Strong Message Here

To start off this mini-series, Armando picks a film he's enjoyed recently. Tim Key and Tom Basden's hit film The Ballad of Wallis Island started life as a short film, and has won plaudits for its offbeat, funny and warm story. How do films get made, when is the British film industry at his best, and what makes a film like this so special? Join Helen and Armando over the summer for more cultural re...

This week, Helen and Armando look back at a year of the Labour government. What language has come out of if, and why is it struggling to define itself? Looking at phrases from the year, like "The tepid bath of managed decline" and "National Health Recovery Mission Champions", does their language connect, and are their opponents any better? Strong Message Here will be back on Radio 4 in September,...

This week, Helen Lewis is back! In the longer edition, you can hear what Helen has been up to in her absence, before Helen and Armando set their sights on the language around Net Zero. They ask, Why has it taken long for them to cover it on the show? Is it being framed in a relatable enough way? And, does it suffer from being part of an 'omnicause'? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci decodes the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen Lewis is still away, so Journalist Marina Hyde steps in to join Armando. They discuss what an ordinary person might be, and examine if politicians use them as cover? Why is it always that things 'ordinary people' are saying 'on the doorstep' just so happen to be the exact things they wanted to...

This week, Helen Lewis is still away, so comedian Sara Pascoe steps in to join Armando. They reminisce over their first meeting on the set of a classic episode of The Thick of It - which was also in a radio studio - and then go on to discuss politicians on both sides of the Atlantic having thunderous breakups, and then making up in record time. Musk regrets his posts about Trump, and Zia Yusuf ret...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci decodes the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen Lewis is away, so comedian and writer Stewart Lee joins Armando to look at Robert Jenrick's flashy video in which he takes aim at 'weird Turkish barber shops', among other things. They discuss how the way politicians, entertainers and journalists are changing and overlapping, and Armando recal...

This week, we have a very special guest, Jon Stewart! Jon joins Armando and Helen to discuss whether Trump is the political equivalent of Miles Davis, the quaintness of UK politics compared to the US, Jon does a flawless Margaret Thatcher impression and they answer the age old question... are escalators the most emasculating form of travel? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, we're looking at inflammatory language. From Immigration to EU deals, we've heard talk of of 'betrayal' 'surrender' 'invasion' and of course 'an island of strangers'. When is this hyperbole appropriate and when is it egregious? And, can we ever forgive Boris Johnson for the...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando take a step back and look at whether we're seeing the death of nuance in political debate. Is everything boiled down to 'yes or no' questions? What are the shibboleths of modern politics, and does the language you use, or decline to use, put you firmly on...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, following Reform's announcement they will remove all flags from all council buildings under their jurisdiction - other than the Union Flag and the St George's Cross - Helen and Armando are joined by Phil Wang to discuss Britishness, Englishness, Scottishness, Irishness, Wel...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, a look over the pond at Trump's first 100 days. How have his administration used language to further their agenda? From the Gulf of America, to Making Showers Great Again, Helen and Armando examine how the US government is finding linguistic tricks to set the terms of debat...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci are joined by the BBC's former Live Political Editor to discuss the art of the political interview. What's a valid question? What's a cheap gotcha? They also discuss Paxman's beard, the best political interviews and how to get the most out of a politic...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando are joined by economist and journalist for the Financial Times, Soumaya Keynes. They take a look back on Liberation Day - what exactly was America being liberated from? What was the response in China to the tariffs? and Soumaya wades into the murky waters...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando are joined by author, broadcaster and former adviser to Theresa May and Boris Johnson, Cleo Watson. Taking a look back at the three word slogans that defined politics in recent years, especially those that relate to Cleo's time in number 10. Why are they s...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Following the remarkable security breach dubbed 'Signalgate', Helen and Armando are joined by political editor of Politics Joe, Ava Santina Evans, to discuss how casualness has crept into political communication. Is it a threat? Is it just cringe? And why oh why do we still use the su...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Are Labour telling a good enough story? Who is the best storyteller in politics? How do you establish a narrative to take control of events, rather than let events define you? To answer these questions, Helen and Armando are joined by Associate Editor and Columnist for The Financial T...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, the Government announced their plans for welfare reform, so we take a look at the language around welfare, around benefit claimants, and how it's changed over the years. Gone are the 'strivers vs shirkers' of the 2010s or even Peter Lilley's infamous 'little list' of the ea...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Musk has been threatening a former astronaut (no, not the one he threatened the other week - another one), Trump has been talking tariffs, and Rupert Lowe took on his party's 'Messiah', Nigel Farage. What does all this tough talk mean in politics? Does projecting strength a...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Hot mics, leaks, tell-all books. We find out a lot about how politicians talk in private. How does it differ from their public pronouncements? And are politicians less careful about how they come across in public these days? Helen and Armando survey the lay of the linguistic land. Lis...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Farage says everybody is miserable, Trump says everything is a 'disaster', and Liz Truss chimed in saying Britain is a 'failed state', so Helen and Armando are trying to find out why those who claim to be patriots are keen to talk the country down. And why Starmer and Reeves' downbeat...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, JD Vance sent European leaders into a tailspin with an inflammatory speech at the Munich Security Conference, and Kemi Badenoch made an attention-grabbing speech at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. Looking at them side-by-side, what does it tell us about the langua...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Starmer has suggested that Britain adopt a 'Build, Baby, Build' strategy. Sound familiar? We thought so too, so Helen and Armando are looking at why politicians copy their opponents. Is it a sign of strength or weakness, and do the public think it sounds convincing? Listen...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Why do we know what's going to be in a political speech before it happens? What is 'kiteflying' and 'pitch rolling'? To find out, Helen and Armando are joined by sketch writer for The Critic, Rob Hutton, who has been at more political announcements than he's had hot dinners. What's th...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Trump has truly settled back into the White House, but is it different this time around? Helen and Armando take a look at how this unique politician uses language to get his way. We also look at Trump Derangement Syndrome - a favourite phrase of the new President to describ...

Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando take a deep dive into Mark Zuckerberg's statement which explains the new rules around fact checking and free speech on his Meta platforms. Is free speech really back? Or should we be worried that fact-checkers are a thing of the past? Listen to Strong Mess...