Iran closes Strait of Hormuz a day after declaring it open

Summary

Global News Podcast – April 19, 2026

Episode: Iran Closes Strait of Hormuz a Day After Declaring It Open
Host: Nick Miles (BBC World Service)
Key Correspondents: James Landau, Simi Jollah Orsho, Hadi Nili, Karin Torbay, Richard Cagoy, Jessica Parker, Toda Opaniemi, Jeanette Avencondeau, Ed Harry

Main Theme

This episode addresses the rapidly escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran has re-closed the strategic waterway shortly after briefly opening it. The podcast explores the implications of this standoff on global shipping, oil prices, geopolitics, the human impact within Iran, and other major world events including the ceasefire in Lebanon, developments in Nigeria, and the increasing global popularity of snooker.

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Key Topics and Insights

1. Strait of Hormuz Crisis: Iran vs. US

[01:10–05:06]

• Developments:
  • Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have fully closed the Strait, citing America’s blockade of Iranian ports.
  • The US maintains the blockade, with President Trump declaring, “we will continue to stop vessels going to or coming from Iran until a deal is reached” (Nick Miles, [01:58]).
  • Uncertainty and tension: Ships attempt, then abort, passage due to Iranian threats.
• Diplomatic Maneuvering:
  • Possible talks are on the table but no agreement or date has been set.
  • Pakistan has been mediating.
• Implications:
  • UK Maritime officials report Iranian gunboats have fired on a tanker and a container ship has been hit.
  • Iran frames US actions as “piracy.”
  • Supreme Leader Mujtaba Khamenei warns: “Iran's navy was ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies.” (James Landau, [03:56])
• Notable Quote:
  • James Landau: “Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said this control will be implemented by obtaining full information on passing vessels, issuing transit permits… collecting fees for security, safety and environmental protection services.” ([02:59])

US Viewpoint and Geopolitical Repercussions

[05:06–06:55]

• Washington’s Stance:
  • President Trump “insisted that the standoff hasn't derailed negotiations... Iran cannot blackmail Washington.” (Simi Jollah Orsho, [05:17])
  • Ongoing US economic pressure on Iran.
• Economic Impact:
  • Oil prices likely to spike, raising pressures on Trump domestically.
  • Democrats criticize Trump for the war’s economic fallout.
• Notable Quote:
  • Simi Jollah Orsho: “The Strait of Hormuz was a sort of central pressure point for President Trump throughout this war.” ([06:10])

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2. Inside Iran: Internet Blackout and Information Control

[06:55–09:25]

• Seven Weeks of Blackout:
  • Only a government-approved intranet is available; global Internet at ~1% of normal capacity.
  • 90 million Iranians in severe “information isolation.”
  • Iran uses AI-powered filtering, VPN blocking, SIM card deactivation for activists.
• Personal Impact:
  • Hadi Nili describes his mother, a retired teacher, forced to buy anti-censorship tools instead of new clothes for New Year.
• Notable Quote:
  • Hadi Nili: “It's not just an inconvenience... It's information isolation. More than 90 million people kept in the dark about what's happening in their own country during such an intense conflict.” ([07:28])

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3. Lebanon–Israel Ceasefire and UNIFIL Incident

[09:25–12:08]

• Situation:
  • Fragile ceasefire after Lebanese–Israeli conflict.
  • French UN peacekeeper killed; UN and France blame Hezbollah, which denies involvement.
  • Israeli forces remain in parts of southern Lebanon, citing security needs.
  • Political splits in Lebanon over potential negotiations with Israel.
• On-the-Ground Reporting:
  • Karin Torbay describes return to partial normality, but ongoing danger from unexploded ordnance and Israeli presence.
• Notable Quote:
  • Karin Torbay: “Normal life is coming back to the south of Lebanon... but strong division about the way ahead remains.” ([10:13])

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4. Pope Leo’s African Tour and Trump Dispute

[12:08–14:20]

• Context:
  • Pope Leo’s comments in Cameroon interpreted as an indirect criticism of President Trump.
  • Asserts his comments were global, not targeted.
• Angola Visit:
  • Massive crowds and anticipation for his Mass.
  • Importance of Africa for Catholicism highlighted.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Pope Leo (via Richard Cagoy): “Much of what's been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.” ([12:26])
  • Richard Cagoy: “For them to see the Pope really taking his time for close to about 10 days... is very symbolic.” ([14:20])

