Churchill is the perfect example of this because he was renowned throughout his career for lavishing verbosity on issues that simply didn't warrant it. This speech we're about to hear is after the Battle of Britain. It's genuinely a moment when the country is on the threshold of complete disaster and collapse. That gives rhetoric great power because you can say things of weight at that moment. They are all remarkable, but what gives them their real gravity is the fact that the peril is real.
To celebrate some of the most influential and impactful speeches ever made, we invited Barack Obama’s director of speechwriting, Cody Keenan and Tony Blair’s former speechwriter, Philip Collins, to discuss the power of the spoken word. Our host was journalist and presenter Emily Maitlis, with actors including Jeremy Irons and Carey Mulligan joining us to reenact speeches that have defined pivotal moments in history.
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