Intelligence Squared

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They are the titans of the spy novel, who have elevated thrillers to the level of literary fiction. Much imitated, much adapted by the big and small screens, Ian Fleming and John Le Carré have painted our picture of post-war espionage: Fleming through the dashing figure of James Bond, with his lush locations and Martinis as icy as his heart; Le Carré through his damning portrait of the British secret service drawn from his own time in MI5 and MI6. But which of the two novelists is the greater? In this thrilling contest, Fleming’s case will made by Anthony Horowitz, creator of the bestselling Alex Rider spy novels and author of the official Bond continuation novel Trigger Mortis. Championing Le Carré – whose memoir about his life as a former spy currently sits in the bestseller lists – will be David Farr, Emmy-nominated screenwriter of the BBC’s adaptation of The Night Manager. Actors Lesley Manville, Simon Callow, Matthew Lewis and Alex Macqueen join us to bring both authors' works to life along with our host, author and critic Erica Wagner. 

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No other country has been so divided over its own past as Russia. To understand what Russia’s future holds – to grasp what Putin’s regime means for Russia and the world – we need to unravel the ideas and meanings of its history. That’s the argument that historian Orlando Figes makes in his most recent book, The Story of Russia. The book reveals the vibrant characters that comprise Russia’s rich past including the crowning of 16-year-old Ivan the Terrible in a candlelit cathedral, Catherine the Great riding out in a green uniform to arrest her husband at his palace, and the bitter last days of the Romanovs. Figes weaves together the past and the present to provide an accurate picture of the country that threatens Ukraine and the liberal global order today. Hosting the discussion is Josh Glancy, special correspondent for The Sunday Times. 

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In the first part of a special double episode, historian and The Sunday Times bestselling author of Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari, joins us to discuss his new book for children, Unstoppable Us, Volume 1. He also reflects on the epic scope of his work looking back over thousands of years of human history and the turbulent times humanity finds itself in today. In 2011, Harari wrote A Brief History of Humankind, covering the last 70,000 years of human evolution. Published in English as Sapiens in 2014, it’s since been translated into 65 languages, become a New York Times bestseller admired by both Barack Obama and Bill Gates and is widely seen as a publishing phenomenon. Its future-focused follow-up, Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow, helped further nudge the dial on how we perceive ourselves as a species and it is the book that launched a growing genre of god's-eye-view non-fiction known as Big History. Harari's latest book is on the smaller side and for smaller people but it's still full of big ideas, inviting younger readers to look at the early history of humankind. Joining Harari in conversation for this episode is our host the academic and broadcaster, Professor Shahidha Bari.

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In November 2019 Prince Andrew sat down with Newsnight, the BBC's flagship current affairs programme, to speak about Jeffrey Epstein and his alleged relationship with Virginia Giuffre. Just months after the explosive interview in January 2020, Prince Andrew was stripped of his military affiliations and royal patronages with the approval of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.

Described as a PR disaster and a 'car crash', many have wondered how this interview came to be. In this episode, former Newsnight producer Sam McAlister talks to broadcast journalist Petrie Hosken about what went on behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace and how the news is made. Sam McAlister's new book Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC's Most Shocking Interviews is available now.

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Anxiety has been mounting around the world concerning Russian president Vladimir Putin's nuclear threats. US president Joe Biden warned that the risk of nuclear "Armageddon" is the highest it has been since the Cuban missile crisis in 1962. This week on The Sunday Debate, we're joined by three experts to understand the realities of nuclear threat, how nuclear strategy has developed in the last 60 years, and whether Russia’s nuclear threats will be deterred.

Andrey Baklitskiy is a Senior Researcher in the WMD Programme at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, Marion Messmer is a Senior Researcher in International Security at Chatham House, and William Alberque is Director of Strategy, Technology and Arms Control for the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Our host for this episode is Josh Glancy, special correspondent for The Sunday Times.

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Anders wakes up one day to find that his skin has turned dark. Soon it transpires that this is happening to people all over the land, leading first to panic which then turns into an upheaval in establishment, power, and compassion.

In this Kafka-esque tale, award-winning Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid explores how we as a society define the concepts and structures of race, and how much in turn we let them define us. To delve deeper into The Last White Man, Mohsin Hamid joins us on the podcast, in conversation with BBC broadcaster Razia Iqbal.

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One in five Americans believe that every high profile mass shooting is staged by the government. In this episode New York Times journalist Elizabeth Williamson joins author and filmmaker Jon Ronson to delve into the dark world of conspiracies and examine one of America’s most prominent and controversial theorists, Alex Jones. Elizabeth Williamson joins us from Connecticut where she is reporting on Alex Jones' second defamation trial this year, sued by the parents of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting after he repeatedly claimed the tragedy was a hoax. 

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Ukraine’s best known novelist Andrey Kurkov joins us to speak about life, literature, and the war in Ukraine, as well as the complexities of the Ukrainian identity. Andrey Kurkov has been hailed as a latter-day Bulgakov and a Ukrainian Murakami, his works injected with an absurdist sense of the oddities of life. But with the unfolding of events in Ukraine this year, his fictional reflections on conflict in his nation have become even more pertinent. Our host for this episode is the BBC’s Chief International Correspondent, Lyse Doucet, who has been covering the conflict in Ukraine since it unfolded in February.

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In this episode we take a look back to an Intelligence Squared debate recorded in 2009. As the British economy has been plunged into uncertainty in the past week, many have become sceptical of new Prime Minister Liz Truss's plans for financial growth. But what did people have to say in 2009 about the balance between market and state? Chaired by the impressionist and comedian Rory Bremner, we hear from journalist Paul Mason, economist Stephen King, political scientist Ian Bremmer and the 19th prime minister of Canada Kim Campbell. 

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Can advertising’s immense power to change behaviour be used for good? In this brand new podcast, produced by Intelligence Squared, Myra Nussbaum, President and Chief Creative Officer at Havas Chicago and Dan Lucey, Chief Creative Officer at Havas New York, talk to the people who are harnessing the power of advertising to help people and the planet.

This week, Dan and Myra were joined by Sam Shepherd and Ashely Geisheker from Leo Burnett in Chicago. Last year, Sam and Ashley were part of the team behind The Lost Class, a campaign to raise awareness about the members of the high school class of 2021 who were killed by guns. The film was produced by Leo Burnett in support of Change the Ref’s campaign to introduce universal background checks for gun sales. Among many other awards, it was nominated for an Emmy.

Sam Shepherd is Executive Vice President and Executive Creative Director at Leo Burnett Chicago. He has received a host of top industry honours including Titanium Cannes Lions, D&AD Black pencils and Agency of the Year. He has worked with world class brands from HBO and BMW to Absolut Vodka and Oreo. Passionate about many social causes, his pro bono work for the charity Water is Life aims to raise life-saving donations and awareness for access to clean water in countries such as Kenya, Haiti and India.

Ashley Geisheker is Executive Vice President and Head of Production at Leo Burnett Chicago. She leads all aspects of the creative agency’s production capabilities and has steered ambitious productions for brands including Bank of America, Samsung and Wingstop. Her clients and work have been recognised by major industry awards including Cannes Lions, The One Show and the Effies.

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