The Standard

Recorded in April for How to be a CEO this is a cut-down bonus episode as part of Leader Weekends. When you’re rushing to become a CEO, or have the job and are just trying to stay on top of it all, the idea of a day off may be laughable at times. But securing a fair work/life balance can be an achievement in itself. How’s this for an idea: A four-day week? Anne-Marie Lister is the chief people off...

The town of Kiruna in Sweden is being moved building by building to facilitate new mining activity, in what’s thought to be Europe’s largest deposit of rare earth metals . But do we need to mine for such materials? Can we recycle what we already have instead? Kiruna’s Head of Planning Nina Eliason discusses the move, and Anders Lindberg from mining firm LKAB explains what they hope to recover from...

After the death of the 80s music icon , the Evening Standard's Robert Dex discusses the ups and downs of her life and career, her incredible 80s comeback, the moment she left him starstruck, and the legacy she leaves behind . In this episode: How Tina Turner left Rob starstruck Why her 80s comeback was so special The abuse Tina suffered and how she dealt with it How Tina turned to Buddhism What wi...

Taken from our theatre podcast , Eddie Izzard speaks with the Evening Standard’s Chief Theatre Critic Nick Curtis about her one-woman adaptation of Dickens’s Great Expectations, her gender fluidity, and her personal drive to succeed. In this episode: Izzard explains her names & pronouns How Izzard’s one-woman Great Expectations show was born Why it was launched in New York How Izzard’s adapted...

Warning, this podcast episode contains strong language as well as major spoilers for the ninth episode of the final season of Succession.  The Evening Standard’s Elizabeth Gregory, Hamish MacBain and Martin Robinson are here to review the penultimate episode of Succession.  It was one hell of a send off for Logan Roy. The show’s best characters returned for the epic high-pressure funeral...

The US candy stores of Oxford Street: business rates unpaid, illegal goods seized and money laundering exposed . The Evening Standard’s Anthony France discusses the criminality behind some of the American sweet shops along the capital’s most popular shopping promenade, and how authorities are fighting back against them. In this episode: The shops selling counterfeit goods How Anthony was “stonewal...

This is a bonus episode taken from our business show How to be a CEO. Listen to the full episode here . When you’re going into business, it’s always good to bring someone along with you. How did What Not to Wear’s Trinny Woodall build a multi-million-pound business? She didn’t start with that number in 2017. In fact, the number some potential investors were more interested in was 51 - her age when...

The Leader podcast visits Roseberys Fine Art Auctioneers in south London to discover how artists in the Old Master period expressed themselves. We’ll hear how creatives have revealed their individualism through the centuries with Lara L’vov-Basirov, Roseberys’ head of sale and specialist in Old Master, British and European Pictures. It’s all part of gathering inspiration for the Evening Standard A...

How hot will London be as global temperatures creep upwards? Scientists say there’s now a 66 per cent chance the 2015 Paris agreement’s 1.5C global warming threshold will be breached within the next four years. In this episode of The Leader podcast, we examine how London could be impacted by the devastating effects of climate change unless urgent action is taken by government, business and the peo...

Could a “super-hub” planned for the high-speed London-to-Birmingham rail link once the Cameron-Osborne government’s flagship transport project be headed for the buffers? Because a four-and-a-half mile stretch crucial for getting passengers into central London from HS2’s planned Old Oak Common interchange, near Wormwood Scrubs, is on ice as Euston project costs rocket from £2.6 billion to £4.8 bill...

Warning, this podcast episode contains strong language as well as major spoilers for the eighth episode of the final season of Succession. The Evening Standard’s Elizabeth Gregory, Hamish MacBain and Martin Robinson are here to review the latest instalment from the final season of Succession. America decided… or did it? Election night saw Shiv exposed, morals and ethics go out of the window, polit...

Wearing his trademark olive green military fatigues, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has touched down in the UK to negotiate a major weapons deal. From Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Chequers retreat, it's been promised hundreds of long-range attack drones will be given to help counter Russia’s ongoing invasion.  Britain last year provided over £2 billion of military support to Ukraine -...

This is a bonus episode taken from our business show How to be a CEO. Click this link to hear the full thing. The boss of IBM’s trailblazing apprenticeship programme, Jenny Taylor MBE, joins us to talk about education and employment opportunities for the next generation. As part of our new Step Up campaign, this episode was recorded ahead of the Evening Standard and WorldSkills forum with employer...

