The Truth About Conspiracies: QAnon, ‘Havana Syndrome’ and Neo-Nazis. Ash Sarkar Meets Nicky Woolf
Nicky Woolf joins Ash to discuss the mysterious ‘Havana Syndrome’, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Making Nazis Afraid Again.
Why Britain Needs to Ditch the Monarchy. Aaron Bastani Meets Graham Smith
With the coronation of King Charles approaching, it’s fitting to scrutinise, not only him personally, but the monarchy as an idea. To talk about everything from the ways in which the royals fund their luxurious lifestyles to how they exert political influence, Aaron Bastani is joined by Graham Smith, CEO of Republic – a pressure […]
Geneticist Talks Race Science Myths, Richard Dawkins and 23andMe. Ash Meets Dr Adam Rutherford
A lot of racism in the 20th century was based on the debunked pseudo-science of eugenics. So why is it still believed in many aspects today? To discuss the history and resurgence of these ideas, Ash Sarkar is joined by Dr. Adam Rutherford, author of many books including Control: The Dark History and Troubling Present […]
Vogue’s Dating Columnist on ‘The Sexual Marketplace’, Incels and Narcissists
It may be tempting to dismiss love and dating as trivial in an era of rising inequality and the climate crisis. However, love and the pursuit of it is a part of our daily lives and the transformation of how we interact and speak about it is worth exploring. To do so, Ash is joined […]
Peter Hitchens on Unions, Tony Blair and the End of the Royal Family
Peter Hitchens is something of an iconoclast. Among his colleagues on the right, the Mail on Sunday columnist stands out as a heterodox thinker – yet he’s perhaps one of the few who could be described as a genuine conservative. Aaron Bastani meets him to discuss his previous life as a Trotskyist and a Moscow […]
The Things That Really Mattered in 2022
Ash is joined by Aaron Bastani, Moya Lothian-McLean, Michael Walker and James Butler to discuss the year 2022.
Our Own Cynicism Is the Left’s Biggest Enemy | Billy Bragg on Downstream
Throughout his 30-year career, Billy Bragg has never shied away from politics. From playing benefit gigs for miners in the 1980s to clashing with the BNP in his hometown of Barking, he has always used his influence to help those who need it. Ash recently sat down with Billy to discuss his 2006 book, The […]
Twitter, Grief Trolling & Feet Guys. Ash Meets Richard Seymour
What is it about social media that turns us into such objectionable creatures? To discuss this, Jorts The Cat and why people want pics of Ash’s feet, Ash is joined by Richard Seymour, author of The Twittering Machine.
Everything We Think We Know About Human History Is Wrong | Downstream With David Wengrow
Humans have existed for at least 200,000 years. Yet until recently, historians believed that cities, astronomy, architecture and numeracy did not arrive until agriculture emerged some 12,000 years ago. But what if that was wrong? What if cities existed before agriculture and our hunter gatherer ancestors enjoyed a far more complex existence than we thought? […]
Here’s the Secret to Hiding One Billion Pounds. Ash Meets Oliver Bullough
If you had millions of ill-gotten pounds, dollars or rubles you would need to find a way of hiding where it came from and the very fact that it’s yours in the first place. It turns out that the place in the world best suited to provide this service is the UK. Oligarchs from all […]
Immigration: Labour Have Always Been Just As Bad As Tories. Ash Meets Maya Goodfellow
Ash meets Dr. Maya Goodfellow to talk about New Labour's inhumane immigration policies, the problem with the term 'Economic Migrant' and how people, no matter what we're told, will end up falling in love across supposed cultural divides.
Continuing to Live Was a Challenge. Aaron Meets Chris Packham
On the morality of having children, the Just Stop Oil protests and Southampton F.C.
Food Culture Is Making Us Anxious. Ash Meets Ruby Tandoh
Eating is supposed to be fun, so why has food culture become so difficult to navigate without feeling anxious? Ash Sarkar meets food writer Ruby Tandoh, former Great British Bake-Off contestant and author of Cook As You Are.
The Plan Is to Make You Permanently Poorer | Aaron Meets Gary Stevenson
In 2011, while working as a City trader, Gary Stevenson joined the ultra rich with a single bonus cheque. Not long after he was named one of Citibank’s highest performing traders worldwide. Stevenson made millions for his employer by betting on one thing: that the British and American economies would fail to recover from the […]
Can Lula Take Brazil Back From Bolsonaro? Aaron Meets Sabrina Fernandes
On 2nd October, Brazil will be faced with a stark choice. The incumbent president, Jair Bolsonaro, has overseen economic calamity and nearly 700,000 Covid deaths in his first term. His challenger, Lula Da Silva, is hoping to regain the presidency – just three years since being freed from prison. To discuss the state of Brazilian […]
People Used Anything to Attack Me
Jeremy Corbyn talks to Aaron Bastani about the mainstream media, the antisemitism crisis, Alistair Campbell and King Charles III.
Apsana Begum: Labour Weaponised My Domestic Abuse to Get Rid of Me
Exclusive: Three months after the Labour party ‘weaponised’ abuse that left her in A&E, Britain’s first hijabi MP Apsana Begum returns to politics.
The Queen Bears Responsibility. Aaron & Ash Monarchy Special
On the 8th of September this year, Queen Elizabeth II died. In a special episode of Downstream, Aaron and Ash discuss her life and the aftermath of her death.