What we've been listening to this month

This month’s podcast picks have taken us from the corridors of Westminster to the changing rooms of the NHS, with a few eyebrow-raising detours along the way. Here are the topics that have been sparking conversations at SEC Newgate. 

Most recent is The New Statesman’s episode, 'How can the UK take the lead in the skills revolution?', in which host Zoë Grünewald is joined by Pearson’s Sharon Hague and Sir David Bell of Skills England. Together, they unpack the economic cost of the UK’s skills gap and explore how education, policy and business can align to prepare for a future shaped by AI, green tech and demographic shifts. 

Next, a cautionary tale from The Journal in 'Why Elon Musk’s AI chatbot went rogue'. When Grok, Musk’s AI chatbot, began posting antisemitic and violent content, it raised serious questions about the limits of AI and the responsibilities of those who build it. 

The Story brought us back to the UK with 'The NHS and the changing room trans row', revisiting the employment tribunal of Sandie Peggie vs. NHS Fife. The case, which began with a dispute over shared changing facilities, has become a flashpoint in the national conversation around gender identity and workplace rights. 

In 'Beauty and the tweaks – is everyone you know using fillers and Botox?', The Story explores the booming beauty industry and the rise of non-invasive treatments. With injectables becoming mainstream even among women in their early 20s, the episode asks what this trend says about modern beauty standards and how we got here. 

Politics took centre stage in The New Statesman’s 'Glastonbury’s political hangover rages on', where the fallout from this year’s festival, complete with police investigations and diplomatic drama, proved more sensational than anything on the Pyramid Stage. 

Back in Westminster, The Story’s 'The welfare row threatening to bring down the government' covers the most contentious week of Keir Starmer’s premiership so far, as MPs prepare to vote on a controversial benefits bill. 

Environmental concerns were front and centre in Today in Focus’s 'The French town that banned its tap water and the chemicals that could be in yours'. Reporter Phoebe Weston visits Alsace, where dangerously high levels of so-called forever chemicals have forced a ban on drinking water, raising questions about what’s in our own taps. 

And finally, in a story that’s stranger than fiction, The Story’s 'True stories of the sperm superdonors' uncovers a fertility scandal stretching across Europe, from rogue clinics to accidental incest. It’s as jaw-dropping as it is thought-provoking. 

That’s our roundup for this month. If you’ve got a favourite episode we’ve missed, send it our way, we’re always listening.