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Is China ‘winning’ the Iran war? Apr 28, 2026

Show notes

As the US-Israel war with Iran reaches a diplomatic stalemate - one idea seems to be taking hold: that China is the real winner. Some have argued that the US’s biggest rival is quietly boosting its international standing, leverage and reputation as a reliable partner. Yet beneath the surface the economic situation in China looks far less triumphant. We speak to the BBC China Correspondent Laura Bicker who has been reporting from inside China’s factories and trading hubs to explore whether the potential political gains China may be accruing from the Iran war are being offset by the acute economic cost - and what this means for China’s long-term geopolitical ambitions. Producers: Aron Keller and Sam Chantarasak Digital producer: Matt Pintus Sound engineer: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins (Photo: Former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, 14 February, 2023. Credit: WANA/Reuters)

Live in London: Is the 'special relationship’ between the US and the UK over? Apr 27, 2026

Show notes

King Charles is visiting America at a tense moment for the ’special relationship' between the United States and the United Kingdom. Can he help turn things around?

In a special live recording at the BBC’s Maida Vale Studios in London, Asma and Tristan speak to the former British ambassador to the United States, Lord Kim Darroch.

Recorded on Saturday 25 April as part of Castfest, a one-day celebration of BBC podcasts.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak and James Shield Mix: Travis Evans Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: BBC. Kim Darroch talked to Asma Khalid and Tristan Redman at BBC Maida Vale Studios.

What are UFO hunters really searching for? Apr 24, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump has promised to release government files on UFOs and Unidentified Aerial Phenomena, telling a crowd at Turning Point USA this month, “ we found many very interesting documents”.

Meanwhile, Vice President JD Vance has said he is “obsessed” with the search for aliens, which he believes are demons, rather than innocuous little green men. Their comments follow a slew of congressional hearings about the subject in recent years, as well as pronouncements from other political figures, such as Barack Obama.

Why has the search for extra-terrestrial life – a fascination that began in the 1940s in the US – become mainstream again? What deeper meaning are people seeking when they look to the skies?

Daniel Lavelle, an award-winning British journalist, set out on a road trip across the States to answer these questions for his forthcoming book, Chasing Aliens: Conspiracy in the UFO Heartlands, and he joins Tristan on today’s episode.

Producer: Hannah Moore

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Meteors in the night sky. Credit: Georgi Licovski/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock.

The Iran peace talks that didn’t happen Apr 23, 2026

Show notes

Why were scheduled talks between the US and Iran suddenly cancelled? On Tuesday, as US vice president JD Vance was due to be flying to Pakistan for mediated talks on ending the war in Iran, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he was extending the ceasefire agreement, but that the US will continue to block Iranian ports.

Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane through which 20% of the world’s oil, as well as critical supplies of gas, aluminium and fertiliser is transported, remains a flashpoint, with Iran attacking cargo ships attempting to get through.

Today, we speak to the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent, Paul Adams, who is in the capital of Pakistan. Plus, in response to listener demand, we speak to Charlotte Smith, the long-time presenter of the BBC’s Farming Today, about how the blocking of the Strait of Hormuz is affecting the farming and food industries globally.

Producers: Hannah Moore, Lucy Pawle and Valerio Esposito

Executive producers: James Shield and Richard Fenton-Smith

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

The global network hunting predators on the internet Apr 22, 2026

Show notes

*** This episode includes discussions of child sexual abuse and upsetting scenes *** The BBC has been following a global team of undercover officers as they investigate the most hidden corners of the internet to stop those who exploit and harm children. A dedicated network of specialist investigators has successfully tracked and caught serial paedophiles who operate across the dark web with the same sophistication and secrecy as international organised crime syndicates. We speak to Special Agent Greg Squire who has dedicated his life to rescuing children who might otherwise never be found. His story is featured in the BBC documentary The Darkest Web and the BBC podcast World of Secrets: The Darkest Web.

For further information on the issues raised in the programme, contact support organisations in your own country. For a list of organisations in the UK that can provide support go to bbc.co.uk/actionline. Producer: Xandra Ellin

Executive producer: James Shield

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Greg Squire in The Darkest Web: Inside the internet’s most hidden corners to save kids – BBC World Service Docs)

How Pakistan became the peacemaker Apr 21, 2026

Show notes

For decades, Pakistan sat on the margins of global diplomacy. But now it’s due to be the unlikely venue for another round of peace talks between the US and Iran.

