The Open University

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 […]

New BBC ideas collection co-produced by the OU aims to answer Life’s Big Questions

7 November 2022

A brand-new collection of BBC ideas videos, featuring six co-produced by The Open University, have launched on BBC iPlayer. The new collection branded ‘Life’s Big Questions’, can be seen here on iPlayer. The OU co-produced videos included in the collection are: Are we thinking about alien life all wrong? Professor Brian Cox explains the ‘panspermia’ […]

OU/BBC: The Big Green Money Show returns

12 October 2022

Eco-friendly podcast The Big Green Money Show is back, examining the way some businesses are becoming greener. Presented by Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden, the 11-part OU/BBC series will be tackling questions such as, ‘can capitalism ever be green’ and ‘how to have a greener funeral’ amongst many others. The programme airs weekly on Radio 5 […]

The rise and fall of Topshop. OU/BBC series lifts the lid on iconic brand’s fall from grace

26 September 2022

The story of how a huge fashion brand fell dramatically to earth is the subject of a new two-part OU/BBC co–production. Through the testimony of insiders as well as fashion and investigative journalists, Trouble at Topshop explores how the brand is transformed by a group of young, talented, and creative women, into a mecca for […]

Journey through our breath-taking, icy world in BBC/OU series, Frozen Planet II

12 September 2022

Legendary nature historian, Sir David Attenborough, narrates the highly anticipated Frozen Planet II in a stunning new series co-produced by the BBC and The Open University (OU). Following on from Frozen Planet released in 2011, the series began on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 8.00pm on Sunday 11th September. We’re invited to observe life […]

OU News