Pod Save the UK

Mandelson, May Elections & Rosie Jones Mayhem

British politics was shaken to its core this week when we all realised that, maybe, Keir Starmer isn’t as quite across the detail as he tries to make out. He had to explain exactly what he did and didn’t know about the developed vetting carried out for Peter Mandelson’s appointment as the UK’s Ambassador to the US. Right on the heels of that, came Olly Robbins, who was sacked last week from his role as the chief official at the Foreign Office. In a very civil servant way, he revealed the internal pressures and machinations that were happening during the appointment process. Both men had serious questions to answer about what they did but Coco and Nish are joined by political journalist Zoë Grünewald [zoegrunewald1996@gmail.com] to ask why everyone is obsessing over the process while almost totally ignoring the larger, moral decision to make the appointment in the first place. Plus the comedian Rosie Jones arrives to totally derail the whole podcast with a mix of funny jabs at Nish while still telling us about the work of her brilliant foundation which is celebrating its first birthday!  Don’t forget to leave a review - it gives the show a boost and we love to see your comments. **Warning: use of a racial slur during the Labour May election segment** CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  INCOGNI: https://www.incogni.com/podsavetheuk [https://www.incogni.com/podsavetheuk] Code: podsavetheuk WISE: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] AURA FRAMES: https://www.auraframes.com [https://www.auraframes.com] Code: PSTUK  SHIPSTATION: https://www.shipstation.com [https://www.shipstation.com] Code: PSTUK GUESTS  Zoë Grünewald - Journalist, broadcaster and political commentator Rosie Jones - Comedian USEFUL LINKS The Rosie Jones Foundation: https://www.rosiejonesfoundation.com/ [https://www.rosiejonesfoundation.com/] CREDITS Sir Keir Starmer MP - Parliament TV Emily Thornberry MP - The Mirror, YouTube  Sir Oliver Robbins - Parliament TV  David Miliband MP - Mornings with Ridge and Frost, Sky News  Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk]

Trump's Jesus Meme Chaos w/ Tommy Vietor

Who says the special relationship is on the ropes? Coco and Nish are joined by Pod Save America’s Tommy Vietor to showcase transatlantic co-operation at its very best. From the battle of slopaganda to the real war in Iran - there’s a lot to talk about. Donald Trump deleted a Truth Social post because he looked a little bit too much like Jesus for the Christian community - many of them have been some of his biggest supporters. Meanwhile Iran has released a series of sometimes-antisemitic, AI, Lego rap videos.  In the UK, Keir Starmer is being criticised for not spending enough on defence at a time when the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are focusing minds. Plus - Your Party hits the skids in Scotland - we hear from an insider about what went down. Don’t forget to leave a review - it gives the show a boost and we love to see your comments. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  AURA FRAMES: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] SHOPIFY: https://www.wise.com [https://www.wise.com] WISE: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] GUESTS  Tommy Vietor, Host, Pod Save America and Pod Save The World USEFUL LINKS How to email your MP about NHS Palantir contracts - https://www.amnesty.org.uk/get-involved/take-action/sign-a-petition/mp-demand-no-palantir-in-our-nhs/ [https://www.amnesty.org.uk/get-involved/take-action/sign-a-petition/mp-demand-no-palantir-in-our-nhs/] CREDITS Donald Trump - @rapidresponse47, X  Iranian Propaganda Video - Explosive Media Owen Maitland, Former Your Party Scotland executive committee member Faiza Shaheen, Director, Tax Justice UK - ‘Politics Live’, BBC One Saturday Night Live UK, Sky One Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk]

