The Fourcast

As Jubilee celebrations begin, calls for the Queen to be removed as Head of State in at least six countries in the Caribbean are being heard loud and clear.

But why is this happening now? And what does it say about the royal family’s and Britain's influence across the world?

In today's episode, Ayshah Tull speaks to people from across the globe who can help us understand how strong the level of feeling is towards the royals on the other side of the Atlantic and we will discuss how easy it is to cut ties with the past.

Sources: BFI, BBC, ITV

Producer: Rachel Evans

Back in February, in sunny Orlando, Florida, a large group of Republicans got together at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC, to discuss what their movement needed to do next to change America.

Former President Donald Trump, the keynote speaker at the event, described Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy as brave, but repeated his admiration of Vladimir Putin, describing him as a smart, strong leader.

In this revisited episode from March, we look at where American conservatives stand on Russia and Putin, why some seem to admire the man who invaded Ukraine, and whether they are more concerned with enemies at home than those abroad.

Sources: NBC, Fox News, Twitter/@BenLorber8

Yet arguably none has divided Americans, defined the parties, and affected the lives of millions of women more than one particular ruling on the 22nd of January 1973: Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right for women to have an abortion.

Since then, those opposed to abortion have campaigned to chip away at that decision, in the hope that one day, when the conditions are right, they can knock down that ruling completely. Is that day almost upon us?

In this revisited episode from Ocotober 2021 Professor Mary Ziegler, the author of the book “Abortion and the law in America,” talks to me about the history of abortion in the United States, and about recent laws in Texas and Mississippi that could profoundly change the law of the land on this key issue for the first time in nearly 50 years.

Sources: CBS NEWS, MSNBC, ITN.

It was the moment we’ve been waiting for for six months. The report from civil servant Sue Gray into parties at Number 10 during the three lockdowns.

37 pages, 16 events, nine photos.

But what did it say and was it worth the wait?

Our political editor, Gary Gibbon, explains all.

Producer: Freya Pickford

To its supporters, Bitcoin is the biggest revelation in finance in a thousand years. To its critics, it’s a giant Ponzi scheme.

So is Bitcoin, and other cryptocurrencies, the future of finance? How secure are the blockchains that they’re built on? And will we all be buying art through NFTs, non fungible tokens, in the future, rather than paintings for our walls? 

In this revisited episode from December 2021, we speak to our Economics Correspondent Helia Ebrahimi about cryptocurrency, the future of our financial system, and how she could have been a Bitcoin success story - if only she could find the key to the crypto she bought. 

Sources: Twitter/@jjames_ak, BBC News, Reuters

Last week Blackpool’s Jake Daniels said he was gay.

It was the first time a male British footballer - still playing the game - had said that in 32 years.

Given the wide acceptance of LGBT people in Britain today, and the fact there are many out and proud athletes in other sports - why is football - male professional football - so far behind?

Producer: Freya Pickford

Sources: Sky News, Good Morning Britain, GB News, ITN, Norwich City Football Club

Pakistan is in the midst of what some are calling a ‘gender violence epidemic.’

Hundreds if not thousands of women are murdered, kidnapped and assaulted each year. And conviction rates are extremely low. 

But Pakistani women are demanding action to address the vast scale of violence.  

Our reporter Fatima Manji went to the country’s capital Islamabad to meet the female police officers on a mission to transform policing for women.

And a warning this episode contains descriptions of violence, including sexual violence that some may find upsetting. 

Produced by: Holly Snelling

Finland’s Parliament has overwhelmingly endorsed joining Nato, while Sweden’s ruling party has broken with 200 years of neutrality to follow their Nordic neighbours in jumping on the alliance bandwagon.

The Ukraine War has forced this profound geopolitical moment - but why are the Finns more keen on the move than the Swedes?

In today’s podcast, we travel to Helsinki.

In April 2015, a victim was stabbed 13 times in a park in Leicester town centre.

The case was solved with the help of CCTV, but that’s not the end of the story. 

The parents of the man convicted for the crime insist this was a case of mistaken identity. They also believe racial bias caused their son’s misidentification on CCTV.

Forensic experts have also raised serious concerns about the quality of CCTV analysis in the criminal justice system as a whole. 

In today’s episode we speak to Channel 4 News producer, Zahra Warsame, about how she learnt about the case, how CCTV evidence is used in the criminal justice system and why it could be contributing to innocent people being put behind bars for crimes they didn’t commit. 

Producer: Freya Pickford

For the first time in 101 years, a nationalist party is in the majority in Northern Ireland. Sinn Féin said the country was entering a “new era” as they overtook the DUP.

It’s a seismic moment in Northern Irish history.

Today, our policy correspondent Paul McNamara looks into how we got here - how Brexit and the Northern Ireland protocol has divided unionists, and how yet further stalemate is perhaps why many people are tired of the old nationalist/unionist labels and just want centrist politics that gives them a functioning government.

Producer: Rachel Evans