Pubs are a cornerstone of British culture. But with increasing numbers closing, and a long winter ahead, what can we do to save them? Ros Taylor is joined by Michelin star chef and hospitality champion Tom Kerridge to discuss how pubs are under threat and ways they may change in the future. "Even if pubs look busy, they are working to incredibly tight profit margins." "As people have become more health conscious, they don't go to pubs during the day – so pubs really need to change." " The days w...
Sep 14, 2022•16 min•Season 1Ep. 711
Queen Elizabeth II’s reign coincided with huge cultural and social shifts, so how did she respond to these changes? Following the Queen’s death, Ros Taylor is joined by Stephen Bates , former royal correspondent for The Guardian and author of Royalty Inc. Britain's Best-Known Brand to discuss changes seen in the Elizabethen era. “The Queen had to be persuaded to do things, and then she went along with them.” “The monarchy is very careful about its resources.” “There was a huge backlash against t...
Sep 14, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 710
Pageantry, pomp and poignancy have flowed in abundance since the Queen's death, while mourning has put democracy on ice. The panel unpacks the nation’s reaction – and tries to decipher what it all really means. Plus, the latest from the Ukraine counter-offensive, as it firmly appears the tide is turning against Russia. “ We rarely knew The Queen’s feelings on anything, a tough act for Charles to follow.” – Arthur Snell “ There has been a lot of self-policing, but as far as I can tell there has b...
Sep 13, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 709
With the nation in mourning following the death of the Queen, what can we expect to happen in the next few days? A state funeral will be held next week, and hundreds of thousands are due to visit London. Elsewhere, we discuss the situation in Ukraine, and the counter offensive there. Plus, the Met faces scrutiny after the shooting of Chris Kaba by a firearms officer. Alex Andreou and Yasmeen Serhan lay out the week ahead. “People seemed to be more shocked by how it had hit them, they perhaps wer...
Sep 12, 2022•32 min•Season 1Ep. 708
As Kwasi Kwarteng becomes Britain’s latest Chancellor, how much power really lies behind the door of No.11? Howard Davies , chairman of the NatWest Group and author of The Chancellors: Steering the British Economy in Crisis Times , joins Alex Andreou to discuss the influence of previous Chancellors, and the challenges facing Kwarteng as he takes his place at the Treasury. “ The treasury is unique in that it ’ s the only department not solely focused with spending Government money.” “ A good Chan...
Sep 08, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 707
American society is in crisis, but can the iconic story Gone with the Wind explain the divisions ripping the US apart today? Professor Sarah Churchwell talks to Arthur Snell about her new book The Wrath to Come , which re-examines the controversial legacy of Margaret Mitchell’s 1936 novel, and what it tells us about American history and culture today. “Gone with the Wind does reject the idea that war is romantic, that is where it’s more modern.” “ During the insurrection a white supremacist flag...
Sep 07, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 706
Stop pinching yourself, this isn’t a bad dream – Liz Truss will be Prime Minister. She’s sworn she’ll deliver – but how? And will she stick to her campaign stances or, unlike her icon Thatcher, will she be for turning? Plus, we look across the pond and assess Biden’s new combative stance. From being set for a midterm wipeout, has the tide turned? - “Truss has a litany of things she has to deal with in a relatively short period of time.” – Yasmeen Serhan - “Truss is going to have a very modern wo...
Sep 06, 2022•59 min•Season 1Ep. 705
The Groundhog Day of the Tory leadership race is over and Liz Truss is due to become Prime Minister. Does she truly gasp the size of the task at hand? And is there any hope for competence in her Cabinet? Plus, more strikes and protests are due this week. And we take a look at the latest from the conflict in Ukraine. Arthur Snell lays out the week ahead with Ros Taylor . “If you could think of the worst time to become Prime Minister, this would be it.” – Arthur Snell “Even Liz Truss in a terrible...
Sep 05, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 704
Finally, it’s time to say it… Good riddance, Boris Johnson. With the egomaniac-in-chief due to leave Number 10, Ros Taylor is joined by LBC’s James O’Brien to pick through the wreckage. What will be his legacy? Could things have ever gone differently? Join us for a cathartic farewell to the man who wanted to be king – but failed resoundingly as Prime Minister. “In terms of personal political performance Johnsonism is very similar to Trumpism. It’s opportunism devoid of conscience.” – James O’Bri...
Sep 04, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 703
Your pop culture update: We are joined by Brett Anderson and Mat Osman of resurgent rock’n’roll noir institution Suede to discuss their upcoming new album Autofiction, how it feels to return to the delinquent racket of their teenage years, and life as music’s most literate band. Plus we armour up for Amazon’s new adaptation of Lord of the Rings , and the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon , now well into its run on Sky. “This is our punk record, not a punk record.” - Brett Anderson “Eve...
