Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 The News Quiz: Ep1. Red, White, Blue and Green-land
24 snips
Jan 16, 2026 
Hugo Rifkind, a witty journalist and comedian, joins Lucy Porter, known for her sharp humor, and Geoff Norcott, a political commentator delivering a right-leaning perspective. The trio dives into the surreal US raid to capture Nicolás Maduro, lampooning Trump's antics and the bizarre world of geopolitics. They tackle a new UK proposal for driving tests for the over-70s and debate the implications of Grok AI. The panel's comedic takes on these topics deliver sharp insights and plenty of laughs!
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Early January Geopolitics Escalated Quickly
- The US-led capture of Nicolás Maduro and dramatic geopolitical moves made a slow news week instantly chaotic.
- Ian Smith notes rapid escalations in early January turned routine satire into urgent headlines.
Comedic Take On Venezuelan Leadership Chaos
- Lucy Porter jokes about the chaotic state of Venezuela's leadership and mimics the confusion around presidents.
- She uses comedic imagery to highlight how messy and performative the situation looked.
Resource Motives Returned To The Fore
- Panelists contrasted past framed interventions with the blunt, oil-driven rhetoric seen this week.
- Hugo Rifkind observed modern geopolitics sometimes discards moral pretexts in favour of raw resource motives.