x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

PODCAST

Planet Normal

The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

society & culture news commentary

All Episodes

1:00:47

Liar, liar, Reeves’ pants are on fire

Planet Normal ·

2025/12/04

With reaction to the autumn Budget still on the lips of news outlets everywhere, your co-pilots are here to make sense of the chaos.Allison doesn’t hold back and thinks Reeves has ‘lied’ to the electorate and inflated her own words in order to try and sneak her Budget past everyone.Meanwhile Liam thinks the fighting between Number 10 and 11 is harming the economy on a fundamental scale.Meanwhile stowaway Lord Nigel Biggar tells the co-pilots why history should recognise the UK fought against slavery

en

56:08

Reeves Budget snowstorm of discontent

Planet Normal ·

2025/11/26

The rocket of right thinking is back for a crucial Budget Special as Chancellor Rachel Reeves unveils her second major fiscal statement. Her new £30 billion tax rise means a staggering £70 billion increase in just two years, the most "punitive tax raising budget in more than three decades".Joining the co-pilots to dissect the numbers is the brilliant Telegraph columnist, Roger Bootle. Roger reveals why he thinks the budget will land "very badly with business" and discusses the "scandalous" leak of

en

1:03:15

Reeves reverse ferret and Mahmood's immigration gamble

Planet Normal ·

2025/11/20

This week the Rocket welcomes former Prime Minister Liz Truss to discuss next week’s Budget as well as the co-pilots diving into the latest political issues. From the dramatic U-turn on immigration by the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, to the creeping tax rises hidden in Rachel Reeves's upcoming budget, there’s more than enough madness to unpack.They ask if the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's new rhetoric to crack down on immigration is real, and will her plans work? Alison dissects the

en

1:08:35

March of the BBC’s ‘tinfoil hat’ brigade

Planet Normal ·

2025/11/13

After a Telegraph bombshell, both the BBC Director-General and Head of BBC News are OUT as the corporation is exposed for its "FAR LEFT ideological capture".Our co-pilots take a look at the shocking truth behind the billion-dollar lawsuit threat from President Donald Trump after a Panorama team edited his speech on January 6th 2021. Allison details the biased coverage of Israel and Gaza as well as gender issues, where "smug and arrogant" staffers tried to censor news and silence "normal women".As

en

53:24

Home Office fails to secure its own ‘fit note’

Planet Normal ·

2025/11/06

Following the speech from Chancellor Rachel Reeves acknowledging tax rises are coming round the mountain, your co-pilots are here to wade through the incoming madness.Assisting co-pilot Halligan this week is returning guest Nick Timothy MP to give us some keen insight into the crumbling Home Office.Liam thinks the Chancellor’s speech was a predictable move and has been warning since the election taxes would have to go up as spending rises and welfare cuts avoided.Nick reveals the details surrounding

en

1:02:41

Labour’s asylum seeker 'Carry On'

Planet Normal ·

2025/10/30

Our co-pilots, energised from their trip down to earth for the live show at the Battle of Ideas festival last week, are back on the Rocket to try and make sense of a week of madness!They address the growing discontent following a string of high-profile incidents involving illegal migrants, most recently in Uxbridge.The discussion turns into a blistering attack on the Home Office and the entire Civil Service, who the co-pilots argue, are actively stifling political reform and preventing any

en

1:22:38

Planet Normal: Live Special at the Battle of Ideas 2025

Planet Normal ·

2025/10/22

This episode was recorded live at the Battle of Ideas Festival in London on 19th October 2025In this very special episode of Planet Normal, the rocket beams in live from the Battle of Ideas Festival featuring not one, but two very special stowaways..Labour Life Peer, Lord Maurice Glasman, founder of the Blue Labour movement, shares his thoughts on the state of the Labour Party and slams the progressive policies which he argues is destroying its traditional party roots.Inspirational sailor and author

en

1:02:52

Trump’s peace plan and the China spy row unfurling in...

Planet Normal ·

2025/10/15

With co-pilot Halligan off the train and back in the rocket the team has returned to wade through the madness.As Donald Trump declares “peace in the Middle East” Liam and Allison take their hats off to him as they credit his deal that led to the release of all the remaining hostages, as co-pilot Pearson reflects on the stark reality of Hamas's true face and Starmer’s attempts to claim credit were slapped down by Trump with disdain.Back home, the UK political landscape is rocked by astonishing polls,

en

1:03:35

October 7th freed Hamas hostage Eli Sharabi speaks to...

