We welcome indie-rockin’ winger Pat Nevin (Chelsea, Everton, the Camden Falcon) to talk music and his new book The Accidental Footballer . Plus Wet Leg ’s long-awaited debut album, Marvel’s Egyptological psycho-drama Moon Knight , Oscar-winning deaf family dramady Coda , an erotically-charged Ruth Wilson in True Things AKA 9½ Weeks In Ramsgate… and much, much more. Hear all the music on our rolling playlists. Spotify : https://bit.ly/CultBunk Tidal : https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/1aea7525-78...
Apr 02, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Season 1Ep. 561
Jacques Peretti’s mother, Alina , survived World War Two in Poland, Siberia, and finally, Auschwitz. They talk to Siân Pattenden about their book, Little Bird of Auschwitz , coming to terms with how Alina understood the Holocaust as a child, finding the courage to put harrowing memories to paper …and how the investigative journalist learned more about the woman who would never let him call her “Mum”. “My mum took a Zhivago-esque Odyssey across Europe.” - Jacques Peretti “I wasn't brave enough to...
Mar 31, 2022•34 min•Season 1Ep. 559
Loneliness is something we’ve all felt at some point in our lives, particularly throughout COVID. But it can also have great value for society. Philosopher and social human rights expert Professor Kimberley Brownlee guides Ros Taylor through the important questions about being alone. Is solitary confinement an effective form of punishment? Have isolation policies been effective during the pandemic, or have they exposed care homes as “warehouses” for the elderly? And is loneliness really a moral ...
Mar 30, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 558
What a difference a week makes. Rishi Sunak’s stock has plummeted dramatically, how far can it fall? We unpick the Chancellor’s sorry Spring Statement. Plus, while COVID cases are rising, free tests are being ditched in England. What could possibly go wrong? And with three-time grand slam champ Ash Barty retiring from tennis, we weigh up the pros and cons of quitting while you’re ahead. “Sunak had an absolute shocker. Day one the headlines were awful from both sides.” – Miatta Fahnbulleh “I don’...
Mar 29, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 557
As fallout from Rishi Sunak’s Spring Statement boosts tensions in Government, we look at how this might unravel further. And with Zelenskyy suggesting Ukraine could consider Russia’s neutrality demands, is there hope for an end to the war? Plus, rising COVID cases, Prince William’s reflections on his Caribbean tour and a controversial night at the Oscars. Ros Taylor and Alex Andreou look at the week ahead. “This seems like a very slow-moving war of attrition, that Russia is losing." – Alex Andre...
Mar 28, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 556
Just 9% of all the plastic ever produced on planet Earth has been recycled. So where does the other 91% go? Despite our demand for disposable goods, the UK is hardly a plastic mountain. From litter on the Turkish littoral, to the second-hand textiles that flood Africa’s markets and South America’s deserts, there’s a chasm between where environmental damage is created, and where its impact is most destructively felt. Istanbul-based journalist Ruth Michaelson tells Jelena Sofronijevic about how we...
Mar 27, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 555
This week’s pop culture review: Aldous Harding ’s couture cocoon-pop, bizarre Betamax horror in new movie Broadcast Signal Intrusion, and Sky doc Super Greed charts the fiasco that was the European Super League. Journo, DJ and football fiend Anthony Teasdale helps Siân and Andrew run the VAR van of entertainment. Hear all the music on our rolling playlists. Spotify : https://bit.ly/CultBunk Tidal : https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/1aea7525-7891-4a88-8474-a08c45ea064b “Somehow the horror is more...
Mar 26, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 554
How can historical fiction be relevant to today’s society but faithful to the facts of the past? Author Laura Shepherd-Robinson joins Nick Cohen to discuss her approach, as she talks us through her novel Daughters of Night, a crime thriller set in the brothels of Georgian London. “When writing my books I choose to focus on issues that still have great resonance today.” “Many MPs declared that their main reason for going in Parliament was to defend slavery and those who practiced it.” “An average...
Mar 24, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 553
The pandemic and a decade of underfunding has ground courts to a halt in England and Wales. How can this be fixed? Joanna Hardy-Susskind , of Red Lion Chambers, joins Ros Taylor to unpack the issues. As criminal barristers prepare to take industrial action over levels of legal aid funding, they address the implications for those in the legal system, and what the Government needs to be doing. “This is not action criminal barristers want to take, and we don’t take it lightly at all.” “The backlog ...
Mar 23, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 552
As a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine is discussed, could Vladimir Putin’s word possibly be trusted? Is his sway both in and outside his nation waning? We look at the chances of an agreement and what one might look like. Plus, we assess economic crises and talk about the prospect of more prescriptive healthcare in a world changed by COVID. Dr. Marc Berenson , senior lecturer at King’s Russia Institute, is this week’s guest. "It’s hard for Ukraine to give anything up because they haven’t don...