We speak to the BBC’s Pakistan correspondent, Carrie Davies, to ask how the country became a trusted intermediary between the parties in this conflict, and whether it can use this moment to increase its influence on the world stage.

Producers: Cat Farnsworth, Viv Jones, Aron Keller and Xandra Ellin

Studio managers: Mike Regaard and Ricardo McCarthy

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: U.S. Vice President JD Vance with Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir after arriving for first round of talks with Iranian officials in Pakistan, April 11, 2026. Credit: Jacquelyn Martin / Reuters

While the world’s eyes were on Iran, what happened in Gaza? Apr 20, 2026

Show notes

When the ceasefire deal was announced more than six months ago, there was celebration and relief in Gaza and Israel. But since the US-led Board of Peace announced plans to rebuild Gaza, the Trump administration’s attention has been occupied by other matters.

The success of the ceasefire deal hinges on Hamas disarmament and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops. So what progress has been made?

We speak to Yolande Knell, the BBC's Middle East correspondent, about life inside Gaza since the Iran War began.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak, Lucy Pawle and Xandra Ellin

Studio managers: Dafydd Evans and Mike Regaard

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo credits: A displaced Palestinian woman stands on a balcony inside a building damaged during the war at Al-Aqsa University, now used as a shelter, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, April 5, 2026. Photo: Reuters/Haseeb Alwazeer.

The Chinese cyber-attack that could have stolen data from every American Apr 17, 2026

Show notes

In 2024, reports emerged of a highly sophisticated cyber espionage campaign against US telecoms companies, which some analysts believe went all the way up to the Chinese government.

The group behind this campaign would later be codenamed Salt Typhoon, and it is believed to have quietly infiltrated critical US telecoms infrastructure in order to collect private information on influential Americans – including presidential candidates. In the process, it may have also swept up data from millions of ordinary Americans. The Chinese government has denied responsibility for Salt Typhoon.

We speak to former Deputy National Security Adviser Anne Neuberger, who was working inside the White House when the attacks were first uncovered. We also speak to BBC cyber correspondent Joe Tidy about how this hack unfolded – and what it reveals about who may be winning the cyber war.

Producer: Aron Keller

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Executive producer: James Shield

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Analysts in the Security Operations Center at the Dell Secure Works office in South Carolina, US. Credit: Stephen Morton/Getty Images)

Mythos: The AI model that’s ‘too powerful’ for public release Apr 16, 2026

Show notes

Anthropic, one of Silicon Valley’s leading AI firms, have built a new model which they say is too dangerous to be released to the public.

Instead, they are only giving access to Claude Mythos Preview to a handful of big companies to help them find and fix security vulnerabilities. The company says the model has already found weak spots in “every major operating system and web browser”. Is this a genuine example of an AI company acting responsibly, or more of a carefully calibrated publicity move?

We speak to the BBC’s North America tech correspondent, Lily Jamali, about whether this is a watershed moment for AI.

Producers: Viv Jones and Aron Keller

Digital producer: Matt Pintus

Mix: Travis Evans

Executive producer: James Shield

Senior news editor: China Collins

Credit: Jurassic Park (1993) / Dir: Stephen Spielberg / Universal Pictures

Photo: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei. Reuters/Denis Balibouse.

Trump v Pope Apr 15, 2026

Show notes

Pope Leo XIV has said he has “no fear of the Trump administration”, after his criticism of the Iran war drew scorn from President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, the US President called the Pope “weak on crime and terrible on foreign policy”, and posted a now-deleted AI image of himself depicted as a Christ-like figure.The posts caused outrage among Catholics and the religious right, but he has said he will not apologise to the Pope.

We speak to BBC presenter and author Edward Stourton, who has reported on religious affairs and US politics for decades, about what happens when an American president takes on an American Pope.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak, Xandra Ellin and Lucy Pawle

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Pope Leo XIV addresses journalists during the flight heading to Algiers on April 13, 2026. Credit: Reuters/Alberto Pizzoli.

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