Radical with Amol Rajan

A few weeks into her new job, Amol sits down with the Conservative Party leader for a wide-ranging interview about her brand of politics, what she would do as prime minister and why Elon Musk is backing Nigel Farage. They also discuss what she has done since taking over from Rishi Sunak, the Conservative government's record on immigration and Donald Trump's victory in the US presidential election....

French prime minister Michel Barnier was forced to resign when his government collapsed in the wake of a no-confidence vote and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is heading for fresh elections in February. Amol and Nick are joined by Jose Manuel Barroso, former President of the European Commission, to look at what the crisis in those countries means for the EU as it faces economic decline, the rise of...

When Nigel Farage accepted the Spectator’s Newcomer of the Year Award, he suggested that his Reform UK party could get hundreds more MPs at the next election. In this week’s episode Amol and Nick discuss whether that’s possible with BBC political editor Chris Mason and Tim Montgomerie, who founded the Conservative Home website, but recently left the Tory Party to join Reform UK. He explains why he...

After a bumpy first few months in power Keir Starmer is giving a speech to outline his milestones for the next five years, so in this episode Amol and Nick are joined by the former Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth to discuss the prime minister’s approach to politics and whether the speech should be seen as a reset moment for his government. Since winning the election in July, Keir Starmer chief of staf...

When Dame Esther Rantzen told Amol and Nick that she had joined the Dignitas clinic in Switzerland she helped reignite a debate about assisted dying in the UK. Now MPs are preparing to vote on a bill that would legalise it in England and Wales, so in this episode they catch-up with Dame Esther and speak to two MPs, Preet Kaur Gill and Warinder Singh Juss, about how their religion has influenced th...

Each year the Today programme gives guest editors the chance to explore the issues that matter to them. In this bonus episode one of this year’s guest editors, screenwriter and UK Children’s Laureate Frank Cottrell-Boyce, tells Amol what he’s planning for his programme. The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Amol was th...

In this special episode two former Labour prime ministers, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, reflect on the life of the former deputy prime minister who has died at the age of 86. Plus, Amol and Nick discuss their recollections of John Prescott and assess the impact he had on British politics. You can listen to John Prescott on Desert Island Discs here, in an episode first broadcast in 2012: https://ww...

Keir Starmer has said Labour will “smash the gangs” to stop the small boats carrying migrants across the Channel, so Nick joins Amol from the busiest border crossing in Europe to discuss whether that’s really possible. They hear from Syrian men living in a Bulgarian refugee camp and meet a sniffer dog who can detect rubber boats being taken across the border. Plus, they answer your questions about...

Nick joins Amol from the border between Bulgaria and Turkey, which is also the border between the EU and rest of the world. What happens here has a direct impact on what happens in the English Channel, so in this special episode he reports on the migration routes into Europe - where people are coming from, why they're coming and what, if anything, can be done to stop the people smugglers. Along th...

Ahead of a planned protest by farmers who are angry about the Budget, Amol and Nick talk to farmer and best-selling author James Rebanks. Plus, as Donald Trump's top team takes shape and he hires Elon Musk to jointly lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency”, they discuss what his appointments tell us about his approach to China and the war in Ukraine. The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Ra...

In this bonus live episode Amol and Nick are joined by fellow Today presenter Justin Webb who is in Washington DC. Together they answer questions about what Trump does next, why the pollsters got it so wrong, what they would ask Donald Trump if he came on the podcast and when Justin gets some sleep after presenting the Today programme overnight from America. The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Raj...

In this episode we look forward and discuss what a second Trump presidency could mean for the world with Lord Sedwill who was the UK’s most senior civil servant and national security adviser when Trump was last in the White House. Amol and Nick also speak to Mike Gonzalez who is a senior fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington DC about what we can expect from Donald Trump this...

How will the first Budget by a female chancellor and the first from a Labour government since 2010 be remembered? Nick is joined by Stephanie Flanders, head of economics and politics at Bloomberg, and Professor Tim Leunig from the London School of Economics, who advised two Conservative chancellors. Together they dig deeper into the Budget following Nick’s interview with Rachel Reeves on the Today...

