The Sobremesa Podcast
Episodes
Sánchez on the World Stage
02 Mar 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Hours after the United States and Israel bombed Iran on Saturday morning, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez released a statement which read: “We ...
Francoist Prison Worlds: Totalitarianism and Social Control
19 Feb 2026
Contributed by Lukas
Today's guest is historian Helen Graham, who discusses her research into the brutal prison system under Francoist dictatorship. Her work shows how...
2025 - The Year in Spanish Politics
20 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
2025 was the year Spain stood out in Europe over its clear opposition to the Israeli genocide in Gaza, as well as over its critical stance towards the...
Fields of Exploitation: Corporate Farming in Spain
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Spain is the European Union’s largest fruit and vegetable producer, with exports topping €18 billion in 2024. Yet those whose work sustains this l...
Franco Anniversary: What Is His Regime's Legacy after 50 Years?
19 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Spain marks the fiftieth anniversary of the death of dictator Francisco Franco, Eoghan sits down for a wide-range interview with Sebastiaan Faber, ...
Between the Bottle and the Bullet: Alcohol, Drugs and the Spanish Civil War
12 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Sobremesa Podcast, Alan McGuire speaks with historian Dr. Jorge Marco, author of Paradise in Hell: Alcohol and Drugs in the Spa...
Spanish Football under Franco: Sportswashing Avant la Lettre
08 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week we discuss the use of football as a propaganda tool under the Francisco Franco dictatorship, concentrating in particular on the cases of Rea...
Not Such a Soft Dictatorship: Francoism and the Forgotten Repression of Sexual Minorities
26 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In the later years of Franco’s regime, Spain was beginning to change socially, culturally, and economically. But beneath the surface of so-called “...
Spain, Palestine, and the Politics of Solidarity
12 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Sobremesa Podcast, Alan McGuire and Eoghan Gilmartin are joined by Barcelona-based Italian journalist Tiare Gatti Mora. they di...
Catalonia Under Franco: Repression, Co-option, and Resistance
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Sobremesa Podcast, we explore the complex and often contradictory history of Catalonia under Franco with historian Dr. Andrew D...
The Spanish Path to Fascism and the Evolution of Franco's Dictatorship
13 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest is historian Nicolás Sesma whose book on the francoist dictatorship, ‘Ni Una, Ni Grande, Ni Libre’, was named by El País as on...
Corruption in PSOE: Sánchez on the Ropes
29 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Ten days ago Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist Party was rocked by a major corruption scandal - when the party’s head of organizat...
Sobremesa Live! The Last Days of Alicante by Alan McGuire
03 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special live episode, recorded at the launch of The Last Days of Alicante, Alan McGuire is joined by Eoghan and a close audience of family and...
Franco’s Holy War and The Catholic Church
31 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, historian Pablo Sánchez León joins Alan to explore the powerful and often disturbing alliance between the Catholic Church and the F...
Paul Preston on Franco
11 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of Francisco Franco and Sobremesa Podcast is launching a series of episodes examining in detail and from ...
Spanish Blackout as Europe Rearms
03 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last Monday at around 12.30 in the afternoon, the Iberian peninsula suffered the worst blackout in Europe over the last decades as 55 million people i...
A Political Guide to Semana Santa
20 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Semana Santa is is one of the most important holidays of the year in Spain, with the main focus being on the popular processions organized by religiou...
Free Culture and the City with Alberto Corsín Jiménez
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode of The Sobremesa Podcast, Alan speaks with Alberto Corsín Jiménez, anthropologist and author of Free Culture and the City: Hackers, ...
Spain's Housing Crisis 2025 with Koldo Casla
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Spain’s housing crisis has returned, but unlike 2008, there’s no financial collapse—just rising rents, increasing evictions, and a housing marke...
Vox, Musk and the Reactionary International
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last weekend saw the European far-right once again converge on Madrid as Vox hosted a summit of party leaders from the European Patriots group. Alread...
