Nocturnes, film scores and rain on the leaves.
Radio 3 Unwind came out of a February 2024 BBC plan for three new spin-off stations, the Radio 3 one promising calming classical music. It started online on BBC Sounds on 4 November 2024, four days before Radio 1 Anthems, and on 9 September 2025 it slipped onto DAB+ with no announcement, alongside Anthems and Radio 1 Dance, as one of the first new BBC music networks since 2002. Its brief is wellbeing, mindfulness and sleep, with familiar repertoire played next to music by newer composers.
Counselling psychologist Sian Williams opens each morning with Classical Unwind, Niall Breslin winds the day down at five and Edith Bowman plays film and TV music at eight. Between them run mixes made by independent producers for focus, study and sleep, often laid over nature sounds, and The Sleeping Forecast sets ambient music against readings of the Shipping Forecast.
Permission to do nothing.
