Talking France

On the show this week we'll delve into the almighty squabble that ended with the Eiffel Tower closing this week after angry staff walked out.We’ll also look at the growing split in the French far right.Just everything was looking plain sailing for Marine Le Pen on her quest to take the Elysée Palace, could infighting and power struggles undermine her chances?Listeners of Talking France can take advantage of a special half price introductory offer to get access to all the articles on The Local France - and support the podcast at the same time! Join now for just €29.99/year.We'll also find out why French people are up in arms about a new tipping trend and what local authorities are doing to enable people to enjoy a mosquito-free apero each day. Can a mayor's bid to ban mossies really work?And we'll bring you the low down on the French word flipping trick known as verlan - and importantly can non-native speakers like us, actually use it?Host Ben McPartland is joined by the team at The Local France, Emma Pearson, Emma Albright and politics expert John Lichfield. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we look ahead to the 2027 presidential election which is edging closer. A new poll this week suggested there's only one winner, but could Marine Le Pen trip herself up before she gets over the line?We'll hear about her latest effort to win voters which has been described as "vile" by some and "populist grandstanding by others".We'll also find out whether the locals in Brittany, Normandy and other regions of France really do hate Parisians - and why might that be?Plus we'll bring you a warning over why your French cheese could taste a little different this autumn.Listeners of Talking France can get access to all the articles on The Local France news site for just €29.99 a year. Join now.Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local's Emma Pearson, journalist Katy Wright in Brittany and our French politics expert John Lichfield in Normandy.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Summer is thankfully almost over and September is upon us, which means it's time for a new series of Talking France.Thanks to you all for tuning in to this podcast, which is produced by the team at The Local France and is a must-listen - so they say - for anyone wanting to follow French news, keep up to date with the major changes to life in France and boost their knowledge of French language and culture.On this week's episode we'll look at the impact of France's summer from hell, which saw thousands of lives lost amid the frequent and punishing heatwaves, parts of the country left devastated by unforgiving wildfires and then there’s the ongoing drought the impact of which will soon become clear.We'll also look at the other challenges facing France this September and explain why so many French taxpayers have been targeted by hackers and try to understand why the locals here love to correct our French mistakes - and why we shouldn't be annoyed - even if it can be really bloody annoying.I'm Ben McPartland your host, and I'm joined for this new series by the old team from The Local France, Emma Pearson and Emma Albright. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week’s episode of Talking France we’ll look ahead to the holiday season in July and August and spell out exactly what you can expect in France this summer from the weather outlook and wildfire alerts to what will happen in French politics and what to expect if you’re travelling to or within France?Remember even though Talking France takes a break over the summer our team will still be covering all the essential news in France so make sure to visit thelocal.fr where you can sign up for our daily newsletters.The Talking France team would like to offer listeners the last chance to join The Local using our half-price introductory offer. Just click on this link to take advantage of it. Members, feel free to pass the offer on to friends and family.I’m Ben McPartland and I’ll be joined by The Local France’s Emma Pearson and politics expert John Lichfield. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a new episode of Talking France. It’s our penultimate episode before we take a summer break and it’s a jam-packed one full of the latest news, talking points and flare ups from France.We’ll start with the fall out from the unprecedented and deadly heatwave that hit France in the second half of June.SPECIAL OFFER: Listeners can read The Local France for half price - (Introductory offer for new members)Thankfully the weather is slightly cooler as we record this episode, but politicians in the country are still overheating when it comes to what to do - and the focus of everyone’s attention and ire has fallen on… air conditioning.We’ll explain the row and who is on which side.We’ll also look at why France is the best place in Europe, perhaps even the world to be a naturist after one member of the Talking France team spent time on a naturist beach in the south of France.We’ll also get the answers to some key questions about drinking French wine in summer and learn the lingo you need if you are in France in July and August.Host Ben McPartland is joined by the team at The Local France, Emma Pearson, Emma Albright and our politics expert John Lichfield, plus our wine specialist Caroline Fazeli will be joining us fr Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.