The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Russia’s threatening moves on the borders of Ukraine have led to a frantic diplomacy blitz. Can Vladimir Putin be urged back from the brink? Plus, as COVID rules are due to be ditched in England, is that the right call? Or simply a distraction for Boris Johnson? And, with Futurama returning to and Neighbours leaving our screens, we choose the TV shows we’d like to resurrect and others to scrap. Financial Times journalist and author of Britain Alone: The Path from Suez to Brexit Philip Stephens joins our weekly panel. “Nobody knows what Putin wants.” – Arthur Snell “The City is well-known as the London Laundry, and the Russians are the best users of that.” – Philip Stephens “There aren't many big beasts left prowling in the Tory forest.” – Philip Stephens “More Brits have been vaccinated than watched the Euros final.” – Yasmeen Serhan Support The Bunker on Patreon for early, ad-free episodes and more: https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Arthur Snell and Yasmeen Serhan. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold, Jelena Sofronijevic and Alex Rees. Music by Kenny Dickinson. 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

Following Cressida Dick’s resignation, we look at the looming clashes over who will become the next Met police chief. What are the priorities for whoever gets the role? Plus, the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine persists. Is war imminent? And after Boris Johnson was handed a police questionnaire over Partygate, what can we expect next? Justin Quirk is joined by Naomi Smith to discuss the week ahead. “The fish rots from the head and a bad leader… is one that will mean that awful culture pervades and that cascade happens through an organisation.” “We’ve got to hope and pray that we can have a force we can be proud of.” “Changing the culture within an organisation can take years, and the Met will be no exception.” “After Brexit and Trump, Putin knows that the West isn’t as united as it has been.” “Much of the left in Western politics have a blind spot when it comes to Russian imperialism.” www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Justin Quirk with Naomi Smith. 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

We all want control over our lives. But as we make more decisions digitally, the impact of algorithms on our choices grows. They help to sort the information presented to us and limit the options we see – shaping the products we buy, films we watch and even the partners we end up with. Andrew Harrison discusses the future of such technology with Kartik Hosanagar, author of A Human's Guide to Machine Intelligence: How Algorithms Are Shaping Our Lives and How We Can Stay in Control. “Many people believe that algorithms are just providing us information and we comb through that and make our own choices… research shows otherwise.” – Kartik Hosanagar “They are not just helping us make the decisions that we would have anyway made… they are also influencing the decisions themselves.” – Kartik Hosanagar “These algorithms could be making choices in more personal and more important aspects of our lives, and also they could be making them autonomously.” – Kartik Hosanagar “Let’s make sure that for high stakes decisions, they are made by human beings.” – Kartik Hosanagar “Individually, it’s hard for us to stop this algorithmic tsunami.” – Kartik Hosanagar https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Jade Bailey. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. 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 Writer, director, actor, singer, dancer - THE NOTORIOUS RBB Rikki Beadle-Blair joins us to talk Riot Act, LGBT+ History Month, and a lifetime of activist art. Jelena, Alex, and Siân don their scrubs for This is Going to Hurt, the BBC’s new med-drama with Ben Wishaw. And the meat goes on with Pam and Tommy on Disney, and two new mega-shows - Francis Bacon and Louise Bourgeois – for this week’s Art Corner special on BEASTS. “Equality means equality of opportunity to be idiots.” - Rikki Beadle-Blair “The constant self-portraiture on Instagram is irritating.” - Rikki Beadle-Blair “This is Going to Hurt makes the NHS feel so fragile. It made me ask what I can do to help the Adam Kays of this world.” – Siân Pattenden “The talking penis in Pam and Tommy felt weirdly Disney to me, like something out of Beauty in the Beast!” – Alex Andreou Written and presented by Alex Andreou, 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

