Malcolm Tucker. Pet ASBOs. A law requiring everyone in Britain to carry around a plastic bag.
It’s been twenty years since Armando Iannucci‘s The Thick of It first brought the chaos and drama of the fictitious ‘Department of Social Affairs and Citizenship’ into our lives. First aired on the BBC in 2005, the show satirised the Blair government’s spin-heavy ... Show More
Today
Is the Russia–Ukraine War a Failure of Strategy? With Lawrence Freedman
In an age of grinding wars, nuclear brinkmanship, and political volatility, what does strategy really mean - and how do leaders make decisions when the world feels chaotic? In this episode, Lawrence Freedman draws on decades of scholarship and his experience as official historian ... Show More
49m 39s
Mar 13
What Is Really at Stake at the North Pole? With Neil Shea
What Do Wolves, Caribou, and Global Superpowers Have in Common? In this episode, Professor Helen Czerski speaks to journalist and author Neil Shea about the Arctic’s changing face and the struggles that its indigenous wildlife must now endure. In this expansive yet intimate revel ... Show More
48m 23s
Mar 11
Sotheby's Talks | How Do Objects Achieve Iconic Status, with Grayson Perry and Xa Sturgis
On today’s episode, an episode from our friends at Sotheby's exploring the question: How do objects achieve iconic status? Taking inspiration from the book Icons: 100 Extraordinary Objects from Sotheby’s History, published by Phaidon, the discussion explores how a work of art can ... Show More
46m 3s
Jan 2022
Culture Gabfest - Fool's Gold
This week, Slate’s TV critic and host of the podcast Decoder Ring, Willa Paskin, and poet, essayist, podcast host, and author, Nichole Perkins, fill in for Dana and Julia. The panel begins by taking a spin with Julian Fellowes’ (creator of Downton Abbey) new show The Gilded Age. ... Show More
58m 49s
Mar 2021
Emmy Raver-Lampman, Nathy Peluso & Clubhouse?
On today's episode of Who's There, our weekly call-in show, we hit the ground running with calls about Viola Davis's extremely lucrative speaking gig, Pizza Girl's confusing specialty, Chloe Bennett's embarrassing ex-boyfriend, Blackstreet's place in Eurovision history, and even ... Show More
59m 46s
Sep 2025
A fossil, a hat and a T-Rex
Catherine gets an invigorating lesson on the corner of Bedford Square, in London’s Bloomsbury.---Named 'Podcast of the Year' by Radio Times and picked as 'Best Podcasts of the Year 2023' by the Financial Times, Observer, Pod Bible and The Week. ---The conversations that follow ar ... Show More
9m 25s
Sep 2025
British Museum, a steak and a yogi
Catherine talks about death, life and life-changing moments, in the London sunshine. ---Named 'Podcast of the Year' by Radio Times and picked as 'Best Podcasts of the Year 2023' by the Financial Times, Observer, Pod Bible and The Week. ---The conversations that follow are always ... Show More
9m 7s
Jun 2025
A cup of coffee, a grandpa and an A lister
Catherine and Pepper talk family and celebrity on a summery walk to Grantchester.---Named 'Podcast of the Year' by Radio Times and picked as 'Best Podcasts of the Year 2023' by the Financial Times, Observer, Pod Bible and The Week. ---The conversations that follow are always unpr ... Show More
10m 57s