BBC Click (to May 2019) and BBC Digital Planet (from May 2019) for BBC World Service Radio
Ghislaine Boddington · 2015
Selected recordings from BBC Click/BBC Digital Planet Radio, the BBC World Service flagship technology show. I am bi-weekly Studio Expert and Co-Host for this well recognised BBC World Service radio show. This role entails being part of the producing team of 6, and working on both content preparation, live presentation and expert commentary, alongside the anchor presenter Gareth Mitchell and the other co-host Bill Thompson. We are concerned with new trends, new technologies, and new ways we use digital tools in our everyday lives, rather than just talking about the latest shiny toys and gadgets. As we explore how the ever evolving digital world is changing our culture and our societies, we don’t shy away from the news of the day, looking at how digital technologies shape the top stories affecting us all. We pool and co-generate ideas for the items topically by the week and looking ahead to events and launches we can propose for the future. We prepare for interviews/presentations, sometimes working in advance to pre-record, sometimes traveling to outside broadcasts from particular events or conferences. Then we move into the live broadcast every Tuesday evening at BBC Broadcasting House. The programme presents 4 items a week - a topical headliner, and three other items, globally diverse and linked to a wide variety of topics where technologies intersect wth societal changes, such as agritech innovations in India, cashless society in Africa, new robotics and health tech, social impact tech innovations of many kinds, AI and ethics to name a few. We cover regularly cover arts, culture and tech items and those linked to future human in a digital world - both areas of expertise for myself. The gender balance of speakers in the show is kept at 50:50 across the weeks, and we overview diversity at all times. My work is to do a live commentary output, sometimes linked to invited speakers live in studio, sometimes in reaction to pre prepared interviews, from my historical and my topical research, working into weekly items as an expert. BBC Digital Planet has a passionate and engaged audience around the world. This radio show is broadcast weekly on BBC World Service (8 x a week into different timezones) to a reach of 370m, and are also available as a downloadable Podcast for 30 days after broadcast. The Podcast has 110-140k weekly downloads and is one of the most popular BBC podcasts. There is also an active Facebook group 'Digital Planet Listeners' with 10k followers. I have chosen and attached here a selection of programmes from the 100 plus shows I have copresented, including a show I curated for Nesta's Futurefest 2018 which was recorded live at the festival. BBC Digital Planet discusses technology and how it impacts our daily lives. It is presented by Gareth Mitchell with the weekly participation of Bill Thompson and Ghislaine Boddington. Produced for BBC World Service by Ania Lichtarowicz.