Novara Media Podcasts

As Meta cedes in court to the tune of billions & datacentre protests pick up momentum, is techno-futurism crashing? Plus: Digging up a golf green could be charged as terrorism & we speak to Nate Soares about the latest AI catastrophes. With Michael Walker, Richard Hames & Nate Soares.

The US government has issued sanctions against Palestine Action, branding them a “transnational terror group”. Plus: Experts link deadly flash flooding on the Nepal-Tibet border to glacial collapse, we discuss whether it’s time to ditch the Office for Budget Responsibility, and why Fox News has made Hasan Piker its enemy no. 1. With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia […]

Dolly Parton, singer, film star & philanthropist, has died at the age of 80.  Plus: A vaccine for melanoma fuels hope in a cure for cancer & we take a look at the crypto company linking the fortunes of Trump & Reform. With Michael Walker, Joe Stone, Saloni Dattani & Sam Bright.

The Trump administration has unveiled widespread sanctions against “Iran’s financial connections around the globe”. Plus: Two proposed datacentres could surpass the entirety of ExxonMobil’s UK emissions, and Rupert Lowe is earning eyewatering sums from posting on Elon Musk’s X. With Steven Methven, Banseka Kayembe & Trita Parsi. Buy tickets for Downstream IRL with Naomi Klein: […]

Burnham visits Ukraine to affirm support & share long range missile designs. Plus: Mark Ruffalo Vs The Israel Lobby, a Chinese robot is faster than Usain Bolt & Sam Altman is having second thoughts. With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.  

With the record heatwaves subsiding & El Nino on its way, Havering council decides this is the perfect moment to announce the UK’s largest datacentre build.  Plus: We interview the authors of a new book on Israel’s lobby, and Greenpeace send a scorched earth message to Andy Burnham. With Steven Methven, NoJusticeMTG, Eli Clifton & […]

The IDF has opened a criminal investigation into the murder of five year old Hind Rajab, her family and 15 other Palestinians in Gaza in 2025. Plus: Ed Milliband is talking tough on West Bank settlements and is the UAE the most rogue actor to ever be called an ally? With NoJusticeMTG & Barry Malone.

As pressure mounts on the PM over the future of North Sea oil, we speak to Dale Vince, founder of the world’s first green energy company, about why he’s had a change of heart over drilling. Plus: Good news as ULEZ proves its worth in the lungs of the capital’s children and the jury returns […]

Tens of thousands have attended a Trafalgar Square vigil to pay tribute to the late Professor Jason Arday. Plus: Reform proposes a £50bn welfare cut. This episode contains discussions of suicide. If you are affected by any of the issues raised, don’t hesitate to reach out to Samaritans: https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan With NoJusticeMTG & Banseka Kayembe.

Ash has had life-changing experience for only £38. Has she found the key to escaping her fight-or-flight response? And what’s the best way to process anxiety? Plus: how to respond when your partner’s porn habit makes you feel weird. Get tickets for Ash at the Southbank Centre on 26 September. Get tickets for Heated: Carnival […]

Have we finally had enough of hyper-consumerism? Moya and Ash confront the political crises that are changing our attitudes to spending, and what that’s got to do with the World Cup and cerulean sweaters. Plus: what to do when you’ve lost all motivation. Read the Vulture article about lifestyle influencers mentioned in the show. Get […]

Trapped in the attention economy, Moya wonders if our reading habits are affecting our sense of self, and Ash offers a feminist analysis of ‘main character’ versus ‘NPC’. Plus: what to do when your politics drift away from your friends’. Get tickets for Ash at the Southbank Centre on 26 September. Get tickets for Heated: […]

Andy Burnham has said he is “on a mission” to reduce the number of young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs), but has stopped short of pledging a concrete target. Plus: The number of millionaires in Britain is falling, Reform UK appears to be having a complete meltdown,  With Aaron Bastani & Michael […]

Ash dreams up a whole new category – Disasterclass – in order to talk about inevitable pain of rejection. Whether it’s jobs, romance, friends or success, how much damage can rejection ultimately cause? Plus: early reviews of the Andy Burnham era. Get tickets for Ash at the Southbank Centre on 26 September. Get tickets for Symeon […]

A new consensus has emerged in Westminster, seemingly overnight: we need more defence spending, and we need it now. But the Ministry of Defence has a record for waste that would put Tony Soprano to shame. £13 billion down the drain, since 2010, at the very least. Aircraft carriers that come in late, overbudget, and […]