Sep 03, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 702
In this week’s Bunker Gold, listen back to an episode from December 2020. BBC Radio producer and author of The Ex-Men: How Our Former Presidents and Prime Ministers are Still Changing the World , Giles Edwards talked to Ros Taylor about what ex-leaders get up to when they leave office. They discussed what happens behind the closed doors of members-only clubs – and how these ex-men (and women) still shape public life without us even knowing. “You can get more done in fifteen minutes as Prime Mini...
Sep 02, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 701
The 1970s is frequently referenced as a period of turmoil – and one we must avoid Britain returning to. But is our memory of the decade accurate? And why is it continually referenced by politicians and newspapers? Historian Lawrence Black , co-editor of Reassessing 1970s Britain , joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss why the era is so maligned. “For better or worse, it was much easier to go on strike in the 1970s.” “Thatcher won the political battles of the 1970s - but she lost the culture wars.” “It’s...
Sep 01, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 700
With Liz Truss set to be crowned Prime Minister – who will be in the backbench Tory cabal keeping her on her toes? What will they pressure her on? Plus, we assess how Boris Johnson and his fellow journalists-turned-politicians have warped the media during his time in office. And ahead of the return to school, we discuss what education changes we’d make. This week’s guest is actress, screenwriter and author Emma Kennedy . “For somebody who’s said she’s going to stand up to Putin it’s strange Trus...
Aug 31, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 699
Energy saving tips roll in ahead of a coming bill tsunami – what cost of living omens await this week? Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi has warned middle earners will struggle with payments, and broke with colleagues by suggesting that people limit their usage. Plus, the latest from Ukraine, amid a counter-offensive in the Kherson region. And, back home, further strikes are due to be held. Justin Quirk and Yasmeen Serhan discuss the week ahead. "It feels like there hasn’t really been much of a Governmen...
Aug 30, 2022•21 min•Season 1Ep. 698
Is failure always bad – or should we look at it as an essential on the path to innovation? Samuel West is the director of the Museum of Failure, which exhibits unsuccessful products and services from across the world. He speaks to Ahir Shah about how accepting when things don’t work out, being brave enough to fail and going through the dustbin of history. “Most charities are terrified of failing at things - but the paradox is that if they don’t innovate they are probably doing the wrong things.”...
Aug 29, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 697
This episode was recorded prior to the Mar-a-Lago search affidavit being released on Friday... The FBI raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort made headlines worldwide. What will the fallout be – legally and politically? Julia Azari , professor of Political Science at Marquette University, joins Justin Quirk to discuss what the raid means for Trump and US politics more widely, and why it has taken so long for the law to catch up with America’s 45th President. “This has somewhat overshadowed the Januar...
Aug 28, 2022•26 min•Season 1Ep. 696
Our always-on digital world is changing how we read, which means it’s altering how our minds work. Literary critic Sven Birkerts , author of Changing the Subject: Art and Attention in the Internet Age , tells Andrew Harrison how the act of reading is fundamentally different when the printed word is just part of an ever-changing multiplex – and why the state reading puts you in is more important than the words on the page (or the screen). “A book used to be an escape, but now the outside world is...
Aug 27, 2022•19 min•Season 1Ep. 695
Listen back to an edition from our archives with The Bunker Gold . This week we’ve chosen an episode from April, 2020. It’s the end of the world as we know it and… some people are quite into that, it seems. Why are so many people so keen on the end of everything? What do doomsday preppers, alt.right catastrophists and billionaire plutocrat antidemocrats like Peter Thiel have in common? And is the communal response to COVID proving their worst ambitions wrong? We talk to Mark O’Connell – author o...
Aug 26, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 694
Electric cars have been sold as an answer to green, clean travel. But is the reality that clear-cut? Henry Sanderson , author of Volt Rush: The Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green , joins Ahir Shah to discuss whether they’re really a climate-friendly solution, resource mining and de-coupling energy reliance from China. “A lot of green products mask dirty supply chains.” – Henry Sanderson “China is present at all stages of the supply chains: from mine to processing.” – Henry Sanderson “Wit...
Aug 25, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 693
After replacing Angela Merkel at the end of last year, how is German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s tenure going? Alex Andreou discusses the problems he faces with German author and journalist Annette Dittert . “Scholz has come to power by imitating Merkel, by promising no surprises.” “Scholz doesn’t seem to be able to make decisions when they need to be done.” “He is coming from this old school, appeasement policy towards Russia.” “People are still missing Merkel, Scholz cannot pull the EU together t...
