MAM
BBC Worldwide wins outstanding export achievement award
LONDON: BBC Worldwide, the commercial consumer arm of the BBC, has been recognised for its Outstanding Export Achievement in the Trade Partners UK-backed International Business Awards.
The International Business Awards, a joint initiative between Trade Partners UK and Nexus Communications (publishers of Export Times) recognise the achievements of some of the best of British business, from successful new ventures to leading blue-chip organisations across the UK.
Being recognised with this major accolade – the equivalent of a lifetime achievement award for export – against strong competition from leading UK organisations reflects BBC Worldwide’s financial returns, strong growth, innovative strategies and market leadership over a three-year review period
Presenting the award to BBC Worldwide’s Director of International Television Mike Phillips the Minister of State for International Trade and Investment Baroness Symons said, “The last twelve months have been difficult for those engaged in international trade, but despite this many British exporters have persevered and gained valuable contracts for the UK. It is through the success of businesses and individuals that we are the world’s fifth largest exporter of goods and the world’s largest exporter of services. It is a great tribute to the strength, flexibility and resilience of those who have competed successfully in the global market.”
An official release informs that in the three-year review period – 1999-2002 – BBC Worldwide grew its turnover from ?514m to ?660m and its profit from ?9m to ?26m. In the last financial year (2001-2002) the company returned a record ?106m to the BBC. The company’s exceptional strength and growth was also recognised this year with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise 2002 in the international trade category.
Key factors in the company’s growth have been the launch of BBC channels, branded blocks, the re-versioning of programmes such as The Weakest Link and Top of the Pops for local markets, and joint venture partnerships, driving significant business growth in key territories such as the USA, Germany, Latin America and Canada.
Other major BBC properties that contributed to this success include the internationally acclaimed factual series, The Blue Planet and Walking with Beasts. Children’s properties such as Teletubbies and Tweenies continued to expand across media around the world. In addition to financial growth, all aspects of the company’s activities – from programme sales to corporate responsibility – were taken into account for the Award. The company had to prove best practice in the areas of: relationship with employees, suppliers, partners, customers and contractors; impact on society; relationship with local communities – at home and abroad; and impact on the environment
MAM
Fringe festival finally hits Mumbai stage in March
60 plus shows from 10–15 March 2026 at NCPA plus Bandra venues.
MUMBAI: The Fringe is no longer on the fringe, it’s centre stage in Mumbai, ready to turn the city into a creative playground. After nearly 80 years of shaking up global performance culture from Edinburgh to Prague and Adelaide, the world’s largest open-access arts movement makes its India debut with the Mumbai Fringe Festival from 10 to 15 March 2026.
Kicking off at the iconic Tata Theatre, NCPA, the six-day celebration will spill across Bandra’s buzzing creative circuit, Khar Comedy Club, 3 Art House and indifferent @ Gharonda delivering nearly 60 performances in comedy, theatre, poetry, storytelling and experimental work. This isn’t a sit-down spectacle; it’s a city on the move, with audiences hopping between venues to catch new voices and bold ideas in their rawest form.
The lineup mixes homegrown stars with international heavyweights. Rohan Joshi, Kanan Gill, Varun Grover, Aakash Gupta, Priya Malik, Amandeep Khayal, Urooj Ashfaq and Amit Tandon bring the Indian edge, while global gems include Nigel Miles Thomas’s award-winning solo Sherlock Holmes: The Last Act, The Shakespeare Edit’s striking Macbeth adaptation and David Hoskin’s genre-blending Haunted House (mime, comedy, storytelling mash-up). True to Fringe spirit, the programme thrives on intimacy, invention and fearless creative risks.
Tickets are already live on Bookmyshow, with several shows sold out, signalling strong early buzz. Co-founders Steve Gove (of the 25-year-old Prague Fringe) and Simar Singh (UnErase Poetry) are steering the ship, united by the belief that Mumbai and India is primed for the Fringe model.
Steve Gove said, “Bringing Fringe to Mumbai has been a long-held dream. Cities around the world have embraced this model and watched it reshape their creative landscapes. Mumbai has the energy, the appetite and the talent to make this extraordinary.”
Simar Singh added, “The Fringe model gives artists complete freedom. It creates space for new voices and unexpected ideas to meet audiences directly. Mumbai deserves a platform like this.”
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society chief executive Tony Lankester chimed in, “Born in Scotland nearly 80 years ago, the Fringe has always stood for joy, openness and giving everyone a platform with minimal gatekeeping… We are delighted to see the Mumbai Fringe carry this same spirit forward.”
In a country bursting with artistic tradition, the Fringe’s arrival feels both overdue and electric, a chance for audiences to experience unfiltered, up-close performance that has quietly shaped modern theatre worldwide. Grab tickets on Bookmyshow before the best spots vanish. Mumbai’s creative margins just got a whole lot louder.
