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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The crisis in dentistry: why is it happening and what should we do about it?
Thu 8 Feb 2024
Dental decay - the struggle to find an NHS dentist.
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Is the UK prepared for more floods?
Thu 25 Jan 2024
More than six million homes are at risk - are we doing enough?
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Why is local government in such trouble?
Thu 18 Jan 2024
Bankruptcy, debt, cuts to services - why some councils are struggling
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Israel-Gaza: Is it turning into a regional conflict?
Thu 11 Jan 2024
From Houthi rebels in the Red Sea to attacks on the Lebanon-Israel border.
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Brexit: Could we rejoin the EU even if we wanted to?
Thu 4 Jan 2024
Recent polling shows an appetite to rejoin the EU, but is this really a realistic option?
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Aliens: Are we closer to finding intelligent life beyond Earth?
Thu 28 Dec 2023
A US whistleblower鈥檚 shocking claims about UFOs have sparked a new debate on aliens
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What鈥檚 behind the record homelessness figures?
Thu 21 Dec 2023
Recent homelessness figures show an increasing number of people in temporary accommodation
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What can the UK learn from other countries about assisted dying?
Thu 14 Dec 2023
What is and isn鈥檛 allowed in the UK and what could we learn from other countries?
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Ukraine: what's the counter-offensive latest?
Thu 7 Dec 2023
As Ukraine heads into winter, how has their summer counter-offensive fared?
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Net migration: What鈥檚 happening in the UK?
Thu 30 Nov 2023
As UK net migration hits a record high, what's going on behind the numbers?
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Israel-Gaza war: What's going on in the West Bank?
Thu 23 Nov 2023
The world鈥檚 focus is on Gaza, but what鈥檚 happening in the other Palestinian territory?
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Israel/Gaza: What happens next?
Thu 19 Oct 2023
It's nearly two weeks since the Israel/Hamas war broke out. How will it all end?
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What was Hamas thinking?
Thu 12 Oct 2023
What was the thinking behind Hamas's attack on Israel and what comes next?
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If Trump gets re-elected what does the world do?
Thu 5 Oct 2023
How's the world preparing for the possibility of Donald Trump winning the 2024 election?
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What a murder in Canada tells us about India's place in the world
Thu 28 Sep 2023
How the murder of a Canadian Sikh in British Colombia turned the spotlight on India.
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The UK鈥檚 financial headache
Thu 21 Sep 2023
How will the state of UK public finances shape Tory and Labour election manifestos?
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Who do we think we are now?
Thu 14 Sep 2023
David Aaronovitch explores Britain's current political demography and asks who we are now.
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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?
