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The Beeb says Yes Mantriji!!!
BBC Worldwide is driving hard into the Indian market. It started outwith coverage of local events and followed it with the creation of a local programming block on its India service.
It has since been trying to hawk its programming library to Indian programmers and has struck deals with Tara, DD, among other broadcasters. Driving the programme syndication, licensing and sales initiative has been senior executive Monisha Shah, who once worked with production house Plus Channel in India.
The latest arrangement the Beeb it has got into is with the Prannoy Roy-owned New Delhi Television (NDTV) to produce 38 episodes of the Indian version of the famous Yes Minister and Yes Prime Minister. Called Ji Mantriji and Ji Pradhan Mantriji the shows will air on Star Plus in Hindi. The stars of the show stars Farooq Sheikh ( Suryaprakash Singh) as Jim Hacker Jayant Kriplani (Rajnath Mathur) as Sir Humphrey with the scripts being adapted to Hindi by Alok Tomar (Ji Mantraji) and Purshottam Agarwal (Ji Pradhan Mantriji). The adaptation has resulted in references to football becoming cricket and the European Community becoming the Commonwealth. Eminent Indian cartoonist RK Laxman has penned the caricatures for the show. “The program has the same story line and characters, with a different structure,” says BBC Worldwide’s MD, Mark Young. The Beeb selected NDTV based on its long association with the content provider, and its “superior production quality” for the series Question Time India. BBC Worldwide refused to put a finger on the budget for the show, though it is reported to be in the region of $ 1 million. The pilot has been tested in different parts of the country, and has received a positive response, say BBC sources. The half hour series is expected to air at 8 pm Thursdays from early next year. BBC Worldwide, which expects to generate revenues of US$15 million from India in the current year, hopes to double them in the next three to four years. So expect many more such initiatives
News Broadcasting
Business Today MindRush returns to Mumbai, spotlight on India’s edge in a fractured world
Policymakers and corporate heavyweights gather to map supply chains, energy security and markets
MUMBAI: As fault lines widen across global trade and geopolitics, Business Today is doubling down on India’s moment. The 14th edition of Business Today MindRush & Best CEOs Awards lands in Mumbai on March 28, pitching India’s strategic edge at the centre of a fragmenting world.
The day-long summit, presented by PwC, will bring together a tight mix of policymakers, industry leaders and market voices to decode shifting supply chains, maritime strategy, defence priorities, energy security and capital markets—sectors now deeply entangled with geopolitics.
M Nagaraju, secretary, department of financial services, ministry of finance, will headline the event, setting the tone for discussions that aim to track how India is repositioning itself amid disrupted trade routes and volatile energy dynamics.
The speaker slate reads like a cross-section of India Inc’s command centre. Krishna Swaminathan will zero in on sea lanes and supply chains, while Prashant Ruia is set to push the case for self-reliance in oil and gas. Ashish Chauhan will weigh in on capital markets at a pivotal juncture, as a panel featuring Vibha Padalkar, Sanjiv Mehta, Amish Mehta and Sanjeev Krishan debates navigating economic uncertainty.
Leadership under pressure will be another running theme. Madhavkrishna Singhania, Sharvil Patel, Karan Bhagat and Anurag Choudhary will unpack how businesses are steering through disruption. Arun Alagappan will turn the spotlight on fertilisers, Arundhati Bhattacharya will reflect on leadership transitions, while Anish Shah and S Vellayan will outline blueprints for building future-ready conglomerates.
The event will close with Aroon Purie setting the broader editorial lens, before the Best CEOs Awards recognise standout corporate leadership across sectors.
At a time when the global order looks increasingly splintered, MindRush 2026 is positioning itself as more than a conference—it is a signal that India intends not just to navigate the churn, but to shape it.
