Bonus: The BBC’s Russia Editor on Life in Moscow

Radical with Amol Rajan

BBC

Society & Culture

4.5 • 919 Ratings

🗓️ 13 January 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

After listener Margaret got in touch asking about Steve Rosenberg’s life in Moscow as the BBC’s Russia Editor, Nick and Amol sat down with him to find out how the country has changed over the years that he has lived there and what it’s like reporting from Russia now.

They talk about the challenges he faces, how he reports impartially and accurately on Vladimir Putin, how he relaxes and what it was like playing the piano for Mikhail Gorbachev.

To get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories and insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme make sure you hit subscribe on BBC Sounds. That way you’ll get an alert every time we release a new episode, and you won’t miss our extra bonus episodes either.

GET IN TOUCH: * Send us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 * Email today@bbc.co.uk

The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.

This episode was made by Lewis Vickers with Nadia Gyane and Grace Reeve. Digital production was by Nadia Gyane. The technical producer was Jonny Baker. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Transcript

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0:00.0	We get it. Life is busy. You want to keep up with the news, but there's just too much going on.
0:06.9	Which is where Newscast comes in. We do the work, and when you're ready to dig deeper into the day's news, you just pop us into your ears.
0:14.8	It does mean we have to put in the hard work, though.
0:17.5	Listen to Newscast every day on BBC Sounds.
0:21.6	BBC Sounds, music, radio, though. Listen to newscast every day on BBC Sounds. BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:25.6	Hello, it's Amol.
0:26.7	And it's Nick.
0:27.4	And when we were sent a message by Margaret, Margaret Davis in Somerset,
0:32.0	asking us to arrange a little chat with the BBC's Russia editor, Steve Rosenberg,
0:36.3	about what it's like living and working
0:38.0	in Vladimir Putin's Russia. We jumped at the idea because Steve is such a familiar voice,
0:43.7	such a familiar face. He's regularly on the Today program talking to us. And of course,
0:49.7	he's one of the few Western journalists who the Kremlin allows still to report from Russia.
0:53.8	And one of the most
0:54.7	respected Western journalists too. I'll tell you, when we asked Steve if he'd be up for it, he kindly
0:59.6	said yes and even better, which is a lovely bonus for you, Margaret, and for all of our listeners,
1:04.9	he was in the UK. So we invited him into the sanctuary that is, the Today Podcast studio,
1:10.7	to talk about life in Moscow, how he learnt to speak Russian, how he unwinds, and I'll tell you what, we've got some cracking stories from him as you're about to hear.
1:18.5	I hope you'll enjoy this bonus episode of the Today Podcast.
1:22.1	Let's do it.
2:01.1	Yeah. Steve, it's so good to see. Welcome to the Today Podcast Studio. This is your debut on the Today Podcasts. And we know you've done pretty big things in your career. You've asked difficult questions of Vladimir Putin. You've confronted him. But this must be a pretty scary experience for you. I'm terrified. I'm shaking, literally. You know, if I knew Putin was sitting there to put it at my ease. You're playing with a big thing now. We have invited you to join us in the poor man's one show studio.
2:02.7	The poor man's one show. I think it's better than that, Nick. I don't think it's a poor man's one. We have plastic fern pot plants. Don't give it away. The licence food is being sent sensibly. Yeah, very good. But you've been summoned here, if you don't mind us saying, Steve, because you are very popular, not just with all the millions of people who know you for your outstanding work from Russia on TV and radio, or the other millions of people who know you from your piano playing on social media, which we might come to, but because Margaret is particularly keen on finding out what life is like for you in Moscow as a BBC journalist in a time of war.
	...

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