Talking France

In this week’s episode of Talking France we’ll look ahead to the holiday season in July and August and spell out exactly what you can expect in France this summer from the weather outlook and wildfire alerts to what will happen in French politics and what to expect if you’re travelling to or within France? Remember even though Talking France takes a break over the summer our team will still be cov...

Welcome to a new episode of Talking France. It’s our penultimate episode before we take a summer break and it’s a jam-packed one full of the latest news, talking points and flare ups from France. We’ll start with the fall out from the unprecedented and deadly heatwave that hit France in the second half of June. SPECIAL OFFER: Listeners can read The Local France for half price - (Introductory offer...

On this week's show we discuss the heat, yes France and the rest of Europe is in the grip of another brutal heatwave - and it's still only June. We'll look at the huge impact it's having on daily life in France and why the country isn't better prepared to deal with spells of extreme heat - given we know they are only going to become frequent and even hotter. And we’ll explain some important rules...

This week we’ll look at whether Emmanuel Macron can land any knock out blows for Europe as he welcomes global leaders including Donald Trump to France for what’s been dubbed as his swansong in the international arena. And we’ll have answers to two of the big questions visitors to Paris have about the French capital’s transport system, we’ll find out whether it’s true that France has more roundabou...

First up this week we'll look at how the killing of a young girl in south west France has sparked nationwide anger and protests and put the French governent under pressure to respond to a growing crisis around sexual violence towards children. We'll also look ahead to 2070 and find out what the French population will look like then, we'll also examine whether France really is home to half of the w...

On this week's episode we will discuss the trouble you can get into in France for being sexist after one man was fined 55,000 euros for an ungentlemanly outburst. We'll also find out why dramatic football victories in France end in scenes of violence, how the country is coming to terms with its involvement in the slave trade, but why it's unlikely the French government will be paying any reparatio...

As we recorded this episode, France is baking under a record-breaking May heatwave that has sadly proved deadly - at least seven people having died in incidents linked to the hot weather.  We’ll get the latest on the weather and find out if it’s a sign that summer will be insufferable in France this year.  In this week’s show we’ll also hear about how France’s most iconic car is making a...

This week we'll find out why it's all kicked off at the famous Cannes film festival. In one corner of the ring we have hundreds of French film stars, directors and industry staff and in the other corner we have the country's most controversial media tycoon - who we'll explain has his fingers on pretty much everything in France it seems. We'll also hear what property owners in France need to avoid...

This week we’ll find out why France might be about to ditch rent controls in cities including the capital Paris, how foreigners in France have been hit by outages to key French admin websites, the latest on the marathon race to become the next French president and what Emmanuel Macron has been doing with all his spare time these days. Plus we’ll bring you the story of a 16 million euro French chat...

This week we’ll hear about how France is under siege from mosquitoes and the new and old ways being used to fight back - including what you can do to keep them out of your garden. We’ll also find out about the parts in France where drivers caught using the mobile phones at the wheel will face stiff new punishments and hear about the parts of the country the French head to if they want good food. W...

On this week’s show we’ll find out why a story involving French prosecutors, a rabbit and the US tech billionaire and far right crusader Elon Musk made headlines in France. We’ll also find out why the rules for driving cars in cities and towns across France look set for a dramatic change and whether the country’s most notorious ring road could be transformed from one of the most polluted spots in...

In this week's show we'll find out why the rules around France's sacred May 1st public holiday have sparked a political row to the point where some lawmakers have accused the government ministers of - quote -  "pissing all over us".  We'll also hear why arguably France's most unique region wants independence, why pictures of far-right presidential favourite Jordan Bardella and his new gi...

This week we'll find out whether France is running out of fuel or not and get the latest on how expensive it is to fill up your tank here. We'll hear about a cautionary tale of how the French tax man caught an apparent 'non-resident' because of all the take away meals he was ordering in France. And we'll alert you to a few more tax traps you want to avoid in France during declaration season. We'll...

On this week’s show we’ll find out how the war in the Middle East is impacting life in France as fuel prices rise and protests kick off around the country. What can the government do to ease the crisis? With the local elections out of the way France’s next election race has begun. It’s the big one - we’ll get the lowdown on the lineup for the 2027 Presidential Election and whether we can already c...

We are out earlier than usual this week in order to bring you the results and analysis of the 2026 French local elections. The definitive second round vote was held on Sunday in thousands of communes across France, from tiny rural villages to the big urban centres like Lyon, Marseille and Paris. Over the next 20 minutes or so we'll bring you all the key takeaways from the main battle grounds, get...

The Local’s Talking France podcast is attracting more and more listeners each week and we currently have over 12,000 monthly downloads on average. If your company would like to connect with our international audience and sponsor one of our episodes, please email news@thelocal.fr This week we are, what the French describe as "l'entre deux tours" which means between two rounds.  I'm referring t...

This week, well the news in France has been dominated by the war in the Middle East. We'll explain the ongoing impact that the conflict is having on daily life here and we'll look at how President Emmanuel Macron is handling France's role in the crisis. We'll also focus this week on one of France's most beautiful cities and explore why Americans are moving there in droves. But we'll start this wee...

France right now is pretty much either water or under metres of snow, depending on where you are in the country so we'll start by getting the latest on the extreme weather that continues to lash the country. The big story in France this week has been the killing of a young far-right activist in Lyon after violent clashes that have been blamed on a group on the extreme left. We'll look at all the r...

On the agenda this week, we’ll find out if anyone can beat likely far-right candidate Jordan Bardella to be the next president of France. He’s flying in the polls, he’s flying on tiktok, but will he fly into the Elysee?  We’ll also get the lowdown on private beaches in France. How come there are so many when all beaches are meant to be public? And the government has the country’s sacred summe...

This week we start off with some explosive news from France before we hear why authorities on a picturesque island off France's west coast are offering second home owners thousands of euros for their properties and look at why houses have become so expensive in places like the famous Il de Ré. And we'll look at how speed cameras are getting flashier in France and try to understand why everyone, in...

Up this week we'll look at what's at stake in the upcoming local elections in France and whether French voters really care. And we'll look ahead to the French presidential election to see whether anyone can unite the left... and whether French voters really care. We'll also look at why kids have been banned from some first class trains in France and whether France, on the whole, is less child-frie...

This week we'll look at whether the French government will survive long enough to enjoy the weekend and find out what the French make of all this budget bedlam that's been going on far too long, especially when the world seems to be lurching towards a crisis. And speaking of that crisis, we'll look ahead to where these mounting tensions between France, Europe and Donald Trump will lead too, and we...

This week on Talking France we look at the reasons so many landlords in France get away with renting out hovels - even though there are supposed to be laws against it. We’ll look at just how safe skiing is in France these days given 6 people, including one Briton, were killed in avalanches over the weekend. And we’ll look at why France’s leaders are being urged to channel their “inner De Gaule” an...

This week we’ll discuss the big talking point in France at the start of January 2026, which  is just how did George Clooney and his wife Amal and their kids become French citizens? George doesn’t seem to be a full time resident in France, nor by his own admission does he speak French very well, nor is he married to a French national, so how did he do it? We’ll find out and look at some of the...

This is a special episode focussed on looking ahead to next year in France, so you are all aware of what will happen in terms of travel and immigration changes and what might happen when it comes to political crises and elections. We'll look at all the key changes on the horizon and the key cultural dates to get in your diary for next year. So sit back, crack open an oyster or two or if you are li...