Inside Tehran: 'My daughter is under the rubble'

Summary

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Global News Podcast (BBC World Service)

Episode: Inside Tehran: 'My daughter is under the rubble'

Date: March 27, 2026

Host: Celia Hatton

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the continuing US-Israel war with Iran, focusing on the direct impact of airstrikes inside Tehran and the broader regional and global repercussions. The BBC presents an investigative report from inside Tehran, first-hand civilian accounts, expert analysis from Jerusalem, and discussions on related stories: Ukraine's new defense deal with Saudi Arabia, global economic ripple effects, notable scientific whale observations, new guidance on children’s screen time, and Hollywood’s anxiety over industry consolidation. The tone throughout is urgent, empathetic, and global in perspective.

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Key Segments and Insights

1. Inside Tehran: Human Costs of the Airstrikes

(Start: 02:02 – 06:39)

• Investigative Report by Nawal Al Magafi utilizes rare access, satellite imagery, and on-the-ground interviews to document the aftermath of ongoing Israeli and US airstrikes in Tehran.
• Over the last month:
  • Israeli strikes: 3,600 munitions dropped; 38 police stations & Basij militia bases hit—many in residential areas.
  • US involvement: Over 9,000 attacks across Iran, both countries denying intentional targeting of civilians.
• Civilian Testimony:
  • A man, Ali, describes devastation in Resaat eastern Tehran:

    “My daughter’s scared of the dark. She cries… She calls out for her child, Mariam.” (Resident Ali, 03:13)

    • His account details being injured, losing friends, and the destruction of homes:

    “Rubble fell on my head, my hands, my back, my legs, and my ears were bleeding. I don’t have anything now.” (Resident Ali, 04:43)

• Impact:
  • Four buildings obliterated; damage within a 65-meter radius.
  • Local mayor:

    “Unfortunately, they destroyed 30 residences. This was no pinpoint attack. They have caused a lot of damage.” (Local Mayor, 05:21)

  • At least 40 civilians reported dead; military targets reportedly evacuated.
  • Use of Mark 80 bombs (2,000 lbs) inferred.
• Political Message:
  • US official calls for Iranians to stay home as strikes “prepare the ground for the Iranian people to overthrow the government”:

    “Stay sheltered. Don’t leave your home. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.” (US Official, 06:23)

  • Conclusion: Iranian civilians are overwhelmingly caught in the crossfire:

    “I just know my friends at the end of the alley are all dead.” (Resident Ali, 06:45)

2. Israel’s Military Calculations & Growing Regional Tensions

(07:16 – 09:23, Jerusalem Correspondent: Yolande Nell)

• Israel’s defense minister promises intensification of strikes on Iran after continued missile launches.

  “The fire continues. Therefore IDF strikes in Iran will intensify and expand to additional targets.” (Yolande Nell, quoting Israeli officials, 07:16)

• Recent attacks include significant damage to Iranian naval and ballistic missile sites.
• Conflicts spill into Lebanon; Israeli airstrikes target Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut.
• Israel expanding its buffer zone in southern Lebanon with escalating ground presence.
• Internal Israeli Politics:
  • Opposition leader Yair Lapid warns of “security disaster” due to overextension and soldier shortages:

    “The government is sending the army into a multi-front war without a strategy...and with far too few soldiers.” (Yolande Nell, 08:56)

3. Ukraine-Saudi Defense Agreement: New Alliances in Drone Warfare

(09:23 – 12:49, with Vitaly Shevchenko, BBC Monitoring, Kyiv)

• Ukraine signs a cooperation pact with Saudi Arabia to share counter-drone and missile expertise.
• Ukrainian experts assist Gulf states battling Iranian drones like Shahed models, paralleling Ukraine’s war with Russia.

  “So clearly they know a thing or two about how to deal with those drones… many of those drones are of the same type…” (Shevchenko, 10:03)

• Ukrainian drone manufacturers ready to scale up production; await political approval.
• Emerging national pride in Ukraine now being a “donor of security.”
• Notable shift as Ukraine transitions from an aid recipient to a contributor.

  “There’s a sense of national pride attached to all this as well.” (Shevchenko, 12:27)

4. Wider Global Effects: Middle East Conflict’s Impact on East Asian Economies

(12:49 – 15:28, with Jake Kwon, Seoul Correspondent)

• South Korea faces a crisis due to a shortage of naphtha (crucial for plastics), linked to disrupted shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.