In this episode we bring you Nick’s full interview with the Chancellor after she delivered the first Labour Budget since 2010. Later Nick will be joined by former BBC economics editor Stephanie Flanders and economist Tim Leunig to unpick what was in the Budget and what she said in the interview. That will be available on Thursday afternoon. To make sure you don’t miss it subscribe to The Today Pod...

In this bonus episode, Nick and Amol answer more of your questions. How much power does a political spin doctor have? How do journalists look after their mental health? And what happens if a guest swears on air? If you have a question you’d like to Nick and Amol to answer, get in touch by sending us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or email us on today@bbc.co.uk Subscribe...

In this exclusive interview Kate Bush talks to Today presenter Emma Barnett about a new short film she has made for the charity War Child, her music reaching a whole new audience through the TV series Stranger Things and her plans for the future. Plus, Emma tells Amol how she got such a rare interview with the music legend. The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson, both presente...

The billionaire boss of X, Tesla and SpaceX is backing Donald Trump in the US election, so what are his motivations and how should politicians deal with him? Amol and Nick talk to Ryan Mac, a reporter at the New York Times and author of ‘Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter’. Plus, they’re joined in the studio by Kirsty Young to talk about the new series of Young Again, the art of the...

After two decades in politics, including 10 cabinet positions under four prime ministers, Michael Gove is no stranger to the heat of a Conservative leadership contest. With Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick now going head-to-head in the final stage of the race to choose the party’s next leader, the Tory veteran joins Nick and Amol to give his assessment of the two candidates. What are their strengt...

This week marks 100 days of Keir Starmer’s government. But the new Prime Minister has already faced several setbacks, with stories swirling of freebies, party infighting, and anger at the scrapping of the winter fuel payments scheme. Nick and Amol sit down with Thangam Debbonaire, the former Labour MP and Shadow Culture Secretary, who lost her seat in the 2024 election. Is the negative media cover...

In the week that Israel invaded Lebanon and Iran attacked Israel with missiles, Nick and Amol take a step back to ask how we got here. They’re joined in the studio by Sir Simon Gass, one of the UK’s most experienced Iran watchers who was the UK ambassador to Tehran and political director at the Foreign Office. How powerful is Iran? What might happen now both Hezbollah and Hamas appear to have been...

Ruby Wax began her career as a classically trained actor. She’s also starred in sitcoms, made documentaries and done celebrity interviews. Now she’s best known as a mental health campaigner. In this bonus episode she opens up to Amol about her difficult upbringing, the highs and lows of her career and the art of the celebrity interview. Details of support with mental health are available at bbc.co...

Amol and Nick with their take on Keir Starmer’s first Today interview since becoming PM and behind the scenes insights about what it’s like doing big political interviews. Plus, Ruby Wax drops in for Moment of the Week. You can hear more of Amol’s conversation with Ruby Wax in a bonus episode that will drop on Saturday morning. Subscribe to The Today Podcast on BBC Sounds so you don’t miss an epis...

In this bonus episode, Nick talks to Keir Starmer after his first Labour conference speech as prime minister. Check back later to get Amol and Nick’s take on the interview and make sure you subscribe to The Today Podcast on BBC Sounds so you don’t miss an episode. You can also listen any time on your smart speaker by saying “Smart Speaker, ask BBC Sounds to play The Today Podcast.” The Today Podca...

Pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah have exploded across Lebanon killing several people and injuring thousands more. Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant says the country is "opening a new phase in the war" - and the "centre of gravity is shifting to the north through the diversion of resources and forces". Sir Alex Younger, a former head of MI6, talks to Amol and Nick about the significa...

How do independent MPs work together to hold the government to account? What do the producers behind Today do? And why does the programme mark the end of each hour with the pips? Amol and Nick return with answers to more listener questions. You too can put a question to Amol and Nick. Get in touch by sending us a message or voice note to WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 or you can email Today@bbc.co.u...