With environmental destruction threatening our oceans, what might a fresh plan to protect them look like? Chris Armstrong, political theory professor at the University of Southampton, joins Ros Taylor to discuss his new book A Blue New Deal, which outlines a manifesto for protecting our seas. “Our reliance on the ocean has diminished, before air travel we had to use it to get to the other side of the world.” “Although the ocean absorbs most the carbon we emit, it has limits and we are reaching them.” “We need to engage in radical thinking in order to save our oceans.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Christine Lee’s recent designation as a Chinese agent of influence by MI5 has breathed new life into calls to reassess the country’s influence in Westminster. Yet as the world’s second-largest economy, China is widening its reach across the globe – and democratic nations are complicit. Journalist Joanna Chiu, author of China Unbound, tells Arthur Snell about its murky “United Front” and New Silk Road projects, whether Western ignorance equals wilful involvement in China’s authoritarian regime…and why Chinese immigrants should be better protected overseas. “Chinese politicians are expected to self-report.” “You have to feel sympathy for anyone trying to work within the Chinese legal system.” “China has designed laws to make its businesses complicit in its security regime.” “Western leaders created a narrative to justify and excuse their engagement with a foreign, authoritarian power.” “Chinese immigrants aren't welcomed for their expertise. They're treated with suspicion.” 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. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/china-unbound/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amid a profound and worsening cost of living crisis, we discuss whether the Government is rising to the challenge. Is the public being shortchanged? Plus, with the COVID-19 pandemic leading to a huge courts backlog, Evening Standard courts correspondent Tristan Kirk joins us to talk about the pressures on the justice system. And after Facebook reported its first ever drop in daily users, what’s next for the social media giant? “It feels like the Chancellor, with all his riches, hasn’t understood the gravity of the situation.” - Miatta Fahnbulleh “If you want a quick way to solve this issue, increase Universal Credit and don’t raise the cap as much.” - Miatta Fahnbulleh “If Sunak doesn’t get into Number 10 before the pain arrives, then he might miss his moment.” - Tom Peck “Myself, and I assume the Downing Street police officers, would think No.10 would be following their own rules.” - Tristan Kirk https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Ros Taylor with Tom Peck and 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 Robin Leeburn. The Bunker is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With Boris Johnson’s senior team in chaos, we discuss what comes next as we brace for yet another calamity-packed week. Letters of no confidence continue to be sent – but will the number hit the 54 needed to spur a vote? Meanwhile, ongoing border check disagreements are causing turmoil in Northern Ireland. And on her Platinum Jubilee, the Queen kept busy, declaring her wish for Camilla to become Queen consort. Andrew Harrison is joined by Alex Andreou to forecast the days ahead. "February 2022 to February 2022 doesn't look great on a CV." "Satisfaction will turn into dislike very easily." "The mess of Downing Street is leaking into the legislature." "This is political, not constitutional. The DUP are drowning in the polls." "The Queen is in a process of tidying up the Royal Family." Presented by Andrew Harrison with Alex Andreou. 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

Northern Ireland has been plunged into political turmoil following DUP first minister Paul Givan’s resignation over Brexit border controls. What does this mean for Stormont? And how will it affect May’s assembly elections? Belfast-based journalist Amanda Ferguson joins Naomi Smith to explain the crisis, and what could happen next. “The DUP will say this is about the protocol, the other parties will say this is about the election.” “The only way Northern Ireland’s position in the UK can be changed is if people vote for it.” “While some people are supportive of the DUP, a lot of the public are aghast at what they’ve done.” Presented by Naomi Smith. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. 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 EMMY, BRIT and BAFTA award winning composer Howard Goodall tells us about his new remembrance cantata ‘Unconditional Love’, a career of composing pretty much every memorable British comedy theme tune ever, Brexit’s effect on musicians and much more. Howard joins guest Sophie Harris plus Alex and Jelena (for the first time) to explore the many folds of Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir Part II – a movie about a movie within a movie about a movie, Cate Le Bon’s latest album, Pompeii, plus we head into the Courtauld to find out what’s behind their new exhibition Van Gogh Self-Portraits. “Streaming should have democratised music. But there's very few people at the party.” – Howard Goodall “Cate le Bon’s Pompeii refers to a life interrupted. It's the perfect lockdown album.” – Sophie Harris “Young people have sacrificed a lot to keep us alive during COVID. Now we must pay them back by listening to them.” – Howard Goodall Written and presented by Alex Andreou 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

