Politics Unpacked
Episodes
Channel Hopping
21 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Jersey goes to the polls, Matt Chorley explores its significance alongside Guernsey and Sark.PLUS Danny Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch discuss s...
A funny thing happened on the way to the CHOGM
20 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley explores the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, taking place in Rwanda. He hears from Valentine Low, who writes on the Royals for ...
Gyles Brandreth
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Former MP turned national treasure Gyles Brandreth talks about keeping busy, why he would have voted for Boris Johnson in the recent confidence vote a...
Citizens Advice
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley hears stories from the frontlines of the cost-of-living crisis, speaking to regional representatives for Citizens Advice to get a clear u...
PMQs Unpacked 15-06-22
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley analyses the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister's Questions alongside Sunday Times' Chief Political C...
A Long Hot Summer of Strikes
14 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a Times Radio investigation showed that nearly a million people are considering or have confirmed strike action this summer, Matt Chorley explor...
What Is Starmer Waiting For?
13 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley and Times Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire have been hitting up their contacts books, speaking to some of the Labour leader's closest colle...
Wine Times with Matt Chorley
11 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today's episode comes courtesy of our sister podcast: Wine Times.Dabbling in wines from across the globe with Suzi and Will is the journalist and broa...
David Davis Studies
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This is the story of the senior Conservative MP, loyalist and rebel David Davis. Matt Chorley sat down with him to discuss losing out to David Cameron...
Focus Group: Wakefield 09-06-22
09 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is joined by James Johnson from Kekst CNC who has convened the latest Times Radio Focus Group of people from Wakefield, who all voted Con...
PMQs Unpacked 08-06-22
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is joined by the Times Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minist...
Behind the Scenes in Parliament
07 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley takes us behind the scenes in Westminster to see how yesterday's extraordinary day in politics unfolded.PLUS Patrick Kidd and Daniel Fink...
No Confidence
06 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to the Deputy Leader and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab and now the former anti-corruption tzar John Penrose on whether or not Bor...
BONUS: Leader of the Opposition - Episode 5
04 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, to mark 300 years since Robert Walpole became Prime Minister, Matt Chorley learnt about every PM through history each week. This year, he's...
Edward VIII
03 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Maguire explores what might've happened if Edward VIII had remained king. He hears from royal historian Andrew Lownie and political historian ...
Disunited Kingdom: Jubilee Special
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Carole Walker sits in for Matt Chorley and speaks to journalists from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to get the news from the four corn...
The Chancellors
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What can Rishi Sunak learn from former chancellors? We speak to Sir Howard Davies, a British economist, the first chairman of the Financial Services A...
The Ukraine Blockade
30 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Carole Walker sits in for Matt Chorley. She discusses how can the West break the naval blockade of Ukrainian ports? With the Times' Defence Edito...
Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera
27 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to Steve Brown who co-wrote 'Tony! The Tony Blair Rock Opera" with Comedian Harry Hill, as well as the actors playing Gordon Brown...
Taking Back Control?
26 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Immigration is on the rise. But is this a good or a bad thing? Matt speaks to Matt Dathan, Chief Exec of Ipsos Kelly Beaver, former Joint Downing Stre...
Sue Gray Day
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Live from College Green, Matt Chorley unpacks the much-awaited Sue Gray report with Lucy Fisher and Patrick Maguire picking through the 39 pages and n...
Is the Red Wall a red herring?
24 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley explores whether politicians are too obsessed with the red wall. He hears from Professor Jane Green from Nuffield College at Oxford Unive...
Cost of schooling crisis
23 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley hears from headteachers to see how the cost of living crisis is hitting our schools. He also speaks to Anne Longfield, former Child...
Nadhim Zahawi on Education
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi to hear about University fee refunds, how cost-of-living is affecting schools and whether we ...
Extra! Extra! Read All About It!
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Are hyperlocal newspapers on the rise? Matt speaks to Francesca Evans from Lyme Online, Joshi Hermann from the Manchester Mill and Phyllis S...
PMQs Unpacked 18-05-22
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is joined by Sunday Times' Chief Political Commentator Tim Shipman to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer at...
