The Bunker – News without the nonsense
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News without the nonsense, every weekday morning. In episodes that fit your commute*, The Bunker cuts through the noise to make sense of what’s really going on in news, current affairs, politics, economics and culture. We bring you smart explainers, interviews, fresh perspectives and under-reported stories to as a refreshing alternative to repetitive Punch and Judy news coverage. It’s the only way to start the day. From the producers of Oh God, What Now?
Our regulars include: Gavin Esler • Ros Taylor • Alex von Tunzelmann • Andrew Harrison • Zing Tsjeng • Jacob Jarvis • Emma Kennedy • Rafael Behr • Seth Thévoz.
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(* Even if it’s just from the kitchen to the front room. )
The Bunker is a Podmasters production.
1756 Episodes
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It’s the last of our Best of 2025 and the final Bunker of the year! And how better to see off/kick out the year than with the thing that’s blighted the last twelve months, crappy artificial intelligence imagery? The far-right stuffs your feeds with blond white children at play, London as an open sewer patrolled by threatening migrants, and Trump as Superman – but why? Is A.I. slop the official art style of the new authoritarianism?
New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie talks to Andrew Harrison about why the radical right loves shiny, sentimental images; how they connect to Hitler’s fascist kitsch; and what it means when reality doesn’t live up to your fantasies.
patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Chris Jones and Robin Warren. Produced by Liam Tait. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Art by Jim Parrett. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production
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We’re bringing you some of the best Bunkers of the year to tide you over the holidays. Today: Where’s your flag???!? The Cross of St George sprouted across the lamp-posts and roundabouts of Britain this summer. Fans, boosters and grifters claimed it was simple patriotism. Imagine our surprise when it turned out that many behind “Operation Raise The Colours” had far-right associations – who’d have thought it?? Alex von Tunzelmann sat down with Jonn Elledge to find out what flags really mean today.
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Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editors: Robin Leeburn. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production
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In case you missed them, over Christmas we’re bringing you some of the best Bunkers of the year. “Organise before they rise,” is Max Brooks’ advice in his zombie survival guide. But are world leaders prepared enough? Jacob Jarvis speaks to Daniel Drezner, author of Theories of International Politics and Zombies and professor of international politics at Tufts University, to find out how the world might react and how governments would interact during such a catastrophe.
Buy Theories of International Politics and Zombies through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund The Bunker by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis. Audio editor: Robin Leeburn. Art direction: Jim Parrett. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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1In case you missed them, over Christmas we’re bringing you some of the best Bunkers of the year. Today: How mobbed up is the American political establishment? From FDR to Trump, every modern president has had brushes with organised crime. So how have secret pacts, betrayals, and under-the-table deals influenced the commander-in-chief? Eric Dezenhall, author of Wiseguys and the White House, explores the not-so-hidden ties between the leader of the free world and the mob with Seth “The Consigliere” Thévoz.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Seth “The Consigliere” Thévoz. Produced by Liam “Big Guy” Tait. Audio editor: Ice-Pick Simon Williams. Art direction: Crazy Jimmy Parrett. Managing editor: Jacob “Mr Clean” Jarvis. Music by Mr Fingers Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew “Uncle Junior” Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production. You should drop by some time. Play some cards.
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In case you missed them, over Christmas we’re bringing you some of the best editions of the year. Our first selection: It’s February and Labour legend and former leader Neil Kinnock joins us for the FIFTEEN HUNDREDTH edition of The Bunker.
