The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Cultural organisations are becoming more assertive in boycotting Russia. But how effective are their sanctions? Can these moves compare with economic clampdowns? Jelena Sofronijevic talks to Professor Andrew Bertoli about how sports influences international security, whether sanctions hurt individuals more than states, and whether these actions are really useful for Ukraine. “The IOC and FIFA have had very cosy relationships with Putin in the past.” “The three times Putin has launched an invasion have always followed the Olympics.” “Even weaker or mixed signals from international organisations will be stronger than those sent by individual states.” “Cultural sanctions don’t stop military action directly, but they do signal support to those affected.” “For big organisations, the damage that would come from remaining neutral far outweighs the damage that stems from taking a side.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented and produced by Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Government has been bounced into doing more for Ukrainian refugees, but are new plans just shifting responsibility? Plus, we discuss how Russia is trying to win the information war – and dissect the facts from fiction. And finally, we take a look at what’s going on with Spotify, after a major outage and dip in subscribers. Mathilda Mallinson, of the Media Storm podcast and co-founder of Refugee Media Centre, is this week’s guest. "There's such a bad faith approach in the right-wing media reporting on refugees." – Arthur Snell "This is a very racist lesson as to why we haven't been treating other populations as refugees." – Mathilda Mallinson “What we have in Calais now is a two-tiered system.” — Mathilda Mallinson “I imagine a lot won’t be able to go home… for many it will be because the lives that they had are not available for them to return to.” — Arthur Snell "For all Russia's craziness inside Ukraine, I still don’t think they're crazy enough to do something inside a NATO country." — Arthur Snell Find resources to help the Ukrainian people here: https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/ https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell and Ahir Shah. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The horror of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues to shock the world. Is more involvement from the West inevitable? What might that look like? Meanwhile, the UK’s position on refugees is shifting, while sanctions have also been bolstered. But is the Government doing enough? Alex Andreou is joined by Gavin Esler to look at the week ahead. “One stray missile lands in Poland and who knows where we’ll be.” – Gavin Esler “Putin must be asking what success looks like now, and I don’t know the answer to that.” – Gavin Esler “The Government is hamstrung by its own rhetoric over migrants and channel crossings.” – Gavin Esler “Russia is a country of incredible cultural riches, and it’s become a money making machine for certain people.” – Gavin Esler “It seems to be that Putin has lost the international information battle.” – Alex Andreou Find resources to help the Ukrainian people here: https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/ www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Alex Andreou with Gavin Esler. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Jade Bailey. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nuclear war is back in people’s minds after Vladimir Putin put Russia’s deterrent on high alert. How real is the threat? And if an atomic conflict did break out, what would it look like? Dr Matthew Harries, Senior Research Fellow in Nuclear Policy at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), joins Ros Taylor to discuss the likelihood of atomic warfare, and what Putin’s threat really means. “Russia is a nuclear armed state, so we have to take escalation very seriously.” “Vladimir Putin knows nuclear weapons are scary, and talking about them is a tactic designed to intimidate.” “A no-fly zone would NATO in direct conflict with Russia. They would respond.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our pop culture review: Dancefloor existentialists Electribe 101, Microdisney mastermind returns with Telefís, Netflix comedy sci-fi The Adam Project and more with guest Grant Nicholas of Feeder. Journalist and author of Leaving the Building: The Lucrative Afterlife of Music Estates Eamonn Forde joins Grant of skate-surf rock-punk survivors Feeder to discuss a great lost album of British dance music, “theocratic electropop from the Irish diaspora”, Netflix’s attempt to do Spielberg… and much much more. Hear all the music on our rolling playlists. Spotify: https://bit.ly/CultBunk Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/1aea7525-7891-4a88-8474-a08c45ea064b “Not only did the Catholic Church control the country, but so too did RTÉ…” – Eamonn Forde on Telefís Written and presented by Siân Pattenden and Andrew Harrison. Producer Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We