The car is one of history’s most important inventions, but with changing ownership patterns and the climate crisis, will the vehicle we’ve all grown up with survive the next few decades? The FT’s Motor Industry Correspondent Peter Campbell and futurist Rohit Talwar join Andrew Harrison to discuss the direction of travel for cars, from electric vehicles, to ones that drive themselves, and maybe even some that are capable of flying… “We’re dealing with completely new technologies, and there’s no guarantee the big manufacturers are going to be the winners.” - Rohit Talwar “Demand for electric cars is being driven by regulation, rather than consumer choice.” - Peter Campbell “Last year electric car sales overtook diesel cars. That was unthinkable a couple years ago.” - Peter Campbell “Changes in the car industry could bring down governments.” - Rohit Talwar “People say the car industry is at a fork in the road, it’s rather at the entrance to a labyrinth.” - Peter Campbell “The winners in this new marketplace might be those who can find value in the data, rather than manufacturers themselves.” - Rohit Talwar “The car that you’ll drive in 20 years time may well be from a Chinese brand you’ve never heard of before.” - Peter Campbell https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented and produced by Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the global population set to hit 8 billion in 2022, are we really in the midst of a new population crisis? Or do climate change and migration mean the problem today is underpopulation, not overpopulation? Jelena Sofronijevic talks to anthropologist Anna Walnycki and Bryan Walsh of Vox’s Future Perfect about the dark, discriminatory debates over birth rates, why governments are cutting migration just when we need more people than ever before…and how pro-natal policies are curbing human rights in Hungary, Poland, and China. “We're seeing anti-immigration policies at the time when immigration is more important than ever in balancing out the global population.” - Bryan Walsh “Overpopulation doesn't happen in countries, it happens in cities.” - Anna Walnycki “Scenes of overpopulation are really scenes of poor planning.” - Anna Walnycki “Governments should be making it as easy as possible to be a parent with pro-family, not pro-natal policies.” - Bryan Walsh “Scandinavia is simply a better place to be a parent and a child.” - Bryan Walsh 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

Boris Johnson’s apology after Sue Gray’s “update” on Downing Street parties was followed by a shameful bout of obfuscation from the Prime Minister. While he dithers and delays, something he’s bemoaned in the past, can his crumbling defences hold? And with the Winter Olympics due to start in Beijing, amid suggestions the event may serve as a “sportswashing” exercise, we look at the collision between the games and politics. Andrew Harrison is joined by Ahir Shah, Justin Quirk and Yasmeen Serhan for a much-needed session of group catharsis. “I’m continually surprised by quite how low he can go … some of it just seemed deeply, deeply odd.” - Ahir Shah “Much of Johnson’s strategic calculation seems to be ‘I can stay defiant longer than you can stay angry.’” - Justin Quirk “China is trying to whitewash Xinjiang as a Winter Wonderland." - Yasmeen Serhan https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Andrew Harrison with Ahir Shah, Justin Quirk and Yasmeen Serhan. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. The Bunker is a Podmasters production. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The wait for the Sue Gray report goes on–with the word “imminent” having been redefined of late. If it is finally released, what impact might it have? As Boris Johnson faces consistent pressure and splits within his party, the government wants to shift focus with pledges for so-called “Brexit freedoms.” What’s the reality, compared to the rhetoric? Meanwhile, Russia-Ukraine tensions persist, with further interventions due from the Prime Minister and foreign secretary Liz Truss. What can we expect? Alex Andreou and Gavin Esler take a look at the week ahead. “This is not a government which does governing, this is a government which does marketing.” - Gavin Esler “If Sunak were to quit over National Insurance then that would be the end for Johnson.” - Gavin Esler “Liz Truss does not want to be seen as the one who caused Johnson to fall, as there’s a political price to that.” - Alex Andreou “The idea that Boris steps in and saves the Ukrainian people from the Russians is nonsense.” - Gavin Esler “Putin cannot accept a democratic Ukraine becoming richer than Russia.” - Gavin Esler Presented by Alex Andreou with Gavin Esler. 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

