Planet Normal
246 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago -The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday.
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Episodes
Just one more heave
February 11, 2021 10:43 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBDr John Lee, former NHS consultant pathologist blasts off to Planet Normal alongside Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan. He tells listeners why he believes the cost of coronavirus lockdowns has been hugely underestimated, and urges the government to take a look at the bigger picture. There is more to life than Covid, he tells us, as our co-pilots nod heartily in agreement. Also on the podcast: Allison opens up on a very personal struggle, Liam calls for the PM to reveal ...
Tomorrow will be a good day
February 04, 2021 00:30 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBThe country loses a beacon of hope in Captain Sir Tom Moore, and this week Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan pay tribute to the former officer. And in the spirit of Captain Tom, they look forward and predict a bright future for the UK's vaccine rollout - if the EU doesn't attempt to derail it... again. And joining the rocket is Rod Grant, Headteacher of Clifton Hall School and Planet Normal listener, who tells us why he felt obliged to write in after seeing the devastating effect the pandem...
Who'd be a student?
January 28, 2021 00:30 - 1 hour - 54.9 MBUniversity is the time of your life - unless you're living through a pandemic. Third-year student and listener, Lucy takes a ride in the Planet Normal rocket to tell Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why her generation feels forgotten by the government, why she worries about her peers, and how the crisis has left her embarrassed to be a young scientist. Also on the podcast: Liam laments the reappearance of the Brexit wars in vaccine rhetoric, and Allison reveals some o...
In defence of scepticism
January 21, 2021 00:30 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MBSir Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador to the US makes his maiden voyage to Planet Normal as Donald Trump’s presidency comes to an end. He tells Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why it’s high time to abandon the idea of the “special relationship” and why we haven't heard the last of Mr Trump. Plus, as a former Chairman of the Press Complaints Commission, Sir Christopher tells us why he believes Brexit divisions have seeped into the UK’s pandemic coverage. Al...
Scotch eggs for all
January 14, 2021 00:30 - 59 minutes - 54.5 MBSir Graham Brady, Chairman of the 1922 Committee dons his Planet Normal spacesuit, alongside co-pilots, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan. The MP for Altrincham & Sale West makes a strong case for easing the lockdown once the most vulnerable are vaccinated, and wonders just how happy the Prime Minister can be imposing restrictions in the first place. Also on the podcast, Allison ensures the podcast is “substantial” with the addition of a scotch egg, Liam analyses whether excess deaths may ...
A very short dry January
January 07, 2021 00:30 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBCommentator and author, Paul Embery joins the Planet Normal rocket alongside Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan to discuss what he sees as the Labour Party’s big problem: losing working-class voters. Plus, you’re never more than two metres away from discussion of the lockdown on Planet Normal - Paul tells us why he thinks the latest coronavirus restrictions haven’t been subjected to enough scrutiny. Also on the podcast: Allison calculates just how few freedoms we have l...
Oh, what a year!
December 31, 2020 00:30 - 1 hour - 76.3 MBAs we say goodbye to 2020, Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan take a trip down memory lane and look back at an extraordinary year with some of our star guests that have featured on Planet Normal. From our first guest, Alan Johnson giving his verdict on schools returning after lockdown to Sir Richard Dearlove, former head of M16 telling us that he believes that coronavirus started as an accident. Also on the podcast, as we try to bring some joy at the end of a rollercoast...
A Planet Normal Christmas
December 24, 2020 06:00 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBBake Off host Prue Leith puts on her spaceboots to join Planet Normal this week to tell Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why she believes older people should not be a priority for the vaccine (including herself), that she's confident the restaurant industry will bounce back, and her scandalous secret to good custard (spoiler: it involves the shop-bought stuff!) Also on the podcast: Allison and Liam discuss the reaction to the new strain of the virus, Allison reveals th...
Great British common sense
December 17, 2020 00:30 - 1 hour - 54.8 MBFormer Australian diplomat, Mark Higgie joins Planet Normal this week to tell Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why he's got a good feeling about a Brexit trade deal, why it's inaccurate to dress 'no deal' up as 'Australian' and why he urges extreme caution in doing trade deals with China. Also on the podcast: Allison reveals how a well-placed NHS source says there is no real evidence for the whole of London to go into tier three restrictions, Liam speaks out against a...