Barcelona's Hidden Civil War Monuments
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week writer and tour guide Nick Lloyd brings Catherine on a a more atypical historical route of Barcelona to uncover the lesser known layers to t...
Spanish Crowds - Carnaval, Fiestas and Protests
14 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan talks to author and journalist Dan Hancox about his new book 'Multitudes: How Crowds Made The Modern World’. It is a fascinating ex...
Spanish Politics: The Year in Review 2024
29 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It has been a year of near constant parliamentary deadlock for Spain's left-leaning government but also one of strong economic growth in comparison to...
Michael Eaude on Spain's Reckoning with Its Past
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan talks to the author and journalist Michael Eaude. Michael is the author nine books, including ‘Catalonia, a Cultural History’, ‘...
Stories Left in Stone: Tales from Cáceres Extremadura
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Writer and musician, Troy Nahumko, joins Alan to discuss his new book Stories Left in Stone, Trails and Traces in Cáceres, Spain. They discuss the o...
Anger and Rage in Valencia after the Floods
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
130,000 people protested in Valencia last Saturday demanding regional premier Carlos Mazón resign from his post for his disastrous management of the ...
Mass Deaths in Valencia after Flooding and Political Failure
02 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Last Tuesday evening as thousands of people were commuting home from work and many others continued at their jobs in supermarkets, cinemas, factories,...
Inside Opus Dei - From Francoism to Trump
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan talks to financial journalist Gareth Gore. In his new book Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy...
Tragedy in the Canaries Amid Spain's Anti-Immigration Turn
08 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The island of El Hierro is at the centre of the Canary Islands’ current surge in irregular migration, receiving 13,000 refugees and immigrants this ...
Poetry of the International Brigaders
05 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Jim Jump, the editor of the poetry anthology "Poems from Spain: British and Irish International Brigaders on the Spanish Civil War", joins Alan to dis...
Anarchism and Sexuality in 1930s Spain
23 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Catherine talks to Sophie Turbutt about one of the most widely read anarchist magazines in 1930s Spain, La Revista Blanca, Founded by the M...
Barcelona and the 1936 Popular Olympics
01 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On the eve of the Spanish Civil War in July 1936, Barcelona was set to host the Popular Olympic games. Bringing together athletes from around the worl...
Inequalities in Contemporary Spain
26 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Berna León, Javier Carbonell and Javier Soria join Alan to discuss to discuss the book La desigualdad en España (Inequalities in Spain) published by...
Spain's Thrilling Victory at the Euros!! And What It Says about Spanish Society.
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan is joined by journalist Richard Fitzpatrick to discuss Spain’s incredible victory at the European Championships in Germany. Energis...
Protests and Palmas: A Social History of Flamenco
09 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Matthew Machin-Autenrieth, an Ethnomusicologist from the University of Aberdeen, joins Alan to discuss the world famous dance from Spain. In recent y...
Spectral Spain: Post-Franco Gothic Fiction with Heidi Backes
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Heidi Backes joins Alan to discuss the haunted houses, silent spaces and traumatic memories often seen in post-Franco gothic fiction, such as in Carlo...
Spain's European Elections with Laura Seoane and Tim Syme
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alan is joined by the podcast's new co-host Laura Seoane, together they talk with political philosopher Tim Syme about the results of the European...
Online Politics in Spain: From 15M to the Fachosfera
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan talks to researcher and sociologist Iago Moreno about the evolution of online politics in Spain from the techno-optimist vision of th...
Craft consciousness: Workers organisation in Early Modern Barcelona
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Catherine talks to historian Brendan Von Briesen about how the organisation of skilled labour in medieval and early modern Barcelona, in the...
Catalan Election Special: Historic losses for the Independence Movement
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan is joined by historian Andrew Dowling to discuss yesterday's historic Catalan election, which saw a definitive end to the decade ...
