News Broadcasting
From a barber’s shop to a tea stall: BBC Urdu looks at the lives of India’s young Muslims
MUMBAI: India’s young Muslims, their views, hopes and concerns, are the subject of the new series of BBC Urdu, a part of BBC World Service — From a barber’s shop to a tea stall (Nai Ki Dukan Se Chai Ki Dukan Tak) going live on TV, radio and online on Monday 14 November.
The six-part TV and radio series and special content for the website bbcurdu.com is produced and presented by Mirza AB Baig. As he visits New Delhi, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Mumbai, Mirza Baig talks to Muslim youths who, due to high unemployment, are used to socialising in barber shops and tea stalls in their communities.
Each episode focuses on issues that young men and women were keen to discuss with the BBC: unemployment, the divorce practice of “instant triple talaq”, terrorism, LGBT, the high number of Muslims in India’s prisons and the uniform civil code (the proposal to replace the family laws exercised by religious communities with a common set of laws governing all India’s citizens).
Mirza Baig said: “In this series, for the first time, we have placed India’s Muslim youth at the very centre of our narrative. Talking to them, we wanted to bring to the fore their views, needs and worries.
From a barber’s shop to a tea stall is about them – and as we roll out this content, we hope that, along with BBC Urdu’s audience in Pakistan, Urdu-speakers in India will join the conversation via the BBC Urdu social media channels to continue and expand the debates we started in India’s Muslim communities.”
Indian experts join the discussion in the BBC Urdu series. Dr Tanweer Fazal of the Department of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, comments on unemployment among the country’s Muslims. Renowned scholar, Prof Tahir Mehmood examines the issues surrounding the application of the uniform civil code. Prof Vija Raghawan of Tata Institute of Social Sciences in Mumbai looks at the reasons for large numbers of Muslims in India’s jails. Dr Shaista Yusuf and Prof Sabiha Zubair in Bangalore explain the challenges presented by the continued practice, in some Sunni Muslim communities, of instant divorce known as “triple talaq”.
From a barber’s shop to a tea stall (Nai Ki Dukan Se Chai Ki Dukan Tak) will feature as part of the BBC Urdu programme, Sairbeen, on TV and radio every Monday starting from 14 November. The series’ text, audio and video content will also roll out on the website bbcurdu.com. The issues will be discussed with social-media audience via Facebook Lives on BBC Urdu Facebook.
The TV programme, Sairbeen, is broadcast live from London by Aaj News TV channel in Pakistan and streamed on bbcurdu.com at 19.30 PST (14.30 GMT) Monday to Friday. Each edition of Sairbeen is repeated on Aaj News at 11.00 on the following day and is available on bbcurdu.com on demand. The programme is also available via the BBC Urdu channel on YouTube. The radio programme, Sairbeen, is broadcast on shortwave at 20.00 PST (15.00 GMT) every day and is available via bbcurdu.com.
News Broadcasting
BBC to cut up to 2,000 jobs in biggest overhaul in 15 years
Cost pressures and leadership change drive major workforce reduction plan
LONDON: BBC has unveiled plans to cut up to 2,000 jobs, roughly 10 per cent of its global workforce, in what marks its biggest downsizing in 15 years.
The announcement was made during an all-staff meeting led by interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies, as the broadcaster moves to tackle mounting financial pressures and reshape its operations.
Between 1,800 and 2,000 roles are expected to be eliminated from a workforce of around 21,500. The cuts form part of a broader plan to save £500 million over the next two years, aimed at offsetting rising costs, stagnating licence fee income and weaker commercial revenues.
In a communication to staff, BBC interim director-general Rhodri Talfan Davies said, “I know this creates real uncertainty, but we wanted to be open about the challenge,” acknowledging the impact the move would have across the organisation.
The restructuring comes at a time of leadership transition. Former director-general Tim Davie stepped down earlier this month, with Matt Brittin, a former Google executive, set to take over the role on May 18, 2026.
While some cost-cutting measures are being implemented immediately, the majority of the structural changes are expected to roll out over the next few years, with full savings targeted by the 2027–2028 financial year.
The broadcaster had earlier signalled its intent to reduce its cost base by around 10 per cent over a three-year period, warning of “difficult choices” as it adapts to shifting economic realities and audience expectations.
With operating costs hovering around £6 billion annually, the BBC’s latest move underscores the scale of the financial challenge it faces, as it balances public service commitments with the need for long-term sustainability in an increasingly competitive media landscape.
