Podcasts about Wales

A Sky News analysis asks whether King Charles the Third should address Australia's Bondi Beach attack in his Christmas broadcast — and whether Buckingham Palace can, or will, adjust a message likely recorded earlier in the month.We then go behind the scenes at Sandringham, where former royal chef Darren McGrady describes Christmas preparations as a “military operation,” from the set menus to the advance team and the army-style transport of provisions.Plus, why royal Christmas cards almost never feature winter scenes, and how this year's Wales family photo fits that PR tradition. Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.

Our last episode was recorded live at The Railway hotel, in Naarm, and made extra special by the huge turnout and our amazing guests and close freinds joining us, Rhys and Issy. The day was honestly the perfect send off for us. We had so much fun recording the pod, and the room was full of love and such a great energy, it was more than we could have hoped for. A huge shout outs to EVERYONE that's listened to the pod over the last 500 episodes, came up and said "hello I love the pod", every guest we've had on, and of course anyone who's signed up to the Patreon over the years, we could not have reached 500 episodes without you. Happy Birthday Helen! We'll be back

We can harp on about how good Wales is and was all the live long day but in the interest of balance we occasionally like to cover some of the not so glamorous aspects of Cymru's past and what better time to get super serious than Christmas?Hit play and have a listen to how Wales and the wider world of the time couldn't even be bothered to pay a minimum wage. Get around our Patreon for some extra content, merch discounts and a super secret exclusive episode coming to you this yuletide season.

In this final episode of 2025, you'll hear about some of the most exciting things happening around the world for pathways through the upper end of high school from the voices of the young people involved in them. The final years of high school is often the 'business-end' of formal schooling, where we often demand that young people just knuckle down and suffer the "rigours" of high stakes standardised exams and college entrance tests. But these conversations really show you that alternatives to this are not only possible, but happening! Too often, we can talk a great game of hyperbole and hubris about our apparently "paradigm-shifting" designs, but the young people actually experiencing them are telling a different story. What better way to get at the truth than by hearing from the young people themselves! So in this mini-series (5 episodes), you'll hear from 19 young people about their experiences of the kinds of competencies they feel they are learning and need to learn, what they find energising and enabling, and how they feel about the adults who are very often giving so much heart and hard work into this work, to support and guide them.You'll hear about five empowering high school pathways and curriculum innovations: the International Big Picture Learning Credential in Australia;the Greenstones at Green School Bali in Indonesia; the African Leadership Academy programme in South Africa;the IB Systems Transformation Pathway pilot programme at UWC South East Asia in Singapore and UWC Atlantic College in Wales;and the Global Impact Diploma, being run at a number of schools around the world including American International Schools in Lima, Peru, Budapest, Hungary and Bucharest, Romania.If you know of other innovations that you'd like to see featured on future mini-series, then please do share them with us at goodimpactlabs.com/contact.

David Plotz talks with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales about his new book The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last. They discuss how Wikipedia's culture of assuming good faith and shared purpose became a model for building trustworthy digital communities — and what lessons that holds for companies, social media, and politics today. Wales reflects on how to maintain trust in polarized times, the challenges of AI-generated information, and why genuine civility still matters online. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz talks with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales about his new book The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last. They discuss how Wikipedia's culture of assuming good faith and shared purpose became a model for building trustworthy digital communities — and what lessons that holds for companies, social media, and politics today. Wales reflects on how to maintain trust in polarized times, the challenges of AI-generated information, and why genuine civility still matters online. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz talks with Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales about his new book The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things That Last. They discuss how Wikipedia's culture of assuming good faith and shared purpose became a model for building trustworthy digital communities — and what lessons that holds for companies, social media, and politics today. Wales reflects on how to maintain trust in polarized times, the challenges of AI-generated information, and why genuine civility still matters online. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Nina Porzucki. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week the Government set out its strategy to deal with violence against women and girls. This makes up nearly 20% of all recorded crime in England and Wales. Over the last year alone, one in every eight women was a victim of domestic abuse, sexual assault or stalking, according to Home Office figures. Educating boys on misogyny is a key aim of the strategy and figures show that nearly one in five boys aged 13 to 15 are said to hold a positive view of the self-proclaimed misogynist Andrew Tate, according to a YouGov poll. Alex Davies-Jones, the minister for Victims and Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls, joins Anita Rani to discuss the Government's strategy.Hollywood actor Kate Hudson's latest movie Song Sung Blue is based on the real life story of Wisconsin couple Mike and Claire Sardina. Kate plays Claire, who along with her husband Mike, played by Hugh Jackman, finds local fame in the 1990s as a Neil Diamond tribute act. Kate tells Anita about the appeal of the role and how she's now found empowerment and her voice.Woman's Hour celebrates the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. Nuala McGovern delves into the world that Jane was born into in 1775. She is joined by the author Gill Hornby, President of the UK Jane Austen Society, and by Dr Zoe McGee whose book Courting Disaster explores the issue of consent in Regency literature.According to a survey in the press this week, nearly half of younger women surveyed said they are confident in painting and decorating, compared with just 28% of young men. The stats are from the motoring and cycling firm Halfords who said its study revealed a reversal from previous generations. We hear from Vickie Lee, DIY YouTuber known online as The Carpenter's Daughter, alongside Caroline Henn, founder of bePractical DIY in Bristol, who runs courses aimed at making DIY accessible.We celebrate the phenomenon of female tribute acts to male bands. Gobby Holder, aka Danie Cox of Slady and Lolo Wood of The Fallen Women and Ye Nuns discuss.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Dianne McGregor

As we approach the end of another year, Nick takes a moment to step back from the history books and reflect on the Explaining History podcast itself. What started 13 years ago as a "flipped classroom" experiment by a history teacher in Wales has grown into a global community.In this candid episode, Nick discusses his philosophy of history—why he rejects the "history as entertainment" model and the simplistic "Great Man" theories often peddled by TV documentaries. Instead, he argues for a structural understanding of the past, one that focuses on economics, demographics, and the lived experiences of ordinary people.From the horrors of the Holocaust to the complexities of post-war American abundance, Nick explores why we must never reduce human suffering to mere content. He also shares his personal gratitude to the listeners, authors, and friends—like Alvaro, Mehdi, and Michael—who have helped build this platform into what it is today.Key Topics:The Origins of the Podcast: From classroom tool to global platform.History vs. Entertainment: The moral responsibility of the historian.Structural History: Why "Great Men" don't shape events as much as economics do.Community: A vote of thanks to the listeners and contributors who make it all possible.Explaining History helps you understand the 20th Century through critical conversations and expert interviews. We connect the past to the present. If you enjoy the show, please subscribe and share.▸ Support the Show & Get Exclusive ContentBecome a Patron: patreon.com/explaininghistory▸ Join the Community & Continue the ConversationFacebook Group: facebook.com/groups/ExplainingHistoryPodcastSubstack: theexplaininghistorypodcast.substack.com▸ Read Articles & Go DeeperWebsite: explaininghistory.org Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Christmas at Sandringham is set to look different this year, with familiar absences, softened protocols, and newer traditions taking hold under King Charles the Third. We run through who is expected, who is not, and how the day is likely to unfold from Christmas Eve dinner through the walk to church and the King's broadcast.We also look at the mood inside the family as the King continues treatment, the Princess of Wales marks her first Christmas since announcing remission, and the Wales family begins a new chapter at their new home.Plus, a report from royal biographer Robert Jobson claims the late Queen Elizabeth the Second was angered by Meghan Markle's sixty thousand pound Dior gown and later deeply distressed by the use of the name Lilibet, with contrasting accounts from Harry's side and other royal authors.Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.

WAAN - In Doubt [Sonar Kollektiv]2 Sleep - A Dream Of JazzDee C'rell - Opposite LanguageThree Point Ensemble - Black SpectrumCharles Webster & El Payo & Girly Mbambani - A Journey [Stay True Sounds]Ramsey Lewis - Les Fleur Rotary Connection - Memory BandCreative Source - You Can't Hide Love - (Secret Sun Remix)Phil Upchurch - Black GoldAl Johnson & Jean Carn -  Back For MoreHemai - Rise From The SunSmokey Robinson - Quiet Storm (Groove Boutique Chill Jazz Mix) [feat. Roy Ayers].Lucas Moinet Trio - New MorningTheo Schumman Combo - KarawaneZach Tenorio - Superficial Interstitial.Jazzanova - Behold These Days, Berlin '74Heavy - Wonderlove (Jazzanova Mix)Minnie Ripperton - ExpectingNorah Jane Mor.Lov -A MinuteKylie Audlist - Close to You feat. thndoKyla Kilzer Max Noir - Break Through.Onsunlade -Quiet DeparturesJoe Silva -Marmalade (Peak Hour Mix).Dee C'rell - Akiyo's Garden.Alice Russell & Amanda Whiting -I Am (Acoustic Version).

rWotD Episode 3152: Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc Welcome to random Wiki of the Day, your journey through Wikipedia's vast and varied content, one random article at a time.The random article for Saturday, 20 December 2025, is Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc.Thomas Pitt (c. 1705 – 17 July 1761), of Boconnoc, Cornwall, was a British landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1727 and 1761. He was Lord Warden of the Stannaries from 1742 to 1751. Pitt was the grandson and namesake of the better known Thomas Pitt and the son of Robert Pitt, MP, of Boconnoc, near Lostwithiel in Cornwall. His mother was Harriet Villiers, daughter of Edward FitzGerald-Villiers and the Irish heiress Katherine FitzGerald. Thomas Pitt was the elder brother of William Pitt the Elder. He succeeded his father in 1727 to his estates, including Boconnoc.As head of the family, Pitt inherited both his grandfather's immense fortune and his parliamentary boroughs - he had the complete power to nominate both MPs at Old Sarum and one of the two at Okehampton, as well as considerable influence in at least two Cornish boroughs, Camelford and Grampound. He had himself elected Member of Parliament for Okehampton in 1727, the first election after he came of age, and represented the borough until 1754; but on a number of occasions he was also elected for Old Sarum, which meant that when he chose to sit for Okehampton the Old Sarum seat was free to offer at a by-election to somebody else who had failed to get into Parliament.Pitt was Assay master of the Stannaries from March 1738 to February 1742 and Lord Warden of the Stannaries from February 1742 to March 1751, when the Cornish Stannary Parliament met for the last time.Pitt was ambitious for political influence and, attaching himself to the retinue of Frederick, Prince of Wales, managed the general elections of 1741 and 1747 in Cornwall in the Prince's interests; but this involved massive expenditure - especially at the notoriously-corrupt Grampound, where he spent huge sums both on bribing the voters and on lawsuits attempting to deprive the most rapacious of their votes. By 1751 he had bankrupted himself, and the death that year of the Prince of Wales destroyed his hopes of securing influence or patronage for his efforts. He mortgaged his boroughs to the Treasury, allowing the government to name two MPs at Old Sarum and one at Okehampton in return for a pension of £1000 a year. After sitting briefly for Old Sarum in the 1754 Parliament, he resigned his seat and fled the country.Returning to England in 1761, however, Pitt persuaded the government to allow him to be once more elected for Old Sarum - a temporary measure, he promised, to prevent his being arrested for debt until he was able satisfy his creditors. (MPs were immune from civil arrest.) He promised to relinquish the seat at the earliest possible moment and allow the government to name his replacement in accordance with the original arrangement; but he died a few months later, still MP for Old Sarum.Pitt had married, c.1731, Christian, the daughter of Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 4th Baronet, M. P., of Hagley, Worcestershire and the sister of Lord Lyttelton. They had two sons and two daughters. He afterwards married, in 1761, Maria, the daughter of General Murray.Pitt died on 17 July 1761. His only surviving son was the first Baron Camelford, who repudiated his father's arrangement for Old Sarum, and chose himself as MP when he inherited the borough.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:17 UTC on Saturday, 20 December 2025.For the full current version of the article, see Thomas Pitt of Boconnoc on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Bluesky at @wikioftheday.com.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm standard Salli.

