The Prospect Podcast

This month, actor and writer Sheila Hancock reflects on what she has gained since losing her hearing, while journalist and second life writer Vitali Vitaliev reminisces on the best and worst meals of his life. Sex worker and author Tilly Lawless describes her complicated feelings about orgasming on the job, while Mindful life writer Sarah Collins has a public cry in the Byzantium Christian museum...

Since 13th June, Israel has launched strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, assassinated scientists and commanders, and bombed infrastructure. Iran has responded with ballistic missiles and drones. The death toll is rising, and there’s no sign of a ceasefire. This week, Arash Azizi joins Alona to unpack the war now underway. Arash is the author of  The Shadow Commander: Soleimani, the U.S., a...

How do you resist the ‘enshittification’ of the internet? This week,  Prospect  tech columnist Ethan Zuckerman joins Ellen and Alona to talk about artificial intelligence, social media and the state of the online world. Ethan, who teaches at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, shares how AI has shaped his students—and how his teaching has had to adapt. Ethan discusses the dystopian...

The world’s richest man and the world’s most powerful man have had a very public fall out—but what does it mean for American government? In a short, bonus episode, Ellen and Alona speak with Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times , about the long predicted clash. Jill explains the implications for US space policy, and reviews how the US media has covered Musk since he first c...

Everyone wants to live a long and healthy life—so what’s the best way to do it? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Devi Sridhar, professor of global public health at Edinburgh University and personal trainer, whose new book,  How Not to Die (Too Soon) , is a guide to living longer and better, and challenges everything we think we know about personal health. Devi argues that air quality,...

Can Labour afford to keep ignoring its left? This week on the   Prospect Podcast , Alona and Imaan are joined by Carys Afoko, writer and podcast host of  Over the Top, Under the Radar . Carys discusses whether Starmer’s rightward shift will pay off. She analyses why the last general election was a “breakaway election” away from the major parties—with the rise of progressive independents,...

This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist Nicola Kelly, whose new book  Anywhere But Here  investigates the UK’s broken asylum system. Nicola used to work for the Home Office as a press officer on the immigration desk. But why did she leave? On the podcast, she unpacks Labour’s controversial new immigration white paper and why the party is embracing tough rhetoric. She exposes...

This month, Vitali Vitaliev recalls love and magic in Kyiv, Sheila Hancock embraces the word “valour,” Alice Garnett celebrates deep friendships, and Alice Goodman wonders—what if the teenagers are actually alright? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Canadian historian Quinn Slobodian. The rise of the populist right is often framed as a backlash against neoliberalism—a revolt by those “left behind” by globalisation. But in his new book  Hayek’s Bastards , Quinn argues the opposite: that movements like Maga are not a reaction to neoliberalism, but its latest iteration. Tracing the intellectual linea...

This week, poet and nature writer Robert Macfarlane joins Prospect’s Ellen Halliday and Imaan Irfan to explore the ideas in his new book Is a River Alive ? They each share what ‘their rivers are’ and the waterbodies they feel most connected to. Robert discusses his travels to Ecuador, India and the Canadian wilderness: places that rivers are being defended from threat, and where our relationship w...

Has the United States become an autocracy? As Donald Trump marks his 100th day in office, Ellen and Alona are joined by Ruth Ben-Ghiat, scholar of authoritarianism and author of  Strongmen: from Mussolini to the present  (2020). She also writes a Substack called “Lucid” which focuses on autocracy. Ruth analyses the Trump administration’s rapid shift towards authoritarianism. She talks ab...

Could a populist right-wing party take power in the UK? And if one did, what would it do? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Prospect’s contributing editor Philip Collins who analyses Reform UK’s strategy for the local elections taking place in parts of England next week. With Labour, the Tories and Reform neck-and-neck in the polls, will these be the most consequential local elections in de...

This week on the  Prospect Podcast,  philosopher and public intellectual Slavoj Žižek joins Ellen and Alona. Slavoj discusses fatherhood and Netflix’s  Adolescence , as awareness grows around young male radicalisation via the “manosphere”. He also talks about feminism and his criticisms of #MeToo. Plus, with the release of his latest book, in which he argues that the left has hit it...

