Oh God, What Now?

Lifestyles of the rich and heinous

• Podmasters is 10 years old! Get an extra 10% off [https://www.patreon.com/posts/happy-tenth-to-156100247] a year’s Patreon backing. Filler-faced, gilded mansions and utterly unhinged. Today’s mega-rich don't even pretend to be normal anymore. So what happened to the understated billionaire and is there any going back?  Plus, are voters getting more fickle? Zoe picks the brain of the Economist's political data journalist Owen Winter on whether political promiscuity is the new normal. And Zack Polanski’s approval ratings plunged after a sharing post about the Golders Green attack – should politicians be anywhere near social media anyway? Finally… the Green Party’s Hannah Spencer has sparked a rift with fellow MPs after deriding parliament’s apparent booze problem. Are our lawmakers really propping up the bar?  • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk].  ESCAPE ROUTES • Zoë braved the psychological horror thriller Speak No Evil, available on NOW.  • Jason has been devouring Natalie Whittle’s ode to the nation’s favourite snack, Crunch: The History of Crisps [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780571384112] • Matt has delved into David Grann’s catalogue, including The Devil and Sherlock Holmes [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781398540644] www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Matt Green with Zoë Grünewald and Jason Hazeley. Producer: James Liddell. Audio production: Robin Leeburn. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Simon Williams & Tom Taylor. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [https://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Monarchy in the USA – Has Charles outfoxed Trump?

• Podmasters is 10 years old! Get an extra 10% off a year’s Patreon backing. [https://www.patreon.com/posts/happy-tenth-to-156100247] Applauded by Congress, lauded by Trump and working his way through a spring-herbed ravioli on a golden plate? It was a tough gig for Charles. The King may have charmed the President but will his visit rescue US/UK relations from the geopolitical toilet?  Plus, Starmer evades a Commons investigation into the Mandelson affair but is it really all over bar the shouting for the PM? Why a social media ban for under-16s might be based on dodgy science. And in the Extra Bit: If they can get away with a Michael Jackson movie in 2026, which political figures ought to get their own biopic?  • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk].  ESCAPE ROUTES • Rachel has been bingeing Guy Ritchie’s Young Sherlock [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Young-Sherlock-Season/dp/B0F54X2LPJ] on Amazon Prime.   • Jonn recommends Radio 4’s How To Invent A Country [https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0683ncw] on BBC Sounds.  • James recommends the relaxing game Nodes – play it here [https://www.nodes-game.com/puzzle/2026-04-30]. • Andrew recommends Daredevil: Born Again [https://www.disneyplus.com/en-gb/browse/entity-85e7a914-c8e6-41db-95df-c740dc2cf1b7] on Disney+, inevitably  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Andrew Harrison with Rachel Cunliffe, Jonn Elledge and James Ball. Audio Production by Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [https://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Trump’s Ballroom Blitz – Reform’s Tragical History Bore

• Podmasters is 10 years old! Get an extra 10% off a year’s Patreon support [https://www.patreon.com/posts/happy-tenth-to-156100247] – that’s 20% in total.  Another week, another assassination attempt… Will the latest attack on Trump change anything apart from making the crazy people crazier? And will he get his ballroom out of it? Plus, Reform announce plans to make the teaching of history more patriotic. On the curriculum: more Winston Churchill and Battle of Britain, less slave trade, even less Ireland and no Britain being anything other than brilliant. Are you kids ready for the Old Man In A Pub version of Our Island Story? • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk].  ESCAPE ROUTES • Gavin went to see music inspired by the Bridget Riley: Learning To See [https://turnercontemporary.org/whats-on/events/compositions] exhibition at Turner Contemporary… but you’ve missed it. Sorry.  • Matt is the latest panelist to recommend medical drama The Pitt [https://www.hbomax.com/gb/en/shows/pitt-2024/e6e7bad9-d48d-4434-b334-7c651ffc4bdf] on HBO Max.  • Raf recommends drum’n’bass artist Nia Archives’ new single Danger [https://open.spotify.com/track/0emddmBnIrINlvtvtuLkXI?si=3fb3209ab5d74360] • Ros recommends French-language murder mystery Une Unique Lueur [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Une-unique-lueur-Fred-Vargas/dp/2080160710] by Fred Vargas. Not out in English yet though.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [http://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Ros Taylor with Matt Green, Gavin Esler and Rafael Behr. Audio Production by Tom Taylor and Chris Jones. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [http://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Emotional Support Leadership Candidate

