Programme Index

Discover 11,128,835 listings and 282,969 playable programmes from the BBC

Shifting Sands

The Saudi Story

Duration: 50 minutes

First broadcast: on BBC WORLD NEWS AfricaLatest broadcast: on BBC WORLD NEWS Middle East

Following the toppling of dictators in Egypt, Tunisia and Libya and the continued struggles of the Assad regime in Syria, a myth is taking hold that the whole Arab region has become consumed by a desire for Western democracy. BBC security correspondent and fluent Arabic speaker Frank Gardner travels to Saudi Arabia to challenge this common misconception and examine what the future now holds for the Gulf's most powerful monarchy. Travelling from the opulent palaces of Riyadh through to the bustling backstreets of Jeddah, Gardner meets members of the monarchy as well as women's rights activists, writers and journalists and shares his own knowledge of a famously closed region in light of the rapidly changing Arab world. Show less

About this data

This data is drawn from the data stream that informs BBC's iPlayer and Sounds. The information shows what was scheduled to be broadcast, meaning it was/is subject to change and may not be accurate. More