On the agenda: the story Labour should be telling… what his battles against Thatcherism can teach Starmer about fighting the rising right wing… the dangers of a radicalised Conservative Party… and how to hit Reform UK where it hurts. With Andrew Harrison and Alex von Tunzelmann.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Art by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production
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Talk ’90s To Me is the new podcast from the makers of The Bunker which dives into all the key characters and topics that made the 1990s great. The first episode covers Oasis and how they brought chaos, electricity and working-class swagger to a music scene dominated by po-faced grunge and indie bands in the early 1990s. How did the Gallaghers go from humble beginnings in Manchester to taking over the world? Find out in our first episode – here’s a teaser and go subscribe here: linktr.ee/talk90stome
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Written and presented by Miranda Sawyer. Produced by Liam Tait. Video and audio production by Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group editor: Andrew Harrison. Music by Soniq Branding from Artlist. Talk ’90s To Me and The Bunker are Podmasters productions.
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Try the latest edition of our new podcast where ex-Met Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe and former Mirror editor Alison Phillips bring you the truth about true crime.
On this episode: When police shoot dead a suspect the consequences are huge. But how is the decision to shoot to kill made? Is firearms policy fit for purpose? And is it right that the officer cleared of murdering Londoner Chris Kaba in a police roadblock now faces gross misconduct charges? Bernard and Alison share unprecedented insider knowledge on real cases including Kaba, Mark Duggan and Jean Charles de Menezes.
• Get Crime Scene every Thursday.
Presented by Bernard Hogan-Howe and Alison Phillips. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Simon Williams. Produced by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis and Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Executive Producer: Martin Bojtos. Thanks to Helen Purvis at Knight Ayton Management. CRIME SCENE is a Podmasters Production
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Bunker listeners, try a bite-sized sample of our brand new podcast CRIME SCENE. Every week ex-Met Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan-Howe and former Mirror editor Alison Phillips lift the lid on how criminal investigations really work. In our debut episode: The horrific shooting of an innocent nine-year-old girl in Dalston in 2024 laid bare bitter rivalries between London’s armed gangs. Are police they fighting a losing battle against guns in the Capital?
Want to know more? Search CRIME SCENE for the full episode and subscribe for new episodes every Thursday.
Presented by Bernard Hogan-Howe and Alison Phillips. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Simon Williams. Produced by Managing Editor Jacob Jarvis and Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Executive Producer: Martin Bojtos. Thanks to Helen Purvis at Knight Ayton Management. CRIME SCENE is a Podmasters Production
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The brand new podcast from the makers of The Bunker. Bewildered by the US Presidential Election? Don’t worry, American Friction has got you. Every Friday Chris Jones, Jacob Jarvis and Nikki McCann Ramírez of Rolling Stone join expert special guests to count down to America’s most rancorous election in generations.
Get the full episode and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and all major platforms.
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Written and presented by Chris Jones, Jacob Jarvis and Nikki McCann Ramírez. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Executive producer: Martin Bojtos. Artwork by James Parrett. Music: Orange Factory Music. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production
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If you haven’t tried our new press review show PAPER CUTS yet, here’s a taster of today’s episode. This time it’s the Mail and Telegraph’s Johnson-related meltdown, the majesty of Glenda Jackson and much more as comedian Fin Taylor and writer-historian Alex von Tunzelmann join Andrew Harrison under a huge pile of newsprint. Hear the full episode here.
We’re out mid-morning every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to look at the the day’s best headlines, wildest stories and weirdest opinions. Subscribe on your favourite app. It’s the perfect chaser to your daily Bunker…
Illustrations by Modern Toss https://moderntoss.com/
Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Produced by Sophie Black. Design: James Parrett. Music: Simon Williams. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Exec Producer: Martin Bojtos. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. PAPER CUTS is a Podmasters Production.
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The Ukraine War is reshaping the world. Arthur Snell writes the first draft of its history. In this excerpt from Ep.1 of our new series: How Russia’s febrile history, Putin’s paranoid resentment and Western complacency led to an historic crime against a peaceful nation, the largest European land action since the Second World War… and a conflict of unprecedented brutality.
Doomsday Watch: The Ukraine War is out now. Hear it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Get every edition a week early and ad-free when you support the show on Patreon.
Photo by Paul Conroy.