Firefighters are still battling devastating wildfires across Europe, with hundreds of thousands of people having been evacuated from their homes. Plus: Burnham lays out his plan for social care in an interview with Laura Kuenssberg, a woman has been killed in a horrific attack on Berlin Pride, and India’s Cockroach Janta Party strikes a blow […]

The American empire is in crisis – and there is a new generation of more vocal critics coming from the right. So what do JD Vance and Tucker Carlson actually believe about American power? James Pogue has reported on empires and their decline for years, from West and Central Africa, where Wagner Group picked over […]

Angela Rayner has ruled out rent controls, citing Scotland’s scheme as her reason. We ask an expert if she’s right.  Plus: Europe is further engulfed in flame, Musk gifts further insights into his insanity to The Economist & Saudi Arabia have learned to stop worrying and love The Bomb. With Michael Walker, Dalia Gebrial, Beth […]

Trump is “very disappointed” by Yemeni Houthis’ attack on a Saudi oil tanker in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait off the coast of Yemen. Plus: Burnham’s first-week policy-blitz continues apace.  We talk to Julia Davies of Patriotic Millionaires about their latest headline-grabbing plea to pay more tax.   And finally, a prominent Zionist Democrat gets his clock cleaned […]

We take a look at the new Prime Minister’s bulging inbox and weigh up his options. Plus: Mamdani isn’t going to arrest Netenyahu on entering New York, but he isn’t exactly rolling out the red carpet either. Finally, AI lies, cheats and steals its way through the internet, so why are mathematicians championing its latest […]

Andy Burnham has announced his final cabinet picks and we examine the new policy announcements he claims will ease financial pressures on working people. Plus: Why Britain needs public ownership of water, and Trump’s tariff war ramps up against Canada. With Aaron Bastani & Michael Walker.

Former Vogue agony aunt Annie Lord joins Ash and Moya to talk about what happens if you let go of your ‘type’ and allow your romantic ideals to change. Her debut novel, The Project, is out now. (NB: Annie recommends Sharon Olds’ poetry collection Stag’s Leap.) Plus: advice for a man who’s feeling romantically jaded. […]

In his first speech as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has pledged to build a new economy, end rough sleeping and tackle the cost of living crisis. Can he deliver?  Plus: We speak to IPPR North’s Mirte Boot about Burnham’s plan to devolve power away from Westminster. And finally, what will be the new Prime Minister’s […]

We live in times of crisis. But perhaps none of the crises affect so many people in the here and now, as the housing crisis. Solving it could provide the skeleton key to unlocking so many of society’s problems. Despite this, decades of successive governments in the UK have failed to bring housing under control. […]

Andy Burnham gives his first speech as leader of the Labour Party ahead of moving into Number 10 on Monday. Is Farage already on the run? Plus: The US is ramping up its attacks on Iran’s infrastructure. A risky strategy ahead of the midterms? Finally, Infantino unveils a new Superbowl-style FIFA World Cup winners ring. […]

Multiple wildfires continue to burn across Britain, as the Met Office warns that extreme UK weather is becoming “the new normal”. Plus: Starmer marks his last day as Labour leader, Gary Lineker takes Andy Burnham to task on Gaza, and right-wingers are losing it over Argentina’s World Cup performance. With NoJusticeMTG, Dalia Gebrial & Joanne […]

Burnham has appeared to rule out Ed Miliband as chancellor, seen by many as the progressive choice – what does it mean for his impending premiership? Plus: It’s England vs Argentina, on and off the field!  We dissect Aaron’s recent viral appearance on The Telegraph with the man himself. Finally, a victim of the forced […]

The US-Iran war for the Strait of Hormuz is once again at boiling point. Plus: The UK government has proscribed the IRGC, Sudan braces for a major massacre, and we speak to historian Dr Andrew Smith about French identity, football and the surging far-right. With Michael Walker & Barry Malone.

Ash and Moya answer a not-so-mystery question about male self-image and whether short kings really do lose out in the dating market. How does modern masculinity look and dress? Plus: advice for a listener fantasising about a romantic spark with a former colleague. Send us your dilemmas: [email protected] Music by Matt Huxley.

The investigation into the murder of Anne Widdecombe has been handed to counter-terror police, contradicting the police’s initial announcements. Plus: Can Shabana Mahmood avoid a diplomatic incident with Pakistan over the deportation of a convicted sex offender? It’s England vs Argentina, again! We take a look at the high-mileage derby through the ages.  Finally, in […]

The idea of a wealth tax has never been more popular in Britain, and while many have campaigned for it, none have done more to boost the demand than one man: Gary Stevenson. The former city trader first joined us on Downstream four years ago. A lot has changed since then. This week, after a […]

The Meditations of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius are perhaps the best-selling self-help book of all time. Rooted in the rational philosophy of the Stoics, the 12 books offer a stream of personal musings on everything from cultivating self-discipline to being a successful leader. Following their episode on Resilience, Nadia, Keir and Jem offer a weird-left […]

Michael Walker sits down with Naomi Klein for a discussion on the climate crisis, fascism and more.

