The Explanation – Details, episodes & analysis

Why are there democracy protests in Hong Kong? Anu Anand talks to Stephen McDonell.

The Explanation is a snackable audio guide giving you the backstory behind the headlines. In each episode, presenter Anu Anand meets a BBC News correspondent who has lived and breathed these stories. She’ll hear clear analysis along with powerful archive. The Explanation will go back in time to unpack complex chains of events and will make the stories in question much easier to understand.

How did the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians reach its current point? Jeremy Bowen talked to Anu Anand in 2021 about the backstory behind the headlines.

Claire Graham talks to the former BBC News Africa Bureaux Chief, Milton Nkosi, to get a better understanding of why the post-apartheid dream of a ‘Rainbow Nation’ has still not materialised.

The Explanation is a snackable audio guide giving you the backstory behind the headlines. Unpacking complex chains of events, The Explanation will make the stories in question much easier to understand.

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, examines whether the Israeli government will survive the resignations of two leading cabinet members, explores why US economic growth isn’t having a having a greater impact on the presidential election, and assesses why Narendra Modi’s BJP party failed to win an absolute majority in India's critical elections.

After a lull in activities, in 2024 the Islamic State Group claimed to be behind several major attacks, showing the world they haven’t gone away. Among them was the storming by gunmen of a Moscow concert hall. Ten years after the Islamist extremists declared the establishment of a caliphate, our Jihadist Media Monitoring Team considers the current capabilities and ambitions of the group that once ruled over a large territory in Iraq and Syria.

Producer: Kriszta Satori Presenter: Krassi Twigg

In the space of 20 years, podcasting has gone from hobby to big business. What’s the secret of success for the best in the industry? Also on the show, why there’s trouble at the top of The Washington Post, and new research that shows more and more people are avoiding the news. Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Guests: Lewis Goodall, Co-host, The News Agents; Tony Pastor, Co-Founder, Goalhanger Podcasts; Nick Hilton, Co-founder, Podot; Vivian Schiller, Executive Director, Aspen Digital

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, examines whether Ukraine is now preparing for a deal, assesses what’s at stake as Nato members prepare for their annual summit in Washington next month, and asks who owns the moon as we enter a new era of lunar exploration.

In the week that Julian Assange walks free, we explore the story of WikiLeaks' unprecedented data releases and how he and his organisation changed the way journalists and newsrooms operate. We also assess if his guilty plea to a US espionage charge will have a chilling effect on national security journalism. Also in the programme, Steven Moffat, the writer behind global TV hits such as Sherlock and Doctor Who. He reveals why he wanted to tackle cancel culture in his new comedy-drama “Douglas is Cancelled”. Presenter: Katie Razzall Guests: James Ball, Political Editor, The New European; Carrie DeCell, senior staff attorney, Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University; Steven Moffat, writer and Executive Producer, Douglas is Cancelled.

John Simpson, in discussion with the BBC's unparalleled range of experts across the world, examines the key issues for voters in the UK’s imminent general election, explores the plight of women in Afghanistan after almost three years under Taliban rule and looks at the impact of the extreme heat affecting parts of the world this summer.

In the aftermath of his halting debate performance, the editorial boards of some major US newspapers have called on Joe Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. We ask why this issue is only being discussed widely now, and talk to Annie Linskey, White House reporter, The Wall Street Journal, who raised a comprehensive set of concerns about Biden’s health but faced a backlash from others in the media. We also speak to Nayeema Raza, co-host, Semafor’s Mixed Signals podcast and Jill Abramson, former executive editor, The New York Times

Also on the show, we hear from El Hunt, commissioning editor for The Evening Standard, about what it is like reporting from the Glastonbury Festival and hear Ros Atkin's remix of the BBC News' theme tune in his debut DJ set at Glastonbury and how Louis Tomlinson of One Direction bought football home to Worthy Farm. Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins Producer: Simon Richardson