The Worst MPs Ever
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Is this batch of politicians the worst ever? Matt Chorley speaks to journalists Isabel Hardman and Elinor Goodman, Dr Will Jennings and father of the ...
How to Stop the NHS Killing People
16 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley hears from a panel of experts to see how the NHS can be fixed after Jeremy Hunt's new book claimed that 150 preventable deaths were occur...
The NHS is Killing People
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to Jeremy Hunt about his new book 'Zero' where it explains how the NHS is causing 150 preventable deaths each week. They explore h...
Focus Group: Tiverton and Honiton 12-05-22
12 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is joined by James Johnson from Kekst CNC who has convened the latest Times Radio Focus Group of 2019 Conservative voters in the constitu...
Disunited Kingdom 11-05-22
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley gets reaction to the Queen's Speech as well as all the latest news from the four corners of the UK.PLUS: Patrick Kidd and Alice Thomson o...
Queen's Speech 1952 Unpacked
10 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley and Patrick Maguire unpack Queen Elizabeth's first ever state opening of parliament, 70 years ago in 1952 to explain what has and hasn't ...
Conserving the Union
09 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Following last week's election results, which saw success for the nationalists in Northern Ireland and Scotland, Matt Chorley speaks to a panel of pol...
In Conversation With Andrew Neil
06 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After our special documentary series, the Sunday Shows at 50, charting the rise and fall of Sunday political shows, Matt Chorley interviews broadcast ...
Big Ben Back Again
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After almost five years near total silence, Big Ben is ready to bong again. Matt Chorley got exclusive access to the Elizabeth Tower to see how the re...
Disunited Kingdom 04-05-22
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley convenes the Disunited Kingdom panel to preview the local elections from the four corners of the UK.PLUS: Alice Thomson and Patrick Kidd ...
Northern Ireland Elections Unpacked
03 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley dives into this potentially historic Northern Ireland Assembly election including interviews with U105's News Editor Grainne McKinney, Bi...
Sexism in Parliament
02 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
After a flurry of more accounts of sexual harassment and bullying within Parliament, Carole Walker speaks to those who've seen it first hand and peopl...
BONUS: Leader of the Opposition - Episode 4
30 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, to mark 300 years since Robert Walpole became Prime Minister, Matt Chorley learnt about every PM through history each week. This year, he's...
Inside the '97 campaign
29 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
25 years after New Labour's landslide, Matt Chorley lifts the lid on the fears, egos and infighting among the party's grandees. He dives into the Time...
Times Radio Focus Group 28-04-22
28 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is joined by James Johnson from Kekst CNC who has convened the latest Times Radio Focus Group to find out what they think about partygate...
PMQS Unpacked 27-04-22
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is joined by Sunday Times' Chief Political Commentator Tim Shipman to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer at...
Grant Shapps
26 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley sits down for an exclusive interview with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps to discuss Planes, Trains and Automobiles.....and Ferries too....
French Presidential Election: Le Résultat
25 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A victory for Macron who secured a second term as French President. Matt speaks to the Times’ Charles Bremner, and Sylvie Bermann, France’s ambass...
The French Dispatch
22 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt puts France under a microscope and heads to the different regions of France to find out what voters are thinking and what issues really...
Boris in India
21 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to one of Boris' former High Commissioners to the country and an Indian MP to find out what will be on the agenda for the PM's tri...
PMQS Unpacked 20-04-22
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is joined by Patrick Maguire to analyse the exchanges between Sir Keir Starmer and Boris Johnson at Prime Minister's Questions.PLUS Rober...
New Term at Westminster
19 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As it's the first day back to Parliament after the Easter break, Matt Chorley speaks to Lucy Fisher, Times Radio's Chief Political Commentator and Pro...
Refugee Schemes
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How's the UK's refugee policy going? Luke speaks to 'Aziz' Afghan refugee who has been stuck in a hotel for six months, Presenter Dr. Bendor Grosvenor...
SUNDAY SHOWS AT 50 Part Six: The Future
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of Sunday political TV shows with Sunday shows at 50. Last week, we heard about the rise of Andrew Marr and his ...
