Intelligence Squared

Thomas Cromwell helped Henry VIII break with Rome, reshape government and establish the Church of England. A century later, his distant relative Oliver Cromwell helped defeat a king, establish a republic and became Lord Protector. Both men are usually remembered as exceptional commoners who rose through talent and ruthless pragmatism. But neither rose alone. What does the familiar ‘great man’ vers...

Europe’s past is not past. The borders of vanished empires still surface in election results. The European Union and Nato face a world in which Russia is aggressive, America is less dependable and Europe’s own ability to act remains fragmented. Here in Britain, the political argument has begun to move from whether Brexit worked to what a return might demand. In this episode, Margherita Volpato spe...

Katherine Rundell has dazzled millions of readers globally with her writing on fantastical beasts. In her bestselling book The Golden Mole, she profiled some of the world’s most extraordinary endangered animals, including pangolins, wombats, lemurs and seahorses. This critically acclaimed compendium celebrated the earth’s greatest wonders, and offered a rallying call to prevent their extinction. I...

Who are we? Why are we here? Are we alone in the universe? How did we become the creatures that we are? How might we further evolve? These are some of the big questions that Brian Cox and Alice Roberts tackled when they came to the Intelligence Squared stage in December 2014. Brian Cox is the rockstar who became a scientist, and is now a rockstar scientist. He is known to millions as the presenter...

On the 70th anniversary of the publication of Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin’s seminal novel about sexuality, race and myth in America, Booker Prize-winning writer Ben Okri joined us to reflect on the life, literature and enduring legacy of one of the world’s most loved writers. Baldwin’s work reshaped the literary and political landscape. Many of our greatest writers today credit his influence on...

In this episode, Kamal was joined by Jeremy Hunt, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and Dr. Angela Spatharou, Senior Partner and EMEA Leader for Healthcare & Life Sciences at IBM Consulting. They explore how AI and hyper-automation are transforming the world of work; how future technologies can re...

Carlo Rovelli is an award-winning theoretical physicist and writer with a gift for making complex ideas feel real and accessible. Whether exploring black holes, quantum mechanics, philosophy, or history, he inspires audiences with his sense of wonder and curiosity at how the world works. Beloved by millions, Rovelli’s books, including Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and The Order of Time, invite us...

With the US midterm elections one month away, we revisit highlights from Anthony Scaramucci’s recent Intelligence Squared tour across the UK. The former White House communications director recalls how he discovered he had been fired, what election night 2016 looked like from inside Trump Tower and how he faced media ridicule. He also considers whether America is ready for its first female presiden...

The bestselling author of more than 36 novels, including Fool Me Once, Tell No One and the Myron Bolitar series, Coben is renowned for his ability to build tension, wrong-foot his readers and create intricately plotted narrative worlds. His thrillers have been published in 46 languages and adapted into more than twenty television and film adaptations, including Netflix hits The Stranger, Stay Clos...

This podcast has always brought together two kinds of conversation. Original episodes recorded in the studio, and live events from the Intelligence Squared stage. Now, we’re giving each a home of its own, making it easier for you to find exactly what you want to hear. Search Intelligence Squared Live to find out more. Two podcasts. Two distinct ways to explore the ideas that matter.  Intellig...

Sebastian Faulks is one of the country’s best loved novelists, known for books such as Birdsong, Human Traces, Engleby and Charlotte Gray. His writing is renowned for its masterful storytelling and bringing historical periods to life through the inner lives of his characters. In September 2026 Faulks joined us live on stage to discuss his new novel, Farewell to Eden. In a blazing return to Faulks’...

What if the CIA and MI6 began spying on each other? This is the question that David McCloskey, the former CIA analyst and co-host of the Rest is Classified, discusses on this episode with Carl Miller.  Together, they examine what would happen if the ‘special relationship’ between the Agency and its British counterpart were to be purposefully disrupted. From a potential technological revolutio...