  “There was a bit of a panic as people wondered whether they should run to the store and stock up on [government-printed waste bags]…” (Jake Kwon, 13:21)

• Government emergency meetings introduce energy conservation and price controls; efforts to diversify supply.
• Japan decides to increase coal-fired power use due to Middle Eastern oil shortages, reversing climate policies.

  “Starting next month, Japan will lift restrictions it has been placing on coal power…because Japan depends on the Middle east for most of its energy needs.” (Jake Kwon, 15:03)

5. Political Change: Nepal’s New Prime Minister

(18:04 – 19:34, with Yogata Lamaye, Mumbai Correspondent)

• New Prime Minister: Balendra Shah, 35, a rapper-turned-politician, swept to power in Nepal after youth-led protests toppled the old guard.
• Vows to tackle corruption, unemployment, and deliver social justice.

6. Extraordinary Science: Sperm Whale Birth Cooperation

(01:50, 19:34 – 23:41, Interview with David Gruber, Project SETI)

• Scientists capture rare, coordinated birth among sperm whales in Dominica.

  “There was just a tremendous amount of thrashing… and then amongst these 11 female whales… the small whale emerges and we, we see it.” (David Gruber, 20:02)

• Family pod lifts new calf to breathe, alternating kin and non-kin support— a level of empathy and cooperation previously only seen in humans and some primates.

  “This is one of the most cooperative, empathetic examples of an entry into the world. Maybe only humans would be the one that we can compare this event to.” (Gruber, 22:52)

• Underlines evolutionary heritage and complexity of whale societies.

7. New Guidance and Real-Life Challenges: Kids’ Screen Time

(23:41 – 26:36)

• UK Advice: Under twos should not have screen time alone; under-fives should have a maximum of one hour per day.
• The Montastier family in Manchester tries to cut back on screens; candid parental reflections:

  “Yeah, it does make me feel guilty for doing it… but what are you gonna do? You’re not gonna be always getting out of bed, bouncing with them at 6 o’clock and setting up an art and crafts table.” (Alexis Montastier, 24:59) “Most of the time it is to avoid conflicts, meltdowns and to give yourself a bit of a break.” (Montastier, 25:17)

• Experiment finds that despite intentions, reducing screen time is hard, but awareness and positive moments (like dancing in the mall) offer hope.

8. Hollywood Consolidation Worries: The Paramount-Warner Bros Deal

(26:36 – 30:31, Interview: Eva Longoria with Will Bane)

• Paramount seeks merger with Warner Bros Discovery; would reshape Hollywood, raising concerns over diversity and creative job loss.

  “When there’s intense consolidation of buyers, that’s never good for any industry… less diversity of thought and less diversity of thought leaders.” (Eva Longoria, 27:57)

• Technology (AI) is also a source of anxiety for industry workers.
• Longoria cautions regulators to consider the consequences for the creative sector:

  “When you see a consolidation and you see a massive amount of job loss of creatives…innovation dies, diversity dies.” (Longoria, 28:41)

• On a lighter note, Longoria shares her excitement about the upcoming World Cup and the universal language of football:

  “You can be from anywhere in the world and understand and speak the language of football. And that to me is, is so uniting.” (Longoria, 30:23)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Civilian resilience and grief in Tehran:

  “I just know my friends at the end of the alley are all dead.” (Resident Ali, 06:45)

• US strategic framing:

  “…When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.” (US Official, 06:23)

• Whale empathy:

  “The baby was really unable to swim for the first few minutes. They were working as a group to uplift the baby out of the water…” (David Gruber, 21:16)

• Working parent realities:

  “It's on my mind every day, but… most of the time it is to avoid conflicts, meltdowns and to give yourself a bit of a break.” (Alexis Montastier, 15:38/25:17)

• Hollywood’s uncertainty:

  “Innovation dies, diversity dies.” (Eva Longoria, 28:41)

• Hopeful unity:

  “…the global language of the world is football…one of the few things that could unite us.” (Longoria, 30:23)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Tehran Airstrikes & Civilian Testimony: 02:02 – 06:45
• Jerusalem Military Update: 07:16 – 09:23
• Ukraine-Saudi Defense Deal: 09:23 – 12:49
• Korea/Japan Economic Impact: 12:49 – 15:28
• Nepal Election: 18:04 – 19:34
• Sperm Whale Birth: 01:50, 19:34 – 23:41
• Kids’ Screen Time (UK): 23:41 – 26:36
• Hollywood Mega-Merger: 26:36 – 30:31

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Summary

The episode offers a deeply humanized, multifaceted look at the ongoing war’s toll in Iran, the military-political chess game in the Middle East, and how even far-off nations feel the conflict’s repercussions. Science, family life, and media industry fears are woven throughout, offering listeners a panoramic view of how global crises intersect with everyday lives and broader themes of empathy, resilience, responsibility, and the search for hope and unity in turbulent times.

