Ukraine's war children hoping for return to normality

Summary

Global News Podcast – Ukraine's War Children Hoping for Return to Normality
BBC World Service | November 20, 2025

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Overview

This episode of the Global News Podcast centers on the ongoing impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, focusing especially on Ukrainian children affected by the war—whether through abduction, displacement, or daily life under threat of attack. Broader global news is also covered, including the sentencing of a former Filipino mayor for human trafficking, Australia’s new social media ban for teenagers, civil defense preparations in Taiwan, reflections on the Nuremberg Trials, challenges faced by novelists in the age of AI, and a look at Wes Anderson’s cinematic legacy.

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Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. The Impact of War on Ukrainian Children

[01:26–06:12]

• Abduction Crisis: Since the war began, Russia is reported to have abducted at least 20,000 Ukrainian children, with less than 2,000 reunited with families—“almost all of them without the involvement or knowledge of the Kremlin.”
• Daily Struggles for Children: Many children have grown up knowing only war, facing regular air raids, sudden noises, and anxieties about their safety.
• Mental Health Strains: Children and parents attend support sessions, which provide rare tranquility amidst war chaos.
  • Therapist Oksana notes children’s acute reactions to sudden sounds and the distress caused by air raid sirens.
• Personal Stories:
  • Sevieriya, a seven-year-old, and her mother Mariana, displaced from Mariupol to Kyiv, describe their attempts to retain routines and a sense of normalcy.
  • Ukrainian children at a West London school, now fluent in English, express poignant hopes of returning home, remembering friends and familiar beds.
• Obstacles to Reunification:
  • Maxim Maximov from Ukraine's presidential office highlights the difficulty in returning abducted children, citing Russian tactics of moving, changing identities, and severing family contacts.
  • DNA tracking might be the only way to reunite some in the future.

Notable Quote

• Mariana: “I try to distract them. We play, talk... and I explain honestly, it’s not our fault someone wants to kill us. It’s not our fault we were born Ukrainian.” [03:37]

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2. Possibility of a US-Russia Peace Plan for Ukraine

[06:12–09:55]

• Rumors of a Drafted Peace Plan: Press reports that the US and Russia are discussing a 28-point plan, with demands echoing Russia’s long-standing positions—territorial concessions from Ukraine, reduction of the Ukrainian military, banning foreign troops, and Russian as an official language.
• Official Responses:
  • The plan's existence is unconfirmed by both the US and Russia.
  • Ukrainian officials have discussed only battlefield developments and military technology, not peace talks, with visiting US military representatives.
  • The European Union insists any negotiations must include Ukraine and Europe.
• Analysis:
  • Europe is now a principal military backer for Ukraine and is considering a “coalition of the willing” in case of a ceasefire.

Notable Quote

• Jonathan Beale: “Europe really making clear that any talks about peace must involve both Europe itself and Ukraine.” [09:08]

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3. Former Filipino Mayor Sentenced for Human Trafficking

[09:55–12:46]

• Case of Alice Guo:
  • Once a popular mayor, Guo has been sentenced to life for running a scam center with forced labor and torture.
  • She posed as a Filipina but was later unmasked as Chinese, with allegations—though unsubstantiated—that she was a spy.
• Wider Context:
  • The case reveals broader regional issues with scam centers and human trafficking in Southeast Asia.

Notable Quote

• Jonathan Head: “Her story became even more bizarre... she wasn’t Filipino... had fake documents... and then allegations... she might even be a Chinese spy, which was really incendiary considering the Philippines has been at daggers drawn with China…” [11:22]

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4. Australia’s Upcoming Social Media Ban for Teens Under 16

[12:46–15:53]

• New Legislation:
  • Effective December 10, major social platforms like Facebook and Instagram will ban users under 16, with account deactivations starting December 4.
• Student Perspectives:
  • Many teenagers dismiss the ban as ineffective, stressing the importance of social media for communication (e.g., “everyone’s going to find ways around it” [13:18]) and suggesting parental controls or account limits as better alternatives.
  • Reports of teens already planning workarounds, such as using older siblings’ credentials.
• Expert Insight:
  • Government aims to combat screen addiction and promote outdoor activities, but there are doubts about enforceability.
  • Parents generally supportive of stricter online protections.

