Beyond Today

The World Health Organisation predicts that by 2025 half of the world’s population will live in water-stressed areas. This means the demand for water will be more than the supply. This is already happening in Chennai. The Indian city with more than five million people has been having a water crisis since June. The taps have run dry and experts say there’s no end in sight.Rajini Vaidyanathan has been reporting from Chennai for the BBC. She tells us what it’s like for the residents to live without water. Meera Subramanian is a journalist and author who has written about India’s climate crisis in her book, ‘A River Runs Again.’ She explains that living during a water shortage is far more common than we think.

Two mass shootings in 24 hours have shocked America: the first in El Paso, Texas and the other in Dayton, Ohio. 29 people have lost their lives. The El Paso shooter opened fire in a Walmart store only a few miles from the Mexican border. Police are treating the attack as domestic terrorism after finding an anti-immigrant “manifesto” on 8chan - a forum that promotes freedom of speech.We speak to Michael Wendling from BBC Trending about how 8chan came to be taken offline. The BBC’s security correspondent Gordon Corera tells us why the security services are finding it tough to police white supremacist violence.Producers: Seren Jones, Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nico Raufast Editor: John Shields

Improving social mobility has been a key pledge of successive governments with politicians promising to create a meritocracy in Britain. However, research shows time and time again that the best-paid and most influential jobs still go to those from privileged backgrounds while the working classes aren’t getting ahead… even if they’re better candidates for the position. So, why is class the last big barrier to getting a top job? In this episode we speak to broadcaster Amol Rajan about his documentary following working-class graduates attempting to break into elite professions, and his own experience of going from a south London state school to being the BBC’s media editor. Dr Sam Friedman explains why it pays to be privileged in the workplace and tries to find a solution to Britain’s class problem. Producers: Lucy Hancock and Alicia Burrell. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: Philly Beaumont.

When swimmer Mack Horton refused to share a podium with Sun Yang, accusing him of being a drug cheat, what he didn’t know is that one of his own teammates had tested positive for a banned substance. On Friday Shayna Jack will attempt to clear her name as she faces a four year ban. The consequences for athletes are serious– stripped of medals, barred from competition and a reputation in tatters, it hardly seems worth the risk. Time and time again athletes get caught, but is the testing regime keeping up?

US rapper A$AP Rocky went on trial in Sweden this week, accused of assaulting a 19-year-old in Stockholm.Donald Trump has publicly called for his release online, tweeting “Give A$AP Rocky his FREEDOM. We do so much for Sweden but it doesn’t seem to work the other way around. Sweden should focus on its real crime problem! #FreeRocky”. The US president has also spoken to the Swedish prime minister about the case.But why does Donald Trump care about the rapper’s arrest? And how has his intervention gone down in Sweden?We speak to Maddy Savage, who has been covering events in Stockholm for the BBC. We also hear from Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who represents the New York district where A$AP Rocky was born, and from Eugene Scott, a writer on identity issues for the Washington Post.Producers: Duncan Barber and Daniel Kraemer. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: Philly Beaumont.

As technology advances, we’re going to become more reliant on artificial intelligence. Robots are being programmed and piloted in primary schools and care-homes to teach basic maths and to help tackle loneliness. Robots are even available to provide romantic intimacy and sex. It seems inevitable that robots will play a significant role in our emotional lives, but who might benefit from them?Meanwhile amongst the Silicon Valley elite, there’s a growing movement that is turning away from technology. Some experts say that, as the rest of society becomes reliant on robots and AI, only the rich will be able to afford the luxury of human contact to educate, work and care for them. We talk to academic and author Dr. Kate Devlin about how intimate our relationships with robotics can be, while the BBC’s tech correspondent, Dave Lee explores how a robotic transformation of the workforce isn’t great news for everyone. Producers: Seren Jones Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: Philly Beaumont

Once upon a time the concept of legalising recreational cannabis was something stoners at house parties dreamt about, but in the past few years the conversation around cannabis has changed.BBC Newsbeat journalist Jim Connolly travelled with Labour's David Lammy, Conservative MP Jonathan Djanogly and Liberal Democrat Sir Norman Lamb on a fact-finding trip to Canada. In 2018 Canada became the first G7 country to allow recreational use of the drug. The MPs are now convinced the UK will fully legalise cannabis use within five to ten years.Currently cannabis is designated as a Class B drug in the UK and anyone caught with it could face up to five years in prison.Jim spoke to Matthew about what, and who, is driving the push for legalisation in the UK.You can watch Jim’s Newsbeat documentary here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p07hlnh7/newsbeat-documentaries-legalising-weed-canadas-story.Producers: Lucy Hancock, Duncan Barber and Alva White. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: Philly Beaumont.