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Transcript

[BBC Podcast Announcer]

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[Celia Hatton]

This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Celia Hatton and at 16 hours GMT on Friday 27th March, these are our main stories. With the war in Iran continuing, a BBC investigation tracks the effects of airstrikes on Tehran. We'll hear from our Jerusalem correspondent on Israel's military strategy and Ukraine signs a deal to share expertise with Saudi Arabia on combating drones and missiles gained over four years of war with Russia. Also in this podcast, a moment rarely witnessed.

[David Gruber]

The whales were thrashing about and then there was a gush of blood that came up in the middle. But amongst these 11 female whales, each about 40ft, the small whale emerges, sperm

[Celia Hatton]

whales helping one of their pod give birth. We start with the BBC investigation into how the war is being waged inside Iran and who is being hit in those attacks. For the last month, Iran's capital, Tehran has been under assault. Data examined by the BBC shows that Israel has dropped 3,600 munitions on the city in the last four weeks and has hit 38 police stations and bases of the Basij, which is a large voluntary militia connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards. Many of those strikes have hit into the heart of residential areas. The US is involved in this war too, and it says it's carried out more than 9,000 attacks across Iran. Both the United States and Israel say they do not deliberately target civilians. With rare access inside Tehran and using satellite imagery, social media content and interviews, our senior International Investigations correspondent Nawal Al Maghey reports.

[Resident Ali]

In Resaat eastern Tehran, a mother in agony. Her daughter has been trapped under the rubble for three days. My daughter's scared of the dark. She cries. She calls out for her child, Mariam. She wails. But help has come too late. It's been three days since this neighborhood was attacked by Israeli forces. They told us they were targeting a military compound of the Iranian besiege, part of the Revolutionary Guard. We confirmed the building they targeted was used by the besieged militia.

[Resident Ali (continued)]

The bomb hit so suddenly, it threw me. Then there was another strike.

[Resident Ali]

But that day, three other residential buildings were also struck in quick succession.

[Resident Ali (continued)]

I hit the wall and then fell. I tried to stand up three times, but I was knocked into the wall.

[Resident Ali]

This man, who we're calling Ali, has lived in the neighborhood for 50 years. His building was badly damaged.

[Resident Ali (continued)]

I stood up again and I don't know what happened. Rubble fell on my head, my hands, my back, my legs, and my ears were bleeding. I don't have anything now.

[Resident Ali]

We gathered as much evidence as we could on the ground and examined satellite imagery from after the strike. Our investigation showed that four buildings were completely obliterated and the blast Damaged homes and business. 65 meters radius. Hours after the attack, the local mayor spoke to the media.

[BBC Podcast Announcer]

Unfortunately, they destroyed 30 residences. This was no pinpoint attack. They have caused a lot of damage.

[Resident Ali]

Rescuers worked through the night to try and find survivors. Local authorities and residents said at least 40 people were killed, but they said the besieged building had been evacuated. Military experts told us that the scale and spread of the damage in this attack is consistent with the use of one of the largest bombs, the Mark 80, which weighs 2,000 pounds. Ras Salat is one of the 38 police stations and besiege bases we've identified as being hit in Tehran alone, most of them in densely populated areas.

[US Official]

Finally, to the great, proud people of Iran, I say tonight that the hour of your freedom is at hand.

[Resident Ali]

The US and Israel say by targeting police and besiege installations, they're preparing the ground for the Iranian people to overthrow the government.

[US Official]

Stay sheltered. Don't leave your home. It's very dangerous outside. Bombs will be dropping everywhere. When we are finished, take over your government. It will be yours to take. This will be probably your only chance for generations.

[Resident Ali]

But it's the Iranian people that are getting caught in the crossfire.

[Resident Ali (continued)]

I don't know who's okay or not. I just know my friends at the end of the alley are all dead.

