Shows / 6 Minute English
6 Minute English
Learn and practise useful English with clips from programmes around the BBC.
Each week, we talk about an interesting topic and learn helpful words and phrases used in natural spoken English - all in 6 minutes!
Practise your listening and hear natural spoken English.
Find more at https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish
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Episodes
- 6 Minute English
The world of Agatha Christie
We discuss one of her most famous characters and teach you related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Mars: Mysteries of the Red Planet
Neil and Sam discuss our fascination with the 'Red Planet' and teach you related vocab.
- 6 Minute English
Why laughter is the best medicine
Shouldn't we take laughter more seriously? We discuss and teach related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Is being kind good for you?
Neil and Sam discuss the benefits of kindness and teach you related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
The benefits of boredom
We talk about the positive side of boredom and teach you related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Sleepy in South Korea
Life in a place where people work longer hours and get less sleep than anywhere else.
- 6 Minute English
Sleepy in South Korea
Life in a place where people work longer hours and get less sleep than anywhere else.
- 6 Minute English
Preparing for the Beijing Winter Olympics
Artificial snow, coronavirus and controversy surround the Beijing Games starting soon.
- 6 Minute English
Are personalised diets the best way to be healthy?
We discuss how microbes matter when it comes to food, and teach some related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Welcome to the 'metaverse'
We discuss how things like the metaverse and AI might influence how we live.
- 6 Minute English
Do trees have memories?
We discuss whether plants can 'remember' stressful situations, such as droughts or pests.
- 6 Minute English
Changing the Earth's climate
Could diamonds help to prevent a climate catastrophe? That's what we discuss.
- 6 Minute English
Body language online
How can we make video conferences feel more natural? That's what Sam and Neil talk about.
- 6 Minute English
The Human Library: Life as an open book
Would you like to borrow a person for a half-hour candid conversation?
- 6 Minute English
How green is nuclear energy?
How safe is a nuclear plant in a world of climate extremes? Listen to Neil and Sam.
- 6 Minute English
Why we forget the things we learn
Georgina and Rob talk about memory and teach you vocabulary along the way.
- 6 Minute English
Why is Super Mario so popular?
We talk about a famous video game character from the 80s.
- 6 Minute English
Should fast food sponsor sport?
Is it right for companies selling unhealthy products to sponsor sporting events?
- 6 Minute English
Grime: Music from architecture
We talk about the music of Wiley and Stormy, and teach you related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Where do your tips go?
We talk about tipping: the act of giving extra money to someone that has served you well.
- 6 Minute English
Angela Merkel
Sam and Neil talk about the influential German leader and teach you related vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
Going through the menopause
Why don't people talk more about this aspect of women's lives?
- 6 Minute English
I love my language!
Neil and Sam talk about a woman's effort to keep her language alive.
- 6 Minute English
Why are people collecting NFTs?
What are 'non-fungible tokens'? That's what Neil and Sam talk about in this programme.
- 6 Minute English
Robot Artists
Will Robots ever be able to think or dream? Could they fall in love or create art?
- 6 Minute English
Is the planet warming up faster?
Some extreme weather events are puzzling scientists.
- 6 Minute English
Is technology harmful to youngsters?
Can spending hours online affect the new generation's mental health?
- 6 Minute English
Is chimp politics like ours?
Just like humans, chimps live in social groups, have leaders and a desire for power.
- 6 Minute English
Making sense of the census
What's behind counting people in a country? Neil and Sam talk about the census.
- 6 Minute English
The fear of numbers
Are you afraid of maths? Neil and Sam talk about numbers and teach you vocabulary.
- 6 Minute English
A future without doctors?
We discuss if artificial intelligence could replace human doctors and nurses.
- 6 Minute English
Lights! Camera! Kiss! - Intimacy on screen
How actors are made to feel more comfortable when filming intimate scenes.
6 Minute EnglishHead injury in sport
Contact sports can be dangerous. The truth about the effects on players is coming out.
- 6 Minute English
Inside the head of Jeff Bezos
How does the founder of the web giant Amazon think? Listen to the programme to find out.
- 6 Minute English
The history of swimming
We talk about the history of swimming and teach you related vocabulary along the way.
- 6 Minute English
The loneliest man in history
We talk about Michael Collins, who orbited the Moon in the command module Columbia.
- 6 Minute English
How colour affects us
Neil and Georgina add some colour to your life by discussing how colour can make you feel
- 6 Minute English
Saving the white rhinos
Conservationists are working on an artificial breeding programme to preserve the species.
- 6 Minute English
Making old things last longer
Shouldn't we stop throwing things away and start fixing them?
- 6 Minute English
Building rapport with others
We discuss four styles of communication and teach you related vocabulary along the way.
- 6 Minute English
Food superstitions
We talk about food superstitions and teach you vocabulary along the way.
- 6 Minute English
The Rosetta Stone
How the famous piece of rock became the key to decoding Egyptian hieroglyphs.
- 6 Minute English
Compassion fatigue
Has the pandemic made people tired of feeling sorry for others and themselves?
- 6 Minute English
When males are not needed
We talk about different animals which can reproduce without having sex.
- 6 Minute English
A quieter world
Neil and Georgina discuss noise and whether it is bad for our health.
- 6 Minute English
US and China vs climate change
Can the world's two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases work together?
- 6 Minute English
The language of biscuits
Rob and Neil talk about the origins and the language of this humble snack.
- 6 Minute English
Is English really English?
Neil and Georgina discuss where the English language we use today really comes from.