Épisodes

  • Free Speech Is Back!
    Jan 23 2025

    Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

    This week, Helen and Armando take a deep dive into Mark Zuckerberg's statement which explains the new rules around fact checking and free speech on his Meta platforms. Is free speech really back? Or should we be worried that fact-checkers are a thing of the past?

    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 got a 'community note' for Helen and Armando? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

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    30 min
  • A Lawyer, Not a Leader
    Jan 16 2025

    Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

    This week, after a well-earned week off, Helen and Armando are back to break down how political attacks work. After Kemi Badenoch landed a blow on Keir Starmer calling him 'a lawyer, not a leader', we look at what makes a political attack potent, and crucially, what makes them flop.

    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 Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

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    32 min
  • Listeners' Strong Messages
    Jan 2 2025

    Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

    This week, Helen and Armando are delving into the email inbox to find out which political phrases have been driving our listeners to distraction.

    Strong Message here will be back on the 16th January 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 Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

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    24 min
  • Words of the Year
    Dec 20 2024

    In a year where Labour secured a 'loveless landslide' in the UK and Trump sealed his return to the White House, Helen and Armando will be 'laser-focused' on their 'mission' to skewer the use and abuse of political language. From 'freebies' to 'fascism', 'weird' to 'working people', all of the strong messages that helped Make 2024 Great Again will be put under the microscope.

    A witty, illuminating exploration of the verbal tricks of the trade from two people both mesmerised and baffled by our political discourse. Helen and Armando will identify the worst political doublespeak, discover where it comes from, examine why it spreads - and look at what effect it has on the rest of us.

    Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

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    30 min
  • The Tepid Bath of Managed Decline
    Dec 19 2024

    Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

    This week, Helen and Armando are having a splash around in the tepid bath of managed decline. When does a phrase become accidentally too evocative? What is the remedy to a tepid bath? And is the desire for 'start up culture' within the government the right thing?

    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 Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

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    29 min
  • Reset, NOT Relaunch
    Dec 12 2024

    Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

    This week, following Keir Starmer's 'Plan for Change', Helen and Armando look at what a reset actually means. From Jaguar's rebrand to Miliband's Ed Stone, do resets work?

    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 Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

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    33 min
  • Becoming a Distraction
    Dec 5 2024

    Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

    Following Louise Haigh's resignation and Matt Gaetz's withdrawal from his Attorney General nomination, both said they were 'becoming a distraction', so Helen and Armando dig into the language of the political resignation. Looking at interesting resignations through history, Helen also codifies the archetypes of political resignations, and Armando tells us about seeing a high-profile sacking in real time.

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

    We have a listener mailbag special coming up, so if you have any correspondence for Helen and Armando, email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

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    33 min
  • I Make No Apology For...
    Nov 28 2024

    Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.

    This week, we get into the world of political apologies. Why does Starmer keep insisting he makes no apologies for things that no one is actually asking him to apologise for? Is saying something is 'regrettable' really an apology? And why has Mark Zuckerberg decided to stop apologising for Facebook?

    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 Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-King Production Coordinator - Katie Baum Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

    Voir plus Voir moins
    29 min