The Leicester lockdown

How local lockdowns will work, Leicester’s is likely to be the first of many.

• 31 mins

Can the NHS recover from coronavirus?

What has the pandemic done to healthcare in the UK and will it get back on track?

• 28 mins

What is happening to the Uighurs in China?

China's treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, and how the world is responding.

• 28 mins

The UK's place in the world

How can the UK shape foreign policy in response to the threats posed by Russia and China?

• 28 mins

How to beat obesity

What’s in the government's plan to help people lose weight and what more could be done?

• 28 mins

Scottish Independence: Hope and Fear

What is behind rising support for independence and how could another referendum happen?

• 28 mins

Covid-19: the return to school

How should we balance the risks when reopening schools during the coronavirus pandemic?

• 28 mins

Belarus: the end of a dictatorship?

What will come of the protests in Belarus and who will determine the country's future?

• 28 mins

Brexit: deal or no deal?

Where are we up to with Brexit and what will it mean for you?

• 28 mins

Football and the Pandemic

Coronavirus might put some football clubs out of business, but how important are they?

• 28 mins

Will the US election be free and fair?

Could fraud and voter suppression affect this year's presidential election?

• 29 mins

Covid-19: Six Months On

It's been six months since lockdown was introduced - what have we learned about Covid-19?

• 28 mins

Sweden and the Pandemic

Sweden decided not to lockdown like other countries - was it the right decision?

• 29 mins

Covid-19: are we still following the rules?

To what extent are we following and understanding the guidance designed to keep us safe?

• 28 mins

Britain's Immigration Dilemma

What can the government do to control immigration across the English Channel?

• 28 mins

Covid-19: Regional Differences

Why are there regional differences in Covid-19 infection rates?

• 28 mins

Education: A Testing Issue

Should school exams be cancelled across the UK next summer?

• 28 mins

The President's In Tray

Whoever wins the US presidential election, what awaits the next man in the White House?

• 28 mins

How Broke is Britain?

Britain’s borrowing is forecast to hit nearly £400bn this year. Can we afford this?

• 28 mins

Brexit: Is It Oven Ready?

David Aaronovitch and The Briefing Room team explore Britain's readiness for 2021.

• 57 mins

Living with the Taliban

Could the Taliban return to power in Afghanistan? If so, what would the world do?

• 28 mins

The Climate Crisis: Are We Moving Fast Enough?

China has set a target for net zero CO2, the US will shortly - but is this fast enough?

• 28 mins

Facebook's Monopoly Problem

David Aaronovitch explores the antitrust case against Facebook.

• 28 mins

America: what just happened?

What do events in Washington mean for America, its institutions and its politics?

• 28 mins

Covid and the NHS

Infections are rising, hospitals are filling up. Is the NHS coping with the Covid crisis?

• 29 mins

Putin vs Navalny

Alexei Navalny’s return to Russia has tweaked the tiger’s tail. Why is Mr Putin so afraid?

• 29 mins

The Irish Question

Has Brexit brought the reunification of Ireland any closer?

• 28 mins

GameStop Shock

Chaos on the US markets last week as GameStop’s price rocketed. But what really happened?

• 29 mins

“Turmoil” in the SNP

A senior SNP MP says the party is in turmoil. Why?

• 29 mins

Out of Lockdown

Cautious but irreversible; the promises and risks of lifting lockdown.

• 29 mins

Brexit Business

Two months since Britain signed a trade deal with the EU, is it working well for business?

• 29 mins

Covid-19 and the World

An hour-long special asking which countries have fared better during the pandemic and why?

• 57 mins

Global supply chains: is the UK vulnerable?

If global supply chains are interrupted, how will the UK cope?

• 29 mins

Northern Ireland: how fragile is the peace process?

Violence in Northern Ireland: has it exposed the fragility of the peace process?

• 29 mins

Could Germany Go Green?

Angela Merkel leaves office this year. Might she be replaced by a Green?

• 29 mins

India's Covid Catastrophe

India was said to have “defeated Covid”. Now thousands are dying daily. What went wrong?

• 29 mins

Hong Kong: Beijing Tightens Its Grip

David Aaronovitch examines what's happening in Hong Kong and where it's going to end.

• 29 mins

Hamas

What does Hamas want?

• 29 mins

The Ransomware Threat

What is ransomware and why is it a growing threat?

• 29 mins

How Unsettled is EU Status?

As the UK's deadline for applications passes, David Aaronovitch explores EU settled status

• 29 mins

Who Do We Think We Are?

David Aaronovitch explores the new political demography of Britain and asks who are we?

• 29 mins

Stepping into the Unknown

As Covid restrictions lift in England but new infections rise, what are the risks?

• 28 mins

COP26: Floods, Fire, and the Future

Can COP26 help tackle climate change and save us from droughts, wildfires and floods?

• 28 mins

Where Are All the Workers?

As the economy opens up again, is the UK short of workers?

• 28 mins

Taiwan and the Threat to Peace

Could tensions over Taiwan and who it belongs to lead to war?

• 28 mins

Who's supporting the Taliban?

As the Taliban capture more territory in Afghanistan, who supports them and why?

• 28 mins

What next for President Biden’s foreign policy?

How will events in Afghanistan shape the future of US foreign policy?

• 28 mins

HS2: On Track?

How is HS2 progressing and are spiralling costs threatening its completion?

• 28 mins

The Afghan Refugee Crisis

How will the world deal with Afghan refugees?

• 29 mins

Universal Credit: The Challenge Ahead

The Universal Credit £20 weekly uplift ends soon, so how are the poorest best helped now?

• 28 mins

Vaccine Passports and Booster Jabs

How useful might vaccine passports and booster jabs be over the winter?

