Strong Message Here
by BBC Radio 4
Latest episode
Saddam Hussein's Cheesecake Factory (with Nish Kumar)
Saddam Hussein's Cheesecake Factory (with Nish Kumar)
About this podcast
Armando Iannucci hosts the programme that gives you a cast-iron guarantee to be laser-focused on decoding the baffling world of political language.
Each week he'll be joined by a guest to crack open the political phrasebook and attempt to demystify the doublespeak. Why does everything now have to be 'turbo-charged'? What's the difference between a 'pledge' and a 'mission'? Why has my local MP been 'weaponised' and should I be worried?
You'll be treated to a crash course in the dark arts of political language from people on the inside who are both baffled and beguiled by it. They'll walk you through the various verbal fiascos of the modern political lexicon so that by the end you'll be oven-ready for an appearance on Newsnight.
Armando's erstwhile partner in de-baffling political lexicon, Helen Lewis, is away working in the United States in the autumn and so her seat will be kept warm by a rotating cast of co-hosts.
Listen to Strong Message Here on Thursdays on Radio 4 at 9.45am, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 96 episodes
- Saddam Hussein's Cheesecake Factory (with Nish Kumar) · 32 minArmando is joined by comedian Nish Kumar to talk about petulance in politics. With Flavio Bolsonaro flouncing off, Trump accolytes baulking at Obama's joke, and Elon Musk…
- In a Surprise Announcement (with Beth Rigby) · 38 minArmando is joined by Sky News' political editor Beth Rigby to pore over the language surrounding the budget. Can you pre-trail a 'surprise announcement'? What does good growth…
- Don't Insult My Intelligence (with Chloe Petts and Marianna Spring) · 35 minArmando is joined by comedian Chloe Petts to look at whether we're getting more stupid, and whether we get the politicians we deserve. To get into the weeds of that, they are…
- Handcuffed to a Zombie (with Tom Peck) · 38 minArmando is joined by sketchwriter for the Times, Tom Peck, to look at the language of the schism on the British right Following on from party conference season, we discuss the…
- Super Intelligence (with Stewart Lee and Carole Cadwalladr) · 33 minArmando is joined by Stewart Lee to look at the newly rebranded 'Super Intelligence'. To get into the linguistic weeds, they are also joined by founding member of The Nerve…
- Political Capital (with Pierre Novellie) · 33 minArmando is joined by comedian Pierre Novellie this week, and they’re going to have an honest conversation about political capital. Looking at some of the phrases and language…
- We Care, We Fight! (with Stewart Lee) · 36 minStewart Lee returns to the show after a summer judging dog shows with Charlotte Church. He and Armando look at the Lib Dem conference, and why the 'word cloud' is not Ed Davey's…
- I Wasn't Even Listening (with Natalie Haynes) · 33 minArmando is back from a summer break to look at the use and abuse of political language. Joined by friend of the show, Natalie Haynes, they mournfully fell the Keir Starmer…
- Doing Politics Differently (with Phil Wang and Pierre Novellie) · 38 minThis week, Phil Wang steps in for Armando, and is joined by comedian Pierre Novellie to discuss 'doing politics differently'. Digging into the language of Burnham's speech, we…
- A Swift Transition (with Matt Forde and Ria Lina) · 34 minArmando is under the weather this week, so in true World Cup style, we have called up a super sub. Matt Forde steps in to host, and Ria Lina joins him to discuss the big news of…
- It's All Signed (with Stewart Lee) · 38 minStewart Lee joins Armando to look at the detail, or lack thereof in the US and Iran deal. What is a memorandum of understanding? Does the language of UFC apply to this deal? And…
- Fanning the Flames (with Hugo Rifkind) · 35 minHugo Rifkind joins Armando, fresh from interviewing a highland cow, to discuss the phrase 'fanning the flames'. Can a politician ever avoid politicising an issue? How is that…
- There's Been An Under-Discussion (with Natalie Haynes) · 36 minNatalie Haynes joins Armando to look at the differing language used when discussing the benefits and risks of the AI revolution. Is it just 'a thing' which is beyond debate? What…
