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With more than four billion people eligible to vote in an election in 2024, we delve into the electoral landscapes of India, the United States and the United Kingdom to examine the key issues shaping each nation’s political discourse and how these elections will impact international relations, economic policies and global democratic trends. This overview of the 2024 elections and their potential t...

Explore a crucial chapter in Middle Eastern history as we delve into the British Mandate in Palestine, which spanned from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War I until the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948. This period was marked by the emergence of nationalist movements and uprisings from both Arab and Jewish communities. Many viewed this era as a betrayal of the promised...

Join journalist, Nabila Ramdani, as she discusses her new book, Fixing France: How to Repair a Broken Republic , charting the course of France’s Fifth Republic, formed in the wake of the 1958 Algerian war of independence. Ramdani, with her Algerian heritage perspective, unveils a bold new lens through which to view modern France, tackling complex themes such as politics, economics, societal shifts...

In this episode two of the biggest names in comics, Dave Gibbons and Tim Pilcher, discuss their fascinating careers and their book, Confabulation: An Anecdotal Autobiography. As co-creator of Watchmen and with a back catalogue that includes everything from Doctor Who to Batman, Gibbons is comic book royalty. Writer, historian and comic book expert, Pilcher, is Chair of the Comic Book Alliance and...

In this episode, renowned experts Barnaby Rogerson and Eugene Rogan, and chair Aaqil Ahmed, take a deep dive into the watershed moments that helped make and, at times, break the modern Middle East, a diverse region that is both incredibly culturally rich and yet fragile from the effects of empire and past and present power rivalries.

2024 marks 100 years since a watershed moment in Russia’s history: the death of Vladimir Lenin, and the beginning of Joseph Stalin’s rise to power. In this episode, Professor John Russell deep dives into the complexities of Russia’s past and present, from Stalin’s rise to power to Putin’s fifth presidential term.

In this episode, enjoy dynamic poetry readings which explore some of the biggest issues in the world today, with poets Ralph Dartford, Tasneim Zyada, and Matt Abbott.

In this episode, Professor Saeed Khan takes us back to the Watergate Scandal, exploring what it meant for the American Presidency, the legacy it has left, and whether Watergate set the stage for the rise of Donald Trump and the current political climate.

In this episode, Shaykh Yahya Rhodus will guide us through Treatises of Imam al-Ghazali . This extensive book set explores the deep wisdom of Imam al-Ghazali, a renowned Islamic scholar and philosopher from the medieval era, touching on topics like religious doctrine, Sufism, eschatology, truth, and knowledge.

In this episode, join Shahina A. Ghazanfar, author and botanist at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and renowned scientific illustrator, Sue Wickison, as they discuss their award-winning book and exhibition, Plants of the Qur’an.

In this episode Jamal Mahjoub, Hamid Khalafallah, and Adela Suliman, discuss the current crisis in Sudan, a conflict which has resulted in a severe humanitarian disaster with over 14,000 fatalities and millions displaced.

In this episode, join us for a compelling discussion with Dr Husam Zomlot, Palestinian Ambassador to the UK, on the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Dr Zomlot explores the challenges, opportunities for peace, and the future of Palestinian diplomacy.

In this episode, explore what makes arguably the most enigmatic of Haworth’s famous literary siblings, Emily Brontë, such an attractive subject for filmmakers and biographers.

In this episode, poets Khadijah Ibrahiim and Karen McCarthy Woolf, discuss the state of poetry in the UK; highlighting key themes preoccupying poets today and how poetry is changing. We also hear the shortlist for The Forward Prizes for Poetry 2023 awards, including a new category: Best Single Poem – Performed.

In this episode, our special guest Damian Bradfield, author of Algorithmic Reality, explores the state of the internet, the addictive effects of social media, invasion of privacy, data misuse, and the current use of your data to power AI – and how we can take back control.

In this episode, delve into the Golden Age of Islam in a captivating conversation with Dr Shamim Miah, author of Ibn Khaldun: Education, History and Society , and Saeed Khan.

In this episode, we hear from Ben Aaronovitch and Jonathan Stroud – two stellar names in the world of British Fantasy. Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London series has become a runaway success, and Stroud is author of the acclaimed Lockwood and Co series.

In this episode, our panel discuss how society has changed and ask whether our obsession with individualism has eroded community values. Has life in the 21st century become all about the cult of the individual?

In this episode, Mark Jones, author of 1923: The Forgotten Crisis in the Year of Hitler’s Coup, explores how and why Hitler and the Nazis were able to come to power, and how they remained in power for so long.

In this episode, we delve into a new category of thought called ‘Alt-Wallah’ within the Islamicate, based around a supposed crisis of masculinity, the Alt Right, and Muslim men.

In this episode, hear from Rachel Louise Snyder as she tells her own story, which is as dramatic as many of those she has covered during her career as an award-winning journalist.

In this episode, our panel of experts explore China’s increasing involvement in brokering deals in the Middle East, Russia and China’s shared and separate agendas, and the potential for a new global power structure.

In this episode, we are joined by Leyla Jagiella, cultural anthropologist, scholar of religion and author of Among the Eunuchs. From an early age, she knew she would be defined by being Muslim and being trans. Struggling to negotiate these identities in her conservative hometown, she travelled to India and Pakistan, where her life was changed by her time among third-gender communities.

In this episode, step into the vividly colourful and wildly contrasting world of bestselling author, Kit De Waal, as she shares her captivating memoir. Iman Amrani will lead you on a journey through De Waal’s childhood, growing up in a household that defied convention and expectation.

In this episode, delve into the history and legend of one of Britain’s most iconic figures – Boudica, the warrior queen who led the greatest rebellion the country has ever seen.