I Wasn't Even Listening (with Natalie Haynes)

Armando is back from a summer break to look at the use and abuse of political language.

Joined by friend of the show, Natalie Haynes, they mournfully fell the Keir Starmer Metaphor tree, and find a suitable replacement for the Andy Burnham era.

Elsewhere, they discuss the undercover operation on Reform, and the language of the fallout, 'perv glasses' and a corbyn-eqsue 'Strong Message Here' for the modern era.

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Sound editing: Chris MacleanProduction Coordinator: Asha Osborne-GrinterExecutive Producer: Pete StraussRecorded at the Sound Company

Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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.

• No. of episodes: 90
• Latest episode: 2026-09-16
• Comedy

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