Why Rosalia is Not Your Friend - with Anita Fuentes
05 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Alan is joined by culture critic and researcher Anita Fuentes to discuss Spanish celebrities and politics. Should celebrities use their plat...
Pedro Sánchez's Cliffhanger Decision!!!
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After announcing last Wednesday that he was considering stepping down as Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez revealed this morning he was staying i...
Basque Election Special - Historic Gains for EH Bildu and the Independentist Left
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan is joined by journalist Ben Wray to discuss last night's Basque elections, which saw historic gains for pro-independentist left E...
Forged in Spain: British Volunteers and the Spanish Civil War
07 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan and new co-host Catherine Howley talk to Richard Baxell about his new book 'Forged in Spain' which vividly recounts the lives...
Paul Preston Interview: Britain's Betrayal of the Spanish Republic
29 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest is Paul Preston, one of the foremost historians of the Spanish Civil War. Eoghan talked to Paul about his new book 'Perfidio...
Athletic Club Bilbao: A Unique Team
19 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eoghan is joined by Christopher James Evans to discuss his new book 'Los Leones: The Unique Story of Athletic Club Bilbao', which is out this ...
Portugal Turns Right in General Election
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yesterday's Portuguese general election saw a surge in support for the far-right Chega party, which tripled its vote share from six to eighteen pe...
Spanish Civil War Refugees in France
27 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Sobremesa podcast we are discussing this month’s 85th anniversary of La Retirada, which saw 500,000 people flee Catalunya and into Fran...
Franco's Poet and El Desencanto with Aaron Shulman
11 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Aaron Shulman joins Alan to discuss his book The Age of Disenchantments: The Epic Story of Spain's Most Notorious Literary Family and the Long Sha...
The Many Lives of al-Andalus with Eric Calderwood
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Eric Calderwood, Associate Professor of Comparative and World Literature at the University of Illinois, joins Alan to discuss his new book On Earth or...
The Op-Ed Novel - El País and Contemporary Spanish Literature
11 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan is joined by Bécquer Seguín to talk about his new book 'The Op-Ed Novel'. The book examines how many of Spain's most re...
Spanish Politics: The Year in Review 2023
31 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
2023 was the year of Pedro Sánchez living dangerously - from July's surprise snap election to his wager on a Catalan amnesty law so as to secure ...
Spanish Cinema: Best Films of 2023
22 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
2023 has been another great year for Spanish cinema. Eoghan sits down with Anita Fuentes to discuss some of the best films coming out of Spain over th...
Spain's New Progressive Coalition Government!!!
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After weeks of tension, uncertainty and violent protests, Spain has a new progressive coalition government as prime minister Pedro Sanchez won an inve...
Why the Spanish Catholic Church gets away with clergy sex abuse with Miguel Hurtado
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Miguel Hurtado is a human rights activist and clergy sex abuse survivor. He sits down with Alan to discuss the recent report from the Spanish governme...
Historic Amnesty Law for Catalunya
16 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode Eoghan is joined by historian Andrew Dowling to discuss the ongoing efforts to form a government in Spain, with negotiations cu...
The Playboy King: Juan Carlos and the Spanish Royal Family with James Badcock
06 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Freelance journalist James Badcock has reported on the numerous scandals of Juan Carlos closely over the years from dodgy dealings to his mistresses. ...
Touristification in Barcelona with Carlos Delclós
20 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carlos Delclós is a Professor of Sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He joins Alan to clarify what gentrification is and is not, wh...
Lisbon: Housing, Digital Nomads and Sandwiches with Joana Ramiro
15 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Joana Ramiro joins Alan to discuss the changing cityscape of Lisbon and Porto. As a Portuguese journalist living in the UK, Joana was shocked when she...
The Rubiales Case: Spain's World Cup Winners against the Patriarchy
01 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan is joined by independent journalist Leah Pattem to discuss the fallout from Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales' alle...