It’s all a bit fishy
December 10, 2020 00:30 - 59 minutes - 54.4 MBAs a Brexit deal floats on thin ice, we take a dive into the fishing industry and speak to Brian Stuart from Fraserburgh in Scotland, who's been a fisherman for over two decades. Brian tells Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why his fellow Scottish fisherman want Brexit at any cost, how they despair of the Common Fisheries Policy and why you have to be a bit mad to choose to spend your day on choppy waters! Also on the podcast, Liam explains why he thinks the vaccine is...
A different type of long Covid
December 03, 2020 00:30 - 59 minutes - 54 MBMatthew Goodwin, academic, author and Brex-pert takes his seat in the spaceship to Planet Normal, alongside Telegraph columnists and co-pilots, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan. Professor Goodwin weighs in on why he thinks Boris Johnson urgently needs to 'reset his premiership', the very real possibility of a Labour-SNP coalition, and why he believes both Brexiteers and Remainers will blame each other for post-Brexit economic disruption. Also on the podcast: Liam laments the oncoming 'unem...
The Five Days of Christmas
November 26, 2020 00:30 - 1 hour - 54.9 MBBroadcaster Richard Madeley dons the spare spacesuit for this week's trip to Planet Normal. Richard tells Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why he won't be blindly "following the science" but interrogating it, reveals why he feels let down by his profession when it comes to corona, and explains how his whole life was changed by the twist of a Rubix cube. Also on the podcast: Allison is fed up of being told that 'Christmas is saved', Liam breaks down the recent spending review and worries th...
A maze of madness
November 19, 2020 00:30 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBConservative MP, Steve Baker makes his debut Planet Normal voyage in this turbulent week in politics. As the deputy chair of the Covid Recovery Group, a group of Tory MPs against lockdowns, he tells Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why a third lockdown could lead to an "enormous rebellion" in Parliament, why the PM must challenge SAGE more stringently and why he believes that Dominic Cummings leaving Downing Street won't impact upon Brexit. Also on the podcast: Allison queries whether now...
The National Covid Service
November 12, 2020 00:30 - 56 minutes - 51.6 MBAn extra special passenger in the Planet Normal rocket this week, as Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan are joined by anonymous NHS GP and Planet Normal listener, 'Clare'. She explains how she feels the NHS is more the National Covid Service these days, how lockdown measures have tragically left some of her patients as "suicides waiting to happen", and why she thinks Matt Hancock could do with spending a day in her shoes. Also on the podcast: Allison and Liam rejoice at...
A news tsunami
November 05, 2020 00:30 - 56 minutes - 51.8 MBAllison Pearson and Liam Halligan don their pilot gloves and make the voyage to Planet Normal, where they give their verdict on a bumpy week on both sides of the Atlantic. Lockdown returns in England, the US election keeps everyone guessing and Allison shares a positive update following last week's interview with Planet Normal listener, Robert, who had been separated from his wife, Josephine for months because of care home lockdown rules. Taking the passenger seat in our rocket of sanity th...
Do you Care Minister?
October 29, 2020 00:30 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBEvery now and then, Planet Normal goes back to its roots and speaks to... a normal person. So joining Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan in the rocket this week is listener Robert, whom regulars will know as the man whose letter brought us all to tears. He wrote to Planet Normal about not being able to visit his beloved wife, Josephine in her care home due to lockdown rules. He tells Allison that while he and Jo have recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary,...
Do you Care Minister?
October 29, 2020 00:30 - 59 minutes - 54.3 MBEvery now and then, Planet Normal goes back to its roots and speaks to... a normal person. So joining Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan in the rocket this week is listener Robert, whom regulars will know as the man whose letter brought us all to tears. He wrote to Planet Normal about not being able to visit his beloved wife, Josephine in her care home due to lockdown rules. He tells Allison that while he and Jo have recently celebrated their diamond wedding ann...
The billion pound Covid drop
October 21, 2020 23:30 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MBBuckle your seatbelts, Planet Normal is set to blast off for another week with it's esteemed pilots, Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan. This week we discuss how some Northern leaders are raring to tell the PM to sod off if he imposes more restrictions in their areas, Allison gives her reaction to the latest lockdown in her hometown (she's not happy folks!) and Liam thinks coronavirus could have a surprising positive impact on Brexit trade talks. Joining the voyage this ...
