

The Global Story
BBC World Service
The world order is shifting by the day — old alliances are fraying, autocrats are on the rise, and global trade is in turmoil. A lot of this turbulence can be traced back to decisions made in the US, but America isn’t just a cause of upheaval abroad—it’s also a symptom of the same forces disrupting things across the world.
That’s where The Global Story comes in. From September 2025, this daily podcast from the BBC tackles the news at this exact intersection: where the world meets America.
With one host in DC, one host in London, and the backing of the best international newsroom in the world, this podcast tells the intertwined story of America and the world – how each shapes the other, daily.
The Global Story. Where the world meets America.
That’s where The Global Story comes in. From September 2025, this daily podcast from the BBC tackles the news at this exact intersection: where the world meets America.
With one host in DC, one host in London, and the backing of the best international newsroom in the world, this podcast tells the intertwined story of America and the world – how each shapes the other, daily.
The Global Story. Where the world meets America.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 19, 2024 • 23min
How Denmark became a super producer of viral 'skinny jabs'
BBC reporter in Copenhagen, Adrienne Murray, discusses how Novo Nordisk has become Europe's most valuable company with weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. The podcast explores Denmark's booming economy, the success of Novo Nordisk, concerns about long-term use of the drugs, and the impact on Danish society and the global weight loss market.

Feb 16, 2024 • 25min
Alexei Navalny: The death of Putin’s biggest critic
Russia's most significant opposition leader for the past decade, Alexei Navalny, has died in an Arctic Circle jail, the prison service has said. What does that mean for the future of Russia, its opposition movement and its leader, Vladimir Putin? In this special episode of The Global Story, Gabriel Gatehouse speaks to the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet, Olga Ivshina from the BBC's Russian Service, and Francis Scarr, who covers Russian media for BBC Monitoring. The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. #TheGlobalStory We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.Today’s podcast was made by Peter Goffin and Miriam Quayyum. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Feb 16, 2024 • 26min
Andrew Tate effect: Is misogyny on the rise?
There is growing concern that a new wave of violent misogyny is becoming popular with young men. Many blame social media and online influencers like Andrew Tate for promoting extreme anti-feminist views. Gabriel Gatehouse speaks with BBC filmmaker Matt Shea and Cosmopolitan's Harriet Hall to explore what Gen Z think about sexism and if young people are becoming more polarised in their views.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. #TheGlobalStory We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s podcast was made by Alice Aylett Roberts and Bethan Ashmead Latham. The technical producers were Mike Regaard and Philip Bull. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Feb 15, 2024 • 27min
Does Argentina have the patience for Milei’s shock therapy?
Javier Milei was sworn in as Argentina’s president in December. He's referred to as El Loco (the madman) by his critics and many supporters. His promise to take a chainsaw to government in an attempt to solve rampant inflation, won over voters who'd had enough of the status quo. But do they have the patience for his economic shock therapy, and the pain he said would be felt before any benefits?The BBC's South America correspondent Ione Wells tells us what people in Argentina make of his first two months. And Evan Davis, former BBC economics editor, explains what the names of his four pet dogs tells us about his economic inspirations.The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. Is there a story where you are that we should be telling as part of The Global Story? Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.Today’s podcast was made by Richard Moran and Jay Gardner. The technical producer was Sam Dickinson. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Feb 14, 2024 • 25min
Ethiopia on the brink: Fears of a famine return and why you should pay attention
Nearly 40 years after the BBC brought famine in Ethiopia to the world's attention, there are fresh warnings that the tragedy could be repeated.James Landale, the BBC’s diplomatic correspondent has just returned from the northern state of Tigray, where officials say hunger could reach levels worse than in the 1980s.Kalkidan Yibeltal, our correspondent in Addis Ababa, tells how the region’s problems today can partly be traced back to the famine decades ago. The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. Is there a story where you are that we should be telling as part of The Global Story? Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s podcast was made by Richard Moran and Jay Gardner. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Feb 13, 2024 • 26min
Tucker Carlson: What next for America’s right-wing showman?
Access to Putin and Trump puts him in a powerful position, less than a year since losing his high-profile job with Fox News. His interview with the Russian president has him back at the centre of the global conversation. Donald Trump’s wife and son have reportedly floated Carlson’s name as a possible Republican vice-presidential candidate. But would he in fact have more influence as a pundit?
Gabriel Gatehouse talks to the BBC’s Francis Scarr, who covered Carlson’s trip to Moscow, and Laura Trevelyan, who covered the US for the BBC for more than two decades.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.
This episode was made by Neal Razzell and Emilia Jansson. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Feb 12, 2024 • 35min
Global anxiety: You are not alone
Anxiety disorders are the world’s most common mental health condition, affecting over three hundred million people, but only one in four affected actually get treatment for them. Data shared with us by Google says that over the last decade, countries are searching the term more frequently. Ukraine, Ireland and the Philippines the top three countries searching the word anxiety. In this episode, we explore how the disorders culturally manifest and hear what they look and feel like first hand. BBC Special Correspondent Fergal Keane, who was diagnosed with PTSD in 2008, lays bare his experience of the anxiety disorder PTSD. Katya is also joined by Professor of Psychiatry Femi Oyebode.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com. You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. #TheGlobalStory.This episode was made by Beth Timmins and Miriam Quayyum. The technical producer was Jack Graysmark. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Feb 9, 2024 • 25min
Could Taylor Swift swing the US election?
Could Taylor Swift swing the US election? Explore Taylor Swift's potential political influence, from her impact on the music industry to her advocacy for LGBTQ rights. Delve into her journey from a non-political figure to a vocal advocate, and the speculation on her endorsement of Joe Biden for the US election.

Feb 8, 2024 • 24min
Europe’s furious farmers and the far right
Farmers’ protests have swept across France, Germany, Spain, Italy and beyond, and descended on the European Union headquarters in Brussels. They’re outraged over rising costs, EU red tape and cheap imports from Ukraine. And they say their elected leaders are ignoring them. That’s left the door open to the far-right, which is trying to position itself as a friend to the rural voter. To understand what that means for the future of European politics, Katya speaks to Politico senior correspondent and BBC contributor Clea Caulcutt.
The Global Story brings you trusted insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We’re keen to hear from you, wherever you are in the world. #TheGlobalStory We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480. Today’s podcast was made by Peter Goffin and Jay Gardner. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.

Feb 7, 2024 • 22min
''People will keep dying": The spread of fentanyl across the US Mexico border
As the US opioid crisis continues, politicians in Washington are blaming Mexico’s cartels. But what about Mexico itself? Our correspondent Will Grant says Fentanyl addiction was evident from the moment he arrived in the border town, Tijuana, to the moment he left, and death rates there are high.Until recently Mexico’s president Andrés Manuel López Obrador denied there was a fentanyl usage problem in his country. This changed at the end of January when he announced that he was going to ask congress to adopt anti-fentanyl consumption legislation. But given the drug is 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine and can quickly be fatal, has too much damage already been done in Tijuana?The Global Story delivers insights from BBC experts around the world, with Katya Adler. We want your ideas, stories and experiences to help us understand and tell The Global Story. Email us at theglobalstory@bbc.com You can also message us or leave a voice note on WhatsApp on +44 330 123 9480.Today’s episode of The Global Story was made by Bethan Ashmead Latham and Laurie Kalus. The technical producers were Matt Hewitt and Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Sergi Forcada Freixas and the senior news editor is Jonathan Aspinwall.