Planet Normal ·

2025/10/08

In a special episode of Planet Normal co-pilot Pearson brings you a long interview with Eli Sharabi, who after the 7th of October spent 491 days as a captive of Hamas under the tunnels of Gaza.Eli has recently told his story, in his own words, in his book, Hostage. The book tells the harrowing and deeply moving story of his period of captivity, a scarcely credible tale of man's inhumanity to man.An awful added chapter of his story is that on his release in February this year he learned that both his

en

52:10

The courageous ‘Pink Ladies and Starmer’s toxic speech

Planet Normal ·

2025/10/01

As Labour Conference draws to a close and Prime Minister Keir Starmer launches an attack on Nigel Farage, your co-pilots are here to make sense of the madness.Allison brings you a special report from the “Pink Ladies” demonstration outside Downing Street and speaks to women who have raised concerns about migrant hotels and lack of accountability for women’s safety, and catches Conservative London Assembly member Susan Hall ahead of her speech at the event.Meanwhile Liam keeps you on track with the

en

1:01:43

Trump and Reform are right on immigration

Planet Normal ·

2025/09/24

With Trump giving a dressing down to the UN and Starmer clinging on amid yet more scandals, there is no shortness of madness for your co-pilots to get their teeth into!Returning crew member Danny Kruger straps in to explain why he defected to Reform after so many years in the Conservative Party and he admits he feels ‘guilty’.Allison shares her disgust and anger at the government's shameful decision to recognise a state of Palestine, with Hamas calling it a ‘victory and one of the fruits of October

en

59:53

Starmer shows off for Trump as ‘no confidence’ in him...

Planet Normal ·

2025/09/17

With a Trump state visit, an axed Ambassador and Labour polling in third in the upcoming Welsh election there is no shortage of news to wade through, and your co-pilots are here to steer you through it all!Allison questions the chances of Andy Burnham being able to challenge Starmer for the Premiership, having to rely on a by-election which could be won by Reform, while polling in Wales is showing a battle between Plaid Cymru and Reform who are looking to depose Welsh Labour.Meanwhile Liam shares

en

1:00:36

Ed Miliband’s Net Zero Gamble: blackouts and sky-high...

Planet Normal ·

2025/09/10

After a brief trip to Planet Earth at the Reform UK party conference, the rocket is back and making sense of the madness, so you don’t have to!Allison questions Starmer's decision making in light of yet another scandal, this time concerning Lord Peter Madelson and his 'friendship' with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.Meanwhile Liam shares his frustration at Labour’s unrealistic net zero targets, which ignore the realities of our energy infrastructure and the harm it could cause the UK

en

21:36

'I would like to work with Reform' - Lucy Connolly...

Planet Normal ·

2025/09/06

The co-pilots briefly dock the rocket of right-thinking at the Reform Party Conference this week, for an on-stage episode with special guest Lucy Connolly.Watch Allison, Liam and Lucy on stage here: https://youtu.be/VMjbGgpiVSURead more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |Need help subscribing or reviewing? Learn more about podcasts here:

en

1:02:45

Taxing questions for Angela Rayner

Planet Normal ·

2025/09/03

The rocket is back from the summer break and blasting through the nonsense to bring you some common sense! There’s a lot to catch up on so buckle in…A special stowaway this week is former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman to discuss the rise of Reform in the polls, and renews her call to leave the ECHRAllison, fresh from her sun lounger, shares her disgust that comedian and Father Ted writer, Graham Linehan, was arrested over 3 tweets and praises Nigel Farage for sharing free speech concerns with

en

45:58

Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 3

Planet Normal ·

2025/08/27

Summer is coming to an end on Planet Normal!So in our final installment of our "best of the rocket" series, our co-pilots take a look back at another two of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.In May, after Keir Starmer's EU 'reset', Allison and Liam invited Lord David Frost on to the rocket. The former diplomat and Boris Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator, now a Conservative peer, discussed Starmer's efforts to bring post-Brexit Britain closer to the

en

1:04:17

'Am I Starmer's political prisoner? Absolutely' |...

Planet Normal ·

2025/08/22

Citizens of Planet Normal, you were expecting the co-pilots to be on holiday during August but we nowhave a surprise bonus episodefor you!Allison was literally at the beach when the exciting news came through confirming Lucy Connolly was about to be released. Lucy is of course the Northampton mum and childminder who ad spent more than a year behind bars for posting a tweet which she quickly deleted in the wake of the Southport murders, and hercause has been very much championed here on Planet

en

54:16

Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 2

Planet Normal ·

2025/08/20

Summer continues on Planet Normal! In this, the second of the three part best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.Back in March, Allison spoke to Ray Connolly -husband of Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced to 31 months for posting a tweet in response to the tragic death of 3 girls in Southport last year. Ray discusses the devastating impact of Lucy’s ongoing incarceration on their family.And

en

1:06:49

Best Voyages from the Rocket 2025 Part 1

Planet Normal ·

2025/08/13

It's the summer break on Planet Normal so in the first of this year's best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.Following the emergence of more harrowing details of rape gangs operating in the UK, in January Allison spoke to a warrior of free speech, and one of her heroines, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A former Dutch MP, Ayaan has put herself in danger many times for speaking out against Islamists and

en

1:03:30

Labour! Leave our kids alone

Planet Normal ·

2025/08/06

Another black hole has appeared in the country’s coffers, but you can bank on your co-pilots to make sense of the pennies and cents.Allison thinks Starmer’s new migrant swap deal with France is nonsense and nothing more than a secret legal route made by Labour under the pretence of benefiting the British tax payer.Whilst Liam says the ongoing cost of Labour’s private school VAT increase is crippling families and private schools help the local community as well as the tax payers as they free up

en

283 results

Similar Podcasts

Voices of Life

APG Mannheim

Promo Estereo Podcast

Promo Estereo

Talking Timelines Podcast

Talkingtimelines

גיקונומי

ראם שרמן ודורון ניר

Drømmefanger

Drømmefanger