It'll all end in tiers
October 14, 2020 23:30 - 58 minutes - 53.8 MBHold onto your helmets, it's another explosive week for Planet Normal, where Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan discuss their fears for tiers, shed light on some underreported positive coronavirus survival stats and how Liam almost abandoned us for Number 10. And filling the passenger seat this week is former BBC star and broadcasting legend Sue Cook. The former Crimewatch and Nationwide presenter airs her disappointment at the BBC’s pandemic coverage, why she now strug...
Why the woke need to wake up
October 07, 2020 23:30 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBSit tight, it's another bumpy journey to Planet Normal. This week, Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan call out the government for failing to excel (see what we did there?) with Test, Track and Trace, interrogate how to cancel the cancel-culture invading UK universities, and debate whether BoJo's mojo has returned. Plus, Allison argues her case to be both Velma and Daphne, thank you very much. Buckling into the passenger seat this week is writer Helen Pluckrose....
Why the woke need to wake up
October 07, 2020 23:30 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MBSit tight, it's another bumpy journey to Planet Normal. This week, Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan call out the government for failing to excel (see what we did there?) with Test, Track and Trace, interrogate how to cancel the cancel-culture invading UK universities, and debate whether BoJo's mojo has returned. Plus, Allison argues her case to be both Velma and Daphne, thank you very much. Buckling into the passenger seat this week is writer Helen Pluckrose. Helen is...
A case of Covid-mania
September 30, 2020 23:30 - 57 minutes - 52.5 MBBuckle in, it’s been a news-laden week. On today’s podcast: Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan commiserate the lads and lassies of Newcastle for having to stay at home, bemoan fat-cat University Chancellors, and struggle to read one heartbreaking listener email. Plus you asked, we listened - this week's guest is lockdown-sceptic and listener favourite Ivor Cummins. He accuses world leaders of "walking away from the science", muses about imaginary tigers (yes, really) an...
Science vs Spin
September 23, 2020 23:30 - 1 hour - 54.9 MBWhat a week! Time to grab your space helmets and head to Planet Normal, and joining you in the rocket today is Oxford University epidemiologist, Professor Sunetra Gupta. Fresh from a meeting with the PM, she tells Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why the government was wrong to base the lockdown on worst-case scenario modelling, why this is only a "third division" pandemic and why she wonders if her views would win her less flak were she a white man... Plus Allison tel...
You have to laugh
September 16, 2020 23:30 - 57 minutes - 52.2 MB... or you'll cry. This week Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan are joined by a man whose raison d'être is to get the country smiling. Geoff Norcott, one of the UK's only vocally Right-wing comedians, tells Planet Normal why the BBC's pledge towards diversity of opinion might prove futile, why the "woke" musn't be exempt from comedy and why he would never apologise for a joke. Also on the podcast: Allison and Liam weigh up whether Victoria Wood's comedy would fall victim...
Blighty not frighty
September 09, 2020 23:30 - 57 minutes - 52.1 MBThe lockdown rules are changing and Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan aren't happy about it. On today's show, Allison asks what on earth has happened to the country's "Blighty not frighty" spirit, Liam chastises Matt Hancock for his doom-laden language, plus, they deliberate the three Bs - Brexit, the backstop and Brad Pitt. Also on the podcast: this week’s guest and former Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption pulls on his space boots and tells Planet Normal liste...
The Great Awokening
September 02, 2020 23:30 - 49 minutes - 44.8 MBThe BBC is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, and Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan have something to say about it. On today’s podcast, Allison tells us why she feels as if she’s in a toxic relationship with the broadcaster, Liam weighs in the corporation’s “mini moral lectures” and the pair agree that BBC comedy needs to stop using Donald Trump as a punchline. Plus, this week’s guest and long-time Editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Stephen Pollard buckles up ...
Red tape and coral spacesuits
August 27, 2020 06:31 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBFinancier Dame Helena Morrissey dons her spacesuit to join Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan on their latest voyage to Planet Normal. The founder of The 30% Club talks about the pandemic's ambiguous effect on women in the workplace, why staying silent over Brexit wasn't an option, and why we need a "burning of the red tape" to save the economy. Plus, she tells us why you won't catch her in a fashionable face mask. Also on the show: Liam and Allison weigh in on face cov...