News; birthdays/events; are you planning on traveling more in 2026?; word of the day. News; porch pirates...you won't believe how much they steal!!!; game: backward Christmas songs; the perfect indoor winter temperature (according to experts). News; between sugar, gingerbread and shortbread...what's your 'go-to' holiday cookie?; game: Christmas word ladder; things you should never leave unattended in public. News; if someone was blocking your view would you ask them to move? what if it was a celebrity?; game: Christmas song titles; goodbye/fun facts....National Oatmeal Muffin Day...the healthy muffins that look like cupcakes but satisfy your sweet tooth. Muffins have been around for several centuries, beginning with English-style muffins dating back to the 10th century in Wales. By the end of the 18th century, Americans improved on the recipe for muffins and developed it into what we know today as quick bread muffins, prepared in individual molds. The oatmeal provides fiber and if you add things like raisins, bananas, blueberries and other healthy fruits and/or nuts...it will not only compliment oatmeal muffins but add even more health benefits.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?sid=tindogpodcast&_pgn=1&isRefine=true&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l49496 The War Between the Land and the Sea is a British science fiction television miniseries. The series was created by Russell T Davies for BBC One and Disney+ as part of the Doctor Who franchise, known as the Whoniverse. Starring Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, the series features UNIT in their attempt to prevent a global war caused by the return of the Sea Devils, also named "Homo Aqua". Jemma Redgrave, Colin McFarlane, Alexander Devrient and Ruth Madeley reprise their respective roles from Doctor Who and its franchised series. The series was first reported on in July 2024, and filmed from August to December 2024 across Wales, Cardiff and Spain. Of the five episodes, the premiere and finale were written by Davies, with the other three by Pete McTighe. The War Between the Land and the Sea premiered on BBC One on 7 December 2025 with its first two episodes, and is scheduled to be released on Disney+ in 2026. The series has received generally positive reviews from critics for its performances (particularly Redgrave's) and its similarities to Torchwood. Premise UNIT must take action to prevent a global war once an ancient species, the Homo aqua, comes out from the sea, revealing itself to humanity.[1] Cast Main Russell Tovey as Barclay Pierre-Dupont, a low-level member of UNIT, a transportation arranger, who is unexpectedly appointed as Ambassador by Salt Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, the Ambassador of the Sea Devils Recurring Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, the commander-in-chief of UNIT, who reprises her role from Doctor Who. Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce, a high-ranking American UNIT officer, who reprises his role from Torchwood: Children of Earth. Alexander Devrient as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, a senior UNIT officer, part of Kate's personal staff, who reprises his role from Doctor Who. Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham, UNIT's fifty-sixth scientific advisor, part of Kate's personal staff, who reprises her role from Doctor Who. Adrian Lukis as Jonathan Hynes, a politician initially appointed as humanity's ambassador Vincent Franklin as Harry Shaw, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Francesca Corney as Sergeant Hana Chakri, a UNIT soldier assigned to protect Barclay Ann Akinjirin as Barbara Pierre-Dupont, Barclay's estranged spouse Cat Gannon as Kirby Pierre-Dupont, Barclay and Barbara's teenage child Guest Mei Mac as Min Tso, member of UNIT Waleed Hammad as Colonel Tariq Hashim, a UNIT field officer Hannah Donaldson as Captain Louise Mackie, a UNIT company officer William Gaminara as Ted Campbell, an ambassador selected to represent his nation Lachele Carl as Trinity Wells, a news reporter, who reprises her role from Doctor Who. Episodes No. Title [2] Directed by [3] Written by [4] Original release date [5] UK viewers (millions) [6] 1 "Homo Aqua" Dylan Holmes Williams Russell T Davies 7 December 2025 TBD 2 "Plastic Apocalypse" Dylan Holmes Williams Pete McTighe 7 December 2025 TBD 3 "The Deep" Dylan Holmes Williams Pete McTighe 14 December 2025 TBD 4 "The Witch of the Waterfall" Dylan Holmes Williams Pete McTighe 14 December 2025 TBD 5 "The End of the War" Dylan Holmes Williams Russell T Davies 21 December 2025 TBD

After climbing a few steps you're atop the sea wall and the vast skies and broad seascape of the Bristol Channel open before you. You're looking south from Wales across the water to Somerset and North Devon. It's eerily quiet with just a distant roar of water, a passing plane and the calls of occasional passing gulls, curlews and goldfinches. BBC Countryfile Magazine's Sound Escapes are a weekly audio postcard from the countryside to help you relax and transport you somewhere beautiful, wherever you happen to be. Recorded by Fergus Collins and introduced by Hannah Tribe. Email the Plodcast team – and send your sound recordings of the countryside – to: theplodcast@countryfile.com And just a reminder, the BBC Countryfile Magazine Plodcast is a media partner for the Speakies! The British Audio Awards from The Bookseller Magazine. The awards celebrate the best in audio books and the Plodcast is the partner for the non-fiction category. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

As another year of political mayhem beckons, host Patrick Baker dusts off the crystal ball to see what's in store in 2026, both in Westminster and around the world. POLITICO's Dan Bloom and Annabelle Dickson explain what's at stake at the crucial May elections in Scotland and Wales — and how dire results for Labour could lead to a very real leadership challenge against the prime minister. Dan and Annabelle set the scene for the King's Speech, scheduled for mid-May, and set out the massive challenges the Government faces on a host of domestic fronts including immigration and welfare. Jack Blanchard, POLITICO Playbook managing editor and author in Washington D.C., paints a picture of what we can expect in Trump's America in 2026; highly-charged midterms, crucial Supreme court decisions, multiple foreign policy skirmishes and …. a UFC fight on the White House lawn. Russia expert Mark Galeotti of Mayak Intelligence describes how the war in Ukraine might play out in 2026 and weighs in on the likelihood of a peace agreement both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy can swallow. POLITICO's Sarah Wheaton, host of the EU Confidential podcast, looks ahead to elections in Hungary in April, which could spell the end for President Viktor Orbán. Middle East expert and author Kim Ghattas, who writes for The Atlantic, explains what could be in store for the next phase of the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.  And football writer Henry Winter looks ahead to the FIFA World Cup next summer. Could 2026 be the year it finally comes home? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Catherine, the Princess of Wales, is said to have pledged unwavering support to Prince William as he prepares for what insiders describe as a major overhaul of the monarchy, potentially beginning as early as 2026. Sources say the past year of illness, pressure and family strain has strengthened their bond as they focus on stability, impact and a quieter Christmas.We also look at the Wales family's new Christmas photograph and message, and reports that Kate has stepped back from efforts to reconcile William and Harry.After the break, fresh claims from Andrew Lownie's book detail allegations about Sarah Ferguson's spending habits during her time as a working royal.We close with an update on Prince Andrew's impending move from Royal Lodge to Marsh Farm on the Sandringham estate, the personal cost to King Charles, and what royal watchers say about Andrew's increasingly isolated life.Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.

The 10 September 1985 was a night where tension never dropped within Ninian Park, Cardiff. On the pitch was a controversial World Cup qualifier between Scotland and Wales. Off it, a heart attack that ended the life of one of Britain's greatest managers. The legendary broadcaster Archie Macpherson wraps up our season by recounting his experience of that night, the impact of Scottish managers on British football and what made them disproportionately successful and some reflection on his own career and how the business of commentary and broadcasting has changed. If you want weekly exclusive bonus shows, want your episodes without ads and a couple of days earlier or just want to support the podcast, then head over to ⁠⁠patreon.com/NessunDormaPodcast⁠⁠ where you can subscribe for only $3.99 a month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the All Things Sustainable podcast we dive into one of the world's most diverse and valuable ecosystems: Coral reefs. To learn about the benefits of this ecosystem and the risks associated with losing it, we sit down with Sam Teicher, Co-Founder & Chief Reef Officer at reef restoration company Coral Vita.   Reefs "take up less than 1% of the seafloor while sustaining 25% of marine life, the livelihoods of about 1 billion people in 100 countries and territories. And now, conservatively, they generate $2.7 trillion a year," Sam says.  Healthy reefs also protect shorelines from flooding and storms, and they can help treat a variety of diseases. In the episode, Sam explains how Coral Vita is working to restore reefs that are dying due to climate change, pollution and overfishing.   "Restoration is not a silver bullet, but it's also a critical tool in order to keep reefs alive for future generations," Sam says. "Just like we can grow and plant trees for reforestation, we can grow and plant corals for reef restoration."  In 2021, Coral Vita won the inaugural Earthshot Prize in the "Revive our Oceans" category. Prince William of Wales launched the prize to find and scale innovative solutions to the world's biggest environmental challenges.  This interview took place during Climate Week NYC 2025 on the sidelines of The Nest Climate Campus, where the All Things Sustainable podcast was an official media partner.   Read nature research from S&P Global Sustainable1: Companies around the world face risks from their reliance on nature | S&P Global  Listen to our podcast episode featuring Conservation International: The business case for nature conservation at Climate Week NYC | S&P Global  Hear more of our coverage of sustainable agriculture: Infrastructure, food, finance: The complex picture for sustainability in Asia-Pacific markets | S&P Global  Learn about Nature and Biodiversity Solutions from S&P Global  Copyright ©2025 by S&P Global          DISCLAIMER         By accessing this Podcast, I acknowledge that S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty, guarantee, or representation as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information featured in this Podcast. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this Podcast are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this Podcast is done at your own risk.     Any unauthorized use, facilitation or encouragement of a third party's unauthorized use (including without limitation copy, distribution, transmission or modification, use as part of generative artificial intelligence or for training any artificial intelligence models) of this Podcast or any related information is not permitted without S&P Global's prior consent subject to appropriate licensing and shall be deemed an infringement, violation, breach or contravention of the rights of S&P Global or any applicable third-party (including any copyright, trademark, patent, rights of privacy or publicity or any other proprietary rights).      This Podcast should not be considered professional advice. Unless specifically stated otherwise, S&P GLOBAL does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned in this Podcast, and information from this Podcast should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement.   The third party materials or content of any third party site referenced in this Podcast do not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards or policies of S&P GLOBAL. S&P GLOBAL assumes no responsibility or liability for the accuracy or completeness of the content contained in third party materials or on third party sites referenced in this Podcast or the compliance with applicable laws of such materials and/or links referenced herein. Moreover, S&P GLOBAL makes no warranty that this Podcast, or the server that makes it available, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. S&P GLOBAL EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY OR RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF ANY INDIVIDUAL'S USE OF, REFERENCE TO, RELIANCE ON, OR INABILITY TO USE, THIS PODCAST OR THE INFORMATION PRESENTED IN THIS PODCAST.

