An Englishman in the Balkans

What is it really like to grow up in Bosnia and Herzegovina today? And when you're just 13 years old, how do you imagine your country's future, and your own? In this episode of An Englishman in the Balkans, I introduce you to Anes, a thoughtful and outspoken 13-year-old from near Zenica in central Bosnia. I've spent more than 25 years living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, listening to people's stories...

On 27 October 1969, a devastating earthquake struck Banja Luka, in what was then Yugoslavia and is now Bosnia and Herzegovina. Buildings collapsed, families fled their homes, and the city was changed forever. But what was it actually like to be there? In this deeply personal episode of An Englishman in the Balkans , I share an extraordinary eyewitness account from my mother-in-law, Hasna, who was...

What is it really like growing old in a foreign country? At 73, after more than 25 years living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I'm beginning to discover the answers. In this unusually personal episode of An Englishman in the Balkans , I take you on a walk around my garden in rural Bosnia and reflect on the realities of ageing abroad, the things nobody really prepares you for. I talk openly about chang...

Can you ever truly live like a local when you move to another country? And after nearly three decades in Bosnia and Herzegovina, am I still a foreigner? I've been living in Bosnia since 1998. What began as a NATO posting gradually became something I never expected, a marriage, a family life, friendships, and a place I now call home. But something I recently read about foreigners claiming to live l...

Bosnia and Herzegovina has just been to the polls. Simple enough, you might think. People vote, somebody wins, and a government gets formed. Except, as I’ve discovered during more than 25 years of living here, very little about Bosnia and Herzegovina is quite that straightforward. This isn't an episode about who won, who lost, or which political party I think people should support. I deliberately...

An Englishman in the Balkans is a weekly podcast about the people, places and everyday life of Bosnia and Herzegovina, told by David Bailey, who has lived here for more than 25 years. New episodes arrive every Tuesday. Some podcast conversations become more meaningful with the passing of time. When I originally recorded this interview with Martin Gannon, it was simply a thoroughly enjoyable conver...

Today is International Podcast Day, so I’ve switched on the microphone for a slightly different episode. The doors are open, the sun is coming in, and if the dogs bark — or Tamara reminds me about the dishwasher — you may well hear that too. After more than half a century around microphones, I still don’t really think of myself as a podcaster. I think of myself as someone who makes radio. And perh...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

Send a message to the podcast Got a question, thought or story? Send me a WhatsApp voice note or message on +38766219417. Voice messages may be included in a future episode. An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle refl...

An Englishman in the Balkans is a personal podcast about life, travel, culture, and storytelling in Bosnia and Herzegovina, told from the perspective of a British-born creator who has made this country home. Expect gentle reflections, real places, local voices, field recordings, and stories that go beyond the usual headlines. In this episode of An Englishman in the Balkans, I sit down in Banja Luk...