Downstream

Downstream is an in-depth interview show featuring conversations with activists, authors, economists, politicians, scientists, philosophers and thinkers of all stripes.

Why the Tories Keep Winning. Interview With Sam Earle

Excluding Tony Blair’s back-to-back victories, the Conservative Party has governed the UK for all but 18 of the last 100 years. While the media often presents elections as Labour’s to lose, the truth is that Britain is a one party state which occasionally lets the other side have a go in the interest of fairness. […]

When Will China Be the World’s Most Powerful Country? Interview With Martin Jacques

Will the 2020s be the decade when power decisively shifts from the United States to China? How important is the country’s rise in broader historic context – and is that why we are seeing an emerging Cold War between Washington and Beijing? And do appeals to a ‘civilisation-state’ undermine the power of universal values and […]

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Is the Left Failing on Free Speech? Interview With Ronan Burtenshaw

Does the right actually care about free speech? Why should free speech matter to the left? Aaron Bastani speaks to editor of Tribune Magazine, Ronan Burtenshaw.

Maybe Don’t Defund the BBC? Interview With Nish Kumar

This week on Downstream Ash Sarkar met with Nish Kumar – comedian and host of The Mash Report – to talk about how he became the accidental face of the Defund the BBC movement, and why rightwing comics are the real snowflakes.

Can Capitalism Solve Its Crises? Interview With Mariana Mazzucato

What can the Apollo Missions teach us about dealing with the major crises of the 21st century? And why are politicians so eager to dwell on caricatures of the public rather than engage in problem-solving – from climate change to housing and education? Aaron Bastani speaks to author and academic Mariana Mazzucato to find out.

Why Has Britain Failed on Covid? Richard Horton

A year after the World Health Organisation declared Covid-19 a pandemic, with Britain enduring more than a 100,000 deaths since, a number of major questions remain unanswered. Why was the response of the UK among the worst in the world? How is it possible that the death toll of countries in Europe and North America […]

The Influencer Industrial Complex. Interview With Moya Lothian-McLean

The last few years have heralded the rise of the influencer: social media users who have, in essence, found a way to get paid for being themselves on the internet. But has this commodification of the self poisoned the public sphere? Or are we witnessing the end of gatekeeping – and the beginnings of a […]

‘A Red Flag and a Silver Dress?’ Interview With Divina De Campo

RuPaul has turned drag into a multi-million dollar industry and a global TV franchise, but has that meant that the art of drag has lost its claim to being punk? Ash Sarkar was joined by Divina De Campo, first runner up from RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 1, to talk about drag, gender identity, and the […]

Can the Left Trust Keir Starmer? Interview With Richard Burgon

Was the Corbyn leadership a complete failure for the left – and what can be learned for next time? What are the chances of a socialist Labour government implementing the kinds of policies seen in the 2017 and 2019 manifestoes? And can the left trust Keir Starmer as party leader after a disappointing first year? […]

Does the US Want Julian Assange Dead? Interview With Yanis Varoufakis

On Monday a British judge ruled that Julian Assange should not be extradited to the United States on charges of espionage and computer hacking. Yet despite that verdict the judgment arguably represented a blow to freedom of the press – with the judge accepting the substance of the case made by the US state department. […]

Can Lab-Grown Meat Save the World? Aaron Bastani Meets Michael Selden

On this week’s Downstream, Aaron Bastani meets Mike Selden, co-founder of Finless Foods – a cellular agriculture business in California – to find out whether lab-grown meat can live up to the hype.