The supernatural horror returns.It's been 12 years since social worker Cassie discovered a mysterious mould in her home, invisible to almost everyone except her. Now the fungus has spread - its glowing spores a major global health threat, infecting the brains of those who inhale them. But many refuse to take seriously a menace they cannot see. When spores erupt at a care home in Wales, Cassie's son Bryn and 30 residents are exposed to infection. But how could this have happened when just days earlier the building was declared mould-free by a mycelium-sighted Inspector? For Bryn there is only one explanation: not everyone who claims to see the mould can be trusted. But who is this rogue Inspector and why would they lie? In his search for answers, Bryn's fraught relationship with Cassie will be tested to the limit as they battle to stop the fungus before the looming pandemic can take hold. In Greek mythology, Cassandra was condemned to speak the truth yet never be believed. A story of trust and what happens when we lose it. And of a hidden threat destroying the very thing that makes us powerful. Written and created by Marietta KirkbrideCassie ….. Kate O'Flynn Bryn ….. Ben Skym Helen ….. Laurel Lefkow Ethan ..... Philip Desmeules Gwenni ….. Kezrena James Gareth ..... George WilliamsOther voices are played by the castProduction Manager: Eleanor Mein Production Assistant: Liis Mikk with Teresa Milewski Executive Producer: Sara DaviesTitle music: Ioana Selaru and Melo-Zed Score: Ioana Selaru Track laying: Andreina Gómez Sound design: Jon Nicholls and Adam WoodhamsDirected and produced by Nicolas JacksonAn Afonica production for BBC Radio 4

Anthony Albanese has announced the ‘largest’ national gun buyback scheme since the Howard government; Police say a group of men arrested in Sydney’s south-west on Thursday had links to extremist Islamic ideology and may have been travelling to Bondi; Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has apologised after her husband, Yorick Piper, was caught drink driving in Bendigo on Thursday morning; Hundreds of surfers and beachgoers returned to Bondi's waters to pay tribute to those killed in the horrifying mass shooting; Democrats have released dozens of new images from the estate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein; Royal fans have noticed a hidden meaning in The Prince and Princess of Wales annual Christmas card family portrait. END BITS Bondi Beach condolence book Support independent women's media CREDITS Host/Producer: Ailish DelaneyBecome a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How should we get organised for our later years? With just a little preparation while we are fit and healthy, we can express our wishes for more difficult times. There are simple and positive options to be followed. Not just a will and lasting power of attorney, but simple steps to being independent longer, staying at home longer and enjoying life longer. A little thought now, and hopefully with discussion with family members, will provide reassurance and peace of mind for all.This lecture was recorded by Sir Peter Thornton KC on the 17th of November 2025 at Barnard's Inn Hall, London.His Honour Sir Peter Thornton KC was a practising barrister in criminal and human rights law, a QC (now KC), founder member and head of Doughty Street Chambers in London, a Senior Circuit Judge at the Old Bailey (the Central Criminal Court) and judge in the High Court and Court of Appeal (Criminal Division).   Sir Peter was the first Chief Coroner of England and Wales.   He is now a Visiting Professor at King's College London (where he teaches a course, Death investigation: coroners and inquests), a member of the Independent Expert Panel of the House of Commons, and an international trainer of coroners and judges with the Civil Service College, the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association and the Slynn Foundation.  His latest book is The Later Years: The simple guide to organising the rest of your life (Bedford Square Publishers, 2025). He also conducts workshops on Life and lifestyle in the later years.The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/later-yearsGresham College has offered free public lectures for over 400 years, thanks to the generosity of our supporters. There are currently over 2,500 lectures free to access. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to learn from some of the greatest minds. To support Gresham's mission, please consider making a donation: https://gresham.ac.uk/support/Website:  https://gresham.ac.ukTwitter:  https://twitter.com/greshamcollegeFacebook: https://facebook.com/greshamcollegeInstagram: https://instagram.com/greshamcollegeSupport the show

I hope you enjoy this uplifting conversation with Ash Loveridge as much as I did. Ash is a seasoned sports journalist who is approaching the 5th year of running the independent website https://stroudtimes.com In this episode we talk about how former Premier League footballer and Wales international Robbie Savage has helped lift Forest Green Rovers on and off the pitch. We also talk about the continued growth of Stroud Times and people's hunger for local news and sports coverage in an age where traditional outlets are under the pump.

In episode 317 of The Just Checking In Podcast we checked back in with Russell Payne. Russ is the Founder of The Talking Tradesman (TTT) podcast and also a qualified painter and decorator. Since he started the podcast in November 2023, TTT aims to entertain, connect and raise mental health awareness for tradespeople throughout the UK. Since we first checked in, in JCIP #241, the podcast has gone from strength to strength. In November 2024, he took a huge risk and bought a plot on his local high street with the aim of refurbishing it and turning it into a brand-new studio for the podcast. In January 2025, the studio was finished and he sat down to record with his first guest in it. The podcast is now in the top 250 podcasts in the world, and has over 12,000 followers on Instagram and over 10,000 on TikTok, with brands across the trades sector approaching him for sponsorship opportunities now. In Part 1 of Russ's journey, we discussed the genesis of the podcast, the origins of his journey of self-development and mental health education, the stigma that exists in the trades sector and how Russ is tackling it. We also discussed his own mental health journey, which included his parents' divorce, his own divorce from his first wife, fatherhood, his relationship with his father and his goal to become a therapist in the future. In Part 2, we discuss: the explosion in growth TTT has had and what's been key to it, how he's developed as a presenter and editor, adjusting to the role of gamekeeper on the podcast, and the weight of responsibility he now feels as the pod has grown to where it has. For Russ's continued mental health journey, we discuss how he's become hyper self-aware of his own mental health, how he sometimes struggles to switch off, and navigating the reality when people now come up to him and disclose their mental health history, often unprovoked. In June/July 2024, his wife also went through severe mental health difficulties after she had to close her business, and we discuss how Russ and his wife navigated it, the guilt he felt when he didn't spot the red flags in his wife straight away, and how they both came out the back of it and moved forward. We finish by discussing the ‘Climb from Darkness' he did with 20 men and women in May 2025 when they climbed Snowdon Mountain in Wales. They set off at midnight and summitted the mountain at sunrise, as an analogy for overcoming a mental health crisis by climbing out of the darkness. The group raised over £7,000 for the charity The Lost City, who help provide funding for therapy sessions for construction workers. As always, #itsokaytovent You can listen to The Talking Tradesman on streaming platforms below: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7kgT8QKfW4xzBG8U6XC57m YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheTalkingTradesman You can follow The Talking Tradesman on social media below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_talking_tradesman/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@the.talking.tradesman You can listen to Part 1 of Russ's journey here: https://soundcloud.com/venthelpuk/jcip-241-russell-payne Support Us: Patreon: www.patreon.com/venthelpuk PayPal: paypal.me/freddiec1994?country.x=GB&locale.x=en_GB Merchandise: www.redbubble.com/people/VentUK/shop Music: @patawawa - Strange: www.youtube.com/watch?v=d70wfeJSEvk

Timestamp to skip the intro: (11:00) Welcome back to another episode of the True Crime Society Podcast. In this episode we discuss two separate cases of missing celebrities: Joseph Pichler was a child star, best known for his roles in films such as Varsity Blues, Beethoven's 3rd and Beethoven's 4th.  In 2006,  Joseph's vehicle was found abandoned in Washington State with a note indicating that his belongings should go to his brother.  Now, 19 years later, Joseph remains missing. Musician Richey Edwards was part of the British band ‘Manic Street Preachers.'  Richey had a documented history of mental health and addiction struggles.  Once when he was questioned about being serious about his music,  he carved the words ‘4 Real' into his arm with a razor blade.  The injury required 18 stitches. In February 2005, Richey was due to leave London to fly to the United States to begin a press tour.  Instead, he left behind some of his belongings in his hotel and drove back to his apartment in Cardiff, Wales.  Over the next few weeks, there were reported sightings of Richey in that country.  His car would later be found abandoned near a bridge.  Reported sightings of Richey have come from India and Spain.  Richey has now been missing for over 20 years. Read our blog for these cases - https://truecrimesocietyblog.com/2025/12/15/missing-celebrities-joe-pichler-and-richey-edwards/ We will be taking next week off from the podcast to spend the holiday with our families.  Be sure to join us on Patreon for over 100 exclusive episodes if you need your TCS fix!  - Patreon.com/truecrimesociety Happy Holidays! Follow us on Instagram for the latest crime news - Instagram.com/truecrimesociety

Welcome back to Truth, Lies & Work. Today we're doing something a little different for the Christmas break. We're sharing an episode from our friend Jeremy Cline's podcast Change Work Life, where Al joined him to reflect on Jeremy's first year as a full-time coach. This conversation marks Jeremy's 200th episode, and instead of interviewing someone else, he turns the spotlight on himself. It's a rare, honest look at what actually happens when you leave a stable career after 20 years and try to build something new from scratch. No glossy “quit and make six figures” narrative — just the real, messy middle that most founders and coaches quietly go through. Al and Jeremy dig into the emotional, financial and identity shifts that come with starting your own business, what surprised Jeremy the most, and why meaningful conversations — not logos or websites — became the backbone of his first year. If you're thinking of going out on your own, supporting someone who is, or you're simply curious about what a year of reinvention looks like behind the scenes, this is the perfect listen for the quieter days of December.

Day 6 of 12 days of missing person cases in December. In December 1979, the skeletal remains of a man was found in Rheola Forest in Neath Port Talbot. The man had no ID with him and investigators could not figure out what had happened to him or who he was. There were several belongings relating to South Africa close to the remains but who was the glamorgan man? Important information provided by: https://locate.international/appeals/glamorgan-manhttps://news.sky.com/story/glamorgan-man-handwriting-and-money-among-clues-to-identity-of-man-found-dead-in-woods-45-years-ago-13270825https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/stocky-man-heavy-limp-found-30542225Music by: dl-sounds.comFollow the Unseen Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unseen-podcast/id1318473466?uo=4Follow the Unseen Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0xWK7Mu3bTP6oziZvxrwSK?si=QxvyPkZ2TdCDscnfxyeRawJoin our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/unseenpodFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theunseenpodFollow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theunseenpod/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theunseenpod?fan_landing=trueSubscribe to 10 Minute True Crime: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-minute-true-crime/id1591474862

Joining Lauren Salter on the sofas this week is Celebrity Masterchef finalist and former Lions captain Alun Wyn Jones alongside former Wales internationals Jonathan Davies and Ellis Jenkins to discuss Alun Wyn's cooking skills and to look ahead to the festive derbies in the URC.

Which Christmas decoration began life as a witch-repelling charm? What haunted Welsh mansion has glowing fog drifting through its corridors even in summer? And who is the mysterious Boy in Blue said to appear in an unnerving old painting? This Christmas, we return to Dinefwr and Llandeilo - some of the most haunted locations in Wales - with storyteller and National Trust guide Ronnie Kerswell-O'Hara, who previously joined us for last week's Mari Lwyd folklore episode. Ronnie reveals the eerie objects found in Newton House (including witch balls, witch marks and mummified cats), unexplained static like something from Poltergeist, and the chilling stories behind haunted paintings and ghostly children seen on the stairs. She also shares tales from her Llandeilo ghost walks: tragic carriage accidents, a mysterious fall from a window… or was it a push? Expect Welsh hauntings, cursed objects, spooky art, local legends and even a Scooby-Doo-style mystery. Settle in for Welsh Christmas ghost stories on the darkest nights of the year… if you dare.

