News Broadcasting
Discovery acquires a variety of shows from BBC Worldwide
MUMBAI: BBC Worldwide and Discovery India have announced a deal by which the infotainment channel has acquired a raft of shows.
The deals were announced in Brighton at BBC Showcase, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Discovery has acquired from BBC Worldwide a range of BBC history, science and natural history programmes.
These include Pompeii The Last Day, Supervolcano, Wild Europe and a host of Timewatch and Horizon titles.
These programmes will be complemented by BBC lifestyle titles, including Friends for Dinner and Jeremy Clarkson Meets The Neighbours, which will be shown on Discovery Travel and Living in India.
Clarkson is known for hostIng Top Gear. Over the course of five programmes, Clarkson covers 20,000 miles in what the programme’s publicity describe as “an informative and entertaining 20,000 mile road trip around Europe to put age-old stereotypes to the test”.
A two part episode of Supervolcano looks at the fact that the beauty of America’s Yellowstone National Park masks one of the rarest and most destructive forces on Earth – a supervolcano.
Another show that has ben acquired is Journey Of Life. Here the show’s host Steve Leonard takes a 4 billion year journey from the first spark of life to the conquering of a planet.
Discovery has also acquired documentaries from the Timewatch series. One of them is Who Killed Rasputin? This proves that Rasputin was murdered by British Secret Service operatives. The programme-makers re-opened the investigation into his death and found conclusive evidence to suggest that Rasputin was murdered in St Petersburg in 1916 in a plot hatched by rogue members of the British Secret Service with a fatal shot fired at close range by Secret Agent Oswald Rayner.
The documentary is based on new evidence uncovered by intelligence historian, and programme consultant, Andrew Cook. In addition,Timewatch brought in Richard Cullen, former Metropolitan police commander, and a trainer of police cadets in forensic detective work in Russia, to re-open the case.
The accepted version of Rasputin’s death states that he was poisoned, then shot, and finally drowned in the River Nevka by five disaffected aristocrats, led by Prince Felix Yusupov. The conspirators were said to be concerned about Rasputin’s influence on Tsar Nicholas II, and his wife Tsarina Alexandra.
BBC Worldwide director of emerging territories Monisha Shah said, “Discovery India is a natural home for our biggest and best programmes. It is fantastic that viewers across South Asia will have an opportunity to watch such spectacular, talked-about BBC programmes as Supervolcano and Pompeii The Last Day.”
Discovery India MD Deepak Shourie said, “Discovery India has long valued working with BBC Worldwide to deliver the best programmes to our viewers. This deal once again provides us with a wealth of quality titles which will captivate and entertain.”
News Broadcasting
CNN-News18 to host Kolkata Town Hall on Hooghly River
‘Bhalobasa Bengal Inspiring Bharat’ event on April 20 brings cultural icons, trailblazing women and leaders aboard a cruise to celebrate Bengal’s enduring influence.
MUMBAI: Bengal is about to make fresh waves on the Hooghly and this time the current is pure conversation. CNN-News18 is taking its iconic Town Hall format to the waters of the iconic Hooghly River on 20 April 2026 with a special edition titled ‘Bhalobasa Bengal – Inspiring Bharat’. The floating event will celebrate the state’s rich cultural legacy and how its ideas, creativity and spirit continue to shape the rest of the country.
The unique riverside setting draws on Bengal’s history as a cradle of reform, art and intellectual thought. The speaker line-up mirrors that diversity: cultural heavyweights Mithun Chakraborty and Sreenanda Shankar will share the stage with trailblazing “Devis” such as Tanya Sanyal (India’s first woman firefighter in aviation), Ipsita Chakraborty (Kolkata’s first woman bartender) and Reshma Nilofer Visalakshi (Nari Shakti awardee and marine pilot). Music will flow through the celebrated pianist-vocalist duo Sourendro and Soumyojit, while public life and governance will be represented by Smriti Irani, Leander Paes, Saira Shah Halim, Keya Ghosh, Rekha Patra, Roopa Ganguly and Babul Supriyo.
CNN-News18, editorial affairs director, Rahul Shivshankar, said the event honours voices that carry Bengal’s legacy forward. Smriti Mehra, CEO – English & Business News, Network18, added that Bengal’s stories resonate far beyond its borders, especially as the state heads into polls.
From the first woman to battle flames in the skies to legendary actors who shaped Indian cinema, the gathering promises a rich mix of inspiration, courage and candid dialogue. In a city where culture has always flowed as freely as the river itself, CNN-News18 is turning the Hooghly into a floating forum for ideas that matter.
Tune in on 20 April on CNN-News18, CTV and YouTube to catch Bengal’s heartbeat in full flow.
