Renew Normal

In this year’s final episode, Polly Mackenzie chats to leading thinker and author, Julia Hobsbawm OBE, about the big shift in our working lives that many of us have experienced since the outbreak of the pandemic. Julia is Chair of Demos’ new Workshift Commission, which is looking at the future of work after the pandemic.

Polly Mackenzie is joined by Rebecca Hilsenrath, CEO of the Equality and Human Rights Commission. They discuss how people's expectations and preferences have been shaped by the pandemic, and the ways in which the coronavirus has affected equality and human rights in the UK.

Polly Mackenzie is joined by Professor Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development at Oxford University. They discuss the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on globalisation, trade and resilience.

Polly Mackenzie is joined by Alex Smith, Founder and CEO of The Cares Family - an organisation that connects people in communities in a disconnected age. They discuss loneliness and the role of communities during the pandemic and in the future of Britain.

Polly Mackenzie is joined by Member of Parliament for Norwich South, Clive Lewis, who is also co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on the Green New Deal. They discuss what the Covid-19 pandemic means for tackling climate change and inequality, and why it's important to involve the public, and build a consensus, in shaping Britain's future.

Polly Mackenzie chats to Renew Normal Commissioner, Alice Bentinck MBE, who co-founded Entrepreneur First, an organisation which finds and nurtures start-up talent in the tech sector. They discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted our online lives, and the implications it has for our economy and wellbeing.

In this episode, Polly Mackenzie is joined by Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), to discuss misinformation during Covid-19, and how it needs to be tackled in the future.

Recent research from Demos has found deep new social divisions caused by the pandemic. In this special episode, Polly Mackenzie chats to Demos' Director of Research and Innovation, Harry Carr, about the uphill battle we face.

Polly Mackenzie chats to Andrew Wear, Australian civil servant and author of 'Solved!', about whether change is really possible as we build back from Covid-19, and how it can be achieved.

Polly Mackenzie is joined by Chief Executive of the British Academy and Renew Normal Commissioner, Hetan Shah.

They discuss the impact of the pandemic on universities, and whether the Covid-19 crisis provides an opportunity to alter the way the economy works.