BBC to track one year of the global meltdown

Beginning September, BBC World News will investigate the impact of the global recession, one of the vital factors in which was New York-based Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy. The season, called 'Aftershock' -- which comprises programmes on BBC World Service, BBC World News and BBC.com -- will map the aftermath of the recession. The season aims to answer the question, 'What will be the order of the world?'

On BBC World News, a documentary, 'How a Busted Bank Changed the World' will examine what happened and what has been learnt since the day. It will feature people who witnessed the demise of Lehman's -- bank bosses, Wall Street lawyers and government regulators -- and ask them if anything have changed a year later.

News coverage and live coverage will be reported from various parts of the world, including Shanghai, Mumbai, New York and Japan. India Business Report, the India specific show, will provide in-depth analysis on the Indian conglomerates that took advantage of the credit crunch by buying Western companies.

BBC World News will also broadcast 'Working Lives: Dubai', a show which follows the experiences of five people, including a taxi driver and a billionaire, who have to deal with the current economic situation.

On BBC World Service, a 60-minute radio drama, 'The Day that Lehman Died', will mark the anniversary of the bank's collapse.

Nazes Afroz, executive editor, South Asia Region, BBC World Service, says, "This is an event that has affected everyone. While some countries had gone into deep recession, some suffered a slowdown. The season will collate information from around the world and debate on what the future of capitalism is. Questions such as why the stock markets recovered in Brazil and why Indian banks did not collapse will be answered," he says.

A TVC promoting Aftershock is being aired on the channel. "The attempt of the campaign is to induce people to come and get to know exactly what has been happening and give the complete perspective," says Vaishali Sharma, head of MarComms, South Asia, BBC Global News.

The season will be aired in the month of September.