Major Partnership Creates New Cultural Biography Series
BBC Studios and Pushkin Industries have announced their first-ever collaboration with the launch of Big Lives, a weekly podcast that profiles cultural icons using the BBC’s extensive archival content. The show, announced at South by Southwest in Austin, will premiere globally on Monday, March 23.
As shown in the promotional image above, the podcast is co-hosted by two award-winning journalists: Kai Wright, known for WNYC’s Notes from America, and Emmanuel Dzotsi, whose credits include Serial, Reply All, and This American Life. The colorful branding reflects the vibrant approach the hosts bring to exploring legendary figures.
Archive-Driven Storytelling Approach
Each episode of Big Lives focuses on one legendary individual, from musical trailblazers like David Bowie and Tina Turner to transcendent stars like Richard Pryor and Sir David Attenborough. The unique format allows listeners to hear these icons “in their own words” through BBC archive material.
“A funny thing happens when people become super famous. They get so well known that they seem like caricatures of themselves — flattened into memes and scandals, or into a single, defining image,” explained hosts Wright and Dzotsi. “We want to revive your curiosity in these larger than life characters, the people who have shaped our culture.”
The premiere episode will profile Jane Fonda, tracing her transformation from 1960s actress to firebrand activist and fitness mogul.
Industry Veterans Drive Production
Richard Knight, Director of Audio at BBC Studios, emphasized the partnership’s strength: “Big Lives makes great use of the vast and unique BBC archive to shine a new light on extraordinary individuals whose lives made a difference to all of ours. Working with Kai, Emmanuel and our friends at Pushkin has been a joy.”
Gretta Cohn, CEO of Pushkin Industries, highlighted the show’s appeal to “cultural omnivores,” promising “sharp, witty and contemporary takes on legends like LL Cool J and Sinead O’Connor.”
Host Credentials and Production Team
Kai Wright brings extensive experience as host of the Peabody Award-winning podcast Blindspot: The Plague in the Shadows and has served as editor at The Nation and editorial director of Colorlines. Emmanuel Dzotsi currently produces for This American Life and previously co-hosted two of the most downloaded podcasts of all time.
The production team includes Emma Weatherill as producer, Samira Choudry as archive producer, and executive producers Annie Brown and James Robinson for BBC Studios, with Constanza Gallardo and producer Daphne Chen representing Pushkin Industries.
This collaboration represents a significant expansion of both companies’ biographical podcast offerings, combining Pushkin’s storytelling expertise with BBC’s unparalleled archival resources to create what promises to be a compelling exploration of cultural influence and celebrity.
