Crossing Divides
The BBC is launching a major new season, Crossing Divides, exploring how people can be brought together across lines that divide them in a fragmented world.
Published: 27 February 2019
Crossing Divides couldn’t be more timely - it is an ambitious season that will bring fascinating stories and help us understand a little more of each other’s worlds
Crossing Divides will run across the year on TV, news, radio and online starting from next week (4 March). It will bring people from conflicting sides together despite their differences - whether social, ethnic, political, religious, geographical or generational.
It will feature a broad range of programming, special reports and innovative events across the year, designed to reach audiences of all ages and create opportunities for new conversations, including:
- Stacey Dooley travelling to North-East Nigeria for BBC Three to meet the young women who escaped becoming suicide bombers for the Boko Haram, to hear how they’re regaining the trust of their community and breaking down barriers; and blind traveller Amar Latif joining forces with comedian Sara Pascoe in BBC Two’s Travelling Blind, in a journey that will be transformational for them both as they explore Turkey and begin to understand each other’s perspective.
- A day of special experiments across the UK’s train and bus networks designed to spark conversations between passengers.
- A series of BBC Teach videos being made available to every primary and secondary school, telling powerful stories from around the world of people who have found common ground despite their different backgrounds.
- Thousands of people being invited to pair up with someone from an opposing political background for a face-to-face conversation organised by BBC News and 5 Live; and BBC Local Radio bringing together over 100 participants from both sides of impassioned local debates to discuss their perspectives.
Crossing Divides builds on a week-long initiative in BBC News last year and also includes special reports on BBC News. Home Editor Mark Easton will look at an initiative to break down stereotypes among children and young people in Northern Ireland, whilst Media Editor Amol Rajan will discuss how social media can bring people together. Linda Adey and Ashley Jean-Baptiste will also present reports on a Crossing Divides theme.
Eight well known personalities will explore their different beliefs and faiths as they set out on the ancient Via Francigena pilgrimage to Rome for BBC Two in Pilgrimage: The Road to Rome.
CBBC will use its social community app Buzz to discuss with children a range of difficult situations and how to handle them, while Katie Piper will read a story for CBeebies Bedtime Stories on crossing divides.
Tony Hall, BBC Director-General said, “Crossing Divides couldn’t be more timely - it is an ambitious season that will bring fascinating stories to audiences across the UK and the world, and help us understand a little more of each other’s worlds.”
Emily Kasriel, Season Editor, said, “Crossing Divides draws on the BBC’s public purpose to contribute to social cohesion and our solutions-focused journalism initiative to explore themes of collaboration and relationships across divides, whilst also asking searching questions and stimulating new thinking.”
SA
