A new weekly podcast using the BBC archive to tell the stories of cultural icons will launch globally on 23 March.
Big Lives is a new co-production between BBC Studios and Pushkin Industries, which was announced today at South by South West in Austin. The series will explore the lives of influential figures through recordings held in the BBC archive.
The show is hosted by journalist Kai Wright and producer Emmanuel Dzotsi, who will use archive interviews and recordings to examine how major cultural figures shaped music, comedy, film and wider culture.
Each episode focuses on a single individual. The hosts revisit recordings featuring artists, performers and public figures including David Bowie, Tina Turner, Richard Pryor and Sir David Attenborough, placing their words in a broader narrative about their lives and impact.
The first episode profiles Jane Fonda, tracing her career from 1960s film roles through political activism and later reinvention in popular culture.
Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi said: “A funny thing happens when people become super famous. They get so well known that they seem like caricatures of themselves — flattened into memes and scandals, or into a single, defining image.
“We want to revive your curiosity in these larger-than-life characters, the people who have shaped our culture. And as we’ve dug through the BBC archives, we’ve found all kinds of surprises. We’re looking for the nuanced stories of how once relatable people became legends.”
Richard Knight, Director of Audio at BBC Studios, said the project draws on the organisation’s archive to provide new perspectives on well-known figures.
“Big Lives makes great use of the vast and unique BBC archive to shine a new light on extraordinary individuals whose lives made a difference to all of ours,” Richard said.
Big Lives will be available globally from Monday 23 March wherever you get your podcasts.
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