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81 episodes

We Can't Go On Like This (with Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika)
14/05/2026 | 34 mins.
This week, we look at the language of embattled leaders, and some triumphant ones.
Joined by Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Ayesha Hazarika, we pore over the speech of Starmer's life - the third such event we have covered on this programme. Is rhetoric the right tool in his father's hand-me-down toolbelt for him to deploy in times of crisis?
He says he gets it, but do we believe him? We look at the paralysing effect of message discipline on political figures, and why it's so refreshing to hear a more genuine message.
We also examine Rhun ap Iorwerth's oratory skills (borrowed from the skinny kid with a funny name), screaming penguins and ask: who is the modern "Mondeo man"?
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at [email protected]
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Giulia Mazzu
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Recorded at the Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
Technological Republic (with Stewart Lee and Carole Cadwalladr)
07/05/2026 | 34 mins.
What is the Technological Republic?
Armando, Stewart and founder of The Nerve, Carole Cadwalladr, discuss the language and posture of the manifesto released by Palantir's Alex Karp last year.
We look at how Tech bros frame those who block their progress, their effusive language about their products, why they might reflect on linguistic parallels with George Orwell's works.
Armando also describes William Shatner's prose, in which he finds, having read his book, Tech War, that his sentences seem to run on, perhaps one or two clauses longer than a sentence should, which interested him, but also made for a challenging read, which in turn made it worthy of discussion on this week's programme.
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at [email protected]
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Giulia Mazzu
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Recorded at the Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
Game On (with Natalie Haynes)
30/04/2026 | 28 mins.
Ready Player One?
Natalie Haynes joins Armando once again to talk about the rise of prediction markets, and how they might affect political language. We also look at the respective war memes from the US and Iran, and how they are taking their cues from video games.
Elsewhere, we discuss the Arc de Trump, Armando's bag of filth, and whether a Sphinx might look good on the White House lawn.
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at [email protected]
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Giulia Mazzu
Executive Producer: James Robinson
Recorded at the Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
The Process Was Followed (with Tim Shipman)
23/04/2026 | 23 mins.
Tim Shipman steps out of a busy week in Westminster to talk Armando through the language of political crises.
Whether "time will tell", or "the matter has been dealt with", we decode what these phrases you will hear from politicians this week really mean. Looking at recent examples, from Brexit to Partygate and beyond, what causes these crises, and how does the communication - and indeed the messenger - make it better or worse?
Armando imagines an inquiry into the sinking of the Titanic, Tim clears things up by making things more complicated, and we also hear his sweary sliding scale of scandal, which will make you yearn for a good old-fashioned omnishambles.
We also look at the local elections, and why every party turns these multi-faceted choices into a 'referendum' on a particular subject.
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at [email protected]
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Asha Osborne-Grinter
Executive Producer: Pete Strauss
Recorded at the Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.
Only the Fake News Would Come Up with This (with Amol Rajan)
16/04/2026 | 34 mins.
Politicians have their own podcasts, the Government has launched a YouTube channel. It seems our political class want to bypass traditional media to get their message out. Why is that? How does it affect political language?
As he prepares to take his own steps into a new media landscape, Amol Rajan joins Armando to discuss this and more. We also hear about misleading news headlines, Trump's 'doctored' image, and find out if elves are really poisoning our water?
Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at [email protected]
Sound editing: Chris Maclean
Production Coordinator: Caroline Barlow
Executive Producer: Richard Morris
Recorded at the Sound Company
Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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About Strong Message Here

Armando Iannucci hosts the programme that gives you a cast-iron guarantee to be laser-focused on decoding the baffling world of political language.Each week he'll be joined by a guest to crack open the political phrasebook and attempt to demystify the doublespeak. Why does everything now have to be 'turbo-charged'? What's the difference between a 'pledge' and a 'mission'? Why has my local MP been 'weaponised' and should I be worried?You'll be treated to a crash course in the dark arts of political language from people on the inside who are both baffled and beguiled by it. They'll walk you through the various verbal fiascos of the modern political lexicon so that by the end you'll be oven-ready for an appearance on Newsnight.Armando's erstwhile partner in de-baffling political lexicon, Helen Lewis, is away working in the United States in the autumn and so her seat will be kept warm by a rotating cast of co-hosts.Listen to Strong Message Here on Thursdays on Radio 4 at 9.45am, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4.

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