Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared
IQ2 EXTRA

Get exclusive episodes, ad-free listening and more

€5,99/mo or €59,99/yr after trial

Intelligence Squared is the home of lively debate and deep-dive discussion. Follow Intelligence Squared wherever you get your podcasts and enjoy four regular episodes per week taking you to the heart of the issues that matter in the company of the world’s great minds. We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.  And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 

  1. 13 HR AGO

    Archive: Secrets of the Sprakkar, with Eliza Reid

    This discussion is a dip back into the extensive Intelligence Squared archive, first aired in early 2022. 'Sprakkar' is an ancient Icelandic word meaning extraordinary or outstanding women. It forms the basis of a book by Eliza Reid, author, co-founder of the Iceland Writers Retreat, and at the time of recording was also the nation's First Lady. Rosamund Urwin from the Sunday Times joins Eliza to discuss the book, which tells the stories of Iceland’s women and also the country’s efforts to elevate them while striving for increased gender equality. Let us know your thoughts! Take a moment to fill in our Intelligence Squared Audience Survey and be in with the chance of winning a £50 Amazon gift card. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    50 min
  2. 1 DAY AGO

    The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook, with Paul Johnson, Part Two

    Paul Johnson is the economist who has set the terms of so much political debate over the past few decades in Britain. Having served as Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies since 2011, his expertise on matters of public spending and global economic trends have provided invaluable insight to the public and policymakers alike. Johnson’s column for the Times, as well as his acclaimed Austerity Audit for Radio 4, continue to define public discourse on economic policy and its implications. In October 2024 Johnson brought his expertise to the Intelligence Squared stage to reflect on a year of seismic change and assess the impact of the 2024 general election on the country’s economic future. Does Starmer have what it takes to grow the economy? How can Britain hope to compete with innovation in tech and AI on the global stage? What shape should defence spending take in an increasingly volatile world, and how can we begin to tackle domestic issues such as child poverty, cost of living, a crippled NHS and a stubborn housing crisis? Joining Johnson in conversation is BBC News presenter and Royal Correspondent, Jonny Dymond. This recording is part of The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook series of events made in partnership with Guinness Global Investors, an independent British fund manager that helps both individuals and institutions harness the future drivers of growth to achieve their investment goals. To find out more visit: https://www.guinnessgi.com/ If you would like to attend The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook's next event, visit www.IntelligenceSquared.com/attend This is the second instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    47 min
  3. 3 DAYS AGO

    The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook, with Paul Johnson, Part One

    Paul Johnson is the economist who has set the terms of so much political debate over the past few decades in Britain. Having served as Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies since 2011, his expertise on matters of public spending and global economic trends have provided invaluable insight to the public and policymakers alike. Johnson’s column for the Times, as well as his acclaimed Austerity Audit for Radio 4, continue to define public discourse on economic policy and its implications. In October 2024 Johnson brought his expertise to the Intelligence Squared stage to reflect on a year of seismic change and assess the impact of the 2024 general election on the country’s economic future. Does Starmer have what it takes to grow the economy? How can Britain hope to compete with innovation in tech and AI on the global stage? What shape should defence spending take in an increasingly volatile world, and how can we begin to tackle domestic issues such as child poverty, cost of living, a crippled NHS and a stubborn housing crisis? Joining Johnson in conversation is BBC News presenter and Royal Correspondent, Jonny Dymond. This recording is part of The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook series of events made in partnership with Guinness Global Investors, an independent British fund manager that helps both individuals and institutions harness the future drivers of growth to achieve their investment goals. To find out more visit: https://www.guinnessgi.com/ If you would like to attend The Intelligence Squared Economic Outlook's next event, visit www.IntelligenceSquared.com/attend This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    45 min
  4. 5 DAYS AGO

    Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier on Weaving the Story into Historical Fiction, Part Two

    This is the second instalment of a three-part discussion. Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier have defined the genre of historical fiction for decades. Both renowned for bringing to life women’s stories from the past and making them relevant to today’s reader, between them they’ve produced a multitude of global bestsellers including The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with a Pearl Earring. In September 2024 they joined Reeta Chakrabarti on the Intelligence Squared stage to transport us through time and place. They explored the art of weaving history into compelling narratives, delving into the research that underpins their work and the challenges of crafting authentic voices from the past for those who have had no voice. This was one of the first events at which Tracy discussed her spellbinding new novel The Glassmaker, a richly-drawn tale of artisan craftsmanship, female perseverance, and the beauty of Venice. Philippa talked about her ground-breaking study, Normal Women, which takes women out of the footnotes and reassembles the history of women in England showing how their lives have changed over 900 years from 1066 to the present. This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. ... Let us know your thoughts! Take a moment to fill in our Intelligence Squared Audience Survey and be in with the chance of winning a £50 Amazon gift card. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    41 min
  5. 6 DAYS AGO

    Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier on Weaving the Story into Historical Fiction, Part One

    This is the first instalment of a three-part discussion. Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier have defined the genre of historical fiction for decades. Both renowned for bringing to life women’s stories from the past and making them relevant to today’s reader, between them they’ve produced a multitude of global bestsellers including The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with a Pearl Earring. In September 2024 they joined Reeta Chakrabarti on the Intelligence Squared stage to transport us through time and place. They explored the art of weaving history into compelling narratives, delving into the research that underpins their work and the challenges of crafting authentic voices from the past for those who have had no voice. This was one of the first events at which Tracy discussed her spellbinding new novel The Glassmaker, a richly-drawn tale of artisan craftsmanship, female perseverance, and the beauty of Venice. Philippa talked about her ground-breaking study, Normal Women, which takes women out of the footnotes and reassembles the history of women in England showing how their lives have changed over 900 years from 1066 to the present. This is the first instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. ... Let us know your thoughts! Take a moment to fill in our Intelligence Squared Audience Survey and be in with the chance of winning a £50 Amazon gift card. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    40 min
  6. 29 SEPT • IQ2 EXTRA ONLY

    Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier on Weaving the Story into Historical Fiction, Part Three

    This is the third and final instalment of a three-part discussion. Philippa Gregory and Tracy Chevalier have defined the genre of historical fiction for decades. Both renowned for bringing to life women’s stories from the past and making them relevant to today’s reader, between them they’ve produced a multitude of global bestsellers including The Other Boleyn Girl and Girl with a Pearl Earring. In September 2024 they joined Reeta Chakrabarti on the Intelligence Squared stage to transport us through time and place. They explored the art of weaving history into compelling narratives, delving into the research that underpins their work and the challenges of crafting authentic voices from the past for those who have had no voice. This was one of the first events at which Tracy discussed her spellbinding new novel The Glassmaker, a richly-drawn tale of artisan craftsmanship, female perseverance, and the beauty of Venice. Philippa talked about her ground-breaking study, Normal Women, which takes women out of the footnotes and reassembles the history of women in England showing how their lives have changed over 900 years from 1066 to the present. This is the third and final instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. ... Let us know your thoughts! Take a moment to fill in our Intelligence Squared Audience Survey in the link below and be in with the chance of winning a £50 Amazon gift card. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfA1Tsxmitg7Gg6xyalWWNUqVRpl76fBQ7nVL6FDkOBng9KXQ/viewform

    22 min
  7. 29 SEPT

    How the Bank of Mum and Dad Took Over the Economy, with Eliza Filby

    For this episode we're joined by Eliza Filby, an academic, writer and public speaker specialising in contemporary values and most recently generational wealth. Her new book is Inheritocracy: It’s Time to Talk About the Bank of Mum and Dad. It explores how wealth passed down from parents to their children is now quietly underpinning some major pillars of the economy and how society works, from house buying to going to university and even our dating lives. Joining her to talk about it is Roisín Dervish-O'Kane, a health writer, editor, and Features Director at Women's Health UK. Let us know your thoughts! Take a moment to fill in our Intelligence Squared Audience Survey and be in with the chance of winning a £50 Amazon gift card. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. ... Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    55 min
  8. 26 SEPT

    Katy Hessel on The Story of Art Without Men, with Pandora Sykes, Part Two

    This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. How many women artists do you know? Despite the work of activist groups and scholars alike, women are still troublingly absent from the history of art. Historian and broadcaster Katy Hessel wants to change that. In September 2024 she came to the Intelligence Squared stage in conversation with the journalist, author and podcaster Pandora Sykes to write women back into art history. Discussing her bestselling book The Story of Art Without Men, she paid homage to the greats such as Artemisia Gentileschi, Frida Kahlo, Hilma af Klint, Tracey Emin and Kara Walker while also shining a light on lesser known figures such as Lavinia Fontana, thought to be one of the first women in Western art to paint female nudes in 1595. This is the second instalment of a three-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to the full conversation immediately as an early access subscriber, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series ... Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. ... Let us know your thoughts! Take a moment to fill in our Intelligence Squared Audience Survey in the link below and be in with the chance of winning a £50 Amazon gift card. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfA1Tsxmitg7Gg6xyalWWNUqVRpl76fBQ7nVL6FDkOBng9KXQ/viewform Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    42 min

