Planet Normal

The votes are in and the Prime Minister lives to fight another day.  But is it the beginning of the end of the Johnson Premiership? Our co-pilots are divided. Allison is mourning the end of her love affair with Boris Johnson this week. Co-pilot Pearson believes his backflips on Conservative policy pledges are making voters feel like "a cheated spouse." While she's not convinced the ...

It's all eyes on the Queen as the nation celebrates Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee, now known on the rocket as 'Platty Joobs.' Our podcast co-hosts are struck by the parallels between this landmark event and another, the Silver Jubilee in 1977, which also fell during a period of political and economic uncertainty. Liam Halligan thinks while the mood is celebratory at the moment, all bets are off o...

As the partygate scandal reaches a crescendo with the release of the much-anticipated Sue Gray report, our co-pilots bring you their highlights from the revelations.  But is the report damning enough to see Boris Johnson bounced out of No10? Co-pilot Halligan warns the Prime Minister will never truly be rid of 'partygate,' because the scandal will forever be part of his political epitaph...

Inflation has hit a 40 year high this week and so has our co-pilot's frustration with the NHS. The state of the health service is at the forefront of co-pilot Pearson's mind, after a new report revealed the astonishing scale of NHS bureaucracy. Allison is furious at the "parasitical layers of management" in the health service, and argues funding should be focused on providing frontline services an...

This very special 100th episode was recorded live at the Soho Hotel, London. It's a special week on Planet Normal, our co-pilots are celebrating 100 voyages on the capsule of common sense. But does Allison finally know what a podcast is? It’s a star studded affair, with many former Planet Normal stowaways making an appearance on the rocket of right thinking to celebrate the occasion. Esteemed epid...

NB: This episode was recorded on Wednesday May 4th 2022 It's Local Election Day, with some 4,350 seats being contested around the country as the rocket of right-thinking heads into orbit. So which party will come out on top? And how might the result play out for our political leaders?  Liam believes that the Prime Minister has got the big calls right, and argues Boris Johnson will surviv...

With co-pilot Pearson taking a much needed holiday this week, former Labour MP Baroness Kate Hoey steps into the spaceboots once again to help Liam tackle the latest dose of madness from our political class. Forget partygate, because this week it’s all about ‘leg-gate’ in Westminster. So what do our co-pilots think the change of subject might mean for the Prime Minister? Kate thinks Boris Joh...

It might be a marathon of contrition for our Prime Minister this week, but our co-pilots are making no apologies for their views on the Planet Normal rocket. Both Allison and Liam can’t help but feel that the attacks on Boris Johnson over partygate are just parliamentary posturing, and show how unpleasant politics in the UK has become.   Allison thinks Sir Keir Starmer's assaults on the...

It's been a bruising week for the Government, with all eyes on the Chancellor's family finances before a damaging stream of Partygate penalty notices. And with inflation on the rise and the cost of living crisis intensifying, it seems the tsunami of woes has only just begun for Boris Johnson. So can the PM navigate the storm? Co-pilot Pearson is well and truly undecided, as she confesses she is ex...

As national insurance contributions, energy prices and council tax all increased this week, so too did our co-pilot's frustration with the Government's handling of the cost of living crisis. Allison is concerned that covid could throw even more economic turmoil in the mix. With nine new symptoms being added to the official list, co-pilot Pearson fears it will be too easy for workers to use the vir...

It's somewhat of a sombre week on Planet Normal, as our co-pilots are left shaken by the findings of the Ockenden inquiry into maternity scandals. The report found over 200 babies and mothers could have survived if it wasn't for catastrophic failures at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust. Allison struggles to contain her anger at the revelation some mothers were even blamed for their own deaths. She...

It's a fiscal feast on this week's voyage, with a special episode all about the Chancellor's Spring Statement. And boarding the rocket of right thinking to give his expert take is Telegraph columnist Ben Wright. So, as inflation hits a 30-year high and families face skyrocketing energy bills, did Rishi Sunak's 'mini-budget' deliver on easing the cost of living crisis? It's a resound...