SUNDAY SHOWS AT 50 Part 5: Marr
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of Sunday political TV shows with Sunday shows at 50. Last week we heard about the 21st century boom of politica...
SUNDAY SHOWS AT 50 Part 4: The Explosion
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of Sunday political TV shows with Sunday shows at 50.Last week we heard about the rise of the BBC's 'On the Reco...
SUNDAY SHOWS AT 50 Part 3: On the Record
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of Sunday political TV shows with Sunday shows at 50. Last week we heard how David Frost came to dominate Sunday...
SUNDAY SHOWS AT 50 Part 2: Frost
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of the Sunday political TV shows with Sunday Shows at 50. Last week, we looked at the birth of Weekend World and...
SUNDAY SHOWS AT 50 Part 1: Weekend World
18 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of the Sunday political TV show, starting by going behind-the-scenes of the heavyweight, sometimes heavy-going, ...
Navalny
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Jones hears from Daniel Roher, the director of new film 'Navalny', as well as Vladimir Ashukov, former Executive Director of the Anti-Corruption ...
How Do You Join NATO?
14 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Jones sits in for Matt Chorley. How does a country join NATO? He speaks to Mary Elise Sarotte is a Professor of Post-Cold War history at Joh...
Disunited Kingdom 13-04-22
13 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Jones speaks to journalists from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to get the news from the four corners of the UK. Alice Thomson and...
Chatham House
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Jones speaks to Robin Niblett who is standing down after 15 years as Director of the International Affairs Think Tank Chatham House.PLUS Daniel F...
French Elections
11 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Jones speaks to Times France Correspondent Charles Bremner, Mireille Clapot, an MP for Macron's En Marche in Drome in the South-East of France an...
The 1992 General Election
08 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Patrick Maguire sits in for Matt Chorley and talks about the 1992 General Election and what an explosive election it was. Interviews with Neil Kinnock...
Polling Unpacked
07 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Pack, author of the new book 'Polling Unpacked', tells Matt Chorley about the history of opinion polls, and the five great polling disasters in U...
David Runciman
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to political podcast enthusiast David Runciman to dissect the last six years of Talking Politics and why more Prime Ministers are ...
Keeping it in the Family
05 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to Holly Watt, Sir Alistair Graham and Stephen Hammond to see what the rules are for employing spouses.PLUS Manveen Rana and David...
Ooh Sourcey!
04 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to Times Radio's Chief Political Commentator Lucy Fisher, former Director of Downing Street Communications Sir Craig Oliver a...
BONUS: Leader of the Opposition Episode 3
02 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, to mark 300 years since Robert Walpole became Prime Minister, Matt Chorley learnt about every PM through history each week. This year, he's...
6. Sunday Shows at 50: Sophy Ridge, Trevor Phillips and the Future
01 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of Sunday political TV shows with Sunday shows at 50. Last week, we heard about the rise of Andrew Marr and his ...
Dame Margaret Beckett
31 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to Labour grandee Margaret Beckett who has announced she is retiring after half a century in politics, going through her career de...
PMQs Unpacked 30-03-22
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley and the Sunday Times Chief Political Commentator Tim Shipman pause the action to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Sta...
Times Radio Focus Group 29-03-22
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is joined by Tom Lubbock from Kekst CNC who has convened the latest Times Radio Focus Group to assess the situation in Ukraine, the cost ...
Manchester Arena Bombing: Five Years On
28 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley reflects on nearly five years since the Manchester Arena bombing with the Northern Editor of the Sunday Times David Collins and Pete Weat...
5. Sunday Shows at 50: Andrew Marr
25 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of Sunday political TV shows with Sunday shows at 50. Last week we heard about the 21st century boom of politica...
Spring Statement Unpacked: Leeds Edition
24 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley is in Leeds to find out how the Spring Statement will affect the local area. James Smith from the Resolution Foundation, Henri Murison, L...
PMQs Unpacked 23-03-22
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley and The Times' Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire pause the action to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer at Pri...
Do you speak Russian?
22 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley explores why the number of fluent Russian speakers in the Foreign Office fell by a quarter in the years before the invasion of Ukraine.PL...
