300 episodes

Beyond Today is the daily podcast from Radio 4 that asks one big question about one big story in the news - and beyond. Tina Daheley, Matthew Price, and a team of curious producers search for answers that change the way we see the world. They speak to the BBC’s unrivalled global network of reporters, plus occasional special guests, to tell stories about identity, technology, and power - where it lies and how that is changing.

Beyond Today BBC Radio 4

    • News

Beyond Today is the daily podcast from Radio 4 that asks one big question about one big story in the news - and beyond. Tina Daheley, Matthew Price, and a team of curious producers search for answers that change the way we see the world. They speak to the BBC’s unrivalled global network of reporters, plus occasional special guests, to tell stories about identity, technology, and power - where it lies and how that is changing.

    Do we really understand drill?

    Do we really understand drill?

    Drill music has a reputation for inciting violence and crime. The Metropolitan Police believes the genre is linked to the rise of stabbings and murders across London, and the Met chief Cressida Dick has said social media platforms should be more vigilant of drill content being uploaded online.

    But many argue that drill is not only a form of expression, but it’s also the reality for many young black men who live in urban areas across the country. With attempts being made to ban the genre, what does this mean for those who socially and financially rely on it?

    The BBC’s Oliver Newlan explores how an attack on one of the country's biggest drill artists led to a number of deaths in north London, while Professor Forrest Stuart at Stanford University explains why we need to understand drill in order to understand the perspective of young black and brown men living in urban poverty.

    Presenter: Matthew Price
    Producer: Seren Jones
    Mixed by Emma Crowe
    Editor: Philly Beaumont

    • 24 min
    Will coronavirus take away our jobs?

    Will coronavirus take away our jobs?

    At first coronavirus was just a health story, but now it’s pretty clear employment and the economy are taking a massive hit.
    Travel bans have led to airlines cutting jobs and the hospitality sector is in trouble as people stay at home.
    In this episode we ask what will happen to workers. It’s a global problem so we speak to Harriet and Ray, a freelance couple in New York, as well as documentary director Emily in London.
    We also speak to Chris Giles, Economics Editor at the Financial Times, about some of the things being done elsewhere to help people who lose work because of the virus.
    Presenter: Matthew Price
    Producers: Duncan Barber and Philly Beaumont
    Mixed by Emma Crowe
    Editor: Philly Beaumont

    • 16 min
    Is wokeness just white guilt?

    Is wokeness just white guilt?

    Kiley Reid’s debut novel shot into the bestsellers list and has been lauded by critics here and in the US. Such A Fun Age follows the lives of babysitter Emira Tucker, a young black woman, and her wealthy, white employer Alix Chamberlin in post-Obama America. Kiley’s book explores race, class and wealth, and how well-meaning wokeness can actually exacerbate those issues.
    Presenter: Tina Daheley
    Producers: Alicia Burrell and Katie Gunning
    Mixed by Emma Crowe
    Editor: Philly Beaumont

    • 17 min
    Is coronavirus 'worse' than flu?

    Is coronavirus 'worse' than flu?

    The world is in the midst of a pandemic. For most people, symptoms of the virus are mild, they might develop a cough and a fever before getting better. This has led many people to compare the new coronavirus to seasonal influenza. But, for a minority of those affected, particularly older people and those with underlying heart or lung conditions, the new coronavirus can cause severe difficulty breathing, and in about 1% of cases, death.
    Infectious diseases expert, Dr Nathalie MacDermott tells Matthew Price how seasonal flu compares to pandemics past and present, why Trump’s travel ban won’t work and the lessons she’s learned from the front line of Ebola. We also speak to a British man in isolation in Wuhan, China about his experience of the virus.
    Presenter: Matthew Price
    Produced by Rory Galloway and Lucy Hancock
    Mixed by Emma Crowe
    Edited by Philly Beaumont

    • 24 min
    Why would you transition twice?

    Why would you transition twice?

    Most people who transition to another gender do not have second thoughts. In fact de-transitioning is thought to be relatively rare. There are no accurate figures revealing how many people reverse or change their gender, as academic researchers have never studied a large group of transitioning people over a long period of time – but some studies suggest that fewer than 0.5 per cent of trans people choose to return to the gender they were assigned at birth.
    Whatever the numbers, we know that more people are telling their stories. Around the world there are trans men and trans women who have decided to de-transition, and it’s often not an easy choice. Others have chosen to re-identify as non-binary or gender-fluid.
    We speak two BBC journalists, Linda Pressly and Lucy Proctor, who’ve made a documentary for the World Service called The Detransitioners. They’ve spent the last year talking to people who had transitioned, but then returned to their birth gender.

    Presenter: Tina Daheley
    Producer: Katie Gunning
    Mixed by Emma Crowe

    • 26 min
    Why are teens getting pregnant in Middlesbrough?

    Why are teens getting pregnant in Middlesbrough?

    Middlesbrough has the highest number of teenage pregnancies in England and Wales. Even though national figures show rates have dropped by nearly 60 percent over the past 10 years, the number of pregnant teens in the north-eastern town rose by 20 percent from 2015 to 2017.
    When the average age of a mum in England and Wales is 30 years old, why are there so many teens having babies in Middlesbrough?
    We speak to Charley and Robyn, two teenagers who tell us what it’s like to have been fast-tracked to motherhood. And the BBC’s Philippa Goymer tries to makes sense of the growing trend in the area.
    Presenter: Tina Daheley
    Producer: Seren Jones
    Mixed by Emma Crowe
    Editor: Philly Beaumont

    • 21 min

Top Podcasts In News

Vinohradská 12
Český rozhlas
Růžička & Vořechovský
Jan Růžička
Řetězák
Novinky.cz
5:59
Seznam Zprávy
Studio N
Deník N
Mediální cirkus
Seznam Zprávy

You Might Also Like

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
Desert Island Discs
BBC Radio 4
Best of Today
BBC Radio 4
More or Less: Behind the Stats
BBC Radio 4
Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast
Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast
Sliced Bread
BBC Radio 4

More by BBC

6 Minute English
BBC Radio
6 Minute Vocabulary
BBC Radio
Global News Podcast
BBC World Service
6 Minute Grammar
BBC Radio
The English We Speak
BBC Radio
You're Dead to Me
BBC Radio 4