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5. Civil Defense Education in Taiwan

[17:27–19:46]

• Taiwan and the Netherlands are distributing booklets to households about preparing for emergencies including military invasions, cyber attacks, and natural disasters.
• Taiwan’s Booklet:
  • Features comic-style illustrations for accessibility, especially for children.
  • Advises on supplies, air raid protocols, and handling digital threats, especially those related to Chinese-made apps.
  • Contextualized by ongoing threats from China, including military exercises and increased presence near Taiwan.

Notable Quote

• Fei Fun Lin: “The Civil Defense handbook is actually the key point to bring the awareness and build out the awareness.” [19:46]

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6. Reflection on the Nuremberg Trials – 80 Years Later

[19:46–24:27]

• Interview with Niklas Frank, son of Nazi war criminal Hans Frank.
• Niklas reflects on discovering the extent of his father’s crimes as a child and recounts his final, surreal visit before Hans Frank’s execution.
• Niklas now campaigns to ensure the truth about his father’s deeds is remembered.

Notable Quote

• Niklas Frank: “I am completely against the death penalty, but for my father it was correct... he would have really rotten my brain with his ideology.” [23:12]

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7. The Threat of AI to Novelists’ Livelihoods

[24:27–26:24]

• Cambridge Study: Over half of surveyed novelists believe generative AI could replace them; four in ten already feel the impact.
• Key Concerns:
  • Direct competition from AI-generated content and reviews.
  • The prospect of human-authored works becoming luxury items, potentially dividing audiences by price and access.

Notable Quote

• Dr. Clementine Collett: “This is a real cry from novelists and literary creatives to put guardrails around AI to protect this incredible thriving industry that we have.” [26:24]

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8. Wes Anderson’s Retrospective Exhibition

[26:24–30:18]

• Exhibition at the Design Museum, London: Over 700 objects showcase Anderson’s unique visual storytelling from films like "Fantastic Mr. Fox" and "The Grand Budapest Hotel."
• Anderson on Style:
  • Describes the creative surprise in seeing his own films and how each project, though planned, takes on a life of its own.
  • Discusses his personal connection to props, many from his own home and played with by his daughter.

Notable Quotes

• Wes Anderson: “As soon as I saw [my first film], I was completely surprised and it seemed nothing like what I expected. I was completely caught off guard.” [27:14]
• On style: “For me, I’m starting something completely different... it’s not necessarily my choice that it ends up being a recognizable style. It just sort of happens that way.” [29:56]

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Memorable Moments & Selected Quotes (with Timestamps)

• Mariana (on war’s impact on children): “It’s not our fault someone wants to kill us. It’s not our fault we were born Ukrainian.” [03:47]
• Ukrainian Student in London: “You are guys very, very strong... and hope that we all one day will come to peaceful Ukraine. Just know that you’re not alone.” [05:26]
• Janak Jalil (on Australian social media ban): “Everyone’s going to find ways around it... social media is like a main resource of communication between people, like especially young people.” [13:09]
• Niklas Frank (on his father): “He should have said, my dear Nicky, you are seven years old and I was a criminal and I will be hanged. And please don’t repeat my life.” [22:34]
• Dr. Clementine Collett (AI and novelists): “This is a real cry... to put guardrails around AI to protect this incredible thriving industry that we have.” [26:24]
• Wes Anderson: “When I see all of this stuff, it’s that same experience but greatly enhanced. I never would have anticipated anything like this.” [27:14]

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Additional Topics (Brief Mentions)

• Potential European military coalition for Ukraine if a ceasefire were achieved.
• Chat with Wes Anderson includes playful references to props and childhood memories.
• Civil defense preparation efforts reflect growing anxiety over global insecurity and hybrid threats.