Written and presented by Arthur Snell. Produced by Robin Leeburn. Original theme music by Paul Hartnoll – https://www.orbitalofficial.com. Group Editor Andrew Harrison. Doomsday Watch is a Podmasters production.
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The Russian army invading Ukraine today is very different to the one which started the conflict. How are things going for Putin’s military – and how can Ukraine and Europe push back against them? Shashank Joshi, defence editor at The Economist, joins Gavin Esler to discuss.
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Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social
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Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Design by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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Setting up the stories of the week ahead… At the Munich Security Conference, Yvette Cooper calls out Russia for the murder of Alexei Navalny but what is Britain going to do about it? And what’s behind Marco Rubio’s apparently conciliatory tone? Plus Britain rushes forward a social media ban for teenagers, John Healey is this week’s next Keir Starmer… and are you ready for the Chinese Year of the Fire Horse? Ros Taylor and Andrew Harrison guide you through the next seven days.
• Hear more on Britain’s preparations to deter war with Russia on the next edition of Oh God, What Now?
• Pic: Keir Starmer, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper and Defence Secretary John Healey during the 62nd Munich Security Conference on February 14, 2026 in Munich, Germany. (Getty)
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production by Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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Keir Starmer survives the worst week of his premiership – just. The Epstein whirlpool drags Sarah Ferguson downwards (astonishing BBC feature here). New investigations into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Plus: the US Government trolls LGBTQ+ Americans by removing Pride flags from outside the Stonewall Inn. The winners and losers of the week. And no pork scratchings at the Peppa Pig stage show. Jonn Elledge and Andrew Harrison round up the stories of the week that’s just gone.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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The new Wuthering Heights film is already sparking debate. From saucy costume choices to renewed arguments over what Heathcliff should look like, raising a bigger question: Why are we still arguing about a novel published nearly 200 years ago? Today in The Bunker, Alex von Tunzelmann is joined by historian, playwright and author Samantha Ellis, How to be a Heroine, to ask: have we all been getting Wuthering Heights wrong this whole time?
Buy Samanth’s book How To Be A Heroine Or, what I’ve learned from reading too much through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll be helping the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.www.podmasters.co.uk
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Back in 2001 Eric Schlosser’s masterwork of investigative journalism Fast Food Nation exposed the dirty secrets of America’s “convenience restaurant” business: the catastrophic treatment of livestock, the terrible wages, the injuries, poor pay and outbreaks of food poisoning… and worse. The book started a conversation about food health around the world. Now, 25 years later, a weird mix of wellness woo and RFK Jr’s anti-science Make America Healthy Again movement dominates the debate – and fast food is now worth $400bn in the US alone. Eric Schlosser joins Andrew Harrison to discuss what his book changed – and what needs to change before it’s too late.
• Buy the 25th anniversary Penguin Classic edition of Fast Food Nation through our affiliate bookshop and you’ll help fund the podcast by earning us a small commission for every sale. Bookshop.org’s fees help support independent bookshops too.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio production: Simon Williams. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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Trump has stripped US foreign policy down from a mix of carrot and stick into an ideological cudgel to beat friends and foes alike – and a lurid horrorshow for domestic consumption in Red America. But who’s actually running the show? Is America’s realignment with the world purely dependent on Trump’s whims or is there something coherent going on in there? Is it all just 1980s real estate thuggery writ large? And where is it all heading? The Economist’s Geopolitics Editor David Rennie explains the new American brutalism to Seth Thévoz.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Presented by Seth Thévoz. Audio production by Robin Leeburn. Art direction: James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. Special thanks to Chris Wimpress and Hannah Marinho. The Bunker is a Podmasters production.