More than 6 million people have tuned in to watch series 5 of Love Island. It all comes to an end next week but ITV has announced that it’s doing so well they’ll start running two series a year. We speak to superfans Sarah Manavis, digital culture writer for the New Statesman, and broadcaster Richie Anderson about the show’s success and why the Love Island friendships have been stronger than ever. Produced by: Beyond Today producers Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: Philly Beaumont

Matt Forde set out on a mission to humanise politics with his podcast the Political Party. He’s interviewed some of the biggest politicians of our time: Tony Blair, Nigel Farage and even Tommy Robinson. But there’s a thin line between humanising politicians and doing their PR job for them. In the week that a politician known for his jokes became prime minister, we ask how much does comedy feature in modern politics? Can it be a tool for something darker, and is satire now just the pursuit of smug elites? Producers: Lucy Hancock, Duncan Barber and Philly Beaumont. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: Harriet Noble.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve probably used Faceapp to see how you’ll look when you’re older.But in the days after Faceapp blew up, a conspiracy theory spread across the internet. People were worried that Wireless Lab - the app’s maker - was feeding data to the Russian government. This led to the Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer calling for an investigation into FaceApp. In a letter posted on Twitter, Mr Schumer called it "deeply troubling" that personal data of US citizens could go to a "hostile foreign power".In this episode we speak to the BBC’s Russia and disinformation specialist Olga Robinson about why worrying about Faceapp’s Russian roots misses the point. Maryam Ahmed - a BBC expert in Machine intelligence – answers the questions the Faceapp story throws up and explains why any private company would want pictures of our face in the first place.Producers: Duncan Barber and Lucy Hancock. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: Philly Beaumont.

Boris Johnson has been elected new Conservative leader. He will take over as prime minister from Theresa May on Wednesday. He says he will deliver Brexit and unite the country. But Boris Johnson is a divisive character. This episode is about the mistakes he’s made along the way, but why in the end his ambition and sheer force of personality got him there. He’s gone from being a journalist to celebrity to now the man with the top job in the country. We hear from the Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine, Kulveer Ranger who worked with him at City Hall and the BBC’s political correspondent Chris Mason.

Today’s episode is all about Theresa May, but that doesn’t mean it’s all about Brexit. It’s a common argument: the main reason Theresa May failed as prime minister is that she got her whole approach to Brexit wrong and screwed up negotiations with both the EU and MPs. But there are other moments that could ultimately have caused her political demise, even before she took the top job. Her former adviser Chris Wilkins and the BBC’s Deputy Political Editor John Pienaar take a look back at Theresa May’s doomed premiership. This is the first half of a two-part series. Tomorrow we’ll look at what drives our next prime minister.Producer: Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: Philly Beaumont

This is part two of our interview with Eliot Higgins, the man who began investigating international crimes from his living room in Leicester after dropping out of university. Despite having no formal journalism training or experience, he quickly gained a reputation in the relatively new field of open-source citizen journalism, where people analyse publicly available materials to uncover new facts about major stories.On yesterday’s episode we heard about his investigative website Bellingcat and how it helped discover who shot down Malaysian Airlines flight MH17. Bellingcat has also carried out important work investigating everything from chemical weapon attacks in Syria to the identities of the men accused of the Salisbury poisoning. In today’s episode Eliot talks us through Bellingcat’s techniques and how anyone can get involved in international crime-solving, using nothing more than their laptop. If you’d like to hear the whole story of the MH17 investigation head to the Bellingcat website and listen to their new podcast: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/podcasts/2019/07/17/mh17-episode-guide-1/.

