This week, Helen and Armando look back at a year of the Labour government. What language has come out of if, and why is it struggling to define itself? Looking at phrases from the year, like "The tepid bath of managed decline" and "National Health Recovery Mission Champions", does their language connect, and are there opponents any better? Strong Message Here will be back on Radio 4 in September, but subscribe to BBC Sounds to hear Helen and Armando over the summer in Strong Message Here: Strong...
Jul 03, 2025•32 min
This week, Helen Lewis is back! In the longer edition, you can hear what Helen has been up to in her absence, before Helen and Armando set their sights on the language around Net Zero. They ask, Why has it taken long for them to cover it on the show? Is it being framed in a relatable enough way? And, does it suffer from being part of an 'omnicause'? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode. Have you stumbled up...
Jun 26, 2025•31 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci decodes the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen Lewis is still away, so Journalist Marina Hyde steps in to join Armando. They discuss what an ordinary person might be, and examine if politicians use them as cover? Why is it always that things 'ordinary people' are saying 'on the doorstep' just so happen to be the exact things they wanted to do anyway? We also look at delivery in politics. Do we believe politicians when they say they'll de...
Jun 19, 2025•38 min
This week, Helen Lewis is still away, so comedian Sara Pascoe steps in to join Armando. They reminisce over their first meeting on the set of a classic episode of The Thick of It - which was also in a radio studio - and then go on to discuss politicians on both sides of the Atlantic having thunderous breakups, and then making up in record time. Musk regrets his posts about Trump, and Zia Yusuf returns to Reform, despite some in the party 'popping champagne' at his departure. And we examine more ...
Jun 12, 2025•33 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci decodes the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen Lewis is away, so comedian and writer Stewart Lee joins Armando to look at Robert Jenrick's flashy video in which he takes aim at 'weird Turkish barber shops', among other things. They discuss how the way politicians, entertainers and journalists are changing and overlapping, and Armando recalls the time he read politician's jokes in a comedy club (spoiler alert, it was a disaster). Listen t...
Jun 05, 2025•37 min
This week, we have a very special guest, Jon Stewart! Jon joins Armando and Helen to discuss whether Trump is the political equivalent of Miles Davis, the quaintness of UK politics compared to the US, Jon does a flawless Margaret Thatcher impression and they answer the age old question... are escalators the most emasculating form of travel? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode. Have you stumbled upon any pe...
May 29, 2025•44 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, we're looking at inflammatory language. From Immigration to EU deals, we've heard talk of of 'betrayal' 'surrender' 'invasion' and of course 'an island of strangers'. When is this hyperbole appropriate and when is it egregious? And, can we ever forgive Boris Johnson for the mental image of the Prime Minister as the 'orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels'? Listen t...
May 22, 2025•35 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando take a step back and look at whether we're seeing the death of nuance in political debate. Is everything boiled down to 'yes or no' questions? What are the shibboleths of modern politics, and does the language you use, or decline to use, put you firmly on one side of a debate? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then hea...
May 15, 2025•31 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, following Reform's announcement they will remove all flags from all council buildings under their jurisdiction - other than the Union Flag and the St George's Cross - Helen and Armando are joined by Phil Wang to discuss Britishness, Englishness, Scottishness, Irishness, Welshness and Malaysianess. Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then ...
May 08, 2025•34 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, a look over the pond at Trump's first 100 days. How have his administration used language to further their agenda? From the Gulf of America, to Making Showers Great Again, Helen and Armando examine how the US government is finding linguistic tricks to set the terms of debate. Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC S...
May 01, 2025•32 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci are joined by the BBC's former Live Political Editor to discuss the art of the political interview. What's a valid question? What's a cheap gotcha? They also discuss Paxman's beard, the best political interviews and how to get the most out of a politician who is bending over backwards to say absolutely nothing. Listen to Strong Message Here every Thu...
Apr 24, 2025•33 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando are joined by economist and journalist for the Financial Times, Soumaya Keynes. They take a look back on Liberation Day - what exactly was America being liberated from? What was the response in China to the tariffs? and Soumaya wades into the murky waters of Truth Social. Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head str...
Apr 17, 2025•37 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando are joined by author, broadcaster and former adviser to Theresa May and Boris Johnson, Cleo Watson. Taking a look back at the three word slogans that defined politics in recent years, especially those that relate to Cleo's time in number 10. Why are they so catchy? Hands Face Space... Take Back Control... Strong Message Here.... Listen to Strong Message ...
Apr 10, 2025•33 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Following the remarkable security breach dubbed 'Signalgate', Helen and Armando are joined by political editor of Politics Joe, Ava Santina Evans, to discuss how casualness has crept into political communication. Is it a threat? Is it just cringe? And why oh why do we still use the suffix 'gate' for a scandal, given its origins are over 50 years old? Listen to Strong Message Here ev...
