How did Pakistan become the Middle East mediator? Has Northern Ireland struck gold? And why does the Queen of Country unite Americans?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

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Is Viktor Orban about to lose power? Why are stalking offences on the rise? And would you choose to be dissolved after death?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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Why is Asia joining Eurovision? How did London become a target for deepfakes? And what’s behind Japan’s shift on joint custody?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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What’s gone wrong with Britain’s organ transplant system? Why did Gerry Adams’ trial collapse? And did Fergie really want to clone the late Queen’s dogs?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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Is Britain rethinking its big break with the EU? Will Banksy survive (another) unmasking? And is battery technology about to take a leap forward?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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Why are Saudi Arabia and the UAE at odds in Africa? How will a new president change Chile? And why did Meta just buy a social network built for AI?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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What does France’s nuclear policy shift mean for Europe? Why is the dinosaur market booming? And can North Korea regain its place at the top of women’s football?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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Is the world running out of RAM? Why is the Royal Artillery keeping looted treasure behind closed doors? And how can Heathrow’s car park cost £1.3 billion?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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Do the Freemasons have too much sway in the police force? What does the growing popularity of prediction markets mean for the future? Why are UK film and TV workers struggling?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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Have televised confessions quelled protests in Iran? Why has Elon Musk turned from Mars to the Moon? And will the BBC prove to be a puzzles champ?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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• Global Player

Why does Russia send so many ships through the Channel? What does a ‘feminist’ approach to cancer involve? And who is Mickey’s new boss?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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• Global Player

The decision to choose Sean Bean as the new host for the latest series of “Get Birding” was met with “a raised eyebrow or two”, said Gerard O’Donovan in The Telegraph. But the “Game of Thrones” star has been a “keen birder” since he was a teenager, and “he’s a natural”, bringing “pulling power” and passion to a hobby that’s “not normally associated with charisma”.

“Get Birding” began in 2021 during lockdown as twitching exploded in popularity. Now, the podcast is back for its fourth series, and, as always, its aim is to demystify birdwatching and nature, making it more accessible for everyone to enjoy.

“It’s a hugely listenable RSPB podcast”, said Alexi Duggins in The Guardian. Bean is “warm and honest”, sharing his “lifelong love of birding” with listeners, and revealing how he has squeezed in birdwatching between his acting jobs. In the first episode, he chats with musician (and “fellow ornithology lover”) Guy Garvey about “spotting different species while working abroad, recognising birdsong and the meditative joy of watching the feathered creatures”.

The new series “sprinkles celebrity birdwatchers among ornithological experts” including RSPB president Dr Amir Khan and 23-year-old environmental activist Mya-Rose Craig (also known as Birdgirl), who previously hosted the show, said Lucy White in the Irish Independent. Guests share how they fell in love with birdwatching; Craig, for example, came from a “twitching family”, and recalls getting up at the crack of dawn for excursions around the country from Somerset to Scotland.

Bean makes for a “genial host”. The “rugged actor” is “so Yorkshire he’s wearing a flat cap in the video version”. When he’s not pottering around his “three acres of rewilded land”, he chats with his “fellow bird-fanciers” about the joys of connecting with nature. “Birdwatching really settles your mind,” he says. “I guess it’s like playing a musical instrument, you can’t be thinking of anything else when you’re in the garden, everything else floats away, all your troubles. It keeps you sane.”

Why is China clearing out its generals? Can the Conservatives win back the centre? And what’s gone wrong with Britain’s hearing aids?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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• Global Player

Have we reached ‘peak billionaire’? When should troops disobey their superiors? And what can we learn from a tool-wielding cow?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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• Global Player

Will Uganda’s pop-star politician prevail? Is dodgy data undermining medical research? And what does a new app reveal about Chinese society?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

“Seemingly, everyone has a podcast now,” said USA Today. “So it’s about time that major awards shows caught up, right?”

The Golden Globes waded into “previously uncharted territory” last night, handing out its very first podcast of the year award to Amy Poehler for her show “Good Hang with Amy Poehler”. But like any significant change to the category line-up, the news has provoked a backlash.

