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PODCAST · news

We Need to Talk About...

by The Guardian

We are always looking for ways to amplify supporters' voices, hear your reflections on the big news stories of the moment, and connect our readers with our newsroom. We hope that this monthly podcast will enable us to do just this – providing a platform for journalists, Guardian supporters and industry experts to come together to discuss the issues that matter most. You can submit topic suggestions and questions to our team via email at [email protected]. Do please leave us your name, location and phone number so we can get in touch if needed. What is it that we need to talk about?

Publisher-supplied feed metadata · PodParley refreshed Apr 11, 2026 · Source feed

Episodes

  1. We need to talk about … the environmental impact of our fashion addiction

    This episode of our podcast series examines the environmental impact of our shopping habits and the seemingly unstoppable rise of ‘fast fashion’

  2. We need to talk about … education

    Guardian journalists, supporters and industry experts discuss what education systems around the world can learn from each other and how to enable change

  3. Guardian podcast: We need to talk about … the death of the high street

    Guardian journalists, supporters and industry experts discuss the failing health of UK high streets and the impact on communities. What can local spaces offer that out-of-town shopping centres and online giants can’t?

  4. We need to talk about...Extinction

    George Monbiot and wildlife experts discuss the increasingly devastating impacts of human behaviour on fauna and flora, and what can be done to protect species, locally and globally

  5. We need to talk about … the impact of artificial intelligence

    In this monthly podcast, Guardian supporters share their experiences and put questions to a panel of journalists and industry experts. This episode focuses on the rise of artificial intelligence in business and wider society. How will this evolving technology affect our lives, and how might the...

  6. Podcast: why is positive news coverage so vital in today's world?

    This episode of our regular podcast focuses on the impact of the modern news cycle on our health and wellbeing, and whether a greater focus on positive, hopeful, solution-based stories could help to mitigate this

  7. Podcast: We need to talk about … the rise of veganism

    In this monthly podcast, Guardian supporters share their experiences and put questions to a panel of journalists and industry experts. This episode focuses on veganism’s evolution into a mainstream lifestyle choice. What does it mean to become a vegan and what impact could veganism have on…

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  8. We need to talk about … the future of journalism

    Guardian supporters pose the questions as The Guardian’s editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner, discusses the challenges facing journalism and her vision for the Guardian. Hosted by The Guardian’s joint political editor, Heather Stewart

  9. We need to talk about … finding common ground

    Guardian supporters set the agenda and feature in this podcast considering whether society is becoming more polarised – and if so, how we might tackle the issue. With Jon Henley, Dawn Foster, Elle Hunt and Joseph Harker.

  10. We need to talk about...Brexit

    A monthly podcast in which Guardian journalists tackle a topic suggested by Guardian members and answer their questions on it. In this edition, Vicky Frost, the Guardian’s deputy membership editor, discusses Brexit with Lisa O’Carroll, Zoe Williams, Dan Roberts and Larry Elliott

  11. We need to talk about...Nationalism

    A monthly podcast in which Guardian journalists tackle a topic suggested by Guardian members and answer their questions on it. In this edition, Vicky Frost, the Guardian’s deputy membership editor, discusses the global rise of nationalism with Randeep Ramesh, Iman Amrani and Ewen MacAskill

  12. Feed change - We need to talk about ... Members podcast

    This feed is changing from Live events to our new monthly Membership podcast, We need to talk about …

  13. We need to talk about... public healthcare

    Is it reasonable to expect the state to provide universal healthcare? Vicky Frost and a panel including the Guardian’s Sarah Boseley and Denis Campbell answer Guardian members’ questions about the challenges facing public healthcare

  14. We need to talk about protest – Guardian Members' exclusive podcast

    From protests against President Trump and Brexit, to Romanian anti-corruption demonstrations and the people defending threats to local libraries – we appear to be living in a new age of resistance. But how can we maintain momentum? And what can we really achieve? In this edition of our podcast…

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  15. Michael Chabon on The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – books podcast

    The Pulitzer prize-winning novelist looks back on a modern classic at a Guardian book club event

  16. We need to talk about climate change – Guardian Members' exclusive podcast

    What will a Trump presidency mean for the future of the planet? In the first of our new monthly podcasts for Guardian members, in which expert panelists and journalists tackle your queries on the subjects you consider most pressing, we consider climate change policy in the Trump era. What should…

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  17. The rise of Donald Trump - Guardian Live event podcast

    It is an election result that has left the US and the rest of the world reeling, that saw a man with no record in any political office, a reality TV star who has boasted about sexually assaulting women, become the 45th US president. The Guardian’s special projects editor Mark Rice-Oxley and a…

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  18. Utopia 2016: how to die a good death – Guardian Live event podcast

    By turning away from death, by ignoring its inevitability, are we making our death more distressing for ourselves and for our loved ones? Giles Fraser and an expert panel shed some light on the positive things that can happen when we face this entirely natural part of life

  19. Can the Labour party rebuild and win? Guardian Live event – audio

    The Guardian’s political editor Anushka Asthana alongside Paul Mason, Rafael Behr, Hugh Muir, Polly Toynbee and John Harris reflect on the tumultuous battle for the heart of the Labour party and ask whether Labour regain power?

  20. The Guardian Live interview with Ed Balls and Jonathan Freedland

    From the Labour conference in Liverpool, Ed Balls talks to the Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland about his memoir, his views on Labour’s survival and whether he’ll return to politics after Strictly Come Dancing

  21. Gary Younge: Another day in the death of America - Guardian Live event

    On an average day in America, seven children and teens will be shot dead. At a Guardian Members’ event Gary Younge discusses his 18-month investigation into the lives lost during a single day – 23 November 2013

  22. The Observer interview with Nick Clegg and Andrew Rawnsley – Gdn Live

    Nick Clegg, former deputy prime minister, joins the Observer’s Andrew Rawnsley to discuss his time in government and the current turmoil in mainstream politics

  23. Tim Farron talks to Heather Stewart – Guardian Live interview

    The Lib Dem leader talks to the Guardian’s political editor about Brexit, his party’s future and potential alliances

  24. Crisis on the left: what's the future of progressive politics? – Guardian Live

    John Harris, a cross-party panel and Guardian Members ask if the only way to defeat the Tories is to create a more representative, pluralist politics on the left

  25. How to live a happy life – Guardian Live event

    Dawn Foster asks a UTOPIA 2016/Guardian Live panel what makes us happy and whether happiness is now a marker for success that causes anxiety

  26. What did the 80s do for us? – Guardian Live event with Alexei Sayle

    ‘The godfather of alternative comedy’ takes a walk down memory lane with the Guardian’s Andy Beckett to understand the impact of a tumultuous decade

  27. Rose Tremain on her novel The Gustav Sonata - Books podcast

    Orange Prize winner Rose Tremain gives an account of writing her latest book, The Gustav Sonata

  28. AI, augmented reality and the future of gaming – Guardian live event

    At a Guardian Live event, games editor Keith Stuart asks a panel of designers and programmers what the advances in artificial intelligence mean for games and the people who play them?

  29. Chilcot: the Iraq war inquiry – Guardian Live event

    Following the publication of the Chilcot report, the Guardian’s deputy editor, Paul Johnson, asks a Guardian Live panel how the invasion, occupation and reconstruction of Iraq were mishandled and looks at the wider consequences

  30. Panama Papers: the biggest leak in history – Guardian Live event

    Award-winning investigative journalists from Süddeutsche Zeitung Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer reveal the inside story behind the biggest leak in history

  31. What will the world look like in 2025? – Guardian Live event

    At the end of a turbulent week, Mark Rice-Oxley and a panel of writers, philosophers and anthropologists take a step back to make their predictions for what our world will look like 10 years from now

  32. UK votes for Brexit: what happens next? – Guardian Live event

    Jonathan Freedland chairs a discussion of what happens after the vote to leave the EU, the biggest political shock for decades

  33. What next for Syria? – Guardian Live event

    As a result of the Syrian conflict, more than half of the country’s population has been displaced. At a Guardian Live event, Middle East correspondent Martin Chulov chairs an expert panel discussing the causes of the refugee crisis and how we can tackle it

  34. EU debate: countdown to the referendum – Guardian Live event

    As the final week of campaigning heats up, the Guardian’s political editor Anushka Asthana and her cross-party panel offer passion and clarity as they ask whether the UK should remain part of the EU

  35. The next UN secretary general: meet the candidates - Guardian Live

    Three of the people standing for UN secretary general present their vision for ‘the world’s most impossible job’

  36. Free speech under attack - Guardian Live event

    An expert panel debates whether there should be limits to what we say and write, and if so, who should decide what is acceptable or not?

