Jan 26

America is football

Why do we love football so much? Why does this sport dominate American culture in a way nothing else can? Why does it feel essential even to people who barely like sports? And what does it say about us that we keep watching, even as the risks and contradictions become harder to i ... Show More

50m 43s

Jan 12

How we built a government that can’t build anything

Why is it so hard for America to build things? Bridges take years to construct. Housing costs are soaring. Transit systems are crumbling. And we’re struggling to update our infrastructure to prepare for the climate crisis. Even when there’s broad agreement that something needs to ... Show More

45m 46s

Dec 22

It’s okay to not be okay

It’s not always the most wonderful time of the year. Every December, we’re told to be merry and stay positive. But a lot of us don’t feel that way. And when we don’t, the pressure to be happy makes everything worse. Sadness feels like failure. Grief feels like a personal mistake. ... Show More

58m 35s

Aug 2024

George Orwell: life of the week

From doublethink and thoughtcrime to coming face-to-face with our worst nightmares inside Room 101, few writers have had as much impact on the popular imagination as George Orwell. But what compelled the author of 'Animal Farm' and 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' to conjure up such dark, ... Show More

41m 38s

May 2024

George Orwell Part 1 – From Eton to Barcelona

Back for season five, Origin Story continues to explore the misunderstood ideas and people that shape our politics today. With Ian Dunt and Dorian Lynskey. In this opening two-parter Dorian bows to the inevitable and tells the story of the subject of his book, The Ministry of Tru ... Show More

1h 4m

Sep 2025

George Orwell

Best known for his books Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell earned a reputation as chronicler and prophet of modern society. Plagued by illness, he exposed poverty and injustice, satirised the powerful, and took up arms against fascism. Today, his name has become ... Show More

56m 3s

Dec 2021

Amusing Ourselves to Death

Neil Postman postulated that society avoided the totalitarian nightmares of George Orwell, only to embrace the frivolous idiocy of Aldous Huxley. His book "Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business" questions the e ... Show More

1h 3m

Dec 2020

1984 by George Orwell | Episode 4 |