Shows with Subscription Benefits

  • VS is a light-hearted podcast about the little debates that are always a big deal to someone. Arsenal VS Spurs. McDonald’s VS KFC. Twitter VS TikTok. 80s VS 90s. And many more. Our host Coco Khan invites experts and fans to go head-to-head on the timeless debates that form the lifeblood of friendships. Who wins? You decide with our weekly vote. VS is an Intelligence Squared production. Tune in to new episodes every Friday.

  • How I Found My Voice is the podcast that explores how some of the world’s greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling – and unique – communicators. This Intelligence Squared podcast goes behind the celebrity persona to understand their journeys and inspirations – from writing a childhood diary to first performing on stage or finding the courage to speak up. Hosted by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed, guests include Graham Norton, Margaret Atwood, Katherine Ryan, Michael Palin, Gloria Estefan, David Lammy and Bernardine Evaristo. The series producer is Farah Jassat.

  • Welcome to Arts & Culture by Intelligence Squared. Here we delve into the artistic and cultural moments, movements and conversations that have shaped, and are still shaping, our world. In this podcast Intelligence Squared speaks to some of the world’s greatest orators, writers, actors and artists. Guests include Stephen Fry, Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Salman Rushdie, Kate Winslet, Simon Schama, Tom Hiddleston and Marina Abromović. Join us every week as we feature the best of culture today and revisit some of the best live podcasts we have produced over the last twenty years.  For more information head over to IntelligenceSquared.com

  • The oil industry has historically operated in relative invisibility. Mysterious offshore rigs hundreds of miles out to sea can appear like images of a foreign land; refinery chimneys rising beyond the edges of some of our biggest cities are easy to mistake for just another factory; and bustling offices, the site of monumental decisions affecting generations to come, are just as faceless as the next. Out of sight – and often out of mind.  But such invisibility belies the overwhelming, ever-presence of oil. It’s in the fuel that powers our cars and aircrafts. It’s in our children’s plastic toys and trinkets. It’s in unseen flows of power, wealth and social capital. It’s in our art galleries, and our sports teams. It’s embedded in our economic policy, our communities, the very structure of our country.  So, what exactly do we mean when we talk about oil? How is our relationship with it changing? And what would stopping oil really look like?  These are just some of the questions that we will explore in this series from Intelligence Squared, drawing on recent research from the Fraying Ties? project, supported by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council. Through discussion with industry insiders, policy-makers, activists, politicians, trade unionists, ex-oil rig workers and academics we look at the industry in its complexity and ask: given the climate emergency, how must the industry change to facilitate a just, renewable energy transition, and what might a new world – one in which we’ve ceased burning fossil fuels altogether – look like?

  • Why did we go to war in Iraq? What went wrong? And how has this war shaped the region and the world we live in today? These are just some of the questions that we explore in ‘Iraq: Legacy of War’, a limited podcast series brought to you by Intelligence Squared to mark twenty years since the US-led invasion in 2003. Through interviews with policy-makers, military personnel, journalists, academics and Iraqi citizens, we reflect on the legacy of one of the most significant military interventions in modern history

  • When did you first hear of GPT, Claude, DALL-E or Bard? Feels like a while ago, right? In barely over a year AI has penetrated our conversations, our places of work and it now dominates the culture. It also threatens to make some of those pillars of society redundant in years to come. Join researcher and author Carl Miller for POWER TRIP to see where that journey is leading us – and whether anyone can stop the ride.  The future of humanity will be impacted by technology in ways we may never have predicted. Across five episodes, POWER TRIP charts the past, present and future of AI, exploring the strangest and most startling ideas of the digital age. Want the future right now? Become a Member of Intelligence Squared to get all the full length episodes of POWER TRIP and much much more.  Just visit intelligencesquared.com or click the Try Free button on Apple.

IQ2 EXTRA

Get exclusive episodes, ad-free listening and more

€5,99/mo or €59,99/yr after trial

About

Intelligence Squared is the home of lively debate and deep-dive discussion. Follow Intelligence Squared wherever you get your podcasts and enjoy four regular episodes per week taking you to the heart of the issues that matter in the company of the world’s great minds. We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.  And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes and get the latest updates.

Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada