international audiences in mind, making the BBC's vast portfolio of current and archived podcasts, including hits like Global News Podcast, World of Secrets and Infinite Monkey Cage, plus BBC Radio 4 and World Service radio stations, easier to find,' the British broadcaster said in a post Monday. More from The Hollywood Reporter Documentary Great Louis Theroux to Be Honored With National Film and Television School Fellowship 'Luther' Creator Neil Cross on Exchanging East London Grime for the Italian Sun in New Thriller Series 'Iris' The Nazi Clouds Descend on 'Babylon Berlin' Season 5 (Exclusive First Image) The BBC added, 'For the first time, audiences globally can enjoy a fully integrated experience on and the app where the BBC's award-winning audio content sits alongside our renowned journalism and storytelling. Through this new user experience, listeners can explore deeper context and analysis on select topics, gaining a richer understanding of the issues that matter most — all without leaving the platform.' As part of this, the BBC will also be making BBC Sounds available exclusively to people in the U.K., 'ending access to the service for international users' beginning in spring, the BBC said. 'U.K. users who go on holiday (outside the U.K.) will still be able to use the BBC Sounds app for a limited period.' It highlighted that the changes are part of an evolution of the BBC's services as it looks to 'continue to build a single, one-stop destination for the best of BBC journalism and storytelling.' Last year, the BBC and Amazon Music struck a deal that made BBC podcasts available on the streaming service outside the U.K. for the first time. Louise la Grange, senior vp, BBC Audio, Digital News and Streaming at BBC Studios, highlighted that the trust and quality that the BBC brand stands for is one key reason for the appeal of its podcasts and updated strategy. 'As the world's most trusted news organization, listeners come to us for our award-winning journalism and world-class storytelling,' she told THR. 'Whether it's our authoritative take on global news events in the Global News Podcast, gripping investigative series such as World of Secrets or fascinating storytelling in History's Heroes, our content is trusted and loved by audiences around the world.' Are there any countries that are the biggest markets for BBC podcasts outside the U.K.? 'We are proud to say that our content is listened to in every single country on the planet,' the executive told THR. 'But when you focus on specific markets, outside of the U.K., we have incredibly strong followings and listenership in the United States, Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan.' The new podcast business strategy is also expected to help continue to grow advertising revenue opportunities outside the U.K., La Grange said, explaining: 'The addition of audio will drive further engagement on our platforms and will open up new advertising monetization opportunities — both in the audio itself but also as part of 360 (degree) campaigns spanning the rest of the BBC's ad real estate.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter How the Warner Brothers Got Their Film Business Started Meet the World Builders: Hollywood's Top Physical Production Executives of 2023 Men in Blazers, Hollywood's Favorite Soccer Podcast, Aims for a Global Empire
BBC News
17-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
BBC Radio 4 announces Artworks, a brand new podcast strand
The BBC has launched a new podcast feed, Artworks, the home for imaginative documentaries about culture and the arts from BBC Radio 4. Alongside existing podcast strands on BBC Sounds, such as Intrigue, Extreme, World of Secrets, Illuminated and Limelight, the Artworks strand will ensure high quality single programmes about culture are more discoverable for audiences. As the go-to place for arts documentaries, listeners will have access to the incredible stories behind creative figures who have shaped our culture – today and in the past. Artworks will explore inspirational and influential poets, contemporary artists who are pushing boundaries, singers, actors, painters, dancers, writers and directors from across the world. The new strand launches with the release of the latest run of Role Play: a series in which actors from across the world reflect on a single part they have all played: Episode One features performers including Dame Judi Dench and Dame Janet Suzman describe what it's like to play Cleopatra, taking us through the character's journey in William Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. Subsequent episodes focus on Blanche Dubois from Streetcar Named Desire, with contributors including Cate Blanchett and Patsy Ferran; and Charles Dicken's Fagin, with Christopher Eccleston, Omid Djalili and Simon Lipkin amongst others. Looking ahead, further documentaries being added to the Artworks umbrella strand include: Talk Talk: Living in Another World, which sees Elbow frontman Guy Garvey explore the mystery surrounding the pop group Talk Talk, their reclusive leader Mark Hollis, and the album 'Spirit of Eden', that saw him eschew fame and fortune in favour of something radically different; Hip Hop