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5. Other Global News Briefs

Kyiv Shooting

[18:20–19:51]

• Incident: Gunman kills at least six, wounds more, then is shot by police.
• Identified Attacker: Moscow-born man residing in Ukraine.
• Public Response: Shock, as random shootings are rare compared to ongoing war violence.
• Notable Quote:
  • Jessica Parker: “For people in Kyiv, this has been a huge shock... but a shooting like this is extremely rare.” ([19:04])

Nigeria: Accessibility for People with Disabilities

[19:51–23:34]

• Background: Nigeria’s population approaches 240 million, with 15% living with disabilities.
• Major Challenges: Infrastructure often excludes those with disabilities; personal stories of exclusion and perseverance.
• Legislation: 2019 anti-discrimination law progress is slow.
• Notable Quote:
  • Toda Opaniemi: “The wish, too, is simple. They want the quiet dignity of moving through their country and sitting for exams without having to fight for it.” ([23:34])

Natalie Bay, French Cinema Icon, Dies

[23:34–27:23]

• Life and Legacy: Four-time César winner, wide-ranging filmography, admired for her versatility and “naturalism.”
• Notable Quote:
  • Jeanette Avencondeau: “Somebody who made really great choices in the films she made... a subtlety in her performance, a kind of naturalism which made her… relatable in the characters she played.” ([26:18])

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6. Snooker Goes Global: From UK Staple to Chinese Phenomenon

[27:23–31:42]

• Transformation:
  • Once a UK minority sport, now followed by massive audiences in China, with 300,000 snooker clubs and 11 of 32 World Championship players Chinese.
  • Chinese stars like Ding Junhui and Zhao Xingtong (now World Champion) are inspiring a generation.
• Internationalization:
  • First Polish player in the championship, rise of mainland Europe and Australia.
  • UK’s club infrastructure now lagging behind China’s academies.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Jason Ferguson: “China just fell in love with the sport... the discipline, the technicality and the fact that it's a very mental sport seemed to suit China very well.” ([27:23])
  • Ed Harry: “If you look for a pivotal moment, it came 21 years ago when... Ding Junhui beat Stephen Hendry... watched by an estimated television audience of 100 million people.” ([28:49])
  • On Britain’s future prospects: “Robertson... believes that Britain needs to now learn from China and set up similar academy structures.” ([29:45])

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On Hormuz closure and US–Iran standoff:
  “Iran’s navy was ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies.” – James Landau ([03:56])
• On life in blackout Iran:
  “You hit a wall. What exists is something closer to a domestic nationwide intranet.” – Hadi Nili ([07:28])
• On disability in Nigeria:
  “I have to stop [the exam]. It took a journey to Nigeria’s capital and sustained pressure before officials agreed to accept his toe print instead.” – Toda Opaniemi, sharing Ove Friday’s story ([21:59])
• On Natalie Bay:
  “She was not a kind of celebrity... her great talent was this kind of discretion and versatility... naturalism which made her… relatable.” – Jeanette Avencondeau ([26:18])
• On snooker's Chinese boom:
  “China just fell in love with the sport... now 300,000 snooker clubs in China.” – Jason Ferguson ([27:23])

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• Strait of Hormuz developments: [01:10–05:06]
• US–Iran diplomatic perspectives: [05:06–06:55]
• Iran Internet blackout: [06:55–09:25]
• Lebanon ceasefire and UNIFIL: [09:25–12:08]
• Pope Leo/Trump row and Africa tour: [12:08–14:20]
• Kyiv shooting: [18:20–19:51]
• Nigerian disability access: [19:51–23:34]
• Natalie Bay obituary: [23:34–27:23]
• Snooker’s global rise: [27:23–31:42]

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Conclusion

This episode delivers incisive, on-the-ground reporting and analysis of a world in flux, centering on the high-stakes standoff in the Strait of Hormuz and radiating out to showcase the lived impact of global crises, moments of loss and legacy, and the surprising global reach of snooker. It embodies the BBC’s mission to inform and connect listeners to urgent global affairs, with voices on the frontlines and expert insights throughout.

