Tag Archives: BBC

Current Affairs: Prospect Magazine – March 2024

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Prospect Magazine (March 2024) The latest issue features ‘How The Government Captured The BBC’ – A faceless fixer – and a broadcaster in a state of ‘permanent cringe’…

To whom do we owe shelter?

We do not choose where we are born. That creates rights—and obligations—that we should all seek to honour

Conflict, human rights abuses and climate change have led to a doubling of the global refugee population in the last seven years, and yet the response of many wealthy countries has become increasingly insular and myopic. Constant demands to slash international aid, along with punitive immigration policies and hateful rhetoric, mark a shift away from humanitarian values. The UK’s Rwanda scheme epitomises this trend: it would normalise the mass deportation of asylum seekers and undermine prohibitions on returning refugees to dangerous countries. At the same time, citizens of wealthy countries appear increasingly indifferent to the plight of those who perish in the Mediterranean or along other perilous routes.

How the government captured the BBC

© Photography by Sara Morris, post-production by the Retouching Shed

Ukraine’s fate, Europe’s choice

Friendly fire? Ukraine’s chief commander, Valeriy Zaluzhny, is said to have a frosty relationship with Zelensky © Ukraine President’s Office / Alamy

TV: David Attenborough’s “Planet Earth” At 20 Years

BBC Earth (December 10, 2023) – Over the past two decades, Sir David Attenborough has travelled to the furthest corners of our planet.

20 years. 7 continents. 3 series. 1 planet.

He reflects upon the incredible animals and habitats he has seen, and what the future could hold – for both us and them.

BBC Theater: ‘Shakespeare – Rise Of A Genius’ (2023)

BBC (November 12, 2023) – This gripping three-part documentary series for BBC Two and iPlayer features an A-list cast of actors, including Dame Judi Dench, Dame Helen Mirren, Brian Cox, Adrian Lester, Lolita Chakrabarti, Martin Freeman and Jessie Buckley, alongside academics and writers James Shapiro, Jeanette Winterson, Lucy Jago , Jeremy O’Harris and Ewan Fernie – who provide fresh insights into the incredible story of our greatest writer, the place and time he inhabited and the work he produced.

Shakespeare: Rise of A Genius

November marks 400 years since arguably the greatest work of English literature was created, the First Folio, published seven years after the death of William Shakespeare and without which much of his work would have been lost for future generations to enjoy today.

The BBC is celebrating this extraordinary anniversary with an ambitious season of content across TV, Radio, BBC iPlayer & BBC Sounds exploring why, 400 years on, Shakespeare’s relevance and influence is as strong as ever. A wealth of programming featuring major actors and leading experts, including new documentaries, performance, music, drama, comedy, news coverage and the best of the BBC archive, as well as special items on flagship BBC shows, will celebrate the man, his world and his timeless writing.

Here’s how you can watch, listen and learn about Shakespeare across the BBC…

Science Focus Magazine – November 2023 Preview

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BBC Science Focus Magazine (November 2023) The latest issue features ‘Rethinking caffeine’ – How the right amount unlocks lifelong benefits for your brain and body.

The science of Doctor Who

At 60 years old, Doctor Who, the BBC show following the adventures of the regenerating Time Lord, continues to be highly enjoyable fiction. But it’s science fiction. The Gallifreyan takes science seriously… so we take a closer look at some of the science of Doctor Who, from time travel and the TARDIS to invading Cybermen and rogue planets.

How to make the Moon on Earth

The expense and prestige involved in sending landers and rovers to the Moon means you can’t afford for them not to work when they get there. But the lunar landscape is like nothing here on Earth. So how, and where do you test equipment that’s bound for the Moon?

Theater: ‘Simon Schama’s Shakespeare And Us’ (2023)

BBC Select (November 4, 2023) – How much is the personality of England intertwined with the visions of Shakespeare? Acclaimed historian Simon Schama tries to get beneath the skin of the playwright and understand why his stories are so relevant today.

In this insightful documentary we are shown how Shakespeare knew the importance of not just reflecting the lives of the kings and queens who peppered his plays, but ordinary people too – including thieves, clowns and prostitutes.

Watch Simon Schama’s Shakespeare and Us on BBC Select in the US: https://bit.ly/49bpdiK and Canada: https://bit.ly/45WLLAX

AI Preview: Science Focus Magazine – July 2023 Issue

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BBC Science Focus Magazine (July 2023) – What our future with Artificial Intelligence really looks like, according to the experts; How to take control of AI before it’s too late, and more…

ChatGPT: Everything you need to know about OpenAI’s GPT-4 tool

© Carol Yepes

OpenAI is back in the headlines with news that it is updating its viral ChatGPT with a new version called GPT-4. But when will this be available, how does it work and can you use it?

AI art’s hidden echo chamber is about to implode. Here’s what that will look like

Artificial intelligence art generators train themselves on art pulled straight from the internet… but what happens when most of the art out there is now made by AI?

BBC Tributes: Sir David Attenborough Turns 97

BBC (May 8, 2023) – Sir David Attenborough was born in London on May 8, 1926 and educated at Wyggeston Grammar School, Leicester, and Clare College, Cambridge where he took an honours degree in Natural Sciences. He did two years National Service in the Royal Navy and then spent some time on the editorial side of the University of London Press.

Sir David’s broadcasting career spans over 50 years. It began in 1952 when he joined BBC Television as a trainee and then became a producer working in the studios of Alexandra Palace in north London, from which the world’s first television service was broadcast. 

BBC Wilderness Views: The Wetlands Of Argentina

BBC Earth – It is one of the largest freshwater reservoirs on the South American continent. It is the largest protected area in Argentina, with 1.3 million hectares of pristine wilderness. Also referred to as Esteros del Iberá, the Iberá Wetlands stays true to its name with a spectacular offering of streams, marshes, lagoons and swamps that cover approximately 14 % of the Corrientes Province.

The wetlands are home to a staggering 4,000 plant and animal species, which make up 30 % of Argentina’s biodiversity. The indigenous communities of the wetlands inhabited the area as early as in the 9th century.

Siberia Views: The Nomadic Nenets Reindeer Herders

BBC Earth – Arctic Siberia’s Nomadic Nenets herders have migrated with reindeer for generations. Reindeer were among the last animals domesticated by humans.

According to the Nenets legend, the humans promised the reindeer that they would protect them on their long migration from the mainland to the seashores as long as the reindeer provide humans with all their needs, including milk, fat, meat, bones, horns, and skins. The nomadic reindeer herders reside in the taiga forests of the Russian tundra and northern Mongolia.