• 28 mins

The UK's Energy Crisis

What lies behind the UK's energy problems, and how can we can stop it happening again?

• 28 mins

Non-Fungible Tokens

What are NFTs? How do you buy and sell them? And how do they help British art and artists?

• 28 mins

Britain's Dirty Rivers

Sewage, chemicals, micro-plastics - how dirty are Britain's rivers? And what can be done?

• 28 mins

Social Care - What's Changing?

Long neglected by many governments, what do the new proposals for social care mean?

• 29 mins

China Crisis?

With an energy shortage and growing debts, is China's economy in trouble?

• 29 mins

Europe's Covid Surge

As parts of Europe struggle to contain Covid cases we ask what that means for them and us.

• 29 mins

Living in a Variant World

Where do Covid variants like Omicron come from? And what makes a variant dangerous?

• 29 mins

Afghanistan: What Now? What Next?

From insurgency to government - the challenges for the Taliban and the west.

• 29 mins

Ukraine: Could There Be War?

Russian troops are amassed close to the Ukrainian border - what's happening and why?

• 29 mins

Space Wars and Laws

Could space be the next frontier for conflict? And what would it look like?

• 29 mins

Brexit: What Have We Learned?

Weighing up the costs and gains for the UK and Europe a year after Brexit.

• 29 mins

Inflation

Prices are soaring. Inflation is at a 30 year high. How worried should we be?

• 28 mins

BBC Funding

With BBC funding under pressure, how might alternatives to the licence fee work?

• 28 mins

How do we learn to live with Covid?

As Plan B Covid restrictions end how do we transition to a society that lives with Covid?

• 28 mins

Is the Prime Minister’s Office fit for purpose?

How 10 Downing Street functions is under scrutiny. Can the problems be fixed?

• 28 mins

Will the levelling up plans work?

What does the government's recently published white paper mean for levelling up?

• 28 mins

What do drones mean for the future of warfare?

Drones are transforming the way wars are fought but should we be worried about it?

• 29 mins

Russia's invasion: will sanctions work?

Russia is facing international sanctions. What impact will they have?

• 29 mins

Russia's invasion: what's the military strategy?

The war in Ukraine is a week old. What have we learned about the way it is being fought?

• 29 mins

Russia's invasion: what level of support does Putin have at home?

What's the impact in Russia of painful sanctions and a war that's not going to plan?

• 29 mins

Russia's invasion: what could a peace deal look like?

Talks between Ukraine and Russia have taken place this week but can they lead to peace?

• 28 mins

Russia's invasion: what more can the west do to help Ukraine?

One month on since Russia invaded Ukraine what further help can the West provide?

• 28 mins

Will the Rwanda plan work?

David Aaronovitch examines the UK's plan to send some asylum seekers to Rwanda.

• 29 mins

What's the impact of the Shanghai lockdown?

What will the social and economic costs be of China's full-scale lockdown of Shanghai?

• 29 mins

How has the war in Ukraine changed German politics?

What does Germany's huge shift in foreign policy mean for Germany and the wider world?

• 29 mins

What impact will the Northern Ireland election have?

What will Sinn Fein's victory mean for Stormont politics, the protocol and the union?

• 29 mins

Is the crypto bubble bursting?

Was last week's cryptocurrency crash a blip, or are the problems more fundamental?

• 29 mins

What's happening in Afghanistan?

How are the Taliban dealing with challenges at home, on the border and further afield?

• 29 mins

What's wrong with the NHS, and how do we fix it?

David Aaronovitch and guests discuss the problems with the NHS and how to solve them.

• 29 mins

Covid - how worried should we be this time?

Do need to worry about Coronavirus again?

• 29 mins

Ukraine: Who is winning?

As the war in Ukraine enters its sixth month, is either side close to victory or collapse?

• 28 mins

Adapting to a hotter Britain

What does Britain need to do to cope with higher temperatures?

• 29 mins

Scotland's drugs problem

Why does Scotland have the worst record in Europe on drug deaths?

• 29 mins

The Cost of Living Crisis

What should the government do to help people with their bills this winter?

• 29 mins

Fighting drought

Can the British water system cope with hotter weather?

• 28 mins

The staffing crisis in the NHS

Why doesn't the NHS have enough staff, and what can be done to fix the problem?

• 29 mins

Can we keep the lights on this winter?

Could problems with energy supplies from Europe lead to power outages in the UK?

• 29 mins

Ukraine: Have we reached a turning point in the war?

Ukraine has retaken swathes of territory - is this a turning point in the war?

• 29 mins

Britain's productivity puzzle

How can we turn the UK into a high-growth economy?

• 29 mins

Turmoil on the markets

What's just happened to the British economy, and what might come next?

• 29 mins

Protests in Iran

What’s behind the current unrest in Iran and should the regime be worried?

• 28 mins

Public Spending

What does the current economic turmoil mean for government expenditure?

• 29 mins

Could Vladimir Putin use nuclear weapons?

What are the chances of the Russian leader turning the war in Ukraine nuclear?

• 29 mins

UK Trade Deals

How is the UK government getting on with negotiating free trade deals around the world?

• 29 mins

China's winter of discontent

What's behind the protests and dissent against the Chinese leader Xi Jinping?

• 29 mins

House of Lords reform

How would Sir Keir Starmer's plan to scrap the House of Lords work and is it a good idea?

• 29 mins

Strikes: How can we avoid a return to the 1970s?

As strikes continue across the UK, what's the government's strategy for dealing with them?

• 30 mins

Can we colonise the Moon?

Nasa plans to set up a lunar base in the next decade. Is that achievable?

• 29 mins