Category: World
Service
Date: 27.07.2005
Printable version
BBC World Service is launching its first online soap
opera aimed at English language learners around the world.
Starting on Monday 1 August, The
Flatmates features a multi-cultural cast of young people
who not only share a flat but also their everyday adventures studying,
working, living and loving in the UK.
Every week, visitors to the bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates
site can read the latest drama from the flat, as well as listen to the
episode online as many times at they like.
The drama enables listeners to learn at their own pace.
It is fun, informative and highly interactive, with learners voting
to decide what happens next to the flatmates.
A language point from the episode is highlighted, so
visitors to the site can tell the BBC what aspects of grammar, vocabulary
or pronunciation they'd like to learn, and a quiz tests their new knowledge.
The writer and producer of the series, Nuala O'Sullivan,
created the new interactive drama to appeal to active learners who want
to be in charge of their own learning: "Online is a fantastic way of
learning English because people can go at their own pace and interact
with the web in a way they want to, at a time that suits them.
"We also know from experience that participation
in learning helps make it fun and the more people participate, the more
effective the learning.
"The Flatmates appeals to people who also want to learn
English as it is lived and spoken, rather than as it is sometimes taught
in more traditional text-books. It engages learners, enabling them to
interact directly with the characters and to help shape the everyday
life storylines through an online vote."
The Flatmates is the first weekly, online drama produced
by BBC Learning English, BBC World Service.
BBC Learning English publishes free internet and radio
resources for English language learners and teachers.
BBC Learning English has teams providing dedicated resources
to learners in China and the Middle East, and also collaborates with
the British Council on a website aimed at teachers of English as a Foreign
Language (EFL).
Notes to Editors
Nuala O'Sullivan is a qualified DELTA (Diploma in English
Language Teaching to Adults) teacher and teacher trainer who has more
than ten years' teaching experience in Asia, the USA and Britain.
The Flatmates website will be live from August 1 2005
at bbclearningenglish.com/flatmates.
BBC Learning English website: bbclearningenglish.com.
Teaching English website: teachingenglish.org.uk.
BBC World Service broadcasts programmes around the world
in 43 languages and is available on radio and online. It has a global
audience of 149 million listeners.
BBC World Service is available globally on short wave;
on FM in 144 cities; and selected programmes are carried on around 2,000
FM and MW radio stations around the world. The BBC World Service websites
receive over 330 million page impressions every month.
