OU / BBC radio series, Word of Mouth, returns

Posted on 8 January 2026 • Education, languages and health, TV and radio

A new seven-part OU/BBC radio series of Word of Mouth begins on Thursday, 8^th January, and will air weekly at 15:30 on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

The series is presented by celebrated author Michael Rosen and explores the world of words and how we use them.

In the first episode, Michael goes on an alphabetical odyssey with linguist Danny Bate, author of the book Why Q Needs U: A History of Our Letters and How We Use Them.

In a later episode, Michael talks to digital anthropologist Jennifer Cearns about the rise of AI companions- how do we talk to AI, and how does AI talk to us?

Dr Philip Seargeant and Dr Zsuszanna Barkanyi acted as academic consultants for the series, providing expert knowledge to support its development.

Dr Seargeant commented:

‘This is the third series of Word of Mouth we’ve worked on, and it’s developed into an exciting and mutually-rewarding partnership.

“We were particularly pleased to get the chance to interview Michael Rosen himself for our own podcast to accompany this series, where we talk with him about his own love of language and languages, as well as the importance and attraction of lifelong education.’

Supporting Online content:

Visit our Broadcast & Partnerships site OU Connect where you can find an exclusive interview with Michael Rosen about his own language journey and what he’s learnt from the stories behind how we speak. (NB: this site may not be live or complete prior to broadcast)

This series was commissioned by Broadcast & Partnerships and is supported by the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies with particular relevance to Q39 Ba (Hons) English Language and Literature, Q30 BA (Hons) Language Studies and R54 BA (Hons) English Language.

• Commissioned by Dr Caroline Ogilvie, Director, Broadcast & Partnerships
• Academic Consultants: Dr Philip Seargeant and Dr Zsuszanna Barkanyi
• Media Fellow: Dr Alex Twitchen
• Broadcast Project Manager: Clair Robinson
• Supporting Online Content: Xinmiao Zhang