The Week Unwrapped: Are we in the Mattel Cinematic Universe?
Plus can Japan crack its demographic crisis, and what does national debt actually mean?

What does Japan's ever-growing proportion of pensioners mean for the future? Why is the UK's national debt set to treble? And is Polly Pocket the next Barbie? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
A podcast for curious, open-minded people, The Week Unwrapped delivers fresh perspectives on politics, culture, technology and business.
It makes for a lively, enlightening discussion, ranging from the serious to the offbeat. Previous topics have included whether solar engineering could refreeze the Arctic, why funerals are going out of fashion and what kind of art you can use to pay your tax bill.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
How Trump's 'Liberation Day' might affect the economy
Talking Points Tariffs will rise, but consumer confidence is down
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Waltz takes blame for texts amid calls for Hegseth ouster
Speed Read Democrats are calling for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and national security adviser Michael Waltz to step down
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - March 26, 2025
Cartoons Wednesday's cartoons - ice cold eggs, lax security, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is Trump sending detainees to El Salvador?
Podcast Plus should councils reverse their bans on playing in streets? And can a Peruvian farmer defeat an energy giant?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Can Canadian consumers take on Trump?
Podcast Plus does Nepal want its king back? And could eating fish make you kinder?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why do young people love ASMR?
Podcast Plus can US football stamp out homophobia? And why is Scottish Gaelic getting a TV boost?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: What do forever chemicals mean for firefighters?
Podcast Plus can we avoid another heating bill hike? And will a new test tell us how quickly our organs are ageing?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why are sinkholes becoming more common?
Podcast Plus, will Saudi investment help create the "Netflix of sport"? And why has New Zealand's new tourism campaign met with a savage reception?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why Trump is getting rid of the penny
Podcast Plus, what does the Chagos Islands deal mean for the island's inhabitants? And do personality tests discriminate against neurodivergent job applicants?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: What's happening to Afghan women cricketers?
Podcast Plus, can AI understand religion? And are we losing the war against rats?
By The Week UK Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Are our phones fuelling a Congolese militia?
Podcast Plus, what's behind a spate of hate crimes in Australia? And why is carbon monoxide the new 'drug' of choice for cyclists?
By The Week UK Published