Transcript

[Ed Harry]

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[Nick Miles]

This is the global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Nick Miles and in the early hours of Sunday, 19th April, these are our main stories. Iran's Revolutionary Guards say they are completely closing the Strait of Hormuz to once more because of America's continuing blockade of Iranian ports. Hezbollah has denied being responsible for an attack that killed a French UN Peacekeeper in southern Lebanon. Police in Kyiv have shot dead a man said to be from Moscow after he shot at least six people in Ukraine's capital. Also in this podcast, President United States

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

made some comments about myself. Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.

[Nick Miles]

Arriving in Angola on his tour of Africa, Pope Leo downplays his row with Donald Trump. For just over 24 hours, the crucial waterway known as the Strait of Hormuz looked like it just might be getting back to normal. Iran had lifted its threat to shipping. Now ships are avoiding it. Once again, the speaker of Iran's parliament, Mohammed Bakr Kalibaf, said Iranian forces are in full control of the strait and passage through it would remain restricted unless the US Removed its blockade of Iranian ports. President Trump has said the US Will continue to stop vessels going to or coming from Iran until a deal is reached with Tehran. Let's get more on the latest developments from our diplomatic correspondent James Landau.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

You are ordered to Go back to your departure immediately. You are ordered to go back to your departure immediately. Do you get my message? Okay, copied your message.

[Iranian Authorities/Reporter]

I will turn back the message from the Iranian authorities to seafarers they would not be passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's Foreign Ministry had said the seaway was fully open. The country's army and security chiefs said no, they would continue to control traffic. In a statement, Iran's Supreme National Security Council said this control will be implemented by obtaining full information on passing vessels issuing transit permits, according to Iran's announced rules, collecting fees for security, safety and environmental protection services. This, they said, would continue until America's warships ended their own blockade of shipping to and from Iranian ports, which the US Says will continue both in the air and on the sea. A blockade which Iran describes as piracy.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

They can't blackmail us. In fact, a lot of the ships are coming up to Texas. I don't know.

[Iranian Authorities/Reporter]

Donald Trump said Iran was being a little cute with the US but exuded his usual confidence. Pretty good, but it's going actually along very well. But not so well for some. The UK Maritime authorities said Iranian gunboats fired on a tanker northeast of Oman. They said a container ship in the same area was hit by an unknown projectile. In a message posted on social media, Iran's supreme leader, Mujtaba Khamenei said Iran's navy was ready to inflict new bitter defeats on its enemies. Satellite imagery showed some vessels had hoped to transit the strait only for most to turn around. And as it became clear, the threat from Iran remained. There is some diplomacy underway before the two week ceasefire expires on Wednesday. Pakistan's army chief has been in Tehran and there's talk of a possible memorandum of understanding between both sides, followed by a comprehensive deal in 60 days. But Iran said no date had been set for talks and it had yet to respond to the latest U.S. proposals. For now, it seems Tehran is happy to display its confidence and its control of the seas.

[Nick Miles]

So to what extent have the latest developments lowered expectations of a resolution to the conflict from the Trump administration's point of view? Simi Jollah Orsho is in Washington.

[Simi Jollah Orsho]

Well, it doesn't seem to have dampened hopes here. Publicly, President Trump has insisted that the standoff hasn't derailed negotiations, even if the reality looks more complicated. He's remained optimistic. He said that Iran cannot blackmail Washington. But he's also also said that there are very good conversations going on between the two sides. He has acknowledged that the US has taken a sort of tough stance in these negotiations, it seems that the US Is simply continuing to apply economic pressure on Iran until they get a deal that they're satisfied with.

[Nick Miles]

And in the meantime, ships are turning back from the Strait of Hormuz as we speak, worried about being fired upon by Iran, possibly spiking oil prices as well. That's going to put pressure economically on Donald Trump as well too, isn't it?

[Simi Jollah Orsho]

Yes, indeed. We know that the Strait of Hormuz was a sort of central pressure point for President Trump throughout this war. It kind of made it difficult for him to end this war on his own terms. So we know it's kind of propelled him to get these talks going to get a negotiation done. He's been put under pressure here in the US as well because global oil prices rising also affects oil prices here in the US now he has continued to receive support from Republicans and members of his own party, but Democrats have continuously criticized this war and said that President Trump isn't focused on affordability and that this war has made it worse.

[Nick Miles]

That was Simi Jalalsho. Meanwhile, for people living inside Iran, they have now been in a government imposed Internet blackout for seven weeks. They Back in February, Tehran effectively shut down Internet to everyday users with traffic consistently reduced to below 1% of normal levels. That's leaving over 90 million people confined to a tightly controlled government approved intranet. Hadi Nili is technology correspondent for BBC Persian. So what are people in Iran seeing when they try to access the Internet?

[Hadi Nili]

You hit a wall. What exists is something closer to a domestic nationwide intranet, a government approved system with domestic apps, local search engines, banking services. But the global Internet largely gone or barely trickling in for most of these 50 days, data traffic, meaning the actual connectivity to the vault, dropped to around 1% of normal traffic for Iran. So imagine opening your phone and nothing loads. No WhatsApp, no Instagram, no independent news. And it's not just an inconvenience, I should say, like what you feel when you have a glitch in your network at home or in the office. It's information isolation. More than 90 million people been kept in dark about what's happening in their own country during such an intense conflict. The Israeli US war on Iran. All Internet traffic flows through state controlled infrastructure. They can simply order a shutdown and it's implemented in minutes. Second, high tech filtering. They use AI to inspect users data and how they are connected. Like if they're using VPN and anti censorship tools or using satellite Internet via Starlink terminal which are all criminalized in Iran now and most effectively throttling speed to unusable levels so users just give up frustrated. Third, physical control sim cards of activists and citizens who post on social media platforms get cut off entirely. My mom who is a retired teacher is tech savvy because she needs to have anti filtering tools on her phone to be able to connect to me on WhatsApp, to have a video call so she can see her grandson growing up here in London. But millions of people have been these tools, it's becoming more and more restricted and more and more hard to make them work because the VPNs are getting more and more expensive. A friend of mine told me they had to forget about buying new clothes for the Iranian New Year and instead buy these anti sea convention tools.

[Nick Miles]

Haddin ILI Three days into the ceasefire in Lebanon and it remains fragile. A French soldier in the south of the country with the United nations peacekeeping force UNIFIL has been killed in an attack which the UN and France has blamed on Hezbollah. The Iranian backed armed group denies any involvement. Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, has called for such attacks to stop and for Israel and Hezbollah to respect the ceasefire. According to the Lebanese Health ministry, more than 2,100 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes during the six week war in Israeli forces are still occupying parts of southern Lebanon, they say to stop Hezbollah fighters returning to attack northern Israel. The BBC Arabic's Karin Torbay sent us this report from southern Lebanon.

[Karin Torbay]

This is one of the main entrances to Kiem. It is a border town between Lebanon and Israel that so very heavy fighting throughout the 45 day war between Hezbollah and Israel as the Israeli army was trying to advance into it and to occupy it. At the moment the Lebanese army is erecting this barrier to stop the residents from going back into the town as it is still partly under Israeli occupation. But this town and other towns in the area have seen very intense explosions and the thud of these explosions were heard in large parts around it and they are believed to be coming from detonations carried out by the Israeli army to houses and structures inside those villages. Of course parts of the normal life are coming back to the south of Lebanon or to parts of the south of Lebanon after the ceasefire came into effect. And as part of this, the unifil, the UN peacekeeping forces in south Lebanon, has resumed its patrols in parts of the south. This has stopped due to the hostilities in the past weeks. On the political level, there is still very strong division about the way ahead and this division came to light after the Lebanese President has announced that he is ready to go whatever is necessary to liberate the land and to protect the people. Of course, he was alluding to some sort of direct negotiations with Israel, and this is a very deeply divisive subject in the country.

[Nick Miles]

Karine Talbot reporting. Pope Leo seems to be downplaying his dispute with President Trump, who accused him of being weak on crime. The pope is now in Angola on his tour of Africa, but en route, he said that comments he had made in Cameroon about abuse and tyranny had been misinterpreted.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

There's been a certain narrative that has not been accurate in all of its aspects, but because of the political situation created when on the first day of the trip, the president of the United States made some comments about myself. Much of what has been written since then has been more commentary on commentary, trying to interpret what has been said.

