The Essential

A chance to hear extracts from some of our most thought provoking broadcasts.

World Service,96 episodes

Episodes

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From Our Own Correspondent: Lesotho's 'Green Drought'
Starving in slow motion as southeast Africa's crops shrivel
30 Jun 2016,5 mins
The Inquiry: Can the EU Survive?
Aristotle Kallis says the EU has no future without the people’s trust
29 Jun 2016,5 mins
From Our Own Correspondent: A Ghost of Saudi's Future?
Stephen Sackur ponders the aims (and reality) of the vast KAEC project in Saudi Arabia
23 Jun 2016,5 mins
The Inquiry: Why Do So Many People Dislike Hillary?
Seasoned political observer Mark Halperin on Hillary Clinton's likeability deficit
22 Jun 2016,5 mins
More or Less: When Companies Track Your Life
How are companies using our personal data?
21 Jun 2016,5 mins
BBC Trending: Tipsters on Trial
We investigate the social media betting tipsters who make money when you lose.
20 Jun 2016,5 mins
Where the Castoffs Go
The business of recycling and why the rich world buys so much stuff
16 Jun 2016,5 mins
The Inquiry: Are We Really About To End World Poverty?
Helen Clark, head of the UNDP, explains the global poverty target.
15 Jun 2016,5 mins
The Why Factor: Copying Art
Mike Williams asks why people copy famous works of art and who buys them.
14 Jun 2016,5 mins
Why are People Putting their Names in Brackets on Twitter?
A campaign led by anti-Semitic trolls has sparked a backlash online
13 Jun 2016,5 mins
From Our Own Correspondent: Finland's Reactor Blues
David Shukman goes inside the site of the vast French-designed Olkiluoto reactor
09 Jun 2016,5 mins
The Inquiry: Why Can’t Egypt Stop FGM?
Dalia abd El-Hameed says Egypt needs a sexual revolution if it’s to end FGM
08 Jun 2016,5 mins
More or Less: HIV in Africa
Are 74% of African girls aged 15-24 HIV positive?
07 Jun 2016,5 mins
BBC Trending: Try Beating Me Lightly
Pakistani women have reacted to a suggestion that men can beat their wives 'lightly'
06 Jun 2016,5 mins
From Our Own Correspondent: Departed Friends
Jeremy Bowen reflects on war reporting and remembers three friends killed 16 years ago
02 Jun 2016,5 mins
The Inquiry: Are we Fighting Cancer the Right Way?
The World Health Organisation says cancer rates around the world are rising fast
01 Jun 2016,5 mins
The Why Factor: Thin
Life as a model eating three apples a day
31 May 2016,5 mins
BBC Trending: The Movies Hidden in Wikipedia
Why Bangladeshi pirates are hiding Hollywood films in the internet’s encyclopaedia.
30 May 2016,5 mins
From Our Own Correspondent: Hiroshima's Paper Cranes
Juliet Rix reflects on the legacy of the A-bomb for the city - and for America and Japan
26 May 2016,5 mins
The Inquiry: Would A New International Convention Help Refugees?
Luara Ferracioli explains the best way to deal with the refugees crisis
25 May 2016,5 mins
More or Less: The World's Most Profitable Product
Is the iPhone the most profitable product in history? What are the other contenders?
24 May 2016,5 mins
BBC Trending: Blessers’ - South Africa’s Sugar Daddy Problem
The online backlash against relationships based on money and gifts
23 May 2016,5 mins
From Our Own Correspondent: Breaking the Mould in Albania
Andrew Hosken considers Albania's past, present and future - and its once-feared Segurimi
19 May 2016,5 mins
The Inquiry: Can Virtual Reality Help Treat PTSD?
Psychologist Skip Rizzo uses virtual worlds to help soldiers talk about their experiences
18 May 2016,5 mins
The Why Factor: Time Perception
Mike Williams asks why we perceive time differently in different circumstances
17 May 2016,5 mins
BBC Trending: Does Airbnb Have a Race Problem?
Twitter users have accused some hosts of rejecting their bookings because they are black
16 May 2016,5 mins
From Our Own Correspondent: Tunisia's Sad Fishmongers
In Tunis Central Market, fish stalls can reveal much of the country's frustrated hopes
12 May 2016,5 mins
The Inquiry: What's Killing White American Women?
Addiction expert Dr Andrew Kolodny on the US's prescription painkiller epidemic
11 May 2016,5 mins
More or Less: Leicester City football fluke?
The statistics behind the English Premier League’s surprise winners
10 May 2016,5 mins
BBC Trending: Disabled 'Promposals'
Viral videos of disabled students being asked to prom - inspirational or insulting?
09 May 2016,5 mins