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The Week Unwrapped - with Olly Mann

The Week Unwrapped - with Olly Mann

511 episodes — Page 8 of 11

#153 Psychopaths, privileged actors and Saudi oil

Is being a psychopath actually a good thing? Why do most actors come from privileged backgrounds? And why is the most successful ever flotation being seen as a flop?

Dec 13, 201932 min

#152 Assassins, audiobooks and animal sacrifice

Should Europe be worried about Chechen death squads? Do audiobooks spell trouble for the printed word? And why are Hindu worshippers ignoring a ban on slaughtering animals? Olly Mann, Gabriel Power, Kari Wilkin and Joe Evans reveal all.

Dec 6, 201933 min

#151 Virtual dresses, military power and anxious cows

Is the future of fashion clothes we cannot wear? Should we be worried about the British Army’s capabilities? And why are cows wearing VR headsets?

Nov 29, 201929 min

#150 Female cars, war crimes and self-rule

Why has Donald Trump pardoned three US soldiers accused of war crimes? Can Aston Martin attract more female customers with its first SUV? And is Bougainville about to become the world's newest country? Olly Mann, Arion McNicoll, Gabriel Power and Felicity Capon reveal all.

Nov 22, 201933 min

#149 Farming, forecasting and a global downgrade

Can we predict the future by identifying patterns in the past? Why has Moody’s issued a debt downgrade warning to the entire world? And how are Europe’s farm subsidies being exploited by populist leaders? Jeremy O’Grady, Hollie Clemence and John Stepek reveal all.

Nov 15, 201937 min

#148 Beauty, green guilt and criminal children

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Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why do attractive people do better in school? Does "green guilt" help in the fight against climate change? And what should the age of criminal responsibility be? Kari Wilkin, Arion McNicoll and James Ashford reveal all.

Nov 8, 201932 min

#147 Protesting, investing and going paperless

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Does the unrest in Chile have anything in common with other mass protests around the world? Have casual investors woken up to the fact that many of the experts who manage their money aren’t very good at it? And can Russia win its “fight against paper”?

Nov 1, 201938 min

#146 Quebeckers, millionaires and autobahns

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is Quebecan separatism back on the agenda? Where are the world’s new millionaires? And why are Germans sticking to their high-speed habits? Gabriel Power, Holden Frith and Cameron Tait reveal all.

Oct 24, 201933 min

#145 Brexit-free news, homeschooling and political hair

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Should we be able to filter out unwelcome news? Why are more children being taught at home? And why are female politicians still criticised for their appearance? Rebecca Gillie, Hollie Clemence and Felicity Capon reveal all.

Oct 17, 201932 min

#144 Dopamine fasting, AI interviews and old tunes

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Will robots decide who gets a job? Should we deprive ourselves of high-tech stimulation? And why can’t over-30s learn to love new music? Jessica Hullinger, Cameron Tait and Gabriel Power reveal all.

Oct 10, 201931 min

#143 The B word

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In a live special from the Podcast Live: Politics festival in London, Olly Mann, The Week and special guest Iain Dale cover some fairly large news we've avoided for three years - Brexit! Has Brexit harmed the EU? What's going on with the Euro? What happens if we end up staying? Kari Wilkin, John Stepek and Iain Dale reveal all.

Oct 5, 201936 min

#142 French sperm, reparations and the Arctic

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is France rationing IVF? How does Labour plan to right the wrongs of colonialism? And will the Arctic survive a new scramble for oil? Holden Frith, Jessica Hullinger and Theo Tait reveal all.

Sep 26, 201931 min

#141 Strippers, food waste and gender-neutral parenting

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Where do strip clubs fit in feminism? Can technology solve the world's food waste problem? And should children be brought up without a gender? Read our full briefing on the couple keeping the gender of their toddler a secret at theweek.co.uk/unwrapped.

Sep 19, 201935 min

#140 Weather, Afrophobia and online shaming

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why are some countries better at predicting weather than others? What is causing South Africans to become more intolerant of migrants? And should victims of abuse be free to name and publicly shame their abusers?

Sep 12, 201929 min

#139 Vaping, toilets and TED talks

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is vaping more dangerous than we had thought? Are we on the cusp of revolution in toilet technology? And does TED have a diversity problem? Holden Frith, Jessica Hullinger and Arion McNicoll reveal all.

Sep 5, 201933 min

#138 Facial recognition, the dollar and lashings of ginger beer

The Week delves behind the headlines and debates what really matters from the past seven days. Should we be worried about facial-recognition software? Is the US dollar’s status as the global reserve currency coming to an end? And why do millions of children all over the world still flock to the dated adventures of the Famous Five? Arion McNicoll, John Stepek, Rebecca Gillie and Cameron Tait reveal all.

Aug 29, 201938 min

#137 Satanism, abortion and faulty evidence

The Week delves behind the headlines and debates what really matters from the past seven days. Should we take Satanists seriously as the new voice of reason? How reliable is mobile phone location data as court evidence? And is abortion under threat in the US? Arion McNicoll, Felicity Capon, Holden Frith and Hollie Clemence reveal all.