[Nick Miles]

Our global affairs reporter Richard Cagoy told Valerie Sanderson more about the pope's comments.

[Richard Cagoy]

Well, he said that his remarks that he's made regarding issues to do with exploitation leadership, which is very tyrannical. You know, he's talked about issues to do with corruption, were not necessarily targeted at President Trump. He says that he is just promoting a message of peace based on the observations and the issues that he's been able to observe around the world. So he sort of sort of set, you know, record clear that anything that he's been saying has not been necessarily directed at President Trump because part of the messaging or the speeches were prepared well even before the criticism by the US Leader.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

He's now in Angola. What are the preparations there for him?

[Richard Cagoy]

Well, there's been lots of preparation and quite a lot of anticipation. If you walked even through the streets of the capital, Rwanda, you know, you could see the pictures on the billboards of the pope. People have just been lining up on the route, you know, from the airport leading into the city with a lot of expectation. There's going to be a huge Mass. We expected about 200,000 people attending. Celebrating Mass with pope on Sunday has been prepared and kitchens have been being set up just to cater for lots of people who would be doing even a night vigil as they prepare to attend Mass on Sunday.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

And this is the pope's third stop in his tour of Africa. What is the impact he's having, do

[Jessica Parker]

you think, on the continent?

[Richard Cagoy]

I think the fact that a lot of people are seeing his visit as being very symbolic and also strategic in the sense that it does reflect the importance of Africa in Catholicism. Because if you look at you know Africa in terms of the population of people who do identify as Catholics. It's about a fifth of the world's Catholic population. And for them to see the Pope really taking his time for close to about 10 days, his second trip since he took the position, is very symbolic because just saying that, you know, Catholicism in Africa, Africa is very important to the Vatican and a lot of people do really appreciate this, even for the very times that even his predecessors have made in the continent itself.

[Nick Miles]

Richard Kagoi in Nairobi still to come in this podcast, the discipline and the hard work and the fact that it's a very technical and very mental sport, it just seemed to suit China very, very well. Why the Chinese excel at snooker Foreign.

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[Nick Miles]

at least six people have been killed and more than a dozen others were wounded after a gunman opened fire in Kyiv. Video shows the attacker running in the streets of a suburb of the Ukrainian capital, shooting at random from an automatic rifle. He then entered a supermarket where he took hostages and continued shooting. Ukraine's interior minister is Ihor Klimenko.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

Police negotiators spoke with him for around 40 minutes. We tried to persuade him, realizing that

[Richard Cagoy]

there was an injured person there. We offered to bring in tourniquets to stop the bleeding and so on, but

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

he did not respond.

[Richard Cagoy]

So the order was given to eliminate him, especially after he killed one of the hostages.

[Nick Miles]

Our correspondent in Kyiv, Jessica Parker, was at the scene of the attack.

[Jessica Parker]

There's a cordon up around the supermarket that an armed unit stormed earlier as part of the response to this shooting. Now, in terms of the suspects, what we've been told is that he's a 58 year old man, originally born in Moscow, but a Ukrainian residents. So that's what the authorities have been saying about the suspect so far. I think for people in Kiev, this has been a huge shock. Of course, it's a city within a country that is used to drone attacks, missile attacks, sirens going off at night. But a shooting like this is extremely rare and I think a lot of people are going to be watching closely as investigators try and find out exactly, exactly why this happened.

[Nick Miles]

Jessica Parker Nigeria has the largest population of any African country, more than 240 million, according to some estimates. According to the United nations, this figure is predicted to reach 360 million by 2050. But as the population soars, tens of millions of Nigerians with disabilities are being left behind because they're living in a country which remains inaccessible to them them. Toda Opaniemi has this report.

