Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters.
In this week’s episode, we discuss:
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Bird mystery
When hundreds of yellow-headed blackbirds were filmed appearing to fall from the sky in mysterious circumstances in northern Mexico last month, the footage quickly went viral, baffling millions of viewers. This week the phenomenon was finally explained, but in the gap between the event and the explanation, all sorts of rumours and theories were proposed, from climate change to 5G to pollution, mid-air electrocution and even alien activity. What does this tell us about the way we process information and attempt to understand the world.
Pivot to podcasts
This week marked the release of Matt Hancock’s first long-form interview since his career-derailing affair with an aide last year. But this exclusive tell-all with the former health secretary wasn’t granted to a veteran broadcaster. Instead, Hancock appeared on The Diary of a CEO, a podcast said he was “completely hooked” on. The sonic scoop came less than two weeks after the BBC’s Jon Sopel and Emily Maitlis announced they were leaving the corporation to launch “a major new podcast” and co-host a radio show. But why are so many famous figures ditching the small screen for audio – and what does this mean for the future of TV news?
Nostalgia
A new study has found that nostalgia can act as a painkiller, reducing the sensation of pain in a group of patients who were showed images and videos that recalled their childhood. It seems to work not simply by distracting people from pain, but by reducing the activity in the parts of the brain that transmit and perceive pain. What does this tell us about the power of nostalgia? And might it be useful to us in other unexpected psychological ways?
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7 mountain hotels perfect for a tranquil autumn or winter escapeThe Week Recommends Get (altitude) high and unwind
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‘Deskilling’: a dangerous side effect of AI useThe explainer Workers are increasingly reliant on the new technology
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The biggest sports betting scandals in historyIn Depth The recent indictments of professional athletes were the latest in a long line of scandals
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The Week Unwrapped: Should we be eating less fat – or more?Podcast Plus who will benefit from the surprise Dutch election result? And how can art improve our health?
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The Week Unwrapped: Will Grace Wales Bonner change Hermès for the better?Podcast Plus will nuclear fusion deliver us from climate change? Is humour the best way to take on Trump?
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The Week Unwrapped: Can bullfighting win over young SpaniardsPodcast Plus, is online fandom inherently unhealthy? And is Putin’s economy running out of gas?
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The Week Unwrapped: Who had the last laugh in Riyadh?Podcast Plus are imported eggs undermining animal welfare? And what can we do about AI deepfakes?
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The Week Unwrapped: Was life sent to Earth by aliens?Podcast Plus why did Nepali voters use a gaming app to pick their next PM? And will a new national park boost the case for Welsh independence?
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The Week Unwrapped: Why is horse-racing going on strike?Podcast Plus, will the South Korean women who worked in state-run brothels set up for US soldiers succeed? And what’s behind a surge in leg-lengthening surgery?
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The Week Unwrapped: What does Bake Off say about Channel 4?Podcast Plus, why are Scottish drug deaths so stubbornly high? And are women in their 30s too anxious about their eggs?
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The Week Unwrapped: Could robotic dogs help clear landmines?Podcast Plus, what can we learn from a new approach to urban renewal? And how much power rests with political spouses?
