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BBC Radio 4

Nick Robinson talks to people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs.
 
Each episode of Political Thinking features an in-depth conversation with someone who is shaping our politics. The people who run our country (and those who want to), campaigners, business and union leaders, and people who run other countries. All of them join Nick in the studio, not for a news-y interrogation, but for an extended and relaxed conversation, delving into their past and how it shaped their worldview.
 
New episodes drop on Fridays on BBC Sounds. You can also watch them on BBC Two at 12:15pm on Fridays or on BBC iPlayer. And you can listen on BBC Radio 4 on Saturdays at 17:30.

Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

Andrew Griffith on why government sometimes has to say 'no' and why Rupert Murdoch was the "best boss".

The Shadow Business Secretary was once the youngest Chief Financial Officer of any major British company, when he worked at Sky, before becoming an MP an joining Boris Johnson's team in Downing Street. 

Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Editor: Giles Edwards

From Sky boss to Number 10: Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith

The Foreign Affairs Committee Chair on Iran, Trump's 'asteroid of awfulness' and the 'grief' she felt after being dropped by Starmer.

Emily Thornberry tells Nick about how her father's career as a UN peacekeeper helped shape her commitment to the ideals of international law.

She also has frank views about what her party needs to do to stem the rise of the Green Party.

Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Sound: Jack Wilfan
Editor: Giles Edwards

'We cannot have chaos': Emily Thornberry on the law of war and Labour's struggles

The British-Iranian comic on revolutions, Kensington, 9/11 jokes, King Charles and Iran's future.

Omid Djalili has become one of the loudest voices in the Iranian diaspora calling for the overthrow of the regime in Tehran, in favour of US military action.

While the world waits for Trump's next steps, Djalili talks to Nick about growing up in a hub of London's Iranian community, chasing history from Berlin to Czechoslovakia, deciding to perform in Saudi Arabia and turning down Game of Thrones

Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray
Sound: Jack Wilfan
Editor: Giles Edwards

'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor

What links Bridget Jones to social media regulation?

The answer: Baroness Beeban Kidron. In 2004 she directed the Bridget Jones sequal. 20 years later, she became one of the most vocal campaigners for regulation of social media and tech in the UK.

She joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to tell her story, from joining Marxist dinner parties in her childhood home, to filming and living with the protesters of Greenham Common in the 1980s.

Today, she has strong words for Keir Starmer's government, and is pushing for law-changes from her seat in the House of Lords.

Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray
Editor: Giles Edwards

'We're appeasing the tech bros': Beeban Kidron, from film-maker to lawmaker

A frank conversation with the leader of Reform UK.

Nigel Farage has put his party on a "general election war footing" and says he is preparing for power.

What has his party still got to learn before they're ready? 

Who is he referring to when he talks about putting "our own people first"?

And what made him change his mind and return to politics?

Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Editor: Giles Edwards
Sound: Ged Sudlow

Nigel Farage: 'Broken Britain', national identity and lessons from Trump

James Graham joined Nick in the political thinking studio in late January, ahead of a this year's TV adaptation of his play Dear England.

What did Gareth Southgate get right about national identity?

What advice does the playwright have for Keir Starmer on storytelling?

And why is it important that people continue to go to the theatre?

Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Sound: Ged Sudlow and Hal Haines
Editor: Giles Edwards

How to tell England’s story: James Graham, playwright

How did the world heavyweight champion end up running a city of 3 million people in wartime?

Vitali Klitschko joins Nick from the Ukrainian capital in the midst of a Russian campaign to descimate the city's energy infrastructure.

He talks about what peace could look like, the lessons he learned from living under Soviet rule as a child, and why he decided to abandon a lucrative life in the US to enter Ukrainian politics. 

Senior producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Sound: Ged Sudlow 
Editor: Giles Edwards

Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv: From boxing to politics

What happens when US Vice President Vance goes drinking with Angela Rayner & David Lammy?

The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary knows America better than probably anyone else around the cabinet table. And in this interview he reflects at length on the state of the world and the significance of the US president's Greenland threats.

David Lammy gives an impassioned defence against critics who question his friendship with Vice President J D Vance and reflects on his life's journey from Tottenham to Harvard. 

He also discusses the ongoing row over jury trial reforms, potential upcoming by-elections, and Keir Starmer government's storytelling.

Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Producer: Flora Murray
Sound: Hal Haines and Chris Murphy
Editor: Giles Edwards

David Lammy: The old world order isn't coming back

The National Education Union's general secretary on banning social media, strikes and race

Daniel Kebede says he is "completely aligned" with Kemi Badenoch on social media policy but warns that the Labour government is on a "collision course" with teachers over pay and conditions. 

Why does a former minister describe him as "disarming" while the press brand him as "militant" and a "hardened protester"?

Nick also presses Kebede on the blocking of a Jewish Bristol MP from visiting a school, past comments about Israel, and whether taxpayers can afford further pay rises for teachers.

Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray
Sound: Stephen Pontin
Sound mixing: Robin Schroder
Editor: Giles Edwards

The union leader who agrees with the Tory leader: Daniel Kebede

What is the Scottish First Minister's secret for getting Donald Trump's attention?

Nick is in Edinburgh to sit down with John Swinney, at the start of a year of big elections across the UK, including for the Scottish Parliament.

He has been at the top of SNP-led government's for almost all of the last 19 years. He is now asking for another five years, with the hope of securing a new independence referendum.

In this conversation, Swinney talks about how he charmed Donald Trump, reflects on a dangerous world, and opens up about the pressures on his family life.

Producer: Daniel Kraemer
Research: Flora Murray
Sound: Fiona Fairmaner
Editor: Giles Edwards

John Swinney: Trump, Independence and Scottish Troops in Ukraine

The former Defence Secretary opens up about the impact of high-pressure government jobs on family relations and tells the behind-the-scenes story of the lead-up to the Ukraine War and his take on the “poison” in British politics.

The Ben Wallace 2023 One

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