The LRB Podcast
The London Review of Books
The LRB Podcast brings you weekly conversations from Europe’s leading magazine of culture and ideas, hosted by Thomas Jones and Malin Hay, and featuring our fortnightly 'On Politics' podcast hosted by James Butler.
From the LRB
Subscribe to the LRB: https://lrb.me/subslrbpod
Close Readings podcast: https://lrb.me/crlrbpod
LRB Audiobooks: https://lrb.me/audiobookslrbpod
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Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk
From the LRB
Subscribe to the LRB: https://lrb.me/subslrbpod
Close Readings podcast: https://lrb.me/crlrbpod
LRB Audiobooks: https://lrb.me/audiobookslrbpod
Bags, binders and more at the LRB Store: https://lrb.me/storelrbpod
Get in touch: podcasts@lrb.co.uk
Episodes
Mentioned books
20 snips
Mar 25, 2026 • 1h 12min
On Politics: Why you can’t change someone’s mind
Sarah Stein-Lubrano, author and researcher on political disagreement and cognitive science, explains why argument rarely changes minds. She questions the ‘marketplace of ideas’, shows how social ties, laws and actions shift beliefs, and explores how technology and social infrastructure shape political change. Short-term debate is limited; durable change comes from relationships, institutions and sustained collective action.
6 snips
Mar 18, 2026 • 56min
Ordinary Abuse
Susan Pedersen, historian at Columbia who studies institutions; Andrew O'Hagan, novelist and LRB editor-at-large. They probe the ubiquity and ordinariness of sexual abuse, how privilege and networks enable predation, the male gaze in coverage, institutional cover-ups and why systemic change and solidarity matter.
28 snips
Mar 12, 2026 • 1h 12min
On Politics: Keir Starmer’s Mess
Jeremy Gilbert, cultural and political theorist at the University of East London, and Sienna Rodgers, deputy editor at The House magazine and Labour reporter, dissect Keir Starmer’s crisis. They discuss the Gorton and Denton by-election shock, party purges and selection battles, the PLP’s managerial instincts, possible successors and whether structural fixes like electoral reform could reshape Britain’s left.
25 snips
Mar 11, 2026 • 59min
What next in Iran?
Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder focused on economic diplomacy in West Asia, and Robert Malley, veteran Middle East analyst and former JCPOA negotiator, discuss US and Israeli strategies toward Iran. They examine the logic behind recent strikes, Iran’s resilience and internal power centers, possible endgames for the conflict, and how sanctions and institutions shape long-term dynamics.
7 snips
Mar 4, 2026 • 44min
Caravaggio’s Bodies
Erin McGlachy, historian of dress and the body at Durham University, explores Caravaggio’s use of real Roman street models and his gritty portrayals of flesh, clothing and dirt. Short, vivid scenes, violent moments and off‑centre framing make his paintings unnerving. The conversation traces patrons’ reactions, staging of nudity, clothing as social code and how light and drapery shape identity.
12 snips
Feb 25, 2026 • 1h 6min
On Politics: The Rearmament Consensus
Anna Stavrianakis, international-relations professor focused on arms trade and security politics, and Sam Jones, Financial Times European security correspondent, discuss Europe’s new rearmament consensus. They trace gradual shifts in defence thinking, probe what increased spending will actually buy, debate industry influence versus state strategy, and consider democratic accountability and intelligence in wartime.
17 snips
Feb 18, 2026 • 45min
Early Modern News
John Gallagher, historian of language, education and migration at the University of Leeds, explores how information moved in early modern Europe. He discusses postal relay systems like the Tassis network and the physical speed limits of riders. He contrasts organized posts with organic news spread via pamphlets, avvisi and street criers, and examines surveillance, interception and deliberate misinformation.
Feb 11, 2026 • 1h 7min
On Politics: Mandelson and the Private Life of Power
Ethan Shone, an investigations reporter at openDemocracy focused on influence operations, and Peter Geoghegan, founder of Democracy for Sale and investigative journalist, dissect newly released documents on Mandelson and Epstein. They trace informal influence networks, press failures, libel chill, lobbying firms built on favours, tech‑political links, and proposed rules to curb post‑government profiteering.
Feb 4, 2026 • 51min
Jessica Mitford’s Handbag
Rosemary Hill, Contributing Editor at the London Review of Books and biographer, discusses Carla Kaplan’s portrait of Jessica Mitford — an aristocratic-born American communist. Short, vivid stories cover Mitford’s runaway impulse and Spain, her move to the US and civil-rights work, fraught family ties and betrayals, FBI scrutiny and McCarthyism, and her reinvention as an investigative writer.
37 snips
Jan 28, 2026 • 57min
On Politics: A New Age of Protest in Iran
Amir Ahmadi Arian, novelist and professor who writes on Iranian politics, and Chowra Makaremi, anthropologist and filmmaker studying Iranian society, discuss recent mass protests. They trace how bazaar unrest, economic collapse and the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom movement shifted demands toward regime challenge. They also examine repression tactics, rumors, internet blackouts and regional narratives shaping the struggle.