Can AI really be your friend? w/Jamie Bartlett

Coco and Nish are joined by top author and tech expert Jamie Bartlett. His new book is a deep dive into the ways AI is being used - highlighting its pitfalls and also where it might be beneficial. Jamie even created an AI alter-ego to help people understand how the technology really works, its strengths and its limitations.  Plus, your questions, answered! From the new electoral system in Wales to favourite conspiracy theories - you’ll learn and you’ll laugh! Don’t forget to leave a review - it gives the show a boost and we love to see your comments. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK [https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK] SHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] WISE: https://www.wise.com [https://www.wise.com] GUESTS  Jamie Bartlett, Author, ‘How To Talk To AI (And How Not To)’ and Host of Everything is Fake (And Nobody Cares) on BBC Sounds Special guest appearance: Jimmy Botlett USEFUL LINKS ‘How To Talk To AI (And How Not To)’: Out April 9th.  https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/475950/how-to-talk-to-ai-by-bartlett-jamie/9780753561980 [https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/475950/how-to-talk-to-ai-by-bartlett-jamie/9780753561980] Welsh Assembly election guide https://senedd.wales/senedd-now/senedd-blog/senedd-election-2026-what-is-the-d-hondt-formula-and-how-does-it-work/ [https://senedd.wales/senedd-now/senedd-blog/senedd-election-2026-what-is-the-d-hondt-formula-and-how-does-it-work/] Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk]

Truth, Lies and Donald Trump w/ Stewart Lee

Comedian and columnist Stewart Lee joins Nish and Coco to discuss the week’s big stories. They talk about Donald Trump’s deadly and yet utterly confusing war with Iran, as the US President continues to contradict his own statements about the Strait of Hormuz and peace talks, almost in the same breath.  It certainly means a new, live, UK sketch show has plenty of material - but how should comedy respond to the challenging times we are all living through? Plus - why having a weekly opinion column is good for your mental health and why news organisations need to do more to tackle the lies and extreme rhetoric coming from politicians. Don’t forget to leave a review - it gives the show a boost and we love to see your comments. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  VANTA: https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK [https://www.vanta.com/PSTUK] SHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk] INCOGNI: https://www.incogni.com/podsavetheuk [https://www.incogni.com/podsavetheuk] Code: podsavetheuk GUESTS  Stewart Lee, Comedian and columnist for The Nerve USEFUL LINKS Guide to Senedd voting system: https://senedd.wales/senedd-now/senedd-blog/how-will-the-new-voting-system-work-at-the-next-senedd-election/ [https://senedd.wales/senedd-now/senedd-blog/how-will-the-new-voting-system-work-at-the-next-senedd-election/] CREDITS Saturday Night Live UK, Sky One Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk]

Can Britain’s myth and magic challenge the far right? w/ Zakia Sewell

Last summer - fuelled by the far right - a rash of St George and Union Jack flags spread across the country. Flag-waving became a symbol of prejudice, not pride. In that context it's hard as progressives to feel particularly patriotic. So what is Britishness… and does it even matter? Someone who is hopeful that our national identity is worth saving is writer, a DJ and broadcaster Zakia Sewell. In this bonus episode of PSUK, she tells Nish and Coco about her journey to uncover an alternative version of Britishness - one that unifies rather than divides. CHECK OUT THESE DEALS FROM OUR SPONSORS  BABBEL: https://www.babbel.com/PSUK [https://www.babbel.com/PSUK] WISE: https://www.wise.com [https://www.wise.com] SHOPIFY: https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk [https://shopify.co.uk/podsavetheuk]  GUEST Zakia Sewell, writer, DJ & broadcaster USEFUL LINKS “Finding Albion: Myth, Folklore and the Quest for Hidden Britain” - out now. https://www.waterstones.com/book/finding-albion/zakia-sewell/9781399735902 [https://www.waterstones.com/book/finding-albion/zakia-sewell/9781399735902] Pod Save the UK is a Reduced Listening production for Crooked Media. Get in touch - contact us via email: PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk [PSUK@reducedlistening.co.uk] Like and follow us on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK [https://www.youtube.com/@PodSavetheUK] Instagram: https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk [https://instagram.com/podsavetheuk] TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk [https://www.tiktok.com/@podsavetheuk] BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com [https://bsky.app/profile/podsavetheuk.crooked.com] Facebook: https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk [https://facebook.com/podsavetheuk]X: https://x.com/podsavetheuk [https://twitter.com/podsavetheuk]