Show overview
Political Thinking with Nick Robinson has been publishing since 2017, and across the 9 years since has built a catalogue of 321 episodes. That works out to roughly 210 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 34 min and 44 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. It is catalogued as a EN-language News show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 months ago, with 23 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2018, with 51 episodes published. Published by BBC.
From the publisher
Nick Robinson talks to people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs. Each episode of Political Thinking features an in-depth conversation with someone who is shaping our politics. The people who run our country (and those who want to), campaigners, business and union leaders, and people who run other countries. All of them join Nick in the studio, not for a news-y interrogation, but for an extended and relaxed conversation, delving into their past and how it shaped their worldview. New episodes drop on Fridays on BBC Sounds. You can also watch them on BBC Two at 12:15pm on Fridays or on BBC iPlayer. And you can listen on BBC Radio 4 on Saturdays at 17:30.
Latest Episodes
View all 321 episodes"It's not a purge!" Kemi Badenoch on forging a future for her party
'Our donors are brave people': Reform's Robert Jenrick on wealth, power, and the establishment
We've got a plan: Louise Haigh on her journey back to power
The Treasury was in denial: John Healey on why he resigned as defence secretary
What went wrong for Starmer: Morgan McSweeney gives his side of the story
'A bad start even before he starts' - Welsh First Minister on why trouble's brewing with Burnham
From Downing Street... to California Governor? Former Tory adviser Steve Hilton on making the Golden State great again
'We need some daydreaming': lawyer Theodor Meron on surviving the Holocaust, and issuing Netanyahu’s arrest warrant
Why Starmer will survive: The Attorney General on human rights, small boats, and his ‘dogged’ friend the Prime Minister
“Inequalities don’t happen by accident” Dr Mary-Ann Stephenson on trans rights, Islamophobia, and why equality still matters
'What the hell are we doing?' Wes Streeting on his promise to young people, resigning from government, and wanting to be PM
Why the PM has to go: Miatta Fahnbulleh on being the first minister to break with Starmer
'It's been a whirlwind': Zack Polanski on storytelling, Zionism and Zackonomics
Few people have done more to shape politics in recent months than the Green Party Leader in England and Wales, Zack Polanski. In his Political Thinking debut, he tells Nick Robinson about his 'whirlwind' journey since becoming leader, saying that becoming PM is now 'in his mind' . He talks about his upbringing and Jewish identity and why he has now become a prominent critic of Israel. He explains his strong opposition to the war in Iran. He describes his plans to transform the capitalist model with a revolution based on 'Zackonomics'. And, asked about his earlier career as a hypnotherapist, he admits to 'cringing' when reminded that he once participated in a trial to help a woman increase her breast size.Producers: Leela Padmanabhan and Flora Murray Editor: GIles Edwards
From Sky boss to Number 10: Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith
Andrew Griffith on why government sometimes has to say 'no' and why Rupert Murdoch was the "best boss".The Shadow Business Secretary was once the youngest Chief Financial Officer of any major British company, when he worked at Sky, before becoming an MP an joining Boris Johnson's team in Downing Street. Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards
'We cannot have chaos': Emily Thornberry on the law of war and Labour's struggles
The Foreign Affairs Committee Chair on Iran, Trump's 'asteroid of awfulness' and the 'grief' she felt after being dropped by Starmer.Emily Thornberry tells Nick about how her father's career as a UN peacekeeper helped shape her commitment to the ideals of international law.She also has frank views about what her party needs to do to stem the rise of the Green Party.Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Jack Wilfan Editor: Giles Edwards
'This is Iran's Berlin Wall moment': Omid Djalili, comedian and actor
The British-Iranian comic on revolutions, Kensington, 9/11 jokes, King Charles and Iran's future.Omid Djalili has become one of the loudest voices in the Iranian diaspora calling for the overthrow of the regime in Tehran, in favour of US military action.While the world waits for Trump's next steps, Djalili talks to Nick about growing up in a hub of London's Iranian community, chasing history from Berlin to Czechoslovakia, deciding to perform in Saudi Arabia and turning down Game of ThronesProducers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray Sound: Jack Wilfan Editor: Giles Edwards
'We're appeasing the tech bros': Beeban Kidron, from film-maker to lawmaker
What links Bridget Jones to social media regulation?The answer: Baroness Beeban Kidron. In 2004 she directed the Bridget Jones sequal. 20 years later, she became one of the most vocal campaigners for regulation of social media and tech in the UK.She joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to tell her story, from joining Marxist dinner parties in her childhood home, to filming and living with the protesters of Greenham Common in the 1980s.Today, she has strong words for Keir Starmer's government, and is pushing for law-changes from her seat in the House of Lords.Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards
Nigel Farage: 'Broken Britain', national identity and lessons from Trump
A frank conversation with the leader of Reform UK.Nigel Farage has put his party on a "general election war footing" and says he is preparing for power.What has his party still got to learn before they're ready? Who is he referring to when he talks about putting "our own people first"?And what made him change his mind and return to politics?Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards Sound: Ged Sudlow
How to tell England’s story: James Graham, playwright
James Graham joined Nick in the political thinking studio in late January, ahead of a this year's TV adaptation of his play Dear England.What did Gareth Southgate get right about national identity?What advice does the playwright have for Keir Starmer on storytelling?And why is it important that people continue to go to the theatre?Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Ged Sudlow and Hal Haines Editor: Giles Edwards
Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv: From boxing to politics
How did the world heavyweight champion end up running a city of 3 million people in wartime?Vitali Klitschko joins Nick from the Ukrainian capital in the midst of a Russian campaign to descimate the city's energy infrastructure.He talks about what peace could look like, the lessons he learned from living under Soviet rule as a child, and why he decided to abandon a lucrative life in the US to enter Ukrainian politics. Senior producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Ged Sudlow Editor: Giles Edwards