6 Minute English

Learn and practise useful English with clips from programmes around the BBC. Find more at bbclearninenglish.com

Radio,326 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

The power of poetry
Learn about the positive impacts of poetry and practise your listening skills
04 Jun 2026,6 mins
Living with debt
Have you ever borrowed money to buy something?
28 May 2026,6 mins
Making cities feel quieter
How loud is it where you live? Would you prefer to live somewhere quiet?
21 May 2026,6 mins
How reading shapes your brain
Scientific research has shown that learning to read changes how our brains work.
14 May 2026,6 mins
Searching for life on another planet
Does life on another planet exist? Neil and Becca hear from experts about another planet.
07 May 2026,6 mins
Should we eat ultra-processed food?
Ultra-processed food can be tasty, but what is it doing to our health?
30 Apr 2026,6 mins
Why are we all so stressed?
Neil and Becca share their experiences with stress and teach you some new vocabulary.
23 Apr 2026,6 mins
Love the foods you hate
Are there foods that you just hate? Did you hated a food in the past but now like it?
16 Apr 2026,6 mins
The future of food
Do you know where your food comes from?
09 Apr 2026,6 mins
Are saunas good for you?
How do you feel about saunas? Does being in the heat make you tense or at ease?
02 Apr 2026,6 mins
Weight loss drugs
How do weight loss drugs help people lose weight? Neil and Georgie hear from a professor.
26 Mar 2026,6 mins
How do we adapt to the cold?
Some people don't seem to mind the cold, others seem to feel it much more strongly.
19 Mar 2026,6 mins
Should we pay more for chocolate?
Learn about the world in English and learn some interesting vocabulary
12 Mar 2026,6 mins
Why are some animals black and white?
Zebras' black-and-white stripes may prevent bites from insects. What about giant pandas?
05 Mar 2026,6 mins
The power of pepper
Did you know there are hundreds of different varieties of pepper worldwide?
26 Feb 2026,6 mins
Dreaming of being a chef
Working in a restaurant can be tough, but for some, becoming a top chef is a dream job
19 Feb 2026,6 mins
Artistic swimming
Could you hold your breath underwater while doing gymnastics? These athletes can.
12 Feb 2026,6 mins
Rethinking dyslexia
Learn and practise useful English language for everyday situations.
05 Feb 2026,6 mins
Why are billionaires building bunkers?
Learn and practise useful English language for everyday situations.
29 Jan 2026,7 mins
Scared to speak English?
Beth and Pippa discuss learning languages and how to fight your fear of speaking English.
22 Jan 2026,7 mins
What English phrases really mean
British people love to play with words, but why do we do it? Pippa and Beth discuss this.
15 Jan 2026,6 mins
Is social media dead?
Is social media on a downward spiral? Neil and Pippa discuss this.
08 Jan 2026,6 mins
Is it OK to disagree?
Are we becoming a divided society?
01 Jan 2026,6 mins
Was Christmas better in the past?
Beth and Neil talk about a strange emotion we can feel at Christmas called nostalgia.
25 Dec 2025,6 mins
Finding and eating wild food
Where do you get your fruit and vegetables – a supermarket, a greengrocer... or the wild?
18 Dec 2025,6 mins
How are horses helping to heal humans?
Did you know that horses are being used to help with physical and mental illness?
11 Dec 2025,6 mins
What’s your favourite flavour of crisp?
Why do we like crisps so much?
04 Dec 2025,6 mins
How are influencers affecting politics?
Do you follow politics on social media?
27 Nov 2025,6 mins
Do you have good dining etiquette?
Do you know the 'proper' way to behave during meals?
20 Nov 2025,6 mins
How important is play?
Would you ever consider playing in a bomb site?
13 Nov 2025,6 mins