Professor Sir Michael Marmot joins Jessamy and Gavin to discuss how inequality and injustice have directly contributed to poorer COVID-19 outcomes, and what has to change in society post-pandemic.

A special episode celebrating Black History Month in the USA speaks with epidemiologist Sharrelle Barber, public health expert Kimberly Jacob Arriola, and emergency doctor Janice Blanchard about the intersection of race and health in the USA across the past, present, and future.

Salim Abdool Karim, head of South Africa's COVID-19 advisory committee, joins us to discuss variants, vaccination, and the national response, and Laura Spinney, author of Pale Rider, chats about the parallels between the 1918 flu pandemic and our current predicament.

Former UK Health Secretary and current Chair of the Health and Social Care Select Committee, Jeremy Hunt MP, talks to Gavin and Jessamy about the last twelve months in British politics and policy, and discusses his hopes for the future of health in the UK.

To find out the truth behind the mutation stories, Gavin and Jessamy chat with Dr. Emma Hodcroft of nextstrain, Prof. Alex Ford tells us why IBS is misdiagnosed and misunderstood, and Rachel Fleishman MD reads her Wakley Prize winning essay, Dreams Deferred.

The final episode of the year tells the story of COVID-19 through five Lancet articles, focusing on key workers, low and middle-income countries, mental health, and the lessons learned from a tumultuous year. Featuring Richard Horton, Zoe Mullan, John McConnell, Niall Boyce, and John Carson.

Kalipso Chalkidou of Imperial College gives us an overview of the frontrunner COVID-19 vaccines, how they work, and what hurdles are left to overcome, and Natalie Shenker of Hearts Milk Bank explains the work done by the charity.

Why have COVID-19 contact tracing operations around Europe failed to avoid another round of lockdowns? Rosanna Peeling of LSHTM joins us to chat, and Melinda Buntin and Ines Hassan discuss the reasoning behind keeping schools open and the sacrifices involved.

For Black History Month in the UK we speak to an inspiring Black person of the present, Kevin Fenton, Director of PHE London, and we look at the lives of Black figures of the past, with historian Stephen Bourne discussing Harold Moody, and Trevor Sterling talking about his work with the Mary Seacole Trust. We also talk racial equality at The Lancet with Senior Executive Editor Pam Das and Senior Editor of The Lancet Global Health, Mandip Aujla.

Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin, authors of new book Climate Crisis and the Global Green New Deal, join us to talk about the climate emergency, how it can be solved, and the forthcoming US election.