Apr 27

The Visionaries: Total Defence (Part 3)

Why was the Fall of France in 1940 such a surprise? How did FDR get the USA ready to fight in WW2? What did Churchill do to encourage American entry on the side of the Allies? Join Al Murray and James Holland for part 3 of their most ambitious series yet; a definitive survey of t ... Show More

1h 1m

Apr 22

The Visionaries: From Recovery To Rearmament (Part 2)

Why was there a stock market crash in 1929? How did The Great Depression help extremist political parties like the Nazis in Germany gain power? What did President Roosevelt's New Deal in the USA do to help America recover? Join Al Murray and James Holland for part 2 of their most ... Show More

1h 4m

Apr 20

The Visionaries: Picking Up The Pieces (Part 1)

When did America enter WW1? In what ways were The Treaty of Versailles and Wilson's 14 Points For Peace flawed? Why is this period of history important today? Join Al Murray and James Holland for part 1 their most ambitious series yet; a definitive survey of the 20th Century and ... Show More

1h 12m

May 2025

566. The Great Northern War: Slaughter on the Steppes (Part 3)

Why was the greatest and most climactic battle of the Great Northern War, the Battle of Poltova, one of the most important in all European history? What drove Charles XII of Sweden to invade Russia in the Summer of 1707, in the lead up to that totemic clash? Exactly what happened ... Show More

1h 1m

Nov 2022

The Many Voices of Booker Prize Winner George Saunders

Sign up for Intelligence Squared Premium here: https://iq2premium.supercast.com/ for ad-free listening, bonus content, early access and much more. See below for details. Described as one of the most important and blazingly original writers of his generation, American author Georg ... Show More

36m 17s

Jun 2025

260. Yalta: Signing Away The Fate of The World (Ep 5)

Did the Western powers fail at Yalta? Did Churchill hold strong in his red line about the fate of Poland? Why did the Big Three eat a huge feast in the middle of a war zone? In the final episode in the story of the infamous Yalta conference, Anita and William discuss the moment t ... Show More

54m 26s

May 2024

Max Hastings on On the Secret Mission to Defeat Hitler, Part Two

This is the second instalment of a three-part conversation. Military historian, journalist, author and broadcaster Max Hastings comes to the Intelligence Squared stage to recount the remarkable story of Operation Biting and what it tells us about the crucial role of intelligence ... Show More

39m 47s

Mar 2025

380. JD Vance vs. the UK

How much damage has JD Vance done to US-UK relations? If not the UK, which country was he referring to as "some random country"? How can we stop playing Trump’s game? Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more. The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Ene ... Show More

47m 44s

Aug 2025

595. The First World War: The Battle of the Frontiers (Part 2)

What was Britain's first military move following the outbreak of the First World War? Where did the French launch their initial attack on the Germans? Whose army was the biggest and best of all the participants in the war? And, what unfolded at the pivotal Battle of the Ardennes ... Show More

1 h

Sep 2025

600. Chatham High Street

Why is Chatham High-street both futuristic and riddled with the past? Why was it a magnet for historical figures such as King John, Charles II, Nelson and Charles Dickens, and the location for some of the most totemic moments in British history? Is it really a melting pot of ever ... Show More

1h 1m

May 2024

How the Legacy of the British Empire Still Shapes Our World, with Sathnam Sanghera

Sathnam Sanghera is a writer and author of bestselling books exploring British identity, the latest of which is Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe. It follows Empireland, which looked at how the British Empire has shaped modern Britain. Sanghera has written ... Show More

38m 11s

Feb 2025

367. Rory vs JD Vance, recording from Damascus, and Trump’s tariffs

Why are Rory and Alastair in Damascus? What’s going on with JD Vance? Has there been a twist in the German election? Join Rory and Alastair as they answer all these questions and more. The Rest Is Politics is powered by Fuse Energy. Fuse are giving away FREE TRIP+ membership f ... Show More

1h 5m

Oct 2025

The Thick of It: 20 Years On, with Armando Iannucci, Peter Capaldi, Chris Addison and Rebecca Front (Part One)

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 a ... Show More

37m 26s

The Visionaries: A Global War (Part 4)