This month on  Prospect Lives : Vitali Vitaliev hits 60 and gets slammed with funeral ads, while Sarah Collins finds unexpected wisdom at the nail salon. Alice Garnett wonders how to plan for the future on a burning planet, while Alice Goodman wrestles with whether you can—or should—pray for someone like Putin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, writer and human rights lawyer Philippe Sands joins Ellen and Alona to discuss the ‘age of impunity'. Are international systems crumbling, or will they stand the test of time? Philippe reflects on the process of writing his most recent book  38 Londres Street , and the relationship between storytelling and the law. He also discusses representing Palestine at the ICJ and his thought...

Historian and broadcaster David Olusoga joins Ellen and Alona to discuss political attacks on American history, the challenges facing academia in the UK—and how future generations will view England’s colonial history. Our newsfeeds are dominated by towering figures like Trump and Elon Musk—but does the “great man” theory still hold? Is history really made by millions of ordinary people? How will h...

Asbestos might seem like a problem of the past, but it is still killing thousands every year. In the March issue of  Prospect , Charlotte wrote about how her father’s death from mesothelioma—a cancer caused by asbestos—led her into years of research, uncovering a shocking history of corporate negligence and government inaction. This week, Charlotte joins the Prospect podcast to share her find...

This week, the Prospect podcast meets  Kyoto , the new West End play dramatising the high-stakes negotiations behind the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. Written by Joe Murphy and Joe Robertson, the play brings to life the power struggles, disruptors, and unexpected alliances that shaped the first major international climate treaty. Prospect ’s Isabel Hilton sits down with the playwrights and former UK n...

This month’s episode features journalist Kiran Sidhu on the power of communal dance, and actor and writer Sheila Hancock on the need for more women in global politics. Gen Z-er Alice Garnett imagines a world without TikTok, and journalist and host Sarah Collins grapples with the news that her therapist is retiring. Plus, Anglican priest Alice Goodman delves into doubt in the Church. Hosted on Acas...

Has the United States switched sides, acting in Russia’s interests and abandoning its European allies? Or is the transatlantic alliance still intact—albeit under strain? Prospect ’s contributing editor Isabel Hilton joins this week’s podcast to untangle increasingly urgent questions of European defence and security. From Trump cutting intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, to Russian espionage in...

How do we measure racism? In such politically charged terrain, the need for objective data is clear. By some surveys, half of Brits don’t believe that racism exists. Keon West, social psychologist and visiting professor at LSE, joins the podcast to discuss this phenomenon. Keon explains what data can tell us, and delves into the surprising ways that the UK compares to the US. He unpacks the ingeni...

In this episode of  Prospect Lives , journalist Kiran Sidhu mourns her lost cat, while actor and writer Sheila Hancock grapples with ageism at 91. Gen Z-er Alice Garnett attains “regular status” at a London chicken shop, while host and journalist Sarah Collins discusses the end of her honeymoon phase with Athens. Plus, Tilly Lawless explores the two sides of Paris with two different clients....

What is the biggest threat to the international human rights system today? And, in such an unstable world, what hope is there for the future of human rights? This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by Kenneth Roth, who served as the executive director of Human Rights Watch, the NGO, for almost 30 years. During his tenure, Human Rights Watch uncovered abuses across 100 countries and pressured offendi...

Australia is often referred to as “the lucky country”, a place where good fortune has delivered greater wealth, longer lives and better healthcare. But, as Andrew Low argues in  We Should Be So Lucky , Australia’s achievements are not merely a matter of luck—they stem from a distinctive blend of political, social and economic institutions and values. Andrew sat down with Sir Clive Cowdery, Pu...

Sudanese-born writer and broadcaster Yassmin Abdel-Magied joins Ellen and Alona on this week’s episode of the Prospect podcast. Sudan’s war has been called the “worst humanitarian crisis in the world”. And yet, media coverage is staggeringly low. But is the war really “forgotten”? Or is it being made invisible? Yassmin breaks down the situation for newcomers. She shares her family’s story, and tal...