Red tape and coral spacesuits
August 27, 2020 06:31 - 49 minutes - 45.6 MBFinancier Dame Helena Morrissey dons her spacesuit to join Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan on their latest voyage to Planet Normal. The founder of The 30% Club talks about the pandemic's ambiguous effect on women in the workplace, why staying silent over Brexit wasn't an option, and why we need a "burning of the red tape" to save the economy. Plus, she tells us why you won't catch her in a fashionable face mask. Also on the show: Liam and Allison weigh in on...
"We don't need to be world-leading, we just need to be competent"
August 20, 2020 05:00 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBDavid Davis MP is Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's latest passenger as they blast off to Planet Normal. The Tory veteran talks about whether the A-Levels U-turn will be this government's poll tax moment, says don’t need to be “world leading”, we just need to be competent when it comes to coronavirus, and that the Cabinet would have benefitted from more experience in hindsight. Plus, a glimpse behind the scenes of the rows that caused him to step down as Brexit secretary. Allison and Lia...
"We don't need to be world-leading, we just need to be competent"
August 20, 2020 05:00 - 46 minutes - 42.5 MBDavid Davis MP is Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's latest passenger as they blast off to Planet Normal. The Tory veteran talks about whether the A-Levels U-turn will be this government's poll tax moment, says don’t need to be “world leading”, we just need to be competent when it comes to coronavirus, and that the Cabinet would have benefitted from more experience in hindsight. Plus, a glimpse behind the scenes of the rows that caused him to step down as Brexit secretary. Alliso...
The ultimate Marmite man
August 12, 2020 23:30 - 47 minutes - 43.1 MBNigel Farage buckles up to join the Telegraph's Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan on their weekly voyage to Planet Normal. Never one to hold back, Mr Farage accuses the French navy of being a taxi service for immigrants, warns the Prime Minister that he's at risk of losing Middle England, and declares the Cabinet a bunch of "kids with rich daddies". Plus, Liam welcomes Allison back after her well-earned break with a chat about exam results (don't mention the D in O-level Maths...), and the...
We can't we all just get along?
August 05, 2020 23:30 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBBroadcaster Iain Dale hops into the passenger seat to join the Telegraph's Liam Halligan and guest co-pilot Kate Hoey on this week's voyage to Planet Normal. Iain tells Liam why he's been known to shame people for rudeness on social media, how he suffers from imposter syndrome, and why he's written a book about listening to the other side of the debate. Plus, Kate and Liam discuss why it's hard to talk about immigration and how Liam's the only person from last week's episode not to have bee...
A war on history
July 29, 2020 23:30 - 45 minutes - 41.8 MBFor the next two weeks former MP Kate Hoey steps into Allison Pearson's space-boots to join Liam Halligan as co-pilot to Planet Normal. Their guest this week is former MEP and director of the Institute of Ideas, Claire Fox, who tells Liam that there is a war on history led from the top, that the BBC is the now the "woke" channel and how she bruises after social media showdowns. Plus, Kate and Liam discuss the government announcing that people will have to quarantine after returning from Sp...
The truth about the NHS
July 22, 2020 23:30 - 48 minutes - 43.9 MBPlanet Normal goes back to its roots and speaks to... a normal person. This week it’s brave district nurse and Planet Normal listener, Holly, who tells Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan about the horrors of treatments delayed over the coronavirus crisis: a devastating move she thinks will cause more deaths than the pandemic itself. Plus, she reveals how care homes were “bullied” into taking patients with suspected Covid-19 and why some health workers used the pandemic a...
Don't be afraid to be a contrarian
July 15, 2020 23:30 - 41 minutes - 37.8 MBEntrepreneur Luke Johnson is Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's latest guest to blast off to Planet Normal. The man behind Pizza Express and Gail's Bakery tells Allison why the government's only effective lockdown policy has been 'Project Fear', how the High Street will have to get creative to survive, and reveals what other captains of industry are telling him behind closed doors. Plus, Allison and Liam respectfully disagree over face masks, discuss the government's 'My way or the Huawei'...
The magic money forest
July 08, 2020 23:30 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBTrevor Phillips, broadcaster, writer and former chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, is Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's latest castaway to Planet Normal. The former Labour candidate for London Mayor tells Liam why guilt obscures media coverage of racial issues, how he knows what it's like to be randomly stopped by the police, and why he believes parts of the Labour Party just don't care about winning elections. Plus, Allison and Liam discuss the devastating k...