often hear that laughter is the best medicine. But healthcare providers in Bristol have taken the message seriously and are now prescribing comedy courses to help people recover from PTSD. It’s just one case of “social prescribing” that’s sweeping throughout practices across the country. Jelena Sofronijevic talks to Professor Gurch Randhawa and former service user Debs Teale about what constitutes “social medication,” why there’s no magic pill for long-term problems in politics and big pharma, and how housing and education impact health today. “Social prescribing will only be successful when it is rolled out in a consistent way.” - Gurch Randhawa “The beauty of social prescribing is that it can be anything creative.” - Debs Teale “I get nervous when systems privilege the medical model of becoming unwell and receiving a prescription to manage it.” - Gurch Randhawa “It's not a National Health Service, it's a National Sickness Service.” - Gurch Randhawa https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented and produced by Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Western coverage of the bloody civil war in Syria might indicate that the conflict is over. But in the northwest, rebels are still fighting back against Bashar al-Assad, and the war crimes against civilians committed by his deadly regime. Ammar al Selmo is a member of the White Helmets. He dials in from northwest Syria to tell Arthur Snell about the organisation’s humanitarian efforts, how working as a first-responder is “like a drug”…and why continued Western support is critical for the region. This edition recorded before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “Now that the regime is using drones and laser targeting, they can't claim that attacks on civilian targets like hospitals and schools are accidental.” “What's happening in Syria affects what's happening in Ukraine. We are connected.” “Those who physically survive the war in Syria still have psychological rubble.” “We must remember these war crimes to keep history alive, and hold people accountable.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.whitehelmets.org/en/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Among Putin’s missteps has been underestimating the support Ukraine would muster. Why is he losing the information war? Meanwhile, Russia faces a raft of sanctions from the West. We analyse the wider impact of those actions, and the moves taken by our Government. Gulnaz Sharafutdinova, of King’s Russia Institute, and Tatton Spiller, the founder of Simple Politics, are this week’s guests. “Zelenskyy is the most media trained President in history.” - Tatton Spiller “Since 2014, Putin has portrayed Ukraine as having a fascist government.” - Gulnaz Sharafutdinova “Where the UK is falling short is sanctions that target individuals.” - Miatta Fahnbulleh “In Russia, prices on electronics have risen by 30% due to sanctions.” - Gulnaz Sharafutdinova “Putin is fighting two wars, one in Ukraine and one in Russia.” - Gulnaz Sharafutdinova Find resources to help the Ukrainian people here: https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/ https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor with Miatta Fahnbulleh. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Harrowing scenes of families fleeing Ukraine have seen the Government pressured to do more for them. Will it? As Russia’s bombardment persists, it emerged the UK had only issued 50 visas to refugees escaping the invasion. Home Secretary Priti Patel has faced pointed criticism – are there any excuses? Will new proposals be enough? Alex Andreou is joined by Yasmeen Serhan to look at the week ahead. “Kyiv is still standing, it’s still Ukrainian, but it’s an incredibly dire situation.” – Yasmeen Serhan “People don’t want to leave their homes, people want to go home… but they also want to be safe, they also want to live.” – Yasmeen Serhan "The resolve of the Ukrainian people and government has been incredible to witness." – Yasmeen Serhan "The government is underestimating the extent to which Brits would be willing to help." – Yasmeen Serhan Find resources to help the Ukrainian people here: https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/ www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Alex Andreou with Yasmeen Serhan. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Alex Rees. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Imagine an app able to dictate social media trends at the click of a button. Digital researcher Ayushman Kaul talks to Alex Andreou about ‘Tek Fog’ – software he reports can do exactly that. They discuss corrosive impacts already seen in India, tracked in a nearly two-year long investigation for The Wire, and worrying implications for democracies the world over. “Operators who use this app can manipulate social media trends en-mass, including on Facebook and Twitter.” “There is a global industry emerging in this grey space between tech and politics, where disinformation for profit services are being offered.” “Using platforms like Tek Fog, you can target people in a way that you could never target them before.” “I wish there was a silver bullet to cure this disinformation epidemic that we’re facing.