Business Unwrapped: the productivity conundrum
Could technology boost British productivity and fend off the risk of recession?
Jan 21, 2020•18 min
The Week Unwrapped - with Olly Mann
Have you missed the biggest news of the week? Olly Mann and The Week’s writers and editors talk about under-reported stories with long-term consequences
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Episodes
#158 Space dates, living apart and pub chaperones
Why is a Japanese billionaire looking for a ‘single woman’ to join him on a trip to the Moon? What does ‘living apart together’ mean? And why is law firm Linklaters trying to keep its staff in check at boozy social gatherings?
Jan 17, 2020•31 min
#157 Testosterone, vegans and locusts
Why are testosterone levels plummeting? Do vegans need legal protection? And why are locusts swarming across East Africa? Olly Mann, Holden Frith, Kari Wilkin and Gabriel Power reveal all
Jan 10, 2020•32 min
Business Unwrapped: the end of petrol
Olly Mann and The Week’s Holden Frith are joined by transport and technology writer Nicole Kobie to talk about agility in the age of disruption. This week: the rise of electric cars - and the likely consequences for consumers, businesses and governments. Brought to you by Lombard Asset Finance
Jan 07, 2020•17 min
#156 Medals, magazines and mercy killings
Why is France planning to bestow the Légion d'honneur on London? Should euthanasia be made available to dementia sufferers? And why are New Zealanders turning over magazines in newsagents? Olly Mann, Felicity Capon, Joe Evans and Arion McNicoll reveal all.
Jan 03, 2020•30 min
#155 The Year Unwrapped 2019
Why is Dolly Parton having a millennial moment? Are fossil fuels dead and buried? And why was 2019 such a good year for investors? Olly Mann, Holden Frith, Arion McNicoll and Jessica Hullinger reveal all.
Dec 27, 2019•33 min
#154 Portable homes, surrogacy and cobalt mining
Could moveable houses be the answer to coastline erosion? Should commercial surrogacy be legal in Britain? And is your phone tainted by the child labour epidemic in the DRC? Olly Mann, Hollie Clemence, Kari Wilkin and Gabriel Power reveal all.
Dec 20, 2019•32 min
#153 Psychopaths, privileged actors and Saudi oil
Is being a psychopath actually a good thing? Why do most actors come from privileged backgrounds? And why is the most successful ever flotation being seen as a flop?
Dec 13, 2019•32 min
#152 Assassins, audiobooks and animal sacrifice
Should Europe be worried about Chechen death squads? Do audiobooks spell trouble for the printed word? And why are Hindu worshippers ignoring a ban on slaughtering animals? Olly Mann, Gabriel Power, Kari Wilkin and Joe Evans reveal all.
Dec 06, 2019•34 min
#151 Virtual dresses, military power and anxious cows
Is the future of fashion clothes we cannot wear? Should we be worried about the British Army’s capabilities? And why are cows wearing VR headsets?
Nov 29, 2019•30 min
#150 Female cars, war crimes and self-rule
Why has Donald Trump pardoned three US soldiers accused of war crimes? Can Aston Martin attract more female customers with its first SUV? And is Bougainville about to become the world's newest country? Olly Mann, Arion McNicoll, Gabriel Power and Felicity Capon reveal all.
Nov 22, 2019•33 min
#149 Farming, forecasting and a global downgrade
Can we predict the future by identifying patterns in the past? Why has Moody’s issued a debt downgrade warning to the entire world? And how are Europe’s farm subsidies being exploited by populist leaders? Jeremy O’Grady, Hollie Clemence and John Stepek reveal all.
Nov 15, 2019•37 min
#148 Beauty, green guilt and criminal children
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why do attractive people do better in school? Does "green guilt" help in the fight against climate change? And what should the age of criminal responsibility be? Kari Wilkin, Arion McNicoll and James Ashford reveal all.
Nov 08, 2019•32 min
#147 Protesting, investing and going paperless
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Does the unrest in Chile have anything in common with other mass protests around the world? Have casual investors woken up to the fact that many of the experts who manage their money aren’t very good at it? And can Russia win its “fight against paper”?
Nov 01, 2019•39 min
#146 Quebeckers, millionaires and autobahns
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is Quebecan separatism back on the agenda? Where are the world’s new millionaires? And why are Germans sticking to their high-speed habits? Gabriel Power, Holden Frith and Cameron Tait reveal all.
