The Open University

Drugs Map of Britain returns for a gritty new series

8 November 2023

A new series of the hard-hitting OU/BBC co-production Drugs Map of Britain delves into the world of drug users and dealers, laying bare the evolving makeup of Britain’s youth drug culture. Airing on the 8th of November at 10.30pm on BBC Three, the documentary series focuses on how certain drugs are widespread in cities across […]

Explore Scotland’s Sacred Islands and inhabitants’ faiths and beliefs with Ben Fogle

17 October 2023

A new four-part OU/BBC production of Scotland’s Sacred Islands with Ben Fogle airs tonight at 8pm on BBC Scotland and will be available on BBC iPlayer thereafter. This is the second series of the programme that sees adventurer Ben Fogle travel across some of Scotland’s most beautiful islands to explore how faith and belief took […]

‘Thrilling’ BBC documentary airs about the history of the Union

2 October 2023

The turbulent history of how Great Britain evolved is dissected in an intriguing Open University/BBC co-production – Union with historian David Olusoga – which reaches the small screen tonight (Monday 2 October). The four-part series airs on BBC Two at 9pm and charts the history of the Union from the 1600s – a century defined […]

New OU / BBC programme explores how we can make our cars and heating greener

21 July 2023

Tuesday 25th July sees the first of two brand new programmes from The Open University (OU) and BBC titled What They Really Mean For You, beginning on BBC One at 20:00, presented by BBC’s Climate Editor, Justin Rowlatt. The first episode, Electric Cars: What They Really Mean For You, investigates people’s frustrations with electric cars […]

Windrush – portraying the lives of a generation

19 June 2023

A new Open University/BBC co-production programme this week shows the work of artists, commissioned by His Majesty The King to produce portraits of people from the Windrush generation. The works of art commemorate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the HMT Empire Windrush, a ship that docked in Tilbury on 22 June 1948, bringing […]

The Real CSI returns to our screens for a third series

16 May 2023

If you’re a fan of forensics put a date in your diary to watch the latest series of The Open University/BBC co-production ‘The Real CSI’. The first episode of four in this series airs at 9pm today 16 May on BBC 2 and charts the case of a brutal rape of a woman by a […]

See the British Isles like never before in new OU / BBC series, Wild Isles

7 March 2023

The highly anticipated natural history series, Wild Isles, presented by Sir David Attenborough, begins this Sunday (12 March) evening, taking viewers on a journey through some of Britain and Ireland’s most beautiful landscapes. The Open University (OU) and BBC co-production will begin on BBC One and iPlayer at 7pm on Sunday 12th March, informed by […]

OU/BBC co-production goes behind the scenes of the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

28 February 2023

Saving Lives in Leeds, a new BBC documentary, produced with the support of two OU academics, features the challenging work of doctors and surgeons at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHT Trust. The eight-part series airs on Wednesday 1st March, 9pm on BBC Two and shows the tough dilemmas that doctors face each day behind the scenes, […]

Delving deep into the history of Welsh music

28 February 2023

Welsh Open University Music academics lent not just their individual expertise but their origins to help inform programme makers about Wales, ‘the land of song’, and the history of Welsh music in a BBC / OU co-production. ‘Wales: Music Nation with Huw Stephens’ looks at aspects of the musical history of Wales and is presented […]

New OU/BBC co-production showcases some of Scotland’s most remarkable women

21 February 2023

A new three-part series ‘The Women Who Changed Modern Scotland’ will tell the story of women who had a role in shaping Scotland over the last 50 years. Presented by Kirsty Wark, it will highlight the women who, throughout the decades have challenged the status quo, defied sexism to seize new opportunities and in more […]

OU News