[Celia Hatton]

And we have more on this story with Nawal Al Magafi on our YouTube channel. Search for BBC News on YouTube and you'll find Global News podcast in the podcast section that report from Nawal. As Israel says it will step up strikes against Iran as a result of its continued missile fire. Our Middle east correspondent Yolan Nell is in Jerusalem.

[Yolande Nell]

The defense minister, Israel Katz was quoted from a briefing with military officials. He said the prime minister and I warned the Iranian regime to stop the missile fire towards civilians in Israel. And he says despite the warnings, the fire continues. Therefore IDF strikes in Iran will intensify and expand to additional targets. This after the Israeli milit military said it carried out another wide scale wave of attacks in Iran overnight. It said specifically that it bombed Iran's central naval arms production site and ballistic missile factories this morning. And after a lengthy lull overnight, sirens went off this morning also in southern Israel, in settlements in parts of the west bank, there was a missile that was downed with no injuries or property damage reported. A short time ago there were sirens here in Jerusalem sending people into shelters and now just had another alert for a new attack on southern Israel.

[Celia Hatton]

On another front though, Israel's been attacking targets in Lebanon.

[Yolande Nell]

That's right. An Israeli airstrike targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut this morning. That's an area that's really known as a Hezbollah stronghold. There have been a real kind of uptick in attacks by Hezbollah in the past day or so and they seem to be escalating. At the same time as Israel is expanding its occupation of southern Lebanon, the Israeli military has said that it needs more troops to carry out that big deployment. That's where it says it's trying to set up what it calls a buffer zone to protect its own citizens.

[Celia Hatton]

On that note, though, Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid has accused the government of steering the country towards a security disaster because of a shortage of combat soldiers.

[Yolande Nell]

That's right. He's really worried after having security briefings about the issue of strains on Israel's military manpower. And you know, he said that the government is sending the army into a multi front war without a strategy, without the necessary means and with far too few soldiers. And that is important because up to now the political opposition has largely been aligned with the government on the war effort in both Iran and Lebanon.

[Celia Hatton]

Yolande Nell Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he signed a defense cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia. He said his country was ready to share its expertise in combating drones and Ballist missiles, the kind of weapons that Saudi Arabia has been facing from Iran over recent weeks. In return, Ukraine could get help in defending itself against Russia. Particularly now that the US is distracted with its own war in Iran. Mr. Zelensky is currently on a visit to Saudi Arabia. So what can Ukraine offer the Saudis? I spoke to Vitaly Shevchenko, BBC Monitoring's chief analyst in Kyiv.

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

First of all, it's the drones, as you say, Celia. The Gulf states have been facing them over the past weeks, and Ukraine has been facing them over the past four years. So clearly they know a thing or two about how to deal with those drones, especially given that many of those drones are of the same type, the shahed drones that are attacking both the Gulf states and Ukraine. So we're talking about actual interceptor drones, such as the T1 sun. Then also there's the issue of integrating these interceptor drones with raiders, because they don't work on their own. They have to be deployed as part of a system. And thirdly, Ukraine's expertise, as far as we understand, about 230 Ukrainian experts, members of the Ukrainian military, who have experienced in fighting drones, they are already in the Gulf. So this is what Ukraine is offering to the Gulf states.

[Celia Hatton]

Remarkable, though, Vitaly, because we have to remember that Ukraine is still very much fighting a war with Russia. How much can the Ukrainians realistically offer other countries right now?

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

That's a question that we asked here in Kiev in conversations with a number of Ukrainian drone manufacturers, and they're all saying that they're confident that they can scale up production, no problem. It's only a question of money. And money is what the Gulf states do not seem to have a shortage of. But the government in Kiev is really keen for this to be not just a commercial transaction. Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that he wants to put Ukraine on the map as a donor of security. That's the phrase that he used this morning. So that's why those drone manufacturers in Ukraine that we've been talking, they're saying, look, we've got the kits, we've got the products. The Gulf states want to buy it. Countries like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have approached Ukrainian drone manufacturers, but everyone is waiting for the green light from the Ukrainian president.

[Celia Hatton]

How's this all being received inside Ukraine?

[Vitaly Shevchenko]

There's a feeling that the tables have been turned. Ukraine, for so many years, has been a recipient of aid and technology and reliant on what others were willing to give to Kiev. Right now, Ukraine is being asked for help. That's why there's a sense of national pride attached to all this as well.

