🎈On the night of June 23rd, 2016, Brexit marked the first-ever breakup in European Union history. After more than 40 years together in an emotional and dramatic turn, the UK dumped 27 member states all at once. Ouch. 

🎤Even Michel Barnier, former Brexit negotiator and now the French Prime Minister, has likened it to a painful breakup. But this wasn’t just about a fractured relationship—it set off a cascade of complex geopolitical negotiations, reshaping international dynamics and affecting lives on both sides of the Channel. 

🎧 Tune in as we explore with you the tensions, the deals, and the lasting impact of that historic night.

Our guests (in order of appearances): 

• Maxime Calligaro -  Married to an English woman, Maxime is a Renew Policy adviser at the EU Parliament by day and a co-screenwriter of the TV show Parliament, depicting the life of an EU parliamentary assistant during Brexit, by night. After rarely agreeing with the UK on the job, he became pro-Brexit even if of course he could not vote. 

• Chloé Linklater was a fresh-faced 18-year-old at the time of the vote and was casting her first ever ballot. She was a staunch remain voter and she and her friends were shocked and upset when they discovered their country had voted to leave the European Union instead.

• Rob Murray - Rob worked as a polling clerk the night of the referendum and was right in the centre of the action as he ensured all was well at his local ballot station. He was also a supporter of remaining in the EU and campaigned for some time after the Leave vote, advocating for rejoining the EU or calling for a second referendum.

• Brian Reynolds is a union representative from Scotland who campaigned for LEXIT, the exit of the Left from the EU. Dubbing the union a ‘neoliberal capitalist’ institution, he wanted to leave to protect UK public services, and to promote all workers’ rights in the country. 

• Catherine Bennett is a Franco-British journalist. For her, Brexit meant more than just extra steps when travelling between the two countries, she also had to apply for French nationality in order to stay and work in Paris. 

• Jonathan Smith is a Brexit-voting farmer from West Oxfordshire. For him, voting Brexit was about standing against the EU’s policies on agriculture which he felt were unfairly distributed across member states and had a negative impact on agriculture in the UK.

• Pr. Anand Menon - Teaching European Politics and Foreign Affairs at King's College London, he is also the director of the think tank ‘UK in a Changing Europe’ which provides information about UK-EU relations. Always invited as a third guest, he acted as a referee in the media during Brexit and still does. 

• Nicolas Galudec was a member of the European Commission’s task force negotiating Brexit under Michel Barnier. He was specially mandated to ensure the respect of EVERY 27 member states’ interests within the process.  

• Ambassador Christopher Prentice - An EU believer forever! Former UK Ambassador to Italy from 2011 to 2016, Christopher foreshadowed what was about to unfold and has thrived to exorcise his Brexit ghosts ever since. 
  

🎙️ This episode was written, recorded, edited and produced by Candice Fleurance, Gabrielle Nadler and Lorna Petty, under the supervision of Lorraine Besse. 

💡 #upatnight is #ScPodcast based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume

🎵 Music : @theo.boulenger

🎨 Illustration : @marinecoutroutsios

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On June 9, 2024, the European Parliament saw a significant shift to the far right. This unprecedented gain was felt across the continent, but in France, the situation intensified. After the National Rally won more than 30% of the vote, President Macron made a decision that would significantly impact French political life—he dissolved the National Assembly. An unprecedented opportunity for the “Rassemblement National” to govern France, and a symbol of its entry into the political mainstream. 

In this episode, a diverse group of stakeholders from across the political spectrum come together to discuss their roles at a pivotal moment in French politics, when the announcement of snap elections sent shockwaves through the country.

Tune in as we look back on the night that shook France and Europe, as the far right teetered on the brink of power.

Our Guests : 

• Gilles Ivaldi, researcher specialized in far right parties at SciencesPo

• Adam Soussana, environmental activist 

• Parliamentary assistant for the Renaissance presidential party 

Directed, written and produced by Philippine Masson, Anne Sandager and Selma Sisbane. Supervised by Lorraine Besse. 

#upatnight is #ScPodcast based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume @alicanth

Music : @theo.boulenger

Illustration : @marinecoutroutsios

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🎬✨On February 28, 2020, the César ceremony, the French Oscars, takes place in the Salle Pleyel (Paris). But this year's ceremony is not like any other. Roman Polanski, a Franco-Polish director convicted of rape, including that of a 13-year-old girl, is nominated 12 times. 

