Politics and Society Podcasts
Series 11, Eps 24
1hr
Harvard Business School Prof. Amy Edmondson – How Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive
Drawing on a lifetime’s research, the world’s most influential organisational psychologist reveals how failures can lead us to happier, more successful lives.
Series 11, Eps 18
1hr5mins
Philippa Gregory – 900 Years of Women’s History
The beloved historical novelist tells the epic story of ordinary British women doing extraordinary things, from 1066 to modern times.
20mins
David Christian – A User’s Guide to the Future (Bonus Episode)
Historian David Christian investigates what we can know about the future in this episode of our sister podcast, Found in Conversation.
Series 10, Eps 27
45mins
Alan Philps – Stalin’s Disinformation War
How did Stalin manipulate foreign correspondents to stifle the truth about life in the Soviet Union? Alan Philps tells the story of the Metropol Hotel and its critical role in Stalin’s disinformation war.
Series 10, Eps 26
40mins
Victoria Belim – The Resilience of Art in Times of War
Victoria Belim is a Financial Times columnist and translator whose new memoir The Rooster House is both a detective story and a paean to her lost land.
Series 10, Eps 24
42mins
Malcolm Harris – How Palo Alto Conquered the World
How did the suburb of Palo Alto become the epicentre of a global tech revolution, changing not just American capitalism but the world?
Series 10, Eps 20
1hr
Christina Wallace – How To Futureproof Your Career and Live a Life Worthy of You
Christina Wallace has a radical new model for work and life that upends the notion they should have ever been at odds.
Series 10, Ep. 15
50 mins
Peter Heather – Will the West Fall Like Rome?
Is the West doomed to be the next Roman Empire? Can we learn something from its fall? Medieval historian Peter Heather thinks we can – and must.
Series 10, Ep. 13
48mins
Scott Shapiro – The Dark Art of Hacking
The Information Age is built on precarious architecture, leaving states, companies, and individuals open to hacking. Scott Shapiro joins us to bust the myths and reveal the truth about viruses, espionage, and cyberwar.
Series 10, Ep. 12
1hr 10mins
James Comey – The Pursuit of Justice in a Divided America
The former FBI director turned novelist joins us to share his insights into power and justice in a dangerous and divided America.
Series 10, Episode 7
30mins
Susie Alegre – Protecting Freedom of Thought in the Digital Age
Susie Alegre charts the history and fragility of our most important human right: freedom of thought.
Series 10, Episode 4
1hr 25mins
Alastair Campbell – Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong, and How You Can Help Fix It
Sky News’s Beth Rigby asks the legendary New Labour strategist and host of The Rest is Politics what we can each to do to confront policies that serve the interests of a privileged few.
Series 9, Episode 28
45mins
Alexa Hagerty – Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains
Bones can reveal brutality, beauty, trauma, and love – Alexa Hagerty used them to reveal the truth.
Series 9, Episode 26
36mins
Brad Smith – Tools and Weapons
Join us for a preview of Tools and Weapons, the new podcast with Microsoft President (and former How To Academy guest in London) Brad Smith.
Series 9, Episode 24
55mins
Luke Turner – Men at War
Award-winning journalist Luke Turner looks beyond the myths of heroes and villains to reveal a much more nuanced portrait of the multitude of men who served in the Second World War.
Series 9, Episode 22
1hr
Julian Baggini – How to Think Like a Philosopher
Join bestselling public philosopher Julian Baggini for a ‘complete treat: a breath of fresh air and a bracing detox for our beleaguered, battered brains’ (Derren Brown).
Series 9, Episode 19
42mins
Amantha Imber – How to Use Time Wisely
Organisational psychologist Amantha Imber has distilled the wisdom of the world’s most innovative people to help us all use our time more productively.
Series 9, Episode 18
1hr 17mins
Sir Tony Robinson Meets Peter Frankopan – How a Changing Climate Shaped Civilisation
The way that humans have interacted with the natural world and with the climate has shaped and will change our world – but this story has gone untold. Until now.
Series 9, Episode 17
1hr 15mins
Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington – How the Consulting Industry Weakens Our Democracy
A ground-breaking investigation into how the consulting industry has made its way to the heart of our economies, weakening businesses and infantilising governments.
Series 9, Episode 15
1hr 25 mins
Bernie Sanders Meets Frankie Boyle – It’s Okay to Be Angry About Capitalism
The longest-serving independent in Congress, the leader of democratic socialism in America, and a hero to progressives across the globe, Senator Sanders joins Frankie Boyle to take on the 1%.
Series 9, Episode 13
55mins
Caroline Dodds Pennock – How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe
The story of Colombus’s ‘discovery’ of America has been told endlessly; but that of the indigenous Americans who travelled to the ‘savage shores’ of Europe remains almost untold. Until now.
Series 9, Episode 10
1h 20m
Mervyn King Meets Martin Wolf – The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism
The former governor of the Bank of England and the renowned FT commentator explore why the relationship between democracy and capitalism is coming undone.
Season 9, Episode 9
1hr
Daniel Finkelstein Meets Adam Wagner – The Freedoms We Lost in the Pandemic
Leading human rights barrister Adam Wagner joins Lord Finklestein to tell the story of Britain’s State of Emergency – and issue a wake up call to protect our liberties.
Series 9, Episode 6
1hr 10 mins
Nouriel Roubini – Megathreats That Imperil The World’s Future
Nouriel Roubini was dubbed ‘Dr Doom’ when he predicted the 2008 crash. He joins the podcast to reveal new threats to our collective future ‘as scary as they are plausible’ (Martin Wolf).
