Year: 2025

BBC Radio 4 and 4Extra will mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth this December with a major season of special programmes and new dramas celebrating her life and legacy.

From 6th December, listeners can enjoy a complete audio collection of Austen’s six major novels, including Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Mansfield Park, Persuasion, and Northanger Abbey, all available on BBC Sounds. A special day of broadcasts will take place on Radio 4 on 16th December to honour Austen’s birthday.
The season begins and ends with two new Radio 4 dramas – Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility – narrated by Tamsin Greig as Jane Austen herself. Written by Rachel Joyce and Claudine Toutoungi, the new adaptations revisit themes of love, heartbreak and sisterhood through a modern lens.
A new ten-part factual series, When I Met Jane Austen, hosted by biographer Dr Paula Byrne, will feature contributions from well-known admirers including David Baddiel, Val McDermid, Katherine Rundell, Kate Atkinson, Andrew Davies, Gurinder Chadha, and Marlon James, exploring how Austen’s writing has inspired their work.
Radio 4’s Bookclub will feature Emma Thompson, reflecting on her adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and why Austen’s stories continue to connect with audiences today. The station’s continuity announcers will also join in the birthday celebrations on 16th December.
Radio 4Extra will air classic Austen-themed programmes from the past forty years, while BBC iPlayer will showcase TV adaptations and documentaries including Jane Austen: Rise of a Genius. Actor Monica Dolan will also read Persuasion for The Read on BBC Four and iPlayer.
Matthew Dodd, Commissioning Editor for Arts, said the season “brings together a rich and varied collection showcasing the many ways Austen’s voice still resonates today.”

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KISS Breakfast is set to broadcast its first-ever live on-air wedding this Friday, in a collaboration between Bauer Media and Channel 4 inspired by Married at First Sight UK.

The live event marks the end of the hit show’s tenth season and continues the partnership between Channel 4 and Bauer’s KISS brand, following previous joint campaigns such as Naked Week.
The feature, titled How Far Would You Go for a Trip to Thailand?, will see two strangers chosen at random from a group of hopefuls at KISS HQ to tie the knot live on air.
Hosted by Jordan Banjo and Harriet Rose, with a MAFS celebrant officiating, the ceremony promises a mix of real emotion and humour in true KISS style.
The week-long campaign will build through on-air storytelling, social media activity, and a full takeover show during the live ‘wedding’. Designed for both broadcast and social reach, the event aims to blend the energy of live radio with the visual storytelling power of social platforms, engaging audiences across multiple channels.

Krissie Ford, Director of Client Strategy at Bauer Media, said: “This activation perfectly captures what happens when great partners trust each other to take creative risks. It’s a brilliant example of how audio can create real-time cultural moments that spark conversation.”
Sian Gray, Marketing Lead for Channel 4 Streaming, added: “These collaborations embody the fearless creativity and cultural relevance that sit at the heart of Channel 4. It’s about celebrating the unexpected and connecting with audiences in fresh, authentic ways.”
The partnership was brokered by OMD UK, as part of Channel 4’s ongoing sponsorship of the KISS Breakfast show.

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