[Celia Hatton]

Vitaly Shevchenko. Well, the war in Iran is having an effect far beyond the Middle East. It's causing problems in economic sectors you might not even have heard of. In South Korea, there's a shortage of a raw material used to make plastic bags and other packaging. The process needs a chemical called naphta, much of which is imported from the Middle east through the Strait of Hormuz. There are now fears of a shortage of plastic bags and packaging in South Korea. Jake Kwon is our correspondent in Seoul.

[Jake Kwon]

Naphtha is a crucial ingredient in making plastic products and especially in this case, plastic bags. And I think some of our listeners might think so what? Or oh good, it will make people use reusable bags instead. But this isn't a small problem here because South Korea has a rule that everyone must use plastic bags for their waste and not just any plastic bag, but everyone must buy these government, government printed bags to throw out their food and general trash. So there was a bit of a panic as people wondered whether they should run to the store and stock up on them before what they feared would happen next month. And there are of course plenty of other products that use plastic parts or wrappings. We're talking diapers, the plastic box South Korea's many takeout restaurants rely on to sell their food.

[Celia Hatton]

It makes us think about the importance of plastic, doesn't it? I mean, what other measures is the government in Seoul introducing to cope with the fuel crisis?

[Jake Kwon]

Every day there has been an emergency meeting by the government to figure out if this really tough and unsolvable problem. The government is talking about finding a different source of oil and gas. They also want to nip the panic at the butt before the price of petrol runs away. The government introduced price cap and promised stern punishment to companies that might try to profit off of this by hoarding the supply. And they're also tackling it from the demand side. The government had urged the public to cut back on electricity use, suggesting all kinds of measures including taking shorter showers and turning down the heaters and ac.

[Celia Hatton]

Jake, it's not only South Korea that's, that's taking steps over in Japan. The government's acting there too. The government there says it's going to allow the increased use of coal fired power stations because of fuel shortages. That seems like a big decision.

[Jake Kwon]

It is a big measure for a big problem. I mean, starting next month, Japan will lift restrictions it has been placing on coal power to fight climate change to cut down on the fossil fuel. And this is because Japan depends on the Middle east for most of its energy needs. One measure shows that around 90% of its oil comes through the Strait of Hormuz and they're trying to switch lanes to importing coal, which mainly comes from Australia.

[Celia Hatton]

Jake Kwan in South Korea still to come in this podcast, how much screen time should a 2 year old get?

[Alexis Montastier]

It's on my mind every day, but at the same time it's just like you've got other pressures. And most of the time it is to avoid conflicts, meltdowns and to give yourself a bit of a break.

[Celia Hatton]

New advice for parents.

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[Celia Hatton]

This is the global news podcast. Let's move away from the conflict in the Middle east now and have a look at a couple of other stories. Nepal has a new prime minister. Newly elected MPs giving their oaths at a ceremony to swear in the new prime minister, the rapper turned politician Balendra Shah. Earlier this month, his party won a landslide victory. It was the country's first election since protests that were driven by young people toppled Nepal's government. From Mumbai, the BBC's South Asia correspondent Yogata Lamaye reports.

[Yogata Lamaye]

35 year old Balindra Shah took oath as Nepal's prime minister in a ceremony that included Hindu and Buddhist rituals. In the capital Kathmandu, his party swept to power riding on public anger against Nepal's political old guard. Deeply entrenched corruption and rising unemployment were among the key reasons why masses of young people took to the streets in September last year. Last year ousting Nepal's leadership. Balindra Shah, who's won an unprecedented mandate, has promised that his government will tackle corruption, deliver social justice, expand the economy and create jobs. These are daunting challenges for a relatively inexperienced politician. Trained as an engineer. Balendra Shah was a rapper before he turned to politics and was accused of a high handed leadership style when he was Kathmandu's mayor.

[Celia Hatton]

Yoga to Lamaya Scientists have observed a group of sperm whales supporting a mother whale giving birth and then helping the newborn calf take its first breath out of the water. The observations took place in the Eastern Caribbean off the coast of Dominica. Professor David Gruber is the founder of Project SETI and one of the researchers who captured that moment on film. He spoke to James Menendez about what they saw.

[David Gruber]

The crazy thing is that we came across these whales quite early in the morning. There was 11 members of a unit known as Unit A, which our lead biologist knows each individually as family members. And we just saw this kind of very odd behavior where they were all kind of facing inward and they were just going up and down and doing these shallow dives. And then about two hours in there was just tremendous amount of thrashing and the whales were thrashing about and then there was a, a gush of blood that came up in the middle. And then amongst these 11 female whales, each about 40ft it was, you know, the small whale emerges and we, we see it.