The US and Iran are back to tit-for-tat strikes as both countries vie for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Plus: We speak to the Greens candidate Geraldine Coggins, who is hoping to fill Andy Burnham’s shoes in the Manchester mayoral race, and Robert Jenrick has found himself in hot water over his finances. With […]

With Michael Walker & The Guardian Columnist George Monbiot.

Amid scrutiny over his finances, Nigel Farage has announced his resignation from parliament. Can a by-election victory clear his name? Plus: French far-right figurehead Marine Le Pen has been ordered to wear an ankle tag, Trump’s FIFA favours have done no good for the US team, and the proposed UK Media Bill threatens to stifle […]

Ash and Moya get stuck into your dilemmas. Featuring: a POC friend whose new boyfriend votes Reform, a male coworker who’s gone from supportive to creepy, a woman who’s struggling to think before she speaks, an independent woman who’s dreading suburban life with her boyfriend, and an environmentalist weighing up a job in big tech. […]

We discuss the wildest political moments from the FIFA World Cup as Donald Trump appears to be meddling with the beautiful game. Plus: Is time running out for Nigel Farage? With Michael Walker & Ash Sarkar.

Last year, Zack Polanski’s Green Party suggested changes could be made to Britain’s prohibitionist approach to drugs – and felt the full force of the mainstream media’s indignation. But all over the world, the War on Drugs is shifting shape. Drugs are being legalised and commercialised. America now has its first legal weed-selling billionaire, while others […]

The Prime Minister has announced a £15bn increase in military spending, to be funded by cutting investment budgets in other areas. Plus: Anti-immigrant protests sweep South Africa, former DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson has been found guilty of child sexual abuse, and a look at the ‘anti-woke Davos’ taking aim at UK net-zero policies. With Steven […]

* Last call for our show at Crossed Wires in Sheffield this Saturday, 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live * A brush with an old enemy brings up big questions about letting go and moving on. What does forgiveness really mean in a secular society? Is punishment ever the answer? Plus: advice for a special one […]

Andy Burnham has laid his plan for devolving power away from Westminster over the next decade, pledging a ‘No 10 for the north’ and ‘growth in every postcode’. Plus: Trump has announced new peace talks with Iran, and we discuss the new Democratic Socialists taking the US by storm. With Michael Walker, Barry Malone & […]

We need critical minerals for the green transition, the military and the AI boom. In barely a year, lithium and the rare earths have become some of the most fought-over objects on earth. But the scarcity is manufactured — by refineries, choke points and the states that control them. Richard talks to Thea Riofrancos, author […]

Mariana Mazzucato is a towering figure in contemporary economics, best known for her work on the entrepreneurial state and mission-oriented economics. Her congregation is broad, ranging from an ascendant Andy Burnham, to the Pope, to Marco Rubio. Ash Sarkar sat down with her in front of a live audience at EartH Theatre in Hackney to […]

Is Andy Burnham capable of leading Britain in a more positive direction? We asked Jeremy Corbyn. Plus: The real reason why Europe is losing to Asia. With Michael Walker & Banseka Kayembe.

Andy Burham has thoroughly disappointed the Labour left, appointing a former Blair minister as his Chief of Staff. Plus: We speak to Mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman about his fight for affordable housing in London. With NoJusticeMTG & Dallia Gebrial.

With Britain experiencing a record heatwave, our studio is currently above safe working temperatures for our staff and streaming equipment. In place of a live episode, we spoke to Dr Ella Gilbert about the present climate emergency. With Michael Walker.

Andy Burnham is on track to become Britain’s 7th leader in ten years. Can he do a better job than his predecessors? Plus: Climate scientists warn that record June temperatures in the UK should be a wake-up call, and a decade on from Brexit we check in on how Nigel Farage is doing. With NoJusticeMTG […]

* We’ll be at Crossed Wires festival in Sheffield on 4th July! Final tickets: https://crossedwires.live * ‘Tis the season! Moya and Ash explore the etiquette of the modern wedding, from cringey hen do to lavish ceremony to nightmare groupchat. And how does anyone afford it?! Plus: are we expecting too much from single straight men? […]

Keir Starmer has finally resigned, triggering a Labour leadership election in July. Will Andy Burnham be the only contender to stand? With Michael Walker & Banseka Kayembe.