The Briefing Room

David Aaronovitch and a panel of experts and insiders present in-depth explainers on big issues in the news.

Radio 4,343 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Can the UK become an AI superpower?
Can the UK become an AI superpower as the government hopes?
24 Apr 2025,28 mins
What cards does China hold?
What cards does China hold in the trade war with the US?
17 Apr 2025,28 mins
What's Trump's tariff hokey cokey all about?
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the strategy behind Trump's tariff policy.
10 Apr 2025,28 mins
What's happening in Turkey?
Are we seeing the end of democracy in Turkey?
03 Apr 2025,28 mins
What is Putin's bottom line?
David Aaronovitch asks what it would take for Putin to agree a peace deal in Ukraine.
27 Mar 2025,28 mins
What's the government trying to do to the NHS?
What are the government's plans for reforming the NHS?
20 Mar 2025,28 mins
Why is there a crisis in special educational needs?
Why is there a huge increase in spending on SEND, and why are parents still struggling?
13 Mar 2025,28 mins
Europe's defence dilemma
Can Europe defend itself without US support?
06 Mar 2025,28 mins
Explainer: What does Nato do?
We talk through the history of the military alliance
20 Feb 2025,6 mins
Explainer: A short history of conflict in Ukraine
A quick run down on how it developed
13 Feb 2025,5 mins
Explainer: How do weight-loss drugs work?
We talk Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro
07 Feb 2025,5 mins
Explainer: Who made the first electric car?
A short history of electric cars in the UK.
30 Jan 2025,7 mins
Explainer: What is a Tariff?
President Trump likes tariffs - what are they and what happened last time?
24 Jan 2025,13 mins
Why does Trump love tariffs?
How new tariffs could affect the world economy during a second Trump presidency.
09 Jan 2025,28 mins
Is the push for the electric cars in trouble?
The government wants to end the sale of petrol cars by 2030.
02 Jan 2025,28 mins
Why we need to care about the Arctic
What threats and opportunities does the Arctic face?
26 Dec 2024,28 mins
Is chainsaw economics working in Argentina?
President Milei is cutting inflation, government spending and regulations.
19 Dec 2024,28 mins
Will new weight loss drugs save or bankrupt the NHS?
The NHS is set to offer Mounjaro to 3.4m people to tackle obesity.
12 Dec 2024,28 mins
What’s going on in Syria?
The quick fall of the Assad regime.
05 Dec 2024,28 mins
Ukraine - what’s next?
Both sides struggle to get the upper hand in the conflict.
28 Nov 2024,29 mins
Why do we have such overcrowded prisons?
Britain has the highest number of prisoners per head of population in western Europe.
21 Nov 2024,27 mins
European defence in the new Trump era
What is the future of Nato and European security?
14 Nov 2024,28 mins
What does the Budget mean for the UK’s economy?
The chancellor attempts to fix the UK’s finances - will she succeed?
07 Nov 2024,28 mins
How do the Lebanon attacks alter the equation in the Middle East?
David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the recent attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon.
23 Sep 2024,28 mins
Is Germany in trouble?
Should Germany worry about the far right's success in regional elections in east Germany?
12 Sep 2024,28 mins
How much trouble is the UK economy in?
Are the UK's finances really as bad as Labour says? And if they are, how do they fix them?
05 Sep 2024,28 mins
What we know (and don't know) about the new Mpox outbreak
David Aaronovitch and guests talk about how worried we should be about the new MPox strain
29 Aug 2024,28 mins
Global Tensions
Global Tensions 3: Russia and the West
Could the Russia Ukraine war lead to further escalation in the region and further afield?
22 Aug 2024,34 mins
Global Tensions
Global Tensions 2: China, Taiwan and the South China Sea
China sees Taiwan as part of its territory. Taiwan thinks otherwise. Is trouble looming?
15 Aug 2024,38 mins
Global Tensions
Global Tensions 1: The Middle East
What happens if the situation in the Middle East spirals out of control?
08 Aug 2024,28 mins