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For listeners who missed the episode, this summary provides a comprehensive, engaging rundown of the major stories discussed, the voices featured, and the emotional as well as political context shaping global news at this moment.

Transcript

[Asma Khalid]

This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the uk.

[Janak Jalil]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America isn't just.

[Asma Khalid]

The cause of global upheaval.

[Tristan Redman]

It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Janak Jalil]

I'm Asma Khalid in Washington D.C. i'm.

[Tristan Redman]

Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global Story.

[Janak Jalil]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the Global News podcast from the BBC World Service. I'm Janak Jalil and it's 16 hours GMT on Thursday 20th November. These are our main stories as the US is reported to have drafted a deal with Russia on Ukraine. We look at the impact the war has had on Ukrainian children. A high profile former mayor in the Philippines is given a lengthy prison sentence for human trafficking linked to a scam center. Facebook and Instagram are kicking Australian teenagers off their platforms. We hear what some students make of the ban.

[Wes Anderson]

Also in this podcast, I remember with the first film I made. As soon as I saw it, I was completely surprised and it seemed nothing like what I expected. I was completely caught off guard.

[Tristan Redman]

We hear from the director Wes Anderson, who is renowned for his eccentric, quirky and stylish movies. Since its full scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia is thought to have abducted at least 20,000 Ukrainian children in the past three and a half years. President Zelensky's office has told the BBC that only a tiny fraction of those children, less than a tenth, that's fewer than 2,000, have been reuted united with their families, almost all of them without the involvement or knowledge of the Kremlin. Children who haven't been taken abroad continue to die as Russian missiles and drones repeatedly hit residential areas. Our Ukraine correspondent, James Waterhouse looks at the wider impact of Russia's invasion on Ukraine's next generation.

[James Waterhouse]

Sevya and her mum Mariana prepare to face the cold bite of an autumnal Ukrainian morning. Their house is in Kyiv, but their home is Mariupol, a southern city which succumbed to Russia's advance in 2022. Sevieriya ventures out with the enthusiasm you'd expect from a seven year old. Their destination is a children's support group hosted in this cafe by Oksana, who's a therapist.

[Tristan Redman]

The impact on mental health. Of course, children are deeply affected. Many parents are now at war. Some children have already lost parents. Some parents returned from captivity. It's extremely difficult for them.

[James Waterhouse]

These sessions are Much needed moments of calm for a generation that has only known war.

[Janak Jalil]

It's scary because you don't know what will happen at night, whether you'll have to go to the hallway or if you can sleep peacefully. Sometimes we miss lessons because we sit in the basement when the air raid siren stops.

[James Waterhouse]

In cities like Kyiv, wartime interruptions are as regular as they are familiar. Here's Sevier's mum, Mariana.

[Tristan Redman]

I try to distract them. We play, talk. I come up with activities, audiobooks, reading anything. And I explain honestly, it's not our.

[Janak Jalil]

Fault someone wants to kill us.

[Tristan Redman]

It's not our fault we were born Ukrainian.

[James Waterhouse]

Back to Oksana, the therapist.

[Tristan Redman]

They react to sounds, anything sudden, like something falling, closing or banging. And the air raid siren sound from our phones is also an additional source of stress for them.

[James Waterhouse]

Regardless of whether a child stayed in Ukraine or was forced to escape with their family, the impact of Russia's invasion on them has been profound. Hello. Maxim Maximov is from Ukraine's presidential office and heads up a scheme designed to bring children home who've been abducted by Russia.

[Janak Jalil]

That's definitely a very difficult process.

[Jonathan Beale]

And the reason why the process is.

[Janak Jalil]

Very difficult is because what we're seeing.

[James Waterhouse]

From the Russian Federation is not compliance.

[Janak Jalil]

With its international obligations like Geneva Conventions on the conventions on the rights of the child, but the obstruction of the return process.

