Scientists warn that a “super” El Niño could be on its way which, combined with the effects of human-caused climate change, could result in 2027 being the warmest year on record. Yet El Niño is not just a climate story - throughout history, this recurring weather pattern has helped shape global events, triggering everything from famines and revolutions to impacting the Cold War. In this episode, we speak to historian Peter Frankopan, Professor of Global History at Oxford, to discuss what historical El Niños tell us about what cou be coming our way, and how we can collectively prepare.

Producers: Valerio Esposito and Aron Keller

Executive producer: James Shield and China Collins

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: A woman rides a bicycle in the rain in Yangon, Myanmar, 22 May 2026. Credit: Nyein Chan Naing/EPA/Shutterstock

Casting is finally underway for a new James Bond. But why has it taken five years to even begin the search?

Since Daniel Craig retired as Bond in 2021, there have been reports of a behind-the-scenes David and Goliath battle between the family business which has held creative control of the franchise since the 1960s and its new owners, Amazon. It is now up to Jeff Bezos’s tech giant to decide who will play 007 – and how to run the series.

In an era when Hollywood studios are desperate to eke out every last dollar from movie franchises, can James Bond retain its mystique and appeal to a new generation of cinema goers?

We speak to Wall Street Journal enterprise reporter Erich Schwartzel.

Producer: Lucy Pawle and Xandra Ellin

Sound engineer: Travis Evans

Executive producer: James Shield

Senior news editor: China Collins

(Photo: Daniel Craig at the world premiere of the Bond film, No Time to Die, London, 28 September, 2021 Credit: Neil Hall/European Pressphoto Agency)

On Sunday, two prominent left-wing political commentators in the US — Hasan Piker and his uncle, Cenk Uygur – said they had been barred from visiting the UK.

Both men were due to appear at the SXSW London festival, but say the British government blocked them from entering the country because of their criticism of Israel. The British government confirmed that it had denied them entry on the grounds that their presence in the UK “may not be conducive to the public good” but did not elaborate further. Their cases have sparked renewed debate about the limits of free speech in the UK.

We speak to American political activist Shabbos Kestenbaum – who was due to debate Cenk Uygur in London – and to the legal academic and host of the BBC’s The Law Show, Joelle Grogan.

Producers: Sam Chantarasak, Lucy Pawle and Aron Keller

Executive producer: James Shield

Mix: Travis Evans

Senior news editor: China Collins

Photo: Hasan Piker speaks to members of the media at the venue for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani's election night rally in Brooklyn, New York, November 4, 2025. Credit: Jeenah Moon/Reuters