[James Menendez]

What was going through your mind every

[David Gruber]

now and then, you know, something just truly extraordinary happens. And I think we were all just so grateful to have been there and even more grateful that like our equipment was working. And even more than that, we had observers on the boat that were just so intimately familiar with these whales and their history for several decades. So all these combined allowed us to do this, like, really unique type of study.

[James Menendez]

So when the baby whale was born, what were the others doing then? Supporting the mother, Supporting the baby.

[David Gruber]

What we saw right after the birth is that the family members, the unit members, were working to lift the baby out of the water. So the baby was really unable to swim for the first few minutes. And they were just basically working as a group to kind of uplift the baby out of the water and almost twirling it around at some point, completely out of the water.

[James Menendez]

I think you used some machine learning software to analyze some of the recordings that you made. What did it tell you about the way that they were working together?

[David Gruber]

What we did is we developed a computer vision software that draws little circles around each individual whale, so you know them by their name. And then we pass this off to a complex network science team to really show what role each whale played in this very unique whale birth and what

[James Menendez]

it was all coordinated.

[David Gruber]

One of the really interesting parts that I felt was that among unit A, this group of whales, there's both kin and non kin. But we saw that they took turns among kinship lines, so two kin holding and then two non kin. And this went on for several hours until the baby was able to swim away. And at the end of this kind of, you know, very intensive day, we basically watched just the mom and the baby kind of swim off into the sunset.

[James Menendez]

And this is the first time this behavior has been observed in what, a species, an animal other than primates.

[David Gruber]

This is one of the most cooperative, empathetic examples of an entry into the world. Maybe only humans would be the one that we can compare this event to.

[James Menendez]

And do you think it's replicated across other whale species?

[David Gruber]

I would think so. We date this behavior back over 34 million years. You know, whales are these ocean living ancestors that we had a common ancestor them over 90 million years ago, and we stayed on land and they went into the water. But to give birth in the water, the baby is actually negatively buoyant. So, like, the baby would sink like a rock. So this type of collaborative lifting among sperm whales in order for them to do this successfully is something that goes way back. It's truly unique for these, you know, these ocean dwelling ancestors.

[Celia Hatton]

David Gruber Many parents around the world find it difficult to deal with the issue of screen time for their young children. How much is too much and what's safe. In Britain, New Official advice in England from education experts says that children under two should not have any time watching a screen on their own and under fives should be limited to an hour a day. Their evidence points to long periods of time spent on screens alone, affecting children's sleep and physical, which are key to their development. Our reporter, Vanessa Clark, has been following one family in the city of Manchester in their quest to cut down on time spent in front of all devices, from tablets to televisions to mobile phones.

[Child Romy]

That's my cat. Yeah, but that's my cat.

[Alexis Montastier]

So my name's Alexis and we've got two boys, Romy, who is nearly five, and Marlo is nearly two in May.

[Reporter]

So it's a busy house.

[Alexis Montastier]

Yeah, yeah, it's mad.

[Reporter]

For the Montastier family who live here in Manchester, life is a juggle from school and nursery pickup to dinner time. Their home is filled with technology and screen time is something that happens more often than the family would like.

[Alexis Montastier]

Yeah, it does make me feel guilty for doing it and I always feel like it's not what we should be doing. But what are you gonna do? You're not gonna be always getting out of bed, bouncing with them at 6 o' clock and setting up an art and crafts table.

[Reporter]

Do you think you do have screens and games on too much? Are you conscious of it or do you think?

[Alexis Montastier]

I am conscious? For sure, it's on my mind every day, but at the same time, it's just like you've got other pressures and most of the time it is to avoid conflicts, meltdowns and to give yourself a bit of a break.

[Reporter]

Over the next week, the Montastiers are keen to cut back on screen time, swapping mobile devices and TV for books, toys and other activities. And for Romy, it is going to be a big change. What do you do with your iPad?

[Child Romy]

I like to do Angry Birds game. And there's a big pig tower where all the pigs are. The finger Airbus.

[Reporter]

One week later, I check back in to see how they've been getting on.