[James Waterhouse]

He claims Moscow complicates the process by moving the children, by changing their identities and by cutting contact with their families. Maxim Maximov acknowledges that most children won't be rescued and that DNA tracking might be the only answer. Once they are adults, it's not easy to spot Ukrainian children at this assembly in Hammersmith Academy in West London. Three years after fleeing the full scale invasion, they now speak perfect English. As they clutch teddy bears and other belongings they snatched in those haunting early hours, they articulate their own hopes for the future.

[Janak Jalil]

I really hope that the war will end soon, but I really hope to go back home, to see my house, to lay in my bed and remember all these memories I had with my friends. I just wanted to say a quick message to all of the Ukrainian children that you are guys very, very strong Ukrainian girl, myself who moved to UK three years ago. And you're very strong and hope that we all one day will come to peaceful Ukraine. Just know that you're not alone.

[James Waterhouse]

The war is entering a fourth year. The geopolitics surrounding it are yet to bring peace closer. And yet children still hope to see some kind of normality. Although you'd forgive them for not knowing what that feels like.

[Tristan Redman]

James Waterhouse reporting. Well, as Russian attacks and missile strikes continue to target Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, particularly energy plants, now winter is setting in. What are the prospects of an end to the war? US Media is reporting that Washington and Moscow have worked out a potential peace plan. It's not been confirmed by either country, but from what's been floated in the press, the new plan seems to be very similar to President Putin's long stated maximalist demands that Ukraine cedes large chunks of its terrorism territory and slashes its army. Demands that Ukrainians have long dismissed as completely unacceptable. This comes as senior US Military officials are in Ukraine for talks. Our defence correspondent Jonathan Beale is in Kyiv.

[Jonathan Beale]

For us, we know very little apart from what has been reported by other media outlets. And we know there have been discussions between Steve Witkoff, who is essentially President Trump's right hand man when it comes to peace negotiations, not just here in Ukraine, but in the Middle east too, with his Russian counterpart, that there is a reportedly 28 point peace plan which they have discussed. Many of those points are points, as you quite rightly say, which have been clearly rejected by Ukraine in the past, such as giving up more territory to Russia, cutting the size of its military, not allowing foreign troops into the country, using Russia as an official language. So a lot of this is speculation as to whether it is a peace plan that is backed by the administration, although we know Steve Wyckoff is very close to President Trump and the Kremlin is saying that it does not know about this plan, even though clearly they have an official involved in these discussions. But there are meetings taking place today with U.S. officials, but they are military officials. So two generals, the U.S. army secretary here in Ukraine, they say they've come to on a fact finding mission to discuss efforts to end the war. But they have not said they've come with a specific peace plan. And what we've heard from Ukrainian officials so far is in their meetings with first of all the prime Minister of Ukraine and then the defense minister, is that they talked about the battlefield, that situation on the ground. They talked about military cooperation in terms of technology, drones, which is obviously of interest to the US Military. But this team is not a diplomatic team. It's not a team that has been involved in peace negotiations in the past. And I do not think can make a breakthrough about peace negotiations the future. They can certainly report back the mood music, but I don't expect any breakthrough when President Zelensky meets them. And it will be interesting to see, see whether even the issue or the subject of a peace plan is discussed.

[Tristan Redman]

At all because the European Union has spoken about this reported peace plan, even though it's not confirmed, warning that Ukraine cannot be left out of negotiations.

[Jonathan Beale]

Yeah. And this is a point that Europe's reiterated time and time again, that Ukraine's future must involve Ukraine and it must involve Europe. With Europe now, the biggest military backers for Ukraine, the US Is allowing European countries to buy US Military equipment and then send it to Ukraine. So there is cooperation there. They are careful not to criticize the Trump administration. They're saying they're supporting U.S. efforts. But it is Europe that, for example, is talking about a coalition of the willing, about a military force that could come on the ground made up of potentially European troops if there is a ceasefire. So Europe really making clear that any talks about peace must involve both Europe itself and Ukraine.