Five years ago passenger flight MH17 was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down over conflict-hit Ukraine.Investigators blame Russian-backed separatists who they say targeted the plane with a Russian-made missile.One of the reasons they’re sure is because of the work of Eliot Higgins. He founded the website Bellingcat, which describes itself as "the home of online investigations".Eliot tells us how he traced the missile system from Eastern Ukraine back to Kursk in Western Russia. And how he used voice recognition software to match Russian officials to intercepted calls made by the Ukrainian secret service.To hear the whole story of the MH17 investigation head to the Bellingcat website and listen to their new podcast: https://www.bellingcat.com/resources/podcasts/2019/07/17/mh17-episode-guide-1/.Produced by Duncan Barber Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor : Philly Beaumont

It’s three months since the 29-year-old journalist Lyra Mckee was killed in a riot in Northern Ireland. Her death shocked the world and there were calls for politicians in Northern Ireland to unite. But since then the assembly in Stormont still hasn't sat. There has, though, been some progress on things Lyra felt passionate about – same sex marriage is likely to be made legal and abortion laws liberalised. We went to Londonderry to speak to Lyra’s partner Sara Canning, who took us on a tour and introduced us to other campaigners. Producer:Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields Thanks to Hat Trick productions and Channel 4 for use of Derry Girls.

Today marks exactly 50 years since the launch of the Apollo 11 mission to put the first man on the Moon. Ever since that day in 1969 conspiracy theories have sprung up alleging that the whole thing is a hoax, and now there is a growing community of people who don’t even believe the earth is round. In this episode, Marco Silva, a reporter for BBC Trending introduces us to Dave from Sheffield, a man who is convinced that the earth is flat. He is part of a group whose false ideas have spread with the help of the YouTube algorithm. We learn about the people trying to address the misinformation problem and what YouTube is doing about conspiracy theories on its platform.If you want to know how dangerous medical misinformation can be spread by health bloggers, you can listen to our anti-vax episode here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p072rpnk Producers: Lucy Hancock and Alicia Burrell Editor: John Shields

The nation’s favourite documentary maker is back. This week Tina speaks to filmmaker Louis Theroux, who came in to tell us about his new documentary Surviving America’s Most Hated Family and why, 13 years on, he’s still interested in the Westboro Baptist Church. We also talk to him about nudity, why he’s not into hallucinogenic drug rituals, the problem with no-platforming and how he became the most widely meme-d journalist in Britain. You can also listen to ‘What happens to Shamima Begum now?’ here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0739vz8You can watch Louis’ new documentary here on iPlayer - https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0006vv7/louis-theroux-surviving-americas-most-hated-family

“Not every day, all day. But there's always a point that I think about it, and what would have been different.” Claire gets an audience with the Ministry of Defence to ask: who is responsible for soldiers suffering from PTSD, and why doesn’t the military keep track of veterans when they know that PTSD can crop up years later? What happens when it does? If you’re affected by the issues raised in this episode, help is out there. If you’re a veteran or you know a veteran, the starting point for help is the Ministry of Defence’s Veteran’s Gateway and these charities: Combat Stress Help for Heroes Samaritans Producer: Heidi Pett Sound designer: Weidong Lin Original music: Matthew James Kelly Executive producer: Matthew Price Editor: John Shields

“They gave everything. And they deserved so much more.” Kevin Holt died nine years after his Afghan tour. He was fighting his demons right to the end. But was it the war that killed him? And Kevin wasn’t the first from his platoon to die after getting home safely. This episode discusses suicide. If you need to talk, help is out there. If you’re a veteran or you know a veteran, the starting point for help is the Ministry of Defence’s Veteran’s Gateway and these charities: Combat Stress Help for Heroes SamaritansProducer: Heidi Pett Sound designer: Weidong Lin Original music: Matthew James Kelly Executive producer: Matthew Price Editor: John Shields

“I don’t think I could honestly say I’ve spoken to anyone about all the stuff that’s happened.” Claire is invited to the pub with three of the guys who were there on 10 July, 2009. They say talking to people who went through it helps them, but it turns out that looks very different to how you might expect.If you’re affected by the issues raised in this episode, help is out there. If you’re a veteran or you know a veteran, the starting point for help is the Ministry of Defence’s Veteran’s Gateway and these charities: Combat Stress Help for Heroes SamaritansProducer: Heidi Pett Sound designer: Weidong Lin Original music: Matthew James Kelly Executive producer: Matthew Price Editor: John Shields

