The Global Story

Every day, tens of thousands of hours of pornographic content are uploaded to the internet. At peak times, 10% of internet traffic is people watching porn. But who is making money from it, and how?
Journalist Patricia Nilsson of the Financial Times has spent the past six years absorbed in this industry - chasing down its money men. She speaks with The Global Story’s Tristan Redman about how they’ve changed not just the porn we watch online, but the entire internet.
Producer: Hannah Moore
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Mix: Travis Evans
Technical producers: Stephen Bailey and Ben Andrews
Senior news editor: China Collins
Photo: Neon signs for adult video in Soho, London, United Kingdom. Credit: Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images

A week on from the Democrats’ victory in the US midterm elections, what might these results mean for the rest of the world? What will Trump’s foreign policy look like now he has lost control of congress?
We take a whistle stop tour of Iran, Israel, Russia and China to look at the reactions to the results and the possible consequences. Will this prompt a shift in relations between the US and its allies?
Producers: Aron Keller and Josephine Casserly
Executive producer: Bridget Harney
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Mix: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: President Trump and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at a roundtable in Washington DC, 21 Oct 2026. Credit: Shawn Thew/EPA/Shuttershock

Last week saw what could be the biggest heist in history: $6.3bn was stolen from the cryptocurrency exchange Binance. North Korean hackers are suspected of being behind the attack, which saw billions of dollars disappear in just 20 minutes.
It’s far from the first time North Korea has been accused of a major cyber-attack. Over the past decade, hackers linked to the country have targeted banks, public institutions and even Sony Pictures.
On The Global Story, Asma Khalid speaks with journalist Geoff White, host of the BBC investigative podcast The Lazarus Heist. He explains how this isolated country become a major player in the world of cyber-crime – and where all that money goes.
(Photo: Lots of metal coins with symbols of cryptocurrencies are seen in this illustration taken 10 September, 2025. Credit: Dado Ruvic/Reuters)
Producer: Mhairi MacKenzie and Josephine Casserly
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Russell Brand’s conviction for rape and sexual assault has brought renewed scrutiny to the actor and comedian, who cultivated an image of provocation and promiscuity before embracing an identity as a right-wing influencer. What does his case say about the promises – and limits – of the MeToo movement?
The BBC’s Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, host of the podcast Fame Under Fire, has been in court throughout the Brand trial. She joins The Global Story’s Asma Khalid to explain what happened – and what the case tells us about the changing culture around sexual misconduct and accountability.
(Photo: British actor and comedian Russell Brand arrives at Southwark Crown Court, London. Credit: James Manning/Press Association)
Producer: Cat Farnsworth and Mhairi MacKenzie
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Technical producer: Ben Andrews
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Senior news editor: China Collins

Preppers have long been planning for the worst-case scenario. Are governments now doing the same?
 The UK government has launched a national “Be Ready” campaign, urging people to keep enough food, water and medicine at home to prepare for three days of disruption. Other European countries have similar policies.
But for preppers, whose mission it is to ready themselves for a future disaster, this is old news. Have the preppers been vindicated? And what exactly are we prepping for?
(Photo: Prepper Drew Miller inside a well-stocked fortified bunker that is still under construction on 23 August, 2019, Lost City, West Virginia.Credit: Michael S. Williamson/ Getty Images)
Producer: Josephine Casserly and Xandra Ellin
Executive producer: Martine Powers
Sound engineer: Travis Evans
Digital producer: Charlie Firth
Senior news editor: China Collins