Where Politics Meets History

Iain and Tessa discuss the BBC admitting mistakes over the Gaza documentary, what's wrong with Live Aid (40 years on), what you didn't know about Ethiopia and a potential Royal reconciliation - plus they read out texts slagging each other off!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa reunite to talk resident doctor strikes, Starmer and Macron's migration deal, the Bayeux Tapestry coming to the British Museum (and what should happen to those Elgin Marbles!).Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa reconvene to talk Macron's state visit (and historical relations between Britain and France), the anniversary of the 7/7 bombings, why Kaliningrad exists as an enclave and age gaps in relationships.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa talk about leaders crying throughout history after Rachel Reeves broke down in the Commons. They also discuss the Royal train being well and truly cancelled, whether we're acting fast enough on climate change and Michael Gove's facial hair.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa, together again! This time they talk about the controversy around Glastonbury and what questions the BBC should answer, Wes Streeting's plan to tackle obesity, whether Trump deserves a bit of praise and more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Tessa is joined in the studio by Tim Montgomerie while Iain's holiday continues. They lock horns over welfare, whether Trump should be allowed another state visit, Sunday trading laws and more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @montie and @DrTessaDunlop.

Tessa is joined on the podcast today by a somewhat ill Tim Montgomerie, while Iain's holiday continues! They talk all things Iran: Trump's decision to bomb their nuclear sites, why now and what the context is. They also joust over Reform UK!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @montie and @DrTessaDunlop.

Tessa is joined once again by Albie while Iain suns himself in Corfu. The pair discuss MPs voting to fully decriminalise abortion, what Trump might do next regarding Iran, how to measure psychopathy and more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @AlbieAmankona and @DrTessaDunlop.

Tessa is joined by the wonderful Albie Amankona this week. They talk about Baroness Casey's review into grooming gangs, the conflict between Israel and Iran, King Charles and Prince Harry reuniting and whether Father's Day is a commercialist cult!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @AlbieAmankona and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa are back to discuss Rachel Reeves's spending review, the violence in Ballymena, the Gibraltar border deal, Iain Dale's lineage (with a connection to Robert Burns!) and much much more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa deliver their verdict on Zia Yusuf's antics quitting and rejoining Reform UK, the debate around banning the burka, Peterloo, Israel and Palestine and Dawn French being 'cancelled' - and more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa dive into the latest on the defence review, the impact of Trump-style politics on Poland’s elections, Meghan Markle’s latest media moment. Plus, they explore Margaret Thatcher’s legacy and her role in shaping women’s progress in politics. All this and more in today’s episode!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa digest the defence review, the Trumpite winning the Polish elections, Reform UK councillors pulling down pride flags, whether Margaret Thatcher was pro-woman - and more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain is in London and Tessa in Romania for this edition, in which they talk King Charles in Canada to show his support, Sadiq Khan's support for decriminalising cannabis possession, Trump vs the courts and Macron being pushed in the face.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa bring you this edition mainly focused on your questions - questions on Israel, speed limits and the Parthenon/Elgin marbles!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa talk political U-turns as the PM changes his mind on winter fuel - they remember tuition fees, the poll tax, corn laws, the lot! Also, they check in on the Chagos Islands.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa talk the government's new deal with the EU - what will it mean for fish, young people and passport gates?! They also digest the new Romanian president and discuss Gary Lineker leaving the BBC.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Our duo Iain and Tessa are back in the studio to talk Keir Starmer being compared to Enoch Powell (and who Powell really was), whether Tim Davie can save the BBC - and Tessa's trip to Kensington Palace!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa host the podcast in front of a live audience for the first time at The du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival! They talk about the PM's announcement on immigration, tensions between India and Pakistan, whether Trump really is a peacemaker and more.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

In this episode, Iain and Tessa are joined by 104-year-old WWII veteran Colin Bell on Iain's LBC show. Colin answers questions about whether the younger generations care enough about remembrance, whether defence spending ought to go up... and the secrets to his longevity!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa convene for a special episode dedicated to Victory in Europe Day.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa come together once again to talk about the rare earths deal between the US and Ukraine, the King speaking about his cancer care - and Tessa's experience of sexual harassment on a train.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa return to your devices to delve into why Russia wants to keep expanding, what's up for grabs at the local elections, how electricity came to be such a large part of our lives and why Mark Carney won the election (and is he as ruthless as Keir Starmer?). Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa reconvene to discuss what Pope Francis symbolised as they preview his funeral. Plus, they talk about what it means to be English and whether St George should be replaced - and the cultural significance of digestives (and how WWII sugar rationing ties in!).Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

