The Crisis Room – Details, episodes &amp; analysis

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Does Britain need to wake up to the prospect of war?

Season 1 · Episode 2

Thursday, June 5, 2025 • Duration 37:39

Is the UK ready to take part in an armed conflict? Do the British people understand what being war-ready really means? And is the government willing to cough up and pay what it takes to keep the public safe in the long-term?

This week, Amber and Mark discuss Britain's war-readiness in light of the publication of the Strategic Defence Review, and they speak to Dr. Fiona Hill, one of the authors of that review.

They also ask Fiona whether the US can be seen as a reliable ally under her old boss Donald Trump, and even though there's no Marc Polymeropoulos this week, there's still a 'ding-dong' in there to keep him happy.

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The inside story: What it's like to run SAS operations in Iraq

Season 1 · Episode 3

Thursday, June 12, 2025 • Duration 42:43

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be part of Special Forces operations during the Iraq War? In an exclusive interview, former SAS Commanding Officer Richard Williams reveals what it was like to run those units in Baghdad at a time when Al-Qaeda were detonating 100 suicide bombs every month - and just how big an impact his men had on restoring some sense of order to the Iraqi capital.

For the first time, Richard also publicly shares his strong views on the controversial public inquiry into SAS operations in Afghanistan, while Mark and Amber discuss their experiences of working - and going out on operations - with the world-famous regiment.

Plus Marc Polymeropoulos is back to give his view on the recent political upheaval in Syria, a country he lived and worked in during his long career with the CIA. Tune in to hear Marc admit that President Trump has finally made a foreign policy decision he can support!

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Emergency episode: Israel hits Iran - can this crisis be contained?

Season 1 · Episode 4

Friday, June 13, 2025 • Duration 29:14

In the first-ever emergency edition of The Crisis Room, Mark, Amber, and Marc unpack Israel’s dramatic overnight attacks on Iran, and what they could mean for global security. The situation is so urgent, Marc joins the conversation from a plane. Yes, really.

The team dissect Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s latest military gamble, question what President Trump may have known in advance, and take you inside the high-stakes decision-making playing out right now in real-world crisis rooms across the Middle East and beyond.

Plus, they’re joined by Eric Brewer, former National Security Council official and leading Iran expert, to assess one of the biggest questions looming over this moment: Will Iran now pursue a nuclear weapon?

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"I may do it, I may not" - will Donald Trump strike Iran?

Season 1 · Episode 5

Thursday, June 19, 2025 • Duration 34:14

What conversations are taking place in the White House Situation Room right now? How will the British government be responding to the war between Iran and Israel in its own Crisis Room, COBRA? Amber, Mark, and Marc recreate those scenes by dissecting the political, military, and intelligence aspects of this issue, and assess whether the US is likely to join in with Israeli strikes on Iranian sites - and whether it should.

The team also looks in detail at President Donald Trump's handling of this crisis. Why is he failing to bring peace to the world's conflicts, as he promised to during his election campaign? Is there still any path to a negotiated deal between Israel and Iran? And are there major divisions between Trump and other G7 leaders?

Plus: you've probably heard that MI6 has appointed its first-ever female chief. But what is Blaise Metreweli really like? Marc Polymeropoulos reveals his personal experience of working with the new C, and Amber and Mark explain what the in-tray looks like for the new boss of the Secret Intelligence Service.

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Iran-Israel war: has Trump shown Netanyahu who's in charge?

Season 1 · Episode 6

Wednesday, June 25, 2025 • Duration 38:21

With a ceasefire between Israel and Iran appearing to hold - for now - how much have the events of the past two weeks changed the Middle East in the longer term? In this week's episode, The Crisis Room team discuss the seismic shifts we've seen in the region, and they consider whether Iran will ever agree to return to the negotiating table after attacks from the US and Israel in the last fortnight.

They're also joined by Sir Simon Gass - a former British Ambassador to Tehran who helped to negotiate the Obama nuclear deal - who reveals what it's really like to negotiate with the Iranians.

And they look at this week's NATO summit and question how real Sir Keir Starmer's commitment is to the UK soon spending 5% on defence and security, and whether President Donald Trump is truly committed to Article 5.

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Will proscribing Palestine Action backfire on the Government?

Season 1 · Episode 7

Thursday, July 3, 2025 • Duration 35:36

In this week's episode, The Crisis Room team discuss the Home Secretary's proscribing of Palestine Action as terrorist group, despite warnings that a ban on the group criminalises legitimate protest.

Lord Anderson, former reviewer of Terrorism Legislation in the UK, joins us in the studio to talk about why governments take these measures, and how they can combat radicalisation across the UK.

Later, why has the White House suspended the delivery of weapons to Ukraine? And why is there such a shift in tone from Trump since NATO last week?

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One in, one out: is this really a solution to the migrant crisis?

Season 1 · Episode 8

Thursday, July 10, 2025 • Duration 40:23

'This can't go on' - that's what Keir Starmer and President Macron have said about the migrant crisis this week. But will their new 'one in, one out' deal make any real difference to stopping the boats? Amber also reveals what was said in government conversations about illegal migration during her time as Home Secretary - and which of her cabinet colleagues would privately ask her to make sure the overall migration numbers stayed high so their departments weren't adversely affected.

Plus: ID cards - an unacceptable intrusion into our right to privacy? Or a silver bullet in the battle with illegal immigration? Amber, Mark, and Marc discuss what difference ID cards could make - and whether the UK government can learn anything from President Trump's immigration crackdown in the US.

And the team ask whether there is any merit to Benjamin Netanyahu nominating Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize - and Mark explains what world leaders can learn from the Oslo Peace Process in the 1990s.

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Which world leader is best at dealing with Donald Trump?

Season 1 · Episode 9

Thursday, July 17, 2025 • Duration 35:36

It's one of the big diplomatic dilemmas of the modern era: how do you solve a problem like President Trump? It's a dilemma that world leaders from Keir Starmer, to Emanuel Macron, to Mark Carney have grappled with over the past six months - some choose to stand up to the US President, while others bend the knee. NATO chief Mark Rutte has even hailed Trump a 'great man' in a recent interview - a comment which has Marc P's blood boiling! The team discuss which world leader has the best approach to dealing with the President.

Before that, Mark breaks down the major new military aid package for Ukraine announced by Trump and Rutte last week. Will it really move the dial and change the outcome of this war in Ukraine's favour? Or does it just buy Putin and Russia more time to continue their offensive?

Plus: should heads roll over the Afghanistan data breach? Amber gives her response to the crisis engulfing the British government, and explains why the far-right are trying to exploit this story to stoke unrest in the UK.

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