Welcome to the best bits of James O'Brien's LBC phone-in show.
Listen back to all the highlights in a 60-minute bite sized chunk of his show with new episodes every weekday.
James covers all the big stories which will make you think - and possibly change your outlook.
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A woman shot dead in her car by an ICE agent in Minneapolis has been identified as Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother of three. President Trump claimed the agent acted in self defence and that Good had “ran him over”, but this is clearly at odds with widely circulated videos of the incident. Minneapolis’ mayor, Jacob Frey, described the Trump’s claim as “bullsh*t” and demanded ICE officers leave the city. James breaks down the conflicting responses to the incident, is joined by Washington C...
Donald Trump’s supposed rationale for taking over Venezuela and potentially invading Greenland are disintegrating before our eyes. So, why is he actually doing it? And, James speaks with Eddie Perez, a former director at X (then called Twitter), who breaks down the appalling news that X users are “digitally undressing” people, including children, using the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, with next to no pushback from owner Elon Musk. This episode was recorded on the 7th of January. Catch James O'Br...
This episode delves into the profound implications of former President Trump's threat to annex Greenland, examining how this challenges international law and the very foundation of NATO. Listeners call in to discuss the plausibility of military resistance from European allies, the potential for a geopolitical domino effect, and the motivations behind such a controversial move. The conversation highlights the critical importance of collective security and the potential for a world without a rules-based order.
2026 has certainly started with a bang… Donald Trump has kidnapped the former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, taken control of the country and installed Delcy Rodriguez, a Maduro loyalist, as acting president. Trump’s plans to seize and begin selling the country’s oil, and has turned his eye once again to Greenland, renewing his repeated threat of annexing the Danish territory. LBC’s Political Editor Natasha Clark questions Sir Keir Starmer on his response to the Greenland threat, while Jam...
Welcome to Mystery Hour! It's the game where James O'Brien invites the callers to ask and answer the most burning of questions - and no topic is off limits. Put your feet up and get ready to absorb some highly interesting but likely useless information! James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast are back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 18th of December.
James O'Brien presents... Mystery Hour! It's the game in which callers ask and answer questions about absolutely whatever they want. You're guaranteed to learn and laugh, nothing more unfortunately. Enjoy! James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast are back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 11th of December.
Welcome to another instalment of James O'Brien's Mystery Hour! It's the game which you are guaranteed to learn something from... just maybe not something useful. Conversely, James and the callers might just crack the mysteries of the universe with this one! James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast are back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 4th of December.
Over the Christmas period why not put your feet up and enjoy all the latest instalments of James Obrien's Mystery Hour - the game in which listeners call up to ask questions about whatever - and I mean whatever - they want. Then the rest call in if they think they've got the answer! James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast are back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 27th of November....
Time for another instalment of Mystery Hour, the feature in which James O'Brien and his callers do their best to solve the world's greatest mysteries... or thereabouts. Enjoy! James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast are back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 20th of November.
While you tuck into those Christmas dinner leftovers, why not also tuck into another instalment of Mystery Hour! It's the feature in which James' callers ask and answer questions about absolutely anything... the type of questions that Google doesn't even know the answer to (well, Google might know, but it's much more fun this way). Enjoy! James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast are back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was...
Time for your next instalment of Mystery Hour, the game in which James invites his callers to ask and answer questions about absolutely anything. You are guaranteed to learn something new after listening to this (however please note James cannot guarantee the usefulness of any newly acquired knowledge). James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast are back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 6th of November....
Get into another episode of Mystery Hour, the feature in which James invites the callers to ask and answer the most burning of questions. Mysteries of the universe type questions. The meaning of life type questions. What do dogs dream about type questions. Enjoy! James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast is back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 30th of October.
It's Mystery Hour time, the game in which James' callers ask and answer questions about any topic they like. Prepare yourself to acquire knowledge beyond your wildest dreams... James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast is back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 23rd of October.
Over the Christmas period why not have a giggle and tuck into the latest episodes of Mystery Hour - the game where James O'Brien invites the callers to ask and then answer questions about absolutely whatever they want! James' live LBC programme and the James O'Brien Daily podcast is back from the 5th January. Have a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year! This episode was recorded on the 16th of October.
In response to the Prime Minister’s announcement of a strategy to tackle violence against women and girls, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said Labour should focus on migrants ‘from cultures that don’t respect women’ rather than tackling misogyny in schools. Why is Badenoch denying reality? Also, James takes a look back at the most significant moments of 2025, speaks to the callers about that Oval office meeting between Donald Trump, JD Vance and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and is joined by Washi...
The government has unveiled its long awaited strategy to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade - teachers will be given training to spot and tackle misogyny in the classroom, while high-risk pupils could be sent on behavioural courses. What is this new brand of Andrew Tate-style misogyny, and what are the warning signs in the classroom? And, Nigel Farage has been told to apologise for his alleged extreme teenage racism by 26 school contemporaries. Farage has, so far, refused ...
The government has confirmed the UK will rejoin the Erasmus student exchange programme from 2027, allowing students to immerse themselves in a different culture and grow their foreign language skills in Europe. Why are Brits so bad at speaking foreign languages and what difference can languages make to your life? And, half of people arrested recently in London were found to potentially have undiagnosed ADHD, according to a Cambridge University study calling for better neurodivergence screening f...
