What is the Technological Republic? Armando, Stewart and founder of The Nerve, Carole Cadwalladr, discuss the language and posture of the manifesto released by Palantir's Alex Karp last year. We look at how Tech bros frame those who block their progress, their effusive language about their products, why they might reflect on linguistic parallels with George Orwell's works. Armando also describes William Shatner's prose, in which he finds, having read his book, Tech War, that his sentences seem t...
May 07, 2026•34 min
Ready Player One? Natalie Haynes joins Armando once again to talk about the rise of prediction markets, and how they might affect political language. We also look at the respective war memes from the US and Iran, and how they are taking their cues from video games. Elsewhere, we discuss the Arc de Trump, Armando's bag of filth, and whether a Sphinx might look good on the White House lawn. Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk Sound editing: Chris Maclean Produ...
Apr 30, 2026•28 min
Tim Shipman steps out of a busy week in Westminster to talk Armando through the language of political crises. Whether "time will tell", or "the matter has been dealt with", we decode what these phrases you will hear from politicians this week really mean. Looking at recent examples, from Brexit to Partygate and beyond, what causes these crises, and how does the communication - and indeed the messenger - make it better or worse? Armando imagines an inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic, Tim cle...
Apr 23, 2026•24 min
Politicians have their own podcasts, the Government has launched a YouTube channel. It seems our political class want to bypass traditional media to get their message out. Why is that? How does it affect political language? As he prepares to take his own steps into a new media landscape, Amol Rajan joins Armando to discuss this and more. We also hear about misleading news headlines, Trump's 'doctored' image, and find out if elves are really poisoning our water? Got a strong message for Armando? ...
Apr 16, 2026•35 min
Hugo Rifkind joins Armando for a chat about the religious language in politics. After a quick detour round the far side of the moon, we find out Trump's favourite bible passage (sort of), why the Pope has rebuked Pete Hegseth, and if invoking a higher power can be used to dodge accountability. In the extended version, we also look at how parties in the UK trade in religious language, why how AI is getting hiring humans, and answer the age-old question - which Easter has been best, militarily? Go...
Apr 09, 2026•38 min
This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at how political actors use language. Wes Streeting says there is a 'deep disillusionment in this country', and says there is a “growing sense of despair about whether anyone is capable of turning this country round". Why is that? And does politicians speaking in that way confound our misery? We look at Sarah Pochin's comments about black and asian people in adverts, and the responses across parliament to that. We also look at how much ne...
Apr 08, 2026•28 min
Stewart Lee joins Armando at the Millennium Hall in Laugharne. Is AI too sycophantic? Should we worry about how military-grade AI is being sold in start-up jargon? Let's ask the best AI there is, Armando Iannucci. In another episode in front of an audience, Armando and Stewart treat us to a dramatic reading of a Chat GPT interaction. We also hear whether the Metaverse is an unwelcome template for AI companies, and why Stewart admires the boffins who make sex robots. Got a strong message for Arma...
Apr 02, 2026•28 min
Armando is joined by Stewart Lee at the Millennium Hall in Laugharne. Taking the audience's most loathed political soundbites, we discuss 'existential threats', 'let me be clear', and 'we're working very hard'. We also hear about Armando's train driver getting caught in an infinity loop, treating Nicky Wire with the greatest of respect, and whether feeling in your bones or gut indicates your political persuasion. Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk Sound edi...
Mar 26, 2026•22 min
Marina Hyde returns to join Armando for a positive look at some positive language. Pete Hegseth tells us not to worry about the Strait of Hormuz, Trump tells us the 'war' is 'already won' - is this inspired by The Power of Positive Thinking? Or by Noel Edmonds? Elsewhere we discuss guessing shoe sizes, tie-dye thinking, and whether we have the stomach for a culture war about badgers on bank notes. Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk Sound editing: Chris Macl...
Mar 19, 2026•33 min
Armando is joined by Ria Lina and host of Pod Save the UK, Coco Khan, to look at the political language around anxiety. How do we engage with difficult headlines? Can we switch off an just read about the rugby? Is AI starting to feel as anxious as us? and are we more sympathetic because of the personal language it uses? We also discuss the origins of international women's day, the death of the public intellectual, and a workplace acronym to watch out for. Got a strong message for Armando? Email ...