[Toda Opaniemi]

I am currently in Ibadan, Oyo state in southwestern Nigeria. Over the past few weeks I have been speaking with people living with disabilities in different states across the country. And while each person faces unique challenges, one issue keeps coming up. Accessibility or the complete lack of it. In Nigeria, an estimated 15% of the population lives with a disability disability that is roughly 35 million people. Yet the spaces they're expected to move through streets, schools, government offices, banks, hospitals are largely built without them in mind.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

IBADA is not designed for persons with disability. In many places where persons with disability

[Toda Opaniemi]

can go Abiose falade is a 43 year old author based in Oyo state. Living with a physical disability. She has learned to map her city not by distance, but by what is reachable.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

There's a list of places I can go and a list of places I can't go. Luckily I'm someone who doesn't even like

[Toda Opaniemi]

going out to start with. For 19 year old ove Friday living in Nasarawa state, the barriers took on a different shape. He lost the use of Both hands at 13 after being subjected to a ritual by a family member who accused him of witchcraft. When he later tried to register for Nigeria's university entrance examination, the system had no accommodation for him. Fingerprint checks locked him out.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

I was supposed to write the exam two years ago, but because of the hands like the thumbprint, like I have

[Toda Opaniemi]

to stop it took a journey to Nigeria's capital and sustained pressure before officials agreed to accept his to print instead. He is now a first year English student, but the fight to be included did not end there.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

I wish I have my five fingers complete. Yeah, that would be maybe easy for them but I didn't have like the five figures complete.

[Toda Opaniemi]

In 2019, Nigeria passed the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities Prohibition Act. But years later, the man charged with leading its implementation says the pay is has been a struggle To a large extent it has been more or less of a snail speed. But the journey of a thousand mile de fe begins with a step. Ayuba Buru Kihigufwan Executive Secretary National Commission for Persons with Disabilities I wouldn't say categorically that Nigeria is accessible yet it's a work in progress. We still have a lot to cover in making Nigeria accessible to all persons with disabilities. Across different cities and states in Nigeria, I spoke with people whose lives look nothing alike. But the frustration they described was the same. The wish, too, is simple. They want the quiet dignity of moving through their country and sitting for exams without having to fight for it and the institutions still waiting to catch up.

[Nick Miles]

Toda Opayemi reporting. France's president Emmanuel Macron has led tributes to one of the country's most celebrated film stars, Natalie Bay, who has died at the age of 77. He described her as an actress with whom we love, dreamed and grew up. Natalie Bay, who had been ill with a neurodegenerative disease, was a four time winner of the Cesar Awards, the French equivalent of the Oscars, and she received the Legion d', Honneur, the country's highest order of merit. She was also known to international audiences for her roles in the period drama Downton Abbey, A New Era and Steven Spielberg's Catch Me if youf Can. Jeanette Avencondeau, emeritus professor of film studies at King's College, London, specializes in French film. She said it was Natalie Bey's work with great directors like Spielberg for which she will be best remembered.

[Jeanette Avencondeau]

I think what made her unique is a very long and very distinguished filmography and her ability to make a great deal of great movies with quite a range of directors. So she worked both with really eminent figures in French cinema like Francois Truffaut, Charlie Godard, Maurice Piala. She also worked with a few Hollywood directors and also a number of great women directors. I would call her generally a cinephile star, somebody who made films that will remain as part of French cinema history, but also a few popular films. In 1982 she made a film called La Balance by Bob Swain, actually an American director working in Paris, for which she got a Cesar. And that was really a popular thriller which had quite an international career. The same year she also made the Return of Martin Guerre, co starring with Gerard de Pardieu. But then she appeared in films by Diane Curis, Tony Marshall, a number of great women directors. We also find her in some popular television series called My Agent Di pour Sant in French, about stars. She appears in one episode with her own daughter, Laura Smet, who was her daughter with Joanie Alida, 2022. She's in Downton Abbey too, the film. So it's such a great range of different kinds of films. Somebody who made really great choices in the films she made because she didn't

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

exactly fall into the sex symbol category, did she? Although she was very beautiful and she wasn't your typical celebrity, although she was married to the darling of the French tabloids, Johnny Aliday. She was hard to pigeonhole, yes.

[Jeanette Avencondeau]

She was not a kind of celebrity. Let's say she had a celebrity moment in the early 1980s when she met Joni Halliday, the singer, I think, in France at the time. I remember it was really perceived as two worlds coming together. The actress from films by great auteurs like Jean Louis Godard, who was together with a very, very popular rock singer. And it felt like it was incredible that they were together and they produced a daughter. The relationship didn't last very long, but it was quite intense the rest of the time. Yes, she was much more discreet and, as you say, somebody who was very pretty, very attractive, very seductive, and yet wasn't playing the sex bombs, wasn't glamorous in that way. And I think that her great talent was this kind of discretion and versatility which enabled her to range across all these films, but also a subtlety in her performance, a kind of naturalism which made her, I suppose young people now would say, relatable in the characters she played.

