
The Week Unwrapped - with Olly Mann
News & Politics Podcasts
Have you missed the biggest news of the week? Olly Mann and three of The Week's writers and editors decide which under-reported stories will have the biggest long-term consequences. Join Felicity Capon, Harriet Marsden and Jamie Timson to learn about three stories you won't hear on other news podcasts – but will remember in years to come.
Location:
United States
Description:
Have you missed the biggest news of the week? Olly Mann and three of The Week's writers and editors decide which under-reported stories will have the biggest long-term consequences. Join Felicity Capon, Harriet Marsden and Jamie Timson to learn about three stories you won't hear on other news podcasts – but will remember in years to come.
Language:
English
Episodes
The Year Unwrapped: Emotional bots, weight loss and British culture
12/25/2025
Why are we so willing to bond with AI bots? How will appetite suppressants change society? And is Britain back on the main stage? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past 12 months.
With Harriet Marsden, Felicity Capon and Holden Frith
Image credit: Jim Dyson / Getty Images
Duration:00:51:30
The politics of AI, forever chemicals and universal income
12/18/2025
Why is George Osborne joining OpenAI? What’s the cost of PFAs? And has universal basic income finally come of age? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Alex Hudson, Felicity Capon and Harriet Marsden.
Image credit: Just Super / Getty Images
Duration:00:42:26
Euro protests, Syria and monogamy
12/11/2025
** This episode was recorded on Thursday morning, shortly before the resignation of the Bulgarian government **
How is the euro fuelling unrest in Bulgaria? Has Syria changed, a year on from its revolution? And why are humans (mostly) monogamous? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Jamie Timson, Felicity Capon and Harriet Marsden
Image credit: NurPhoto / Getty Images
Duration:00:43:34
A Honduran reprieve, water wars and rom-coms
12/4/2025
Why did Trump pardon a drug-trafficking president? Will drought fuel global violence? And are romantic comedies in terminal decline? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
With Harriet Marsden, Jamie Timson and Felicity CaponImage credit: Shwan Nawzad / AFP / Getty Images
Duration:00:42:59
Slovenia, fallible leaders and mongrels
11/27/2025
What can we learn from Slovenia’s rejection of assisted dying? Can politicians admit their weaknesses? And have pedigree dogs had their day? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Felicity Capon, Jamie Timson and Arion McNicoll
Image credit: Jens Buttner/ AFP / Getty Images
Duration:00:46:30
Cryogenic morality and a Catholic rift
11/20/2025
What are the ethics of freezing your late partner? And will US Catholics rebel against the Pope? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Julia Macfarlane and Suchandrika Chakrabarti
Image credit: Andreas Solaro / AFP/ Getty Images
Duration:00:35:58
Anti-Putin rap, Sarajevo snipers and captive penguins
11/13/2025
Who were the “human hunters” of the Bosnian war? Why has a rap song become an anti-Putin anthem in Russia? And what should happen to captive penguins? With Jamie Timson, Harriet Marsden and Felicity Capon.
Photo: Lorena Sopena/Europa Press via Getty Images
Duration:00:45:16
Smoking in the Maldives, rap in the UK and elderly whales
11/6/2025
Can the Maldives quit smoking? Are British rappers the world’s best? And can whales lead us to immortality? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
With Harriet Marsden, Felicity Capon and Jamie TimsonImage credit: Simone Joyner / Getty Images.
Duration:00:43:50
Bacon, a Dutch standoff and the art of living well
10/30/2025
Should we be eating less fat – or more? Who will benefit from a surprise election result? And how can art improve our health? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Felicity Capon, Jamie Timson and Harriet Marsden
Image credit: Bloomberg / Getty Image
Duration:00:46:42
Fusion, frog protests and fashion
10/23/2025
Will nuclear fusion deliver us from climate change? Is humour the best way to take on Trump? And will Grace Wales Bonner change Hermès for the better? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Harriet Marsden, Arion McNicoll and Jamie Timson.
Image credit: Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images
Duration:00:41:55
Russian energy, parasocial relationships and bullfighting
10/16/2025
Is Putin’s economy running out of gas? Is online fandom inherently unhealthy? And can bullfighting win over young Spaniards? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Felicity Capon, Jamie Timson and Harriet Marsden
Image credit: Joaquin Corchero / Europa Press / Getty Images
Duration:00:48:51
Egg warning, Saudi jokes and slop
10/9/2025
Are imported eggs undermining animal welfare? Who had the last laugh in Riyadh? And what can we do about AI deepfakes? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Harriet Marsden, Felicity Capon and Suchandrika Chakrabarti
Image credit: Fayez Nureldine / AFP / Getty Images
Duration:00:47:51
Moldova, Blair and Brollywood
10/2/2025
Is Russia losing its influence campaign? What’s behind Tony Blair’s comeback? And will British filmmakers survive Trump’s tariffs? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Felicity Capon, Arion McNicoll and Harriet Marsden
Image credit: Daniel Milhailescu / AFP / Getty Images
Duration:00:46:55
Anti-trans ideology and Anglicans
9/25/2025
Could US trans activists be classified as terrorists? And what’s in store for the Church of England? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Jess Hullinger and Felicity Capon
Image credit: The Austin American-Statesman / Hearst Newspapers / Getty Images
Duration:00:45:00
Discord in Nepal, panspermia and Owain Glyndwr
9/18/2025
Why did Nepali voters use a gaming app to pick their next PM? Was life sent to Earth by aliens? And will a new national park boost the case for Welsh independence? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
With Felicity Capon, Jamie Timson and Harriet Marsden
Image credit: Tobias Roetsch / Future
Duration:00:48:29
The other ‘comfort women’, a racing strike and leg-stretching surgery
9/11/2025
Will the women who worked in state-run brothels set up for US soldiers succeed in court? Why is horse-racing going on strike? And what’s behind a surge in surgical height enhancement? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Rebecca Messina, Jamie Timson and Harriet Marsden
Image credit: Dan Kitwood / Getty Images
Duration:00:46:27
Channel 4, drugs in Scotland and fertility
9/4/2025
What does Bake Off tell us about a channel in decline? Why are Scottish drug deaths so stubbornly high? And are women in their 30s too anxious about their eggs? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Scott Bryan, Jamie Timson and Catriona Stewart
Image credit: Ki Price / Getty Image
Duration:00:49:47
Demining Ukraine, reviving Baltimore and unleashing first ladies
8/28/2025
Could robotic dogs help clear landmines? What can we learn from a new approach to urban renewal? And how much power rests with political spouses? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days. With Harriet Marsden, Jamie Timson and Felicity Capon
Image credit: Anadolu / Getty Images
Duration:00:48:33
The Pope's flatmates, the world remapped and seagulls
8/21/2025
Who gets a place in the papal digs? Can a map change the way we see the world? And why are seagull 'muggings' on the rise? Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.
With Rebecca Messina, Arion McNicoll and Felicity Capon
Image credit: Heritage Art / Heritage Images / Getty Images
Duration:00:45:00
Peace prizes, Russia's economy and pickles
8/14/2025
Will bringing peace to Armenia and Azerbaijan win Donald Trump a Nobel Peace Prize? What does the use of North Korean and Indian labour tell us about the Russian war economy? And why have we all gone crazy for pickles?
Andrew Harnik / Getty Images
Duration:00:45:40