Homework, a look at Nkem Ifejika's relationship with hip hop and how he will share that with his young children and his worries about explicit aspects of the music and its culture; Art That Conquered the World, where art historian James Fox explores the twists of fate, changing fashions, auctions, thefts and memes that propelled the most well-known artworks into the artistic stratosphere; Paul Simon's Political Storm, where South African reporter Lynsey Chutel investigates the legacy of one the most controversial album roll-outs ever - Paul Simon's 1980s album 'Graceland'; Surrounded by Sound: Ray Dolby and the Art of Noise Reduction, where Matthew Sweet investigates the life of inventor Ray Dolby, and the transformative impact his sound system has had on cinema; and Orchestras of Auschwitz, where young conductor and composer Leo Geyer collaborates with the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum to study the concentration camp prisoner orchestras and decode their arrangements; Previously released documentaries including What a Shocker! The Life of Leigh Bowery, Beyond Burns, 50 Years of the Koln Concert, Dreaming of Connie Converse and The Hazard of the Die will now also be located under the Artworks strand on BBC Sounds. Matthew Dodd, Commissioning Editor for Arts at BBC Radio 4, says 'We are excited to launch the new digital strand, Artworks, as a go-to spot to distribute BBC Radio 4's arts and culture documentaries on BBC Sounds. Following the success of other strands, such as 'Limelight' - which ranked as the fifth most listened to podcast feed last quarter on BBC Sounds - we want to ensure arts documentaries and series are easily and readily accessible to all, whilst keeping up with the changing nature of the current audio landscape.' The new series of Role Play lands on 24 February 2025. Listen to Artworks now on BBC Sounds CI2
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
Claims against Al Fayed reach UK court for first time
Allegations of abuse against Mohamed Al Fayed and his brother Salah have been heard in a UK court for the first time in a civil case being brought against Harrods. A woman is suing Harrods Ltd for damages for personal injuries she alleges she suffered while working for the department store that the Fayeds owned. A High Court hearing on Wednesday, where an application for anonymity for the claimant was granted, heard allegations that she was forced to terminate a pregnancy as well as being drugged and raped by Salah Fayed. It is believed to be the first claim against Harrods to reach a UK court involving an alleged victim of Mohamed Al Fayed, who was never charged over rape and sexual assault allegations and died in 2023. Solicitors Leigh Day, which represents the claimant, has previously said it had been contacted by more than 100 women. A separate legal case is being brought by the Justice for Harrods Survivors group, which has previously said it is representing more than 400 women. Al Fayed, who died aged 94, owned Harrods between 1985 and 2010. Salah Fayed, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2010, was one of three Fayed brothers who purchased the luxury Knightsbridge store in 1985. Claims of sexual offences by Al Fayed arose in a BBC documentary, after his death, which revealed the extent of his predatory behaviour. It was only after the BBC broadcast in September that the Metropolitan Police revealed it had been approached by 21 women, before Al Fayed's death, who accused him of sexual offences including rape, sexual assault and trafficking. Despite this, he was never charged with any offences. Since the documentary aired, 90 further women have contacted the force, with allegations stretching as far back as 1977. A wider investigation by the Met into the claims against Al Fayed is ongoing. Mohamed Al Fayed accused of multiple rapes by staff Timeline of sex abuse allegations How culture of fear at Harrods protected a predator Fulham 'protected' women's team players from Fayed Watch on iPlayer: Al Fayed - Predator at Harrods Listen on BBC Sounds: World of Secrets Harrods' new owners have previously said they are "appalled" by the allegations of sexual abuse and have been investigating since 2023 whether any current members of staff were involved. The retailer has declined to say whether action has been taken against any individual or when the review might be completed. In a statement on Wednesday, a Harrods spokesperson said it "supports the bravery of all survivors in coming forward". "These claims point to the breadth of abuse by Mohamed Fayed and again raise serious allegations against his brother, Salah Fayed," the spokesperson added. "The picture that has emerged suggests that this pattern of abusive behaviour took place wherever they operated." The Harrods spokesperson said it encouraged "survivors to look at every appropriate avenue to them in their pursuit of justice, whether that be Harrods, the police or the Fayed family and estate". "We cannot and would not comment on individual cases," the spokeperson said. In November, the Met Police said it was investigating at least five people it believes may have assisted or enabled Mohamed Al Fayed's alleged sexual offences.