“He went out a boy and he came back a broken man” After that day, the platoon pick themselves up and carry on fighting the Taliban in Helmand. But when they get home a new battle begins for them and their families. If you’re affected by the issues raised in this episode, help is out there. If you’re a veteran or you know a veteran, the starting point for help is the Ministry of Defence’s Veteran’s Gateway and these charities: Combat Stress Help for Heroes SamaritansProducer: Heidi Pett Sound designer: Weidong Lin Original music: Matthew James Kelly Executive producer: Matthew Price Editor: John Shields

“I remember hearing that bang, and thinking: this is it.” On 10 July, 2009, the soldiers of 9 platoon were out on a dawn patrol when an IED blast ripped through their ranks. Talking about it now, the survivors refer to it only as "that day". They all know what they mean. This episode contains descriptions of violence and death. If you need to talk to somebody, help is out there. If you’re a veteran or you know a veteran, the starting point for help is the Ministry of Defence’s Veteran’s Gateway and these charities: Combat Stress Help for Heroes SamaritansProducer: Heidi Pett Sound designer: Weidong Lin Original music: Matthew James Kelly Executive producer: Matthew Price Editor: John Shields

“It’s the best part of your life and the worst part of your life all rolled into one.” It’s ten years since the British Army’s deadliest month in Afghanistan. The platoon that was worst hit has lost two more men since then, including Kevin Holt who died of a morphine overdose. BBC defence producer Claire Read asks: Was it the war that killed him, almost a decade on? If you’re affected by the issues raised in this episode, help is out there. If you’re a veteran or you know a veteran, the starting point for help is the Ministry of Defence’s Veteran’s Gateway and these charities: Combat Stress Help for Heroes SamaritansProducer: Heidi Pett Sound designer: Weidong Lin Original music: Matthew James Kelly Executive producer: Matthew Price Editor: John Shields

Vampire Weekend have won a Grammy, topped the charts and become one of the most important bands of their generation. Their singer, songwriter and creative force Ezra Koenig sat down with Beyond Today at Glastonbury a few hours before the band went on stage. Here he discusses the anxiety of life as a professional musician, how the internet shaped his songwriting, and whether rock bands should be more political. Producer: Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

It feels like Pride is more visible than ever before, with rainbows everywhere and even LGBT sandwiches on the shelves. But while it’s a measure of progress that communities are able to publicly celebrate their identity, is a party enough? Certainly not for gay women in one area of Chile, where three butch lesbians, known locally as “camionas”, have been murdered in the past decade. Megha Mohan, the BBC’s Gender and Identity Correspondent, shares the story of one of them - Nicole Saavedra. And Tabitha Benjamin, a British musician who runs the “Butch, Please” club night, tells us how she is targeted because of the way she looks. Producer: Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Last December, the people of Sudan took to the streets to protest against high food prices and decades of hardship under the rule of Omar al-Bashir. Four months later momentum of the protests spread across the country, and led to the ousting of the president. But then things took a turn for the worse. On 3rd June, military forces opened fire on protesters in the capital, Khartoum. When Sudanese people shared news of the massacre on social media, the government shut down internet access across the country.BBC Africa’s Mohanad Hashim tells us about what it’s been like in Sudan over the past few months, while London-based activist Negla Abdalla explains how international activism is making a difference.Producers: Seren Jones, Philly Beaumont. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields.

In 2018 Anna Campbell’s father Dirk received the news that his 26 year-old daughter had died fighting in Syria. Up until that moment he didn’t know what she was involved with. Depending on who you speak to she was idealistic, brave, naive, or foolish. In this episode we speak to Dirk Campbell and the BBC’s Marina Parker who have been piecing together her journey from defending bees in the playground to fighting on the front line. We explore why a young British woman would be prepared to die for the Kurdish cause and what her death symbolises for her supporters.You can watch the full film Anna: The Woman Who Went to Fight ISIS here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0006h6x Producers: Lucy Hancock and Alicia Burrell Editor: John Shields

They have two of the most distinctive hairdos in the world and they used to trade insults. But now it appears that Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have become friends. Trump made an impromptu visit to the North Korean border at the weekend and became the first serving US president to set foot in the country. They are technically still at war. The BBC’s correspondent in Seoul Stephen McDonell watched it all happen and Jean Lee opened the first western news bureau in North Korea. Producers: Philly Beaumont, Duncan Barber Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

