Politics Unpacked

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:...

Polling in the deep: Scotland edition

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Live from Glasgow, Matt Chorley speaks to Polling guru Sir John Curtice to take the temperature of Scottish politics before Ross Greer from the Scotti...

Anas Sarwar

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar about problems for the party and whether they can regain Labour's lost love.PLUS Melanie Rei...

Political Lookalikes

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley is joined by Tony Blair, Donald Trump, Theresa May, Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson. Well...sort of. Five lookalikes explain what it...

The Power of Proximity

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With all the job changes in Downing Street, Matt Chorley speaks to Jack Brown, the former Historian in residence at 10 Downing Street and au...

PMQs Unpacked 09-02-22

09 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 ...

How Do We Fix The Met?

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to the Times’ Crime and Security Editor Fiona Hamilton, Regional London Director of the IOPC, Sal Naseem, and he speaks to ...

What is Thatcherism?

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Despite raising taxes Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak think they're Thatcherites, but some of their MPs think they're socialists. We speak to the people...

BONUS: Leader of the Opposition - Episode 1

05 Feb 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...

The Press Gallery

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What is the press gallery? Hundreds of journalists across different media organisations are now able to report from the Houses of Parliament. We take ...

Michael Crick on Nigel Farage

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to Veteran Political Journalist Michael Crick about his incredibly detailed biography of Brexit's Nigel Farage "One Party After An...

PMQS Unpacked 02-02-22

02 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 ...

Sue Gray Unpacked

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After explosive scenes in the House of Commons, Matt Chorley unpacks what happened with the Times Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire.PLUS FINKELVITCH: Dan...

Sue Gray, Sue Gray and Sue Gray

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to an unofficial focus group of women called Sue Gray to find out what they think about the report and Boris Johnson. Plus Opinium...

The Spike in Spiking

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt dives into the real spiking threat in nightclubs with chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee Dame Diana Johnson, St John's Ambulance, nightcl...

Holocaust Memorial Day with Stephen Pollard

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to the former Editor of the Jewish Chronicle about Holocaust Memorial Day and the threat of anti-Semitism in the UK today. PL...

PMQs Unpacked 26-01-2022

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley and The Sunday Times' Tim Shipman pause the action and ring the bell in yet another Prime Minister's Questions dominated by Partygate and...

Is A United Ireland Inevitable?

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Liz Truss continues negotiations to fix the Northern Ireland protocol, Matt Chorley speaks to political analysts and MPs on both sides of the Assem...

What's Happening In Ukraine?

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to Times Diplomatic Correspondent Catherine Philp, Former Defence Secretary Liam Fox, former UK Ambassador to Ukraine Leigh Turner...

Signed, Sealed, Delivered

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is talking about letters of no confidence this week so Matt looks through letters which have shaped politics down the years, from campaigns t...

The Art of Defection

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What makes a politician defect and change political sides? Matt talks to four politicians who decided to jump and how they kept it a se...

PMQs Unpacked 19-01-22

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Boris Johnson claims 'he was not told' the Downing Street party would breach lockdown regulations, Matt Chorley and Patrick Maguire pause the actio...

Who is Liz Truss?

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to Times Chief Political Correspondent Henry Zeffman, former SpAd Kirsty Buchanan and head of the Institute of Economic Affairs Ma...

The Scientists

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley talks to Sir Mark Walport, Professor Linda Bauld and The Science Media Centre's Fiona Fox about going from anonymous scientists in front ...

How to Remove a Tory Prime Minister

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley hears from people who were in the room with previous Conservative Prime Ministers as they were forced out from office. The Times' Politic...

Dying in a Hospice

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley catches up with former civil servant, cancer patient and listener Clair Fisher about being moved into a hospice and why palliative care n...

PMQs Unpacked 21-1-22

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With Boris Johnson under fire for the latest party allegations, Matt Chorley and Patrick Maguire pause the action between the exchanges at the dispatc...

Times Radio Focus Group 11-1-22

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley and former Number 10 Pollster James Johnson convene the Times Radio focus group to find out what they think about the latest Number 10 pa...

How To Fix The Foreign Office

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to former Ambassador to the US Kim Darroch, Times Diplomatic Editor Roger Boyes, and former senior civil servants Jill Rutter and ...

Borgen Is Back

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Danish political drama is back this year. Matt Chorley speaks to the show's creator Adam Price about life imitating art, what really happens in Da...

American Civil War 2

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley looks back a year since the Capitol riots with Jamie Roberts and Robert Moore who were there. Also he spoke to Barbara Walter and Carlton...

PMQ's Unpacked 05-01-22

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A special PMQs Unpacked episode after Prime Minister's Questions was pushed back to 3pm. Matt Chorley takes over the role of Tim Shipman and pauses th...

Starmer Is Flagging

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to Times Chief Political Commentator Henry Zeffman, former Labour MP Anna Turley, pollster Kelly Beaver and Financial Times journa...