‘Celebrity-heavy’ focus

Following various scandals over allegations of bribery and membership non-diversity, the Golden Globes “returned from the brink”, said Glenn Whipp in the Los Angeles Times. But the show’s ethical practices appear to be “worse than ever”.

The shortlist of 25 podcasts was whittled down by audio analytics company Luminate, which, like the Golden Globes itself, is, “surprise”, owned by Penske Media. It soon became clear that the “real motivation” behind the new category was “money”. Penske-owned trade publication Variety “had its sales team pitch nominated podcasts an array of paid marketing partnerships”, including a “$75,000 deal for the podcaster to be given the Variety Creative Impact Award in Podcasting”.

Conservative podcast host Ben Shapiro mounted an “aggressive” campaign after making the initial shortlist, said Vanity Fair. “But it was all for naught.” None of the right-wing political podcasts that qualified – including those from Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson – made the cut. Instead, the final nominations were dominated by “down-the-middle, entertainment-focused shows”, said USA Today.

The “celebrity-heavy” focus of the final list suggests the category is “at least in part, a way to lure more big names to a ceremony that’s always relied on star power to justify its existence”, said Abbie Ruzicka, co-founder of podcast producer Arcana Audio, in The New York Times. It appears more like a “bid for relevance” from the Golden Globes than a genuine “sudden appreciation for the medium”.

While the inclusion of the podcast category in this year’s show makes sense, “the category, as it exists, does not”. It remains unclear how works that “differ so dramatically in their form and intent” can be fairly evaluated against each other. “Mashing together” celebrity chats with news shows and “self-help monologues” while omitting narrative podcasts entirely reveals a “lack of understanding about what podcasts are and why they matter. Podcasting isn’t a genre; it’s an industry.”

A ‘satisfying’ win

Poehler’s victory “might just have been the most satisfying win of the night – and not just because she beat her ex-husband Will Arnett”, said Glamour. “There’s something even sweeter.”

For the “umpteenth” year in a row, Joe Rogan’s podcast was the most listened to on Spotify, while seven of the top 10 spots were shows hosted by men. Although “not everything is a battle of the sexes”, it does “make a difference how much of the idle chit chat” we consume while driving or cooking is “being uttered by a man or a woman”. In a world filled with “toxic masculinity”, what a “breath of fresh air it is” to see Poehler succeed in the field with her “thoughtful and kind conversations, and feminism couched in humour. She is also, as ever, funny as hell.”

Poehler has a “goofy warmth and ability to riff” that is perfectly suited to podcasts, said USA Today. Crucially, she also has a “genuine curiosity and sensitivity” that encourages her celebrity guests to “open up in ways they rarely do in interviews”, while knowing exactly when to “sit back and listen to her subjects”.

If the new category is to “endure” at the Golden Globes, the “fix may be simple”, said Ruzicka. Podcasts should be treated the same way as Hollywood movies and TV shows, with categories spanning everything from chat shows to scripted fiction. As a “rare visible stage” for podcasts, it’s vital the ceremony gets this right. “Having opened the door, now comes the harder part: listening.”

Is Elon Musk’s AI tool a platform for abuse? Can Mumsnet predict who will be the next PM? And who is still watching Avatar sequels?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

For some years, people have been complaining that the podcast market is over-saturated, but more are coming out all the time – and some are well worth seeking out. Here is a selection of the best from the past 12 months.

Comedy

Rather like the work of “probably the greatest comic writer” who ever lived, “The World of Wodehouse” is a “ray of sunshine”, said The Guardian. Hosted by Alexander Armstrong, it includes “laugh-out-loud readings of his sparkling prose”; and invites well-known fans – Stephen Fry, Lynne Truss – to share “the joy the author has brought to their lives”.

Having already conquered comedy, television and film, the actress Amy Poehler emerged as the year’s breakout podcast star, said Francis Agustin on BBC Culture. On “Good Hang with Amy Poehler”, she chats with famous guests (Michelle Obama, Ariana Grande), deploying her “signature humour and infectious laugh to disarm her guests”.

