Cyborgs, a Gregg Wallace public enquiry...the Popeye slasher movie? In our end of year special, the Prospect family—editors, writers and producers—share their predictions for the year ahead.

From politics to technology and culture, what will be the most interesting stories of 2025? Ellen and Alona are joined by contributors to discuss the trends that we should be watching in the UK, across the pond, and around the globe...

Listen out for guest appearances from Prospect editor Alan Rusbridger and Lionel Barber, who host our sister podcast Media Confidential. And send us your predictions at [email protected]!

Not sure what to gift this Christmas? Why not make use of our discounted subscription offer at: https://subscription.prospectmagazine.co.uk/dec24off/prospect-magazine/de24nl

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After more than 50 years of repressive dynastic rule, Bashar al-Assad has fled Syria.

Ellen and Alona are joined by Syria expert Lina Khatib, director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS and associate fellow at Chatham House. While many were surprised by the rapid toppling of Assad’s regime, Lina was not.

As people speculate about what HTS and other rebel groups intend for Syria, she explains why this might not be what western commentators expect. And with some voicing anxiety about Syria becoming a new Afghanistan, she unpacks why these comparisons just don’t make sense—and what policymakers are getting wrong.

Plus, unicorns and dinosaurs: banger or dud? From medieval monsters to Big Oil, Priya Khanchandani shares the secret histories and consumer messaging behind two of the most ubiquitous creatures in the toy industry. Read her feature "Unicorns and Dinosaurs are everywhere!" from our Winter Special magazine issue here.

Lina’s piece on pragmatism in Syria can also be found at prospectmagazine.co.uk. To watch this interview, head to our YouTube channel, where the Prospect podcast is published every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, political scientist Cas Mudde joins the Prospect podcast to analyse the “year of elections”.

In 2024, around 70 countries with a combined population of 3.4bn went to the polls. In many of those elections—in the EU, India and the US, the far right did surprisingly well. But why do the far right seem to be the only group to have benefitted from the turbulence of recent years? Was it inevitable? He joins Prospect’s Ellen Halliday to discuss.

Plus, a festive “banger” or “dud”: posh advent calendars—terrific or tacky?

To watch this interview, search for ‘Prospect magazine’ on YouTube, where episodes are published every Thursday.

Cas’s piece “Doom Spiral” is featured in the latest issue of the magazine, which can be read in print or online at prospectmagazine.co.uk.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are Jews white? Is criticism of Israel antisemitic? Why is the “Judeo-Christian” grouping a myth?

To unpack these big questions, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist Rachel Shabi, whose new book Off-White: The Truth About Antisemitism was released earlier this month.

Rachel explores the rising tensions of the past year, including the impact of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and a slew of misinformation and bad faith arguments on social media. She discusses her own identity as a British-Israeli with Iraqi heritage, how antisemitism has historically intersected with other forms of racism, and how it gets weaponised today. And she forces us to confront our own dark history—the idea that Britain’s antisemitism was “the first and the worst”.

To watch this thoughtful discussion on race, privilege and prejudice, search for ‘Prospect magazine’ on YouTube, where episodes are published every Thursday.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Families are spending years living in hotels, households are being moved miles across the country, and government is spending billions on a system that harms those it is designed to protect. What can be done?

This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by researcher and local government expert Jack Shaw to talk about his exclusive investigation into the growing scandal of temporary accommodation. This form of homelessness is worse in the UK than in any other nation in the OECD and has a terrible impact on families and individuals.

Jack reveals what goes into an investigation and shares his most shocking discoveries, including the millions that councils are doling out to private hoteliers. He explains why this is a problem—and which councils are trying to fix a broken system.

Plus, the hosts take on a hard-hitting Daily Mail article which condemned gen-Z’s embrace of “woke sandwiches”. Are fancy sandwiches a “banger” or a “dud”? Ellen and Alona discuss.

To read Jack’s article “Temporary accommodation nation” from the latest issue of the magazine, click here.

And to order tickets to our special book event with Lionel Barber, go here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/gamblingman

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why do some women like tradwife videos? And why does it even matter?

This week, Ellen and Alona are joined by writer Sarah Manavis to discuss the small but significant group of women who promote anti-feminist values online—and why so many others watch their videos.

Sarah argues that the success of right-wing young men with large social media followings has distracted from a boom in similarly reactionary gen-Z women. Lifestyle influencers—from the overtly political to the unassuming—are using social media to championing a return to traditional gender roles.

Sarah reported on the story for the most recent issue of Prospect magazine. While researching her article, she spoke with academics to analyse why so many women gravitate towards making and consuming this brand of content online.

Is this harmless escapism, or a form of radicalisation? What about the paradox of self-made women making their careers out of promoting domestic lifestyles? And in the aftermath of Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris, Sarah discusses what trends on social media tell us about the US more broadly.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Would legalising assisted dying end unnecessary suffering? Or would it instead enable the abuse of some of society’s most vulnerable people?

As parliament discusses assisted dying once again, Prospect invited two of our most profound thinkers—Rowan Williams and Brenda Hale—to debate the issue. As archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams led a Church that publicly opposes any form of assisted dying, while, as a Supreme Court judge, Brenda Hale was involved in life-or-death judgements.

In a moving discussion, Hale discusses her own Christian faith, while Williams shares his pastoral experience in the company of the dying. They join Prospect’s editor Alan Rusbridger and commissioning editor Emily Lawford for a thoughtful and vitally important conversation.

To read this conversation from the magazine, visit our website.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the first time, Ellen and Alona host a special Q&A episode, recorded with a live audience. They’re joined by Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times, who has been has been covering the presidential election for Prospect.

Jill describes how this American election compares to what she’s seen in the past, and answers listeners’ questions. What’s the mood in the US? Can we trust the polls? And what might happen between now and election day to move the dial?

To watch this episode, head to the Prospect magazine YouTube channel.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Halloween approaches, Ellen and Alona are joined by journalist Gabriel Gatehouse to discuss his plunge into the world of conspiracy theories, QAnon and the extreme fringes of US politics.

What have witches in the dark ages got to do with American democracy? How has the internet destabilised state power? And what does that mean for this November’s election?

Conspiracy theories about satanic cabals took off in America after the 2020 election—and 41 per cent of Americans now believe that the politicians they elect aren’t actually the people governing the country. To many, the truth seems increasingly murky.

Gabriel’s reporting has taken him deep into the rabbit hole of this strange and eerie world. On the podcast, he shares the stories that went into his most recent book, The Coming Storm: A Journey into the Heart of the Conspiracy Machine, based on his BBC Radio 4 series of the same name.

Listen to this spooky episode—or watch on YouTube—to find out about America’s old ghosts, new superstitions, burgeoning evil and unravelling reality.

The Coming Storm is available here.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Ellen and Alona look ahead to COP29, the annual climate summit, hosted this year in Baku, Azerbaijan.

They are joined by Isabel Hilton, Prospect’s contributing editor who shares her experiences at COP, and Sam Alvis, a policy advisor and director of energy and environment at Public First.

25 out of the 35 key “planetary vital signs” are out of bounds, and biodiversity is rapidly dwindling. At the same time, a growing culture war means consensus about action is increasingly contested in the political space. Last year, a government minister left the conference early to vote on the Rwanda scheme—now, is Labour doing any better?

Isabel and Sam discuss the government’s climate plans and rank its performance out of ten. But why do leaders struggle to make progress? And, amid growing climate-related anxiety, how can we avoid a sense of paralysis?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.