[Alexis Montastier]

So, yeah, it's been interesting, to say the least. At the start of the week, I was like, yeah, come on, we're going to do this. And by the end of the week, no screen or everything will just swap perfectly. But it didn't happen. We've tried our best, but I think, yeah, I've been conscious of it for a while. This has definitely made me more aware and almost made me start doing things that I've always said, oh, we need to, we need to do that for Romy.

[Reporter]

I'm not sure he's totally convinced, but there were definitely some highlights dancing in the mall. Was that better than the iPad?

[Alexis Montastier]

Yes.

[Celia Hatton]

Vanessa Clark. And last, to the United States, where Paramount's megadeal to buy rival film and TV studio Warner Brothers Discovery rumbles on. With the latter now setting a date in April for when shareholders will vote on the proposal. The takeover could significantly reshape Hollywood and the wider media landscape.

[David Gruber]

Landscape.

[Celia Hatton]

It's far from a done deal. Paramount still needs approval from regulators. One person with concerns is the Hollywood actor turned producer Eva Longoria. She came to fame for her role in the TV series Desperate Housewives. And she now runs a production company and is an investor in football clubs in several countries, including Mexico and the U.S. she's been speaking to Will Bane. And she started by reflecting on the mood in Hollywood.

[Eva Longoria]

There's, I think, a couple, couple of different vibes happening. One is really AI technology changing our industry or how it's done, not knowing enough about it, knowing too much about it. Like, there's just a lot of concern about is it a tool or is it a competitor? So that conversation is happening. At the same time, there's intense consolidation and when there's a. There's an intense consolidation of buyers. That's never good for any industry. Right? I mean, we can see it in automotive industry. We can see it in.

[BBC Podcast Announcer]

So it's that side of it, is it that there would just be fewer players, full stop with Warner Goff, rather

[Eva Longoria]

than who's doing players means less. Not only fewer people who are buying, but less diversity of thought and less diversity of thought leaders. You know, I think what YouTube and streamers did was disrupt the idea of who is the gatekeeper to becoming a creator. Right? You had to go through the studio system, you had to go through these proper channels. And now you can have a show and you can shoot something on your iPhone and you can. Can put it up and, oh my gosh, you're a great storyteller. Like, you don't have to go through these traditional legacy studios.

[BBC Podcast Announcer]

You can do it on your own business perspective. What does that mean to you, running a production company? And what would it mean, say, if Paramount does take over Warner Brothers again?

[Eva Longoria]

It's the consolidation is the scary part of it. Especially when you, when you see a consolidation and you see a massive amount of job loss of creatives. Because now it's just been. It comes into this siloed system of intake. And so when I probably will just pitch one person for five different buyers, but that One person, you know, pitching to one person. What happens in that process is innovation dies, diversity dies.

[BBC Podcast Announcer]

So regulators need to look at this closely then.

[Eva Longoria]

Yeah, I mean, I think we all need to pay attention to what's going to happen. Supposedly it's going to operate separately still, but, you know, who knows?

[BBC Podcast Announcer]

Very last one then. World Cup. You must be excited. Are you ready for all of us

[Eva Longoria]

coming over from Britain, we're ready to call it football. We are ready.

[BBC Podcast Announcer]

That's a good start.

[Eva Longoria]

I mean, that's a start. I mean, yeah, it's a start. Look, I live between Mexico and Spain and Los Angeles and so I just, I was just in Mexico and oh my God, the airport's a mess because of just the amount of people that they're expecting and trying to really build out the airport so that it is a more streamlined process. But look, any country that hosts the World cup ends up better off because the infrastructure is being built to for easier flow. And so hopefully next year we'll all benefit from that. But we're excited. We're actually excited. I've always been excited about the World cup no matter where it is in the world. I just find it fascinating that the global language of the world is football, is soccer. You can be from anywhere in the world and understand and speak the language of football. And that to me is, is so uniting. And I think sports is one of the few things that we can look forward to in, in this moment, in this moment of history that could unite us.

[Celia Hatton]

Ending on an optimistic note. Eva Longoria, actor, producer and football club investor. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us@Global PodcastBB. You can also find us on X@ BBC World Service. Use the hashtag GlobalNewsPod. And don't forget our sister podcast, the Global Story, which goes in depth and beyond the headlines on one big story. This edition of the Global News podcast was mixed by Rosenwin Doral. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Celia Hatton. Until next time.

[Yogata Lamaye]

Goodbye.

[Jake Kwon]

Foreign.

[Howie Mandel]

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