About this podcast
Reactive features from Radio 4, exploring what's really happening behind the headlines and unearthing untold stories, both at home and abroad.
Episodes
The newest 20 of 62 episodes
- Are teenagers ready for work? · 28 minFifteen-year-olds Jasmine and Javaris are in their final year of school in Newcastle upon Tyne. They’re among the thousands of teenagers around the country who are often being…
- Childline at 40 · 28 minAs Childline marks its 40th anniversary after the death of its founder, Dame Esther Rantzen, Currently explores how it transformed support for vulnerable children in the UK…
- AI on the Farm · 28 minArtificial intelligence is beginning to transform many aspects of our lives - but what's its potential for farmers? Producers are facing more challenges than ever, from drought…
- America’s Gerrymandering Arms Race · 29 minWhat if you could map the outcome of an election before a single vote was cast? This is the story of the drawing - and redrawing - of electoral battle lines in an unprecedented…
- Taiwan: The Pacific Breaking Point · 28 minJames Crabtree has spent nearly 15 years tracking politics in Asia as an author, journalist and analyst. In that time, one small island - separated from mainland China by a…
- The Return of the Youth Club · 28 minMore than a thousand youth clubs have closed their doors since 2010. Local government spending on youth services was slashed by around three-quarters during the age of austerity…
- The Dictators' Survival Guide · 28 minXi Jinping is known to be a ruthless leader. In the last five years alone, China’s richest man, Jack Ma, China’s defence minister and the country’s foreign minister have all…
- The WhatsApp Underground · 28 minIn June 2026, racist violence erupted across Northern Ireland. Masked groups circulated lists of homes where people of colour were believed to be living, forcing more than a…
- Pride Before the Fall · 28 minAcross the country love for Pride events is waning. Councils are pulling funding saying that cash is better spent on potholes and emptying the bins and big companies, once eager…
- Decency Politics · 29 minAs a journalist, historian, constitutional scholar and member of the House of Lords, Peter Hennessy has been observing British public and political life for more than 50 years…
- Lebanon's Abandoned Lives · 30 minPeople who've had to abandon their homes because of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, explain what life is like in Lebanon, a country which has been repeatedly hit by…
- England’s Identity Crisis · 28 minEngland’s men's football team is once again preparing to shoulder the hopes of millions across the nation. A World Cup is traditionally a time to come together, but this…
- When Shiraz Calls · 28 minA personal account of day-to-day life in Iran told through the calls of two Iranian sisters – one in the UK, the other in the Iranian city of Shiraz. Since the outbreak of war at…
- Under Fire in the Strait of Hormuz · 28 minSunil was 26 when he went to work on a ship for the first time. He travelled from Rajasthan, India to a port in Dubai for a job on an oil tanker. When he boarded the ship, he met…
- Who’s Winning Muslim Voters? · 28 minFollowing last week’s local elections, it's clear there’s a huge shift happening when it comes to the voting habits of British Muslims across the country. Why are so many British…
- Prediction Markets: Betting on Disaster · 29 minHuge sums are being wagered on current events, from the weather to world wars, with fortunes being made - and lost. Mike Wendling investigates the rise of prediction markets…
- About the Girls: The Puberty Puzzle · 28 minThis week, as BBC Radio 4 explores what it means to grow up as a girl in 2026, health presenter Laura Foster is examining a striking scientific reality: that girls today are…
- Licence to Hate - Racism on the Front Line · 29 minNew data from the 2025 NHS Staff Survey, one of the largest workforce surveys in the world, shows that 1 in 5 minority ethnic staff report facing discrimination from patients or…
- Power to The People: Rewiring Britain · 29 minBritain is turning electric, but the shift to renewable energy will require a major rewire. Business and Economy editor Douglas Fraser follows the journey of power generated on…
- How Not to Kill a Politician · 30 minWhat is it that drives ordinary people to condone political violence, and some to commit it? As democracies increasingly exist in conditions where violence can flourish, Stanford…
