BBC World Service

BBC World Service

The BBC World Service is a special part of the BBC that shares news and stories with people all around the world. It is the biggest international broadcaster, reaching listeners in many countries and languages. You can hear or watch it on radio, television, and online.

The BBC World Service speaks in more than 40 languages! In English, it has different versions for places like Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas. It works every day, all the time.

People trust the BBC World Service for fair and balanced news about what is happening in the world. It is led by Jonathan Munro and the English service is controlled by Jon Zilkha.

A Little History

The BBC World Service started on December 19, 1932, from the Daventry transmitting station. At first, it was called the Empire Short Wave Service and spoke mostly to English speakers in the British Empire. During big events, like World War II, it grew to speak in many languages. Famous writer George Orwell worked there during the war.

How to Listen

You can find the BBC World Service on many places. In the UK, it is on DAB, Freeview, Virgin Media, and Sky. In the Americas, it is on satellite radio in the United States and Canada. In Asia, it has been on FM radio in Singapore since 1976. In Europe, you can hear it in cities like Berlin, Prague, and Reykjavík.

Popular Shows

The BBC World Service in English has many popular shows. There is Newsday, Newshour, and The Newsroom for news. For science, there is Health Check and Science in Action. On weekends, Sportsworld brings sports news, and there is a show called Stumped about cricket. The Forum talks about many different subjects, and there is a long-running show called Outlook that tells interesting human stories.

Many of these shows are also available as podcasts so you can listen again anytime!