The Briefing Room – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Briefing Room

BBC Radio 4

News

Frequency: 1 episode/10d. Total Eps: 400

David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news

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Data updated on 23/10/2026

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Has France become ungovernable?

Thursday, October 22, 2026 • Duration 28:14

Will the French accept that changes need to be made to fix their ailing economy? Political paralysis and a debt crisis has led to 5 prime ministers in the last two years. Every attempt at fixing the economic problems is met with outrage and protest. Saturday 17th October 2026 saw some of the worst protests in years, with peaceful demonstrations over the cost of living and school funding descending into an 'apocalyptic hell'. 500 police officers were injured in the violence, 1,500 shops were damaged and an historic 19th century city hall was burnt to the ground in the mass disorder that ensued. But there are some serious economic issues that must be faced head on. France's borrowing costs have just hit a 26 year high, signalling they are not trusted to manage their growing debt. Public spending in France is higher than in many other European countries and a big part of that bill is pensions. Raising the pension age would save the state much needed money but proposals to do so were met with outrage and put on hold. So, has France become ungovernable?

Guests: Sophie Pedder, Paris bureau chief, The Economist Victor Mallet, Financial Times, author of Far-Right France: Le Pen, Bardella and the Future of Europe Agnes Poiriet, UK editor, L'Express

Producers: Ben Carter, Phoebe Keane, Kirsteen Knight

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How will climate change affect our farms?

Thursday, October 15, 2026 • Duration 28:34

Will we still be able to grow enough food as temperatures rise and rainfall becomes more erratic? What changes will farmers need to make to keep feeding the nation? As Radio 4 marks 75 years of the farming drama The Archers, David Aaronovitch examines the future of British farming. Models suggest large parts of the South East of England will no longer be favourable for growing cereals like wheat and even barley, important for things like beer and whiskey. Strawberries may be far too difficult to grow at all. Some areas of the UK may become better for farmers and new crops may grow that we've never been able to grow before, but it presents a huge challenge for farmers who will have to change their entire way of working. What must farmers do to adapt and what do we need to do to ensure we keep the food on our plates?

GUESTS:

Charlie Ireland, a farming consultant at Ceres consultancy, who advises Jeremy Clarkson on Clarkson’s Farm Professor Nicola Cannon, Royal Agricultural University. Neil Ward, Professor of Rural and Regional Development at the University of East Anglia Tom Lancaster, Head of Land, Food and Farming at The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit

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Why does the Yemen war matter to the world?

Thursday, October 8, 2026 • Duration 28:38

The ceasefire between the Saudi-backed Yemen government and the Houthi rebels is over. As the fighting for control of land and sea intensifies, what are the knock on effects for the rest of the world?

Guests:

Nawal Al-Maghafi, BBC senior international investigations correspondent Baraa Shiban, researcher and political analyst on Yemen and the Gulf at the defence and security thinktank, RUSI Dr Elisabeth Kendall, Arabist & Middle East specialist and also The Mistress of Girton College at the University of Cambridge Frank Gardner, BBC Security Correspondent

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Phoebe Keane and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Sound engineer: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Maria Ogundele

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Are Gen Z movements reshaping politics?

Thursday, August 27, 2026 • Duration 28:24

In May, the Chief Justice of India unwittingly gave a name to a generational protest. He called unemployed young people “cockroaches” and the mass youth movement that had begun in the wake of the sudden cancellation of a national exam took on the title - the Cockroach Janta party.

But India hasn’t been the only country that has seen Gen Z - people aged between 14 and 29 - engaging in mass protests this year. It’s been happening all over the place, from Serbia to Kenya. Different grievances, different circumstances, but the same generation.

So what are the youth revolting about, and are they winning?

Step inside The Briefing Room and together we’ll find out.

Guests:

Dr Nayana Prakash, research affiliate at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge. Erica Frantz, associate professor in political science at Michigan State University Matthew Cebul, lead research fellow at the Nonviolent Action Lab at the Harvard Kennedy School

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Emma Close and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Penny Murphy Sound engineer: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Keshia Agyei

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How do we prepare for a future water shortage?

Thursday, August 20, 2026 • Duration 28:37

Did you step outside this morning and feel something odd on your face or neck? Its called rain. We’ve hardly had any this summer and the result was the declaration this month of drought status across two thirds of England and almost all of Wales. The reservoirs are low. And the future looks parched: the government estimates that by 2055, England will face a water shortfall of 5 billion litres a day. To put that in context we currently use 14 billion litres.

