The Week Unwrapped

The Week Unwrapped - with Olly Mann

News EN ↓ 522 episodes

Have you missed the biggest news of the week? Olly Mann and three of The Week's writers and editors decide which under-reported stories will have the biggest long-term consequences. Join Felicity Capon, Harriet Marsden and Jamie Timson to learn about three stories you won't hear on other news podcasts – but will remember in years to come.

Author

The Week Unwrapped

Category

News

Podcast website

www.theweek.co.uk

Latest episode

Jul 10, 2026

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Episodes

#161 Mercenaries, Malawi and infidelity tests 07.02.2020

How did Michael ‘Mad Mike’ Hoare become the world’s most famous mercenary? Why has Malawi’s presidential election been annulled? And are DNA “infidelity tests” legal? Arion McNicoll, Hollie Clemence, Felicity Capon and Joe Evans reveal all.

Business Unwrapped: the intelligent city 04.02.2020

How high-tech, connected cities will change their inhabitants’ lives. Olly Mann and The Week’s Arion McNicoll are joined by guest expert Jonn Elledge to talk about agility in the age of disruption.

#160 Psychedelic medicine, ice wars and the Bristol pound 31.01.2020

Could LSD make us happier and more productive? Why is the Antarctic Treaty under threat? And what’s the problem with hyper-local currencies? Olly Mann, Holden Frith, Hollie Clemence and John Stepek reveal all.

#159 Drug wars, hedge funds and placebos 24.01.2020

Why has Mexico suffered its most violent year on record? Are women better at investing than men? And are placebos the answer to chronic pain?

Business Unwrapped: the productivity conundrum 21.01.2020

Could technology boost British productivity and fend off the risk of recession?

#158 Space dates, living apart and pub chaperones 17.01.2020

Why is a Japanese billionaire looking for a ‘single woman’ to join him on a trip to the Moon? What does ‘living apart together’ mean? And why is law firm Linklaters trying to keep its staff in check at boozy social gatherings?

#157 Testosterone, vegans and locusts 10.01.2020

Why are testosterone levels plummeting? Do vegans need legal protection? And why are locusts swarming across East Africa? Olly Mann, Holden Frith, Kari Wilkin and Gabriel Power reveal all

Business Unwrapped: the end of petrol 07.01.2020

Olly Mann and The Week’s Holden Frith are joined by transport and technology writer Nicole Kobie to talk about agility in the age of disruption. This week: the rise of electric cars - and the likely consequences for consumers, businesses and governments. Brought to you by Lombard Asset Finance

#156 Medals, magazines and mercy killings 03.01.2020

Why is France planning to bestow the Légion d'honneur on London? Should euthanasia be made available to dementia sufferers? And why are New Zealanders turning over magazines in newsagents? Olly Mann, Felicity Capon, Joe Evans and Arion McNicoll reveal all.

#155 The Year Unwrapped 2019 27.12.2019

Why is Dolly Parton having a millennial moment? Are fossil fuels dead and buried? And why was 2019 such a good year for investors? Olly Mann, Holden Frith, Arion McNicoll and Jessica Hullinger reveal all.

#154 Portable homes, surrogacy and cobalt mining 20.12.2019

Could moveable houses be the answer to coastline erosion? Should commercial surrogacy be legal in Britain? And is your phone tainted by the child labour epidemic in the DRC? Olly Mann, Hollie Clemence, Kari Wilkin and Gabriel Power reveal all.

#153 Psychopaths, privileged actors and Saudi oil 13.12.2019

Is being a psychopath actually a good thing? Why do most actors come from privileged backgrounds? And why is the most successful ever flotation being seen as a flop?

#152 Assassins, audiobooks and animal sacrifice 06.12.2019

Should Europe be worried about Chechen death squads? Do audiobooks spell trouble for the printed word? And why are Hindu worshippers ignoring a ban on slaughtering animals? Olly Mann, Gabriel Power, Kari Wilkin and Joe Evans reveal all.

#151 Virtual dresses, military power and anxious cows 29.11.2019

Is the future of fashion clothes we cannot wear? Should we be worried about the British Army’s capabilities? And why are cows wearing VR headsets?

#150 Female cars, war crimes and self-rule 22.11.2019

Why has Donald Trump pardoned three US soldiers accused of war crimes? Can Aston Martin attract more female customers with its first SUV? And is Bougainville about to become the world's newest country? Olly Mann, Arion McNicoll, Gabriel Power and Felicity Capon reveal all.

#149 Farming, forecasting and a global downgrade 15.11.2019

Can we predict the future by identifying patterns in the past? Why has Moody’s issued a debt downgrade warning to the entire world? And how are Europe’s farm subsidies being exploited by populist leaders? Jeremy O’Grady, Hollie Clemence and John Stepek reveal all.

#148 Beauty, green guilt and criminal children 08.11.2019

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why do attractive people do better in school? Does "green guilt" help in the fight against climate change? And what should the age of criminal responsibility be? Kari Wilkin, Arion McNicoll and James Ashford reveal all.

#147 Protesting, investing and going paperless 01.11.2019

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Does the unrest in Chile have anything in common with other mass protests around the world? Have casual investors woken up to the fact that many of the experts who manage their money aren’t very good at it? And can Russia win its “fight against paper”?

#146 Quebeckers, millionaires and autobahns 24.10.2019

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is Quebecan separatism back on the agenda? Where are the world’s new millionaires? And why are Germans sticking to their high-speed habits? Gabriel Power, Holden Frith and Cameron Tait reveal all.

#145 Brexit-free news, homeschooling and political hair 17.10.2019

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Should we be able to filter out unwelcome news? Why are more children being taught at home? And why are female politicians still criticised for their appearance? Rebecca Gillie, Hollie Clemence and Felicity Capon reveal all.

#144 Dopamine fasting, AI interviews and old tunes 10.10.2019

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Will robots decide who gets a job? Should we deprive ourselves of high-tech stimulation? And why can’t over-30s learn to love new music? Jessica Hullinger, Cameron Tait and Gabriel Power reveal all.

#143 The B word 05.10.2019

In a live special from the Podcast Live: Politics festival in London, Olly Mann, The Week and special guest Iain Dale cover some fairly large news we've avoided for three years - Brexit! Has Brexit harmed the EU? What's going on with the Euro? What happens if we end up staying? Kari Wilkin, John Stepek and Iain Dale reveal all. 

#142 French sperm, reparations and the Arctic 26.09.2019

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is France rationing IVF? How does Labour plan to right the wrongs of colonialism? And will the Arctic survive a new scramble for oil? Holden Frith, Jessica Hullinger and Theo Tait reveal all.

#141 Strippers, food waste and gender-neutral parenting 19.09.2019

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Where do strip clubs fit in feminism? Can technology solve the world's food waste problem? And should children be brought up without a gender? Read our full briefing on the couple keeping the gender of their toddler a secret at theweek.co.uk/unwrapped.

#140 Weather, Afrophobia and online shaming 12.09.2019

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why are some countries better at predicting weather than others? What is causing South Africans to become more intolerant of migrants? And should victims of abuse be free to name and publicly shame their abusers?

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