Apr 03, 2025•34 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Are Labour telling a good enough story? Who is the best storyteller in politics? How do you establish a narrative to take control of events, rather than let events define you? To answer these questions, Helen and Armando are joined by Associate Editor and Columnist for The Financial Times, Stephen Bush. Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head ...
Mar 27, 2025•33 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, the Government announced their plans for welfare reform, so we take a look at the language around welfare, around benefit claimants, and how it's changed over the years. Gone are the 'strivers vs shirkers' of the 2010s or even Peter Lilley's infamous 'little list' of the early 90s. This government talks of 'supporting people into work' and 'right to try', but with the sav...
Mar 20, 2025•26 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Musk has been threatening a former astronaut (no, not the one he threatened the other week - another one), Trump has been talking tariffs, and Rupert Lowe took on his party's 'Messiah', Nigel Farage. What does all this tough talk mean in politics? Does projecting strength always work? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight...
Mar 13, 2025•31 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Hot mics, leaks, tell-all books. We find out a lot about how politicians talk in private. How does it differ from their public pronouncements? And are politicians less careful about how they come across in public these days? Helen and Armando survey the lay of the linguistic land. Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds ...
Mar 06, 2025•29 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Farage says everybody is miserable, Trump says everything is a 'disaster', and Liz Truss chimed in saying Britain is a 'failed state', so Helen and Armando are trying to find out why those who claim to be patriots are keen to talk the country down. And why Starmer and Reeves' downbeat language has had real-life consequences. Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on ...
Feb 27, 2025•30 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, JD Vance sent European leaders into a tailspin with an inflammatory speech at the Munich Security Conference, and Kemi Badenoch made an attention-grabbing speech at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. Looking at them side-by-side, what does it tell us about the language of the right on both sides of the Atlantic? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45a...
Feb 20, 2025•37 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Starmer has suggested that Britain adopt a 'Build, Baby, Build' strategy. Sound familiar? We thought so too, so Helen and Armando are looking at why politicians copy their opponents. Is it a sign of strength or weakness, and do the public think it sounds convincing? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for ...
Feb 13, 2025•39 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Why do we know what's going to be in a political speech before it happens? What is 'kiteflying' and 'pitch rolling'? To find out, Helen and Armando are joined by sketch writer for The Critic, Rob Hutton, who has been at more political announcements than he's had hot dinners. What's the best speech he's heard? What's the worst? And who are all those people who turn up to watch the Pr...
Feb 06, 2025•36 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Trump has truly settled back into the White House, but is it different this time around? Helen and Armando take a look at how this unique politician uses language to get his way. We also look at Trump Derangement Syndrome - a favourite phrase of the new President to describe his detractors - and how other politicians have changed their tune about Trump since his last term...
Jan 30, 2025•37 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando take a deep dive into Mark Zuckerberg's statement which explains the new rules around fact checking and free speech on his Meta platforms. Is free speech really back? Or should we be worried that fact-checkers are a thing of the past? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended ep...
Jan 23, 2025•30 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, after a well-earned week off, Helen and Armando are back to break down how political attacks work. After Kemi Badenoch landed a blow on Keir Starmer calling him 'a lawyer, not a leader', we look at what makes a political attack potent, and crucially, what makes them flop. Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sound...
Jan 16, 2025•32 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando are delving into the email inbox to find out which political phrases have been driving our listeners to distraction. Strong Message here will be back on the 16th January at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode. Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email the...
Jan 02, 2025•24 min
In a year where Labour secured a 'loveless landslide' in the UK and Trump sealed his return to the White House, Helen and Armando will be 'laser-focused' on their 'mission' to skewer the use and abuse of political language. From 'freebies' to 'fascism', 'weird' to 'working people', all of the strong messages that helped Make 2024 Great Again will be put under the microscope. A witty, illuminating exploration of the verbal tricks of the trade from two people both mesmerised and baffled by our pol...
Dec 20, 2024•30 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, Helen and Armando are having a splash around in the tepid bath of managed decline. When does a phrase become accidentally too evocative? What is the remedy to a tepid bath? And is the desire for 'start up culture' within the government the right thing? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended ep...
Dec 19, 2024•29 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. This week, following Keir Starmer's 'Plan for Change', Helen and Armando look at what a reset actually means. From Jaguar's rebrand to Miliband's Ed Stone, do resets work? Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode. Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to...
Dec 12, 2024•33 min
Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language. Following Louise Haigh's resignation and Matt Gaetz's withdrawal from his Attorney General nomination, both said they were 'becoming a distraction', so Helen and Armando dig into the language of the political resignation. Looking at interesting resignations through history, Helen also codifies the archetypes of political resignations, and Armando tells us about seeing a high-profile...
Dec 05, 2024•33 min
