The former Governor of California oversaw the world's fifth largest economy for sixteen years, ran three times for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States, and over the course of his public life has known every president from John F. Kennedy to Donald Trump.

In this interview with James Naughtie, Jerry Brown reflects on the importance of limits in the Jesuitical and Buddhist traditions, and how he took that idea into politics; on how his views on forgiveness informed his decisions to commute the sentences of people on California's Death Row; and on why if, in his words, you believe that inclination of the soul is to sin "you have to be somewhat sceptical about politics".

Producer: Giles Edwards.

There’s no doubting just how divisive Brexit was. Whatever side of the debate you sat on, the strength of feeling ran high. It split opinion, ruptured political parties and toppled Prime Ministers. In the years after the referendum the country watched while Westminster was dominated by intense wrangling , and much of Whitehall’s bandwidth was focused on Brexit. New political identities emerged - leavers and remainers - and in 2019, an entire General Election was dominated by Brexit.

Alex Forsyth speaks to Paula Surridge, Professor of Political Sociology at the University of Bristol and Rob Ford, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester, about the political climate pre and post-Brexit, and what we can learn about how it continues to shape our politics today.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth

In the decade since the Brexit referendum, much has been said about the effect the decision to leave had on the UK. But what is the view from Europe? What did the EU make of Britain's decision to leave the European Union, and how have they adapted in the years since?

Alex Forsyth speaks to Mujtaba Rahman, managing director for Europe at the Eurasia Group, and Jannike Wachowiak, a Research Assistant at UK in a Changing Europe, about the EU's relationship with Britain today and their appetite for reintegration.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth

The UK's fishing and farming industries were at the core of Brexiteer's arguments for regaining British sovereignty over our land and produce. For many in the industries and the areas where they worked, the EU's fishing and farming frameworks had long been a source of frustration and a symbol of wider disillusions with the EU project. Why did the two industries resonate so deeply with voters? And how have they fared in the years since Brexit?

Alex Forsyth speaks to Jill Rutter, senior fellow at the Institute for Government, and Joel Reland, senior researcher at UK in a Changing Europe, about the impact Brexit had on UK fishing and farming.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth

The UK's membership within the EU meant that when it came to science and academia, the UK and EU were close collaborators. In both sectors, close ties meant that countries could share funding, innovation, research and people without friction. But after Brexit, the UK was removed from many of the research and funding frameworks, and the end of freedom of movement restricted researchers and students from travelling to the EU for study. How did the changes imposed after Brexit impact research, innovation and study in the UK?

Alex Forsyth speaks to Dani Payne, head of education and social mobility at the independent think tank the Social Market Foundation, and Sarah Main, who was the executive director of the campaign for science and engineering during Brexit and in the years that followed, about what Brexit meant for UK science and academia.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth

Claims of a ban on bendy bananas came to symbolise what many Brexiteers saw as a fundamental problem with the EU - burdensome bureaucracy and onerous regulation that stifled UK business and innovation. The Brexit campaign leant heavily on the notion that reclaiming sovereignty, ditching so-called red-tape imposed by Brussels and setting its own rules would unleash the UK’s potential. So in reality, what’s happened so far?

Alex Forsyth speaks to Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government, and Joel Reland, a senior researcher at UK in a Changing Europe to find out.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth

When Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016, politicians in Scotland and Wales hoped that the UK’s departure would mean more freedom for their governments over national matters. But in the decade since, uneasy constitutional questions have surfaced. Is devolution compatible with strengthened Westminster parliamentary sovereignty? And has Brexit deepened support for independence amongst the devolved nations?

Alex Forsyth speaks to Nicola McEwen, Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Glasgow, and Richard Wyn-Jones, Professor of Welsh Politics at Cardiff University about how Wales and Scotland viewed the referendum, and the political ramifications that the Brexit vote continues to have today.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth

When the UK voted to leave the EU, Northern Ireland became one of the most contentious aspects of the Brexit negotiations. The prospect of a border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland threatened to undermine the Good Friday agreement, and resurfaced divisions about Irish reunification. Although the Windsor Framework was eventually introduced in 2023, the political and economic uncertainty of the negotiation years has had lasting implications.

Alex Forsyth is joined by John Campbell, BBC Northern Ireland’s Business and Economics Editor, and Katy Hayward, Professor of Political Sociology at Queens’ University, Belfast, to look at how Brexit has shaped Northern Ireland in the decade since the referendum vote.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth

The debate on immigration was at the heart of the Brexit referendum, and sparked strong emotions from both Leave and Remain voters. Those who voted for Brexit saw it as an opportunity to ‘take back control’ of the country’s borders and, by implication, lower immigration. But in the years immediately after Brexit, the country saw its highest ever levels of net migration. Did Brexit fail in its promise to voters on immigration? And why does the issue continue to be such a central concern in our politics today?

Alex Forsyth speaks to James Bowes, a data analyst at the University of Warwick, and Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford, about how we should assess Brexit’s success in tackling immigration.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth

During the Brexit referendum, the Leave campaign argued that exiting the EU would allow the UK to sign more lucrative independent trade deals with other nations. Remainers warned that leaving the single market and customs union would increase friction with the EU, our nearest and largest trading partner. What can we say about Brexit's impact on UK trade, five years on from leaving the single market and customs union?

In this episode Alex Forsyth speaks to Sam Lowe, head of Trade and Market Access at Flint Global, and Soumaya Keynes, economics columnist at the Financial Times and co-author of the book “How to Win a Trade War”, about whether the trade off has been worth it.

Presenter: Alex Forsyth