VS

Two UK comedy shows depicting the excruciating awkwardness of everyday life go head to head in the final episode of the season. For Hannah J Davies, writer for the Guardian, comedy peaked in the early 2000s with the arrival of Ricky Gervais’ tale of workplace drudgery, The Office – the spiky UK original, not the cuddly US version. Yomi Adegoke is a writer, columnist and co-author of the agenda-setting book Slay In Your Lane. Her latest title is a novel, The List, taking a look at the dark side of social media. For Yomi, TV shows don’t get much smarter, funnier or tragic than Peep Show, the story of two hapless flatmates bumbling through life with each other. Our host Coco Khan is keeping score but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

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Since the birth of modern pop music in the 1960s, two bands have continued to have an extraordinary influence over the music world: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Incredibly, one of those acts is still going but is it Lennon and McCartney or Mick’n’Keef who really deserve the top spot as far as influence, songwriting and live performance go? And who had the best haircuts? Jack Pelling is co-host of podcast, Your Own Personal Beatles, and for him the band who has changed the world the most in 10 short years was the Fab Four. Will Hodgkinson is a journalist and author who is chief rock and pop critic for The Times. For Will, the world's greatest rock'n'roll band is undoubtedly the Stones. Our host Coco Khan is in charge of the playlist but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

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Things move fast on social media. So quickly in fact that when this episode of VS was recorded in early 2023, the site now known as X to some had a completely different name and Threads was but a glint – albeit one slightly shinier than the metaverse – in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye. In April 2023, nobody was organising supposed ‘cage matches’ to settle battles between social-media giants. Instead, we invited two smart minds to debate the pros and cons of their preferred platforms. For journalist, author and TikTok creator Sophia Smith Galer, TikTok is a vital part of getting stories heard. For fellow journalist Aina J Khan, Twitter has been an essential tool over the last decade and a half for being part of the debate in the online space. Your host Coco Khan is the content moderator here but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote. 

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes of VS and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

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From wizards to sci-fi heroes and a whole bunch of comic-book universes in between, the fantasy realm across TV and cinema has never been so well catered for. This week we debate two fantasy worlds whose fans have helped build them into entertainment heavyweights: the Harry Potter franchise and Stranger Things. Representing Harry Potter is Trey Beachum, who has amassed his social-media following thanks to Potter-themed content – often dressed in Gryffindor robes and even rapping about Hogwarts and beyond. Joining Trey is Em Wallbank, a TikTok creator and cosplayer whose fandom of shows such as Stranger Things has earned her a vast following too. Our host Coco Khan is holding the magic wand but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes of VS and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

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Every generation believes its musical era was the best, but what if two people from the same generation think one musical decade takes top billing over another? Shaun Keaveny has been a favourite presenter among music lovers for many years with shows across BBC 6 Music, Radio 2 and Radio 4. For him it will always be the 1980s that holds a special place in his heart. Matt Everitt is also a well-loved voice across BBC music radio and television, and for Matt it's the 1990s that are the best decade for music – a time when he was playing in popular bands that helped define the era. Our host Coco Khan is time-traveller-in-chief but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes of VS and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

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If you take your food fast, there's two restaurant chains nearly always on hand to serve up a quick fix almost anywhere around the globe, McDonald's and KFC. For this episode of VS, our guests debate which high street favourite should be the victor and whether our diets and waistbands can be winners in this equation, too. Dahaba Ali Hussen is a reporter for the Guardian and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Phil Samba is a London-based writer and public-health activist. He’s also a contributing author to the recently released anthology book MANDEM, a collection of essays exploring what it means to be a Black man in contemporary Britain. Serving up the scores is Coco Khan, but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes of VS and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 

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For this edition of VS we're joined by two critics, two Matts and most of all two fans united in their love of a good sing-song, but not on who is the greatest musical theatre maestro of them all. Matt Hemley, Deputy Editor of The Stage and Matt Wolf, London theatre critic for the International New York Times, will be debating two of the most important composers to have written for The West End, Broadway, Hollywood and undoubtedly your school play: it's Andrew Lloyd Webber vs Stephen Sondheim. Your host, Coco Khan, will be making the final call, but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes of VS and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 

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Two cities with hundreds of years of history, much of it shared, and also decades of cultural rivalry go head to head. Joining VS this week to debate London VS New York are our guests who have called each location home for most of their lives. Simon Jenkins is a regular newspaper columnist and formerly editor of the London Evening Standard and The Times newspapers. He was once chairman of The National Trust, the UK's foremost heritage organisation, and he also wrote a book on his home city, A Short History of London. Anthony Scaramucci is a financier and founder of SkyBridge Capital. Also known as The Mooch, you may remember him as former White House Director of Communications for a record 11 days. He’s been described by one newspaper as being "as New York as skyscrapers, subways and Sinatra". Coco Khan is our host making sure it's a fair contest but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes of VS and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 

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Analog vs digital, past vs future, Junaid vs Lucy – we gather mathematician, author and educator, Junaid Mubeen, and Lucy James, host and Senior Producer at GameSpot, to debate Board Games vs Video Games. Junaid believes the analog mindset of board games can actually teach us a lot about making smart decisions in the digital space. Whereas for Lucy, the depth and creativity found within video games is unrivalled and showcases talent that other creative industries should be drawing more from. Your host, Coco Khan, is the end-of-level boss for this episode but there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes of VS and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 

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Two critically lauded TV shows have gone head to head depicting privilege and the lifestyles of the ultra rich through cuttingly satirical comedy-drama over the past couple of years: Succession and The White Lotus. But which binge fest do we love-hate the best? Ania Magliano is a comedian whose recent show, Absolutely No Worries If Not, was a sell-out hit at the Edinburgh Fringe. She’s also one of the writers behind Amelia Dimoldenberg’s much-loved Chicken Shop Date and is the co-host of If It Is to Be Said – a podcast all about Succession. Poppy Damon is a journalist, crime podcaster and screenwriter, whose creations include Pseudocide – a podcast about people who fake their own deaths – and the upcoming Agatha Christie and the Dandelion Poisoner. Both are storytellers who value wit, timing and maybe the odd plot twist too but for Ania, Succession is the ultimate satire. For Poppy, it's The White Lotus that takes the top spot. Coco Khan is in charge of the remote and there can only be one winner – you the listeners decide – follow the link below to cast your vote.

https://intelligencesquared.com/vs/

We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

And if you’d like to get ad-free access to all Intelligence Squared podcasts, including exclusive bonus content, early access to new episodes of VS and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today for just £4.99, or the equivalent in your local currency . 

Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 

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