Magna Carta - Events
Details of the BBC's events relating to the anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta.
On 20 January - on the 750th anniversary of England’s first Parliament, the De Montfort Parliament - the BBC will broadcast Democracy Day. A day of live events, discussion and debate, produced in collaboration with the House of Commons and the House of Lords as part of their 2015 ‘Parliament in the Making’ programme, will be broadcast across the BBC from both inside Westminster and from the BBC Radio Theatre.
The BBC will look at democracy past and present, ask ‘How Democratic Are We?’, and encourage debate about its future. As part of the day’s offering, Today in Parliament will bring BBC Radio 4 listeners a day in the life of other international parliaments, and during Today in the morning, the BBC’s Public Philosopher Michael Sandel will venture inside the Palace of Westminster, challenging an audience of MPs, Peers and the public to apply some critical philosophical thinking to what democracy really means.
Inside the BBC Radio Theatre, panels of international academics, writers and politicians will discuss issues like the relationship between Islam and democracy, drama and democracy, and whether technology provides an opportunity or threat to the democratic process. Following the broadcast of the second episode in Nick Robinson’s Can Democracy Work? Radio 4 series, the BBC’s Political Editor will also discuss the growing influence of elites with a panel of guests.
Democracy will be examined and discussed throughout the day across a range of programmes on radio, TV and online including Today, the World at One and Woman’s Hour on Radio 4, The One Show, Newsbeat on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 3 and BBC 5 Live, BBC Parliament as well as on Hard Talk and Focus on Africa on BBC World News, and across all 27 languages on the BBC World Service. BBC News will also turn the spotlight on itself, opening up planning meetings to public scrutiny and broadcasting them live, and inviting people worldwide to comment and contribute to the day’s output.
On 15 June 2015, the BBC plans to provide coverage of the events which will celebrate this important anniversary at Runnymede, where King John sealed the Magna Carta on that day in 1215.