🔎 Just after midnight, he is announced as the winner of the Cesar for Best Director. Immediately afterwards, the famous French actress Adèle Haenel left the stage shouting "shame". French feminists have not forgotten this act, as it was a key moment for the #MeToo movement in France, bringing the issue of sexual and gender-based violence to the forefront, making it a true emblem of feminist struggle. 

Our guests: 

• Céline Piques, spokesperson of the French feminist organization Osez le Féminisme

• Thierry Chèze, official voiceover for the César Awards @academiedescesar

• Pauline Barron and Yuna Miralles, members of the feminist collective NousToutes @noustoutesorg

• Patrick Fabre, director of @fifsaintjeandeluz and board member of César Awards

• @elianpeltier, journalist at The New York Times

• @sephorahaymann, member of the #MeToo Théâtre collective

This episode was written, directed and produced by Grace Spiegel, Naomi Stockley, Fabrizo La Rocca and Emile Roger, under the supervision of Lorraine Besse. 

#upatnight is #ScPodcast based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume @alicanth

Music : @theo.boulenger

Illustration : @marinecoutroutsios

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

What would you do if you were witnessing one of the worst earthquakes of the century? Or worse, if you got the news that your family was stuck in it while you were a nine-hour flight away with no means of contacting them?

This episode starts at 4:17am in Turkiye on the 6th of February, when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the southern part of the country. For context - this is roughly the energy equivalent to 15,000 times the explosive power of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. 

Journalist Ruzgar Mehmet Akgun, who covered the disaster, hosts this podcast and brings us the tale of the nights that followed with Nuri Günay who witnessed the earthquake   at home and Ilayada Habip afar. In the weeks that followed, Elias el haber, a researcher with the French Association of Earthquake Engineering, visited the worst-hit sites and shares his findings with us in this podcast. 

Could 55,000 people who died, have a chance at being saved? We explain. 

Directed, written and produced by Nick Heubeck, Paridhi Bhanot and Ruzgar Mehmet Akgun. Supervised by Lorraine Besse. 

#upatnight is #ScPodcast based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume @alicanth

Music : @theo.boulenger

Illustration : @marinecoutroutsios

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

On November 5th, 2024, Americans headed to the polls in what many called one of the most pivotal elections in the country’s history. In Paris, the first results arrived just past midnight, setting the stage for night to remember. 

From the charged atmosphere of Harry’s bar to the tense buzz of the France 24 newsroom, from student watch parties to a morning-after breakfast, this episode captures the voices of Americans abroad as they experienced that sleepless night. You’ll hear their stories, hopes and fears around this historic election. 

In this episode, we take you back to the night wedidn’t sleep, the night the world held its breath as Americans chose Trump, again.

Our Guests:

• Bob Vallier, spokesperson for Democrats Abroad

• Nicolas Conquer and John Lowe, spokespeople for Republicans Overseas

• William Hildebrandt and Kate Moody, journalists and anchors of France24’s special election coverage

• Matthew Mary Kirishay, journalist at France 24

• Micah Polsky, American student in Paris

• Nita Wiggins, author and professor

• Alexander Hurst, Guardian columnist and author

• Frances Gillen Martin, staunch Democrat

This episode was directed, written, and produced by Gillen Martin, Lisa Genzken, Kamiel Vermeulen and Juliette Fekkar under the supervision of Lorraine Besse.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

This season on ‘The Night I Didn’t Sleep’, we bring you first-person accounts of watershed moments – from natural disasters to cultural shifts and political reckonings. Each a story that unfolded in the dead of night. The 6 episodes will be broadcasted every two weeks.

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📰 Mo Ibrahim is Anglo-Sudanese engineer, businessman and philanthropist. In 1998, he founded the mobile phone operator Celtel, a pioneer in providing borderless networks across 14 East African countries. At the time the company was sold seven years later, it counted 24 million subscribers --- that’s comparable to half of France’s population. The 3,4 billion dollars deal made him a billionaire.