Aug 22, 201933 min

#136 Bio-weapons, Mongolians and bad education

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Could biological weapons that target specific ethnic groups soon become a reality? Is Mongolia set to become the next global power player? And is the insistence on “canon” texts and rote learning destroying GCSE students’ love of English? Gabriel Power, Kari Wilkin and Rebecca Gillie reveal all.

Aug 15, 201930 min

#135 Swine fever, Katy Perry and inner voices

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is African swine fever coming to Europe? Will our inner monologues soon be audible to others? And is Katy Perry’s music is greater than the sum of its parts? Felicity Capon, Rebecca Gillie and Theo Tait reveal all.

Aug 8, 201930 min

#134 Autopilot security, Apple’s pivot and candid weddings

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. How hard is it to hack an airliner? Have we reached peak iPhone? And would you trust a low-fi wedding photographer? Holden Frith, Cameron Tait and Hollie Clemence reveal all

Aug 1, 201935 min

#133 Fake breasts, African Google and bad medicine

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why are thousands of women reporting health problems after getting breast implants? What is behind the French government’s decision to stop reimbursing patients for homeopathic treatment? And why is Google Maps being given a Nigerian accent?

Jul 25, 201933 min

#132 Brain hacking, rent rises and genetic IQ

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is Elon Musk trying to wire computers directly to the human brain? Are exam results more down to genetics than schooling? And why is Berlin renationalising chunks of previously privatised council housing? Hollie Clemence, Arion McNicoll and John Stepek reveal all.

Jul 18, 201940 min

#131 Rainforests, asbestos and gender-reveals

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is Brazil destroying so many trees? What are British schools doing about their asbestos problems? And what on earth is a gender-reveal party?

Jul 11, 201930 min

#130 Whales, TV and the flight of a princess

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why has Japan resumed commercial whaling? What led Princess Haya to flee Dubai for London? And why is watching TV about to get a lot more expensive? Holden Frith, Gabriel Power and Rebecca Gillie reveal all.

Jul 4, 201932 min

#129 Meds, bonds and the 10,000-hour rule

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Are we diagnosing and treating mental illness the wrong way? Why are investors paying governments interest for the privilege of lending money to them? And do generalists actually do better in life than specialists? Hollie Clemence, Arion McNicoll and John Stepek reveal all.

Jun 27, 201938 min

#128 Self-trackers, women in politics and overpopulation

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Has tech made us obsessed with tracking our every move?Why are women still fighting prejudice in politics? And what will the world’s population look like in 2050? Kari Wilkin, Rebecca Gillie and Jess Hullinger reveal all.

Jun 20, 201927 min

#127 Firewalls, joke leaders and naughty yoga

Olly Mann, The Week and special guest Bassem Youssef delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is Iran cracking down on yoga classes? How did a comedian become president of Ukraine? And what prompted China to finally ban Wikipedia and The Guardian? Bassem Youssef, Rebecca Gillie and Arion McNicoll reveal all.

Jun 13, 201934 min

#126 Happiness, fruity robots and dystopian TV

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is New Zealand really choosing wellness over wealth? Will fruit-picking robots gain the human touch? And why is the near future so scary? Felicity Capon, Holden Frith and Jamie Timson reveal all.

Jun 6, 201935 min

#125 Rickets, torture and why all PR is good

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is rickets on the rise in the UK? What is behind the growing support for torture around the world? And is it time to replace first-past-the-post with proportional representation? Jamie Timson, Kari Wilkin and Arion McNicoll reveal all.

May 30, 201933 min

#124 Yemeni drugs, Swiss guns and British swearing

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Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. What’s behind the khat epidemic in Yemen? Is Swiss gun culture on the wane? And is the C-word entering the mainstream. Rebecca Gillie, Holden Frith and Felicity Capon reveal all

May 23, 201931 min

#123 The Moon, hugs and deaths of despair

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Warning: references to suicide.Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is Nasa returning to the Moon? What is driving the rise in suicide and drug and alcohol overdoses in Britain and the US? And is paying for hugs an important service or just plain creepy? Jessica Hullinger, Hollie Clemence and Arion McNicoll reveal all.In the UK, the Samaritans can be contacted on 116 123. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 1-800-273-8255. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is on 13 11 14.

May 16, 201931 min

#122 Cable cars, Turkey and charity woes

Would putting a cable car on Kilimanjaro be a disaster? Why is the number of people giving to charity in the UK falling? And why is Turkey on the precipice? Felicity Capon, Jamie Timson and Kari Wilkin reveal all.

May 9, 201934 min

#121 Gossip ban, Instagram and Cameroon

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is loose talk a threat to society? Why is Instagram hiding your Likes? And what’s happening in Cameroon? Rebecca Gillie, Cameron Tait and Jamie Timson reveal all.