Series 9, Episode 4
1hr 15mins
Maria Ressa – How To Stand Up to a Dictator
Crusading Filipino journalist Maria Ressa has spent decades speaking truth to power.
Series 8, Episode 25
1 hr
Sathnam Sanghera – Marriage Material
Join acclaimed writer Sathnam Sanghera for a moving conversation on love, politics, family and the immigrant experience.
Series 8, Episode 24
1hr 20mins
Chelsea Manning – Information is Power
Join one of the world’s most famous transparency advocates and trans women for her life story.
Series 8, Episode 20
1hr 10mins
The Pursuit of Growth is a Disaster for Our Country and Our Planet
From Westminster to Beijing, politicians and economists believe growth is the path to progress and prosperity. But are they blindly leading us towards catastrophe?
Series 8, Episode 17
35mins
Danielle Keats Citron – How to Protect Dignity and Identity in the Digital Age
The privacy we once took for granted has disappeared. Danielle Keats Citron is here to fight back.
Series 8, Episode 16
1hr 20mins
Live Debate: “Now is the Time to Make Peace in Ukraine”
Jeremy Corbyn and Elon Musk might seem strange bedfellows, but both advocate for a negotiated peace to the war in Ukraine. Are they right?
Series 8, Episode 15
30mins
Joyce Tyldesley – The Life, Death, and Afterlife of Tutankhamun
One hundred years after the discovery of his tomb, Joyce Tyldesley tells the story of Egypt’s most famous pharaoh.
Series 8, Episode 14
1hr 5 mins
Yuval Noah Harari Meets Katherine Rundell – Unstoppable Us
In a special podcast for children and families, the author of the multi-million bestselling Sapiens tells the incredible story of the human race to Katherine Rundell.
Series 8, Episode 3
1hr
Mark Bergen – Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to Global Domination
Bloomberg News reporter Mark Bergen reveals the story of how YouTube changed the world through untamed freedom of speech.
Series 8, Episode 2
1hr
Charlotte Fox Weber – A Journey Into Human Desire
Join leading psychotherapist Charlotte Fox Weber for a fly-on-the-wall journey through universal human wants and desires, and a practical toolkit for living well.
Series 8, Episode 1
Series 8, Episode 1
Melanie Joy – How to Get Relationships Right
Psychologist Melanie Joy shares the principles and tools that can make any relationship, from personal to professional, healthier and more resilient.
Series 7, Episode 17
1hr
Patrick Radden Keefe – True Stories of Killers, Grifters, and Crooks
Patrick Radden Keefe exposed the Sackler family’s role in the US opioid crisis: a parable of greed that made headlines the world over. He joins us with more stories of crime and corruption.
Series 7, Episode 15
1hr
Alice Sherwood – How to Fight Back Against Counterfeit Culture
In an age when authenticity is valued above all, why are tricksters and con artists thriving — and what can we do to fight back?
Series 7, Episode 14
37 mins
Daniel Pink – The Power of Regret
No regrets! The mantra adorns tattoos, T-shirts and posters; celebrities from John Travolta to Laverne Cox say they live by it. But should they?
Series 7, Episode 13
35 mins
Daniel Pick – A New History of Thought Control
Psychoanalyst and historian Daniel Pick reveals the murky and pernicious story of ‘brainwashing’, taking us from the first days of the Cold War through to modern-day conspiracy theories.
Series 7, Episode 13
1hr
Tara Porter – A Psychologist’s Guide to Life for Girls and Young Women
‘If God were a mother, [Tara Porter’s book] is the Bible she would write for teenage girls and young women’ (Caitlin Moran).
Series 7, Episode 12
1hr 5 mins
Chris Patten – The Future of Hong Kong
The last British governor of Hong Kong joins us to share unprecedented insights into negotiating with the Chinese government and reflect on the new superpower’s role on the world stage.
Series 7, Episode 11
1hr 15 mins
Jeremy Hunt – The Future of the NHS
On the day of Boris Johnson’s historic resignation, former Secretary of State for Health and Tory leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt joined us to unveil his plan to renew the NHS.
Series 7, Episode 10
1hr 10 mins
Bonnie Wright – How to Nurture Yourself and the Planet
Lessons for living sustainably and protecting the future of our planet with actresses and activists Bonnie Wright and Evanna Lynch.
Series 7, Episode 7
1hr
Michael Ignatieff – Finding Solace in Dark Times
Political leader, philosopher, historian, journalist, broadcaster, and Booker shortlisted literary novelist: Michael Ignatieff is a twenty-first century Renaissance man.
Series 7, Episode 1
48 mins
Rory Stewart – The State of the Nation
The former politician and diplomat shares his insights into Britain and the world in 2022.
Series 6, Episode 31
1hr 7mins
Pandora Sykes Meets Tina Brown – The Inside Scoop on the House of Windsor
Can the monarchy survive? Drawing on exclusive inside access, Tina Brown tells Pandora Sykes the riveting inside story of the Royal Family.
Series 6, Episode 30
1 hr
Sam Knight – The Premonitions Bureau
Join legendary journalist Sam Knight for the true story of a strange experiment – a journey into the oddest corners of 60s Britain and the outer edges of science and reason.
Series 6, Episode 27
Owen Jones Meets Michael Lewis – The Fifth Risk
‘I read Michael Lewis for the same reasons I watch Tiger Woods. I’ll never play like that. But it’s good to be reminded every now and again what genius looks like’ – Malcolm Gladwell
Series 6, Episode 26
51 mins
Robin Ince Meets Neal Stephenson – Termination Shock
‘Sometimes when you’re reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn’t just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the only one.’ – TIME magazine
