The Headliner

It’s our 100th episode special. Matt and Lis face off in an end-of-year quiz, and Eulogites chip in with their top media stories of 2018.

This week on The Headliner: The traditional Christmas dinner no longer tickles our fancy, David Attenborough says civilisation as we know it could collapse, and a British couple are reunited with an engagement ring lost in the sewers of New York.

This week on the Headliner: Google gives a helping hand to high street outlets, celebrating the life of a codebreaking Baroness, and the reasons behind Harry and Meghan’s big move are revealed.

This week on The Headliner: ‘John Lewis’ stars in Twitter’s tongue-in-cheek campaign, Black Friday causes a stir among Brits and a ‘sexist’ shop window from M&S comes under fire.

This week on The Headliner: Wildfires scorch thousands of acres in California, the John Lewis Christmas advert is unveiled and Coca-Cola scales back its UK festive truck tour after opposition from local authorities and health bodies. We also discuss the news that Deliveroo food delivery bags will display pictures of missing people.

This week on the Headliner: One hundred years after the end of the first world war, we look at the history of the Royal British Legion’s iconic poppy campaign, and where the future of fundraising lies. The first sign of the festive period has arrived, as Christmas sandwiches hit the shelves—but which ones are getting us the most excited? Also: why has Gregg’s flipped its logo? Which word has defined 2018? And why does the Guardian have cause for celebration?

This week on The Headliner: Rahul takes home the GBBO trophy, Philp Hammond introduces a new tax for tech giants, and proposals to change Twitter are not well liked. We also discuss William Sitwell’s resignation as editor of Waitrose Food magazine, after he joked about “killing vegans”.

This week on The Headliner: Ryanair faces controversy after a racist passenger causes trouble on the plane, whilst John Lewis announces that DVDs may have finally had their day. In Social Media Snapchat has been pipped to the post as Instagram becomes more popular among younger audiences. Finally, Thomas the Tank Engine announces a host of new, diverse train characters.

This week on The Headliner: Strictly dance partners Seann Walsh and Katya Jones are papped kissing, and the world goes gaga over the news that Meghan and Harry are expecting. Ladbible buys Unilad, and a new tool reveals that some influencers may not have the clout they claim.

This week on The Headliner: Heathrow airport has been fined is £120,000 for a data breach, Pret a Manger is engulfed in a reputational crisis and the WWF has used a hologram to get people talking about illegal wildlife trafficking. We also discuss the latest episode of The Apprentice and the news that Johnston Press has been put up for sale.

This week on The Headliner: Europe stands together in Ryder Cup triumph, the public reacts to new restaurant tipping rules, and this time it’s Boris running through fields of wheat. We also discuss a 26-year-old entrepreneur whose sportswear brand is already worth £100m, and calls for new guidelines limiting the time children spend on social media.

After months of speculation, the battle for Sky finally came to a head with Comcast out-bidding Rupert Murdoch’s Fox. The US cable giant submitted an eye-watering £30bn bid, equating to £17.28 per share. Shortly afterwards Fox announced it would sell all its shares—marking the end of Murdoch’s association with Sky, the business he founded in the 1980s. Pret a Manger hit the headlines this week following the news that that teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who had a severe sesame allergy,...

Jaguar Land Rover moved 2,000 staff at its Castle Bromwich plant to a three-day week, the manufacturer said they made the decision following difficult conditions in the industry, caused by Brexit and slumping sales of diesel-powered cars. Can this stall in UK car production be reversed? The UK capital was extra glamorous this week as fashionistas jetted into town for London Fashion Week. Victoria Beckham's first UK show was declared a "runway" success. Her family were in the front row to...

Boris enters the single market No stranger to controversy, Boris Johnson hit the headlines again this week after it was announced that he is to divorce his wife of 25 years, Marina Wheeler. With widespread rumours of an alleged affair with a former Conservative Communications Director, will these revelations damage his political future. Meanwhile, a cartoon depicting Serena Williams sparked outrage on Twitter with many branding it racist and sexist. The image appeared in The Herald Sun,...

Chris Evans announced live on air that he was leaving his regular post at BBC Radio 2, for a new role at Virgin Radio. But how will this effect Virgin Radio’s branding? And how will Radio 2 compete with the competition? Former presidents from across the political spectrum united in their eulogies of the late US Senator John McCain—denouncing the political tactics of “insult and bombast”. So will this actually have an impact on online political debates? After global criticism, Skype has...

The Headliner is back, as the bakers returned. Yes, GBBO is back on our screens and we couldn’t be happier—being a firm full of baking fanatics ourselves. An impressive advertising campaign has drummed up a cake tin full of excitement, but people are already mining contestant news feeds to find controversy. What does the treatment of Bake Off contestants tell us about our own digital habits? The sunny weather we’ve had this summer means things aren’t so golden for the agriculture industry....

Yet more turbulence for Ryanair. Customers were sent compensation cheques, without signatures, which bounced when they tried to cash them. Will this latest media storm further weather Ryanair’s already beleaguered reputation? Jamie Oliver cooked up a controversy with his punchy jerk rice, which Labour MP Dawn Butler called cultural appropriation. Was it the misuse of ‘jerk’ that was objectionable or, as Zoe Williams claimed in the Guardian, was it a rich man “making money from an...

Plenty of parents would agree that kids today spend way too much time inside on their screens. But how can they be tempted to play outside again? Well, as part of their ‘Dirt is Good’ campaign, Omo (Persil to us in the UK) has found the answer: a book that can only be read when smeared in dirt. Will this encourage more children to play outside? Or do tech companies need to work harder to prevent screen addiction from a young age? New research has found that a tenth of young women in the UK...

Gee Wizz, flight delays revealed Booking a holiday? New data from the Civil Aviation Authority has revealed the worst airlines for flight delays. It was bad news for Wizz Air; the budget airline was named least punctual with the average flight departing 23 minutes late. Scandinavian performed the best, closely followed by Aer Lingus. Anyone heading to Hollywood may soon notice a missing star on the Walk of Fame. Donald Trump's star has already been vandalised several times since he took...

Millions were left wondering how to fill their evenings as Love Island 2018 came to an end. Will winning couple Jack and Dani live happily ever after? Are the show sponsors reaping the rewards of their involvement? Robert Nesbit, regional director of Rail Delivery Group, made the bold claim that British trains are the envy of Europe. His brag was met with widespread derision and he was accused of "living on another planet". Does the rest of Europe wish they had our train service or was...