He has continuously been engaged in the fight against corruption. In 2006, he then set up the @MoIbrahimfoundation for leadership and good governance in #Africa, which made him a household name on the African political scene. This foundation publishes a yearly data-based governance index, which ranks the continent’s 54 states along criteria ranging from security and rule of law to human development. It also delivers the Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership, which is awarded to a former head of state or government within the three years of their leaving office. But more often than not, it is not awarded for lack of suitable laureates.

He was in Paris in January 2024 to participate in the Youth and Leaders Summit, an annual event at Psia Sciences Po, which brings together the decision-makers of today and tomorrow.

Thank you Mo Ibrahim for sharing with us your insights about the nights that have marked your career and personal life.

📅To follow “What keeps you up at night?”, a podcast interviewing international leaders, stay tuned, on all platforms.

🌠⭐️✨Please leave us a comment and a 5-star rating.
Don’t forget to subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts from, to access all new episodes.

🎈Journalists: Marie Naudascher and Marine Séhan
✒Students in Journalism: Morgane Anneix and Michal Kubala
🎧Music: Theo Boulenger
✨ Illustration: Marine Coutroutsios
💡Based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

📰 Anette Young, is a senior journalist and TV news presenter for France 24, as well as the creator and host of the @_51percent, a show about the most pressing issues affecting women around the world. She has previously worked as the Jerusalem correspondent for France 24 and as a reporter, editor and producer in your home country, Australia. She was awarded the gold medal in broadcast journalism in the Ricardo Ortega prize awarded by the U.N. Correspondents’ Association for your work on ‘The 51 Percent’ in 2018 and were selected as a 'Game Changer' and a social impact finalist in the Global Australian Awards for your contribution to gender journalism in 2023.

📅To follow “What keeps you up at night?”, a podcast interviewing international leaders, stay tuned, on all platforms.

🌠⭐️✨Please leave us a comment and a 5-star rating.
Don’t forget to subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts from, to access all new episodes.

🎈Journalists: Marie Naudascher and Marine Séhan
✒Students in Journalism: Eva Van Dam, Naomi Stockley and Gabrielle Nadler.
🎧Music: Theo Boulenger
✨ Illustration: Marine Coutroutsios
💡Based on an original idea Alice Antheaume

This episode was recorded on May 23rd of 2024.

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

📰 Filippo Grandi is the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, a UN agency headquartered in Geneva offering assistance to those forced to flee conflicts and persecution worldwide, such as refugees and forcibly displaced people, as well as people to whom nationality is denied. He previously served as the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and worked with the United Nations in numerous other countries that faced or still face a multitude of crises, such as Yemen, Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Syria and Iraq.

In this episode, he talks about how he personally approach these crises, as the number of forcibly displaced people and refugees worldwide keeps rising and is now almost two times higher than 10 years ago. This episode was recorded on March 1st of 2024 and the international conflicts he is referring to may have had new outcomes since then.

Sciences Po Journalism School and The Paris School of International Affairs launched the third season of “What keeps you up at night,” the podcast that covers how leaders sleep when dealing with some of the world’s biggest crises.

📅To follow “What keeps you up at night?”, a podcast interviewing international leaders, stay tuned on all platforms.

🌠⭐️✨Please leave us a comment and a 5-star rating.
Don’t forget to subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts from, to access all new episodes.

🎈Journalists: Marie Naudascher and Marine Séhan
✒Students in Journalism: Fabrizio la Rocca and Lorna Petty
🎧Music: Theo Boulenger
✨ Illustration: Marine Coutroutsios
💡Based on an original idea Alice Antheaume

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Doctor Jelani Cobb is Dean of Columbia Journalism School, a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and board member for the American Journalism Project. His prioritization of access, diversity and democracy in journalism has led him to be @peabodyawards winner and @pulitzerprizes finalist. Historian and media specialist, Dean Cobb published books on a range of topics. He is a specialist in race/politics and writes for the New Yorker Magazine regularly.

📅 To follow “What keeps you up at night?”, a podcast interviewing international leaders, stay tuned, on all platforms.

🌠⭐️✨Please leave us a comment and a 5-star rating.
Don’t forget to subscribe, wherever you get your podcasts from, to access all new episodes.

🎈Journalists: Marie Naudascher and Marine Séhan
✒Students in Journalism: Naomi Stockley and Lorna Petty
🎧Music: Theo Boulenger
✨ Illustration: Marine Coutroutsios
💡Based on an original idea by Alice Antheaume

Hosted by Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.