Submitted by Sophie Fort
Babylon Idiomas English teacher, Sevilla

If you are learning English, or you are a homesick Anglophone expat, listening to the radio just is brilliant. For English learners, you can improve your listening skills, hear different accents and learn about Anglo-Saxon culture. For expats, it can be quite nice to hear native English people talking.

As a British native, I would recommend the good old BBC, or the British Broadcast Corporation. You can listen to all its radio stations where ever you are in the world through its website, BBC iplayer. There are eleven national radio stations all together, that cover a wide range of music and topics, so there is definitely something for everyone. Another great thing about the BBC is, because it is publicly funded, there are no annoying advertisements to interrupt listening.

CLICK HERE TO GET ON THE WEBSITE!

Here is a brief summary of the radio stations on offer:

BBC Radio One:
Radio One is the most popular radio station in the UK. They mostly play pop music that is in the charts, but they have regular shows about hip hop, dance, punk rock and alternative music. While most of the music is from established acts, they do try to promote new bands and music. If that is not enough for you, there is always BBC Radio One Extra with more programmes, live concerts and interviews.

BBC Radio 2:
This Radio station is more for those people who can’t stand new pop music and just want to hear pop music from the good old days. Radio 2 provides a mixture of comedy, old pop music, general chat, interviews and news. Good for the older generation.

BBC Radio 3:
If you just love that Beethoven guy and all his friends then you should listen to Radio 3. BBC Radio 3 plays a mixture of classical, jazz and world music and includes cultural documentaries, plays and essays.

BBC Radio 4:
Radio 4 is known as the intellectual radio station as many of the content consists of documentaries, topical news programmes, discussions and debate, arts, history, money, news, politics, science, readings, religion etc. Everything an intellectual could possibly want to hear! However, it’s not all serious stuff. Radio 4 also has some great comedy shows and it has the oldest soap opera in the world, The Archers.

BBC Radio 5 Live:
If you like to hear sport being played live and don’t mind using your imagination, then Radio 5 Live is for you. BBC Radio 5 Live broadcasts a wide range of sports and sporting events; everything from baseball to rugby. If you can’t get enough of sports on the radio, then there’s BBC Radio 5 Live Extra. It’s a never ending supply of sport!

BBC Radio 6:
For alternative music, look no further than BBC Radio 6. Most of the programmes play a mixture of the latest from alternative music or old Rock, Punk, Hip hop, Soul and Motown classics. Some of the presenters are very funny as well. I can recommend.

BBC Radio 7:
Radio 7 is where they play the radio programmes that have already been broadcast. Some of the radio shows are so old my grandmother could probably remember them from her youth, but a lot are contemporary. Most of the shows are comedies, readings from classical books, such as Slaughter House 5 By Kurt Vonnegut, plays and documentaries.

BBC Asian Network:
BBC Asian Network broadcasts a range of programmes about British Asian culture. Topical news programmes, discussion and debate, modern and traditional music, drama and religion are all covered on this station.

BBC World Service:
This is the world’s largest international broadcaster, and is broadcast in 32 different languages, (although, it wouldn’t make much difference to improving your English if you listened to it in your native language). Most of the content is news, business, culture and documentaries. Another plus point is if you don’t want to listen to it on the internet, you can use normal radio.
Click here to get on BBC iplayer