Mar 22, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 551
With ongoing devastation in Ukraine and a biting cost of living crisis here at home, the outlook remains bleak. The Government remains under ever-increasing scrutiny – is there any indication of positive change, or just hints at political manoeuvres? Will those in need continue to face the brunt of the hardship? Justin Quirk is joined by Naomi Smith to look at the week ahead. “We’re failing refugees the world over, I’m afraid.” – Naomi Smith “In organisations with a bad culture, a bad output, th...
Mar 21, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 550
Whatever you think of him, Nigel Farage has been one of Britain’s most influential politicians. His campaign to take the UK out of the EU went from a fringe viewpoint to government policy, but how did he do it? Political journalist Michael Crick joins Dorian Lynskey to discuss his latest book One Party After Another, which takes a deep dive into the life of one of Britain’s most controversial political characters. “Farage is the most important politician of this century.” “I wouldn’t write off t...
Mar 20, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 549
Hear all the music on our rolling playlist : https://bit.ly/CultBunk Dr Catherine Anne Davies, AKA Welsh multi-instrumentalist The Anchoress , joins us on the rerelease of The Art of Losing – and for an album whose central theme is loss, there are as many bangers as you can wave a stick at. Plus, death on the installment plan - podcast producer Rob Fitzpatrick talks about series two of Upload on Amazon Prime, and Classic Objects, the new album from Norwegian musician and novelist Jenny Hval. And...
Mar 19, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 548
Why is Britain so accommodating to the super-rich? Oliver Bullough , author of Butler to the World talks to Ahir Shah to discuss how our nation came to assist kleptocrats to the extent we see today. As question marks over oligarchs’ riches hit the headlines, we look at how we got here. “There is this deeply ingrained service industry that helps anyone with money do anything.” “Whoever they are, if they’ve got money, we’ll take their money and help them solve their problems.” “We don’t stop peopl...
Mar 17, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 547
Cultural organisations are becoming more assertive in boycotting Russia. But how effective are their sanctions? Can these moves compare with economic clampdowns? Jelena Sofronijevic talks to Professor Andrew Bertoli about how sports influences international security, whether sanctions hurt individuals more than states, and whether these actions are really useful for Ukraine. “The IOC and FIFA have had very cosy relationships with Putin in the past.” “The three times Putin has launched an invasio...
Mar 16, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 546
The Government has been bounced into doing more for Ukrainian refugees, but are new plans just shifting responsibility? Plus, we discuss how Russia is trying to win the information war – and dissect the facts from fiction. And finally, we take a look at what’s going on with Spotify, after a major outage and dip in subscribers. Mathilda Mallinson , of the Media Storm podcast and co-founder of Refugee Media Centre , is this week’s guest. "There's such a bad faith approach in the right-wing media r...
Mar 15, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 545
The horror of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to shock the world. Is more involvement from the West inevitable? What might that look like? Meanwhile, the UK’s position on refugees is shifting, while sanctions have also been bolstered. But is the Government doing enough? Alex Andreou is joined by Gavin Esler to look at the week ahead. “One stray missile lands in Poland and who knows where we’ll be.” – Gavin Esler “Putin must be asking what success looks like now, and I don’t know the answe...
Mar 14, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 544
Nuclear war is back in people’s minds after Vladimir Putin put Russia’s deterrent on high alert. How real is the threat? And if an atomic conflict did break out, what would it look like? Dr Matthew Harries , Senior Research Fellow in Nuclear Policy at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), joins Ros Taylor to discuss the likelihood of atomic warfare, and what Putin’s threat really means. “Russia is a nuclear armed state, so we have to take escalation very seriously.” “Vladimir Putin knows n...
Mar 13, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 542
Our pop culture review: Dancefloor existentialists Electribe 101 , Microdisney mastermind returns with Telefís , Netflix comedy sci-fi The Adam Project and more with guest Grant Nicholas of Feeder . Journalist and author of Leaving the Building : The Lucrative Afterlife of Music Estates Eamonn Forde joins Grant of skate-surf rock-punk survivors Feeder to discuss a great lost album of British dance music, “theocratic electropop from the Irish diaspora”, Netflix’s attempt to do Spielberg… and much...
Mar 12, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 542
We often hear that laughter is the best medicine . But healthcare providers in Bristol have taken the message seriously and are now prescribing comedy courses to help people recover from PTSD. It’s just one case of “social prescribing” that’s sweeping throughout practices across the country. Jelena Sofronijevic talks to Professor Gurch Randhawa and former service user Debs Teale about what constitutes “social medication,” why there’s no magic pill for long-term problems in politics and big pharm...
