António Guterres has said that missing the 1.5 degree climate target is "a moral failure and deadly negligence". Is he right?

Dr Matt Winning joins Sara Pascoe and Armando to discuss the language around climate change. Is it proportionately alarmist, or does it just scare us? Are we numb to the jaw-dropping headlines?

Matt has some ideas of how to communicate these complex ideas more succinctly, and tell us of the days spend at COP agonising over whether 'urges' or 'suggests' makes it into an agreement. We also look at how language has been used to put the onus on us, rather than corporations, for waste and pollution, and a Swedish word that should make its way into Keir Starmer's vocabulary.

Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.

Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected]

Sound Editing by Chris Maclean

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

This week, Armando is joined again by comedian Ria Lina, and Sky New's new breakfast host, Sophy Ridge.

In the week with 2 big resignations at the BBC, news journalism and accuracy are under the spotlight. We discuss the pressures on live broadcasting, editing, and deciding what stories make it to air. When is something worthy of coverage? These decisions are made all the time, but how? We also discuss how comedians skills can be deployed by journalists with tricky interviewees, and why the Edinburgh Fringe is the nadir of 'selective editing'.

Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on [email protected]

Sound editing: Chris Maclean

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

This week, Armando is joined by Phil Wang to look at the use and abuse of political language.

Defence Secretary John Healy says we need to 'be vigilant', and Reform councillor Laila Cunningham says 'Labour want us to shut up and die' - we look at how the public and the police respond to horrific events, and at our relationship with the police.

We also discuss chocolate getting worse, Nigel Farage straddling the line between being a maverick and assuring the markets, and what other things Rachel Reeves is 'refusing to rule out'.

Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on [email protected]

Listen to Strong Message Here at 0945 on Radio 4, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.

Sound editing: Chris Maclean

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at how political actors use language.

Wes Streeting says there is a 'deep disillusionment in this country', and says there is a “growing sense of despair about whether anyone is capable of turning this country round". Why is that? And does politicians speaking in that way confound our misery? We look at Sarah Pochin's comments about black and asian people in adverts, and the responses across parliament to that. We also look at how much news is just speculation, and how politicians use speculation to further their arguments.

We also look at how we get our news - is it exhausting to have to keep fact checking things ourselves? Is it preferable to the alternative?

Armando shares his confusion at Immersive experiences, and Stewart invents a new word, and we hear about Starmer's charm offensive.

Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on [email protected]

Listen to Strong Message Here at 0945 on Radio 4, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.

Sound editing: Chris Maclean

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

This week, Armando is joined again by comedian Ria Lina, and Political Editor of The Spectator, Tim Shipman.

We're looking back at looking back. In a week where a scandal-hit Prince renounces his titles and the Chinese spy case continues to pose questions of language for the government, people's previous decisions are being put under the spotlight, we look at how public figures respond to the repercussions of their past. Of course, hindsight is 20:20.

Speaking of 2020, there's also chat about the covid inquiry, and whether we're getting the results we need, or just lurid detail?

Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on [email protected]

Sound editing: Chris Maclean

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

One one hand, the world is going to hell, on the other, the age of terror and death has ended, so which is it? Stewart Lee joins Armando to take a look at this maximal approach to political language.

How do you do moderate politics with caps lock on? What's the smart way to diffuse complex arguments about politics? And given the details still to be worked out in the Isreal Gaza peace process, is this week's Peace Summit Trump's 'Mission Accomplished' moment?

Have a message for Armando? Drop us a line on [email protected]

Listen to Strong Message Here at 09:45 on Thursday mornings on Radio 4, or the extended version on BBC Sounds.

Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman

Strong Message Here is produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies, and is a BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

Did you know Keir Starmer's dad was a toolmaker? Of course you did, because he repeated it every time he was in front a microphone for years.

Armando is joined by Natalie Haynes to discuss the use of repetition. How it can be an effective rhetorical technique for the likes of Cicero and Tony Blair, but grates when coming from others? We also look at the language of the recent Tory Party conference, political chocolate bars, and have a debate about the 'debate' politicians often say we need.

Have a strong message for Armando? Drop us a line on [email protected]

Executive producer - James Robinson

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

Armando is at the Labour Party conference (well, in a portakabin in a car park nearby - the glamour!), and is joined by Newscast's Adam Fleming to chat all things conference.

Has message discipline killed the party conference? Or does their own momentum still make them newsworthy? Looking at conferences past, we look at what makes them an interesting part of the political calendar, and how language comes to the fore.

Listen to Strong Message Here on Radio 4 at 9:45 on Tuesdays, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Stewart Lee returns to the show, to join Armando in discussing 'hurty words'.

With Jimmy Kimmel's suspension, and in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder, free speech is in the spotlight again. Those who railed against 'cancel culture' are now getting into 'consequence culture'. We also discuss how Marvel's superheroes might respond to the actions of their new owners, and whether you can pray in your own homes in this country anymore (spoiler alert, you can).

Listen to Strong Message Here on Radio 4, Thursdays at 9:45, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

In the first episode of the new series, Armando Iannucci and guest co-host, Ria Lina look at the use and abuse of political language.

The political summer is often called 'silly season', but with global conflict and rising tensions at home, Armando and Ria look at the language that defined recent months including Keir Starmer's "Phase 2" and the word "plastic".

Armando’s erstwhile partner in de-baffling political lexicon, Helen Lewis is away working in the United States in the Autumn and so her seat will be kept warm by a rotating cast of co-hosts.

Got a question for Armando? Email us at [email protected]

Listen to Strong Message Here on Radio 4 at 9:45, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.

Recorded at The Sound Company

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies.