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Global stories from the BBC’s 40 Language Services, with Faranak Amidi

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services.

Faranak Amidi presents global stories from the Fifth Floor, home to the BBC’s 40 Language Services

The Fifth Floor: The Best of the Fifth Floor

Ladies blowing up balloons

27/12/2013

The Best of the Fifth Floor

BBC World Service - The Fifth Floor, The Best of the Fifth Floor

Looking back at 2013: a year's reporting from the World Service's 27 language sections

Looking back at 2013: a year's reporting from the World Service's 27 language sections.

A hamper full of highlights from the past year on the Fifth Floor, including memories of the passing of Mandela with South African journalist Nick Ericsson who spent seven years waiting for the call to report Nelson Mandela's death. Nick shares his struggles with reporting this particular piece of news. Also, a little word dominated headlines this year, but is the word "Islamist" overused and do we deploy it correctly? Top Gear presenter, Jeremy Clarkson meets the man who dubs him in Persian. And vivid memories of living through the war in Vietnam: how the children would make lamps out of fire flies and egg shells. There's top tips from Pakistan on how to avoid spying; getting down to the Bollywood bop with BBC African journalists; blushes from BBC Persian as they explain the perils of translating Mahmoud Ahmedinejad's colourful speeches and a moving diary of a journey through the apocalyptic landscape of the Central African Republic.

A drama-filled tour of the best of our programmes this year presented by David Amanor.

Image: Ladies blowing up balloons  Credit: Getty Images.

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