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Armando Iannucci hosts the programme that gives you a cast-iron guarantee to be laser-focused on decoding the baffling world of political language.
Each week he'll be joined by a guest to crack open the political phrasebook and attempt to demystify the doublespeak. Why does everything now have to be 'turbo-charged'? What's the difference between a 'pledge' and a 'mission'? Why has my local MP been 'weaponised' and should I be worried?
You'll be treated to a crash course in the dark arts of political language from people on the inside who are both baffled and beguiled by it. They'll walk you through the various verbal fiascos of the modern political lexicon so that by the end you'll be oven-ready for an appearance on Newsnight.
Armando's erstwhile partner in de-baffling political lexicon, Helen Lewis, is away working in the United States in the autumn and so her seat will be kept warm by a rotating cast of co-hosts.
Listen to Strong Message Here on Thursdays on Radio 4 at 9.45am, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4.
| Episode | Date |
|---|---|
|
Moral Failure and Deadly Negligence (with Sara Pascoe and Matt Winning)
|
Nov 20, 2025 |
|
The Buck Stops Here (with Ria Lina and Sophy Ridge)
|
Nov 13, 2025 |
|
Be Vigilant (with Phil Wang)
|
Nov 06, 2025 |
|
Deep Disillusionment in This Country (with Stewart Lee)
|
Oct 30, 2025 |
|
In Hindsight (with Ria Lina and Tim Shipman)
|
Oct 23, 2025 |
|
The End of the Age of Terror and Death (with Stewart Lee)
|
Oct 16, 2025 |
|
Repetition, Repetition, Repetition (with Natalie Haynes)
|
Oct 09, 2025 |
|
The Battle for the Soul of the Country (with Adam Fleming)
|
Oct 02, 2025 |
|
Hurty Words (with Stewart Lee)
|
Sep 25, 2025 |
|
Phase 2 (with Ria Lina)
|
Sep 18, 2025 |
|
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|
Sep 11, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: Tehran (Apple TV+)
|
Sep 04, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: Elden Ring
|
Aug 28, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: The Contestant
|
Aug 21, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: Shamanism, The Timeless Religion by Dr Manvir Singh
|
Aug 14, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: The Bookshop by Penelope Fitzgerald
|
Aug 07, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: Evita at London Palladium
|
Jul 31, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: Shakespeare's Richard II
|
Jul 24, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: Every Living Thing by Jason Roberts
|
Jul 17, 2025 |
|
Strong Recommend: The Ballad of Wallis Island
|
Jul 14, 2025 |
|
We Haven't Always Told Our Story as Well as We Should
|
Jul 03, 2025 |
|
The New Brexit
|
Jun 26, 2025 |
|
Delivering for Ordinary People (with Marina Hyde)
|
Jun 19, 2025 |
|
I Regret Some of My Posts (with Sara Pascoe)
|
Jun 12, 2025 |
|
Weird Turkish Barber Shops (with Stewart Lee)
|
Jun 05, 2025 |
|
An Announcement President (with Jon Stewart)
|
May 29, 2025 |
|
The Island of Strangers and the Manacled Gimp of Brussels
|
May 22, 2025 |
|
Yes or No?
|
May 15, 2025 |
|
I Want My Country Back (with Phil Wang)
|
May 08, 2025 |
|
The Official Language of the United States
|
May 01, 2025 |
|
How Much is a Pint of Milk? (with Rob Burley)
|
Apr 24, 2025 |
|
Liberation Day (with Soumaya Keynes)
|
Apr 17, 2025 |
|
Three Word Slogans (with Cleo Watson)
|
Apr 10, 2025 |
|
Fist Emoji, Flag Emoji, Fire Emoji (with Ava Santina Evans)
|
Apr 03, 2025 |
|
Seizing the Narrative (with Stephen Bush)
|
Mar 27, 2025 |
|
Britain Isn't Working
|
Mar 20, 2025 |
|
Be Quiet, Small Man
|
Mar 13, 2025 |
|
In the Public Interest?
|
Mar 06, 2025 |
|
Everybody's Miserable
|
Feb 27, 2025 |
|
The Threat from Within
|
Feb 20, 2025 |
|
Build, Baby, Build!
|
Feb 13, 2025 |
|
Flying a Kite and Rolling the Pitch (with Rob Hutton)
|
Feb 06, 2025 |
|
Trump Derangement Syndrome
|
Jan 30, 2025 |
|
Free Speech Is Back!
|
Jan 23, 2025 |
|
A Lawyer, Not a Leader
|
Jan 16, 2025 |
|
Listeners' Strong Messages
|
Jan 02, 2025 |
|
Words of the Year
|
Dec 20, 2024 |
|
The Tepid Bath of Managed Decline
|
Dec 19, 2024 |
|
Reset, NOT Relaunch
|
Dec 12, 2024 |
|
Becoming a Distraction
|
Dec 05, 2024 |
|
I Make No Apology For...
|
Nov 28, 2024 |
|
The Deep State
|
Nov 21, 2024 |
|
In Listening Mode
|
Nov 14, 2024 |
|
MAGA - Trump trumps Harris
|
Nov 07, 2024 |
|
Tough Decisions
|
Oct 31, 2024 |
|
Kemi-Kaze and political nicknames
|
Oct 24, 2024 |
|
Introducing Strong Message Here
|
Oct 17, 2024 |