
The Media Show
Social media, anti-social media, breaking news, faking news: this is the programme about a revolution in media.
Latest episodes

Jun 4, 2025 • 43min
Reporting from the Hajj at Mecca, Katherine Maher from National Public Radio in America takes on President Trump's funding cuts
Ros Atkins with some of the week's biggest media stories:
Katherine Maher the CEO of National Public Radio in America on the attempts by President Trump to cut federal funding for the network.
How does the global media cover the Hajj at Mecca, we talk to ITV reporter Shehab Khan who has visited as a journalist and a pilgirm.
The journalist Patrick McGee talks about his new book "Apple in China: The capture of the World's Greatest Company."
And what does the future hold for voice over artists in the AI era? We hear from Gayanne Potter who believes her voice has been used to train an AI generated voice and also to the General Secretary of Equity Paul Fleming.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai.

May 29, 2025 • 43min
Daytime TV crisis? Police media strategy shift after car ploughs into crowd at Liverpool FC parade, Simon Reeve
Katie Razzall presents some of the big stories in the media this week, including how the police in Merseyside changed their media strategy after a car ploughed into crowds attending a football victory parade in Liverpool. Rebecca Camber, who is security and crime editor at the Daily Mail and chair of the Crime Reporters Association, explains what is behind the shift.Travel presenter Simon Reeve joins YouTube influencer Alfie Watt, who won Race Across the World last year, to discuss the different media platforms selling the excitement of exploration to a range of audiences.And with news that ITV is to radically trim the air time of two of its long-running shows, Loose Women and Lorraine, presenter Kirstie Allsopp and media analyst Bella Monkcom from Enders Analysis discuss if there is a crisis in Britain's daytime TV sector.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

May 21, 2025 • 42min
Gary Lineker fallout
Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins on some of this week's big media stories.
As Gary Lineker leaves the BBC we talk to the former Grandstand presenter Steve Rider, and current sports commentator Henry Winter.
The Sunday Times Media Editor Ros Urwin discusses her scoop on Huw Edwards as well as the persistance needed in investigative journalism with BBC correspondent Sanchia Berg who has been reporting on Baby Elsa, one of three infants abandoned by the same mum.
We'll also be talking to the journalist who has just won Private Eye's Paul Foot Award which was announced last night.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson and Lucy Wai
Assistant producer: Emily Channon

May 14, 2025 • 43min
The weather influencers taking social media by storm, Sir Peter Bazalgette, reporting the mushroom murder trial in Australia
Ros Atkins and Katie Razzall on the week's big media stories from around the world.
What next for presenter Jo Coburn who leaves Politics Live next week after nearly thirty years with the BBC? She's covered the tumultuous years of the Scottish and EU referendums, Brexit, the pandemic, lockdown and shifting political landscape. We hear about her highs, lows, and plans for the future.
Who to trust for news in the India/Pakistan conflict as disinfomation spreads across the media from all sides? Shayan Sardarizadeh a senior journalist at BBC Verify has been monitoring the situation.
Nino Bucci the justice and courts reporter at Guardian Australia tells us about the mushroom murder trial which has gripped the interest of the global media.
As the BBC's Director General Tim Davie delivers a speech about the unique role the corporation can play in the future, the media executive Sir Peter Bazalgette considers the long term future for all public service broadcasters in the UK.
And the weather influencers taking social media by storm. Are they as reliable as traditional forecasters? We hear from Max Velocity, a YouTube weatherman based in the United States and ITV's Laura Tobin.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

May 7, 2025 • 43min
Self-professed media diva Tina Brown and Chris Best, cofounder of the publishing platform Substack
Ros Atkins & Katie Razzall talk to the self professed Media Diva Tina Brown. The former editor in chief of Tatler, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and the founding editor in chief of The Daily Beast talks about the changing media landscape and her recent move onto the online publishing platform Substack with her Fresh Hell diary. She's joined by Chris Best cofounder of Substack.
Allegations that Viktor Orban is subsidising supportive media outlets with the BBC's Central European Correspondent Nick Thorpe and after Reform UK’s successes in last week’s English elections the BBC’s chief political adviser Ric Bailey, Anna Gross from the Financial Times and James Heale from the Spectator consider how the media has handled Nigel Farage in this campaign – and over the years. Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

Apr 30, 2025 • 43min
Piers Morgan, the impact of the Supreme Court ruling on sex and gender for the media
Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins talk to Piers Morgan about his new Youtube venture Uncensored.
What are the implications for the Media of the UK Supreme Court's ruling that the legal definition of a woman should be based on biological sex? Rosamund Urwin Media Editor at The Times and the New Statesman Associate Editor Hannah Barnes and author of Time to Think: The Inside Story of the Collapse of the Tavistock’s Gender Service for Children”, jane fae from the charity Trans Media Watch and Dominic Casciani the BBCs Legal and Home Affairs Correspondent discuss.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

