Let Me Explain with Seán Defoe

From the Shakespearean stage to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, Sir Patrick Stewart became one of the most recognisable actors of his generation. Best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men, Stewart died this week aged 86, leaving behind a career spanning more than six decades. This week on Let Me Explain, Seán Defoe looks back at the life, caree...

100 years ago this Halloween the famous escape artist Harry Houdini died. For the next decade his wife would conduct a seance every year on his anniversary - not trying to prove Houdini could communicate from the world beyond, but that the clairvoyants, mystics and soothsayers who claimed to talk the dead were frauds. Let Me Explain

With right wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing the prospect of losing power - would a change in Government change anything for Palestinians? Who are the favourites for this month's Israeli national elections - and where do they stand on the war? Let Me Explain. Episode 254

In 2008, Abu Dhabi money transformed Manchester City from a struggling club into one of the biggest forces in world football. But behind the trophies, Pep Guardiola and the unforgettable Agüero goal came 115 Premier League charges and a guilty verdict. We explore the money, the politics and the legal battle that could change Manchester City’s future.

With budget 2027 on the horizon here's five things you need to watch out for as Simon Harris completes his first budget as Finance Minister

This week, Sean looks at the most recent technological moral panic: The Hugging Face Incident. From this, Sean investigates whether Artificial Intelligence is something we really should worry about, or just another feature of a technology advancing so quickly. The answer might not be so black and white. Listen here.

For our milestone 250th EPISODE, we look back 65 years to the death of UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. He died in a plane crash in the Congo while on a mission to negotiate a ceasefire. Was it an accident, or was his plane deliberately brought down? We examine his final mission and the unanswered questions surrounding his death.

Star Trek helped shape the way we imagine the future should sound. From the Enterprise and its strange electronic noises to the sounds that became staples of science fiction, its influence is still everywhere. We look at how Star Trek built a soundscape for space, and why filmmakers are still borrowing from it today. Listen here.

This week we take a deep dive into the Lindsay Clancy murder case. A woman found guilty of murdering her three children, but could responsibility lie elsewhere, or how can we really understand cruel acts like this. Listen here.

This week we go inside the story of a woman who posed for years as a 9/11 survivor, gained the trust of hundreds who thought she'd been in the Twin Towers that day - but who wasn't everything she seemed

In August 1973 a man walks into a Swedish bank, demands three million kroner and takes four hostages. The six day standoff that followed would become the origin story for Stockholm Syndrome. Let Me Explain.

You might never have heard of Mona Lisa if she hadn't been stolen from the Lourve 115 years ago. The two year manhunt and the resulting news coverage made her the most famous painting in history. Let Me Explain.

Immerse yourself in the 18th of August 1940 when the Luftwaffe tried to use overwhelming force to crush British resistance in the air. Follow the newly promoted RAF captain facing his hardest day yet - and the German destroyer squad looking to cripple British fighter command.

This week we explore the sad case of Goody Glover who was denounced a witch in Boston just before the Salem witch trials kicked off in earnest

Lughnasadh : you’ve heard the name, but what exactly is it — and how does a Celtic harvest festival connect to Ireland’s very own “Superman”? Sean Defoe dives into the myth behind the 1st of August, from the Tuatha Dé Danann and the fearsome Fomorians to Balor of the Evil Eye and the prophecy that finally catches up with him. Along the way, we meet Lugh: master of every craft, spear-throwing hero,...

What is it TDs actually get up to when they're not in the Dail?

As we mark 30 years since the birth of Dolly the sheep - where is cloning technology now? And could humans or dinosaurs be next?

Are politicians worse than they used to be, or are we all wearing rose-tinted glasses? Sean Defoe takes on the big question as a new poll suggests Fine Gael has edged back into first place, with Sinn Féin stalling and the Social Democrats still climbing. From “Pepsi and Coke” party comparisons to what Mary Lou McDonald says about Sinn Féin’s momentum, Sean unpacks the fractured landscape and why a...

This week a deep dive on the likely soon-to-be Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Who the hell is he? And what does he stand for?

This week, to make the rest of us feel better, we're looking at the worst dads in history (and one of the best) to mark Father's Day

This week Cameron Hill from Off The Ball joins Sean to chat through the multiple controversies that have so far dogged World Cup 2026

This week we're looking into the referendum Switzerland is holding to cap its population at 10 million. Is it a daft idea? And how would it work anyway?

This week we analyse the fallout of the two by-elections and what it means for the major political parties

Jamie O'Hara fills in this week to answer that age old question, would I be happier if I just had...whatever it is your heart desires

This week we're crunching the numbers on the Galway West by-election. Who's in it to win it?