  37. What would Brexit mean for the UK? - Guardian Live event

    Guardian writers Polly Toynbee, Larry Elliott, Natalie Nougayrède and Rafael Behr analyse the EU exit and remain campaigns

  38. Don DeLillo on writing his novel Underworld - books podcast

    The American novelist Don DeLillo gives an account of writing his modern masterpiece Underworld to the Guardian book club

  39. The idiot brain: with Dean Burnett and Robin Ince - Guardian Live evt

    Dean Burnett and Robin Ince examine the wonderfully messy, disorganised and often illogical workings of the human brain

  40. How a woman is made: Sara Pascoe and Laura Bates - Guardian Live event

    Zoe Williams chairs a discussion on how sexism has changed in the digital age, the failures of sex education and what can be done to improve equality

  41. Patrick Kingsley on Europe's refugee crisis - Guardian Live event

    Europe is facing a wave of migration unmatched since the end of the second world war. At a Guardian Live event Patrick Kingsley, the Guardian’s migration correspondent, hosted a panel discussion to discuss the political challenges behind the escalating crisis

  42. Does class matter? Guardian Live event with Owen Jones and Rachel Johnson

    Does class still matter and how does it operate in today’s society? At a Guardian Live event, Owen Jones, Rachel Johnson and guests discuss the politics of class and the results of the largest survey of social class conducted in the UK

  43. Philosopher Slavoj Žižek talks to Gary Younge – Guardian Live event

    One of our best known living philosophers discusses immigration, the liberal left and Europe’s future, with columnist Gary Younge

  44. Panama Papers: the biggest leak in history – Guardian Live event

    A panel of Guardian reporters explores the fallout from the Panama Papers and tells the inside story behind the biggest leak in history

  45. What's the future for Europe? - Guardian Live event

    Former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis and an expert panel discuss whether the EU has lost sight of its original purpose. Is it time to for the UK to leave?

  46. EU referendum debate - Guardian Live event

    Should the UK stay part of the European Union? With polls showing the vote split down the middle, the Guardian brought together key commentators on both sides of the argument to discuss the future of the UK in Europe

  47. How can we get more people cycling in London? - Guardian Live event

    Chris Boardman joins an expert panel to ask why some people still feel cycling in the capital is too risky and what can be done to encourage more people to get on their bikes

  48. Marina Litvinenko on her husband's murder - Guardian Live event

    In 2006 undercover MI6 spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned in central London. At a Guardian Live event his widow Marina talked to Luke Harding about fighting for the truth and the role of the Russian state

  49. Colm Tóibín on writing his novel Nora Webster – books podcast

    The Irish novelist gives an intimate account of how he wrote his most autobiographical novel, to the Guardian book club at a live event recorded in London

  50. Ed Miliband and George Monbiot in conversation - Guardian Live event

    Are we failing to achieve a clear global consensus on how to tackle climate change? Former leader of the Labour party Ed Miliband, Guardian journalist George Monbiot and scientist Helen Czerski debate the implications of the historic Paris agreement

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

We are always looking for ways to amplify supporters' voices, hear your reflections on the big news stories of the moment, and connect our readers with our newsroom. We hope that this monthly podcast will enable us to do just this – providing a platform for journalists, Guardian supporters and industry experts to come together to discuss the issues that matter most. You can submit topic suggestions and questions to our team via email at [email protected]. Do please leave us your name, location and phone number so we can get in touch if needed. What is it that we need to talk about?

HOSTED BY

The Guardian

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does We Need to Talk About... have?

We Need to Talk About... currently has 87 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is We Need to Talk About... about?

We are always looking for ways to amplify supporters' voices, hear your reflections on the big news stories of the moment, and connect our readers with our newsroom. We hope that this monthly podcast will enable us to do just this – providing a platform for journalists, Guardian supporters and...

How often does We Need to Talk About... release new episodes?

We Need to Talk About... has 87 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to We Need to Talk About...?

You can listen to We Need to Talk About... on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts We Need to Talk About...?

We Need to Talk About... is created and hosted by The Guardian.
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