The Times Red Box Podcast

Matt Chorley indulges Boris Johnson's request for local leaders to email him with ideas on how to 'Level Up' the UK, hearing from several councillors from around the country.PLUS James Marriott and Rachel Cunliffe reappraise the importance of the suburbs, and whether Nigella Lawson was right to remove the word 'slut' from her recipes.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley speaks to journalists from the four corners of the UK to get the latest political and pandemic news.PLUSRobert Crampton and Alice Thomson discuss Britain's relationship with animals and the four day working week.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley speaks to experts and journalists in the US, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan about what their countries want to see happen at the virtual G7, hosted today by Boris Johnson to find an international solution to the situation in Afghanistan. PLUS David Aaronovitch and Daniel Finkelstein discuss Dominic Raab and Extinction Rebellion.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley speaks to Nobel Prize winning behavioural economist Richard Thaler about this new book Nudge: The Final Edition and how governments can change people's behaviour in a pandemic. PLUSTimes columnists Rachel Sylvester and Libby Purves discuss the day's news.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Luke Jones sits in for Matt Chorley and speaks to guardian correspondent Jason Burke and Lieutenant Colonel Richard Williams about what it was like in Afghanistan in 2001.Plus Times columnist Melanie Reid and the Daily Mail’s John Stevens on the holidays and the Paralympics.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Luke Jones sits in for Matt Chorley where he discusses the situation in Belarus right now with former UK ambassador to Belarus, Dr Nigel Gould-Davies and former Belarusian Minister of Culture, now opposition figure, Pavel Latushko.PLUS columnists India Knight and James Marriott discuss incel culture and uprooting your life.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In a departure from normal service, Luke Jones speaks to journalists and experts from China, Pakistan, the US and Russia to hear about what different countries will be hoping happens in the wake of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and how they are pivoting to capitalise on the situation.PLUS Robert Crampton and Alice Thomson assess the opening statements of the parliamentary debate on Afghanistan.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Luke Jones speaks to Times Retail Editor Ashley Armstrong, Pizza Express Founder Hugh Osmond, Phones4u founder John Caudwell and serial entrepreneur Luke Jonhson about how you go about buying and selling a business. PLUSDavid Aaronovitch and Daniel Finkelstein discuss the West's response to the unfolding crisis in Afghanistan.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Luke Jones, sitting in for Matt Chorley is joined by the Mother and the Father of the House, Conservative MP Peter Bottomley and Labour MP Harriet Harman to reminisce over 85 years on the green benches. PLUSThe Times Libby Purves and the New Statesman's Rachel Cunliffe talk Afghanistan and the Plymouth shooting.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley tries to save the government with the Times' Henry Zeffman as they take part in an immersive play called Crisis? What Crisis? where they have to save the Callaghan government of 1979 from a vote of no confidence. PLUS columnists Melanie Reid and James Forsyth discuss learning languages and why we need the royal family more than ever.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley speaks to Washington Post journalist Carol Leonnig on her book, Zero Fail, which sheds light on the secrets and scandals of the Secret Service.PLUS columnists India Knight and James Marriot discuss privacy and the rise in supermarket delivery apps.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley dives into the news across the four corners of the UK and this week's focus is on education. PLUS John Stevens and Emma Woolf join Matt to go through the day's news.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley asks whether second home ownership is a blessing or a curse for local communities in staycation hotspots with local protest groups, councils and MPs. PLUS David Aaronovitch and Danny Finkelstein discuss whether we should really care about the protests to save Geronimo the alpaca.AND As students learn their A-Level results, MPs including Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick and Deputy Labour Leader Angela Rayner share memories from their own results day.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley hears from Red Box listeners about the difficulty in getting a face-to-face appointment with a GP. He hears from GP Sarah Jarvis and people within Health and the NHS to find out what's going wrong.PLUS Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester ask who will pay for net-zero and whether more school students should apply for apprenticeships.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley reflects on the riots of 2011 with Shadow Justice Secretary and MP for Tottenham David Lammy, Stephen Reicher and Frances Crook.PLUS columnists Melanie Reid and James Forsyth discuss whether life really changes after Covid-19.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley speaks to Julia Stonehouse, the daughter of the former Labour MP John Stonehouse who faked his own death in the 1970s, and found out how she still sees him as a hero.PLUS He speaks to James Marriott and Rachel Cunliffe on staycations and snobbery.Clips: BBC   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley gets the news from the four corners of the UK with guests Rob Parsons, Editor of the Northern Agenda for Reach, Caroline Wilson, Senior Reporter at The Herald, John Manley, Political Correspondent at the Irish News, and Ruth Mosalski, Political Editor at Wales Online.PLUSRobert Crampton and Emma Woolf discuss jabs for kids.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley speaks to Chair of the Defence Select Committee, Tobias Ellwood MP, and experts in the field of space defence to find out what threats countries pose to each other in outer space. PLUSThe Times' David Aaronovitch and the Spectator's Katy Balls discuss the day's news.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt Chorley speaks to the Prime Minister's COP26 spokesperson, Allegra Stratton, ahead of the COP26 conference in Glasgow. PLUS Times columnists Libby Purves and Rachel Sylvester go through the day's news and whether Rishi Sunak could become the next Conservative leader.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What if Ed Miliband had won? What if we'd voted for proportional representation? Luke Jones, sitting in for Matt Chorley, speaks to Duncan Brack about his new book exploring political counterfactuals, and the man who created the Miliverse Twitter account. PLUSTimes Columnist Melanie Reid and Emma Woolf pick over the news.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.