Conservative minister Lord Agnew’s dramatic resignation due to his dissatisfaction over efforts to tackle COVID loan fraud drew stark focus to the issue last week. Chancellor Rishi Sunak has been forced to defend his handling of pandemic support schemes, amid mounting criticism. Financial journalist and executive director of TaxWatch, George Turner, joins Alex Andreou to explain the problem, the consequences for the Government, and why such concerns need to be taken more seriously. “HMRC has always had a policy of ‘pay now, check later’, but they didn’t have the capacity to check with Covid.” “For HMRC, going through with Brexit in the middle of the pandemic was madness.” “We need to invest a lot more in law enforcement for fraud, and the Treasury has a big role to play in that.” “We never thought about fraud as a big problem, the pandemic will hopefully change that.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast 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 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 A mash-up of Burt Bacharach, Scott Walker and Michael Nyman for the modern day, Neil Hannon of The Divine Comedy tells us about his new best of album Charmed Life, 30 years in pop, and lovely horses. Neil joins guest Hannah Verdier plus Sîan and Andrew to discuss Guillermo del Toro’s grand guignol fable Nightmare Alley, the joy of angst on the new Eels album, and low-key suspense movie Framed on Amazon Prime. And comedy writer David Quantick tells us about his friend and hero Barry Cryer who died this week. “I started a radio show because I wanted to force my musical tastes down the public’s throats.” – Neil Hannon “I thought I missed all the fun in the 90s, but I preferred leaving parties after an hour and coming home to a sherry in front of Frasier…” – Neil “So many films are now like pop videos, but Guillermo del Toro really dwells on his scenes.” – Neil on Nightmare Alley “Olly Alexander is one of those pop stars who would be great Smash Hits fodder.” – Hannah Verdier “Who wouldn’t love a song that rhymes ‘Colin Firth’ with ‘earth’?” – Neil on Eels 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. Rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From drone pilots and prison guards, to the undocumented migrants who man industrial slaughterhouses, it takes an army of workers to carry out modern society’s most morally problematic jobs. But where are these hard-to-access workplaces, and who are the people toiling within it? Eyal Press, author of Dirty Work, joins Justin Quirk to discuss his meetings with prison guards from America and Abu Ghraib, why big tech won’t necessarily make the world a more equal place…and the awful conditions facing animals and workers in the food industry today. “The United States has the largest prison system in the world, but it's pretty much entirely hidden from view.” “The largest mental health services in the United States aren't hospitals, but prisons.” “We effectively still have a system where wealthy people can pay poorer people to fight their wars for them.” “It was easier for me to access prisons than industrial slaughterhouses.” “Technology alone doesn't clean this work or sort out social inequalities.” https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Written and presented by Justin Quirk. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production ENDS https://www.hive.co.uk/Product/Eyal-Press/Dirty-Work--Essential-Jobs-and-the-Hidden-Toll-of-Inequality/26073447 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Despite Dishy Rishi’s best intentions, restaurant culture has been hit hard by COVID. Lockdowns and cancelled reservations, social distancing and staff absences, have stirred up a toxic cocktail for many businesses - one garnished with post-Brexit labour and supply chain shortages. So has our relationship with restaurants changed forever, and what’s next on the menu? Corey Mintz, author of The Next Supper, and Eater London’s Adam Coghlan join Jelena Sofronijevic to chew on why haute cuisine is cooling off, whether takeaway food is really so democratic…and if COVID has called time on the all-you-can-eat buffet. “Restaurants were told to diversify and prepare themselves for the rise of takeaways. But they didn't until the pandemic.” - Corey Mintz “The major delivery companies in the UK are neither economically nor environmentally sustainable.” - Corey Mintz “Today I discovered, ordered, and ate the food from a new restaurant within 30 minutes. Once you've tasted that, you can't go back.” - Adam Coghlan “If you hired an architect to build a restaurant today, they'd ask you where you'd like the Instagram wall.” - Corey Mintz “The £6k given to restaurants which closed over Christmas was mere chicken feed.” - Adam Coghlan 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

As we await Sue Gray’s report, the scandals continue to pile up for the Government. With allegations of blackmail and Islamophobia over the weekend, how will this play out for Number 10? Also, as Russian troops amass on the Ukrainian border, are we about to see the first ground war in Europe since 1945? And with Jeff Bezos ploughing money into a new anti-ageing start up, does our panel really want to be forever young? “Nadine Dorries, who has eaten ostrich anus on TV, has accused Wragg of attention-seeking. The jokes write themselves.” – Alex Andreou “The 2019 intake have been compared to untrained puppies pissing on the carpet.” – Marie Le Conte “I was speaking to someone connected to the ERG today, and they said Johnson will be gone by the end of the week.” – Emma Kennedy “There are shades of Trump with Boris Johnson.” – Emma Kennedy Presented by Alex Andreou with Gavin Esler and Marie Le Conte. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. 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

As Russia is accused of plotting to install a pro-Kremlin government in Ukraine, what will NATO’s next move be amid the ongoing standoff? And with the results of Sue Gray’s inquiry looming, will Boris Johnson face a tangible reckoning over the myriad scandals surrounding Downing Street? Or will he persist in clinging on? Ros Taylor and Arthur Snell set up the week ahead. "No NATO alliance, even the most hawkish, wants to get into Ukraine." "The EU still has some sanctions on Russia. The question is whether they are effective?" "I'm not sure how much space there is in the public consciousness for the huge number of scandals around Boris Johnson." "If aid doesn't flow in major quantities, we're looking at a major famine in Afghanistan." Presented by Ros Taylor with Arthur Snell. 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

