Talking Politics was the political podcast produced, recorded and edited by Catherine Carr, hosted by David Runciman and sponsored by the London Review of Books.
“Talking Politics is a very important innovation which takes academic thinking on politics well beyond the campus. ... It has certainly influenced my thinking about today’s vital issues in politics. [Talking Politics] has been a podcast pioneer, showing there is an audience for informative and serious discussions about politics. Others, including my own podcast, Reasons To Be Cheerful, have followed in its trailblazing footsteps." Ed Milliband
This hugely popular podcast averaged 110,00 listens per episode and 500,000 listens per month, and was listened to in nearly 200 countries around the world.
Recorded weekly by Catherine at the University of Cambridge, where Runciman was Professor of Politics, Talking Politics combined a regular panel of experts with invited guests: popular contributors included historians Adam Tooze and Jill Lepore, philosopher Martha Nussbaum, authors Hilary Mantel, Oliver Bullough and Pinkaj Mishra, and economist Thomas Piketty.
David Runciman said: “Keeping on top of the relentlessly breaking political news can feel like an impossible task. What we try to offer is an informative and genuine dialogue, where experts with differing opinions come to explore themes in a collaborative and non-combative way – as opposed to just providing a platform where guests present their views. The result is that you can often hear contributors thinking, changing their minds, or learning from each other in the course of an episode.”
Talking Politics is produced in partnership with the London Review of Books. Its publisher, Nicholas Spice, commented: “For forty years, the LRB has proved that serious, demanding, intellectually provocative content can attract a large international audience. It’s therefore no surprise to us that Talking Politics, a podcast founded on similar principles, by one of our contributing editors, is achieving these remarkable figures. We’re proud of our relationship with Britain’s best political podcast – and also grateful for its clarity in these challenging times.”
Sophie Herdman, UK content director for Acast, said: “We’re proud to have Talking Politics as part of the Acast family. The show’s appeal lies in its ability to offer timely, nuanced and informed perspectives on current events which are more valuable than ever in the current climate. The show has seen fantastic week-on-week growth in terms of listeners over the last few years, and we look forward to seeing it continue to flourish.”
Find more at talkingpoliticspodcast.com
With over fifteen years of broadcast and commercial experience, Pocket Productions is extremely proud to have worked alongside the following institutions, programmes, projects and charities.
With over twenty years of experience in broadcast radio – both presenting and reporting – Catherine is ideally placed to contribute to your next programme.
Recent Projects
Four part series on teenage mental health for BBC Women’s Hour → Listen here
The Documentary, BBC Radio Four | City of the Future: How does Houston, Texas, a massive city, deal with the pressures of immigration, an exploding youth population and a widening divide between rich and poor? → Listen here
The Why Factor, BBC World Service | Men, Women and Language – Women apologise too much, men interrupt more. Are these stereotypes true? Why do we believe them? → Listen here
Woman’s Hour | How women and children fare in the 'Jungle' camp in Calais → Listen here
BBC Radio Four | The Value of Failure – a five part series where five people from very different spheres of life reflect on what failure has taught them personally, and explain what value those lessons have in their worlds → Listen here
The Amsterdam edition of “Where Are You Going?” → Listen here
Creating a podcast for a brand, business or project is a proven way of effectively connecting with an audience: Catherine’s years of expertise in creating radio features for the BBC and her recent work on the internationally acclaimed podcast Talking Politics means Pocket Productions is ideally placed to create a podcast to fit your business’s needs, or provide consultancy on strategy, structure and technical approach. Whatever level of support you’re looking for to create your own podcast, we’d be delighted to help you.
Get in touch to start planning your new podcast today → Contact Us
Hosting a panel or conference, or looking for an engaging speaker specialising in radio production, podcast creation or broadcast journalism? With over fifteen years of experience stretching from local radio to BBC productions via international podcasting, Catherine is the perfect contributor for your next event: visit the Contact page to enquire about availability.
Watch Catherine at the Next Radio Conference on “Where Are You Going?”
Illuminating responses to a simple question from people across the world.
For this award-winning series for the BBC World Service, Catherine Carr interrupts strangers on everyday journeys, asking them one simple question: ‘Where Are You Going?’ This series of short radio programmes travels the globe: from the frenetic streets of New York, to the frozen lakes of Iceland; from a refugee camp in Calais to Tijuana on the Mexican border. Created with award-winning content agency Loftus, we worked with photographers around the world to create visual assets to promote the programmes online.
• Short-form storytelling
• International production
• Award-winning content creation
Winner of two Gold awards at the New York Festival Of Radio
You can hear all “Where Are You Going?” episodes over on the BBC’s website.
Catherine has led many workshops and experience days designed for the next generation of broadcast journalists and podcasters: if you’re searching for an engaging project to enrich the current media curriculum, a “how to make a podcast” workshop is a fantastic addition to a school schedule or an extra-curricular activity after school or in the summer months.
We can provide consultancy or design a course structure to best suit your students’ requirements: get in touch directly via the Contact page.
Listen to the podcast created by students attending the Millicent Fawcett “Deeds Not Words” Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Workshop at Newnham College, Cambridge → ‘Deeds Not Words’
In October 2022 Catherine appeared as part of a panel for a Cambridge University webinar on podcasting for academia.
Anti-Slavery Day Awards: Best TV or Radio Drama or Documentary dealing with Human Trafficking: Catherine Carr - BBC Radio, 4 Woman’s Hour, ‘India’s Trafficked Children’
Gold Award for “Where Are You Going?” at the New York Festivals World's Best Radio Programs Awards
Pocket Productions is proud to support Love The One, a charity which works alongside marginalised, oppressed and suffering children in India, seeing their human rights realised and allowing them the freedom to become change agents for India.
Listen to a BBC Women’s Hour programme on the trafficked children of India