Steve Coogan’s comic creation Alan Partridge originated on Radio 4 in 1991 – and the format that suits Partridge best today is arguably podcasting, said Fiona Sturges in the Financial Times. The new series of “From the Oasthouse” finds him in a range of “deliciously random” set-ups, from orienteering in Suffolk to getting stuck in the glazed vestibule of his assistant Lynn’s house.

Interviews

My big podcasting discovery this year was “Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth”, said Matthew Syed in The Sunday Times. The episode with Gary Oldman is extraordinary, and Brandreth proves an “interviewer of genius, nudging his guests, coaxing them, almost sashaying through the conversation of their lives”.

On “Fashion Neurosis with Bella Freud”, the designer invites famous guests (Nick Cave, Zadie Smith) to “recline on her couch” and talk about their relationship to fashion. It’s a warm, soothing show, said Jenny McCartney in The Spectator – and the concept “proves a surprisingly fruitful route into family history, personal stories and high- grade gossip”. Also recommended: “Dream Space”, hosted by Gemma Cairney, about artists and making art.

Society

“Lucky Boy” tells the story of a 14-year-old “misfit” schoolboy and his secret lover – a 27-year-old teacher at his London school. The series offers a powerful exploration of a difficult subject by looking at the life of one victim, said Jude Rogers in The Observer – and it’s handled by reporter Chloe Hadjimatheou with great “sensitivity”.

Radio 4’s “Human Intelligence”, from the novelist Naomi Alderman, is a “seminal” piece of audio, said Miranda Sawyer in The Observer – 50 episodes of 15 minutes, each dedicated to a single thinker, from Socrates to Michael Faraday.

Another great podcast about big ideas is “Plain English with Derek Thompson”, said James Marriott in The Times – a dull title but a thrilling listen. Focused on science, from “super-ageing” to how smartphones are changing our personalities, Thompson’s series is an “oasis of intelligent thought” amid podcasting’s “hot air and egotistical blather”.

Two superb new podcasts this year offered fresh insights into the pressing issues of war, peace and global security. “The Crisis Room” is a current-affairs show from Global that’s “refreshingly serious” and “seriously good”, said The Times; its hosts are Mark Urban, Amber Rudd and Marc Polymeropoulos, formerly of the CIA.

“The Wargame”, with Deborah Haynes of Sky News, is a powerful and gripping examination of Britain’s readiness for war, said the FT. Based on the real-life Whitehall drills, the series simulates a national emergency in which Russia attacks the UK, with ex-politicians Jack Straw, Ben Wallace and Amber Rudd (again) all part of the (fictional) government.

“The Rest is Classified” features ex-CIA analyst David McCloskey and the former BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera exchanging real-life spy stories, said Gareth McLean in Radio Times. What “Rest Is...” will Gary Lineker’s company come up with next? Perhaps a podcast about sleep: “The Rest is Rest”.

History

“Hidden Histories with Nova Reid” is a riveting Audible series, said The New York Times, which foregrounds the untold stories of black women.

Also from Audible is “Mistresses”, said Miranda Sawyer in The Observer, a “beautifully edited and produced” six-parter about the lives of “other women” through history.

“Instant Classics”, with Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins, is like a “free weekly Oxford tutorial from two eccentric dons”.

A gripping story featuring “hidden documents and mysterious visitors”, “The House at Number 48” tells the “fascinating” story of an English man who discovers that his late father was the scion of wealthy Jewish industrialists who fled Berlin in 1939, said Patricia Nicol in The Sunday Times.

Released to mark the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, “The Second Map” is about the war in the Pacific. Host Kavita Puri made the acclaimed “Three Million” about the Bengal famine of 1943, and this podcast is similarly “revelatory”. Also recommended: “The Copernic Affair”.

Art, literature and music

I’m usually an “Austen refusenik”, said Miranda Sawyer in The Observer – but I fell hard for Audible’s starry, and beautifully produced, dramatisation of “Pride and Prejudice”. It is “so well done, so delightful, that I gobbled up the entire series in a couple of days”.

“Waldy and Bendy’s Adventures in Art” is a “joyful and inspiring” series that combines news from the art world with discussion of great paintings, said James Marriott in The Times. This year saw it back from a long break, and presenters Waldemar Januszczak and Bendor Grosvenor are as brilliant as ever.

Truly great music podcasts are “rare”, said Fiona Sturges in the FT; this year two stood out. The four episodes of “Chasing the Sound”, hosted by Kirk Flash, each take a single song as the springboard for a musical, and literal, journey. “Fela Kuti: Fear No Man” is an “epic portrait” of the musician who pioneered Afrobeat: “even after 12 episodes, I didn’t want it to end”. Also recommended for music lovers: “Talk ’90s to Me” (hosted by Miranda Sawyer); and “Illuminated – The Organ Symphony”.

Well-being

Finding parenting tough going? You’re not alone, said Patricia Nicol in The Sunday Times. Two podcasts I enjoyed on that theme this year were the award-winning “Teenagers Untangled”, and “How Not to Screw Up Your Kids”. In the former, the journalist and parenting coach Rachel Richards takes a practical, non-judgemental approach; I was especially “grateful for a segment on festival tips, straight from the mouths of teenagers”. In the latter (running since 2021), the British psychologist Dr Maryhan Munt offers calm, clear, advice about everything from sibling rivalry to tech management to divorce.

A “splendid” new show from the BBC was “What’s Up Docs?”, said The Times, hosted by Chris and Xand van Tulleken. The identical twin medics are “relaxed, chatty and scientifically rigorous” – and bring welcome sanity to the “increasingly deranged conversation” about “wellness”.

Perhaps the only podcast to actually demand blood from its guests – in order to establish their cellular “biological age” – is “What’s My Age Again?”, with Katherine Ryan. As is so often the case with the Canadian comedian, the surface breeziness belies real frankness and insight, said The Guardian. Biologist Dr Nichola Conlon helps explore the science of longevity, while guests open up about addiction, adoption and more.

True crime

An odd thing happened early this year, said Nicholas Quah on Vulture. Several outlets, including Wired and Wondery, produced series about “scam compounds” in Southeast Asia – giant, prison-like complexes where victims of human-traffickers are forced to work as internet scammers. “Scam Inc.”, from The Economist, is the best of the bunch, combining a sweeping scope with impressive access.

It is an extraordinary series, agreed James Marriott in The Times – as is Luke Jones’ engrossing and “quietly horrifying” “The Pitcairn Trials”, about the long history of child sexual abuse in one of “the most unusual communities in the world”.

For a lighter listen, try “The Golden Toilet Heist”, a “splendidly light-hearted caper” from the BBC’s “Crime Next Door” series. Presenter Clodagh Stenson brings verve and humour to an absurd and “irreducibly British” tale.

The Boston Globe’s “gripping” “Snitch City”, about police informants in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is a “remarkable piece of reporting”, said Fiona Sturges in the FT – a multilayered story of police “drunk on power, informants hung out to dry and officials closing ranks to protect their own”.

Closer to home, the BBC’s “Operation Seal Bay”, about Pembrokeshire fishermen who stumbled across suspicious activity on a remote beach, is a thoroughly enjoyable “crime caper”.

Science, nature and more

“The World, the Universe and Us” is New Scientist’s recently revamped podcast, said The Times. By producing this “amiable weekly canter through the latest science news” for non-experts, the mag has done a “great public service”.

“Threshold” is a charming show about the natural world, notable for its “exquisite and imaginative sound design”. Host Amy Martin explores questions such as: “What sound does a frozen lake make on a sunny day?” Answer: a “sort of squeaky, bloopy, howling noise like the ghost of a sad spaniel trapped in a tunnel”.

“The Water Road”, from ex-BBC newsreader Adam Porter, is a joy, said the FT – soothing and sedate. The bite-size instalments are a “terrific showcase for the sounds of canal life” – from his narrowboat’s gentle chug to the quacking of passing ducks.

Another quirky gem is “Windows”, in which Londoners talk about the view from their window. It’s “warmly meditative”, and the sound design “is truly lovely”.

Have you missed the biggest news of the week? Or the stories that will shape our lives in years to come, when the passing hype of the day’s headlines have faded from memory. That’s what we explore on The Week’s own award-winning podcast, “The Week Unwrapped”, which seeks out under-reported stories with unexpected consequences. Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you find podcasts.