On a grey February morning in 1995, one of rock's most enigmatic voices stepped out of a London hotel room - and into one of music's most enduring mysteries.  The Manic Street Preachers' lyricist - Richey Edwards -  brilliant, fragile, and beloved -  left behind a life heavy with pressure and pain.   After his disappearance, his car was found near the Severn Bridge, a place weighted with symbolism and sorrow.  Richey himself was gone.  No sightings. No answers.  Just a trail that stops cold on the border between England and Wales. Listen as we dive into the Britpop Era of London, the case of Richey Edwards, and how to stay alive on vacation. Do you have a story to share? Send your email to lasttrippodcast@gmail.com We're on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheLastTripPodcast Follow us on IG: https://www.instagram.com/thelasttripcrimepod/ And join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheLastTripPodcast Theme Music by Roger Allen Dexter Sources: https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/features/richey-edwards-manic-street-preachers-disappearance-missing-b2690286.html https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c80er6r0pz3o https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/nov/29/richey-edwards-manic-street-preachers https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-holy-bible-richey-edwards/ https://www.penguin.co.uk/discover/articles/withdrawn-traces-richey-edwards-day-of-disappearance https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/richey-edwards-disappearance https://www.thisdayinmusic.com/stairway-to-heaven/richey-edwards/ https://metro.co.uk/2025/02/01/30-years-ago-manic-street-preachers-richey-edwards-disappeared-without-a-trace-22351235/ https://scruffystorms.com/2018/02/01/richey-edwards-23-years-missing/ https://www.nme.com/news/music/new-evidence-emerges-suggest-richey-edwards-staged-disappearance-2438975 https://news.sky.com/story/richey-edwards-new-appeal-over-missing-manic-street-preachers-guitarist-11923464 https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/richey-edwards-disappearance-manic-street-preachers-b2686905.html

What are the chances that the elections in May 2026 in Scotland, Wales and England will lead to a leadership challenge against Keir Starmer?That's one of the questions answered by the political masterminds in our Christmas episode. We also find out about their favourite political memorabilia, why the parties import advisers from America and Australia, and whether we've been stuck in a political timewarp since 2019.Send questions, comments and voicenotes to: howtowin@thetimes.co.uk Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On a sabbatical since Early 2024, the Wake Up London Podcast returns

Want to know how you can influence the decisions that shape your life?Arthur Templeman-Lily at 17 years old is a children's rights consultant from Wales, who works to ensure young people's voices are heard in decisions that affect their lives. He tells Alma and Lucinda about his experience in children participating in shaping law and policy, and why Cardiff is a leader in children's rights.  Arthur explains how he became involved in children's rights work and champion youth voices. We discuss:·      How he went about producing the children-led book, ‘Pause, Play, Fast   Forward: The Journey of Children in Wales'·      how the book is being used in schools and youth settings·      why Wales became one of the first UK nations to criminalise smacking·      the reasons and importance of voting at 16 years old·      the age of criminal responsibility, comparing Wales with Scotland.·      advice for children who want to learn more about their rights or get involved.When Arthur was 10, he really enjoyed history and loved writing fan fiction about  the Lion King! If you've got any questions, ideas about a topic or someone to interview, get in touch, we'd love to hear from you!! You can email us at kidslaw@spark21.org, contact us through the website: www.kidslaw.info or through social media: Facebook, X and Instagram @KidsLawInfo Please subscribe, rate, and share the podcast with your friends. See you soon in the next episode!

From the monstrous Yule Cat of Iceland to the cannibal Wendigo of North America, in this episode I explore seven eerie winter legends from around the world. You'll meet Japan's ghostly Yuki-Onna, China's New Year beast Nian, Greece's chaotic Kallikantzaroi, the rhyming ghost-horse Mari Lwyd of Wales, and the shape-shifting Ijiraq of the Arctic. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Sean Farrington looks at the long wait for a driving test in England, Scotland and Wales. Plus, what does England's performance in Australia mean for cricket clubs back here?

Speculation grows over a possible rift between the Princess of Wales and her sister Pippa, following notable absences during a difficult year for Kate and renewed scrutiny of the Middleton family dynamic.We also examine claims that Kate's striking tiara choice at a recent State Banquet was a calculated signal of her future role, sparking reported friction with Queen Camilla as Prince William quietly reshapes the monarchy's direction.Plus, William's latest comments on green spaces and mental wellbeing, Princess Beatrice's Christmas dilemma amid family divisions, and union warnings that strike action could leave Sandringham facing fuel shortages during the festive season.Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.

King Charles hosts his annual pre Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, with around seventy relatives invited, as the Wales family arrives with the children and senior royals gather ahead of Sandringham. But several notable figures are missing, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Sarah Ferguson, and the Sussexes, while Beatrice and Eugenie return to the wider family fold.We also revisit striking comments from Sarah Ferguson's late mother Susan Barrantes about the York separation and the threat of telling “not very pleasant” stories about the Crown, as author Andrew Lownie argues the Royal Household always feared a memoir.Plus, local backlash grows over security closures around William and Catherine's new Forest Lodge home, and Harry and Meghan confirm a new Netflix film project adapting Jasmine Guillory's The Wedding Date.  Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.

John G Lake travelled through the power of the Holy Spirit to Wales supernaturally and cast demons out of a woman in an 'insane asylum'. In the second of this Messengers of Power series, discover how he did it and hear from Aliss in Wales as she too experienced something similar. Give it a go and see what happens when you follow the Holy Spirit's leading in this way as you pray along with Aliss. Please comment and share - we love to hear from you. Subscribe and follow to be notified of new episodes and connect with Aliss via: alisscresswell.com Facebook.com/alisscresswell Instagram.com/alisscresswell

Veroordeeld opruier en rechtsextremist Tommy Robinson (Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, maar dat klinkt minder volks) heeft Jezus gevonden, zegt hij. Op een speciale demonstratie afgelopen weekend werden kerstliederen gezongen, met als doel 'Christus terug in Kerstmis' te krijgen. Zo'n duizend mensen deden mee. Een opkomst die tegenvalt vergeleken met zijn anti-immigrantendemonstratie van afgelopen zomer, waar meer dan 100.000 mensen op afkwamen. Wat zit er achter zijn flirt met het Christendom. Keir Starmer stelt lokale verkiezingen uit om het kiesstelsel aan te passen Britse extra virgin olijfolie Over Van Bekhovens Britten In van Bekhovens Britten praten Lia van Bekhoven en Connor Clerx elke week over de grootste nieuwsonderwerpen en de belangrijkste ontwikkelingen in het Verenigd Koninkrijk. Van Brexit naar binnenlandse politiek, van de Royals tot de tabloids. Waarom fascineert het VK Nederlanders meer dan zo veel andere Europese landen? Welke rol speelt het vooralsnog Verenigd Koninkrijk in Europa, nu het woord Brexit uit het Britse leven lijkt verbannen, maar de gevolgen van de beslissing om uit de EU te stappen iedere dag duidelijker worden? De Britse monarchie, en daarmee de staat, staat voor grote veranderingen na de dood van Queen Elisabeth en de kroning van haar zoon Charles. De populariteit van het Koningshuis staat op een dieptepunt. Hoe verandert de Britse monarchie onder koning Charles, en welke gevolgen heeft dat voor de Gemenebest? In Van Bekhovens Britten analyseren Lia en Connor een Koninkrijk met tanende welvaart, invloed en macht. De Conservatieve Partij leverde veertien jaar op rij de premier, maar nu heeft Labour onder Keir Starmer de teugels in handen. Hoe ziet het VK er onder Keir Starmer uit? En hoe gaan de ‘gewone’ Britten, voor zover die bestaan, daar mee om? Al deze vragen en meer komen aan bod in Van Bekhovens Britten. Een kritische blik op het Verenigd Koninkrijk, waar het een race tussen Noord-Ierland en Schotland lijkt te worden wie zich het eerst af kan scheiden van het VK. Hoe lang blijft het Koninkrijk verenigd? Na ruim 45 jaar onder de Britten heeft Lia van Bekhoven een unieke kijk op het Verenigd Koninkrijk. Als inwoner, maar zeker geen anglofiel, heeft ze een scherpe blik op het nieuws, de politiek, de monarchie en het dagelijkse leven aan de overkant van de Noordzee. Elke woensdag krijg je een nieuwe podcast over het leven van Van Bekhovens Britten in je podcastapp. Scherpe analyses, diepgang waar op de radio geen tijd voor is en een flinke portie humor. Abonneer en mis geen aflevering. Over Lia Lia van Bekhoven is correspondent Verenigd Koninkrijk voor onder andere BNR Nieuwsradio, VRT, Knack en Elsevier en is regelmatig in talkshows te zien als duider van het nieuws uit het VK. Ze woont sinds 1976 in Londen, en is naast correspondent voor radio, televisie en geschreven media ook auteur van de boeken Mama gaat uit dansen, het erfgoed van Diana, prinses van Wales (1997), Land van de gespleten God, Noord-Ierland en de troubles (2000), In Londen, 9 wandelingen door de Britse hoofdstad (2009) en Klein-Brittannië (2022). Over Connor Connor Clerx is presentator en podcastmaker bij BNR Nieuwsradio. Hij werkt sinds 2017 voor BNR en was voorheen regelmatig te horen in De Ochtendspits, Boekestijn en de Wijk en BNR Breekt. Als podcastmaker werkte hij de afgelopen tijd aan onder andere De Taxi-oorlog, Kuipers en de Kosmos, Splijtstof, Baan door het Brein en Welkom in de AI-Fabriek. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today, the government has ordered an independent review into foreign financial interference in UK politics. The government say this is in response to what it called the “shocking” case of Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales. Gill was jailed in November, after admitting to taking bribes for pro-Russian interviews and speeches when he was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).Announcing the review, Communities Secretary Steve Reed said the government must "learn the lessons" from the case so "this can never happen again". Responding to Reed's statement in the Commons, Reform UK's deputy leader Richard Tice said his party welcomed the review but called on the government to also make sure it looked into the influence of China on the Labour Party. Victoria and Chris discuss what the review could meanPlus, President Trump has filed, what is being reported as, a $5 billion dollar lawsuit against the BBC. Caitríona Perry and the FT's global media editor Daniel Thomas explain what's in the lawsuit and why the BBC has said it plans to fight it. You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenter was Victoria Derbyshire. It was made by Jack Maclaren with Anna Harris and Jem Westgate. The social producer was Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Jonny Hall. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The man who drove his car into crowds celebrating Liverpool's Premier League title win in May has been jailed for 21 years and 6 months. Also: The BBC says it will defend itself against a multi billion dollar lawsuit brought by Donald Trump. And a couple from mid Wales have won 1 million pounds on the National Lottery for the second time.