Aug 24, 2022•27 min•Season 1Ep. 692
All work and no play makes… the basis of Truss’s Thatcherite utopia. We unpack the likely PM-to-be’s “graft” remarks. Plus, six months since the invasion of Ukraine, how is the conflict shaping up? And, with the end of the £10 flight inbound, award-winning transport journalist John Walton joins us to discuss the future of the aviation industry. “On Brexit, Truss will always be the great political half-and-half scarf.” – Tom Peck “It doesn’t really matter what Truss believes in, because the main ...
Aug 23, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 691
How will Russia react after the car bomb killing of a key Putin ally’s daughter? Is Ukraine set for intensified attacks, despite denying involvement? Plus, sewage spewed across beaches dirties the Government’s record further as the Tory leadership contest dribbles on. Is it too late for them to clean up their act and the country – even slightly? Gavin Esler lays out the week ahead with Andrew Harrison . "Just because you don't want to sound like Russian state media, doesn't mean there aren't con...
Aug 22, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 690
Apparently, all you need is love – but why? What makes it fundamental to our survival, and why doesn’t heartbreak put us off it? Jacob Jarvis speaks to Dr. Anna Machin, an evolutionary anthropologist and author of Why We Love: The New Science Behind Our Closest Relationships . “The reason we crave love is that it fulfils a fundamental survival need which is to meet other people.” “Humans are the most cooperative species on the planet. That’s the basis of love.” “To love at the cost of somebody e...
Aug 21, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 689
Your pop culture update: We are joined by the rhyme-nocerous himself, one half of Flight of the Conchords , Bret McKenzie ! New Zealand’s finest joins us to talk about making music with the Muppets and the Simpsons, and his debut solo album 'Songs Without Jokes'. Justin Quirk joins to chew on Hot Chip ’s new album, FREAKOUT/RELEASE and Bolton’s answer to Black Mirror, Red Rose , out now on BBC Three. “I like the juxtaposition between sweet melodies, and saying the world is screwed.” - Bret McKen...
Aug 20, 2022•56 min•Season 1Ep. 688
In this week’s Bunker Gold, listen back to Arthur Snell’s discussion with one of his contacts in Afghanistan in the aftermath of Kabul’s fall in August 2021. Originally released a year ago today, the pair discussed what the situation was like after the Taliban’s astonishingly swift takeover–while the person, who we chose not to identify, was in hiding. https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast “Kabul has been left without anything.” “Everything is closed down. You would think it is the Stone Age in Kab...
Aug 19, 2022•15 min•Season 1Ep. 687
When Greensill Capital collapsed it brought down a multi-billion dollar empire and exposed David Cameron's greed. Alex Andreou talks to financial journalist Duncan Mavin about the failed project, which is covered in his new book The Pyramid of Lies . Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a Bunker t-shirt: https://bit.ly/3zFSySB “Lex Greensill was very good at understanding what motivated politicians.” “Greensill Capital was trying to be disruptive.” “David Cameron brought huge credibi...
Aug 18, 2022•23 min•Season 1Ep. 686
As tensions between ethnic Serbs and Albanians rise in Kosovo – how will this situation develop? With fears over an escalating conflict in the Balkans, journalist Una Hajdari joins Jelena Sofronijevic to discuss the latest. "Poisonous nationalist rhetoric is being spread by political leaders in Serbia, Croatia, and Kosovo." "Putin is Serbia's ally, but he's accidentally advocating for Kosovo." "Comparing past events to ethnic cleansing now leads to deadly incidents." “Rhetoric can lead to isolat...
Aug 17, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 685
The murder attempt on Salman Rushdie continues to reverberate. What does it mean for tensions with Iran – and for free speech? Plus, the economy’s in the toilet and the Prime Minister’s on a Greek beach. Will anyone get a grip of the cost of living crisis ? And if TikTok becomes the dominant social media platform, how do we feel about China owning the arena of political debate? Our special guest is Helena Wadia of the Mediastorm podcast. Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a Bunker ...
Aug 16, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 684
Coming up in the next seven days: The attack on Salman Rushdie continues to reverberate. Will Keir Starmer’s plan to freeze the energy cap burst Truss and Sunak’s tax-cuts bubble? And Trump’s worries mount as more details emerge of what the FBI found in Mar-a-Lago. Alex Andreou looks at the next seven days with Justin Quirk. Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a Bunker t-shirt: https://bit.ly/3zFSySB “Sunak just needed to sit back and let Truss reveal herself for the idiot she is – ...
Aug 15, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 683
It’s 75 years since British India was split in two, but what does Partition mean today? Signalling the end of British colonial rule in the subcontinent, and leaving thousands dead and millions displaced – why are we not taught about it in schools? Ahir Shah discusses family histories and second generation identity with fellow British-Asian comedian Eshaan Akbar . Complete our listener survey for a chance to win a Bunker t-shirt: https://bit.ly/3zFSySB “All you are taught at school is: Henry VIII...
Aug 14, 2022•24 min•Season 1Ep. 682