There are loads of music festivals these days. But the one that still stands out, that is special somehow, is Glastonbury. What started as a party on a farm for 1500 revellers nearly half a century ago has become the most iconic festival in the world, attended by 200 thousand people. How did that happen? And can the spirit of community and environmentalism the festival espouses teach us lessons for the modern world? BBC Entertainment Correspondent Colin Paterson and a host of voices from the festival join us. And you can listen to Radio Glastonbury on the BBC Sounds app across the weekend. Producers: Harriet Noble, Philly Beaumont and Seren Jones Mixed by: Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields Music Credit: Audio Network

The Saharan Bubble is blasting hot air across the European continent, breaking temperature records all over the place. But scientists are reluctant to link specific weather events to climate change, saying we can only be certain about long term trends. So when can we say for sure? We hear from Clare Nasir, a meteorologist with the Met Office, and Nick Cox, who's been measuring the Arctic climate since 1978.

South Korea’s playground for the rich and famous has been rocked by a major scandal over the alleged drugging and rape of women and young girls. Police have arrested more than 350 people in connection with claims of sexual abuse and exploitation in Seoul’s Gangnam nightclub district. A BBC investigation spoke to victims who say they were drugged with an undetectable substance before being dragged into nightclub back rooms or alleyways and then raped by one or more men, sometimes while being filmed on mobile phones. We speak to Laura Bicker, the BBC’s correspondent in Seoul about the scandal, and what it could mean for women in South Korea. Producers: Philly Beaumont and Lucy Hancock Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Boris Johnson is the clear favourite to replace Theresa May. He easily made it to the final along with Jeremy Hunt after getting backing from more than 100 Tory MPs. But things have gone a bit wrong for him after his neighbours recorded a row with his girlfriend Carrie Symonds and gave it to the press. He’s also faced criticism for hiding from TV debates – Jeremy Hunt has told him to “man up”. So with a less than a month to go before we have a new Prime Minister, just how vulnerable is Boris Johnson? We speak to BBC Political Correspondent Ben Wright and Joanne Nadler, author of “Too Nice to be a Tory”. We also hear from Nels Abbey, author of “Think Like A White Man”, who tells us how things would be different for Boris Johnson if he were black. Producers: Philly Beaumont, Alicia Burrell Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields.

The Chinese authorities say they are schools students attend voluntarily. Human rights groups say hundreds of thousands of Muslims are detained there without trial. So what’s really going on inside the mysterious camps in Xinjiang, the majority Muslim province in the far west of China? BBC China Correspondent John Sudworth and his producer Kathy Long have been attempting to get to the truth of the story for months, studying satellite images and getting as close as they can to the tall walls and barbed wire that surround the camps. Now, for the first time, they’ve been allowed inside. Producers: Harriet Noble and Alicia Burrell Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Johny Pitts is a writer, photographer and TV presenter who you may have seen on CD:UK, Blue Peter or MTV. He’s now written a book called Afropean which, among other things, has helped him understand his heritage as a boy from Sheffield with a white-English mother and an African-American father. In the book Johny also sets out to explore the state of black culture and identity in Europe today as he travels from Sheffield to France and onwards to Russia. He came into the Beyond Today studio to tell us why, now more than ever, it's important to establish a pan-European black identity. Producers: Philly Beaumont and Jaja Muhammad Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields Music credits: Audio Network

Mobeen Azhar thought his hometown was a sleepy place where nothing really happened. Then a young man was shot by police on the motorway and Mobeen went home to investigate the killing. He found way more than he bargained for, and uncovered some uncomfortable truths about the place he grew up.

Two million people took to the streets in Hong Kong over the past week to protest against a controversial extradition bill. Led by young people the protests are a direct challenge to Chinese rule in Hong Kong. We spoke to BBC reporters Danny Vincent, who lives in Hong Kong and Helier Cheung who was brought up there. We also spoke to student leader Joshua Wong about what’s at stake.Produced by Duncan Barber and Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nicolaus Raufast Editor: John Shields