Mar 12, 2026•28 min
Journalist and Times Radio presenter Hugo Rifkind joins Armando this week. In another breakneck week, we look at the language of reality in politics. Are plumbers more 'real' than economists? Can Trump really 'manipulate reality'? And has he been watching Shrek? We also look at the parallels between Marco Rubio and the general in Dr Strangelove, Tony Blair powering down when talking to Alan Partridge, and whether 'Epic Fury' really means what Pete Hegseth thinks it does. Got a strong message for...
Mar 05, 2026•33 min
Stewart Lee joins Armando again this week. With a by-election on, we look away from the present day and think about how history will judge politicians. Some of the language in the recent Tony Blair documentary piques Armando's interest, and we also look at how Boris Johnson and Gordon Brown use language (or lack thereof) to cement their own post-premiership legacies. We also look at the politic-speak creeping into Royal statements, Gerry Adams on a trampoline, and the furore over language at the...
Feb 26, 2026•26 min
Armando is joined by Natalie Haynes and Michael Gove to discuss the true meaning of transparency. With his experience as both a politician and a journalist, Michael Gove gives his insight into how transparency can often mean the opposite. He also explains the perverse incentive for ministers to go out and defend tricky positions, and what it feels like to have your private communications laid bare in an inquiry. And with Natalie on the show, we look at historical examples of turbulent leadership...
Feb 19, 2026•35 min
Stewart Lee joins Armando to examine the language around political pyschodramas. We've discussed political language becoming maximalist, but it also gone into warp speed? Looking at whether 'stumbling' is in fact a good thing, we also manage to find new names for Wes Streeting, Peter Mandelson and Andrew (you know which one). We also find time to discuss the fake news that has been stinking up the White House, jellyfish anuses and slapstick. Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongme...
Feb 12, 2026•29 min
Has a man once described as 'teflon' finally run out of spin? Peter Mandelson suggests he needs to run an investigation into himself, but to do an investigation into his language, Armando is joined by host of the News Agents, Emily Maitlis. We discuss revelations in the Epstein files, and why it brings to mind Dickens. Are we wiser to the language of political scandal than we used to be? And is it impossible to spin a story in the modern media environment. We also look at why it's so frustrating...
Feb 05, 2026•31 min
Was Andy Burnham blocked from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election because Labour need to save resources for elections they ‘must have’? Was the Tory briefing that referenced the defecting Suella Braverman’s mental health really a ‘first draft?’ Armando and Natalie examine this and more, to find out if politicians in the UK are echoing Donald Trump’s words as they ask us to take these at face value - “Are you a stupid person?”. Are we not expected to read this 'subtext in block caps'? We...
Jan 29, 2026•28 min
With the backdrop of tariffs and territorial land grabs, Stewart and Armando look at the political language of U-turns and turncoats. With politicians having to advocate for a position they used to be in direct opposition to, we ask if political language exists in a quantum state inside Robert Jenrick's head, or, failing that are we really expected to believe defectors like him have had a damascene conversion? Stewart gives an update to an tired political joke, Armando finds a nifty Peace Prize ...
Jan 22, 2026•31 min
Is Keir Starmer stuck in 2016? BBC's Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent Marianna Spring joins Phil Wang and Armando to look at the evolving language of social media. How do politicians navigate the new online world, both when trying to get their central message across, and in responding to crises? With the shooting of Renee Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, we examine how the normal playbook of a tragedy no longer applies. In the extended episode, we hear Phil take on the role...
Jan 15, 2026•31 min
New Year, and Venezuela is under new management. The fallout from the "extraction" of Maduro has thrown up some interesting political language. Why aren't the US calling it 'regime change'? Why is Starmer damned if he does or doesn't say anything? and is Trump the first politician to use the word 'literally' correctly? In the extended version, we also look at Natalie's pedometer, Armando as the Elder of Taskmaster, and why a 'mild zombie apocalypse' has been described as 'encouraging'. Sound edi...
Jan 08, 2026•30 min
It's New Year's day, so Armando and Stewart are dipping into the very real, physical listeners' mailbag. In a loose and end-of-term episode, with some adult humour, we talk about the misuse of the phrase 'bad apples', Stewart thanks Armando for his leadership, and are treated to unexpected, slightly fruity, film reviews of 'Who Dares Wins' and 'Cats'. We also hear about Armando's ambassador for 'pace', Stewart's artistic skills, and some alternatives to the phrase 'fighting age males'. Got a str...