Mar 10, 2022•30 min•Season 1Ep. 541
Western coverage of the bloody civil war in Syria might indicate that the conflict is over. But in the northwest, rebels are still fighting back against Bashar al-Assad, and the war crimes against civilians committed by his deadly regime. Ammar al Selmo is a member of the White Helmets. He dials in from northwest Syria to tell Arthur Snell about the organisation’s humanitarian efforts, how working as a first-responder is “like a drug”…and why continued Western support is critical for the region....
Mar 09, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 540
Among Putin’s missteps has been underestimating the support Ukraine would muster. Why is he losing the information war? Meanwhile, Russia faces a raft of sanctions from the West. We analyse the wider impact of those actions, and the moves taken by our Government. Gulnaz Sharafutdinova , of King’s Russia Institute, and Tatton Spiller , the founder of Simple Politics, are this week’s guests. “Zelenskyy is the most media trained President in history.” - Tatton Spiller “Since 2014, Putin has portray...
Mar 08, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 539
Harrowing scenes of families fleeing Ukraine have seen the Government pressured to do more for them. Will it? As Russia’s bombardment persists, it emerged the UK had only issued 50 visas to refugees escaping the invasion. Home Secretary Priti Patel has faced pointed criticism – are there any excuses? Will new proposals be enough? Alex Andreou is joined by Yasmeen Serhan to look at the week ahead. “Kyiv is still standing, it’s still Ukrainian, but it’s an incredibly dire situation.” – Yasmeen Ser...
Mar 07, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 538
Imagine an app able to dictate social media trends at the click of a button. Digital researcher Ayushman Kaul talks to Alex Andreou about ‘Tek Fog’ – software he reports can do exactly that. They discuss corrosive impacts already seen in India, tracked in a nearly two-year long investigation for The Wire , and worrying implications for democracies the world over. “Operators who use this app can manipulate social media trends en-mass, including on Facebook and Twitter.” “There is a global industr...
Mar 06, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 537
Hear all the music on our rolling playlist : https://bit.ly/CultBunk After a sneaky single drop from their new album A Bit of Previous, Scottish indie pop megastar Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian joins us to talk about making floating music festivals and his Sundance Award-winning film. Crime writer par excellence William Shaw speaks to Siân and Jelena about The Dropout on Disney Star starring Amanda Siegfried as disgraced biotech billionaire Elizabeth Holmes, and The Weather Station ’s la...
Mar 05, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 536
Cryptocurrencies have boomed in recent years, but are they here to stay? Amy Castor, an independent journalist whose work focuses on cryptocurrency and financial fraud, talks to Justin Quirk to explain some of the myths around crypto, if e-currencies really can work as an alternative to the normal financial system, and the strange world of NFTs. “Crypto was designed as an e-currency, but it’s mainly used for speculation.” “There is mind-boggling amounts of money going into this space, in the hop...
Mar 03, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 535
What’s the situation like on the ground in Ukraine? Nearly a week after Russia invaded, veteran war correspondent John Sweeney dials in from Kyiv to give Arthur Snell the lowdown on Europe’s first ground war since 1945, and why Putin’s gamble might have backfired. “From day one I thought Putin had made a mistake, and this invasion is not going well.” “This feels to me like Twilight of the Gods, Putin has made a miscalculation.” “Putin is pulling the military levers and they’re not working.” “Put...
Mar 02, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 534
Is a humiliated Putin even more dangerous than a victorious Putin? Can the incredible bravery of the Ukraine and President Zelensky win out? And how many fronts can Putin fight on, at home, globally and in the economic sphere? In a week where Russia tried to pin a potential nuclear war on Liz Truss, ex-diplomat and security expert Arthur Snell , The Atlantic’s Yasmeen Serhan and former Labour spin doctor Ayesha Hazarika join Alex Andreou to get the latest on the most serious crisis in Europe sin...
Mar 01, 2022•58 min•Ep. 533
Setting up the week ahead: Putin threatens nuclear war, EU sanctions bite Russia, French presidential elections. Would Putin really use a nuclear weapon to salvage his collapsing war on Ukraine? Will EU sanctions and plans to supply weapons to Kyiv damage the Russian regime’s plans? Plus the French presidential elections, the Policing Bill and more. Arthur Snell and Ros Taylor set up a worrying week. “Putin has deeply underestimated Zelensky… He has proven to be a formidable wartime leader.” “If...
Feb 28, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 532
Eugenics might be considered a horrific relic of the past, but the concept still has its advocates today. Dr Adam Rutherford , science writer and author of Control , talks to Dorian Lynskey about efforts by the powerful to dictate reproduction throughout history, the legacy of eugenics in our language and literature, and present day conversations about tinkering with the DNA of unborn children. “Winston Churchill drafted numerous bills which included mass sterilisation.” “If you only engage in s...
Feb 27, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 531