[Tristan Redman]

Jonathan Beale in Kyiv. Now to the story of a Chinese national who pretended to be a Filipina in order to become a mayor in the Philippines. Alice Guo once lived a life of luxury with expensive cars and even her own helicopter. But now she's been sentenced to life in prison along with seven others on human trafficking charges. And after being found guilty of overseeing a scam centre where hundreds of people were forced to work or risk torture, our Southeast Asia correspondent, Jonathan Head, told me more about her.

[Asma Khalid]

Alice Guo came out of nowhere, really, when she won the mayoral election back in 2022. She claimed to have been brought up on a local pig farm, said she was a Filipino, a good businesswoman. She said she had connections with lots of potential Chinese investors. And, and she ran a very good campaign. And actually her local constituents thought she was great. They love her and many of them still do. But she was in business and she gave land and clearly was an investor in a big complex right behind the mayoral office, which she painted a bright pink to make it friendly and put flowers on it. And behind it was this 36 building complex which last year was raided by the police after a Vietnamese man escaped. He jumped from a second floor window and crawled through the grass to get away, telling harrowing stories of abuse, of torture, of being forced to work and hit targets. It was a big scam center when the police raided it. There were hundreds of people from many different nationalities, all working in these high pressure conditions, scamming people around the world. And Alice Guo has been charged with human trafficking. She's now been convicted of it. She faces other charges of money laundering. Clearly, she was able to become very, very rich. But her story became even more bizarre when it turned out that she wasn't Filipino. In fact, she'd migrated as a teenager. She had fake documents, a fake birth certificate. She shouldn't even have been mayor. And then allegations came from other corners suggesting that she might even be a Chinese spy, which was really incendiary considering the Philippines has been at daggers drawn with China over the disputed islands in the South China Sea. So you could just imagine how much attention this story has got. But it is also part of this whole Southeast Asian explosion of scam business. I mean, hers is one, there are so many others in so many different countries. So it's actually part of a much bigger story.

[Tristan Redman]

And people have been gripped by this.

[Asma Khalid]

Totally. I mean, the Chinese angle really sort of shocked people. I don't believe the allegations of her being a Chinese spy are likely to be true. She's also in a very good position for that. But the fact that you fused together Philippines fears of China, the sort of mystery about her story with the fact that they're trying to crack down on this massive scam business in the Philippines and making some progress, but obviously in other places like Myanmar and Cambodia, it still thrives.

[Tristan Redman]

Jonathan Head. Now to Australia, where a social media ban for young people under the age of 16 is due to come into force in the second week of December. Hundreds of thousands of teenagers who use Instagram, Facebook and threads have been warned that their accounts will start being deactivated from now until then. While the ban is popular with many parents, some under 16s are perhaps unsurprisingly, not impressed. A teacher at a school in the southern city of Adelaide, Richard Graham, asked his students how they feel about it.

[Janak Jalil]

I think it's pointless. I think there's so many better things that they could do to keep children safe. And because they've just like banned it, everyone's going to find ways around it. Social media is like a main resource of communication between people, like especially young people. It's basically like where everyone talks and how teens communicate. And I also think that not all social media is negative. There has been some negative effects, but also you can still learn things from social media. Like, it's not all bad. Instead of the ban, they could make under 16, like have private accounts with just friends or like, they must be parent managed or something. Yeah, add limits. Not banned because, like, that could mean limiting the comments or even the algorithms that you can see just changing the way that you see your social media.

[James Waterhouse]

So do you think that you and your friends will find ways around the law?

[Janak Jalil]

Definitely.

[Niklas Frank]

I mean, some people definitely will Yeah.

[Janak Jalil]

I know someone who's asked her older brother to get her a burner phone that she can set up with her 18 year old brother's face ID so that she can have those social medias because people are just that addicted. I think no matter what, how hard they try, people are always going to find a way around it.

[Tristan Redman]

The views are some students there. Well, our correspondent in Sydney, Katie Watson has more.