The cost of living crisis is reaching a boiling point in the UK, and co-pilot Halligan warns things could get even worse.  As food and fuel prices go through the roof, Allison points out how accurate the predictions of 'Gypsy Rose Halligan' and his crystal ball have been so far.   As we eagerly await the contents of Rishi Sunak’s spring statement, Liam thinks the Chancellor needs to...

As the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifies, our co-pilots are breaking down what the crisis means for the UK and the rest of the world. Starting on the economic front. With soaring energy prices and public finances in disarray, is a recession now inevitable?  Our resident economic expert co-pilot Halligan says it's not all bad news, with the great unlocking after the pandemic stil...

Entering the capsule of common sense is Former Head of MI6, Sir Richard Dearlove, who tells our co-pilots why he was surprised by Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and warns Russia's arsenal of weapons will cause 'carnage'. Sir Richard also takes aim at Europe's 'unwise' and 'naive' decision to rely on energy from Russia and weighs in on the state of armed forces in the UK. Co-pilot Pear...

It’s a joyous week on Planet Normal as co-pilot Pearson returns to her rightful place at the helm of the rocket. And she’s not short of things to say. It’s three big cheers for the end of Covid restrictions, but only one and a half of those are for Prime Minister Boris Johnson.  Allison fears the public mindset is now the biggest threat, and expects squeals about the end of restrictions from...

As tensions between Russia and Ukraine continue to build, co-pilot Halligan is joined for one week only by a new co-presenter. Telegraph defence editor, Con Coughlin, steps in to give his take on the recent developments in the region and how it could affect the rest of the world. Con believes Russia remains the biggest threat to the Western Alliance, but warns we shouldn’t overlook...

The bell has rung for Parliamentary recess but the political drama shows no signs of slowing down, and neither do our co-pilots. Fresh from announcing he'll be standing down at the next election, MP Sir Charles Walker joins our co-pilots on the rocket to explain why he thinks it would be ‘heroic’ and ‘courageous’ for the PM to resign. He also says that the public has to shoulder some res...

Another week on Planet Normal poses more questions over the future of our Prime Minister. But do our co-pilots think Mr Johnson is a dead man walking or, to borrow a phrase from PM himself, that the Partygate storm is merely a 'pyramid of piffle'? Allison's done defending Boris Johnson for good, but Liam's advice for the PM? The economy, stupid. Co-pilot Halligan thinks he should channel Bill...

The nation waits for Sue Gray's 'Partygate' report, and Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan are here to fill the void. Will the PM cling on? Yes, says Liam, but there are more important issues at hand. He tells us what. Meanwhile Allison wonders if we're seeing a coordinated campaign against the PM from Tory ranks. And she too has been ambushed by cake. Joining our co-pilots on the rocket this week...

Actress and presenter Denise Welch brings some star power to Planet Normal, as she joins Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan in their rocket of right-thinking. She used to pull pints in the Rovers Return, but these days, you can find her engaging with her hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers on the real-world impact of repeated Covid lockdowns. Not one to shy away from dif...

Boarding the rocket of right-thinking in a podcast exclusive, no less, is Lord Frost. The one-time chief Brexit negotiator, who quit his Cabinet role as Brexit minister in December, tells Liam Halligan and Allison Pearson how the Government’s ineffective Covid policy drove him out of Downing Street, what it was really like sitting opposite Brussels on the negotiating table and why he advises slow...

With a new year comes a new wave of cynicism on our rocket of right thinking. This week, Allison wonders why the government has made it respectable for healthy people to skive work, while Liam predicts a year of ‘political unrest’. And both co-pilots ponder the question, how much Covid testing is too much? Joining us on our Planet Normal voyage is pub owner and hospitality champion, Adam Broo...

Parliamentary sketchwriter Madeline Grant joins Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan to give listeners the inside track on a tumultuous week in the Commons and why she believes the PM can no longer count on his own party to support further Covid measures. Plus, as The Telegraph's resident James Bond expert, she recommends her top instalment for your Christmas viewing. Also on the podcast: Liam t...

Minister for Trade Penny Mordaunt beams into the Planet Normal rocket from Atlanta, Georgia, in the week where Boris Johnson suffered the most bruising rebellion of his premiership. Over 100 of her Conservative colleagues voted against his plans for Covid passports. The former Cabinet minister tells Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why, and brings listeners the inside track o...