This episode looks at the rise of science skepticism in the US, to the point that is now affecting American domestic and foreign policy as Washington goes into full denial over climate change with potentially world-changing consequences.

After trying very hard to reproduce the gentle cadence and authority of Alistair Cooke's voice using digital tools, I decided to use my own voice instead. I'm afraid that I don't have his mid-Atlantic brogue, just a mildly neutral Scots accent, blunted and shaped by spending most of my life in the north of England. Cooke's accent blended Salford in Greater Manchester with Fifth Avenue in New York. Mine comes from Glasgow, Scotland and Leeds in West Yorkshire. Hopefully, my voice should be clear enough (I'm working on it)!