Listen

General Interest

Nice White Parents- Nice White Parents looks at the 60-year relationship between white parents and the public school down the block.

Useful for an understanding of race relations in the US, education systems in the US and policy making. 

Serial Series 3- The Ohio Court House Serial is heading back to court. This time, in Cleveland. Not for one extraordinary case; instead, Serial wanted to tackle the whole criminal justice system. To do that we figured we’d need to look at something different: ordinary cases. 

Useful for racial disparities in the justice system; law and order in the US. 

The Trojan Horse Affair-  A strange letter appears on a city councillor’s desk in Birmingham, England, laying out an elaborate plot by Islamic extremists to infiltrate the city’s schools. The plot has a code name: Operation Trojan Horse. The story soon explodes in the news and kicks off a national panic. By the time it all dies down, the government has launched multiple investigations, beefed up the country’s counterterrorism policy, revamped schools and banned people from education for the rest of their lives.                                              

 Useful for UK education policy, understanding the impact of Islamophobia, understanding the origins of PREVENT and fundamental British Values and studying the influence of Michael Gove.

The Improvement Association- For at least a decade, allegations of cheating have swirled around elections in rural Bladen County, N.C. Some people in town point fingers at a Black advocacy group, the Bladen County Improvement Association, accusing it of bullying voters, tampering with ballots and stealing votes outright. These accusations have never been substantiated, but they persist. Reporter Zoe Chace went to Bladen County to investigate what’s really going on.

Useful for understanding voter suppression and voting restrictions in the USA and the power of PACs- Political Action Committees. 

The Fault Line Season 1- Bush, Blair and Iraq, is also available to view on this platform. On September 11th 2001, as he faced incalculable losses after the terrorist attacks that day, President George W Bush made a call to his greatest international ally: British Prime Minister Tony Blair. 18 months later, Bush and Blair led a coalition into a war that went horribly wrong. David Dimbleby, one of the BBC’s best known news hosts and reporters, takes us back to those crucial 18 months. 

Useful for The Iraq War, Prime Ministers and Presidents, Executive power, British political history

International Affairs 

Talking Politics 

Bunga Bunga  Silvio Berlusconi was a charismatic multi-millionaire real-estate mogul who upended the Italian political order and hypnotized an entire nation. He was one of the longest-serving prime ministers of one of the world’s wealthiest countries, until he was brought down by three powerful women - and two words: “Bunga Bunga.” “Bunga Bunga” is an eight part series on the incredible true story of the rise and fall of Silvio Berlusconi, told with Whitney’s signature wit and style. 

Revolutions Podcast: We recommend the Haitian Revolution episodes particularly, though the series on the English Civil Wars, French Revolution and Russian Revolution are outstanding for developing political understanding.