The Explanation

BBC World Service

Where the world is explained. Making sense of the big stories - looking behind the spin. Exploring the important questions about long-running stories and the latest global news. An honest, unvarnished, explanation of the world.

Featuring new episodes of The President's Path, Unspun World with John Simpson, and The Media Show.

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346 episodes
Updated Friday

Episodes346

Newest first

Sep 26, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Reporting the Predator at Harrods
How the BBC exposed the billionaire businessman Mohamed Al Fayed
Sep 19, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Trump’s Pet-eating Conspiracy Theory
Tracing the origin of the rumour that spawned an extraordinary political soundbite
Sep 12, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Russia’s alleged influencer propaganda plot
US says YouTubers have been paid to post videos with “hidden Russian government messages”
Sep 5, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Why Korean TV rules the world
From Squid Game to The Masked Singer some of the most popular shows come from South Korea
Aug 29, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Telegram founder arrested
What the Pavel Durov case means for the future of social media
Aug 22, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show - TV’s Hidden Dilemma
The makers of global hits on a difficult year for TV
Aug 20, 2024 · 17 min
US Supreme Court
Do nine justices in the Supreme Court fairly represent the diversity of views in the US?
Aug 15, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Social media as crime scene
How police are using social media to find evidence against rioters in the UK
Aug 13, 2024 · 17 min
What is the United Nations?
Striving for peace & equality on a healthy planet, is the United Nations fit for purpose?
Aug 8, 2024 · 37 min
The Global Jigsaw: The Taliban’s war on women
The group’s return to power in Afghanistan has seen the erasure of women from public life
Aug 8, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Online rumours and real-world consequences
How misinformation on social media fuelled the recent anti-immigration riots in England
Aug 6, 2024 · 17 min
Big Tech – too big to hide from?
We find out how Big Tech companies may know more about you - than you do.
Aug 1, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Who will inherit the Murdoch empire?
How Rupert Murdoch is locked in a legal battle with three of his children
Jul 30, 2024 · 17 min
The global arms trade
Which countries supply weapons and which countries buy them?
Jul 25, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Can memes win the US election?
Why supporters of Kamala Harris believe the battle to win is online
Jul 23, 2024 · 17 min
Why is the Gulf Stream and AMOC so important to our climate?
Complex ocean currents keep Europe warm and bring rain to Africa, but could they end?
Jul 18, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Reporting from the scene of the Trump shooting
Journalists from BBC, Bloomberg and Getty share their account of a moment in history
Jul 16, 2024 · 17 min
What makes a good peace mediator?
Brokering peace between warring nations, how does it work and what causes failure?
Jul 11, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: The war reporter who stopped to help
Why Oz Katerji decided to temporarily stop reporting and help injured Ukrainians
Jul 4, 2024 · 22 min
The Media Show: Reporting Biden’s Health
Is the White House press corps doing its job?