Oct 24, 2019•33 min
#145 Brexit-free news, homeschooling and political hair
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Should we be able to filter out unwelcome news? Why are more children being taught at home? And why are female politicians still criticised for their appearance? Rebecca Gillie, Hollie Clemence and Felicity Capon reveal all.
Oct 17, 2019•32 min
#144 Dopamine fasting, AI interviews and old tunes
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Will robots decide who gets a job? Should we deprive ourselves of high-tech stimulation? And why can’t over-30s learn to love new music? Jessica Hullinger, Cameron Tait and Gabriel Power reveal all.
Oct 10, 2019•32 min
#143 The B word
In a live special from the Podcast Live: Politics festival in London, Olly Mann, The Week and special guest Iain Dale cover some fairly large news we've avoided for three years - Brexit! Has Brexit harmed the EU? What's going on with the Euro? What happens if we end up staying? Kari Wilkin, John Stepek and Iain Dale reveal all.
Oct 05, 2019•36 min
#142 French sperm, reparations and the Arctic
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is France rationing IVF? How does Labour plan to right the wrongs of colonialism? And will the Arctic survive a new scramble for oil? Holden Frith, Jessica Hullinger and Theo Tait reveal all.
Sep 26, 2019•31 min
#141 Strippers, food waste and gender-neutral parenting
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Where do strip clubs fit in feminism? Can technology solve the world's food waste problem? And should children be brought up without a gender? Read our full briefing on the couple keeping the gender of their toddler a secret at theweek.co.uk/unwrapped.
Sep 19, 2019•36 min
#140 Weather, Afrophobia and online shaming
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why are some countries better at predicting weather than others? What is causing South Africans to become more intolerant of migrants? And should victims of abuse be free to name and publicly shame their abusers?
Sep 12, 2019•29 min
#139 Vaping, toilets and TED talks
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is vaping more dangerous than we had thought? Are we on the cusp of revolution in toilet technology? And does TED have a diversity problem? Holden Frith, Jessica Hullinger and Arion McNicoll reveal all.
Sep 05, 2019•34 min
#138 Facial recognition, the dollar and lashings of ginger beer
The Week delves behind the headlines and debates what really matters from the past seven days. Should we be worried about facial-recognition software? Is the US dollar’s status as the global reserve currency coming to an end? And why do millions of children all over the world still flock to the dated adventures of the Famous Five? Arion McNicoll, John Stepek, Rebecca Gillie and Cameron Tait reveal all.
Aug 29, 2019•39 min
#137 Satanism, abortion and faulty evidence
The Week delves behind the headlines and debates what really matters from the past seven days. Should we take Satanists seriously as the new voice of reason? How reliable is mobile phone location data as court evidence? And is abortion under threat in the US? Arion McNicoll, Felicity Capon, Holden Frith and Hollie Clemence reveal all.
Aug 22, 2019•33 min
#136 Bio-weapons, Mongolians and bad education
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Could biological weapons that target specific ethnic groups soon become a reality? Is Mongolia set to become the next global power player? And is the insistence on “canon” texts and rote learning destroying GCSE students’ love of English? Gabriel Power, Kari Wilkin and Rebecca Gillie reveal all.
Aug 15, 2019•31 min
#135 Swine fever, Katy Perry and inner voices
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is African swine fever coming to Europe? Will our inner monologues soon be audible to others? And is Katy Perry’s music is greater than the sum of its parts? Felicity Capon, Rebecca Gillie and Theo Tait reveal all.
Aug 08, 2019•31 min
#134 Autopilot security, Apple’s pivot and candid weddings
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. How hard is it to hack an airliner? Have we reached peak iPhone? And would you trust a low-fi wedding photographer? Holden Frith, Cameron Tait and Hollie Clemence reveal all
Aug 01, 2019•36 min
#133 Fake breasts, African Google and bad medicine
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why are thousands of women reporting health problems after getting breast implants? What is behind the French government’s decision to stop reimbursing patients for homeopathic treatment? And why is Google Maps being given a Nigerian accent?
Jul 25, 2019•34 min
#132 Brain hacking, rent rises and genetic IQ
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is Elon Musk trying to wire computers directly to the human brain? Are exam results more down to genetics than schooling? And why is Berlin renationalising chunks of previously privatised council housing? Hollie Clemence, Arion McNicoll and John Stepek reveal all.
Jul 18, 2019•40 min
#131 Rainforests, asbestos and gender-reveals
Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is Brazil destroying so many trees? What are British schools doing about their asbestos problems? And what on earth is a gender-reveal party?
Jul 11, 2019•31 min
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