Oscar Edmondson is head of podcasts at The Spectator.
From our UK edition
20 min listen
This week: Ian Williams asks how China will cope with the rise of AI chatbots (00:56), Kara Kennedy recounts her upbringing in the Welsh ‘murder capital’ of Pontypridd (08:11), and Oscar Edmondson makes the case for the BBC World Service (13:38). Presented by Natasha Feroze.
From our UK edition
In 1957 the BBC removed the head of the Russian Service. Anatol Goldberg was by all accounts a remarkable broadcaster, tasked with coordinating, producing and narrating the BBC’s radio output to the USSR at one of the most volatile periods of the Cold War. Internal reports praised his navigation of the ‘complications’ of Russian programming. So why was he demoted? The answer lies in the long history of British government interference in the World Service. Today harmony reigns between state and Service: the government announced a one-off £20 million payment to the World Service in last week’s updated Integrated Review. Yet last year foreign-language broadcasting was facing a £28 million cut after the licence-fee freeze.
From our UK edition
10 min listen
In her Times column this week Katy Balls says that Rishi Sunak is about to roll his sleeves up on EU trade and small boats, potentially setting him against both the right and the left of his party. What should we expect? Also on the podcast, as allegations about Dominic Raab's bullying continue to swirl, is this another area where Rishi will be forced to get tough? Oscar Edmondson speaks to Fraser Nelson and Katy Balls. Produced by Oscar Edmondson.