For the first time in 25 years, the competition is back on UK soil as we play hosts for last year’s winner Ukraine.  Last time Sam Ryder did the UK proud with his song, Space Man, but this year it’s the turn of Mae Muller, who will be hoping to win the competition - or at least a respectable finish - with her entry, I Wrote a Song. Eurovision experts - and superfans - Dr Paul Jordan, aka Dr E...

Yet more findings have revealed efforts to root out rogue officers are failing. A year after former Commissioner Dame Cressida was forced to quit by London’s Mayor, the force is still to put its house in order. The Evening Standard’s Home Affairs Editor, Martin Bentham, discusses the key revelations from the progress report from the Police Inspectorate, the difficulties when it comes to tackling t...

Although the Eurovision Song Contest is being held in the UK this year, it’s important to remember that the 2023 event really belongs to the people of Ukraine. Last year, Kalush Orchestra won the competition with their song Stefania. The victory signalled a show of solidarity across Europe.  Now in 2023, the Russia-Ukraine war is still unfolding, but ever resilient, Ukrainians are preparing t...

Warning, this podcast episode contains strong language as well as major spoilers for the seventh episode of the final season of Succession.  The Evening Standard’s Elizabeth Gregory and Hamish MacBain are here to review the latest instalment from the final season of Succession.  It’s election eve in episode seven, ‘Tailgate Party’, and a group of America's most influential players have g...

Will May 6th be the last time we see a traditional royal coronation in the UK ? Is public sentiment towards the monarchy changing? How might future coronations be different? Historians and experts Dr George Gross of King’s College London , Dr Alice Hunt of the University of Southampton and Dr Edward Owens discuss the prospect of future coronations, surviving traditions, and changing attitudes towa...

The history of ‘crowning’ royalty from the Egyptian era through to Roman times. Why are we holding Mediaeval ceremonies in 2023? How King Charles is ‘modernising’ the ceremony. Coronations expert George Gross from King’s College London explains the history of the ceremonies, and why certain traditions have continued for centuries. Plus Evening Standard reporter Emma Loffhagen discusses the running...

The big day’s nearly here for King Charles III, who’ll make the short journey to Westminster Abbey on Saturday for his coronation.  So, how can you pick the best royal memorabilia that could be worth a more than your paid for it in the future? Plus, tips to avoid getting ripped off. The Leader podcast’s joined by Wizz Selvey, founder of brand and retail strategy agency Wizz&Co, and Anna E...

Warning, this podcast episode contains strong language as well as major spoilers for the sixth episode of the final season of Succession.  The Evening Standard’s Elizabeth Gregory and Hamish MacBain are here to review the latest instalment from the final season of Succession.  Episode six of season four was all about Waystar’s new project ‘Living+’. High-tech retirement housing that some...

Britain’s technology sector has reached $1 trillion in value - that’s over £800 billion - which makes Britain only the third country ever to hit this financial milestone, after the US and China.  The untold wealth of 100 tech company founders is revealed in the first Evening Standard Tech Rich List - but what do they spend their spare cash on? Vacuum cleaner tycoon Lord Dyson tops the list at...

A recent track went viral that was programmed through artificial intelligence to write a song sounding like a collaboration between Canadian singers Drake and The Weeknd, dubbed Heart on My Sleeve. This episode of The Leader podcast looks at the boom in robot-made music, including new tracks and mash-ups by famous artists - but would you add these artificial songs to your party playlist? Analysis...

London’s original one-day Travelcard made of paper, was once the affordable magnet-strip ticket unlocking the capital for the masses - but now Mayor Sadiq Khan’s considering scrapping it, after 40 years’ service. Amid financial pressures, Khan’s looking to ditch the ‘all-you-can-travel’ physical tickets as tube, bus and rail passengers move to pay-as-you-ride contactless payments. But there are co...

Warning, this podcast episode contains strong language as well as major spoilers for the fifth episode of the final season of Succession.  The Evening Standard’s Elizabeth Gregory and Hamish MacBain are here to review the latest instalment from the final season of Succession.  Episode five of season four, ‘Kill List’, saw the Roys, Waystar Royco’s top players and even Greg, off to Norway...