[Janak Jalil]

The ban comes into force on 10 December, but Meta, who owns Instagram, Facebook and Threads, they're already letting users know between 13 and 15 years old by text, email, their accounts are going to start being deactivated from the 4th of December. So yeah, teens today realizing they're going to be chucked off these platforms earlier than they had expected. Of course this is a world leading ban according to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese because he wants to get kids off screens and back on the footy fields as he said. Trying to get kids to be kids and try and be on the side of the parents as he said. There's nine platforms involved, gaming's not included and that's been a bit contentious. The idea for the government is that it's about trying to stop kind of social interaction and so that's I guess kind of a lot of doom scrolling and algorithms as well. Messaging is also not part of the ban but there's a lot of criticism that kids are going to find a way around that they are much better on technology than the people trying to implement this legislation. Legislation and really is this going to be enforceable? But if you speak to a lot of parents here, they would say anything helps to protect them from going online.

[Tristan Redman]

Katie Watson still to come on the.

[Niklas Frank]

Global News podcast, I am completely against the death penalty but for my father it was correct because he would have really rotten my brain with his ideology.

[Tristan Redman]

Facing your own family history 80 years after the Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals.

[Janak Jalil]

America is changing and so is the world.

[Tristan Redman]

But what's happening in America isn't just.

[Asma Khalid]

A cause of global upheaval.

[Tristan Redman]

It's also a symptom of disruption that's happening everywhere.

[Janak Jalil]

Ashley I'm Asma Khalid in Washington D.C.

[Tristan Redman]

I'M Tristan Redman in London and this is the Global Story.

[Janak Jalil]

Every weekday we'll bring you a story from this intersection where the world and America meet.

[Tristan Redman]

Listen on BBC.com or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Janak Jalil]

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[Tristan Redman]

As global concerns mount over war, cyber attacks and natural disasters, more countries are trying to prepare their citizens citizens for possible emergencies. The Netherlands is planning to issue a government booklet to all its households and so is Taiwan. Both booklets are orange with COVID illustrations of the supplies people will need like bottled water or torches. And in Taiwan's case, given the tensions of China, it also includes instructions on how to deal with a military invasion. Fei Fun Lin is a Deputy Secretary General of Taiwan's National Security Council. He told us more about the booklet and why it's being distributed.

[James Waterhouse]

We use comic style illustrations and try to get it more accessible to the general public so even children see the style of the booklets who also want to read it. We try to portray that different type of scenarios as comprehensive as we can. So we actually laid out the situation like a cyber attacks, what type of hidden risk of using Chinese made apps including like a deep SEQ or TTALK or so called Little Red Book. And we are also giving people about a full guidance of what should be included in their go bags. So for any kind of emergency, no matter it's an earthquake, natural disaster or even the wartime situations that they can bring their own stuff and go. And so we are also laying down the new air raid defense instructions to people to understand that if there is a really enemy attack, how we can be better protected ourselves. So we are doing everything we can to better prepare ourselves. But I want to highlight one key important message. What China is doing is really striking and also I think it's really intimidating A lot of different countries currently at this moment China is launching an eight days live fire shooting exercise to intimidate Japan. And in August they also have the marine TIE operation on the sea and their own vessels chasing the Philippine vessels. And last year 2024 we got 5,000 Chinese PLA aircraft actually surrounding Taiwan. So we are hoping to get our citizens prepared for different kind of scenarios as soon as possible. The Civil Defense handbook is actually the key point of to bring the awareness and build out the awareness.

[Tristan Redman]

Taiwanese security official Fei Fan Lin It's 80 years since the Nuremberg trials began. The trials of the most prominent Nazi leaders for their crimes during the Second World War. Their systematic racist killings, including the mass murder of 6 million Jews. When the chief American prosecutor Justice Jackson opened the allied case against the defendants. He reflected on the historical significance of the moment.

[Niklas Frank]

Opening the first trial in history for crimes against the peace of the world imposes a grave responsibility. The wrongs which we seek to condemn and punish have been so calculated, so malignant and so devastating that civilization cannot tolerate their being ignored because it cannot survive their being repeated.