[Nick Miles]

Jeanette Vincentau speaking TO Paul Henley 57 years ago, the BBC launched a program called Pot Black. It showcased a largely unknown sport called snooker and helped turn a minority game played by just a handful of professionals into one of the UK's most popular sports. This year, 500 million people are expected to tune in to the World Snooker Final. The contest got underway on Saturday, but the championship is no longer dominated by British players. Instead, 11 out of 32 are from China. The chairman of the World Professional Billiards and Snooker association is Jason Ferguson. He says the game is surging in popularity there. China just fell in love with the sport. It's something about its very Britishness, but also the discipline and the hard work and the fact that it's a very technical and very mental sport. It just seemed to suit China very, very well and it's really booming there, to be honest. China is a very big country with many very big cities. There are now 300,000 snooker clubs in China and snooker has just become, on state broadcast, the number one watch sport on state sports channel CCTV5. So it's amazing. So when did snooker become so popular in China? Ed Harry is the BBC snooker reporter.

[Ed Harry]

I think if you look for a pivotal moment, it came 21 years ago when the then teenage Ding Zhengwi beat Stephen Hendry, the record seven times world champion, to win the China Open. He did it in Beijing and he was watched by an estimated television audience of 100 million people. Ding, who is still a member of the Sports Elite Top 16, he was the real trailblazer. He based himself in the uk. When the academy he was part of folded, he set up his own here in Sheffield for overseas predominantly Chinese players. A second academy has since followed that one is owned by the manager of the reigning world champion. And meanwhile world snooker as a governing body has taken more and more tournaments to to China, much bigger venues and they have been filling them over the last two decades. And then 12 months ago, Zhao Xingtong became China's first world champion and it has kicked on once again from there.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

And what about other countries around the world?

[Jessica Parker]

I mean, is it growing popular elsewhere too?

[Jeanette Avencondeau]

Yeah.

[Ed Harry]

In 2023, Belgium's Luca Brassell won the world title here. He was the first player from mainland Europe to achieve that feat. That was another real watermark moment if you like. This afternoon we've been watching the first Polish player ever to play in the world championship, 22 year old called Anthony Kowalski, Neil Robertson of Australia, he won the world title in 2010. He has been an ever present in the game for as long as Ding Jianwi has. And I was speaking to Robertson about the fact that back then in the early 2000s it was Robertson and Ding who really allowed you to call snooker an international sport because it was so dominated by, if you want to call them, the home nations of the United Kingdom. Robertson, who like Ding is based in the uk, also told me that he believes that Britain needs to now learn from China and set up similar academy structures of its own because those traditional routes into the game for UK players, the snooker clubs have been closing in such great numbers in recent years that that more traditional route into the sport really no longer exists and those, those clubs are no longer a part of our high street.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

And who are the stars do you

[Jessica Parker]

think that might shine in the World Snooker final?

[Ed Harry]

Xiao Xingtong, the outset of 17 days of competition, has the unenviable task of attempting to beat something called the Crucible Curse. Since the World Championships moved here in 1977, no first time winner has successfully defended the title. 20 have tried, they've all failed. Zhao Xingtong, despite a nervy start this morning, is well placed in his match to stick around and he's many people's favorite to achieve that feat and he was the huge favorite coming into this as well.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

And any British player, oh my goodness,

[Ed Harry]

they call them the class of 92, Ronnie O' Sullivan, John Higgins and Mark Williams and Judd Trump as well. You can add him there a little bit younger than those three. Mark Selby as well. Multiple winners of the world title. That is why there are only maybe five Chinese players in the top 16 at the moment. Because up near the top there are still these ever presents who some of them with 30 years experience in the bank are still winning things.

[Nick Miles]

Ed Harry speaking to Valerie Sanderson. And that's all from us for now. If you want to get in touch, you can email us at globalpodcastbc.co.uk. you can also find us on XBCWorldService. 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 Derek Clark and the producers were Siobhan Leahy and Daniel Mann. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Nick Wiles. And until next time, goodbye.

[Podcast Advertiser/Host]

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