If you’ve been on Twitter in the past month, you might have heard of ‘Wordle’, the new Mastermind meets Scrabble game taking the world by storm. Over 300,000 now play everyday, but how did it become such a phenomenon? C. Thi Nguyen, philosophy professor at the University of Utah and author of Games: Agency as Art, talks Alex Andreou about why Wordle has proven such a hit, from its simple design to the joy of shareability. “A lot of the most interesting games are confined.” “The thing that makes Wordle so unique is the shareablility.” “I was seeing people sharing these square stacks and wondered what it was.” “Games are an activity and a struggle, but they’re a struggle that we shape for our own enjoyment.” “The real effect of the ‘one-puzzle-a-day’ is the social effect. You can see and feel how others found the puzzle.” Presented by Alex Andreou. The group editor is Andrew Harrison. The Lead Producer is Jacob Jarvis. Producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. 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 As Yard Act Overload us with new tunes, Jim Butler and Linda Marric join us to unpack the post-punk rockers’ latest album. Disney’s charming animation, Encanto, has Alex Andreou in a spell, but what will the panel make of it? Plus, Linda shares her top films of 2022, and we unpack Netflix’s new Japanese newsroom thriller, The Journalist. “Nightmare Alley is del Toro's best film since Pan's Labyrinth.” - Linda Marric “If you come from a large family with a strong female lead, you will love Encanto.” - Alex Andreou “Yard Act don't have to paint themselves into a post-punk corner. They could go down an LCD Soundsystem route.” - Jim Butler “The lyrics on Rich are worthy of Edward Lear.” - Alex Andreou “You're hammered over the head from the opening scene that The Journalist is important.” - Jim Butler Written and presented by Siân Pattenden and Alex Andreou. Producer: Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production: Alex Rees. Theme music: ‘Bunker Theme (Juntos Mix)’ by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. The Culture Bunker is a Podmasters production. Rolling playlist: https://bit.ly/CultBunk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As the Arab Spring rippled across the Middle East, many looked to the relative calm of Dubai and the United Arab Emirates for a roadmap to stability. But how much of a moderniser is Mohammed bin Zayed, crown prince of Abu Dhabi and president of the UAE? Matthew Hedges was arrested, interrogated and sentenced to life imprisonment whilst studying for his PhD in the UAE. He tells Arthur Snell about his harrowing experience, and new book, Reinvented the Sheikhdom, on MBZ’s authoritarian regime and security strategy. “Sheikh Zayed lived in a world rife in internal conflict. He made the UAE's tribes work together, at the expense of their autonomy.” “MBZ has an illiberal, undemocratic, and socially conservative worldview that puts the state first and foremost.” “MBZ and MBS are more similar than they are dissimilar.” “Your SIM card is linked to your ID, and they have the money to watch you at all times. These are tools of social control.” “The UAE wants to be seen as forward-looking, not a Bedouin tribe stuck in the past.” 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. Lead Producer: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production https://www.hurstpublishers.com/book/reinventing-the-sheikhdom/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hungary’s election on April 3rd is seen by many as the last chance to rid the country of autocratic leader Viktor Orbán, and to reverse the democratic backsliding seen during his time in office. Péter Krekó, senior researcher for the Center for European Policy Analysis, and Dávid Dorozs, Atlantic Council fellow and former MP, join Yasmeen Serhan to discuss Orban’s eroding of democracy, and the opposition alliance seeking to usurp him. “We are into the last minute before midnight for Hungarian democracy.” - Peter Kreko “If Orban wins again, you can expect an even stronger crackdown on democratic institutions.” - Peter Kreko “Orban’s media team will use every smear in the book to bring us down.” - David Dorosz https://www.patreon.com/bunkercast Presented by Yasmeen Serhan. Produced by Andrew Harrison. Assistant producers: Jacob Archbold and Jelena Sofronijevic. Audio production by Alex Rees. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What will be sacrificed to protect self-designated Big Dog Boris Johnson: the BBC, migrants, a swathe of civil servants or our God-given right to get drunk at work? On the anniversary of Joe Biden’s accession to the US Presidency, has he already blown it? And is Russia really going to invade Ukraine? Special guest and legend of investigative journalism John Sweeney – of Panorama, Newsnight and the Hunting Ghislaine podcast fame – explains it all… and tells us about the time he ate kebabs in a mammoth museum with Vladimir Putin. “Having a Royal Family puts a lot of dead-end, right wing rubbish in the cul-de-sac. All they need to do is keep their noses clean.” – John Sweeney “You should throw the red meat to the dog, not the other way around.” – Marie le Conte “The worst thing about the BBC is that faced with the Bullingdon approach they go straight into pre-cringe, cowering mode.” – John Sweeney “We’re seeing the Bullingdonisation of British society – where you never get caught and you never pay the consequences.” – Arthur Snell “When I met Putin his face was plastic, like one of the Autons from Doctor Who.” – John Sweeney “I thought, Oh God, I’m going to projectile vomit over Vladimir Putin.” – John Sweeney Written and presented by Ros Taylor with Marie le Conte 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