Why has this happened and how can we fix it? Other than everyone moving to Scotland.

Step inside The Briefing Room and together we’ll find out.

Guests:

Sir John Armitt, chair of The Public Private Partnership Commission Professor Jim Hall, Professor of Climate and Environmental Risk at Oxford University Dr Heather Smith, Senior Lecturer in Water Governance at Cranfield University

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Bob Howard and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Penny Murphy Sound engineer: James Beard Production co-ordinator: Keshia Agyei

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Part 2: How do we reform social care?

Monday, August 10, 2026 • Duration 28:59

Until recently Baroness Louise Casey was going to deliver her huge review of English social care by 2028. Then the PM changed and so did the date. Now the whole shebang is timed for next summer. Last week we looked at what we mean by social care, who gets it, who provides it and who pays for it. And why our current system is deficient.

This week we find out what the alternatives are, how much they’d cost and who’d pay.

Guests:

Thea Stein, Chief Executive of the Nuffield Trust Simon Bottery, who leads independent charity The King's Fund's work on adult social care Sir Andrew Dilnot, the economist who was asked by the government back in 2010 to chair a commission to find a fair and sustainable way of funding adult social care in England

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Sound engineer: James Beard Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed and Maria Ogundele

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Part 1: How do we reform social care?

Thursday, August 6, 2026 • Duration 28:47

It’s social care time again. That moment every five years when politicians and civil servants are on the cusp of coming up with a new system to replace the perceived arbitrary and unfair way in which we in the UK pay for the care that many adults need to be able to live a decent life.

Right now Baroness Casey, appointed by Keir Starmer to conduct a urgent review into social care in England with the objective of recommending a new plan, has been asked by Andy Burnham to make it even more urgent and recommend it more quickly.

In this first of two episodes looking at what the review is likely to find and its impact on all of us, we’ll look at what we mean by social care, its history and who gets it.

Guests:

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Sally Abrahams and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Sound engineer: James Beard Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed and Maria Ogundele

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Part 2: How's the government doing on immigration?

Monday, July 27, 2026 • Duration 28:48

According to polls immigration remains near the top - or at the top - of public concerns. And now a new prime minister inherits that popular anxiety. Last week The Briefing Room examined arguably the most visible aspect of the migration question: the small boats, asylum seeking and illegal migration.

This week we look at legal migration, the issue of reliance on overseas workers, changes to indefinite leave to remain and public opinion about migration.

Guests:

Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford and author of What is Immigration Policy for? Dominic Casciani, BBC Home and Legal correspondent Rob Ford, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Sound engineers: Duncan Hannant Sound mix: James Beard Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed, Maria Ogundele

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Part 1: How's the government doing on immigration?

Thursday, July 23, 2026 • Duration 28:07

New PM, old problems. When Labour took office they vowed to tackle the people smuggling gangs behind the small boats crossings, to reduce net inward migration and to act to replace cheap imported labour with better paid indigenous workers. Meanwhile Andy Burnham faces polls showing immigration still sitting near the top - if not the top - of public concerns.

But what are the facts here? What does the record show after two years of this government?

This issues here are so big and complicated that we’re devoting two programmes to them. In this - the first one - we’re going to focus purely on small boats, asylum seekers and illegal immigration.

Guests:

Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford and author of What is Immigration Policy for? Dominic Casciani, BBC Home and Legal correspondent.

Production team:

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Sound engineers: Duncan Hannant and Andy Garratt Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed, Maria Ogundele

Picture credit: Ben Stansall Via Getty

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Will a devolution revolution help boost the economy?

Thursday, July 16, 2026 • Duration 28:42

Power to the people! Or, at any rate power to the mayors! As government prepares for yet another new prime minister it is keenly aware that this one has moving power away from the centre to the English regions as his big idea. His central idea. The argument is that such devolution will lead to more and better economic growth. But how does that actually work? Would you get more growth that way?

Guests:

Jennifer Williams, Northern correspondent at the Financial Times Tony Travers, Professor in Practice in the LSE Department of Government Liam Sides, Associate Director in the Cities and Regions team at Oxford Economics Thomas Pope, Chief Economist at the Institute for Government

Production team

Presenter: David Aaronovitch Producers: Ben Carter, Nathan Gower and Kirsteen Knight Editor: Richard Vadon Sound engineers: Sarah Hockley and Neil Churchill Production co-ordinators: Siobhan Reed, Maria Ogundele

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The Briefing Room – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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The Briefing Room – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

BBC2

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

BBC2

Apple Podcasts

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