Episodes
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci are joined by the BBC's former Live Political Editor to discuss the art of the political interview. What's a valid question? What's a cheap gotcha?
They also discuss Paxman's beard, the best political interviews and how to get the most out of a politician who is bending over backwards to say absolutely nothing.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Chris MacleanProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Richard Morris
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Helen and Armando are joined by economist and journalist for the Financial Times, Soumaya Keynes. They take a look back on Liberation Day - what exactly was America being liberated from? What was the response in China to the tariffs? and Soumaya wades into the murky waters of Truth Social.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Richard Morris
Produced by Pete Strauss. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Missing episodes?
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Helen and Armando are joined by author, broadcaster and former adviser to Theresa May and Boris Johnson, Cleo Watson. Taking a look back at the three word slogans that defined politics in recent years, especially those that relate to Cleo's time in number 10.
Why are they so catchy?
Hands Face Space...Take Back Control...Strong Message Here....
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
Following the remarkable security breach dubbed 'Signalgate', Helen and Armando are joined by political editor of Politics Joe, Ava Santina Evans, to discuss how casualness has crept into political communication. Is it a threat? Is it just cringe? And why oh why do we still use the suffix 'gate' for a scandal, given its origins are over 50 years old?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
Are Labour telling a good enough story? Who is the best storyteller in politics? How do you establish a narrative to take control of events, rather than let events define you? To answer these questions, Helen and Armando are joined by Associate Editor and Columnist for The Financial Times, Stephen Bush.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie Baum and Caroline BarlowExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, the Government announced their plans for welfare reform, so we take a look at the language around welfare, around benefit claimants, and how it's changed over the years. Gone are the 'strivers vs shirkers' of the 2010s or even Peter Lilley's infamous 'little list' of the early 90s. This government talks of 'supporting people into work' and 'right to try', but with the savings they are making, do their actions match their rhetoric?
This episode has been edited to remove an inaccurate statement about the relative size of tax fraud compared to benefit fraud.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie Baum and Caroline BarlowExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Musk has been threatening a former astronaut (no, not the one he threatened the other week - another one), Trump has been talking tariffs, and Rupert Lowe took on his party's 'Messiah', Nigel Farage. What does all this tough talk mean in politics? Does projecting strength always work?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
Hot mics, leaks, tell-all books. We find out a lot about how politicians talk in private. How does it differ from their public pronouncements? And are politicians less careful about how they come across in public these days? Helen and Armando survey the lay of the linguistic land.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
Farage says everybody is miserable, Trump says everything is a 'disaster', and Liz Truss chimed in saying Britain is a 'failed state', so Helen and Armando are trying to find out why those who claim to be patriots are keen to talk the country down. And why Starmer and Reeves' downbeat language has had real-life consequences.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, JD Vance sent European leaders into a tailspin with an inflammatory speech at the Munich Security Conference, and Kemi Badenoch made an attention-grabbing speech at the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship. Looking at them side-by-side, what does it tell us about the language of the right on both sides of the Atlantic?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Starmer has suggested that Britain adopt a 'Build, Baby, Build' strategy. Sound familiar? We thought so too, so Helen and Armando are looking at why politicians copy their opponents. Is it a sign of strength or weakness, and do the public think it sounds convincing?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie Baum and Caroline BarlowExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
Why do we know what's going to be in a political speech before it happens? What is 'kiteflying' and 'pitch rolling'? To find out, Helen and Armando are joined by sketch writer for The Critic, Rob Hutton, who has been at more political announcements than he's had hot dinners. What's the best speech he's heard? What's the worst? And who are all those people who turn up to watch the Prime Minister give a speech at a carpet factory in Darlington?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie Baum and Caroline BarlowExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Trump has truly settled back into the White House, but is it different this time around? Helen and Armando take a look at how this unique politician uses language to get his way. We also look at Trump Derangement Syndrome - a favourite phrase of the new President to describe his detractors - and how other politicians have changed their tune about Trump since his last term.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Helen and Armando take a deep dive into Mark Zuckerberg's statement which explains the new rules around fact checking and free speech on his Meta platforms. Is free speech really back? Or should we be worried that fact-checkers are a thing of the past?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you got a 'community note' for Helen and Armando? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, after a well-earned week off, Helen and Armando are back to break down how political attacks work. After Kemi Badenoch landed a blow on Keir Starmer calling him 'a lawyer, not a leader', we look at what makes a political attack potent, and crucially, what makes them flop.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Helen and Armando are delving into the email inbox to find out which political phrases have been driving our listeners to distraction.
Strong Message here will be back on the 16th January at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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In a year where Labour secured a 'loveless landslide' in the UK and Trump sealed his return to the White House, Helen and Armando will be 'laser-focused' on their 'mission' to skewer the use and abuse of political language. From 'freebies' to 'fascism', 'weird' to 'working people', all of the strong messages that helped Make 2024 Great Again will be put under the microscope.
A witty, illuminating exploration of the verbal tricks of the trade from two people both mesmerised and baffled by our political discourse. Helen and Armando will identify the worst political doublespeak, discover where it comes from, examine why it spreads - and look at what effect it has on the rest of us.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, Helen and Armando are having a splash around in the tepid bath of managed decline. When does a phrase become accidentally too evocative? What is the remedy to a tepid bath? And is the desire for 'start up culture' within the government the right thing?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
This week, following Keir Starmer's 'Plan for Change', Helen and Armando look at what a reset actually means. From Jaguar's rebrand to Miliband's Ed Stone, do resets work?
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Helen and Armando to decode? Email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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Comedy writer Armando Iannucci and journalist Helen Lewis decode the utterly baffling world of political language.
Following Louise Haigh's resignation and Matt Gaetz's withdrawal from his Attorney General nomination, both said they were 'becoming a distraction', so Helen and Armando dig into the language of the political resignation. Looking at interesting resignations through history, Helen also codifies the archetypes of political resignations, and Armando tells us about seeing a high-profile sacking in real time.
Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.
We have a listener mailbag special coming up, so if you have any correspondence for Helen and Armando, email them to us at [email protected].uk
Sound Editing by Charlie Brandon-KingProduction Coordinator - Katie BaumExecutive Producer - Pete Strauss
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio production for Radio 4.An EcoAudio Certified Production.
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