May 2, 201930 min

#120 Bananas, child actors and insurance for smokers

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Will science rescue the banana? Is YouTube stifling child actors? And why is a tobacco company selling life insurance? Jamie Timson, Hollie Clemence and Kari Wilkins reveal all.

Apr 25, 201931 min

#119 Crypto-terrorists, microplastics and the 996 system

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why are terrorists turning to cryptocurrency? Should we be alarmed by the continuing spread of microplastics? And is Jack Ma right that we should all be working from 9am to 9pm six days a week? Felicity Capon, Rebecca Gillie and Arion McNicoll reveal all.

Apr 18, 201932 min

#118 Sad rappers, gay Iranians and popular populists

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Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Do celebrities deserve privacy? Why is authoritarianism becoming more popular? And how did Iran become a hub for sex-reassignment surgery? Felicity Capon, Holden Frith and Arion McNicoll reveal all.

Apr 11, 201934 min

#117 True crime, office homes and the electoral college

In a live special from the Podcast Live: Politics festival in London, Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. How did true crime become entertainment? Should the US abolish the electoral college? And what is the impact of turning old office blocks into housing? Holden Frith, Jamie Timson and Rebecca Gillie reveal all.

Apr 7, 201938 min

#116 Speed-limited cars, ASMR and the Papal ring

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why does Pope Francis not want people to kiss his ring? Should cars be automatically speed limited? And why is ASMR the fifth most-searched term on YouTube? Cameron Tait, Rebecca Gillie and Arion McNicoll reveal all.

Mar 29, 201933 min

#115 Jobs, adulthood and the digital dark age

Olly Mann and the Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why is nobody celebrating the UK’s glowing employment figures? When do we actually become adults? And is the Myspace data loss a sign of things to come? Hollie Clemence, Kari Wilkin and John Stepek reveal all.

Mar 22, 201930 min

#114 Crime apps, Algeria and BirthStrikers

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debates what really matters from the past seven days. Can smartphone alerts tackle street crime? What’s going on in Algeria? And is refusing to have children a reasonable response to climate change? Holden Frith, Jamie Timson and Felicity Capon reveal all

Mar 15, 201934 min

#113 Autosexuality, monolingualism and curing HIV

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The Week delves behind the headlines and debates what really matters from the past seven days. Is it wrong to find yourself attractive? Why is language learning in decline? And is a cure for HIV getting closer? Arion McNicoll, Rebecca Gillie, Hollie Clemence and Kari Wilkin reveal all.

Mar 8, 201929 min

#112 Horror jobs, 5G and arguing with kids

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Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Should tech companies use computers to moderate upsetting online content? Can Huawei be trusted to build Europe's 5G infrastructure? And was Dianne Feinstein wrong to get into an environmental policy debate with children? Felicity Capon, Cameron Tait and Arion McNicoll reveal all.

Mar 1, 201933 min

#111 Dog DNA tests, Haiti and deleted scenes

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Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why have five armed US military veterans been arrested in Haiti? What can dog DNA tests tell us about ourselves? And should films be re-edited for the next generation? Rebecca Gillie, Jamie Timson and Hollie Clemence reveal all.

Feb 22, 201930 min

#110 Accents, stingy billionaires and female AI

Olly Mann, The Week and guest Edith Bowman delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Are regional accents becoming harder to distinguish? Will artificial intelligence offer advantages to women? And why are billionaires giving less of their money away? Felicity Capon, Arion McNicoll and Edith Bowman reveal all.

Feb 15, 201932 min

#109 Prisoners, Tasers and wandering poles

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Why have so many female inmates suffered head injuries? Are Tasers too dangerous to be carried by police? And where will the North Pole turn up next? Rebecca Gillie, Kari Wilkins and Holden Frith reveal all

Feb 8, 201930 min

#108 Hypersonic planes, €1 homes and Afghan peace

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Is hypersonic flight the future of aviation? Are €1 homes in the Italian countryside worth the money? And will the US-Taliban peace ‘framework’ lead to a lasting deal? Arion McNicoll, Hollie Clemence and Cameron Tait reveal all

Feb 1, 201931 min

#107 Dating leave, buses and tuskless elephants

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Should single women get more time off work? What’s happening to British bus routes? And why are elephants being born without tusks? Felicity Capon, Jamie Timson and Holden Frith reveal all

Jan 25, 201930 min

#106 Schools, sausage parties and Africa forever

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Will new school inspections raise education standards? How problematic is pornographic language in films? And what can Toto teach us about our capacity for long-term thinking?

Jan 18, 201933 min

#105 Insomnia, divorce and a power crisis

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Should we teach children how to sleep? Are divorce payouts too high? And why are energy companies going bankrupt?

Jan 11, 201930 min

#104 Human composting, street politics and malaria

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. Are protesters more effective than politicians? Is the fight against malaria about to get much harder? And would you choose to end your days on a compost heap?

Jan 4, 201930 min