This September the Bayeux Tapestry went on display at the British Museum to huge crowds of eager patrons. This is the first time it has been displayed in England since it was made almost 1,000 years ago, and the exhibition is expected to draw over 7.5 million people until it journeys back to Bayeux in July 2027. The tapestry tells a story that is baked into the national psyche: Harold breaks an oa...

According to Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director, outspoken Trump critic and co-host of The Rest Is Politics: US, President Trump represents one of the greatest challenges America has ever faced. During the first half of his second presidency, Trump has waged war on Iran, threatened the future of NATO and clashed with allies. At home he jokes about cancelling elections,...

As the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet has witnessed and reported on some of the most consequential events of our time. She has reported from Iran and Afghanistan since 1988, played a leading role in the BBC’s coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings reporting from Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and Syria, and has covered major wars as well as efforts to make peace in the Middle East sin...

According to Anthony Scaramucci, former White House Communications Director, outspoken Trump critic and co-host of The Rest Is Politics: US, President Trump represents one of the greatest challenges America has ever faced. During the first half of his second presidency, Trump has waged war on Iran, threatened the future of NATO and clashed with allies. At home he jokes about cancelling elections,...

Kevin Fong has spent his working life in high-risk, high-performance teams. He flies as a Helicopter Emergency Medical Service doctor, has worked on NASA’s human spaceflight programme, and was part of the UK’s frontline response to major incidents and terror attacks.  In this episode, he joins Professor of Environment and Society, Helen Czerski, to discuss some of the most challenging and hig...

The internet was once imagined as a place that would bring us closer together – a shared space for curiosity, creativity and connection. So how did it become a machine for capturing our attention, amplifying division and shaping what billions of people see and believe? In this episode of Intelligence Squared, Conor Boyle speaks to journalist and technology entrepreneur Mark Little about the themes...

The post-war international order is under increasing strain. The principle that borders cannot be changed by force is being challenged –not only by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but by Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, his undermining of longstanding alliances and his willingness to use military force abroad. In his new book, Betrayal, Guardian foreign correspondent Luke Harding argues th...

The post-war international order is under increasing strain. The principle that borders cannot be changed by force is being challenged –not only by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but by Donald Trump’s threats to seize Greenland, his undermining of longstanding alliances and his willingness to use military force abroad. In his new book, Betrayal, Guardian foreign correspondent Luke Harding argues th...

Francis Fukuyama is one of the most influential political thinkers of our time. His famous 1989 essay, The End of History? – written as the Berlin Wall fell and communism collapsed – posed a provocative idea: that Western liberal democracy had triumphed over ideology, and that it might be the “final form of human government”. Over three decades later in 2026, the world looks almost...

Francis Fukuyama is one of the most influential political thinkers of our time. His famous 1989 essay, The End of History? – written as the Berlin Wall fell and communism collapsed – posed a provocative idea: that Western liberal democracy had triumphed over ideology, and that it might be the “final form of human government”. Over three decades later in 2026, the world looks almost...

When the MeToo movement ignited in 2017, many believed it would be a turning point for women after which positive change would become inevitable. And for a brief time, it felt like the world was finally listening to women’s voices. But in 2026, that promise feels fragile. The rise of the manosphere, escalating violence against women and girls, and the weaponisation of social media have made speaki...

When the MeToo movement ignited in 2017, many believed it would be a turning point for women after which positive change would become inevitable. And for a brief time, it felt like the world was finally listening to women’s voices. But in 2026, that promise feels fragile. The rise of the manosphere, escalating violence against women and girls, and the weaponisation of social media have made speaki...

Liberal democracy was once a radical force. It challenged monarchies, expanded political rights and, at its most successful, helped deliver rising wages and shared prosperity. So how did it become associated with an establishment that growing numbers of voters have turned against? In this episode, researcher and author Carl Miller speaks with Nobel Prize-winning economist Daron Acemoglu about his...