News imageLearning English Stories, Classic Stories: The 39 Steps

Learning English Stories

Classic Stories: The 39 Steps

22 May 2026

6 minutes

Available for over a year

Enjoy a classic story in English, and learn 14 uses of ‘lie’. Read by Tim.

If you like learning English with podcasts, try some of our others!

In The English We Speak, you learn interesting informal English words, phrases, expressions and idioms to level up your spoken English. Try it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/features/the-english-we-speak

If you'd like to learn about the news in English, try Learning English from the News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/learning-english-from-the-news_2026

And if you haven't tried our most popular podcast, 6 Minute English, where have you been?! Try it here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english_2026