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Alex Andreou. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hear all the music on our rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunk After a sneaky single drop from their new album A Bit of Previous, Scottish indie pop megastar Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian joins us to talk about making floating music festivals and his Sundance Award-winning film. Crime writer par excellence William Shaw speaks to Siân and Jelena about The Dropout on Disney Star starring Amanda Siegfried as disgraced biotech billionaire Elizabeth Holmes, and The Weather Station’s latest album, How is It That I Should Look at the Stars, and Andrew Harrison and Linda Marric go to see The Batman. Plus, we listen to the the new Butcher Boy anthology 'You Had A Kind Face'. It’s available to order at https://needlemythology.tmstor.es/ - and the first ones in get a limited edition postcard set. “Songwriting is moaning to music - and I've been doing it for 26 years now.” - Stuart Murdoch “We're in the age of the newsroom drama. It's a new kind of history-making.”- Jelena Sofronijevic “My Buddhist nun appeared to me in a dream, and helped me pick the songs from the album to turn into singles.” - Stuart Murdoch “This Weather Station album sounds like it's recorded in a room where's she afraid of waking the neighbours.” - William Shaw Written and presented by Siân Pattenden and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cryptocurrencies have boomed in recent years, but are they here to stay? Amy Castor, an independent journalist whose work focuses on cryptocurrency and financial fraud, talks to Justin Quirk to explain some of the myths around crypto, if e-currencies really can work as an alternative to the normal financial system, and the strange world of NFTs. “Crypto was designed as an e-currency, but it’s mainly used for speculation.” “There is mind-boggling amounts of money going into this space, in the hope more will come in.” “Bitcoin is a cult, there are those who believe it will save people in Argentina.” “The people that will lose in this are the unsophisticated investors who join the game too late.” “Those who invested in Bitcoin in November have already lost half of their investment.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Justin Quirk. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the situation like on the ground in Ukraine? Nearly a week after Russia invaded, veteran war correspondent John Sweeney dials in from Kyiv to give Arthur Snell the lowdown on Europe’s first ground war since 1945, and why Putin’s gamble might have backfired. “From day one I thought Putin had made a mistake, and this invasion is not going well.” “This feels to me like Twilight of the Gods, Putin has made a miscalculation.” “Putin is pulling the military levers and they’re not working.” “Putin is a rational actor, blundering around in a dark bunker of his own making.” “It feels like this war is very 20th century. Putin is a Tsar, entirely out of touch with his people.” “I think Putin is finished. His regime has reached the beginning of the end.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Arthur Snell. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is a humiliated Putin even more dangerous than a victorious Putin? Can the incredible bravery of the Ukraine and President Zelensky win out? And how many fronts can Putin fight on, at home, globally and in the economic sphere? In a week where Russia tried to pin a potential nuclear war on Liz Truss, ex-diplomat and security expert Arthur Snell, The Atlantic’s Yasmeen Serhan and former Labour spin doctor Ayesha Hazarika join Alex Andreou to get the latest on the most serious crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Find resources to help the Ukrainian people here: https://ukrainewar.carrd.co/ “It’s being widely said that Putin can’t win this war without committing atrocities.” – Arthur Snell “Putin is acting on emotion and that’s really worrying.” – Yasmeen Serhan “Ironically for someone who funded the Brexit movement, Putin has done wonders for EU integration.” – Arthur Snell “Liz Truss looking like she’s got under the Russia’s skin will be a huge help for her leadership campaign.” – Ayesha Hazarika https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Alex Andreou with Ayesha Hazarika, Yasmeen Serhan and Arthur Snell. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Setting up the week ahead: Putin threatens nuclear war, EU sanctions bite Russia, French presidential elections. Would Putin really use a nuclear weapon to salvage his collapsing war on Ukraine? Will EU sanctions and plans to supply weapons to Kyiv damage the Russian regime’s plans? Plus the French presidential elections, the Policing Bill and more. Arthur Snell and Ros Taylor set up a worrying week. “Putin has deeply underestimated Zelensky… He has proven to be a formidable wartime leader.” “If Putin can’t take Kyiv on a small scale, will he simply pulverise the city?” “Putin is smart enough to know that using nuclear weapons could mean the end of Russia within days” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Jade Bailey and Alex Rees. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Eugenics might be considered a horrific relic of the past, but the concept still has its advocates today. Dr Adam Rutherford, science writer and author of Control, talks to Dorian Lynskey about efforts by the powerful to dictate reproduction throughout history, the legacy of eugenics in our language and literature, and present day conversations about tinkering with the DNA of unborn children. “Winston Churchill drafted numerous bills which included mass sterilisation.” “If you only engage in science to the point where your political views are reinforced, then you’re not doing science right.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast https://www.amazon.co.uk/Faster-Stronger-Smarter-Troubling-Eugenics/dp/1474622380 Presented by Dorian Lynskey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week’s pop culture review: Untold tales of British metal, the star of the National Theatre’s astonishing Wuthering Heights, new Johnny Marr and more. Journalist and author of Denim And Leather: The Rise And Fall Of The New Wave Of British Heavy Metal Michael Hann tells untold tales of rock’s most unfairly despised genre. Actor and cabaret phenomenon Lucy McCormick on her stunning role as Emily Brontë’s original riot grrrl of the moors Cathy in Wuthering Heights. And what’s Johnny Marr’s new album like? Hear all the music on our rolling playlists. Spotify: https://bit.ly/CultBunk Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/1aea7525-7891-4a88-8474-a08c45ea064b "All extreme metal comes from Venom." - Michael Hann "I love haunting the stage. It feels so goth." - Lucy McCormick "These metal bands did it all for themselves right up until the record labels signed them." - Michael Hann "Death and comedy is basically my thing." - Lucy McCormick Written and presented by Siân Pattenden and Andrew Harrison. Producer Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We live in a world of chaos, with Western democracies facing overlapping geopolitical, economic, and political crises. How did we get here? Professor Helen Thompson is co-host of the Talking Politics podcast – and she was Ahir Shah’s Director of Studies at University. They unpack her new book Disorder, how the fault lines in the Sino-American relationship, NATO, and the EU have all been decades in the making, and the “crisi-tunities” for years to come. “Most of the commentary on Brexit and Trump was far too superficial.” “So long as oil has a place in our energy supply, then the geopolitics of oil come with it.” “There's a genuine political fear in Washington that the geopolitical winner of green energy will be China.” “We're living in a world where supply and demand is much more complicated.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Ahir Shah. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Beijing 2022 was the first Winter Olympics to rely almost exclusively on fake snow – at great cost to the environment. But is it possible to make sports more sustainable, and will we even be able to have the Winter Olympics in the future? Dr. Madeleine Orr is a sports ecologist at Loughborough University London, and the founder of The Sport Ecology Group. She tells Jelena Sofronijevic about why pollution impacts competition, how international organisations exercise total control over local laws and taxes…and whether 2022 was really the “greenest and cleanest” Games yet. “When we think about sports, we’re not thinking about the environments where they take place.” “The more we use artificial spaces, the more original biodiversity loss.” Written and presented by Jelena Sofronijevic. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This edition recorded before Putin’s speech and the Russian incursion into Ukraine. “Levelling up” is a mantra for Boris Johnson, but what is his government actually doing about it? Our special guest Tracy Brabin, the Mayor of West Yorkshire and former MP, joins us to discuss tackling inequalities between regions. Plus, we discuss moves to tackle “legal but harmful” content online. What does that mean? And what career best prepares you for politics? Spoiler alert: it isn’t being a Telegraph columnist. “The government must stop putting metro mayors into beauty competitions to bid for small pots of money.” – Tracy Brabin “Michael Gove is a bit of a disruptor who wants to deliver. But his levelling up plan has no new money and the same old story.” – Tracy Brabin “MPs are completely in the thick of online abuse on every form of social media… they get the worst of the internet every day in their inbox.” – Marie Le Conte https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Justin Quirk and Marie Le Conte. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Recorded by Jade Bailey, audio production by Robin Leeburn. