The Word (radio) The Word (radio) The Word was a weekly half-hour radio programme on the BBC World Service about books and writers. Its final edition was in October 2008. Once a month its slot was taken over by "World Book Club", in which listeners submitted questions to a famous writer. Both programmes were presented by Harriett Gilbert. "World Book Club" continues to be broadcast once a month on Saturdays. "The Word" emerged from an earlier World Service book programme "Meridian Books" (which had several presenters, including Michael Rosen, Verity Sharp, and Rosemary Hartill,) as well as a poetry request programme, "Poems by
Basil (name) Basil (name) The name Basil ("royal, kingly") comes from the male Greek name Vassilios (, female version ), which first appeared during the Hellenistic period. It is derived from "basileus" (), a Greek word of pre-Hellenic origin meaning "king", from which words such as basilica and basilisk (via Latin) as well as the eponymous herb (via Old French) derive, and the name of the Italian region Basilicata, which had been long under the rule of the Byzantine Emperor (also called "basileus"). It was brought to England by the Crusaders, having been common in the eastern Mediterranean. It is more often