Political Dynasties

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Carole Walker, sitting in for Matt Chorley, speaks to historian Brenda Van Coppenolle, and Conservative politicians Geoffrey Clifton Brown and Nichola...

Alas Chorley and Jones

31 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a Christmas special, fellow Times Radio presenter Luke Jones speaks to Matt Chorley about growing up in Taunton, working in Westminster and what he...

Gimson’s PMs: Thatcher to Johnson

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

PM Christmas Special: Matt Chorley and historian and author Andrew Gimson dive into the lives of British Prime Ministers. This episodes goes through a...

Festive Focus Group: Part 2

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to a focus group of the podcast's regular Columnists who write for The Times discussing the politics of 2021. In part 2 of 2, Matt...

Festive Focus Group: Part 1

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to a focus group of the podcast's regular Columnists who write for The Times discussing the politics of 2021. In part 1 of 2, Matt...

Politics Without The Boring Quiz

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley pits Labour's Jonathan Ashworth and Conservative Nicky Morgan, against Times and Sunday Times writers Patrick Maguire and Lindsay McIntos...

Matt and Mariella's Selection Box

25 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Christmas Day, Matt Chorley and his fellow Times Radio presenter Mariella Frostrup go through some of their 2021 show highlights. Hosted on Acast. ...

Bojo White: Times Radio Pantomime 2021

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley presents this year's Times Radio Pantomime, Bojo White and the Seven Political Dwarves. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more ...

Armando Iannucci

24 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley talks to Armando Iannucci, the creator of The Day Today, The Thick of It and Veep. They discuss Iannucci's new book Pandemonium: Some Ver...

PMQs Packed Up

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No live PMQs this week, so Matt Chorley and Patrick Maguire look back over the year and assess what we've learned from the exchanges at the dispatch b...

Afghanistan Revisited

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Four months on from the evacuation, Jenny Kleeman, in for Matt Chorley, speaks to former Afghan MP Shukria Barakzai, and journalists Lynn O'...

Tim Smit

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to Eden Project founder Tim Smit about growing plants, hosting the G7 and making power with hot rocks. PLUSRachel Sylvester a...

Is The Party Over?

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In a special bumper podcast Matt Chorley speaks to Times Political Editor Steve Swinford, Conservative MP Charles Walker and Number 10 veter...

Alok Sharma talks about the climate

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to COP26 President and self-described "auditor in chief" Alok Sharma about the outcome of the climate summit, the challenges of to...

PMQs 15-12-21

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley and Times Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire pause the action to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer at Prime Minist...

Numbers Make The World Go Round

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to economist, author and presenter of Radio 4's More or Less Tim Harford about how to make sense of the numbers around us, and wha...

Andy Zaltzman

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley asks comedian Andy Zaltzman, host of the BBC's "The News Quiz", how best to satirise today's politicians.PLUS: Libby Purves and Rachel Sy...

Two Years Since the General Election 2019

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Jones marks the second anniversary of the 2019 General Election with some of the big winners and losers from that year. How has politics has chan...

What does China want?

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Jones sits in for Matt Chorley and discusses what does China want with former US ambassador to China under the Obama administration Max Baucus, M...

He's Behind You!

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Jones sits in for Matt Chorley. Panto is back so Luke speaks to producers, writers and directors including; Robert Shaw Cameron, Vikki Stone, Lis...

Anglo-Irish Treaty Centenary

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One hundred years after the Anglo-Irish treaty was signed, Luke Jones (in for Matt Chorley) goes back to the moment in history when the treaty was agr...

Hereditary Peers

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As the Lords debate a bill over whether to scrap Hereditary Peers by-elections, Matt Chorley finds out how the Hereditary Peer by-election system work...

50 years of the campaign against smoking

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley looks at the progress of the campaign against smoking, which began in 1971, and the politics of lighting up with Former Health Secretary ...

PMQS Unpacked 01 - 12- 21

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley and Times Red Box Editor Patrick Maguire pause the action to analyse the exchanges between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer at Prime Minist...

Times Radio Focus Group 30-11-21

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former Number 10 pollster James Johnson convenes the final Times Radio focus group of the year to discuss new covid measures and what to get Boris Joh...

Entente Discordiale

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley assesses the state of relations between Britain and France with Lord Ricketts, Britain’s ambassador to Paris from 2012 until 2016, and&...

Best of Enemies

26 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley interviews Writer James Graham and Director Jeremy Herrin. Their new play: "Best of Enemies" is about the debates of William F Buckley Ju...

After Prison

25 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Do prisons work? Matt speaks to the former justice secretary Robert Buckland, former prisoners Tyrell and David Breakspear and Paula Harriott from the...

PMQS Unpacked 24 - 11- 21

24 Nov 2021

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 ...

What Does Putin Want?

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Matt Chorley speaks to former White House advisor Fiona Hill, former UK Ambassador Tony Brenton and former Kremlin spokesperson Sergei Markov abo...