Newscast

Police say they’re issuing 20 fines over No 10 lockdown parties, but will this put the PM under renewed political pressure? Adam is joined by Laura and the BBC’s Daniel Sandford to chew over what we know so far.

Also… Will Smith’s Oscars slap apology is deconstructed by Lux Alptraum, who has studied the art of saying sorry.

And a report says Jackie Weaver did NOT actually have the authority. We get her reaction.

This edition of Newscast was made by Tim Walklate with John Murphy and Ben Cooper. The technical producer was Emma Crowe.

Controversy at the Oscars as Will Smith hits Chris Rock… Adam is joined by the BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall and LA-based entertainment reporter KJ Matthews to discuss the background to the slap - and the possible repercussions.

Also… the UK ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons – currently in Warsaw - talks Biden, getting out of Kyiv and her own Ukrainian background.

This edition of Newscast was made by Tim Walklate, John Murphy and Chris Flynn. Emma Crowe was the technical producer. Sam Bonham is the assistant editor.

The US President wraps up his trip to Europe, but is he taking the lead on Ukraine?

The BBC’s North America editor, Sarah Smith, who has been travelling with the US Commander-in-Chief on Air Force One, and Europe Editor, Katya Adler, drop by to chew over the transatlantic approach to the crisis.

Also… amid a growing feeling of global instability, Adam speaks to historian, philosopher, and best-selling author of 'Sapiens', Yuval Noah Harari, about the consequences – some unintended and overlooked – of the conflict in Ukraine.

Today’s Newscast was made by Tim Walklate, with Chris Flynn and Ben Cooper. The studio director was Hannah Montgomery. The editor was Jonathan Aspinwall.

Rishi Sunak has been accused of doing too little to help people struggling to feed their families and heat their homes, following Wednesday’s Spring Statement.

Laura and Chris are joined by economists Miatta Fahnbulleh, who has advised three prime ministers, and Rupert Harrison, who was George Osborne’s chief of staff, to chew over the chancellor’s announcement. Could he have done more? Should he have done more?

This edition of Newscast was made by Danny Wittenberg, John Murphy and Alix Pickles. The assistant editor was Alison Gee.

Spring is in the air… along with inflation and a rise in the cost of living.

The Chancellor, Rishi Sunak, unveiled his Spring Statement today against a backdrop of rising inflation at home, and economic uncertainty abroad amid the Ukraine crisis.

To help pore over the pennies, percentages and decimal points in the Chancellor’s plans, Adam is joined by Laura, the BBC’s Evan Davis and Gareth McNab from debt counselling charity Christians Against Poverty.

Also… Phil McCann is at a petrol station in Chester to discuss the fuel duty cut.

Today’s Newscast was made by Tim Walklate, with John Murphy and Ben Cooper. The studio director was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor was Alison Gee.

There’s a heatwave in the North Pole (and the South Pole)… Adam chats to the BBC’s Climate Editor, Justin Rowlatt, and Dr Bethan Davies, a glacial geologist, about what it all means.

Simon Shuster, from TIME Magazine, tells us what it's like interviewing the Putin-critic, Alexei Navalny, after he was given nine years in a penal colony in Russia.

On “Spring Statement Eve” Chris pops on the pod to explain what we should all be looking out for from the Chancellor on Wednesday.

And Prof Al Edwards opens up about why Adam (who is still broadcasting from his cupboard at home because he's got Covid) is still getting two thick lines on his lateral flow test!

This edition of Newscast was made by Tim Walklate, John Murphy and Miranda Slade. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.

As the crisis deepens in Ukraine and the West seeks to wean itself off Russian oil and gas, Adam takes a deep dive with Russia analyst Angela Stent, and her husband Daniel Yergin, a global energy expert. The couple are also put through Newscast’s Mr and Mrs quiz.

Nazanin Zaghari-Radcliffe has spoken publicly for the first time, saying her case could have been resolved six years ago.

And Jonathan Van-Tam takes Chris Whitty to the football.

This edition of Newscast was made by Tim Walklate with John Murphy and Alix Pickles. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.

Did P&O break the law when they sacked 800 staff? We chat to Kathryn Evans, an employment lawyer, to find out...

This edition of Newscast was made by Chris Flynn, Miranda Slade and Ben Cooper. The technical producer was Emma Crowe. The assistant editor was Sam Bonham.

P&O Ferries has caused outrage after sacking 800 workers via a recorded video message. The company plans to replace them with cheaper agency workers. Chris gets the latest from the BBC’s Danny Savage in Hull, where a P&O crew had been refusing to leave their ship.

Covid infection rates have been increasing rapidly across the UK – one of the people to catch the virus is Adam. GP Ellie Cannon worries about the long-term mental health fallout of the pandemic.

And Chris asks Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator, Lord Frost, if Boris Johnson is governing as a Conservative. His answer: “Up to a point.”

This edition of Newscast was made by Danny Wittenberg and John Murphy. The assistant editor was Alison Gee.

As the daily pod turns two, we’re still wrestling with Covid. Self-isolating at home following a positive lateral flow test, Adam - along with the BBC’s James Gallagher in the studio - reflects on that televised Downing Street briefing two years ago to the day, when it became clear that our lives would never be the same again.

Also, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, the British-Iranian aid worker detained for six years in Iran on charges of spying, has finally been released by Tehran. Adam discusses the news with Ceri Thomas, host of the podcast Nazanin, and journalist Jason Rezaian, who spent 18 months in an Iranian prison.

Today’s Newscast was made by Tim Walklate, with John Murphy and Ben Cooper. The studio director was Hannah Montgomery. The assistant editor was Alison Gee.