6 Minute English Podcast
Learn and practise useful English language for everyday situations with the BBC. Your weekly instruction manual for saying or doing something in English is published every Thursday.
Episodes to download
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Dancing for the brain
Last Thursday
Not a dancer? You might change your mind once you hear the benefits!
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Nudges: The secrets of persuasion
Thu 11 Apr 2024
Are nudges good or bad? Beth and Neil discuss this and teach you useful vocabulary.
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Why sitting is bad for health
Thu 4 Apr 2024
Could sitting be damaging to our health? Phil and Georgie discuss and teach vocabulary.
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Why everyone loves the underdog
Thu 28 Mar 2024
Could being the underdog help you succeed? Neil and Georgie discuss and teach vocabulary.
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Disability in music and theatre
Thu 21 Mar 2024
Learn about people trying to make it easier for disabled musicians and music fans.
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What makes a great library?
Thu 14 Mar 2024
What makes a library a library? Neil and Beth teach you some useful vocabulary.
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Sewing to fight period poverty
Thu 7 Mar 2024
Period poverty affects over 500 million people worldwide. How can volunteers help?
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Plastic waste eaten by enzymes
Thu 29 Feb 2024
Plastics can be difficult to recycle, could a recently discovered enzyme help?
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Food for new mums
Thu 15 Feb 2024
What do mothers eat after giving birth? Does it depend on which country you are from?
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Fighting loneliness with soup
Thu 8 Feb 2024
Neil and Beth discuss a project in the Netherlands for helping lonely people.
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What is the future of work?
Thu 1 Feb 2024
Should we be worried about our jobs disappearing? Or is the future positive?
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Addicted to sugar
Thu 11 Jan 2024
How has sugar become such an important part of our diets? Neil and Georgie discuss.
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Our love of pets
Thu 4 Jan 2024
Why do we keep, and love, pets? Neil and Georgie discuss this and teach new vocabulary.
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Sexism: Female farmers fighting back
Thu 28 Dec 2023
Female farmers in many countries face sexism. Some are finding ways to be fairly treated.
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Learning lessons from the Moon
Thu 21 Dec 2023
Summer 2023 saw two missions to the Moon. Why are scientists so keen to get there?
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Could we live without plastic?
Thu 14 Dec 2023
Is it time to start living without plastic? Beth and Neil discuss this.
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Invasive species: Why don't we eat them?
Thu 7 Dec 2023
Invasive species are causing problems for nature around the world, so why not eat them?
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What and where is Little Italy?
Thu 30 Nov 2023
How did Italian food become famous throughout the world? Find out with Neil and Georgie
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Social media and teenage health
Thu 23 Nov 2023
What are the risks of social media to teenage health and what can be done about them?
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Mystery flying objects
Thu 16 Nov 2023
What exactly did navy pilots see in 2004? The US investigates these UFOs now, in 2023.
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Elephant-proof farming
Tue 14 Nov 2023
What happens when an elephant wants to eat your crops? How can you stop it?
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Should we farm octopus?
Thu 2 Nov 2023
Is it OK to eat animals that can feel emotion? Learn vocabulary on this topic.
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Ways to live for 100 years
Thu 26 Oct 2023
More and more people are living to 100, but what is the secret of a long life?
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How green is your money?
Thu 19 Oct 2023
Should climate change make us think where to invest our money? Learn useful vocabulary.
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Mushrooms: Medicine or myth?
Thu 12 Oct 2023
Today the medicinal mushroom industry is big business. But are there actually benefits?
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Saving dead languages
Thu 5 Oct 2023
Some Australian languages have been saved from extinction. We discuss Barngala's revival.
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Sounds that make you want to scream
Thu 28 Sep 2023
Some sounds cause some people huge distress. Learn about 'misophonia' here.