[Tristan Redman]

One of those on trial was Hans Frank, one of Hitler's most trusted men who served as governor of Poland during the Nazi occupation. He was sentenced to death and hanged. Jamie Kumasami spoke to Hans Frank's son, Niklas Frank, who is the author of the A Revenge A Son's Judgment on His Nazi War Criminal Father.

[Niklas Frank]

Newspapers in the autumn of 1945, shortly before the trial began, and there were pictures showing a lot of corpses, naked children, women and men. And always was written under these pictures, Poland. And I thought, Poland is our property. At least property of my father. And so it was very strange for me suddenly to have a connection between my powerful father in connection with those corpses. Something was strange suddenly with my father.

[Asma Khalid]

And you were just six years old seeing these pictures?

[Niklas Frank]

Yes, and this was really extraordinary. My eldest brother, with this newspaper, he went to our mother saying to her, if these pictures are true, our father will have no chance to survive. And he was right.

[Asma Khalid]

And you were able to visit him, weren't you?

[Niklas Frank]

Briefly, at Nuremberg, shortly before the verdicts came out, we got invitation to visit him and we all drove to Nuremberg knowing that this will be our last visit and he will be hanged. I was sitting behind the window talking to him on my mother's lap and he was smiling and laughing and telling me, nicky, we will soon celebrate Christmas and we will have much fun. And I was on my mother's lap thinking, and I swear that's really true. Why is he lying? He knows that he will be hanged. And that was a big, big disappointment for me. He should have said, my dear Nicky, you are seven years old and I was a criminal and I will be hanged. And please don't repeat my life.

[Asma Khalid]

Well, you certainly haven't repeated his life. I mean, you've gone on to talk about his legacy and I'd like to come to that. But first, on the actual death penalty, was it the right punishment for your father?

[Niklas Frank]

I am completely against the death penalty, but for my father it was correct. Because if he would have survived, he would have really rotten my brain with his ideology because he was a very charming guy, he was very well educated and I would have needed many more years to come out of this trap of him.

[Asma Khalid]

Your Father died when you were young. There must be thousands of things you might have asked him if he'd survived. But I just wonder what the main question you would have put to him.

[Niklas Frank]

The first question and the most important, why have you done this? He could have nourished his family as normal lawyer. Why did he commit all those crimes? This I will never understand. But in the end, he wrote a letter to my mother and also to his lawyer, pretending I was never a criminal. And the truth will come out. Once upon a time and this was my task to bring out the truth about my father.

[Tristan Redman]

Niklas Frank talking about his Nazi war criminal father. While AI is proving to be a boon to scientists and doctors, many in the creative industries are frankly terrified by what it means for their livelihoods. A report by the University of Cambridge has found that many published novelists here in the UK believe that AI could eventually replace them altogether. A researcher involved in the study, Dr. Clementine Collett, herself a writer, told us more about the survey. Of more than 300 authors.

[Janak Jalil]

They are already feeling the negative effects. So just over 50% of novelists agree that it's likely that generative AI will displace their work entirely. And almost 4 in 10 have also said that they're already feeling the negative impacts because of competition with generated material online. So sabotage. They feel that AI bots are writing them kind of botched reviews or maybe publish it false material. And because of the way that it's changing our attention spans and how we consume, the kind of rise of personalization has moved us away from the long form. And that is a real concern from literary creatives that we will have a two tier market more so than we have already, where human written work will be, you know, more expensive, a luxury item. Those who can afford it will read human written novels and AI generated content will be cheap or free, and that will potentially have big societal implications as well. But so we don't know what generative AI is going to be able to do in the future in terms of producing more original content. I think that it is a psychological impact as well as a financial one that authors are feeling. And this is a real cry from novelists and literary creatives to put guardrails around AI to protect this incredible thriving industry that we have.