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Setting up the stories of the next seven days… Labour’s widely unpopular senior advisor Morgan McSweeney falls on his sword but will it be enough to stop Starmer from being consumed by the Mandelson/Epstein fallout? Plus the unfolding Tulsi Gabbard scandal, make or break for the assisted dying bill, Cuba in trouble… and minnows vs giants in the FA Cup, except the minnows are owned by former Man Utd players. Gavin Esler talks Andrew Harrison through the stories of the week ahead.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Andrew Harrison. Audio production by Tom Taylor. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
www.podmasters.co.uk
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Wrapping up the stories of the week… With Peter Mandelson quitting the Lords after more damning info emerged from the Epstein files, will this lead to Starmer’s demise? Zoë Grünewald and Jacob Jarvis discuss this and more as they round up the biggest stories from the past week.
• Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99, delivery included.
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Follow us on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/bunkerpod.bsky.social
• Advertisers! Want to reach smart, engaged, influential people with money to spend? (Yes, they do exist). Some 3.5 MILLION people download and watch our podcasts every month – and they love our shows. Why not get YOUR brand in front of our influential listeners with podcast advertising? Contact ads@podmasters.co.uk to find out more
Written and presented by Jacob Jarvis with Zoë Grünewald. Producer: Liam Tait. Audio editor: Simon Williams. Managing editor: Jacob Jarvis. Design by James Parrett. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
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Donald Trump didn’t threaten to take over Greenland only for reasons of military conquest. The arctic territory contains significant deposits of rare earth metals including dysprosium, terbium and yttrium. They’re vital to tech – and currently, China controls a staggering 95% of them. But what are they and why are they so valuable? Commodities journalist Ronan Murphy, Editor of Argus Non-Ferrous Markets, tells Gavin Esler about the real economics behind Trump’s bluster; why invading Greenland is a really bad business idea; and the surprising reason you can’t mine ALL of Greenland’s rare earths. (Clue: It’s uranium).
www.patreon.com/bunkercast
Written and presented by Gavin Esler. Audio production: Robin Warren. Music by Kenny Dickinson. Artwork by James Parrett. Managing Editor: Jacob Jarvis. Group Editor: Andrew Harrison. THE BUNKER is a Podmasters Production.
www.podmasters.co.uk
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I was with her all the way, right up until she lumped trans identified males in with women. How can you address misogyny when you believe men can be women? It pulled the rug out from everything she'd said up to that point.
Contrails happen because the fuel is hydrocarbons. when burnt the H and the C combine with oxygen to make mainly H20 and CO2. Nothing to do with the fuel containing "a little bit of water" as your expert believes.
Great episode…we’re off to see DH on the big screen on 23rd 👍🎉
eloquent guest
nonsense
I think you should see a doctor , you sound really wheezy. Please take care!
it's a shame you have been si dishonest in your account of the violence in Amsterdam. what did the Israeli fans do? People responded to their initial violence. a real shame you replicate the worst of what telly tells you. What's the point if you can't tell basic truths?
Sorry have to disagree that Bluesky is a poor experience on the phone. It's absolutely fine and improvements are being rolled out all the time. The main benefit of it is that it's a lively forum for civilised debate. Not a mad hellscape of paid for far right blue ticks. Twitter is in a tailspin while Bluesky is undergoing steady organic growth.
violence from the left is irritating, but genocide is OK. Yeah. Got it. if only they'd stop going on about those dead babies.
These people do not want to stop fascism. They are more comfortable with fascists than they are with the left. I do not support the right of Nazis to exist.
Excellent edition, thank you both 👍
Eugene… very clever!
Chasing shadows… Great title, we were going to call our book that, but eventually went for the War on Dirty Money instead. This sounds like a well researched piece of writing. Congratulations!
What an unnecessary spoiler at the beginning.
20 hours of Fox news !! FUCKING HELL
TV news is still the most trusted source of information. Now that BBC has been captured, we’re doomed.
Marie lost me on this one! Not sure what saving has to do with government
Is Alex a Spurs fan 🤣
Fantastic! Noone better than Danny to explain the sh*tshow Truss has descended on the country. and precisely the market reaction he predicted would happen if she ever enacted her policies.
Helter Skelter is grunge 👍🤘