- That's Not for Me to Say (with Munya Chawawa) · 35 minFresh from a trip to America, Munya Chawawa joins Armando to discuss the political art of saying nothing. Munya recently looked at the parallels between Trump and Wrestling, and…
- A Febrile Atmosphere (with Tom Peck) · 40 minHow do you capture the atmosphere of the commons? Parliamentary sketch writer for The Times, Tom Peck, joins Armando to discuss his most detested political buzzwords. We look at…
- We Can't Go On Like This (with Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika) · 35 minThis week, we look at the language of embattled leaders, and some triumphant ones. Joined by Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika, we pore over the speech of Starmer's life…
- Technological Republic (with Stewart Lee and Carole Cadwalladr) · 34 minWhat is the Technological Republic? Armando, Stewart and founder of The Nerve, Carole Cadwalladr, discuss the language and posture of the manifesto released by Palantir's Alex…
- Game On (with Natalie Haynes) · 28 minReady Player One? Natalie Haynes joins Armando once again to talk about the rise of prediction markets, and how they might affect political language. We also look at the…
- The Process Was Followed (with Tim Shipman) · 24 minTim Shipman steps out of a busy week in Westminster to talk Armando through the language of political crises. Whether "time will tell", or "the matter has been dealt with", we…
- Only the Fake News Would Come Up with This (with Amol Rajan) · 35 minPoliticians have their own podcasts, the Government has launched a YouTube channel. It seems our political class want to bypass traditional media to get their message out. Why is…
- Righteous Targets for Violence (with Hugo Rifkind) · 38 minHugo Rifkind joins Armando for a chat about the religious language in politics. After a quick detour round the far side of the moon, we find out Trump's favourite bible passage…
- Deep Disillusionment in This Country (with Stewart Lee) · 28 minThis week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at how political actors use language. Wes Streeting says there is a 'deep disillusionment in this country', and says…
- That's a Great Question (with Stewart Lee in Laugharne) · 28 minStewart Lee joins Armando at the Millennium Hall in Laugharne. Is AI too sycophantic? Should we worry about how military-grade AI is being sold in start-up jargon? Let's ask the…
- We're Here to Listen (with Stewart Lee in Laugharne) · 22 minArmando is joined by Stewart Lee at the Millennium Hall in Laugharne. Taking the audience's most loathed political soundbites, we discuss 'existential threats', 'let me be…
- You Don't Have to Worry (with Marina Hyde) · 33 minMarina Hyde returns to join Armando for a positive look at some positive language. Pete Hegseth tells us not to worry about the Strait of Hormuz, Trump tells us the 'war' is…
- I Understand the Anxiety (with Ria Lina and Coco Khan) · 28 minArmando is joined by Ria Lina and host of Pod Save the UK, Coco Khan, to look at the political language around anxiety. How do we engage with difficult headlines? Can we switch…
- Get Real (with Hugo Rifkind) · 33 minJournalist and Times Radio presenter Hugo Rifkind joins Armando this week. In another breakneck week, we look at the language of reality in politics. Are plumbers more 'real'…
- History Will Judge You (with Stewart Lee) · 26 minStewart Lee joins Armando again this week. With a by-election on, we look away from the present day and think about how history will judge politicians. Some of the language in…
- For the Sake of Transparency (with Natalie Haynes and Michael Gove) · 35 minArmando is joined by Natalie Haynes and Michael Gove to discuss the true meaning of transparency. With his experience as both a politician and a journalist, Michael Gove gives…
- Psychodrama (with Stewart Lee) · 29 minStewart Lee joins Armando to examine the language around political pyschodramas. We've discussed political language becoming maximalist, but it also gone into warp speed? Looking…
- You've Let Your Country Down (with Emily Maitlis) · 31 minHas a man once described as 'teflon' finally run out of spin? Peter Mandelson suggests he needs to run an investigation into himself, but to do an investigation into his…
- Are You a Stupid Person? (with Natalie Haynes) · 28 minWas Andy Burnham blocked from running in the Gorton and Denton by-election because Labour need to save resources for elections they ‘must have’? Was the Tory briefing that…