[Tristan Redman]

Dr. Clementine Collett an exhibition on the life and work of the American film director Wes Anderson opens in London this week. It will showcase hundreds of objects from his personal archive that will help attendees gain greater insight into eccentric, quirky and stylish movies like the Grand Budapest hotel or Fantastic Mr. Fox. Nicholas Danbridge went to meet the director at the exhibition. We're entering the idiosyncratic world of director Wes Anderson. Over 700 objects at the Design Museum.

[Janak Jalil]

Retrospective from his 30 year career showing his meticulous recurring visual style.

[Tristan Redman]

A look, he says, that still astonishes him.

[Wes Anderson]

I remember with the first film I made, as soon as I saw it, I was completely surprised and it seemed nothing like what I expected. I was completely caught off guard because it was just as we had planned it, but the mixture, the chemistry of it was different. So when I see all of this stuff, it's that same experience but greatly enhanced. I never would have anticipated anything like this. And when we made fantastic Mr. Fox, right now we're standing in front of these puppets from Fantastic Mr. Fox. Well, we started the film, we didn't know what even Mr. Fox was going to look like. And the result is nothing remotely like anything I would have envisioned produced by 20th Century Fox.

[Tristan Redman]

Are you scared of wolves?

[Jonathan Beale]

Scared?

[Wes Anderson]

No.

[Jonathan Beale]

I have a phobia of them.

[James Waterhouse]

Well, I have a thing about thunder. Why?

[Wes Anderson]

That's stupid.

[Tristan Redman]

I don't like needles myself.

[Jonathan Beale]

Where'd you come from again?

[Tristan Redman]

How'd you get in the side?

[Jonathan Beale]

I feel like I'm losing my mind.

[Janak Jalil]

We're surrounded by the most beautiful puppets. A little sidecar and a motorbike. You've got Petey and his banjo, Mr. And Mrs. Fox and paintings from their den and all the other characters which I understand your daughter used to play with.

[Wes Anderson]

Yes, well, much of what is here in this exhibition I kept in storage in our apartment in New York and then also in England in our basement. Many of these things are objects that I've lived with over the years and my daughter played with them all the time. And in fact there's quite a bit of damage that had to be repaired. That's just her work. But she was careful with them. They're fragile.

[Tristan Redman]

Let's go through to the Grand Budapest Hotel.

[Janak Jalil]

It's your most successful box Office film, winning BAFTAs and Oscars. And the design is really central to its success. So this is a 3 meter wide.

[Wes Anderson]

Candy pink model, this miniature hotel. I think the reason we made a miniature hotel is because the research that we did around the movie led us to a place that had all kinds of very specific qualities and that didn't actually exist.

[Tristan Redman]

Produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures.

[Niklas Frank]

Who are you?

[Janak Jalil]

I'm Zero, sir.

[Tristan Redman]

The new Lobby Boy.

[Niklas Frank]

Zero, you say?

[Tristan Redman]

Yes, sir.

[Wes Anderson]

Well, I've never heard of you, never laid eyes on you. Who hired you?

[Tristan Redman]

Mr. Mosher, sir.

[Wes Anderson]

Mr. Mosher, the costumes here. It brings me to what I feel is really the center of the movie, which is the cast, Ralph Fiennes, who holds the entire movie together in every way, and others.

[Janak Jalil]

So looking around here, people will see all your ideas. Are you bound to always tell your stories in this distinctive style, do you think?

[Wes Anderson]

When I start a film, for me, I'm starting something completely different from anything I've ever done before. I've got a new set of characters, a new setting. It's not necessarily my choice that it ends up being a recognizable style. It just sort of happens that way. And I think the next film I make, it may be less immediately recognizable as mine, but I always think that.

[Tristan Redman]

Acclaimed film director Wes Anderson speaking to Nicola Stanbridge. And that's all from us for now. But there will be a new edition of the Global News podcast later. If you want to comment on this podcast, you can send us an email. The address is globalpodcastbc.co.uk this edition was mixed by Roseanne Wynn Dorrell. The producers were Stephanie Zakrison and Rebecca Wood. The editor is Karen Martin. I'm Janak Jalil. Until next time. Goodbye.

[Janak Jalil]

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