Political Thinking with Nick Robinson

BBC Radio 4

<p>Nick Robinson has a conversation with, not an interrogation of, the people who shape our political thinking about what shaped theirs.</p>

  • 47 minutes 50 seconds
    'We're appeasing the tech bros': Beeban Kidron, from film-maker to lawmaker

    What links Bridget Jones to social media regulation?

    The answer: Baroness Beeban Kidron. In 2004 she directed the Bridget Jones sequal. 20 years later, she became one of the most vocal campaigners for regulation of social media and tech in the UK.

    She joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to tell her story, from joining Marxist dinner parties in her childhood home, to filming and living with the protesters of Greenham Common in the 1980s.

    Today, she has strong words for Keir Starmer's government, and is pushing for law-changes from her seat in the House of Lords.

    Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards

    20 February 2026, 6:00 am
  • 52 minutes 53 seconds
    Nigel Farage: 'Broken Britain', national identity and lessons from Trump

    A frank conversation with the leader of Reform UK.

    Nigel Farage has put his party on a "general election war footing" and says he is preparing for power.

    What has his party still got to learn before they're ready?

    Who is he referring to when he talks about putting "our own people first"?

    And what made him change his mind and return to politics?

    Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Editor: Giles Edwards Sound: Ged Sudlow

    13 February 2026, 6:00 am
  • 43 minutes 29 seconds
    How to tell England’s story: James Graham, playwright

    James Graham joined Nick in the political thinking studio in late January, ahead of a this year's TV adaptation of his play Dear England.

    What did Gareth Southgate get right about national identity?

    What advice does the playwright have for Keir Starmer on storytelling?

    And why is it important that people continue to go to the theatre?

    Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Ged Sudlow and Hal Haines Editor: Giles Edwards

    6 February 2026, 5:45 am
  • 34 minutes 43 seconds
    Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv: From boxing to politics

    How did the world heavyweight champion end up running a city of 3 million people in wartime?

    Vitali Klitschko joins Nick from the Ukrainian capital in the midst of a Russian campaign to descimate the city's energy infrastructure.

    He talks about what peace could look like, the lessons he learned from living under Soviet rule as a child, and why he decided to abandon a lucrative life in the US to enter Ukrainian politics.

    Senior producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Ged Sudlow Editor: Giles Edwards

    30 January 2026, 6:00 am
  • 50 minutes 39 seconds
    David Lammy: The old world order isn't coming back

    What happens when US Vice President Vance goes drinking with Angela Rayner & David Lammy?

    The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary knows America better than probably anyone else around the cabinet table. And in this interview he reflects at length on the state of the world and the significance of the US president's Greenland threats.

    David Lammy gives an impassioned defence against critics who question his friendship with Vice President J D Vance and reflects on his life's journey from Tottenham to Harvard.

    He also discusses the ongoing row over jury trial reforms, potential upcoming by-elections, and Keir Starmer government's storytelling.

    Senior Producer: Daniel Kraemer Producer: Flora Murray Sound: Hal Haines and Chris Murphy Editor: Giles Edwards

    23 January 2026, 5:45 am
  • 43 minutes 53 seconds
    The union leader who agrees with the Tory leader: Daniel Kebede

    The National Education Union's general secretary on banning social media, strikes and race

    Daniel Kebede says he is "completely aligned" with Kemi Badenoch on social media policy but warns that the Labour government is on a "collision course" with teachers over pay and conditions.

    Why does a former minister describe him as "disarming" while the press brand him as "militant" and a "hardened protester"?

    Nick also presses Kebede on the blocking of a Jewish Bristol MP from visiting a school, past comments about Israel, and whether taxpayers can afford further pay rises for teachers.

    Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Flora Murray Sound: Stephen Pontin Sound mixing: Robin Schroder Editor: Giles Edwards

    16 January 2026, 6:00 am
  • 42 minutes 9 seconds
    John Swinney: Trump, Independence and Scottish Troops in Ukraine

    What is the Scottish First Minister's secret for getting Donald Trump's attention?

    Nick is in Edinburgh to sit down with John Swinney, at the start of a year of big elections across the UK, including for the Scottish Parliament.

    He has been at the top of SNP-led government's for almost all of the last 19 years. He is now asking for another five years, with the hope of securing a new independence referendum.

    In this conversation, Swinney talks about how he charmed Donald Trump, reflects on a dangerous world, and opens up about the pressures on his family life.

    Producer: Daniel Kraemer Research: Flora Murray Sound: Fiona Fairmaner Editor: Giles Edwards

    9 January 2026, 6:00 am
  • 47 minutes 15 seconds
    Jordan Bardella: The 30-year-old populist hoping to be France's next president

    An exclusive interview on immigration, racism, Russia, Farage and Trump.

    Jordan Bardella is the leader of National Rally in France, and currently leading the polls to become president in 2027 if his mentor, Marine Le Pen fails to overturn a conviction that bars her from running for office.

    In the meantime, he is on a mission to persuade people that his party has changed since its history as the National Front, founded in the 1970s by Jean-Marie Le Pen, a convicted racist and Holocaust-denier.

    Can he succeed?

    In this interview, Bardella responds to Donald Trump's criticism of Europe, rejects challenges on racism and explains why he is in London to meet with Nigel Farage

    Producers: Daniel Kraemer and Leela Padmanabhan Research: Lisa Louis Translation: Pierre-Antoine Denis Additional translation: Merlyn Thomas, Erwan Rivault Sound editing: Craig Kingham Editor: Giles Edwards

    10 December 2025, 6:00 am
  • 46 minutes
    Kemi Badenoch: Shooting from the hip

    Why did the leader of the opposition call the chancellor 'spineless' and 'shameless'?

    Kemi Badenoch joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to reflect on what lay behind the personal and political debates around Budget Day.

    How can she emulate Margaret Thatcher's regeneration of the Conservative Party?

    How did anger help drive her into politics?

    And why do her kids wish she still worked at McDonald's?

    Producer: Daniel Kraemer Research: Chloe Desave Editor: Jonathan Brunert Sound: Ged Sudlow and Andrew Mills

    28 November 2025, 5:45 am
  • 49 minutes 7 seconds
    Shabana Mahmood: Racism, Asylum and Me

    Why is the Home Secretary warning against leaving space for "darker forces"?

    Shabana Mahmood sits down with Nick off the back of announcing sweeping changes to the asylum system in the UK.

    Why did she decide to quote explicit racial abuse in the House of Commons? And how does she intend to avoid "ceding the territory of asylum to the far right"?

    The Home Secretary reflects on how her Muslim faith plays a part in her job and sense of public service. And she reflects on the "humiliation" of the Downing Street briefing chaos.

    Producer: Daniel Kraemer Research: Chloe Desave Sound: Ged Sudlow and Hal Haines Editor: Jonathan Brunert

    20 November 2025, 5:45 am
  • 38 minutes 48 seconds
    'I'm preparing for government': Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth

    Can Plaid Cymru replace Labour as the party of power in Wales next year? Rhun ap Iorwerth, the party's leader, thinks so.

    Rhun ap Iorwerth joins Nick in the Political Thinking studio to talk about how his parents' passion for Welsh heritage and language formed the basis for his vision for the country.

    They explore Welsh identity and the anti-monarchy spirit that inspired the name of his teenage band.

    Also on the agenda: immigration, mispronunciations, and Robbie Williams.

    Producer: Daniel Kraemer Research: Chloe Desave Editor: Leela Padmanabhan

    14 November 2025, 6:00 am
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