Five Things To Watch
21 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to Times Radio's new Chief Political Commentator Lucy Fisher about her top 5 things: an event, a trend, a person, a place and an i...
BONUS: Leader of the Opposition - Episode 2
19 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, to mark 300 years since Robert Walpole became Prime Minister, Matt Chorley learnt about every PM through history each week. This year, he's...
4. Sunday Shows at 50: The 21st Century Boom
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of Sunday political TV shows with Sunday shows at 50.Last week we heard about the rise of the BBC's 'On the Reco...
U-Grain
17 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Ukraine is known as the breadbasket of Europe but what happens when war with Russia means everyone is scrambling for the crumbs? Matt Chorley speaks t...
PMQs Unpacked 16-03-22
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley and the Sunday Times Chief Political Commentator Tim Shipman pause the action to analyse the exchanges between Dominic Raab and Angela Ra...
DIS-United Nations
15 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorleys asks what is the the point of the UN ; former US ambassador to the UN under George W Bush, John Bolton, Peter Lee, Sarah Hunter and form...
Why is the home office STILL a nightmare?
14 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Another year passes and the home office is still a mess, this time over Ukranian refugees. Matt speaks to people who've worked as officials, ministers...
3. The Sunday Shows at 50: On The Record
11 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of Sunday political TV shows with Sunday shows at 50. Last week we heard how David Frost came to dominate Sunday...
Democracy in Decline
10 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said in an interview with the Red Box Podcast in 2018 that he feared the march of democracy around the world was ...
PMQs Unpacked 09-03-2022
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley and the Times' Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire pause the action to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer at Pri...
Catherine Philp
08 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to the Times Diplomatic Correspondent Catherine Philp, who touched down in Ukraine when the war kicked off. She explains what it's...
Follow the Russian Money
07 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley explores the Economic Crime Bill designed to crack down on the flow of dirty money to the UK.PLUS: Carol Lewis and Roger Boyes discuss th...
2. The Sunday Shows at 50: Breakfast With Frost
04 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of the Sunday political TV shows with Sunday Shows at 50. Last week, we looked at the birth of Weekend World and...
A Welsh Affair
03 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley broadcasts live from Cardiff. He spoke to Welsh Secretary Simon Hart and he dives into the story of the Welshman who founded Donetsk...
PMQS Unpacked 02-03-2022
02 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley and the Times Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire pause the action to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Sir Keir Starmer at Prim...
The Making of a Monster
01 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise of Vladimir Putin and how he became such a fierce adversary of the West.PLUS Daniel Finkelstein and David Aaronovitch dis...
Zelenskyy: From Paddington to President
28 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The former lawyer, actor and comedian who is now leading Ukraine in war with Vladimir Putin....
1. The Sunday Shows at 50: Weekend World
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley charts the rise and fall of the Sunday political TV show, starting by going behind-the-scenes of the heavyweight, sometimes heavy-going, ...
Thinking of Ukraine
24 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Putin mounted his invasion of Ukraine, Matt Chorley analyses the global political and economic impact. GUESTS: Melanie Podolyak, James Johnson, Mic...
PMQs Unpacked 23-02-22
23 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley and Chief Political Commentator of the Sunday Times Tim Shipman pause the action to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir ...
Macron’s moment
22 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Emmanuel Macron is one of Europe's key figures during the Ukraine crisis, but has failed to find a diplomatic solution. Matt Chorley finds out what hi...
Nixon visits China: 50 years on
21 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
On the 21st of February 1972, President Nixon landed in China - Matt Chorley asks how that visit changed US/ China relations in the following 50 year...
The Bishop of Exeter
18 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to the Bishop of Exeter about levelling up the south west and talks about politics in the area with Patrick English from YouGov an...
Who Wants to Be An MP?
17 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As veteran MPs quit the Commons, a new Yougov poll for Times Radio reveals 1 in 5 want to be an MP. Matt Chorley speaks to those leaving and those loo...
Disunited Kingdom 16-02-22
16 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Matt Chorley speaks to journalists from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to get the news from the four corners of the UK. This week:...