Jan 01, 2026•37 min
As the year comes to a close, Natalie Haynes joins Armando to discuss and dissect the words of 2025. Looking at official lists, and conjuring up some of their own, they set about breaking down the language that defined another frenetic year. We find out what links all of the official words of the year, and why we can learn a lesson from Austria when choosing them. Armando also denies he writes Pete Hegseth's speeches, and Natalie denies she is in a parasocial relationship with Taylor Swift Got a...
Dec 18, 2025•28 min
Is 'Civilisational Erasure' upon us? This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at this phrase, and others from the US' new National Security Strategy. Would this kind of language have been unthinkable even a few years ago? We also look at other elements of the strategy, and whether it's time to forget the idea that Trump is playing '3-dimensional chess' with his language. Outside civilisational erasure, we look at whether leaders need to communicate on social media, given Starmer...
Dec 11, 2025•29 min
This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to discuss the language around AI. They are also joined by public policy expert and author of Careless People, A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism Sarah Wynn-Williams. For legal reasons, Sarah is not allowed to say anything negative about Meta, so we discuss lots of other areas around tech and AI. We look at hallucinations - what are they, and are they solvable? Do we respond to the sycophancy of AI? Should there be rules around ...
Dec 04, 2025•36 min
It's budget week, Armando is joined by two members of the Strong Message Here commune, Natalie Haynes and Stewart Lee. How do markets get 'spooked'? Who has the broadest shoulders? And what does 'a Labour Budget with Labour values' actually mean? We discuss how taxes get their nicknames, why we know so much about the budget ahead of time these days, and whether Rachel Reeves could've taken inspiration from Taylor Swift to make the budget more exciting. In the longer edition, we also look at 'the...
Nov 27, 2025•33 min
António Guterres has said that missing the 1.5 degree climate target is "a moral failure and deadly negligence". Is he right? Dr Matt Winning joins Sara Pascoe and Armando to discuss the language around climate change. Is it proportionately alarmist, or does it just scare us? Are we numb to the jaw-dropping headlines? Matt has some ideas of how to communicate these complex ideas more succinctly, and tell us of the days spend at COP agonising over whether 'urges' or 'suggests' makes it into an ag...
Nov 20, 2025•38 min
This week, Armando is joined again by comedian Ria Lina, and Sky New's new breakfast host, Sophy Ridge. In the week with 2 big resignations at the BBC, news journalism and accuracy are under the spotlight. We discuss the pressures on live broadcasting, editing, and deciding what stories make it to air. When is something worthy of coverage? These decisions are made all the time, but how? We also discuss how comedians skills can be deployed by journalists with tricky interviewees, and why the Edin...
Nov 13, 2025•34 min
This week, Armando is joined by Phil Wang to look at the use and abuse of political language. Defence Secretary John Healy says we need to 'be vigilant', and Reform councillor Laila Cunningham says 'Labour want us to shut up and die' - we look at how the public and the police respond to horrific events, and at our relationship with the police. We also discuss chocolate getting worse, Nigel Farage straddling the line between being a maverick and assuring the markets, and what other things Rachel ...
Nov 06, 2025•30 min
This week, Armando is joined again by comedian Ria Lina, and Political Editor of The Spectator, Tim Shipman. We're looking back at looking back. In a week where a scandal-hit Prince renounces his titles and the Chinese spy case continues to pose questions of language for the government, people's previous decisions are being put under the spotlight, we look at how public figures respond to the repercussions of their past. Of course, hindsight is 20:20. Speaking of 2020, there's also chat about th...
Oct 23, 2025•34 min
One one hand, the world is going to hell, on the other, the age of terror and death has ended, so which is it? Stewart Lee joins Armando to take a look at this maximal approach to political language. How do you do moderate politics with caps lock on? What's the smart way to diffuse complex arguments about politics? And given the details still to be worked out in the Isreal Gaza peace process, is this week's Peace Summit Trump's 'Mission Accomplished' moment? Have a message for Armando? Drop us a...
Oct 16, 2025•29 min
Did you know Keir Starmer's dad was a toolmaker? Of course you did, because he repeated it every time he was in front a microphone for years. Armando is joined by Natalie Haynes to discuss the use of repetition. How it can be an effective rhetorical technique for the likes of Cicero and Tony Blair, but grates when coming from others? We also look at the language of the recent Tory Party conference, political chocolate bars, and have a debate about the 'debate' politicians often say we need. Have...
Oct 09, 2025•30 min