Revisiting Al-Andalus with Mahmoud Hosny Roshdy
26 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mahmoud Roshdy joins Alan to discuss an alternative way of teaching and looking at the history of Arabic Spain. With 8oo years of history, this new ap...
The Two Contemporary Spains: Plurinationalism, Nostalgia and Vox
18 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan sits down to talk to Dr. Brittany Kennedy from Tulane University about the two contemporary Spains. On August 17th the new speaker of...
Spain After 23J
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan is joined by Vicente Rubio-Pueyo to discuss how last month's general election results fit into the wider political context of Spa...
Spanish Election Special!!!
28 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Eoghan are joined by sociologist Carlos Delclós and journalist Tiare Gatti Mora to discuss the fallout from last Sunday's general electi...
Spain's Election Is Too Close To Call
30 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Alan and Eoghan are joined by political analyst Iago Moreno to discuss the pre-campaign to July's general election in Spain. They disc...
Spain's Surprise Snap Election!!!
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a sweeping right-wing victory in local and regional elections last Sunday, prime minister Pedro Sanchez called a surprise general election for J...
Spain's Struggle for the Right to Housing: From 15M to the Coalition's New Housing Law
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With Spain's new housing law being approved in Congress last month, the current local and regional election campaign has come to be dominated by t...
The Village Against the World: the story of Marinaleda and Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo with Dan Hancox
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dan Hancox joins Alan to discuss his 2013 book The Village Against the World. 10 years on prominent mayor Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo will not sta...
From Podemos to Sumar: The Renewal of the Spanish Left
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan speaks to political analyst Mario Ríos about the current reorganization of the Spanish left around deputy prime minister Yolanda Dí...
How to Remember the International Brigades
06 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week Alan and Eoghan sit down with Jim Jump, Chair of the International Brigade Memorial Trust, to talk about his father's experience in the ...
How Antoni Gaudí Turned Me into an Anarchist: Architecture and Class in Barcelona
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest is writer, historian and guide Catherine Howley. Catherine runs the Spanish Civil War Walking Museum tours with Nick Lloyd in Ba...
An Introduction to Spanish Film with Steven Marsh
12 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Steven Marsh joins Alan to give an overview of Spanish film. They touch on the autobiographical film written by Franco, how Ken Loach inspired 90's ci...
Spanish Civil War Memoirs: Kate Mangan and Jan Kurzke with Simon Deefholts from The Clapton Press.
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Deefholts from The Clapton Press joins me to discuss the memoirs of Kate Mangan and Jan Kurzke, which until recently had been languishing in a D...
Pontevedra: Spain's Most Liveable City
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Eoghan is joined by Irish journalist Brendan Boyle to talk about the innovative urban model of his adopted home city of Pontevedra, which has largely ...
The Other Empty Spain with Nerea Fernandez Cordero
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Nerea joins Alan to discuss why she is standing as a candidate for Izquierda Unida in for the regional parliament of Extremadura. Here they talk about...
Spanish Politics: The Year in Review 2022
23 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Eoghan are joined by IE University's Joe Haslam to discuss the year in Spanish politics - from Pablo Casado's political assassination in Febr...
Masculinities and Aging with Jose Armengol
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jose Armengol, Professor of English at Castilla La Mancha University, joins Alan to discuss how masculinity and aging have changed in their form of re...
Spanish Cinema 2022
28 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alcarràs, Cinco lobitos (Lullaby), En los márgenes (On the Fringe), El Agua, As bestas and Modelo 77 - 2022 has been a great year for Spanish cinema...
The Political Uses of the Prado
20 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the wake of the recent climate protest at the Prado museum in Madrid, as well as the use of the museum for a dinner during this summer's NATO summi...
Javier Marías: An Uneasy Spaniard
31 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan talks to Sebastiaan Faber about Spain’s best known contemporary novelist,Javier Marías, who died aged 70 in Madrid in September an...
A New History of Catalonia with Andrew Dowling
24 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Dowling joins Alan to discuss his latest book A New History Of Catalonia (2022, Routledge) Andrew Dowling is Reader in Spanish History at Cardi...
