Welcome to a special bonus episode of Talking France.

If this is your first time listening to Talking France you should check out our regular weekly podcast which looks at a wide range of news, talking points and cultural questions from France. You listen to all our episodes here.

For this bonus episode we are sticking to one subject focussing on the political crisis and protests against pension reform that have gripped the country in recent weeks.

Regular listeners to Talking France will be familiar with the voice and views of our French politics expert John Lichfield, who has reported on the country for over 25 years.

John's been keeping a close eye on the ongoing turmoil in France so for this bonus episode I asked him to delve a little deeper to help us understand just what's going on and what might happen next.

Why has France become so angry, why have protests turned violent, is this different to previous movements, why are protesters talking about May 1968 and how and when will things calm down? These are just some of the questions I put to John.

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