https://m.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?sid=tindogpodcast&_pgn=1&isRefine=true&_trksid=p4429486.m3561.l49496 The War Between the Land and the Sea is a British science fiction television miniseries created by Russell T Davies for BBC One and Disney+ as part of the Doctor Who franchise. Starring Russell Tovey, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jemma Redgrave and Colin McFarlane, the series features UNIT in their attempt to prevent a global war caused by the return of the Sea Devils, now called "Homo Aqua". The War Between the Land and the Sea was filmed from August to December 2024. It consists of five episodes and premiered on BBC One on 7 December 2025, and is scheduled to premiere on Disney+ in 2026. Premise UNIT must take action to prevent a global war once an ancient species, the Homo aqua, comes out from the sea, revealing itself to humanity.[1] Cast Russell Tovey as Barclay Pierre-Dupont, a low-level member of UNIT, a transportation arranger, who is unexpectedly appointed as Ambassador by Salt Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Salt, the Ambassador of the Sea Devils Jemma Redgrave as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, the commander-in-chief of UNIT Colin McFarlane as General Austin Pierce, a high-ranking American UNIT officer Alexander Devrient as Colonel Christofer Ibrahim, a senior UNIT officer, part of Kate's personal staff Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham, UNIT's fifty-sixth scientific advisor, part of Kate's personal staff Adrian Lukis as Jonathan Hynes, a politician initially appointed as humanity's ambassador Vincent Franklin as Harry Shaw, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Francesca Corney as Sergeant Hana Chakri, a UNIT soldier assigned to protect Barclay Mei Mac as Min Tso Waleed Hammad as Colonel Tariq Hashim, a UNIT field officer Hannah Donaldson as Captain Louise Mackie, a UNIT company officer Ann Akinjirin as Barbara Pierre-Dupont, Barclay's estranged spouse[2] Cat Gannon as Kirby Pierre-Dupont, Barclay and Barbara's teenage child[3] William Gaminara as Ted Campbell, an ambassador selected to represent his nation Episodes No. Episode [2] Directed by [4] Written by [5] Original release date [6] UK viewers (millions) 1 "Homo Aqua" Dylan Holmes Williams Russell T Davies 7 December 2025 TBD 2 "Plastic Apocalypse" Dylan Holmes Williams Pete McTighe 7 December 2025 TBD 3 "The Deep" Dylan Holmes Williams Pete McTighe 14 December 2025 TBD 4 "The Witch of the Waterfall" Dylan Holmes Williams Pete McTighe 14 December 2025 TBD 5 "The End of the War" Dylan Holmes Williams Russell T Davies 21 December 2025 TBD Production Development In July 2024, Deadline Hollywood reported a new Doctor Who spin-off titled The War Between the Land and the Sea was set to begin filming in September.[7] Russell T Davies confirmed later that month at San Diego Comic Con that production would begin in August.[8] Produced by Bad Wolf and BBC Studios, Davies is an executive producer along with Pete McTighe, Joel Collins, Julie Gardner, and Jane Tranter.[4][9] Edoardo Ferretti took on the role of television producer with pre-production underway by July 2024.[10] Casting Russell Tovey and Gugu Mbatha-Raw lead the series with Jemma Redgrave and Alexander Devrient reprising their roles from Doctor Who as Kate Lethbridge-Stewart and Colonel Ibrahim, respectively.[1][11] Tovey and Mbatha-Raw previously played Alonso Frame and Tish Jones in Doctor Who.[12] Ruth Madeley also returns from Doctor Who, playing Shirley Anne Bingham. Colin McFarlane reprises his role as General Austin Pierce, a character first introduced and last seen fifteen years prior in the third series of Torchwood, another Doctor Who spin-off.[13] Adrian Lukis, Patrick Baladi, Vincent Franklin, Francesca Corney and Mei Mac were announced as additional cast members in October 2024.[14] Writing The five-part series was written by Davies and Pete McTighe.[15] Davies is the current showrunner of Doctor Who while McTighe also previously wrote for the parent series.[16] The two split writing duties across the programme, with Davies writing the premiere and finale episodes, McTighe writing the second and third episodes, and the two co-writing episode four together.[5] The first read-through for all five episodes occurred on 19 August 2024.[10] The series sees the return of the Sea Devils.[1] Filming Some filming took place internationally, including on Mallorca.[17] All episodes were produced in one block, compared to the two to three blocks that would usually be used for five episodes.[5] Location shooting began on 29 August 2024 in Barry and Atlantic Wharf, both in south Wales. Filming continued into September in various locations across Wales, including at the Welsh Government Building, City Arms pub, Hodge House, and Merthyr Mawr. In October, the series was spotted filming at Cardiff City Hall and National Museum Cardiff. November filming occurred at Town Bridge in Newport, Wales.[17] Filming concluded on 10 December 2024.[18] Music On 30 May 2025, it was announced that Lorne Balfe had been hired as the show's composer.[19] A soundtrack album of Lorne Balfe's score was released digitally 5 December 2025. The first track from the album, "Barclay's Theme", was released as a digital single 28 November 2025 and a cover of "'Heroes'" by Alison Goldfrapp and Balfe was released as a single 12 December 2025 by Goldfrapp's label A.G. Records.[20] A CD edition will be released 30 January 2026.[21] The War Between the Land and the Sea Soundtrack album by Lorne Balfe Released 5 December 2025 (digital) 30 January 2026 (CD) Genre Soundtrack Length 51:19 Label Silva Screen Singles from The War Between the Land and the Sea "Barclay's Theme" Released: 28 November 2025 "'Heroes'" Released: 12 December 2025 All tracks are written by Lorne Balfe, except where noted. No. Title Length 1. "Barclay's Theme" 3:30 2. "Aqua" 4:31 3. "The Mistake" 2:20 4. "Mission Launch" 3:40 5. "Into the Unknown" 2:43 6. "All over the World" 2:31 7. "Negotiations" 1:23 8. "Welcome our Guests" 4:21 9. "Weight of the World" 1:30 10. "Descending" 2:24 11. "Aqua Den" 2:51 12. "Prisoner of War" 3:04 13. "Lawless" 2:27 14. "Calling for Her" 2:45 15. "Survivor" 3:06 16. "Terrified of You" 2:52 17. "'Heroes'" (David Bowie, Brian Eno, performed by Alison Goldfrapp & Balfe) 5:21 Total length: 51:19

In The Seven Rules of Trust: A Blueprint for Building Things that Last, Jimmy Wales explains how he turned an impossible idea—creating an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit—into a global institution.Wales is the founder of Wikipedia. In his new book, he distills two decades of lessons from building one of the world's most trusted collaborative projects. He argues that trust isn't a soft virtue but a practical system—a set of design principles that allow people and organizations to cooperate effectively, solve problems honestly, and endure.In his conversation with Adam Job, senior director at the BCG Henderson Institute, he discusses whether Wikipedia could still be created today, how it can retain its trusted status in an age of polarization, and what we can learn from Wikipedia to rebuild trust within society.Key topics discussed: 01:02 | How to scale interpersonal trust04:02 | The importance of assuming good faith07:13 | Could Wikipedia still be created today?09:06 | How Wikipedia can retain its trusted status in an age of polarization10:30 | The impact of AI on trust15:40 | How institutions can reclaim lost trust18:01 | Reasons to remain optimistic about rebuilding societal trust

