MUMBAI: The BBC has further enriched its FM offer in India with the launch of two special weekly programmes. BBC Take One and BBC Fun and Games are broadcast by BBC’s key partner network in India , Radio One 94.3 FM, bringing highlights from the worlds of sport and cinema.

The two new BBC programmes offer audiences unique content. Talking to BBC Take One, Aishwarya Rai spoke about her latest film work, Jodhaa Akbar, “What makes Jodhaa-Akbar special is that it is the story of Jodha and Jallaluddin in their youth. There is no visual reference to them, and it was wonderful to discover these characters visually.”

Football superstar David Beckham reveals in the first edition of BBC Fun and Games on 12 January how his wife Victoria supports him “no matter what” and that she was his strength when he was unpopular after the 1998 World Cup when England lost to Argentina.

Radio One CEO Vineet Singh Hukmani said, “This is the first ever global sports magazine of this kind and the first ever credible film magazine on FM in India. It is designed especially for Radio One’s what I call ‘masstige’ – mass and prestige – audiences. We are confident that the BBC will help us reach our target listener with a perfect dose of exclusive entertainment delivered with the highest credibility.”

BBC World Service India Business Development Manager Vineeta Dwivedi added, “The BBC developed these two new programmes keeping the Indian FM listener’s taste in mind. We hope that the compelling content and cutting-edge packaging of BBC Fun and Games and BBC Take One will bind our audiences to their radio sets.”

BBC Fun and Games is a Saturday capsule of sports celebrity trivia from around the world. It is a 15-minute sports magazine programme that takes listeners into the glitz and glamour of the world of sport, covering everything from cricket to Formula 1. The programme mixes celebrity interviews, insights and forecasts with lively music to take a closer look at sportspeople’s lives and brings them to audiences like never before. Produced in Hindi, it will also be available in Tamil for audiences in Chennai.

BBC Take One is broadcast every Thursday, when the industry previews films and delivers its box office reports. This programme gives an honest and informed opinion on the new films being released in the week, Bollywood and Hollywood. It also analyses the cinematic nuances with top film critics and the public, and intersperses “tinsel talk” – behind-the-scenes stories – with sound bites from actors and directors. It will also present film music.