- U-Turns and Turncoats (with Stewart Lee) · 31 minWith the backdrop of tariffs and territorial land grabs, Stewart and Armando look at the political language of U-turns and turncoats. With politicians having to advocate for a…
- Elections Aren't Won on Twitter (with Phil Wang and Marianna Spring) · 31 minIs Keir Starmer stuck in 2016? BBC's Social Media Investigations Senior Correspondent Marianna Spring joins Phil Wang and Armando to look at the evolving language of social…
- Regime Change (with Natalie Haynes) · 30 minNew Year, and Venezuela is under new management. The fallout from the "extraction" of Maduro has thrown up some interesting political language. Why aren't the US calling it…
- Listeners' Strong Messages (with Stewart Lee) · 37 minIt's New Year's day, so Armando and Stewart are dipping into the very real, physical listeners' mailbag. In a loose and end-of-term episode, with some adult humour, we talk about…
- Words of the Year (with Natalie Haynes) · 28 minAs the year comes to a close, Natalie Haynes joins Armando to discuss and dissect the words of 2025. Looking at official lists, and conjuring up some of their own, they set about…
- Civilisational Erasure (with Stewart Lee) · 29 minIs 'Civilisational Erasure' upon us? This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at this phrase, and others from the US' new National Security Strategy. Would this…
- AI Hallucinations (with Stewart Lee and Sarah Wynn-Williams) · 36 minThis week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to discuss the language around AI. They are also joined by public policy expert and author of Careless People, A Cautionary Tale…
- Spooking the Markets (with Natalie Haynes and Stewart Lee) · 33 minIt's budget week, Armando is joined by two members of the Strong Message Here commune, Natalie Haynes and Stewart Lee. How do markets get 'spooked'? Who has the broadest…
- Moral Failure and Deadly Negligence (with Sara Pascoe and Matt Winning) · 38 minAntónio Guterres has said that missing the 1.5 degree climate target is "a moral failure and deadly negligence". Is he right? Dr Matt Winning joins Sara Pascoe and Armando to…
- The Buck Stops Here (with Ria Lina and Sophy Ridge) · 34 minThis week, Armando is joined again by comedian Ria Lina, and Sky New's new breakfast host, Sophy Ridge. In the week with 2 big resignations at the BBC, news journalism and…
- Be Vigilant (with Phil Wang) · 30 minThis week, Armando is joined by Phil Wang to look at the use and abuse of political language. Defence Secretary John Healy says we need to 'be vigilant', and Reform councillor…
- In Hindsight (with Ria Lina and Tim Shipman) · 34 minThis week, Armando is joined again by comedian Ria Lina, and Political Editor of The Spectator, Tim Shipman. We're looking back at looking back. In a week where a scandal-hit…
- The End of the Age of Terror and Death (with Stewart Lee) · 29 minOne one hand, the world is going to hell, on the other, the age of terror and death has ended, so which is it? Stewart Lee joins Armando to take a look at this maximal approach…
- Repetition, Repetition, Repetition (with Natalie Haynes) · 30 minDid you know Keir Starmer's dad was a toolmaker? Of course you did, because he repeated it every time he was in front a microphone for years. Armando is joined by Natalie Haynes…
- The Battle for the Soul of the Country (with Adam Fleming) · 34 minArmando is at the Labour Party conference (well, in a portakabin in a car park nearby - the glamour!), and is joined by Newscast's Adam Fleming to chat all things conference. Has…
- Hurty Words (with Stewart Lee) · 29 minStewart Lee returns to the show, to join Armando in discussing 'hurty words'. With Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, and in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, free speech is in the…
- Phase 2 (with Ria Lina) · 29 minIn the first episode of the new series, Armando Iannucci and guest co-host, Ria Lina look at the use and abuse of political language. The political summer is often called 'silly…
- Strong Recommend: Going Postal by Terry Pratchett · 7 minIn the last of our summer mini-series, Helen brings a book by Terry Pratchett. To Helen's surprise, this is a blind spot for Armando, who hasn't read any despite being told to do…