Apr 23, 2025 • 43min
Pentagon leaks, reporting on the death of the Pope, Genius Game
Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins discuss some of the biggest media stories this week including:
The latest on the Pentagon leaks in America from David Smith Washington Bureau Chief for the Guardian newspaper. Political commentator Isabel Oakeshott and Peter Cardwell author of "The Secret Life of Special Advisers" consider the relationship between politicians and the media in the UK.
As the TV show Genius Game begins on ITV, we hear from its executive producer Tamara Gilder. The series is based on a South Korean Show and is fronted by David Tennant.
Tony Pastor from Goalhanger podcast company talks about the role of advertising revenue in the industry and how are media outlets covering the death of Pope Francis? Tom Kington Italy Correspondent for The Times newspaper joins us from the Vatican Media Centre.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

Apr 16, 2025 • 58min
Reporting on the British Steel crisis, should we 'ditch' intellectual property law? and Saturday Night Live for Britain?
Katie Razzall talks to Katy Balls, Political Editor of the Spectator as she heads off for her new posting as Washington Editor for the Times and Sunday Times.
What's it like reporting on the industrial crisis which led to the recall of parliament at the weekend? Sky's Economics Editor Ed Conway describes his difficulties gaining
access to the Chinese owned British Steel factory in Scunthorpe, BBC North reporter Jo Makel has followed the story for years and former BBC political correspondent Nick Jones is a veteran of industrial reporting and author of "The Lost Tribe: Whatever Happened to Fleet Street's Industrial Correspondents?"
Intellectual property law in the age of artificial intelligence under threat: At the weekend Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter, posted “delete all IP law” on the social media platform, now rebranded as X. Current owner Elon Musk swiftly responded to the tweet with: “I agree." Dr Hayleigh Bosher, Reader in Intellectual Property Law at Brunel University, takes us through Dorsey's argument and what it tells us about Big Tech's changing attitude towards copyright.
Amit Katwala, features editor at Wired, profiles Alexis Ohanian. The co-founder of Reddit is now a venture capitalist who has made headlines for acquiring the social media platform Digg, and joining Frank McCourt's 'People's Bid' for US TikTok.
And is the UK ready for Sky's Saturday Night Live, the hit American show which will soon be on our screens ? We talk to comedian Tamar Broadbent and Caroline Frost from the Radio Times about what we can expect from the remake.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson
Assistant Producer: Lucy Wai

Apr 9, 2025 • 57min
IPL cricket , the end of The Lady magazine, Tech bro profile Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, impact of tariffs on TV and the streamers
Katie Razzall and guests discuss some of the biggest media stories this week: As the cricket season gets going Tim Wigmore cricket commentator at The Telegraph focuses on the Indian Premier League which has become one of the most valuable sports media events ever. Former Editor of The Lady magazine Rachel Johnson and current editor Helen Budworth discuss the closure of the UK's oldest women's magazine and the BBC's deputy economic editor Dharshini David and Max Goldbart the International TV editor at Deadline news site consider the impact of President Trump's tariffs on the TV and streaming industries as well as tech companies. Tony Allen, CEO of the Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) based in Stockport has been tasked by the Australian government to trial age assurance technologies, following the government's decision to ban social media for those under 16. He'll be giving an update on his progress . Our latest tech-bro profile tells the story of Jensen Huang who founded the chip company Nvidia. Stephen Witt, author of "The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia, and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip" out this week tells his story.Producer: Lisa Jenkinson

Apr 2, 2025 • 57min
Impact of Adolescence drama, Nintendo Switch 2 launch, The Young Turks
We explore the impact of the hit Netflix drama, Adolescence, which has sparked national debate over boys' media consumption and online misogyny. Katie talks to Cenk Uygur, founder of US progressive network The Young Turks and, on the afternoon it's released, we get the lowdown on Nintendo's long-awaited Switch 2 console. Guests: Claire Holubowskyj, Senior Research Analyst, Enders Analysis; Dr Marcus Gilroy-Ware, Lecturer in Creative Digital Media SOAS, University of London; Oli Dugmore, Editor, Joe; Cenk Uygur, Host, Founder, CEO, Young Turks; Keza MacDonald, Video Games Editor, The Guardian Presenters: Katie Razzall and Ros Atkins
Producers: Simon Richardson and Lucy Wai