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine is still looming. Can further diplomacy prevent war? There are reports of a summit between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden. What could it achieve? Plus, COVID restrictions are due to be ditched in England, and MPs return to Parliament after a recess. Where will their focus be? Alex Andreou is joined by Yasmeen Serhan to discuss the week ahead. “It feels like we’re waiting for someone to blink. There’s a lot of mixed narratives.” – Yasmeen Serhan “Any diplomacy is better than the alternative.” – Yasmeen Serhan “If you are serious about living with COVID, the monitoring aspect of it is key.” – Alex Andreou "Johnson has squashed the scandal sombrero by stretching out these inquiries." – Alex Andreou "The government has to focus on crises closer to home – like the weather." – Yasmeen Serhan www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Alex Andreou with Yasmeen Serhan. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production: Alex Rees. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What will China do in 2022? Cindy Yu, The Spectator’s broadcast editor and host of the Chinese Whispers podcast, joins Alex Andreou to take a look at the direction of travel for the world’s most populous nation. What does a policy of ‘zero-covid’ mean for China? How will relations with America and Russia turn out? And is Xi Jinping lumbering up for conflict with Taiwan? “Sport has always been a good way for a controversial government in China to build bridges.” “Zero-covid is another barrier between China and the rest of the world.” “Putin and Xi share values when it come to how they run their countries.” “If China is going to invade Taiwan, what’s happening in Ukraine will not affect that.” “The idea of China overtaking America is too simplistic. Very rarely do you have a unipolar world.” “The more the West bashes China, the more the Chinese media whip that up into an anti-China narrative.” Presented by Alex Andreou. The Group Editor is Andrew Harrison. The Lead Producer is Jacob Jarvis. The producers are Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Audio production by Jade Bailey. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hear all the music on our rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunk Lakeland poets of “high church rock’n’roll” Sea Power play songs from their magnificent new album Everything Was Forever and explain how it felt when they dropped the word “British” from their name, to the ire of GB News. And Mojo magazine’s Ian Harrison joins us to discuss new waxings from Half Man Half Biscuit and Metronomy plus new Apple TV+ series Severance – what The Office would be like if created by Aldous Huxley. “People are pretty sceptical of any band that puts too much thinking into their lyrics…” – Yan from Sea Power Written and presented by Siân Pattenden and Andrew Harrison. Producer Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production. Our rolling playlist on Spotify: https://bit.ly/CultBunk And now Tidal too: https://tidal.com/browse/playlist/1aea7525-7891-4a88-8474-a08c45ea064b Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did a Christian movement, founded at the turn of the century, become the fastest growing religion today? Pentecostal Christianity has 600 million followers, with 35,000 new adherents a day. So what’s behind the remarkable rise of this religious movement? Elle Hardy, author of Beyond Belief, tells Arthur Snell about her mission to report its rise across twelve different countries, from South America to Africa and Australia, how Pentecostalism provides community to the rootless and marginalised in a fragmenting world…and its toxic connection to populist authoritarianism. “There will be more Pentecostals than Catholics in Brazil in the next ten years.” “Anyone can become a prophet in Pentecostalism.” “You can fit six Vaticans in the biggest Pentecostal church in Nigeria.” “Pentecostalism is the ideology of the new right in America.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/beyond-belief/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A strong accent can lead us to make many assumptions about a person. We ask why, and the impact of these judgements. Linguistics experts Dr. Alex Baratta and Dr. Dominic Watt join Jelena Sofronijevic to explore whether RP has been replaced with a new “standard” accent, why some professions are still demanding flat accents…and if the Queen’s English is really dead. “Your accent is a flag or badge of your social standing." - Dominic Watt "We exist in an accentist society." - Dominic Watt “Right at the top of the social pinnacle we have people who more or less speak the same as each other. - Dominic Watt “Accent bias is more of an issue in certain professions, the reason is it goes back to certain perceptions.” - Alex Baratta “I think there’ll always be a perceived need to have a standard accent.” - Alex Baratta https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented and produced by Jelena Sofronijevic. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices