It was, they all agree, utter chaos. The challenge of producing a weekly topical magazine on a shoestring from a tiny office wasn’t easy.
The distribution model was unique. It was sold on the streets by homeless people who kept 60% of the cover price.
Offering them a hand up rather than a hand out.
On September 11th, 1991, The Big Issue somehow gave a voice and a purpose to the homeless. Founder John Bird was a former rough sleeper and offender and was the driving force.
His brother Pete handed out mags from the back of his van, and one of his mates, Phil gave vital editorial support.
Social Worker Lucy Russell, and journalist Lucy Johnstone were hired, and an enthusiastic student journalist called Sophie Raworth used to drop by with her copy every week.
Meanwhile, in Newport, South Wales, Sabrina Cohen-Hatton was surviving on the streets, and for her, The Big Issue offered a route out of homelessness. “Starting to sell The Big issue was a sliding doors moment”.
Presenter: Kirsty Wark
Producer: Alice K. Winz
Editor: David Prest
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002vm94
The Big Issue is a United Kingdom–based street newspaper founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991 and published in four continents. The Big Issue is one of the UK's leading social businesses and exists to offer homeless people, or individuals at risk of homelessness, the opportunity to earn a legitimate income, thereby helping them to reintegrate into mainstream society. It is the world's most widely circulated street newspaper.[7][8]
History
Inspired by Street News, a newspaper sold by homeless people in New York City, The Big Issue was founded in 1991 by John Bird and Gordon Roddick (husband of The Body Shop entrepreneur Anita Roddick) as a response to the increasing numbers of homeless people in London.[9][10] The Body Shop provided the equivalent of $50,000 in start-up capital.[11] The magazine was initially published monthly but in June 1993 The Big Issue went weekly. The venture continued to expand with national editions being established in Scotland and Wales, as well as regional editions for Northern England and South West England. Further editions are also produced in seven locations overseas.
In 1995, The Big Issue Foundation was founded to offer additional support and advice to vendors around issues such as housing, health, personal finance and addiction. Between 2007 and 2011, the circulation of The Big Issue declined from 167,000 to less than 125,000. It has since plummeted. Competition between vendors also increased at this time. From July 2011, the regional editions were merged into a single UK-wide magazine.[12] In January 2012, the magazine was relaunched, with an increased focus on campaigning and political journalism. New columnists were added, including the Premier League footballer Joey Barton, Rachel Johnson, Mike Shinoda of Linkin Park[13] and Samira Ahmed. The cover price was also increased.[14][15]
In 2016, The Big Issue celebrated surpassing 200 million magazine sales.[16] In September 2021, the magazine celebrated its 30th birthday.[17]
Ethos
The magazine is produced by the Big Issue Company Ltd. The company is a self-sustaining business that generates income through magazine sales and advertising revenues. Financially, The Big Issue is a social enterprise. The Big Issue Foundation is the registered charity arm of the organisation. It aims to underpin the company's work by tackling the underlying causes of homelessness.
Overseas projects
There are nine Big Issue projects by the same name in other nations.
- The Big Issue Australia (from June 1996)[18]
- The Big Issue France (from October 1993): In France, a non-profit organisation named Big Issue France created with support from John Bird the magazine against exclusion called La Rue.
- The Big Issue Japan (from November 2003)[19]
- The Big Issue Kenya (from 2007)[20]
- The Big Issue Korea (from July 2010)[21]
- The Big Issue Malawi (from 2009)[22]
- The Big Issue Namibia[23][24]
- The Big Issue The Republic of Ireland [25]
- The Big Issue South Africa (from December 1996)[26]
- The Big Issue Taiwan (from April 2010)[27]
- The Big Issue Zambia (from 2007)[28][29]
Criticism
 | This section needs to be updated. (June 2012) |
The Big Issue has been the centre of much controversy among publishers of street newspapers, mainly because of its business model.[8][30] Publishers of some other street newspapers, especially in the United States, have criticised it for being overly "commercial" and having a flashy design. According to these critics, street newspapers ought to focus on covering political and social issues that affect the homeless, rather than emulating mainstream newspapers to generate a profit.[11][31] Publishers of some smaller papers, such as Making Change in Santa Monica, California, said they felt threatened when The Big Issue began to publish in their area.[11][31] Other papers have also criticised The Big Issue for its professional production and limited participation by homeless individuals in writing and producing the newspaper.[8] Others, however, have stated that The Big Issue uses a successful business model to generate a profit to benefit the homeless, and its founder John Bird has said that it is "possible to be both profitable and ethically correct".[11]
Awards
- October 2004 – UN Habitat Scroll of Honour Award[32]
- October 2008 – Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year award[33][34]
See also
The Big Issue began in 1991 as a radical street‑sold magazine giving homeless people a way to earn an income, and it has since grown into one of the world’s most influential social‑enterprise models.
🧱 Origins (1991–1993): A response to rising homelessness
Founded September 1991 in London by John Bird and Gordon Roddick (co‑founder of The Body Shop).
Inspired by Street News in New York, where homeless vendors sold papers to earn money. Roddick saw the model firsthand and brought the idea to the UK.
Early funding came from The Body Shop Foundation, allowing a small, chaotic team to produce the first issues.
Vendors bought the magazine for half the cover price and sold it at full price, keeping the profit — the now‑famous ethos of “a hand up, not a handout.”
Initially published monthly; demand pushed it to become weekly by June 1993.
📈 Expansion and Institutionalisation (1993–2010)
Rapid growth led to national editions in Scotland, Wales, Northern England, and the South West.
The Big Issue Foundation launched in 1995 to provide support with housing, health, finances, and addiction — recognising that income alone wasn’t enough.
The model spread internationally, eventually inspiring over 120 similar street papers worldwide and editions across four continents.
Circulation peaked in the 2000s but declined from 167,000 to under 125,000 between 2007–2011 due to competition and changing media habits.
In 2011, regional editions merged into a single UK‑wide magazine.
🔧 Reinvention and Diversification (2010s–2020s)
A 2012 relaunch increased political and campaigning journalism, adding high‑profile columnists.
The organisation expanded beyond publishing:
Big Issue Invest (impact investment arm) supports charities and social enterprises.
Big Issue Recruit helps marginalised people access employment.
In 2016, the magazine celebrated 200 million copies sold.
By its 30th anniversary in 2021, The Big Issue reflected on how homelessness had changed since 1991 — some improvements for young people, but persistent rough sleeping in major cities.
🧭 What The Big Issue Represents
A global social‑enterprise model proving that ethical capitalism can create dignity and income for people excluded from mainstream work.
A campaigning voice challenging poverty, inequality, and social injustice.
A platform for vendors, whose lived experience shapes the magazine’s identity and mission.
❓If you want, I can also map:
A chronological timeline of key milestones
A forensic breakdown of its business model
A comparative analysis of The Big Issue vs. other street papers worldwide
Which angle would you like next?
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