The 5 day resident doctor’s strike will go ahead from tomorrow in England, as planned, after the government's offer to postpone the action until the new year in order to alleviate NHS pressure was heartily rejected by BMA members. If we trust doctor's with our lives, why shouldn't we trust them when they tell us they they have to go on strike? This episode was recorded on the 16th of December. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
Two gunmen, a father and son, opened fire on Bondi Beach in Sydney on Sunday, killing 15 people attending a Hanukkah event. The Australian Prime Minister described the tragedy as an attack motivated by “extremist ideology”. The victims include a 10-year-old girl, a British-born rabbi, a retired police officer and a Holocaust survivor. Is it right, or even possible, to talk about the attack without referring to Gaza? This episode was recorded on the 15th of December. Catch James O'Brien weekdays ...
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned of “probably the worst pressure the NHS has faced since Covid" occurring next week, when the next resident doctors strike will clash with soaring numbers of flu patients. Ministers have proposed a last minute deal in an attempt to appease the BMA, but in the case that this is not accepted, Streeting has also offered an extension on the union's mandate so that the strike could be postponed until January. James thinks Streeting has played a blinder here - ...
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has launched The Youth Matters plan, a £500m strategy aimed at protecting the UK’s youth. The plan aims to give 500,000 more young people access to a trusted adult outside their home, boost resilience and teach essential skills. What difference did youth clubs, or a lack thereof, make to you? Also, Justice Secretary David Lammy is considering wiping childhood criminal records clean. The proposal looks to simplify the criminal records check system and prevent minor te...
A top NHS executive has urged people with cold or flu symptoms to wear a face mask in public as the hospitals brace for a “tidal wave” of illness this winter. Why then are so many of us against the idea of wearing face masks? Also, a report commissioned into Mossbourne Victoria Park Academy, a school in East London, found that pupils have been harmed by shouting, public humiliation and a lack of special needs support. What does a climate of fear do to a child at school? What did it do to you? An...
Russia has welcomed Donald Trump's new National Security Strategy to "end" the Ukraine War, calling it "largely consistent" with Moscow's vision. Why is Trump siding with Russia against Europe and where will it take us? Joining James is Phillips O'Brien, Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St Andrews, to share his analysis of the tightrope European leaders are walking between supporting Ukraine and keeping Trump sweet. And, in a world first, Australian children under 16 will be b...
Almost one million young people in the UK are currently not in employment, education or training (NEET). To help tackle this, the government has announced 350,000 new training or workplace opportunities will be offered to young people on universal credit - but that those who don’t engage could have their benefits cut. Why are you or the young person in your life in the NEET category? And, what would make a difference? This episode was recorded on the 8th of December. Catch James O'Brien weekdays...
Nigel Farage has accused the BBC of double standards after he was asked about numerous claims he used extreme racist and antisemitic language as a teenager, which he denied. Today, James is joined by one of the many people who've made such claims, Peter Ettedgui, a Jewish former classmate of Nigel Farage's, who told the BBC that Farage had repeatedly said to him "Hitler was right" and "gas them". This episode was recorded on the 5th of December. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC....
Wes Streeting will be launching an independent review that’ll investigate whether mental health, ADHD and autism are being over-diagnosed in England - James explores the distinct possibility that it isn’t. Also, facial recognition technology could be used more often by UK police forces, according to the Home Office. Could this be the “end of privacy as we know it”, as privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch claims? And, James speaks with Washington Correspondent Simon Marks for the latest Donal...
The UK media is beginning to acknowledge Brexit as the unmitigated failure that it is, partly in thanks to damning findings like the National Bureau of Economic Research’s, that concluded Brexit has reduced UK GDP by 6-8%. This is far more than most previous estimates. The question is finally beginning to be asked… should Labour reverse Brexit? And, so-called "miracle" weight-loss jabs are currently only available to 1 in 10 people who need them worldwide, according to the World Health Organizat...
Justice Secretary David Lammy has announced the creation of new “swift courts” which will see a judge decide verdicts in thousands of cases where the right to a jury trial will be removed.… What does this actually mean and what are we so afraid of losing? Resident doctors have announced a fresh round of strikes with a five-day walkout from the 17th December. Considering their recent wage increase, is this a strike too far? Or do we not know the full picture? And the UK’s attorney general, one of...
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is facing accusations she misled voters and ministers by not revealing upsides in the OBR’s (Office for Budget Responsibility) forecasts for the economy. Starmer and Reeves both defend the Budget and deny that the Chancellor misled anyone. James gets into the nitty gritty and asks what we’re supposed to be angry about here? And, AI is set to replace 3.4m jobs in the next decade, a major educational research organisation has warned. Are we totally ignoring the reality of ...
Net migration to the UK fell by two-thirds in the year ending June 2025 compared with the previous 12 months, according to ONS figures. This has coincided with rising numbers of young people leaving the UK because of its economic and political landscape. Are you leaving the UK? If so, why? And, how can we persuade young people to hang around? This episode was recorded on the 28th of November. Catch James O'Brien weekdays from 10am on LBC.