It’s almost a year since a Thai football team of 12 boys and their coach found themselves trapped for more than two weeks in the Tham Luang caves in northern Thailand. In a story that gripped the entire world, the rescue became a race against time to save the Wild Boars before heavy monsoon rains flooded the caves. The task was so complex and dangerous that it led to the death of one of the rescuers - Saman Gunan.British caver Vernon Unsworth knows the Tham Luang caves better than anyone and played a crucial role in the rescue. In an exclusive interview he tells Beyond Today how difficult it was to get the operation off the ground, and the BBC’s South East Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, remembers how it all happened.Producers: Seren Jones, Harriet Noble and Jaja Muhammad Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Young people in Liverpool are being offered hundreds of pounds by older gang leaders to stab each other. An investigation by Layla Wright for Beyond Today found that bounties are being used in knife attacks. We speak to Alan Walsh, an experienced youth worker in Merseyside who spoke to and recorded the teenagers. He says he was shocked by what he heard. Merseyside Police say they have no evidence that this is happening, but have urged anyone who knows about it to come forward. We also hear from Layla about how difficult it was to get the teenagers to speak. Producers: Layla Wright, Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

Michael Barbaro is the host of The New York Times’ podcast The Daily - a podcast that spends 20 minutes every day focussing on one big news story. Regular listeners of Beyond Today might find this familiar… And in truth without The Daily we might not exist: it was a blueprint for a new type of journalism, a revolution in how news is reported and covered. And The Daily started around about the same time as another revolution was taking place - the election of President Donald Trump. Here Michael Barbaro helps us look back the Trump presidency - what we’ve learnt, what we’ve got wrong, how the world is different – and how journalists have responded. Producer: Harriet Noble. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields.

Botswana is home to the world’s largest population of elephants. And now you can hunt them. It’s a fascinating debate which pitches the moral question and knee-jerk reaction against killing endangered animals, against the economic and social reality of having more elephants than anywhere else on earth. Elephants can be very destructive when they encroach onto farmland and move through villages destroying crops and sometimes killing people.But conservationists are angry. They believe the move is political. It could also damage the country's international reputation for conservation and affect its revenues from tourism, the second largest source of foreign income after diamond mining. Alastair Leathead is the BBC’s Africa correspondent. He has spent a lot of time in Botswana and is caught up in the story. We got him into the Beyond Today studio to find out whether killing some elephants will save many more.Producer: Duncan Barber Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

72 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire two years ago this week. Since then the first part of a public inquiry has taken place looking at the events of that night. The next phase, which will investigate why the 24-storey tower was wrapped in combustible cladding, will start next year. Kate Lamble from the BBC Grenfell Inquiry podcast tells what we have learnt so far. We also speak to Gill Kernick, who used to live in Grenfell Tower and works in risk management. She tells us what should be done to avoid this kind of disaster again.Produced by Philly Beaumont, Duncan Barber, Alicia Burrell Mixed by Nicolaus Raufast Editor: John Shields.

Charlie Brooker started his career writing video game reviews before he went on to become a TV critic. He’s written and presented two successful TV series, Screenwipe and Newswipe, which pulled apart the news and what we watch on TV. But he’s best known as being the creator and writer of the hugely successful Black Mirror series, which looks at our unease with technology and has attracted some huge names. Series 5 is no different: Miley Cyrus is part of the cast. Charlie Brooker came into the Beyond Today studio to talk about his new series. He also touched on porn, phone addiction and what he thinks of Boris Johnson as a comic character.Producers: Philly Beaumont, Jaja Muhammad and Lucy Hancock. Mixed by: Weidong Lin Editor: John Shields

After Melania Geymonat and her girlfriend Chris were attacked on a London bus last week they chose to share the photo of the aftermath of the attack, and their story, with the world. They wanted people to understand something about what they and other lesbian couples face, not just violence but also the subtle ways in which their relationships are undermined and laughed about by men. On today’s episode Melania explains why she chose to go public about the horrific incident. And couple Bex Wilson and Becky Priest talk about what it’s like for their relationship to be fetishised and misunderstood. Producers: Duncan Barber and Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

James Bridle wants us to think about technology in a different way. His book ‘A New Dark Age’ is a slightly foreboding look at our relationship with the digital world, arguing that as it gets more complex our understanding of it diminishes. His work addresses a lot of the themes we talk about on Beyond Today and, as on a Friday we often like to take a step back from the news and hear from someone we’re interested in, we decided to grab him for a chat while he was over from his home in Greece. Here he talks internet cables under the sea, drones drawn on pavements, and how our phones are causing climate change. Producers: Lucy Hancock and Harriet Noble Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