Hey before I begin I just want to thank all of you who have joined the patreon, you guys are awesome. Please let me know what other figures, events or other things you want to hear about in the future and I will try to make it happen.   If you are a long time listener to the Pacific War week by week podcast over at KNG or viewer of my youtube channel you have probably heard me talk about Tomoyuki Yamashita, the Tiger of Malaya quite often. It goes without saying when it comes to Japanese generals of WW2 he stands out. Not just to me, from the offset of the war he made a large impression on westerners, he achieved incredible feats early on in the war. Now if you look up books about him, you will pretty much only find information in regards to his infamous war crimes trial. Hell it was so infamous the legal doctrine of hierarchical accountability for war crimes, whereby a commanding officer is legally responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by his subordinates, was created. This is known as the command responsibility or “the Yamashita standard”. His court case was very controversial, he remains a controversial figure, certainly to the people of territories he campaigned in, but I think what can be said of him the most is he was special amongst the Japanese generals. Anyways lets get the show on the road as they say.   So who was Yamashita? When he was 59 years old commanding forces in the Philippines against General Douglas MacArthur, he weighed 220 ls and stood 5 feet 9 inches. His girth pressed out against his green army uniform. He had an egg shaped head, balding, wide spaced eyes and a flat nose. He wore a short mustache, sort of like Hitlers, until it grayed then he shaved it off. He was not a very attractive man, Filipinos referred to him as “old potato face” while Americans called him “a florid, pig faced man”.   Tomobumi Yamashita was born in 1885, he was the second son of Dr. Sakichi Yamashita and Yuu Yamashita in Osugi village, on Shikoku island. Like most males of his day he was indoctrinated into military preparatory school from a young age. Yamashita had no chosen the army as a career, in his words ‘my father suggested the idea, because I was big and healthy, and my mother did not seriously object because she believed, bless her soul, that I would never pass the highly competitive entrance examination. If I had only been cleverer or had worked harder, I would have been a doctor like my brother”Yamashita would graduate from the 18th class of the IJA academy in november of 1905, ranked 16th out of 920 cadets.    In 1908 he was promoted to the rank of Lt and during WW1 he fought against Imperial German and Austro-Hungarian forces in the famous siege of Qingdao, which if you are interested I did an episode over on my Youtube channel about this battle. Its a very overlooked battle, but many histories firsts occurred at it like the first carrier attack. In 1916 he was promoted to captain and attended the 28th class of the Army War college to graduate sixth in his class that year. He also married Hisako Nagayama in 1916, she was the daughter of the retired General Nagayama.    It seems Yamashita's brush against the Germans in 1914 had a huge influence on him, because he became fascinated with Germany and would serve as assistant military attache at Bern and Berlin from 1919-1922. He spent his time in Germany alongside Captain Hideki Tojo, both men would run into each other countless times and become bitter rivals. Both men toured the western front, visiting Hamburg and witnessed first hand the crippling inflation and food prices that came from Germany's defeat. Yamashita said to Tojo then “If Japan ever has to fight any nation, she must never surrender and get herself in a state like this.” He returned to Japan in 1922, was promoted to major and served a few different posts in the Imperial Headquarters and Staff College. Yamashita became a leading member of the Kodoha faction, while Tojo became a leading member of the rival Toseiha faction. In 1927 Yamashita was sent again to Europe, this time to Vienna as a military attache. Just prior to departing he had invested in a business selling thermometers starting by one of his wife's relatives, the business failed horribly and Yamashita was tossed into debt, bailiffs literally came to seize his house. As told to us by his biographer “For a regular officer to have contracted such a debt, however innocently, was a disgrace. He felt he should resign his commission.” Yamashita's brother refused to allow him to quit, instructing him to leave for Vienna, while he resolved his debts. His days in Vienna were the best of his life, professed Yamashita. He studied economics at Vienna university and made friends with a Japanese widow, who introduced him to a German woman named Kitty and they had an affair. This would spring forward his reputation as an eccentric officer. Yamashita was obsessed over hygiene,and refused to eat fruit unless it was thoroughly washed. He avoided ice water, hated dancing and never learnt how to drive a car. One of his most notable quirks was his habit of falling asleep often during meetings where he legendarily would snore. Like I may have said in previous podcast and youtube episodes, this guy was quite a character, often described as a big bear.    Now this is not a full biography on Yamashita so I cant devolve to far into things, such as his first fall from grace. During the February 26th coup incident of 1936, Yamashita was a leading member of the Kodoha faction and helped mediate a peaceful end to the standoff, however in truth he was backing the coup. He simply managed to not get caught red handed at the time doing too much for the mutineers, regardless he lost favor with the outraged Emperor and many young captains whom he loved like sons killed themselves in disgrace. If you want to know more about the February coup of 1936, check out my series on Emperor Hirohito or General Ishawara, they both talk about it in depth and touch upon Yamashita's role a bit.    The coup led to the dissolvement of the Kodoha faction and the dominance of the Toseiha, led by Tojo. Yamashita tried to resign from the IJA, but his superiors dissuade him. He was relegated to a post in Korea, which honestly was a punishment. Yamashita would say “When I was posted to Korea, I felt I had been given a tactful promotion but that in fact my career was over. Even when I was given my first fighting company in North China, I still felt I had no future in the Army, so I was always on the front line, where the bullets flew the thickest. I sought only a place to die.”  He had some time to reflect upon his conduct while in Korea, he began to study Zen Buddhism. He was promoted to Lt General in November of 1937 and when the China war broke out he was one of those speaking out that the incident needed to end swiftly and that peaceful relations must be made with the UK and US. He received a unimportant post in the Kwantung army and in 1938 was assigned command of the IJA 4th division. He led the forces during in northern china against insurgents until he returned to Tokyo in July of 1940. His fellow officers lauded him as Japan's finest general. Meanwhile Tojo had ascended to war minister and one of his first moves was to send a delegation to Germany. Tojo considered Yamashita a ruthless and forceful commander and feared he would become a powerful rival against him one day. Yamashita would go on the record to say then “I have nothing against Tojo, but he apparently has something against me.” You see, Yamashita had no political ambitions, unlike Tojo who was by nature a political monster. “My life, is that of a soldier; I do not seek any other life unless our Emperor calls me.” In late 1940, Tojo asked Yamashita to lead a team of 40 experts on a 6 month train tour of Germany and Italy, a move that kept him out of Tokyo, because Tojo was trying to solidify his political ambitions. This is going to become a looming theme between the two men.   He was presented to Adolf Hitler in January of 1941, passing along messages from Tojo and publicly praising the Fuhrer, though privately he was very unimpressed by the man  “He may be a great orator on a platform, with his gestures and flamboyant way of speaking. But standing behind his desk listening he seems much more like a clerk.” Hitler pressed upon him to push Japan to declare war on Britain and the US. At the time of course Japan was facing China and had two major conflicts with the USSR, thus this was absolutely not in her interest. “My country is still fighting in China, and we must finish that war as soon as possible. We are also afraid that Russia may attack us in Manchuria. This is no time for us to declare war on other countries.” Yamashita hoped to inspect Germany's military techniques and technology to help Japan. Hitler promised open exchanges of information stating “All our secrets are open to you,”, but this would prove to be a lie. “There were several pieces of equipment the Germans did not want us to see. Whenever I tried to persuade the German General Staff to show us things like radar—about which we had a rudimentary knowledge—the conversation always turned to something else.”   Yamashita met with field Marshal Hermann Goring who gave him an overview of the war in europe. Goring would complain about Yamashita falling asleep during lectures and meetings and he believed the man was drunk often. Yamashita met Benito Mussolini in June of 1941 receiving a similar rundown to what he got in Germany. Yamashita visited Kitty in Vienna for a quick fling, but overall the trip deeply impacted Yamashita's resolve that Japan should stay out of the Europeans war and that Germany made a grievous error invading the USSR in June of 1941. This is what he said the members of the commission “You know the results of our inspection as well as I do. I must ask you not to express opinion in favor of expanding the alliance between Japan, Germany and Italy. Never suggest in your report that Japan should declare war on Great Britain and the United States. We must not and cannot rely upon the power of other nations. Japan needs more time, particularly as there may be aggression against us from Russia. We must have time to rebuild our defense system and adjust the whole Japanese war machine. I cannot repeat this to you often enough.” His report was similar, and it really pissed off Tojo who was trying to develop plans for a war against America. Yamashita would then get exiled to Manchuria in July of 1941, but Tojo's resentment towards him could only go so far, because Yamashita was one of their best generals and in his planned war against Britain and America, he would need such a man.   Yamashita's time in Europe reshaped his views on how to conduct war. He saw first hand blitzkrieg warfare, it seems it fascinated him. He consistently urged the implementation of new proposals calling for the streamlining of air arms; to mechanize the Army; to integrate control of the armed forces in a defense ministry coordinated by a chairman of Joint Chiefs of staff; to create a paratroop corps and to employ effective propaganda. Basically he saw what was working for the Germans against the allies and wanted Japan to replicate it. Tojo did not like many of the proposal, hated the fact they were coming from Yamashita, so he obviously was not keen on making them happen. Luckily for Yamashita he would be given a chance to implement some of his ideas in a big way.   On November 6th of 1941, Lt General Yamashita was appointed commander of the 25th Japanese army. His orders were to seize the Malay Peninsula and then the British naval base at Singapore. The Malaya Peninsula snakes 700 miles south of Thailand, a rugged sliver of land that constricts at its narrowest point to about 60 miles wide. It hold mountains that split the peninsula in half, some going as high as 7000 feet. During this time Malaya produced around 40% of the worlds rubber, 60% of its tin, two resources vital for war. At its very southern tip lies Singapore, a diamond shaped island connected to the mainland by a 1115 stone causeway. Singapore's largest asset was its naval base guarding the passage from the Pacific and Indian oceans. Together Malay and Singapore represented the key to controlling what Japan called the Southern Resource Area.   Singapore was known as the gibraltar of the east for good reason. It was a massively fortified naval base. The base had been developed between 1923-1938 and cost 60 million pounds, around 2 billion pounds today. It was 21 square miles, had the largest dry dock in the world, the 3rd largest floating dock and enough fuel tanks to support the entire royal navy for 6 months. She was defended by 15 inch naval guns stationed at the Johre battery, Changi and Buona vista battery. And despite the infamous myth some of you may have heard, these guns were fully capable of turning in all directions including the mainland. For those unaware a myth perpetuated after the fall of Singapore that her large 15 inch guns could not turn to the mainland and that this spelt her doom, no it was not that, it was the fact they mostly had armor piercing shells which are using to hit ships and not land targets. Basically if you fire an armor piercing shell at land it imbeds itself then explodes, while HE shells would have torn any Japanese army to pieces. Alongside the 15 inch monsters, there were countless other artillery pieces such as 9.2 inch guns. By December of 1941 Malaya and Singapore held 164 first line aircraft out of a total of 253 aircraft, but many of the fighters were the obsolete Brewster F2A Buffalo, a pretty slow, fat little beast that could take a licking as it was armored, but against the Zero fighter it was unbelievably outmatched in speed and maneuverability.    The Japanese acquired a major gift prior to the outbreak of war. On november 11th, 1940, the SS Automedon, a German raider attacked the HMS Atlantis which was carrying documents intended for the British far east command. The documents indicated the British fleet was not going to help Singapore; that Britain would not declare war if Thailand was invaded and that Hong Kong was expendable. The Germans gave the documents to the Japanese who were very excited by the information.    Starting in January of 1941, Colonel Masanobu Tsuji led the Taiwan Army Research section based on Formosa to investigate how a campaign could be waged in Malay and Singapore. His findings on the defenses of Malay and Singapore were summed up in these 3 points: 1. Singapore Fortress was solid and strong facing the sea, but vulnerable on the peninsular side facing the Johore Strait;  Newspaper reports of a strong Royal Air Force (RAF) presence were propaganda;  Although British forces in Malaya numbered from five to six divisions (well over 80,000 men), less than half were Europeans.    Now just a little bit about Tsuji as he was to become the chief of staff operations and planning under Yamashita. Tsuji was extremely insubordinate and a political schemer. He was a Toseiha faction fanatic, loyal to Tojo and thus definitely an enemy to Yamashita. Yamashita wrote of Tsuji in his war diary “is egotistical and wily. He is a sly dog and unworthy to serve the country. He is a manipulator to be carefully watched.” Tsuji would go on to have a infamous reputation for ordering atrocities in the name of his superiors, often without them knowing and this would be very much the case under Yamashita. Now using Tsuji's intelligence Yamashita began plans at his HQ at Samah, a port on Hainan island, starting in November of 1941 on how to launch the campaign. He was initially offered 5 divisions for the invasion, but he felt he could accomplish the objective with only three. There are a few reasons why he believed this; first, Tsuji's research suggested the peninsula roads would be the center of the battlefront and that the flanks would extend no more than a km or so to the left or right due to the dense jungle terrain (in fact Yamashita was planning to assault from the jungle specifically); 2nd intelligence indicated the defending troops were not of the highest caliber (the British were busy in Europe thus many of the troops in southeast asia were poorly trained, half were british regulars the rest were Australian, Indian and Malayan); 3rd Yamashita was aware “the Japanese army were in the habit of flinging more troops into the battle than could possibly be maintained” boy oh boy tell that one to the future boys on Guadalcanal. Thus he calculated 3 divisions was the maximum to be fed, equipped and supplied. Based on his recommendations the 25th army was created with 3 divisions; the 5th under Lt General Takuma Matsui; 18th under Lt General Renya Mutaguchi and the Imperial guards division of Lt General Takuma Nishimura. Supporting these would be two regiment of heavy field artillery and the 3rd tank brigade. Something that made Yamashita's campaign quite interesting was the usage and amount of tanks. He was invading with around 200 or so tanks consisting of the Type 95 Ha-Go light tank, type 97 Chi-Ha and Type 89 I-Go medium tanks and Type 97 Te-Ke tankettes. For aircraft he had the 3rd Air division, 459 aircraft strong with an additional 159 aircraft from the IJN to support them. The 3rd air division had a variety of aircraft such as Nakajima Ki-27 Nate's, Nakajima ki-43 Oscars, Kitsubishi ki-51 Sonia's, Kawasaki ki-48 Lily's, Mitsubishi ki-21 sally's, Mitsubishi ki-30 Ann's, Mitsubishi ki-15 babs and Mitsubishi ki-46 dinahs. For the IJN it was the 22nd air flotilla using Mitsubishi G3M1 Nell's, Mitsubishi A5M4 Claudes and some A6M Zeros. To say it was a lot of firepower at his disposal is an understatement, Yamashita was packing heat, heat he could use in a blitzkrieg fashion.   His staff at Samah identified 5 operational objectives: 1 Simultaneous capture of Singora and Patani, Thailand and Kota Bharu, Malaya.  2 Capture of all enemy airfields in southern Thailand and Malaya.  3 Occupation of Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.  4 Occupation of Johore Bahru, and control of Johore Strait.  5 Conquest of Singapore.    Colonel Tsuji, appointed Chief of Operations and Planning for the 25th Army, proposed the following plan which was readily approved:  Land the main strength of the 5th Division simultaneously and without warning at Singora and Patani, and at the same time land a powerful section of the 18th Division to attack Kota Bharu.  The troops disembarked at Singora and Patani to press forward immediately to attack the line of the Perak River Hand capture its bridge and the Alor Star aerodrome.  The troops landed at Kota Bharu to press forward along the eastern coast as far as Kuantan.    The landing at Kota Bharu, the only one in Malaya was expected to be opposed and quite risky. But if it was successful, it would create a useful diversion away from the main force landings in Thailand.   The landings took place around 2:15am local time on December 8th, about an hour and 20 minutes before the attack on Pearl Harbor. The landings went largely unopposed, except at Kota Bahru where the Japanese saw heavy resistance. The British had anticipated this landing point and created operation Matador, a plan to pre-emptively invade southern thailand to secure defensive lines against the Japanese, however this plan was never accepted by British high command for obvious political reasons. But on December 5th, with a Japanese invasion looking certain, suddenly London gave permission to the Far east commanders to decide if Operation matador should be activated or not. The commander in Malaya, General Arthur Percival recommended forestalling it, fearing to violate Thai sovereignty, which ultimately would be the doom of a defense for Malaya.   At the battle of Kota Bharu, the 9th infantry division of Major General Barstow attempted holding off the Japanese from taking the important Kota Bharu airfield. The 8th brigade of Billy Key had fortified the beaches with pillboxes, barbed wire and land mines. The Japanese took heavy losses, but they were able to find gaps and fill them up until Brigadier Key had to ask permission to pull out. The royal air force at Kota Bharu tossed Hudson bombers to hit the troop transports, but it was a suicide mission to do so. Meanwhile the IJA 5th division landed at Pattani and Songkhla in Thailand while the Imperial guards division marched over the border from French Indochina. The Japanese encountered very little resistance, the leader of Thailand Plaek Pibulsonggram had been trying to get assurances from the allies and Japanese all the way up until the invasion, once the Japanese landed he knew his best option was to play nice and sign an armistice. This basically spelt doom for malaya as the Japanese were given access to Thailand's airfields which they used to smash the forward airfields in Malaya.   The first day of aerial encounters were a catastrophe for the British. General Percival would comment “The rapidity with which the Japanese got their air attacks going against our aerodromes was quite remarkable. Practically all the aerodromes in Kelantan, Kedah, Province Wellesley, and Penang, were attacked, and in most cases fighters escorted the bombers. The performance of Japanese aircraft of all types, and the accuracy of their bombing, came as an unpleasant surprise. By the evening our own air force had already been seriously weakened.” Brigadier Key withdrew after causing an estimated 800 casualties upon the Japanese while taking roughly 465. While Kota Bharu was being fought over, Percival unleashed Operation Krohcol, a 2.0 of Matador seeing British forces cross into Thailand to intercept the incoming enemy. It was an absolute disaster, the British attackers were defeated not only by the Japanese 5th division, but some Royal Thai police also defended their territory. The operation had basically become a race to who could seize the important focal point first and the Japanese took it first thus winning decisively. To add to that misery, force Z, consisting of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales,, battlecruiser Repulse and 4 destroyers tried to intercept the Japanese invasion fleet only to be utterly destroyed by overwhelming Japanese airforces.   