The Fifth Floor

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the fifth floor of Broadcasting House, home to the BBC’s Language Services.

World Service,751 episodes

Episodes

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Finding soldier Tom
A prisoner of war hid from the Nazis for 2 years, but after the war he disappeared
06 Jun 2026,26 mins
Embargo and the Cuban spirit
Can the spirit of the revolution in Cuba survive the increased pressure from the US?
30 May 2026,26 mins
AI farewells for Russia’s dead soldiers
Families of killed Russian soldiers are paying for AI goodbye videos
23 May 2026,26 mins
How Belarus silenced its free press
Belarus has crushed press freedom with jail terms for journalists and their readers
16 May 2026,26 mins
A 93 year old president gets a deputy
President of Cameroon Paul Biya has ruled the African nation for 8 terms: nearly 44 years
09 May 2026,26 mins
Mapping Epstein's global connections
How World Service journalists mapped Jeffrey Epstein's web of influence around the world
02 May 2026,26 mins
Inside the Mugabe dynasty
Why the late Robert Mugabe's wife and children have attracted criticism in Zimbabwe
25 Apr 2026,26 mins
Counting the soldiers dying for Russia
Hundreds of thousands of Russians have died in the war in Ukraine, but who are they?
18 Apr 2026,26 mins
Bringing India's daughters back home
In India, a film about domestic violence urges fathers to step in and protect daughters
11 Apr 2026,26 mins
The woman fighting IS in Somalia
A female soldier on the frontline of Somalia's fight against the Islamic State group
04 Apr 2026,26 mins
Eighty years of the BBC Russian Service
How the BBC Russian Service connects with its audience
28 Mar 2026,26 mins
Bangladeshi newspapers attacked by mob
Why did mobs burn the Dhaka offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo?
21 Mar 2026,26 mins
Iran war: What's life like inside Iran?
What life is like for Iranians during the US-Israel war with Iran
14 Mar 2026,26 mins
Inside Russia’s ‘Youth Armies’
How Russia is making soldiers out of Ukrainian children
07 Mar 2026,26 mins
Will Venezuela ditch Chavismo?
Acting president Delcy Rodriguez and the legacy of Hugo Chavez
28 Feb 2026,26 mins
Ukraine after four years of war
Despite relentless bombardments the people of Kharkiv love their city more than ever
21 Feb 2026,26 mins
The spy who loved to dance
How a Russian 'deep cover' spy was uncovered in Brazil
14 Feb 2026,26 mins
China's Population 'Rhinoceros'
Why China's shrinking population is like a charging rhino: dangerous and unavoidable
07 Feb 2026,26 mins
Archaeology and war
A Russian archaeologist has been imprisoned for his dig in occupied Crimea
31 Jan 2026,26 mins
Protest in the age of the 'Kill Switch'
How some governments turn off the internet
24 Jan 2026,26 mins
Kenyans lured to Russia's frontline
The promise of a good job has tricked some into fighting in the war in Ukraine
17 Jan 2026,26 mins
Taraneh: Iran's defiant actress
Why has a documentary about Taraneh Alidoosti been watched by millions in Iran?
10 Jan 2026,26 mins
Afghanistan's love poetry princess
Rabia Balkhi is one of the most famous Afghan poets, but she also died for love
03 Jan 2026,26 mins
Not-so-golden weddings
How record gold prices are taking the sparkle out of Indian weddings
27 Dec 2025,26 mins
Living in fear on South Africa's farms
Farmers in South Africa fear theft and violence, but why do these crimes happen?
20 Dec 2025,26 mins
A makeover for Syria's interim leader?
Ahmed al-Sharaa has embraced social media to project an apparently moderate image
13 Dec 2025,26 mins
Reporting the Nigerian school kidnappings
Why it was vital for BBC journalists to visit the site of the Nigerian school kidnappings
06 Dec 2025,26 mins
What is the 'Shadow Fleet'?
How Russia uses oil tankers to evade sanctions and conduct hybrid warfare
29 Nov 2025,26 mins
Inside India's war on Maoists
India has been at war with Maoist insurgents for nearly 60 years, is it about to end?
22 Nov 2025,26 mins
The COP 30 summit and the climate change frontline
Stories from the frontline of climate change and the 30th COP climate summit in Brazil
15 Nov 2025,26 mins