For Easter, Iain and Tessa come together once again and take your questions about energy prices, YouTube and much more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa come together once again, this time to talk about the UK Supreme Court ruling that defined a woman, the pension age and much more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa come together once again, this time to talk about the fate of British Steel and its context in our industrial past, China preventing a Lib Dem MP from entering Hong Kong and much more, including a huge row about Brexit and a debate over the future of a doll's house!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa are back to talk China vs the US on trade, with Tessa bringing context from the Opium Wars. Also a peerage for Michael Gove, Charles and Camilla meet the Pope and why does nobody talk about the Welsh?Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa break down the ongoing fallout of President Trump's tariffs - also up for discussion are Labour MPs expelled from Israel, the King and Queen's anniversary, leaders changing their minds, Iain being a 'lightweight' and more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa digest Trump's tariffs, whether young boys have enough male role models, remembering the wonderful Betty Webb and dealing with death - and an awkward moment with gooseberry fool!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa meet again to joust over Trump's further threats to Greenland, Marine Le Pen convicted, Justin Welby's latest interview, MPs' expenses, changing the clocks and more!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa are back! They're digging into Wednesday’s Spring Statement and Prince Harry’s charity work in Africa.Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected] connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa return to discuss the upcoming spring statement, NATO expansion, crisis in Turkey, Scottish independence and Blue Peter - something for everyone!Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected]. Stay connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa connect from different countries to talk Israel, whether the Labour government is shifting to the right - and Tessa tells a story about a nun (no, really!).Send your questions and voice notes to 07557 187929 or [email protected]. Stay connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa come out swinging in this third instalment! They joust over welfare cuts, they debate America's outlook on the world, they trade blows over Meghan's new Netflix series... and they make a pitch for the next Celebrity Gogglebox!Send your questions and voice notes to 07757 187929 or [email protected]. Stay connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

Iain and Tessa are back for seconds. On the menu: NHS England being abolished, Putin's response to a ceasefire plan, Trump's long ties - and should you give a quote to an author if you haven't read their book?Send your questions and voice notes to 07757 187929 or [email protected]. Stay connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

In the first episode of this brand new podcast, Iain and Tessa talk strong men: then and now. Stalin and Putin, Roosevelt, Churchill and Trump. Do strong men always win? And how will the incoming German and Canadian leaders Friedrich Merz and Mark Carney make their mark? And why was Iain sleeping in a castle at the weekend?Email your questions and voice notes to [email protected]. Stay connected with us on Instagram @WherePoliticsMeetsHistory and on X @WherePolitics. You can also follow @IainDale and @DrTessaDunlop.

If you enjoyed For The Many, you're going to love this new podcast: Where Politics Meets History.Join Iain Dale with his new podcast pal, historian Dr Tessa Dunlop, as they delve through the biggest news of the week, but setting it in its historical context. Nothing is ever new, the wheel keeps turning, and our pair will guide you through what's happening now, and when it happened before! Expect laughs, fascinating facts... and maybe the occasional row!Listen and subscribe on Global Player or wherever you get your podcasts.

Iain and Jacqui are reunited for this, their final episode. There are tears. There is laughter. And the producer plays a few clips (badly - apologies). You really don't want to miss it.

Iain is joined by the wonderful historian and commentator Tessa Dunlop for this one - they talk about Moldova, Wes Streeting's family tree, Tessa's dream about Iain, reparations, the Royal visit to New Zealand and much else too!  

Iain is joined by the tremendous Labour MP Rosena Allin-Khan for this ep! They discuss ozempic and the NHS, Christopher Chope's remarks about Kemi Badenoch being a mother, England getting a German manager and lots more besides.

Iain is joined for this one by the Lib Dem peer Baroness Featherstone for this 'un. They talk about Labour's first hundred days in government, the death of Alex Salmond, Lynne's legacy on equal marriage, the future of the Lib Dems, international investment and more!

Iain is joined by lawyer and former SNP MP Joanna Cherry for this ep! They talk about the twists and turns of the Tory leadership contest, Joanna's departure from Parliament, Yvette Cooper and Taylor Swift, renters' rights, assisted dying and more.

Iain is joined by the outstanding broadcaster Kirsty Wark for this one. They talk about the ongoing war in the Middle East, one year on from the October 7th attacks. They discuss the Tory leadership, assisted dying, Sue Gray stepping down as the PM's chief of staff and much more besides that!

Iain is joined by the tremendous former cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt for this one, from the Conservative Party conference. She introduces us to her friend and podcaster David Reilly, before Iain and Penny discuss Robert Jenrick's controversial statements about the SAS, further developments in Israel and Lebanon, Liz Truss, Penny's future and more!

Iain is joined by the fabulous former education secretary Gillian Keegan. They talk all things Tory conference, the leadership campaign, Liz Truss and such. But they also talk about Israel and Lebanon, Simon Case's resignation, dodgy curriculums, Gillian's off-mic moment, what comes after politics and much more besides!

Iain is joined by fantastic LBC political correspondent Aggie Chambre to chat about conference season, whether the week's gone well for Labour, what to expect from the Tories next week, having opinions as a journalist, lobbying, Natalie Imbruglia and much more - do have a listen!

Iain is joined by the wonderful Labour peer and former MP Margaret Hodge, at the Labour conference in Liverpool. They talk all things Labour - as well as all the other topics from the news. Many laughs, lots of fun and Margaret does not hold back!

Iain is joined again by the fabulous Caroline Flint - they discuss Sue Gray's pay affray, the pager attacks in Lebanon, interest rates, conference season, Sir Graham Brady's memoirs, Iain's recovery and plenty more besides that, I assure you.

Iain is joined for this one by brilliant businesswoman and campaigner Gina Miller. They discuss the PM's wife getting clothes bought for her, Huw Edwards sentenced, what happened to Gina's True and Fair Party, the Lib Dem conference, Starmer mulling an Albania deal for channel migrants and much more too!