BBC Radio Podcasts from Understand
The Economy: Trailer
Everything you need to know about the economy and what it means for you.
The Economy: 1. Inflation
What is inflation, why does it matter, and is someone to blame if it goes up?
The Economy: 2. Interest Rates and Mortgage Rates
What’s the Bank of England got to do with mortgage rates?
The Economy: 3. Economic Growth and GDP
What is economic growth, and what happens if there isn’t any?
The Economy: 4. Bonds, Gilts, Stocks and Shares
Who lends the government money and why? And what exactly does the stock market do?
The Economy: 5. Banks
What are banks and what do they do with our money?
The Economy: 6. Recessions
What is a recession and why might one happen?
The Economy: 7. Jobs and Unemployment
Why might your wages be low even if everyone who wants a job, has one?
The Economy: 8. Pensions
Why is it so hard to save for when we’re older?
The Economy: 9. International Trade and Currency Markets
The reason we can eat pineapples and sell aeroplane parts.
The Economy: 10. Inequality
Why are the rich, rich and the poor, poor, and was it always this way?
The Economy: 11. Pricing and Discounting
How does pricing work, and when is a bargain really a bargain?
The Economy: 12. Credit
What is credit and how do we use it?
The Economy: 13. National Debt
What is the national debt?
The Economy: 14. Bankruptcy and Insolvency
How does going bankrupt affect us and the economy?
The Economy: 15. Energy Market
Our energy bills explained.
Tech and AI: Trailer
Demystifying the technology in our lives.
Tech and AI: 1. How Do You Get Connected?
Wi-Fi, Broadband, 4G, 5G and now satellites. How do they connect us to the internet?
Tech and AI: 2. The Cloud
The Cloud has drifted into all our lives, but what - and where - is it?
Tech and AI: 3. VR, AR and the Metaverse
What are Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality and the Metaverse?
Tech and AI: 4. Cryptocurrency, Blockchain and Web 3.0
Is cryptocurrency dodgy? What is blockchain, and what have they got do do with Web 3.0?
Tech and AI: 5. Big Data
Just how big is big data, and what can you do with it?
Tech and AI: 6. What is AI?
What is Artificial Intelligence?
Tech and AI: 7. Where is AI Working Already?
What organisations are already using AI in their systems, and how is it being used?
Tech and AI: 8. The Algorithm
How does an algorithm work, and is it possible to beat it?
Tech and AI: 9. Will AI Take My Job?
Is Artificial Intelligence coming for your job?
Tech and AI: 10. Can We Control AI?
Is the AI genie out of the bottle or can we control it?
Israel and the Palestinians: 1. The Palestinians
Katya Adler and guests explain the history and context of the decades long conflict.
Israel and the Palestinians: 2. Israel
Explaining the context of the conflict. We look at what's shaped modern Israel.
Israel and the Palestinians: 3. Hamas
What is Hamas, what do they stand for and what do they want now?
Israel and the Palestinians: 4. The Neighbours
How do Lebanon, Hezbollah, Egypt and Jordan view Israel and the Palestinians?
Israel and the Palestinians: 5. The USA and Iran
What role have the USA and Iran played in the region?
The US Election: 1. Primaries, Caucuses and the National Conventions
US election terminology explained with Justin Webb.
The US Election: 2. The Campaign Trail
Part two of Justin Webb's guide to the 2024 US elections.
The US Election: 3. The TV Debates
How are the US elections run?
The US Election: 4. The General Election
What happens on election day?
The US Election: 5. Becoming President
What can the president do when they are in office?
The UK Election: 1. How Do You Get the Campaign Right?
The ins and outs of political campaigning.
The UK Election: 2. How Are Candidates Selected?
Selecting the candidates to stand in an election
The UK Election: 3. What Difference Does a Manifesto Make?
How do manifestos get written and who are they actually for?
The UK Election: 4. Why Do People Vote the Way They Do?
What can we tell about how someone will vote from their age, gender and ethnicity?
The UK Election: 5. How Do You Make Sure Voting Runs Smoothly?
Explaining voter ID, votes for Brits abroad and why we use pencils instead of pens.
The UK Election: 6. How Important Are Marginal Seats?
The significance of marginal seats, tactical voting and electoral pacts.
The UK Election: 7. What Can Polling Predict?
What polls can tell us. And what they can’t.
The UK Election: 8. What’s the Media’s Role in an Election?
Why does the media matter in an election campaign?
The UK Election: 9. How Does the Election Differ Across the UK?
How does the political geography of the devolved nations differ
The UK Election: 10. What Happens on Election Day?
Election Day - from when the polls open, to forming a government