Where the world is explained. Making sense of the big stories - looking behind the spin.
World Service,·328 episodes
The US-Israel war on Iran has put strain on some of Washington's closest global alliances
20 Mar 2026,·25 mins
John Simpson analyses the economic effects of the war in the Middle East
20 Mar 2026,·26 mins
How CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen was one of the first journalists to gain access to the war
19 Mar 2026,·22 mins
Mixed messages leave more questions than answers over the US-Israel war with Iran
13 Mar 2026,·25 mins
Caroline Hawley explores what life in Iran is like as the war intensifies
13 Mar 2026,·26 mins
Ros Atkins speaks to Mehdi Hasan, Jeffrey Goldberg, Sarah Smith and Johnny Harris
12 Mar 2026,·22 mins
The Strait of Hormuz — the narrow waterway that carries 20% of the world’s oil.
06 Mar 2026,·8 mins
John Simpson analyses whether the Iranian regime will survive
06 Mar 2026,·26 mins
Have journalists overlooked global power changes behind events in Iran?
05 Mar 2026,·22 mins
Which Republican will Trump endorse and can the Democrats flip the the Texas primaries?
27 Feb 2026,·25 mins
John Simpson explores the mood in Ukraine after four years of war
27 Feb 2026,·26 mins
The backstory of an image that has defined the Royal crisis.
26 Feb 2026,·22 mins
What’s taking centre stage in Trump’s State of the Union speech?
24 Feb 2026,·25 mins
John Simpson analyses the state of the transatlantic alliance
20 Feb 2026,·26 mins
Ros Atkins interviews MTV co‑founder Tom Freston about his career and new book
19 Feb 2026,·22 mins
Is President Trump facing a GOP rebellion in Congress?
13 Feb 2026,·25 mins
John Simpson explores who is actually governing Gaza at the moment
13 Feb 2026,·26 mins
Gabriel Sherman on the Murdoch family succession battle and the company’s direction
12 Feb 2026,·22 mins
Political pressure on President Trump after the release of more Epstein files
06 Feb 2026,·24 mins
John Simpson looks at the dangers facing the Iranian clerical regime
06 Feb 2026,·26 mins
How journalists are reporting the latest Epstein data dump
05 Feb 2026,·22 mins
Minneapolis unrest grows after federal agents fatally shoot Alex Pretti
30 Jan 2026,·25 mins
John Simpson analyses EU-US relations after the row over Greenland
30 Jan 2026,·26 mins
Is a live broadcast of a climber on a skyscraper without a rope the future of television?
29 Jan 2026,·22 mins
What happens to our brains and our consciousness when we’re put to sleep?
24 Jan 2026,·49 mins
Is Trump driving a breakup between the US and Europe?
23 Jan 2026,·25 mins
Caroline Hawley looks back at the first year of Donald Trump’s second term
23 Jan 2026,·26 mins
The Beckham’s family fallout reignites questions on how celebrities shape press coverage
22 Jan 2026,·22 mins
Trump warns Iran and pushes US control of Greenland
16 Jan 2026,·25 mins
Questions over how global media report unrest in Iran and the constraints on verification
15 Jan 2026,·22 mins