The Briefing Room Podcast
David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news
Episodes to download
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No concrete plans?
Thu 7 Sep 2023
Crumbling concrete has shut some schools but is that just the tip of the iceberg?
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What's the problem with Airbnb?
Thu 31 Aug 2023
What's the evidence for restricting short-term rental accommodation?
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How much trouble is Donald Trump in?
Thu 24 Aug 2023
Could Donald Trump's legal cases derail his bid for the White House?
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The UK and the European Convention on Human Rights
Thu 17 Aug 2023
What is the ECHR, how does it work and what would the ramifications be if the UK left it?
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What鈥檚 behind the Niger coup?
Thu 10 Aug 2023
Coups aren't unusual in Niger or the Sahel region as a whole but what's behind this one?
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Is it Saudi's century?
Thu 3 Aug 2023
Saudi Arabia is a regional power but can it match its ambition to become a global one?
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Can we meet the net zero challenge?
Thu 27 Jul 2023
Carbon emissions need to fall to zero by 2050 but can the world achieve that goal?
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The China Threat
Thu 20 Jul 2023
Is the government failing in its handling of Chinese investment and interests in the UK?
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What can schools do about record absences?
Thu 13 Jul 2023
Since the pandemic record numbers of children have not returned to regular schooling. Why?
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What happened to the Israel/Palestine peace process?
Thu 6 Jul 2023
Many have tried to broker peace between Israel and Palestine, but is there any hope left?
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Why is Britain getting inflation so wrong?
Thu 29 Jun 2023
Halving inflation by the end of the year was meant to be easy. Why is it proving so hard?
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Ukraine: the long game
Thu 22 Jun 2023
Ukraine's spring offensive has begun. But what can it realistically achieve?
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The Online Safety Bill
Thu 11 May 2023
How successful will the Online Safety Bill be in protecting children from harmful content?
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Ukraine: Is it all about to change?
Thu 4 May 2023
A spring offensive appears imminent but how successful will it be?
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Sudan conflict: what led to this?
Thu 27 Apr 2023
Sudan is a country that's rarely at peace but what lies behind the current conflict there?
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Does Rishi Sunak's maths calculation add up?
Thu 20 Apr 2023
David Aaronovitch and guests dissect the Prime Minister's 'maths until 18' plan.
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The AI Revolution
Thu 13 Apr 2023
How much should we embrace artificial intelligence and how much should we worry about it?
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Trump's Legal Woes
Thu 6 Apr 2023
How serious are Donald Trump's legal battles and what are the political implications?
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The Windsor Framework
Thu 2 Mar 2023
Does the proposed deal on Northern Ireland's trading arrangements work for all parties?
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Who's Afraid of The Wagner Group?
Thu 23 Feb 2023
Are the 'Wagner' mercenaries fighting for Russia in Ukraine becoming a problem for Putin?
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Why was the Turkey-Syria earthquake so bad?
Thu 16 Feb 2023
More than 40,000 people died in last week's earthquake, but why was it so deadly?
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How worried should we be about avian flu?
Thu 9 Feb 2023
A new strain of avian flu is killing birds and mammals, but what's the risk to humans?
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How do we get over-50s back into work?
Thu 2 Feb 2023
The government wants over-50s to re-enter the workforce, but will they come?
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Ukraine: How will the war evolve in 2023?
Thu 5 Jan 2023
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss how the Ukraine Russia war might evolve in 2023.
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Our Ageing World
Thu 29 Dec 2022
The global population is rapidly getting older. How do we deal with the impacts?
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Can we colonise the Moon?
Thu 22 Dec 2022
Nasa plans to set up a lunar base in the next decade. Is that achievable?
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Strikes: How can we avoid a return to the 1970s?
Thu 15 Dec 2022
As strikes continue across the UK, what's the government's strategy for dealing with them?