• Podmasters is 10 years old! Get an extra 10% off a year’s Patreon support [https://www.patreon.com/posts/156100247]– that’s 20% in total.  As the dust settles from the umpteenth Mandelsequel, where does Labour go from here? Is Starmer permanently damaged? And who would step into No.10: Angela Rayner, Andy Burnham, Al Carns, or someone else entirely from the political alphabet? And while opening ChatGPT has become as routine as morning coffee, millions are probably using it all wrong. So says special guest Jamie Bartlett, algorithm whisperer and author of How to Talk to AI [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780753561980], who explains how to master the art of prompts.  • Order How to Talk to AI through our affiliate bookshop [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780753561980] and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.  • Hear America Against The World [https://linktr.ee/DrillPod] from This Is Not A Drill on your favourite podcast app. • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk]  ESCAPE ROUTES • Marie recommends The Princess of 77nd Street [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780241715277]by Elaine Kraf. • Hannah recommends Perfection [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781804271049] by Vincenzo Latronico.  • Jamie recommends Raising Hare [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9781837260867] by Chloe Dalton and The Parakeeting Of London [https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13277/9780993570223] by Nick Hunt. • Seth has been enjoying Michael Gove pimping free gin for The Spectator.  www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Seth Thévoz with Hannah Fearn and Marie Le Conte. Audio Production by: Tom Taylor. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [https://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]

Return of the Mandel-Scandal

• Podmasters is 10 years old! Get an extra 10% off [https://www.patreon.com/posts/happy-tenth-to-156100247] a year’s Patreon support – that’s 20% in total.  Oh Mandy… the scandal that won’t die is back (again). Can Keir Starmer style this one out or is his credibility finally shot? Plus, imagine if you wrote a hoax government report about how a secretive shadow government controls America and then everyone believed it. Even though you admitted it was false. And believed it so completely that they ended up destroying democracy. Nightmare, right? Author Phil Tinline talks us through the scarcely believable true tale he sets out in Ghosts of Iron Mountain [https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/ghosts-of-iron-mountain-the-hoax-that-duped-america-and-its-sinister-legacy-phil-tinline/1d2d362f5011531a?ean=9781035903856&next=t] – a story that takes in Lee Harvey Oswald, the Oklahoma Bombings, neo-Nazis, hippies, Oliver Stone and The X Files – and how it’s still warping our world today.  • Order Ghosts of Iron Mountain [https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/ghosts-of-iron-mountain-the-hoax-that-duped-america-and-its-sinister-legacy-phil-tinline/1d2d362f5011531a?ean=9781035903856&next=t] through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too. • Hear America Against The World [https://linktr.ee/DrillPod] from This Is Not A Drill on your favourite podcast app. • Questions for But Your Emails? Thoughts? Comments? Email us at ogwn@podmasters.co.uk [ogwn@podmasters.co.uk].  ESCAPE ROUTES • Rachel recommends The Critic [https://www.netflix.com/gb/title/82022327] with Ian McKellen on Netflix • Raf has just discovered Fast As You Can [https://open.spotify.com/track/1UmmSKPdCtBuJsmbZG9G3u?si=f268371c2dc641c2] by Fiona Apple from the album ‘When The Pawn Hits Etc Etc Yadda Yadda’. • Phil has been listening to drum, bass and related stuff from Ivy Lab [https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DZ06evO2ijX1a?si=716fde2821ef4983] • Andrew went to see the Murdoch vs Brenda Dean play In The Print [https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/in-the-print-8y4s] at the New King’s Head in Islington, London – it’s on til 3 May. www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow [https://www.patreon.com/ohgodwhatnow] Presented by Andrew Harrison with Rachel Cunliffe and Rafael Behr Audio Production by:Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Theme tune by Tom Taylor and Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. OH GOD, WHAT NOW? is a Podmasters production. www.podmasters.co.uk [https://www.podmasters.co.uk]  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices [https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices]