Larchmont Films

02/07/2025

Host Rafael Behr talks to Polly Curtis, Demos CEO, about the urgent case for upgrading democracy

14/05/2025

A really illuminating conversation with Danish political scientist, Professor Michael Bang Petersen, about the voters who are drawn to rule-breakers, the institutional arsonists and the chaos-mongers. And what can be done about it?

Latest edition of Politics on the Couch out now.

Listen to Appetite for Chaos: Why some voters just want to watch the world burn from Politics on the Couch. Host Rafael Behr is joined by political scientist Prof. Michael Bang Petersen, whose research challenges the common belief that those who share misinformation are simply uninformed or gullible...

29/04/2025

Rafael Behr talks to award-winning political psychologist and neuroscientist Dr Leor Zmigrod

29/04/2025

Rafael Behr looks back at five years of Politics on the Couch

17/12/2023

Latest Politics on the Couch now out!

'Moving the needle' - Rafael Behr talks to Tom Gray (of Mercury Prize winning band Gomez) on his bid to become a Brighton MP, and his campaign to help musicians get a better deal on copyright.

Caroline Lucas, the UK's only Green MP, is standing down at the next general election and Tom wants to represent Labour for this seat.

Tom's had a hugely successful career in music with Gomez rocketing to fame in 1998, beating Pulp and Massive Attack, among others, to the Mercury Prize.

More recently he launched the Broken Record campaign, calling for a fairer deal for musicians from streaming services, among other industry reforms.

And now, having banged on the doors to demand political change from the outside, Tom wants to get on the inside.

Raf finds out what makes someone want to swap what looks like the perfect job, recording and performing music for eager fans, for the grim, and potentially thankless life of a politician where audiences are often less than adoring.

Also, what can being in a band teach you about politics, performance and messaging?

STOP PRESS

When we recorded the episode Tom hadn't yet made it onto the shortlist but today (Sunday 17 December) he was voted Labour's candidate for the Brighton and Pavilion constituency at the next general election, beating off competition from Eddie Izzard.

This is the second time Eddie hasn't been successful in a bid to become a Labour candidate, with a previous attempt in Sheffield.

This Brighton, Green v moderate Labour contest (in a seat with quite low Tory support) will be fascinating, and maybe only replicated in a few places in the country, Bristol or Cambridge, Oxford? Interesting times ahead!

Rafael Behr talks to Tom Gray about his bid to become a Brighton MP

21/07/2023

14/07/2022

Politics on the Couch looks at the way our minds respond to politics and the way politicians mess with our minds. In each episode award-winning political columnist Rafael Behr is joined by a distinguished expert drawn from the world of politics, psychology or philosophy. The show will appeal to any....

09/07/2022

Politics on the Couch looks at the way our minds respond to politics and the way politicians mess with our minds. In each episode award-winning political columnist Rafael Behr is joined by a distinguished expert drawn from the world of politics, psychology or philosophy. The show will appeal to any....

10/05/2021

It's been a while since the last podcast, but worth the wait for this one - rich with insight from excellent guest
Nafees Hamid lifting the lid on the radicalised brain.

‎Show Politics on the Couch, Ep Radicalisation - how minds go to extremes, and how to turn them back - 9 May 2021

27/02/2021

‎Show Politics on the Couch, Ep Optimism - how we're drawn to the bright side, even in a pandemic - 23 Feb 2021

06/02/2021

David Baddiel joins Rafael Behr in this week's edition of to talk about , , , and a bit of to mark the launch of his new book: 'Jews Don't Count.'

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/identity-david-baddiel-on-jewishness-antisemitism-bit/id1507787935?i=1000507756054

‎Show Politics on the Couch, Ep Identity – David Baddiel on Jewishness, antisemitism (and a bit about football) - 4 Feb 2021

23/01/2021

Counter Hate | CCDH | Center for Countering Digital Hate deals with the increasing use of identity-based hate to polarise societies and undermine democracy.