Why is George Osborne joining OpenAI? What’s the cost of PFAs? And has universal basic income finally come of age?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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• Global Player

How is the euro fuelling unrest in Bulgaria? Has Syria changed, a year on from its revolution? And why are humans (mostly) monogamous?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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• Global Player

Will drought fuel global violence? Why did Trump pardon a drug-trafficking president? And are romantic comedies in terminal decline?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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Hannah Fry is “surely the UK’s leading populariser of science”, said The i Paper. Recently named co-host of “The Rest is Science”, the latest podcast in Gary Lineker’s hit The Rest Is… franchise, Fry is a “natural communicator” with a “winning fusion of darting intelligence, sly humour, electric enthusiasm and a touch of cheerful glamour”.

The maths professor is “like the teacher you wish you’d had” – someone who makes “challenging subjects feel like shared adventures”.

‘Goody two shoes’

Growing up in a working-class family in Hertfordshire, with a factory worker father and her housewife mother, “I wasn’t really going out”, dating, drinking, or “hanging out in the park at ill-advised hours”, Fry told The i Paper. Instead, I was “learning how to do Rubik’s Cubes”, juggle and “genuinely just reading”.

“My whole life I’ve been a goody two shoes,” she told The Guardian. No detentions, no breaking the law. My worst habit is being “consistently and reliably late for everything. I strongly suspect it’s because I’m very optimistic – I think I can get ready quicker than I ever can.”

When she arrived at UCL to study mathematics, Fry was “one of the people who grew up in the countryside and whose parents were really strict and they Lose. Their. Minds”, said The i Paper. She tried stand-up comedy at university, then studied for a PhD in fluid dynamics so that she could work in Formula 1. But she found the motor racing industry “awful” and broke into broadcasting through a TED talk on the mathematics of love.

‘Electric enthusiasm’

When she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2021 at the age of 36, she opted for a radical hysterectomy. The strain “precipitated the amicable end of her marriage”, but she “dealt with it all by intimately tracking” the experience in a BBC Two documentary, “Making Sense of Cancer with Hannah Fry”. She’s also written a book: “Hello World: How to be Human in the Age of the Machine”.

She is a regular guest host on “Have I Got News for You” and co-hosts BBC Radio 4’s “Curious Cases” podcast with comedian Dara Ó Briain. In her National Geographic TV series “The Infinite Explorer”, Fry visits countries all over the world – it was “the chance of a lifetime”, she told Metro. She was recently appointed the University of Cambridge’s first professor of the public understanding of mathematics.

There have been mixed reviews for her performance on “The Rest Is Science”. Fry’s “fact-filled banter needs structure”, said The Times, whereas The Telegraph thought the opening episode was “a delight”.

What can we learn from Slovenia’s rejection of assisted dying? Can politicians admit their weaknesses? And have pedigree dogs had their day?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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What are the ethics of freezing your late partner? And will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Who were the “human hunters” of the Bosnian war? Why has a rap song become an anti-Putin anthem in Russia? And what should happen to captive penguins?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
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• Global Player

Can the Maldives quit smoking? Are British rappers the world’s best? And can whales lead us to immortality?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Should we be eating less fat – or more? Who will benefit from the surprise Dutch election result? And how can art improve our health?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Will nuclear fusion deliver us from climate change? Is humour the best way to take on Trump? And will Grace Wales Bonner change Hermès for the better?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Is Putin’s economy running out of gas? Is online fandom inherently unhealthy? And can bullfighting win over young Spaniards?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Are imported eggs undermining animal welfare? Who had the last laugh in Riyadh? And what can we do about AI deepfakes?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Could US trans activists be classified as terrorists? And what’s in store for the Church of England?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Why did Nepali voters use a gaming app to pick their next PM? Was life sent to Earth by aliens? And will a new national park boost the case for Welsh independence?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Will the women who worked in state-run brothels set up for US soldiers succeed in court? Why is horse-racing going on strike? And what’s behind a surge in surgical height enhancement?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

What does Bake Off tell us about a channel in decline? Why are Scottish drug deaths so stubbornly high? And are women in their 30s too anxious about their eggs?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Could robotic dogs help clear landmines? What can we learn from a new approach to urban renewal? And how much power rests with political spouses?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Why is the pope getting flatmates? Can a map change the way we see the world? And why are seagull 'muggings' on the rise?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Will bringing peace to Armenia and Azerbaijan win Donald Trump a Nobel Peace Prize? What does the use of North Korean and Indian labour tell us about the Russian war economy? And why have we all gone crazy for pickles?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Why are people watching footage from the ocean floor? What can we learn from a football club on the brink? And which jobs will fall to AI first?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Should countries sue each other for climate damage? What does Grand Theft Auto 6 tell us about the health of the video game industry? And could AI replace catwalk models?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Why is Volodymyr Zelenskyy opposing anti-corruption laws? How will US withdrawal affect Unesco? And are shared electric bikes a force for good or evil?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Are scientists too left-wing? Plus, could Ro Khanna be the next Democrat president? And why is abortion at a record high in the UK?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

The first instalment of "The Retrievals" was a "tough listen", said Miranda Sawyer in The Observer. It explored a scandal at the Yale Fertility Center where a nurse with an addiction had been stealing drugs, leaving women to have medical operations with no pain relief. "They said that they were in agony, but no one believed them."

Season two takes the central issue of women's pain being ignored and "discovers it somewhere else: childbirth". Susan Burton ("careful, calm") is back for the second instalment. This time, the reporter tells the story of Clara Hochhauser, a birth nurse at the University of Illinois Hospital who is pregnant with twins. When she goes in to have her babies, she ends up undergoing an emergency caesarean. But the anaesthetist failed to administer the proper painkillers and, despite her screams of pain, she was forced to feel everything.

Burton tells the tale with Clara "as if we were watching a medical drama", introducing the doctors and nurses that work at the hospital as characters and "describing the camera moving in and out" of various rooms. Towards the end of the first episode, she "drops the bombshell": each year in the US, 100,000 women experience significant pain during a C-section.

At first, the decision to present the story as if it's a medical procedural on television feels "peculiar" and "distracting", said Nicholas Quah in Vulture. But the "detached" style starts to pay off when we reach Clara's C-section, giving listeners "just enough distance to stay close to the unbearable".

What Clara went through was an "aberration", but Burton delves into how "cultural norms" around pregnancy prevented her from being able to convey her experience successfully and get the help she needed. Even when something goes "terribly" wrong, childbirth can be "shrouded" by the assumption that significant pain is "all part of the deal".

"Not everything about the season lands." It would have been good to get further insight into daily routines and "institutional cultures that shape" obstetrics. But the hard-hitting podcast remains a "rare narrative" doubling as a reason for why the "format should exist". The gap left by the "missing image" pulls you in, forcing you to "actively try to channel that experience".

The rest of the series dives into potential solutions to this "appallingly common injustice", said The Observer's Sawyer. "'The Retrievals' is, again, essential listening."

Is Britain giving up on trial by jury? Should non-disclosure agreements be banned? And is Irish culture having a moment?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

Should call-up rules be gender neutral? Are digital ID cards inevitable? And why do women get more ACL injuries?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

How do you turn plastics into paracetamol? What is the Wagner Group doing now? And why is it so hard to find a job after university?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

"Do we really need another story of a scammer?" said Fiona Sturges in the Financial Times. We're "overloaded" with "tawdry tales" of con artists pulling off ever more elaborate schemes on their unsuspecting victims.

But Apple's first original scripted podcast doesn't take "any pleasure in the gullibility" of Charles Ponzi's doomed investors. Nor is it a "straightforward" story about the "dangers of fraudsters". At its heart, "Easy Money" is a compelling "character study" of an Italian immigrant who travelled to America in the early 20th century with a simple goal: "to make his fortune".

When he found himself "on his uppers", with a new wife to support and no job, Ponzi "spied an opportunity". After spotting that he could buy international postal reply coupons in one country and then redeem them in another with a better rate of exchange, he started to recruit investors, promising high return with low risk.

