BBC special programming 12/27 – “A New Life in Europe”

Please note the following special program airing on BBC World Service the week of December 27.

“A New Life in Europe”
The story of one Syrian family heading for Europe in search of a better life.

Description:
We have heard the news of migrants drowning, and of queues at borders and reception centres. But in a short news report it’s impossible to capture the detail of the journey hundreds of thousands of Syrians have made. The nights spent sleeping rough, running out of money and the nagging question…is it worth it? For five weeks this year, reporter Manveen Rana travelled with one Syrian family. “A New Life in Europe” is an intimate account of that journey, as it becomes tougher and the family begin to doubt they have made the right decision. See episode detail below.

Broadcast Details:
Airing:
Episode One airs Monday, December 28 at 12:00 ET; Episode Two airs Wednesday, December 30 at 12:00 ET; Episode Three airs Friday, January 1 at 12:00 ET (HardTalk is dropped for all episode airings).
Broadcast window: Episode One: Dec 28-Jan 10, 2016; Episode Two: Dec 30 – Jan 12, 2016; Episode Three: Jan 1 – 14, 2016.
Duration: 23 minutes (or 30 minutes including the News Bulletin, billboard & promo).
Download Availability: from Mon / Wed / Fri 18:30 GMT for 14 days.

Episode Details:

Episode One: The Dhnie Family.
Manveen meets the Dhnie family – mother, father, and three children, in Turkey as they prepare to make the journey to Greece. They are soon negotiating with smugglers, looking for life jackets, and in the hours and hours of waiting, they dream about their future in Europe. But faced with the dangers of crossing the sea on a rubber boat, or walking through bear infested forests, the journey is far from easy.

Episode Two: Crossing the continent.
The Dhnie family thought risking their lives at sea in order to get to Greece would be the hardest part of their journey to Europe. They soon changed their minds. The family find themselves sleeping on streets and in fields, getting caught up in riots and being detained as they try to reach a new life in Europe.

Episode Three: A new home in Germany.
Having arrived in Germany, the Dhnie family’s dramatic journey to their new home may be over, but the difficulties of adjusting to a new life are just beginning. Alma hopes Europe will provide her with more independence, Abean desperately wants to be allowed to go to school, and the whole family faces the challenge of learning German whilst living on a basketball court packed full of refugees.