Oh God, What Now?

• Sign up for the OGWN Christmas Livestream on Thur 3 Dec. Free to Patreon supporters! 

That warm sense of comfort you can feel is the concept of Britain rejoining the EU returning to the centre of politics. So of course the Continuity Brexiters are fighting it on the single most important question of all: crisps. What trade-offs will Burnham have to make if he’s going to reverse the 2016 disaster? Will Britain keep the pound? And will we have to get used to “smoky flavour” potato snacks? Plus: David Walliams, Kemi Badenoch’s fantasies of reduced benefits bills, and the Russell Brand fall-out continues. 

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Marie watched La Bola Negra, the Spanish movie drama about war, sexuality, death, politics and other Iberian matters. 

• Seth found a copy of John Tallis’s London Street Views in a second-hand bookshop. You can read it online. 

• Jason has been reading Lessons In Harmony by Jonathan Coe, in which Ralph Vaughan Williams meets Maurice Ravel.

• Ros recommends Say Nothing: A True Story Of Murder and Memory In Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe.

Buy books through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. 

• Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit, ad-free episodes and more. 

Presented by Ros Taylor with Jason Hazeley, Marie le Conte and Seth Thévoz. Audio Production by Chris Jones. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

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America is still processing Donald Trump’s midterm drubbing. But what does the result mean for the UK, Europe and the rest of the world? 

Plus: As Russell Brand is sentenced to ten years and six months in prison for rape and sexual assault, what are the wider political and cultural implications of the horrifying case?

Matt Green, Jonn Elledge and Zoë Grünewald are joined by special guest, comedian, Taskmaster champion and broadcaster Andrew Zaltzman. 

• Get tickets to Andy’s tour, 2026: The Certifiable History

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Zoë hasn’t been able to put down Sarah Wynn-Williams’ Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism

• Jonn cheekily plugged another political podcast… and has been listening to Nate Silver’s Still Counting

• Andy has been watching East of Eden, Netflix’s smash-hit adaptation of John Steinbeck’s novel

• Support us on Patreon for ad-free episodes and more. 

Presented by Matt Green, with Jonn Elledge, Zoë Grünewald and Andy Zaltzman. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

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Donald Trump does like a nice interior design project and be fair, he earned the Republicans a thorough shellacking. What happens next? When does the circular MAGA firing squad assemble? Is there a can big enough for Pete Hegseth to carry? Has the fight gone out of Agent Orange? And will the establishment Democratic leadership be able to constrain new Congresspersons who are thirsting for revenge… sorry, the proper application of justice? The doyenne of American political podcasting Molly Jong-Fast brings the latest to Andrew Harrison, live from New York.

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

[Not for Patreon]

• Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit, ad-free episodes and more. 

Presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio Production by Chris Jones. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

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At last, at last… After suffering two years of shame, cruelty and corruption, Americans render a devastating verdict on Trump, his war, his careless greed and the entire Republican establishment. An electoral wave of Biblical proportions sweeps away Trump stooges and raises up a new, diverse generation of progressive superstars. So what happens next? Will the Democrats have the guts to use their new power? And how will a humiliated Trump respond? Marquette University politics professor Julia Azari joins us to sift through the ruins of MAGA. 

Plus: Why Shabana Mahmood’s revised policy on Indefinite Leave to Remain is still a disgrace… Exodus at the Telegraph… and should Germany rebuild Hitler’s holiday home? 

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Jason recommends Ghosts: The Possession of Button House, bringing back all your favourites from the much-loved sitcom. 

• James recommends Kornacki Cam where NBC News analyst Steve Kornacki talks through electoral data ASMR-style. 

• Julia has been enjoying the novel A Dog In Georgia by Lauren Grodstein, which isn’t out in the UK yet, and Nobody Wants This on Netflix – complete with hot rabbi. 

• Andrew has been reading the Kafkesque science fiction book There Is No Antimemetics Division by QNTM (or has he?). Buy it throughour affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.  

• Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit, ad-free episodes and more. Exciting news coming soon… 

Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison with James Ball and Jason Hazeley. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

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The BBC created Nigel Farage. Endless “spiky” guest slots led to a sense of legitimacy, then inevitability, and now a fear of NOT covering the man they still think – despite Reform’s declining polls – is the PM-in-waiting. Why can’t our public broadcaster quit marketing a man and a party which wants to destroy it? Or is it caught in a Catch-22 where they either promote Reform or, by ignoring them, let them off the hook? Will it all pay off in Prime Minister Farage attempting to destroy the BBC forever? Plus, in related matters… Are we finally, finally at the end of the age of politics as cheap entertainment? 

• Hear James Ball on the problem with Meta’s “Pervert Glasses” on today’s edition of The Bunker

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Ros has been watching David Attenborough’s Blue Planet III on iPlayer.

• Raf recommends A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. Buy it through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

• Marie watched the Factory/Happy Mondays movie 24 Hour Party People largely for the Andy Burnham vibes in the area. 

• Zoe recommends Tony, the biopic of Anthony Bourdain. 

• Support us on Patreon for ad-free episodes and more. 

Presented by Zoë Grünewald with Rafael Behr, Marie le Conte and Ros Taylor. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

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Have YOU done YOUR emergency stash of sardines, toilet paper and Kit-Kats? The government’s warnings to stockpile tinned food and water set off a mix of panic, confusion and (from the usual suspects) mockery… but should we all be taking preparedness more seriously? Is Britain going to have to accept bigger changes in our society as the world gets more dangerous? 

Plus: We look into what the “fiscal devolution” and a hundred quid off energy bills in John Healey’s first Budget all mean. It was boring, but is boring good in these straitened times? And in the Extra Bit for Patreon people, take your mind off the misery with the Oh God, What Now? winter break guide, as the panel shares some unexpectedly delightful destinations for an autumn escape. 

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Jonn watched The Lion in Winter – “like Succession with Henry II”

• Hannah watched Steven Knight’s Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger

• Rachel has been reading Anthony Horowitz’s latest book, A Deadly Episode

• Ros has been bingeing Polish thriller The Mire on Netflix

• Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit, ad-free episodes and more. 

Presented by Ros Taylor with Hannah Fearn, Rachel Cunliffe and Jonn Elledge. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Simon Williams. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

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Fast reaction to the Budget with Jonathan Portes, King’s College London economics and public policy professor… It was billed as the “boring” Budget, and to be fair Chancellor John Healey mostly delivered – with a few surprises. It was good news for pensioners, motorists and first-time buyers. Banks, meanwhile, were furious about a temporary tax hike, calling it “end of Rome levels of stupidity”. So what did the Chancellor actually announce? And what does it mean for YOU? 

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

• Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit, ad-free episodes and more. 

Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

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Like the Democrats we’ve been pinning our hopes on the 2026 US mid-terms to end (or at least interrupt) Trump’s cruel circus… and now they’re finally here. Will the Republicans get the devastating punishment they deserve when America votes on Tue 3 Nov? Are the Democrats now so traumatised by poll upsets that they’re imagining a defeat into existence? And what happens after – if! – the Democrats take both Houses? Congressional staffer turned politics professor at George Washington University Casey Burgat joins us to explain what it all means. 

Plus: John Healey’s first Budget is coming. Liz Truss’s terrible, terrible book. And have YOU done your wartime food stockpile? Try the Sensible Prepping Checklist.

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]

• Listen to The Bunker’s Deep Dive on the Sycamore Gap tree killing.

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Zoë is reading Enchantment: Reawakening Wonder in an Exhausted Age by Katherine May, and it’s a “wonderful bit of escapism”.

• James has been playing World of Warcraft Classic to celebrate finishing the edits on his next book.

• Casey has been binge-watching The Gentleman on Netflix.

• Andrew has been listening to No Bad Memories, the new album by Australian dance music duo The Avalanches 

Buy books through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund OGWN by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.

Presented by Group Editor Andrew Harrison with Zoë Grünewald, James Ball and Casey Burgat. Produced by James Liddell. Audio Production by Chris Jones. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who ordered the heated debate about Englishness? Open any newspaper or social media feed and you’ll stumble on some histrionic handwringing about “what it means it be English”. Who decided we needed to talk about this, all the time? And how thin is the cover it provides for your good old actual homegrown racism? We debate the debates in a conversation which contains cricket, Suella Braverman, Paddington, an “orchestra of dogwhistles”, Norman Tebbit, GB News’s “British-only radio station”, and surprising revelations about both of Seth’s grand-dads. Guaranteed relevant to Scottish, Irish and Welsh listeners too, honest. 

Plus: the Jackdaw gas field, the US mid-terms, Liz Truss’s book and other ecological disasters. 

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Hannah recommends The Diplomat on Netflix.  

• Jason thinks you should go and see the documentary NAZA, in which Israeli whistleblowers expose Netanyahu’s military methods.

• Marie was “blown away” by the two de Gaulle movies, Résistance and Liberté. 

• Seth recommends Michael Crick’s Twittex feed Tomorrow’s MPs which does what it says on the tin. 

Support us on Patreon for the Extra Bit and more. 

Presented by Seth Thévoz with Hannah Fearn, Jason Hazeley and Marie le Conte. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

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Rupert Lowe of Restore UK claims that street violence is not just inevitable but necessary “if we are to save our home”. Elsewhere, the far-right pals up with street thugs – and its leaders walk right up to the line of endorsing extra-legal direct action because democracy has supposedly failed. Is the rising tide of violent rhetoric spilling over into actual physical attacks? We talk about why politics is sounding increasingly violent – and how it’s not just on the far-right. Plus: Trump’s betrayal of Ukraine sinks deeper into perfidy, can Burnham ban loudcasting on public transport, and why we should send squirrels to the White House. 

• Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at [email protected]. 

ESCAPE ROUTES

• Raf the Raver recommends Fantazia: The House Collection vol.2, the Jon Pleased Wimmin, Tony de Vit and Boy George hard house DJ mix. 

• Rachel is going to see Legally Blonde: The Musical for the third time.

• Matt recommends the movie Tuner, a new thriller about a man with hyper-acute hearing – and Tom Cruise’s notorious flop Digger which he really enjoyed, despite everything. 

Support us on Patreon

Presented by Matt Green with Rafael Behr and Rachel Cunliffe. Audio Production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production.

www.podmasters.co.uk 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices