Understand

BBC Radio 4
  • 4.4 (19)
  • POLITICS
  • SERIES

Understand from BBC Radio 4 - unravelling the complexities of the biggest stories and subjects that really matter right now.

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  1. Rinsed: Trailer

    EPISODE 1

    Rinsed: Trailer

    This is the story of a sewage scandal. How a centuries old battle between public good and private profit created an almighty stink. And who pays to clean it up.

    3 min
  2. Rinsed: 1. The Bridge

    EPISODE 1

    Rinsed: 1. The Bridge

    After watching their local river grow murky and lifeless, two retired neighbours decide to take on the water industry and its regulators. The unlikely sleuths begin a ten-year battle to clean up our rivers. On the banks of the River Windrush in Oxfordshire, Kate Lamble meets campaigners Ash Smith and Peter Hammond Reported and presented by Kate Lamble Producer: Elle Scott Sound Design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Joe Kent Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Rinsed is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

    15 min
  3. Rinsed: 2. Water Works

    EPISODE 2

    Rinsed: 2. Water Works

    The centuries old battle between public good and private profit that’s still being fought today. Kate Lamble holds her nose and plunges into the long history of the water industry and some of the many conflicts that have shaped it. Reported and presented by Kate Lamble Producer: Elle Scott Sound Design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Joe Kent Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Rinsed is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

    15 min
  4. Rinsed: 3. Turd Nerds

    EPISODE 3

    Rinsed: 3. Turd Nerds

    The 'Dossier of Despair' that reveals what's happening to some of Britain’s rivers. A retired police detective, a former machine learning academic, an ex-water industry insider and their neighbours join forces to dig for data. But will anyone listen to the campaigners calls for change? Reported and presented by Kate Lamble Producer: Elle Scott Sound Design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Joe Kent Commissioning Executive: Tracy Willimas Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Rinsed is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

    16 min
  5. Rinsed: 4. Inkblot

    EPISODE 4

    Rinsed: 4. Inkblot

    We can all look the same picture, but what you make of it depends on who you are. Kate Lamble attempts to untangle the financial engineering that underpins parts of the water industry. Reported and presented by Kate Lamble Producer: Elle Scott Sound Design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Joe Kent Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Rinsed is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

    16 min
  6. Rinsed: 5. The Camel's Humps

    EPISODE 5

    Rinsed: 5. The Camel's Humps

    Rivers work when everything is in balance, but what happens when things are thrown off course? Peter Hammond draws on his past as an academic specialising in machine learning to spot a problem everyone else has missed and expose what he believes is a national scandal.

    15 min
  7. Rinsed: 6. The Lion's Cage

    EPISODE 6

    Rinsed: 6. The Lion's Cage

    The view from inside the Environment Agency, the body which enforces environmental standards for water companies in England. Reported and presented by Kate Lamble Producer: Elle Scott Sound Design: Andy Fell Executive Producer: Joe Kent Commissioning Executive: Tracy Williams Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke Rinsed is a BBC Studios production for BBC Radio 4

    16 min
See All Season 11 (7)

Hosts & Guests

Ratings & Reviews

4.4
out of 5
19 Ratings

About

Understand from BBC Radio 4 - unravelling the complexities of the biggest stories and subjects that really matter right now.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Episodes
    90
  • Seasons
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2026
  • Show Website
    Understand

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