The magic money forest
July 08, 2020 23:30 - 44 minutes - 40.7 MBTrevor Phillips, broadcaster, writer and former chairman of the Equalities and Human Rights Commission, is Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's latest castaway to Planet Normal. The former Labour candidate for London Mayor tells Liam why guilt obscures media coverage of racial issues, how he knows what it's like to be randomly stopped by the police, and why he believes parts of the Labour Party just don't care about winning elections. Plus, Allison and Liam discuss the devastating knock-on e...
Now is the Summer of our Discontent
July 01, 2020 23:30 - 43 minutes - 39.8 MBShaun Bailey, Conservative candidate for London Mayor, touches down on Planet Normal, alongside Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan. The former Special Advisor to the PM tells Allison why we're in for a "summer of discontent", why Labour hasn't been able to curb London's knife crime crisis and how speaking out against the Left as a black person is seen as an act of bravery. Oh - and how he found love over a Müller Corner... Plus, Allison and Liam lament Leicester's secon...
Banking on a return to normality
June 24, 2020 23:30 - 39 minutes - 36.3 MBFormer Governor of the Bank of England, Lord Mervyn King, is the co-pilot on Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's fifth orbiting of Planet Normal. He tells us why he believes no-deal Brexit scaremongering was an attempt to reverse the referendum result, how quantitative easing isn't always the answer, and why politicians should admit to changing their minds. Plus, Allison and Liam mourn the simplicity of a pre-Covid pint in the pub, childhood in a time before Health and...
We Need to Talk About Unpopular Opinions
June 17, 2020 23:30 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBNovelist Lionel Shriver buckles up to join Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan for their fourth trip to Planet Normal. She tells us why her political views lose her both friends and awards, and why today’s literature fails to pique her interest. Plus, Allison and Liam weigh in on the footballer who took on the government and won, Marcus Rashford, why the reopening of schools should be “obligatoire” and they reveal who was "leader of the pack" during their Scout and Guide...
The Great British Brain Unwashing
June 11, 2020 05:00 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBIt's what feels like week number 582 of lockdown, and it's trip number three to Planet Normal. This week, Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan blast off into a lively debate on what they'd like to do to a statue of Gavin Wiliamson and whether theme parks could possibly be safer than schools. Plus renowned oncologist, Professor Karol Sikora weighs in on why he wants the nation to "unwash" their brains of fear, and he submits to the ultimate black hole: a war of words with ...
From China to the Clapham omnibus
June 03, 2020 20:25 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBIn Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's second trip to Planet Normal, former Head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove tells Allison why he believes the coronavirus started as an accident after it escaped from a Chinese lab, how organised intelligence activities at British universities aren't merely the stuff of spy novels and why he's ticked off with George Osborne. Telegraph subscribers can listen to the explosive full interview here: https://bit.ly/2U6hxcQ Listeners can get 30 days' free access ...
From China to the Clapham omnibus
June 03, 2020 20:25 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBIn Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan's second trip to Planet Normal, former Head of MI6 Sir Richard Dearlove tells Allison why he believes the coronavirus started as an accident after it escaped from a Chinese lab, how organised intelligence activities at British universities aren't merely the stuff of spy novels and why he's ticked off with George Osborne. Telegraph subscribers can listen to the explosive full interview here: https://bit.ly/2U6hxcQ Listeners can get 30 days' fre...
We have lift-off
May 28, 2020 05:00 - 33 minutes - 30.2 MBTelegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan take their first trip to Planet Normal, a space for shrewd political analysis from a distinctly “down-to-earth” perspective. This week, Allison struggles to defend Dominic Cummings, Liam reveals why the Prime Minister’s most senior advisor once slept on his floor and former Home Secretary, Alan Johnson weighs in on the reopening of schools - with some disquieting words for teachers’ unions. Listeners can get 30 days' free access to th...
Trailer
May 23, 2020 17:01 - 1 minute - 1.27 MBThe podcast for those fed up of asking themselves what planet some commentators are on. Join Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan for a weekly trip to Planet Normal, where they'll dissect the week's news from a distinctly "down to earth" perspective. Lift-off Thursday 28th May.
Coming soon from The Telegraph
May 23, 2020 17:01 - 1 minute - 1.27 MBThe podcast for those fed up of asking themselves what planet some commentators are on. Join Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan for a weekly trip to Planet Normal, where they'll dissect the week's news from a distinctly "down to earth" perspective. Lift-off Thursday 28th May.