Spain's Budget 2023: A Social Democratic Response to the Cost of Living Crisis?
06 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Spain's progressive coalition unveiled its budget for next year aimed at dealing with the cost of living crisis. Eoghan sat down with sociol...
Summers over! Global Tourism and the Catalan independence movement
15 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Eoghan is back and he joins Alan in recounting some of their favourite news stories from the summer. Max Ferrar joins Alan to discuss his project whic...
Scottish Volunteers and the International Brigades with Fraser Raeburn
22 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Often when you read, watch or hear about the International Brigades, the United Kingdom and sometimes Ireland, are lumped together into one big group....
Spaniards in the British Army with Sean Scullion
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Following the retreat of republican forces at the end of the Spanish Civil War, many people become refugees in France and North Africa. Whilst some wo...
Spain's Democratic Memory Law Finally Approved!
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Spain's Democratic Memory Law is passed by parliament after nearly 2 years of gruelling negotiations. The law aims to protects the rights of Franco's ...
Exhuming Violent Histories: How to Tell the Story of Spain's Mass Graves
12 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week's guest is sociologist Nicole Iturriaga who Eoghan talked to about her new book 'Exhuming Violent Histories: Forensics, Memory and Rewriting...
The Making of Lavapies with Felicity Hughes
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Felicity Hughes joins Alan in the real world to discuss the origins of Lavapies in Madrid and some interesting places that you would normally have jus...
Massacre in Melilla
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's episode we talk about the brutal killing of 37 migrant people at the hands of Moroccan security services along the border of the Spanis...
Andalusian Elections and Spain's Right-Turn
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
As Spain's most populous region Andalusia heads to the polls this Sunday, we preview this crucial regional election and ask if a likely right-wing vic...
The Spanish Government's Historic Feminist Agenda
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan speaks to academic Deborah Madden and journalist Laura Seoane about the feminist policies being advanced by Spain's coalition governm...
The Other Special Relationship: Aznar & Blair and the Iraq War with Nathen Jones
31 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Nathen Jones joins Alan to discuss his research and book on the other special relationship between Tony Blair and Jose Maria Aznar. His book The adopt...
Barcelona and the Spanish Civil War
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week Eoghan talks to Nick Lloyd about his book 'Forgotten Places: Barcelona and the Spanish Civil War'. The discussion ranges from George...
Spain's new Abortion Law, Women's Rights and Menstrual leave with Deb Madden
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In Spain this week there has been a lot of discussion around the age of gaining consent to get an abortion, should you need your parent's consent if y...
Catalan Gate
13 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The ‘Catalangate’ espionage case has rocked Spanish politics over the last month and has led to the sacking of the country's head of intellig...
Stalin's Niños: Educating Spanish Civil War Refugee Children in the Soviet Union with Karl Qualls
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Karl Qualls joined Eoghan and Alan to discuss his book Stalin's Niños: Educating Spanish Civil War Refugee Children in the Soviet Union Here they tal...
The Industrialization of Asturias with Luke Bowe
17 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Luke Bowe, a PhD candidate from New York University, talks to Alan about the cultural depictions of Asturias via the medium of novels, short stories a...
Pedro Sanchez and Western Sahara with Nazha Elkhalidi #Saharalibre
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alan and Eoghan (the new co-host!) discuss recent events linked with Pedro Sanchez and Western Sahara, the last part of Africa to have not been throug...
Episode 44: The Symbolic State with Karlo Basta
07 Jan 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome back to the Sobremesa Podcast in 2022!Karlo Basta is a politics lecturer at Edinburgh University and his book the Symbolic State is out now. H...
Episode 43: Why doesn't Spain have a Green Party with Xan Lopez from Contra el Diluvio
21 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Xan Lopez from Contra el Diluvio, (a green think tank without money) talks with me about ecology and the problems specific to Spain. We also discuss e...