BBC

The UK has agreed to allow the United States to use British bases to launch strikes on Iranian sites targeting the Strait of Hormuz. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer previously allowed US forces to use the bases only for defensive operations to prevent Iran firing missiles that put British interests or lives at risk.

Also on the programme: Dame Jenni Murray, who hosted BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour for more than three decades, has died at the age of 75. Broadcaster Ritula Shah reflects on her former colleague.

And after 70 years of service, the British Army announces plans to retire its fleet of Land Rovers. We get the reaction of motoring journalist, Top Gear veteran and Land Rover owner, James May.

US President says Nato allies are "cowards" for refusing to help open the Strait of Hormuz, as the head of the International Energy Agency claims the closure of the waterway poses the "greatest global energy security challenge in history”.

Also in the programme: Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat on celebrating the ancient Persian festival of Nowruz; and the action movie star, and martial arts expert Chuck Norris has died aged 86.

(Photo: US President Trump departs the White House to spend the weekend at Mar-a-Lago on 20 March 2026. Credit: Shawn Thew/Pool/EPA/Shutterstock)

Writer: Katie Hims

Director: Peter Leslie Wild

Editor: Jeremy Howe

Brian Aldridge… Charles Collingwood

Jolene Archer … Buffy Davis

Helen Archer … Louiza Patikas

Tom Archer … William Troughton

Neil Carter … Brian Hewlett

Ruairi Donovan … Arthur Hughes

Justin Elliott … Simon Williams

Alan Franks … John Telfer

George Grundy … Angus Stobie

Tracy Horrobin … Susie Riddell

Azra Malik … Yasmin Wilde

Esme Mulligan … Ellie Pawsey

Lynda Snell … Carole Boyd

Anna Tregorran … Isobel Middleton

Carol Tregorran … Mia Soteriou

Olivia the Solicitor … Emma Amos

The Naked Week team party like it's the 2003 Iraq War, and then re-enact it with the help of a Viking.

From The Skewer’s Jon Holmes and host Andrew Hunter Murray comes The Naked Week, a fresh way of dressing the week’s news in the altogether and parading it around for everyone to laugh at.

With award-winning writers and a crack team of contemporary satirists - and recorded in front of a live audience - The Naked Week delivers an topical news-nude straight to your ears.

Written by:

Jon Holmes

Katie Sayer

Gareth Ceredig

James Kettle

Jason Hazeley

Additional Material:

Karl Minns

Ali Panting

Helen Brooks

Pete Redfern

Cooper Mawhinny Sweryt

Joe Topping

Darren Phillips

Investigation:

Cat Neilan

Guests: Rosie Holt, Jimmy The 11th Century Welsh Viking.

Production Team: Tony Churnside, Jerry Peal, David Riffkin.

Production Coordinator: Molly Punshon

Assistant Producer: Katie Sayer

Executive Producer: Philip Abrams

Produced and Directed by Jon Holmes

An unusual production for BBC Radio 4

Tehran has fired missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours causing blazes at a Kuwait refinery and a Bahrain warehouse. Israel has launched more air attacks against Iran. Powerful explosions were reported in the capital. Iranian media said sixteen of its cargo ships anchored in the Gulf had been burnt out after being targeted there. There's been a warning that the world faces its greatest ever energy threat from the Iran war. Also, weight loss drugs are set to become much cheaper as patents expire in India and elewhere. A cyclone has hit Australia's northeastern coast bringing fierce winds, heavy rain and floods. An international aid convoy arrives in Cuba. Actor and martial artist Chuck Norris dies at 86. And Mission to the Moon, NASA’s huge rocket - now repaired - heads back to the launchpad at Cape Canaveral in Florida in preparation for the first crewed flight in more than half a century.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.

Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.

Get in touch: [email protected]

The International Energy Agency wants people to cut their energy consumption. The IEA warned that the impact from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz would “become more and more severe”. And the South Korean boyband BTS are back after an interruption for its members to do national service. They've also released a new album and announced a world tour.

The Brazilian Butt Lift surgery is one of the fastest growing cosmetic surgeries in the world, but it is also one of the most dangerous. The risk of death from having a BBL is at least 10 times higher than many other procedures – that’s according to the UK’s National Health Service. 

In several countries in Africa, the demand for BBLs is on the rise, but there are still challenges around regulation. Just recently in Lagos, a young woman reportedly died after a BBL procedure, prompting Nigeria’s Lagos State Government to launch an investigation into her death. In this episode, we hear from two young women, in Kenya and Nigeria, who recently got BBLs to hear about the risks, the post-surgery recovery and the influence of social media on body image.

Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna

Producers: Fana Negash

Technical Producer: Mbarak Abdallah

Senior Producers: Carolyne Kiambo Jotham and Priyanka Sippy

Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Nowruz is a traditional festival that marks the spring equinox, the rebirth of nature and the start of the new year in Iran and other countries. But this year's Nowruz will be the first many in the country have experienced at war. And across the Gulf, millions of Muslims are marking Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan, under the shadow of war. We'll hear from journalists in Iran and the UAE.

Also on the programme: Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez has announced she's replacing the country's senior military commanders, a day after replacing the longtime defence minister General Vladimir Padrino López; and we examine how artificial intelligence is being used in the publishing industry.

(Photo: Iranian people shop at Tajrish Bazaar in Tehran, ahead of Nowruz, on the 19th of March, 2026. Credit: Majid Asgaripour/West Asia News Agency via REUTERS)

Also - should electric vehicle drivers be allowed to use bus lanes to boost uptake?

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has said Israel will hold off future attacks on Iranian gas fields after being asked to do so by President Trump. An Israeli attack on Iran's South Pars gas field on Wednesday, followed by Iranian attacks on Qatari gas installations caused steep rises in the price of gas and oil. Also, we get the view from Iran from our BBC Persian correspondent. We hear how life has changed in Jerusalem's Old City now that its most sacred Christian, Muslim and Jewish sites are closed to the public. And we talk to the scientist behind a new documentary about microplastics - and fertility.

The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight.

Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment.

Get in touch: [email protected]