Within 4 days of the landings, the 5th division advanced from Singora through the town of Jitra to capture the RAF airfield at Alor star, around 100 miles away. Yamashita managed this using flanking techniques that saw his army take town after town and airfield after airfield. There were numerous natural obstacles to the advance such as dense jungles, very long supply lines, torrential rain and heat, but he had a secret weapon, bicycles. At Jitra Percival made his first major stand. Holding Jitra would safeguard the northern airfields of Malaya, but it was a folly to do so as the airfields in question were not provided adequate aircraft and the British lacked something extremely important to be able to defend themselves, tanks. Colonel Tsuji saw the fighting at Jitra first hand and reported “Our tanks were ready on the road, and the twenty or so enemy armored cars ahead were literally trampled underfoot … The enemy armored cars could not escape by running away, and were sandwiched between our medium tanks … It was speed and weight of armor that decided the issue.” The British had spread themselves far too thinly across a 14 mile front with jungle on their right flank and rubber plantations and mangrove swamps to their left. Yamashita used a innovative blitzkrieg like tactic, he combined his air, artillery, tanks and bicycle infantry to punch holes in concentrated attacks forcing allied defenders to withdraw. As Percival would write later in his memoirs “This withdrawal would have been difficult under the most favorable conditions. With the troops tired, units mixed as the result of the fighting, communications broken and the night dark, it was inevitable that orders should be delayed and that in some cases they should never reach the addressees. This is what in fact occurred … the withdrawal, necessary as it may have been, was too fast and too complicated for disorganized and exhausted troops, whose disorganization and exhaustion it only increased”    Yamashita had ingeniously thought of employing large numbers of bicycles for his infantry so they could keep up momentum and speed with his mechanized forces. Oh and he didn't bring thousands of bicycles over to Malaya, the real genius was that they were there ready for him. His intelligence prior to the invasion indicated nearly all civilians in malaya had bicycles, so when the Japanese came over they simply stole them. Half of Yamashitas troops moved in motor vehicles while the rest road on 18,000 bicycles. As noted by Tsuji “With the infantry on bicycles, there was no traffic congestion or delay. Wherever bridges were destroyed the infantry continued their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream.” They Japanese overwhelmed the defenders who were forced to fight, flee into the jungles or flee along the roads where they were simply outsped by the faster Japanese. The defenders left numerous stores of food, abandoned vehicles, and supplies that Yamashita's men would dub “churchill's allowance”. British Lt Colonel Spencer Chapmanwas forced to hide on the sides of roads watching Japanese pedal past remarking “The majority were on bicycles in parties of forty or fifty, riding three or four abreast and talking and laughing just as if they were going to a football match.” The Japanese had the ability to carry their gear on the bicycles, giving them an enormous advantage over the allies fleeing on foot. The Japanese could travel faster, further and less fatigued. When the British destroyed 250 bridges during their flight, “the Japanese infantry (to continue) their advance, wading across the rivers carrying their bicycles on their shoulders, or crossing on log bridges held up on the shoulders of engineers standing in the stream”. The British could not escape the bicycle blitzkrieg as it became known, countless were forced to surrender under constant pressure and relentless pursuit.    Alongside the bicycle warfare, whenever Yamashita faced terrain unsuitable for his tanks, he ordered amphibious landings further south to outflank the enemy's  rear.   Meanwhile the war in the air went equally terrible for the allies. The RAF had pulled back its best pilots and aircraft to deal with the war for Britain against the Luftwaffe. 21 airfields were in Malaya and Singapore, few of them had modern facilities, only 15 concrete runways. The heavy rain made the grass airstrips unusable. All the airfields were allocated around 8 heavy and 8 light anti aircraft guns. Quality radar units were completely inadequate. The Super Spitfires and Hyper Hurricanes were mostly in Britain fighting the Germans, while Buffaloes were allocated to Malaya. The Japanese airforces easily overcame the allied opposition and established air superiority quickly. Launching from airfields in Vietnam, they bombed all the airfields into submission and continuously applied pressure to Singapore. . The aerial dominance of the Zero and ‘Oscar' fighters served to undermine the morale of the British infantryman on the ground. As historian H. P. Wilmot has observed, “in the opening phase of the war the Zero-sen was just what the Japanese needed, and the Allies were devastated by the appearance of a ‘super fighter.' To add insult to injury, every airfield taken starting at the most northern going further and further south towards Singapore offered the Japanese new launching points to make for faster attack.   Yamashita's forces reached the southern tip of the peninsula in just 8 weeks, his men had covered some 700 miles, about 12 miles a day on average. They fought 95 large and smaller battles doing so. Multiple lines of defense were erected one after another to try and halt the Japanese advance, to kill their momentum. Starting at the beach landings, to Jitra, then to Kampar, over the Slim river, then Johor. The British failed to employ “leave behind forces” to provide guerilla warfare in lost territories leading not only the Japanese to easily consolidate their gains, the Thai's also came down and grabbed some territory. At the battle of Muar Major General Gordon Bennet deployed the allied defenders south of the Muar River and it was widely believed here they would finally halt the Japanese. Then the Imperial Guards division outflanked them performing an amphibious landing and advancing down the coastal route. The 5th Japanese division followed a parallel route through the center and the 18th division landed near Endau. The allies were thus surrounded and took heavy casualties, countless were forced to flee through swamps and thick jungle abandoned their stuff. Gordons 45th brigade were absolutely shattered, effectively disbanded and left north of the Muar river as the rest of the allies fled south. The defeat at Muar broke the British belief they could hold even a toehold on Malay. Percivals strategy to fight delaying actions until the arrival of reinforcements to Singapore had fatally undermined his troops ability to hold onto defensive positions. As the British governor of the Johore straits settlement, Sir Shenton Thomas would say on January 6th ‘“We … have gone in for mechanized transport to the nth degree. It is a fearsomely cumbersome method. We have pinned our faith to the few roads but the enemy used tracks and paths, and gets round to our rear very much as he likes.”” Yet alongside the conquest came a series of atrocities.    At the Parit Sulong Bridge south of the Muar, Captain Rewi Snelling was left behind with 150 wounded Australian and Indian soldiers not able to trek south. The Imperial guards division herded them into buildings, denied them medical treatment, many of the Indians were beheaded, others shot. This become known as the parit sulong massacre. Its hard to saw what Yamashita would have known about this incident, it technically was under the command of Takuma nishimura. On January 22nd, Nishimura gave the orders for prisoners to be forced outside, doused with petrol and set on fire. Nishimura would be sentenced to life in prison by a Singapore court, but on a flight back to Japan he was hijacked by Australian military police in Hong Kong who grabbed him and held a trial for the Parit Sulong massacre, finding him guilty and hanging him on june 11th of 1951.    When the Japanese reached the straits of Johore, Yamashita took several days to perform reconnaissance, allowing his forces to regroup and prepare to attack the massive fortress. His plan for the invasion would see the Imperial guards perform a feint attack on the northeast side of Singapore, landing on the nearby Palau Ubin island on february 7th. The 5th and 18th division would remain concealed in the jungle until the night of the night of the 8th when they would cross the Johore and hit the northwest side of Singapore. The causeway to Singapore had been blown up by the retreating British, but the ability for Singapore to defend itself from a northern attack was lackluster. When Churchill was told by Wavell the Japanese sat on the other side of the Johore strait ready to attack the fortress he said ““I must confess to being staggered by Wavell's telegram. It never occurred to me for a moment that … Singapore … was not entirely fortified against an attack from the Northwards …””   With barely enough supplies or logistical support for his campaign, Yamashita's rapid advance down the Malay peninsula walked a tightrope of what was possible. His 70,000 men of which 30,000 were frontline troops had overcome a British force double their number. In Japan he garnered the epithet “Tiger of Malaya”, which ironically he was not too happy about. Later on in the war he would bark at a German attache “I am not a tiger. The tiger attacks its prey in stealth but I attack the enemy in a fair play”.   By this point Singapore had swollen from a population of 550,000to nearly a million. Percival had a total of 70,000 infantry of mixed experience plus 15,000 clerks and support staff to man lines if necessary. 38 battalions, 17 Indian, 13 British, 6 Australian and 2 Malayan. He placed his weakest troops west of the causeway, near the abandoned naval base rather than nearby the airfield which he considered was going to be Yamashita's thrust. He placed his best forces over there, which would prove fatally wrong as Yamashita hit west of the causeway. Yamashita meanwhile could only muster 30,000 troops, he was outnumbered 2:1 and amphibious assaults called for the attacker to hold a 2:1 advantage for success. Yamashita's men were exhausted, they had suffered 4565 casualties, roughly 1793 deaths in their 55 day advance south. Worse yet, Yamashita had a critical supply issue. He had greatly exceeded his supply lines and had been surviving on the abandoned churchill stores along the way. His ammunition was critical low, it is said he was down to 18 functional tanks, allowing his men to fire 100 rounds per day, the fuel ran out, and as Yamashita put it “My attack on Singapore was a bluff—a bluff that worked. I had 30,000 men and was outnumbered more than three to one. I knew that if I had to fight for long for Singapore, I would be beaten. That is why the surrender had to be at once. I was very frightened all the time that the British would discover our numerical weakness and lack of supplies and force me into disastrous street fighting.” He told his men of the 5th and 18th division not to build any cooking fires so they could conceal their positions in the jungle as he gathered hundreds of collapsible boats and other crafts to ford the strait. He gathered 40 divisional commanders and senior officers to a rubber plantation and with a flushed red face read out his attack orders while pouring them Kikumasamune (ceremonial wine). He made a traditional toast and said “It is a good place to die; surely we shall conquer”. He had to get the British to surrender quickly, he had to essentially ‘bluff” his enemy. He had to make the British think he was fully armed and supplied for a prolonged siege, how could he do so? He fired his artillery like a mad man, knowing full well they would run out of shells.   Starting on February 3rd,  Yamashita's artillery supported by aerial bombings hit Singapore for 5 days. On the night of the 7th, 400 Imperial Guards crossed to the Ibin island performing their feint attack. Percivals attention was grabbed to the east successfully, while on the night of the 8th the 5th and 18th divisions assembled carefully at the water's edge. At 8:30pm the first wave of 4000 Japanese troops crossed the Johore strait aboard 150 small vessels. The noise of their engines was drowned out by artillery. The thinly spread Australian lines, 3000 or so men led by Major General Bennet were breached fast leading to pockets of surrounded australian troops. As Lewis Gunner cliff olsen recalled “We were horribly spread out and it was pitch black and they [Japanese troops] were very hard to see. They walked through us half the time.” A beachhead was formed, a soon 14,000 Japanese had crossed by dawn.    Communications broke down for the allies, Percival unwilling to believe the Japanese's main thrust was in the west declined to send reinforcements there. When he did finally realize the main thrust was in the west he began to withdraw troops from quiet sectors and built up a reserve. The Japanese held air supremacy and their artillery was fierce. The big 15 inch guns of singapore held mostly armor piercing shells designed to hit ships, there were few HE shells available. When they fired upon the Japanese the shells would hit the ground they would embed deeply before exploding doing little damage. The defenders had no tanks, basically no more aircraft. The last departing ships fled the scene as everything was burning chaos around them. Morale was breaking for the defenders. By the 9th, Japanese bombers were raining bombs on allied positions unopposed. Bennet was forced to pull men back to a new line of defense from the east of the Tengah airfield to the north of Jurong. Poor communications hampered the northern sector of Brigadier Duncan Maxwell whose troops actually battered the hell out of the Imperial Guards who had landed at 10pm on the 9th. The Imperial guards gradually managed a foothold on a beach, but Maxwell feared encirclement and withdrew his men against direct orders of Bennet. The retreat opened up the flank of the 11th indian division who were overrun. All of the beaches west of the causeway fell to the enemy, when they did Yamashita brought over his tanks to smash the new Jurong line. The Japanese could have potentially stormed the city center at this point, but they held back, because in reality, Percival had created a formidable reserve in the middle. The Australian 22nd brigade took the brunt of the fighting.    Yamashita was running out of reserves and his attacks were reaching their limit, but he needed the battle to end swiftly. Yamashita was shocked and shaken when he received a report that the British troop strength within the city was twice what they believed. With covert desperation, Yamashita ordered his artillery to fire until their last rounds and sent Percival a demand for surrender. “In the spirit of chivalry we have the honour of advising your surrender. Your army, founded on the traditional spirit of Great Britain, is defending Singapore, which is completely isolated, and raising the fame of Great Britain by the ut¬ most exertions and heroic feelings. . . . From now on resistance is futile and merely increases the danger to the million civilian inhabitants without good reason, exposing them to infliction of pain by fire and sword. But the development of the general war situation has already sealed the fate of Singapore, and the continuation of futile resistance would only serve to inflict direct harm and in¬ juries to thousands of non-combatants living in the city, throwing them into further miseries and horrors of war. Furthermore we do not feel you will in¬ crease the fame of the British Army by further resistance.”   Singapore had received another order prior to this from Churchill “It is certain that our troops on Singapore Island greatly outnumber any Japanese that have crossed the Straits. We must defeat them. Our whole fighting reputation is at stake and the honour of the British Empire. The Americans have held out on the Bataan Peninsula against far greater odds, the Russians are turning back the picked strength of the Germans, the Chinese with almost complete lack of mod¬ ern equipment have held the Japanese for AVi years. It will be disgraceful if we yield our boasted fortress of Singapore to inferior enemy forces. There must be no thought ofsparing troops or the civil population and no mercy must be shown to weakness in any shape or form. Commanders and senior officers must lead their troops and if necessary die with them. There must be no question or thought of surrender. Every unit must fight it out to the end and in close contact with the enemy. ... I look to you and your men to fight to the end to prove that the fighting spirit that won our Empire still exists to enable us to defend it.”   What was Percival to do? The Japanese had seized control over Singapore water reservoirs, the population would die of thirst within 2-3 days. Japanese shells were causing fires and death everywhere. People were panicking, trying to get on the very last boats leaving the port, even though that surely meant death to the IJN. An American sailor recalled “There was a lot of chaos and people killed on the docks during these bombardments. Everywhere you looked there was death. Even in the water there were dead sharks and people floating all around.” Defeatism was endemic. Australian troops were overheard saying “Chum, to hell with Malaya and Singapore. Navy let us down, air force let us down. If the bungs [natives] won't fight for their bloody country, why pick on me?” Sensing a complete collapse Percival formed a tight defense arc in front of the city, and by the 13th his commanders were telling him they believed Singapore was already doomed. Wavell was asked for approval for surrender, but he replied  “to continue to inflict maximum damage on enemy for as long as possible by house-to-house fighting if necessary.” Percival then told him the water reservoirs were taken, so Wavell sent back “YOUR GALLANT STAND IS SERVING A PURPOSE AND MUST BE CONTINUED TO THE LIMIT OF ENDURANCE”   On the 15th, Percival held a morning conference reported there was no more fuel, field gun nor bofor ammunition. In 24 hours their water would be done. He told them he would ask for a ceasefire at 4pm, by the end of the day Wavell gave him permission to surrender. Over at his HQ on the Bukit Timah heights, Yamashita was staring at a Union Jack fluttering over Fort Canning. Then a field phone rang, and a frontline commander reported the British were sending out a flag of truce.   Meanwhile back on February the 14th, Japanese forces reached the Alexandra Barracks hospital at 1pm. At 1:40pm a British Lt greeting them waving a white flag and was bayoneted on the spot. The Japanese stormed the hospital and murdered the staff and patients. 200 male staff and patients, badly wounded were bound over night and marched to an industrial estate half a mile away. Anyone who collapsed was bayoneted. The survivors of the march were formed into small groups and hacked to death or bayoneted. For a few days over 320 men and women were massacred. Only 5 survivors would give recounts of the event. It is suspected by historians that Tsuji was the architect of the Alexandra hospital massacre. This is because he was the instigator of countless atrocities he ordered unbeknownst to his superior commanders such as Yamashita.    Percival was ordered to go to the Ford motor factory to where he met with Yamashita. Yamashita was hiding his surprise that the surrender party came and as he glanced at the surrender terms he said through his interpreter “The Japanese Army will consider nothing but surrender,” Yamashita knew his forces were on the verge of running out of ammunition and he still held half troops Percival did, he was anxious Percival would figure it out. Percival replied “I fear that we shall not be able to submit our final reply before ten-thirty p.m.,” Percival had no intention of fighting on he simply wanted to work out specific details before signing the surrender. Yamashita was sure Percival was stalling. “Reply to us only whether our terms are acceptable or not. Things must be settled swiftly. We are prepared to resume firing.Unless you do surrender, we will have to carry out our night attack as scheduled.”” Percival replied ““Cannot the Japanese Army remain in its present position? We can resume negotiations again tomorrow at five-thirty A.M”. Yamashita screamed “Nani! I want the hostilities to cease tonight and I want to remind you there can be no arguments.” Percival replied ““We shall discontinue firing by eight-thirty p.m. Had we better remain in our present positions tonight?” Yamashita said yes and that firing would cease at 8:30pm and that 1000 allied men could keep arms to maintain order within the city. Yamashita stated “You have agreed to the terms but you have not yet made yourself clear as to whether you agree to surrender or not.” Percival cleared his throat and gave a simple nod. Yamashita looked at his interpreter “There's no need for all this talk. It is a simple question and I want a simple answer.” He turned to Percival and shouted, “We want to hear ‘Yes' or ‘No' from you! Surrender or fight!” Percival finally blurted out  “Yes, I agree. I have a request to make. Will the Imperial Army protect the women and children and British civilians?”Yamashita replied  “We shall see to it. Please sign this truce agreement”. At 7:50 the surrender was signed off, 40 minutes later Singapore was in the hands of the Japanese. In 70 days Yamashita took at the cost of 9824 casualties, had seized Malaya and Singapore, nearly 120,000 British surrendered. It was the greatest land victory in Japanese history.   Churchill called the fall of Singapore to the Japanese "the worst disaster and largest capitulation in British history" Churchills physician Lord Moran wrote The fall of Singapore on February 15 stupefied the Prime Minister. How came 100,000 men (half of them of our own race) to hold up their hands to inferior numbers of Japanese? Though his mind had been gradually prepared for its fall, the surrender of the fortress stunned him. He felt it was a disgrace. It left a scar on his mind. One evening, months later, when he was sitting in his bathroom enveloped in a towel, he stopped drying himself and gloomily surveyed the floor: 'I cannot get over Singapore', he said sadly   With the fall of singapore came another atrocity, the Sook Ching massacre. After February 18th, the Japanese military began mass killings of what they deemed undesirables, mostly ethnic Chinese. It was overseen by the Kempeitai and did not stop in Singapore, but spread to Malaya. It seems the aim of the purge was to intimidate the Chinese community from performing any resistance. According to postwar testimony taken from a war correspondent embedded with the 25th army, Colonel Hishakari Takafumi, he stated an order went out to kill 50,000 Chinese, of which 20 percent of the total was issued by senior officials on Yamashita's operations staff, most likely Tsuji. It is certain at the behest of Tsuji the orders were extended to Malay. The death toll is a tricky one, the Japanese went on the record to admit to 6000 murders, the Singaporean Chinese community and the Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew allege 70,000-100,000. Historians analyzing the scale of discovered mass graves after some decades think around 25,000-50,000. How much Yamashita knew of the massacre is debatable, the orders came from his office after all, but it seems Tsuji had orchestrated it. Many of Japan's generals wanted Yamashita to be appointed war minister, a move that obviously threatened then Prime Minister Hideki Tojo, who feared his rival. Tojo retaliated, ordering Japan's new war hero back to Manchuria. On the surface, the assignment appeared worthy as Yamashita would serve as the first line of defense against a possible Soviet invasion. But since the two nations had signed a neutrality pact in April 1941, and Soviets were bogged down fighting the Germans, immediate war appeared unlikely. In reality, Tojo had parked Yamashita on the war's sidelines. Tojo went even further, he barred Yamashita any leave in Tokyo, preventing him from visiting his wife as well as from delivering a speech he had written for the emperor. No worries though, an aide of Yamashita's sent him three geishas. Allegedly he said this “I know they want to please me with these girls. But send them back—and don't forget to tip them.” The Tiger of Malaya would maintain a low profile in Manchuria where he received a promotion to full General. As months fell to years Yamashita sat on the sidelines helpless to aid the Japanese forces. His exile would come to an end in 1944 when Tojo was outed and the Tiger was required to try and save the Philippines from General Douglas MacArthur.

A Daily Mail columnist recounts her deeply personal account of standing beside Thomas Markle during a medical crisis, as his long-awaited letter from Meghan finally arrives under extraordinary circumstances. We examine the claims, the response from Meghan's representatives, and the growing legal and PR tension surrounding the moment.Plus, public relations experts question the future of With Love, Meghan, debate whether the Sussexes should lean fully into Hollywood life, and weigh in on what Meghan and Harry's appearance at a Kris Jenner party says about their post-royal identity.We also look at fresh comparisons between Meghan and the Princess of Wales, Kate's expanding influence in entertainment circles, and a new message from Kate highlighting a major charity effort tied to cancer awareness.Hear our new show "Crown and Controversy: Prince Andrew" here.Check out "Palace Intrigue Presents: King WIlliam" here.

The tribe of Asher was populous, and their land allotment in the Levant bordered Sidon and Tyre. Their descendants included the Vandals, and they spread to many lands, including the Eurasian steppes, Wales, Sweden, and North Africa.  Many of them ultimately became Arian Christians, and amazingly God has the ability to identify who are His, and where they all went! Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reservations to attend a live service, leave a prayer request or make a commitment. Pastor Scott appreciates messages and reads them often during live broadcasts. Follow @Pastor_Scott on Twitter and visit her official Facebook page @Pastor.M.Scott. Download Pastor Scott's "Understand the Bible" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the Apple App Store and for Android devices in the Google Store. Pastor Scott can also be seen 24x7 on Roku and Amazon Fire on the "Understand the Bible?" channel. ©2025 Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved

Matt Maher, aka Imp, revisits the AEW week that was.This week talking Winter is Coming Dynamite in Atlanta and Collision from Wales!Winter Is Coming Dynamite- Women's Tag Team Tournament Final (1:14)Winter Is Coming Collision- Swerve Strickland vs Josh Alexander (15:11)The Social Suplex Newsletter: https://www.socialsuplex.com/frontpage-11/2024 FOH Draft = https://payhip.com/b/0dVQpFollow us on Bluesky: @socialsuplex.bsky.social, @thedamnimplicat.bsky.socialFollow us on Twitter: @SocialSuplexFollow us on Instagram: @SocialSuplexLike us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SocialSuplex/Join our Discord: https://discord.gg/QUaJfaCVisit our website for news, columns, and podcasts: https://socialsuplex.com/Join the Social Suplex community Facebook Group: The Wrestling (Squared) CircleSupport the Social Podcast Network by leaving a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/social-suplex-podcast-network/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Gareth Rhys Owen and Lauren Salter are joined by ex-Dragons winger Ashton Hewitt and former Wales captain Siwan Lillicrap to discuss the news that Wales captains Jac Morgan and Dewi Lake will leave Ospreys at the end of the season to join Gloucester.The team also reflect on a successful weekend for Welsh sides in Europe with three of the four regions winning their games, including a first victory of the year for Dragons, and they preview the start of the Celtic Challenge this weekend.

In a rare and fascinating insight, head coach Craig Bellamy gives a glimpse into the tactics and fundamental principles used by Wales in the recent World Cup qualifying campaign. Using a tactics board in the dressing room at the Wales training base near Cardiff, Bellamy reveals the flexibility of his approach and what he demands from each member of the squad. Carl, Iwan and Sam are engrossed... and barely manage to get a word in.Bellamy, who has won half of his 16 games in charge of Wales, also names his biggest coaching influences and explains the debt of gratitude he owes to Iwan for protecting him during their time together playing for Norwich City.

Today, Laura, Paddy and Henry speak about the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's plans to set up specialist rape and sexual offence investigation teams in every police force in England and Wales by 2029.We also discuss her ambitions as conversations about Keir Starmer's future continue.And as it's the last time Laura, Paddy and Henry get together in 2025, the team have a look forward to 2026 to predict what they think the biggest stories of next year might be.You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://bbc.in/newscastdiscordGet in touch with Newscast by emailing newscast@bbc.co.uk or send us a WhatsApp on +44 0330 123 9480.New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bbc.in/4guXgXd Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. The presenters were Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Flynn with Rufus Gray. The weekend series producer is Chris Flynn. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Ricardo McCarthy. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.