There are lots of reasons you may want to take a DNA test. Perhaps you want to find out where in the world your DNA comes from or connect to relatives. But people don’t always know what they’re getting themselves into and some make shocking discoveries about their families. We speak to Rebekah Drumsta from the NPE Friends Fellowship, a charity which helps people come to terms with finding out that one of their parents isn’t a biological relative.DNA tests also raise questions about healthcare. We hear from Nick in Kentucky, who thinks his life was saved after a DNA test spotted a hard to diagnose condition. So should they be used alongside traditional healthcare services such as the NHS? Kathy Hibbs from 23andMe tells us how the company would like to work with the NHS. And Adam Rutherford, who is a geneticist and author of ‘The Book of Humans: A Brief History of Culture, Sex, War and the Evolution of Us’, tells us why he’s sceptical about the idea.Producers: Duncan Barber and Harriet Noble. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields.

Helena Kornilova is a 29 year-old Russian model and biochemist. She’s also a blogger and Instagram influencer with 280,000 followers. She’s been in the news in Russia because she’s been exposed as a fraudster after recommending medical advice and, in particular, supplements to buy. But this isn’t just a Russian problem, influencers all over the world are selling products and giving health advice even though they are not qualified. We hear from Dr Jen Gunter, who describes herself as the fiercest advocate of women’s health. She has spent a lot of her professional career challenging dubious medical claims. We also talk to Olga Robinson from BBC Monitoring about how the authorities in Russia are clamping down on bloggers and influencers.Producers: Seren Jones and Philly Beaumont Mixed by Nicolas Raufast Editor: John Shields

China has ramped up efforts to prevent people from reading about the student protests of 1989 that ended in bloodshed when the government sent tanks into Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Activists have been arrested and censorship has been stepped up, with bans placed on English-speaking foreign media such as CNN and the BBC. We speak to the BBC’s longest serving foreign correspondent John Simpson, who was in Beijing in 1989. We also examine how the truth has been suppressed and what the government has done to erase Tiananmen from the history books. One person who is trying to keep the memory alive is a secretive artist called Badiucao, also known as ‘the Chinese Banksy’. Danny Vincent, who reports from Hong Kong for the BBC, has travelled to Australia to meet him. And Yaxue Cao from chinachange.org tells us about the Chinese artists who have been rounded up and what it’s like to be a young dissenting voice in China.Producers: Duncan Barber and Lucy Hancock. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields.

Most of the President’s family flew in for a guided tour of London’s hotspots with the royals on the first day of their state visit to the UK. Protesters waved their banners and everyone waited for Trump to start tweeting. The President and First Lady Melania Trump went to Buckingham Palace for a private lunch and welcome ceremony. But could the Queen’s role be more than just ceremonial? Former presidential aide Mary Jo Jackobi and our royal correspondent Jonny Dymond tell us how she, and her horse riding skills, helped change one president’s mind before. Could she do it again?Producers: Philly Beaumont and Duncan Barber. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast. Editor: John Shields.

Tomorrow night in Madrid Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will face each other in the Champions League final, the pinnacle of the club game. With Chelsea having beaten Arsenal in Europe’s second tier competition the Europa League on Wednesday, it’s been a huge week for English football. And there’s even more to come. Next week the Women’s World Cup starts, where England are expected to do well, and the men’s team compete in the Nation’s League semi-finals on Thursday to add to their unexpected run to the World Cup semi-finals last year. With the club game also in such good shape, and some of our big-name footballers becoming true role models - speaking out about racism and mental health - are we entering a great era for the English game? Football writer and broadcaster Daniel Storey joins us to discuss This episode features excerpts from “A Royal Team Talk: Tackling Mental Health”, available on BBC iPlayer.Email us at [email protected] or use #beyondtoday Producers: Harriet Noble and Duncan Barber Edited by Weidong Lin and Andy Mills Editor: Philly Beaumont

This week Malaysia ordered several thousand tonnes of imported plastic waste to be sent back to the countries it came from. The country’s government says it has become a dumping ground for wealthier nations and that much of the refuse has been imported illegally. Some of it is from the UK. We talk rubbish with comedian Phil Wang who was brought up in Malaysia and the BBC’s South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head, who has been visiting waste recycling plants in Thailand. You can email the Beyond Today team at [email protected] or comment on social media using #beyondtodayProducers: Philly Beaumont, Lucy Hancock Mixed by Weidong Lin Editor: John Shields