VS

Two UK comedy shows depicting the excruciating awkwardness of everyday life go head to head in the final episode of the season. For Hannah J Davies, writer for the Guardian, comedy peaked in the early 2000s with the arrival of Ricky Gervais’ tale of workplace drudgery, The Office – the spiky UK original, not the cuddly US version. Yomi Adegoke is a writer, columnist and co-author of the agenda-set...

Since the birth of modern pop music in the 1960s, two bands have continued to have an extraordinary influence over the music world: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Incredibly, one of those acts is still going but is it Lennon and McCartney or Mick’n’Keef who really deserve the top spot as far as influence, songwriting and live performance go? And who had the best haircuts? Jack Pelling is co-h...

Things move fast on social media. So quickly in fact that when this episode of VS was recorded in early 2023, the site now known as X to some had a completely different name and Threads was but a glint – albeit one slightly shinier than the metaverse – in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye. In April 2023, nobody was organising supposed ‘cage matches’ to settle battles between social-media giants. Instead, we i...

From wizards to sci-fi heroes and a whole bunch of comic-book universes in between, the fantasy realm across TV and cinema has never been so well catered for. This week we debate two fantasy worlds whose fans have helped build them into entertainment heavyweights: the Harry Potter franchise and Stranger Things. Representing Harry Potter is Trey Beachum, who has amassed his social-media following t...

Every generation believes its musical era was the best, but what if two people from the same generation think one musical decade takes top billing over another? Shaun Keaveny has been a favourite presenter among music lovers for many years with shows across BBC 6 Music, Radio 2 and Radio 4. For him it will always be the 1980s that holds a special place in his heart. Matt Everitt is also a well-lov...

If you take your food fast, there's two restaurant chains nearly always on hand to serve up a quick fix almost anywhere around the globe, McDonald's and KFC. For this episode of VS, our guests debate which high street favourite should be the victor and whether our diets and waistbands can be winners in this equation, too. Dahaba Ali Hussen is a reporter for the Guardian and The Bureau of Investiga...

For this edition of VS we're joined by two critics, two Matts and most of all two fans united in their love of a good sing-song, but not on who is the greatest musical theatre maestro of them all. Matt Hemley, Deputy Editor of The Stage and Matt Wolf, London theatre critic for the International New York Times, will be debating two of the most important composers to have written for The West End, B...

Two cities with hundreds of years of history, much of it shared, and also decades of cultural rivalry go head to head. Joining VS this week to debate London VS New York are our guests who have called each location home for most of their lives. Simon Jenkins is a regular newspaper columnist and formerly editor of the London Evening Standard and The Times newspapers. He was once chairman of The Nati...

Analog vs digital, past vs future, Junaid vs Lucy – we gather mathematician, author and educator, Junaid Mubeen, and Lucy James, host and Senior Producer at GameSpot, to debate Board Games vs Video Games. Junaid believes the analog mindset of board games can actually teach us a lot about making smart decisions in the digital space. Whereas for Lucy, the depth and creativity found within video game...

Two critically lauded TV shows have gone head to head depicting privilege and the lifestyles of the ultra rich through cuttingly satirical comedy-drama over the past couple of years: Succession and The White Lotus. But which binge fest do we love-hate the best? Ania Magliano is a comedian whose recent show, Absolutely No Worries If Not, was a sell-out hit at the Edinburgh Fringe. She’s also one of...

The North London derby, the regular fixture that defines a rivalry between neighbouring London football teams Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, has been simmering away for around a century. Harry Symeou and Kate Mason are two sports broadcasters who agree on their shared love of the beautiful game but when it comes to the North London derby these two are very much at opposite ends of the pitch. Harry...

Horsepower or pedal power? Four wheels or two? Can we have both during a climate emergency? Yassmin Abdel-Magied is a writer, broadcaster, social advocate and one-time racing car engineer. Her upcoming book later this summer is Stand Up and Speak Out Against Racism. Roma Agrawal – also known as Roma the Engineer – is a structural engineer, author and broadcaster, whose expertise helped build the S...

VS is a light-hearted podcast about the little debates that are always a big deal to someone. Arsenal VS Spurs. McDonald’s VS KFC. Peep Show VS The Office. 80s VS 90s. And many more. Our host Coco Khan invites experts and fans to go head-to-head on the timeless debates that form the lifeblood of friendships. Who wins? You decide with our weekly vote. VS is an Intelligence Squared production. Tune...

VS is a light-hearted podcast about the little debates that are always a big deal to someone. Arsenal VS Spurs. McDonald’s VS KFC. Twitter VS TikTok. 80s VS 90s. And many more. Our host Coco Khan invites experts and fans to go head-to-head on the timeless debates that form the lifeblood of friendships. Who wins? You decide with our weekly vote. VS is an Intelligence Squared production. Tune in to...