Over a nine-month period, he swindled thousands of investors out of millions of dollars, using new investments to pay off the old, while pocketing money for himself and splashing out on a lavish lifestyle. "He had created what became known as a Ponzi scheme."

It's an "enlightening and entertaining" podcast series, said Rick Kogan in the Chicago Tribune. "Deeply researched and stylishly written" by Matt Hickey and Kevin Hynes, and "hosted with considerable charm" by former Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Maya Lau, it's filled with "fascinating" details.

The "polished" production features dramatized sections, with a cast including US comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalco as Ponzi. While it centres on a "colourful, wide-reaching criminal", the series also draws on a collection of recently discovered letters to delve into the con artist's "touching" relationship with his wife Rose. By the end, I even started to feel a "grudging respect" for him.

Mixing documentary with drama "often falls flat", said the FT's Sturges. But "Easy Money" is "effective in getting under the skin of its protagonist", portraying him "less as an out-and-out villain" than a "charismatic man" who made "one bad decision after another and quickly got out of his depth".

Could the Greens ape Reform UK? Are more people opting out of public services?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

"Welcome to the era of the book club podcast," said Emily Watkins in The i Paper. The formula is straightforward: the host chooses a book to talk about and audiences "tune in at their leisure" to listen. "It's an undeniable hit," especially for those who "shudder at the thought of talking to strangers".

With Gen Z increasingly turning to physical books, in part fuelled by the rise of #booktok and vocal celebrity readers like Dua Lipa, it seems book clubs – both on and offline – are "more popular than ever". The nature of podcasts means audiences can either read the title before listening or "dip into an episode" about a book they haven't read. Here are some of the best.

NPR's Book of the Day

This snappy 15-minute podcast is "great for discovering new books to add to your reading list", said Town & Country. The daily show is filled with all the latest news about the most exciting releases and has fascinating interviews with a diverse array of writers.

The Book Club Review

This "no-nonsense" podcast "takes reading seriously – in a good way", said Watkins. Hosts Laura Potter and Kate Slotover (who both worked in publishing) discuss – and occasionally "rip to shreds" – one of the latest reads from their in-person club. The episodes are also peppered with author interviews and interesting recommendations. "Expect heartfelt criticism, insightful analysis and rousing debate."

The Bookshelf with Ryan Tubridy

Broadcaster Ryan Tubridy is a "household name" in Ireland and his podcast is "quite Celtic accented, but given the strength of Irish writing, so are many bookshelves", said Patricia Nicol in The Sunday Times. Each episode, guests are asked to share one book from their childhood, one that made them cry and one that changed their life. It makes for a great listen, partly because of the "clear format" and partly because Tubridy is such a "capably amiable presenter".

Overdue

Andrew Cunningham and Craig Getting host this "podcast about the books you've been meaning to read", said Amber Gwynne, a writing lecturer at the University of Queensland, on The Conversation. While certain to add some "dog-eared classics to your to-be-read pile", like "Madame Bovary", there's also some newer reads like Gabrielle Zevin's 2022 gaming novel, "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow".

Sara & Cariad's Weirdos Book Club

Those who "like their literature with a side of laughter" will enjoy this hilarious show, said Watkins. In each episode, comedians Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd invite celebrity guests to discuss the book they're reading, making it "more giggly chat than hardcore review". Akin to a "classic panel show but with none of the attendant blokey humour", it's laugh-out-loud funny – "I snorted more than once at the 'Bridget Jones's Diary' episode".

Backlisted

John Mitchinson and Andy Miller host this "much-loved and long-running" literary podcast, said Nicol in The Times. Every fortnight a new guest shares a "favourite old book" that's worth reading. Recent episodes include the poet Emily Berry on Anne Sexton's "All My Pretty Ones" and the thriller writer Alex Michaelides on Ford Madox Ford's "The Good Soldier".

What does a vote on citizenship tell us about Italy? How did South Korea become a cultural powerhouse? And is the future of football six-a-side?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player

How did Japan become a space superpower? Will buy-now-pay-later cause a new financial crisis? And why on earth are Labubu dolls so popular?

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.

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped wherever you get your podcasts:

• Spotify
• Apple Podcasts
• Global Player