Planet Normal

Every now and then, Planet Normal goes back to its roots and speaks to... a normal person. So joining Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan in the rocket this week is listener Robert, whom regulars will know as the man whose letter brought us all to tears.He wrote to Planet Normal about not being able to visit his beloved wife, Josephine in her care home due to lockdown rules. He tells Allison that while he and Jo have recently celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary, their relationship almost ended after a snowball fight many years ago, and why he's now calling for ministers to start thinking more about older citizens when considering restrictions. So Allison and Liam join Robert in asking "Do you Care Minister?" of Care Minister Helen Whately, and demand answers for the thousands of Roberts and Josephines kept apart. Plus, Liam calls for some schools to stay open during the holidays and Allison supports the naked shoppers in South Wales!Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Listen to The Trump Card: https://www.playpodca.st/trump |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buckle your seatbelts, Planet Normal is set to blast off for another week with it's esteemed pilots, Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan. This week we discuss how some Northern leaders are raring to tell the PM to sod off if he imposes more restrictions in their areas, Allison gives her reaction to the latest lockdown in her hometown (she's not happy folks!) and Liam thinks coronavirus could have a surprising positive impact on Brexit trade talks.Joining the voyage this week is chairman of JCB, Lord Anthony Bamford. The businessman joins us to talk about the 75th anniversary of the firm, the exciting green future of the humble digger, and his verdict on how Boris Johnson is handling the pandemic.Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Listen to The Trump Card: https://www.playpodca.st/trump |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hold onto your helmets, it's another explosive week for Planet Normal, where Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan discuss their fears for tiers, shed light on some underreported positive coronavirus survival stats and how Liam almost abandoned us for Number 10. And filling the passenger seat this week is former BBC star and broadcasting legend Sue Cook. The former Crimewatch and Nationwide presenter airs her disappointment at the BBC’s pandemic coverage, why she now struggles to defend the license fee and shows off her stellar Welsh accent to Planet Normal’s resident Welshwoman.Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Listen to The Trump Card: https://www.playpodca.st/trump |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sit tight, it's another bumpy journey to Planet Normal. This week, Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan call out the government for failing to excel (see what we did there?) with Test, Track and Trace, interrogate how to cancel the cancel-culture invading UK universities, and debate whether BoJo's mojo has returned. Plus, Allison argues her case to be both Velma and Daphne, thank you very much. Buckling into the passenger seat this week is writer Helen Pluckrose. Helen is the co-author of a new book, Cynical Theories, which looks at how wokeness is ruining academia and seeping out into the wider world. She discusses how she fears this agenda will hurt those it claims to protect, and why it's more important than ever to acknowledge that Britain isn't systemically racist.Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Listen to The Trump Card: https://www.playpodca.st/trump |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buckle in, it’s been a news-laden week. On today’s podcast: Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan commiserate the lads and lassies of Newcastle for having to stay at home, bemoan fat-cat University Chancellors, and struggle to read one heartbreaking listener email. Plus you asked, we listened - this week's guest is lockdown-sceptic and listener favourite Ivor Cummins. He accuses world leaders of "walking away from the science", muses about imaginary tigers (yes, really) and tells us why we ought to sit up and listen to him - even though he's not an epidemiologist. Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Listen to The Trump Card: https://www.playpodca.st/trump |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a week! Time to grab your space helmets and head to Planet Normal, and joining you in the rocket today is Oxford University epidemiologist, Professor Sunetra Gupta. Fresh from a meeting with the PM, she tells Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan why the government was wrong to base the lockdown on worst-case scenario modelling, why this is only a "third division" pandemic and why she wonders if her views would win her less flak were she a white man...Plus Allison tells Liam why she's rejoicing at the news that her son has the virus, and the pair debate whether Keir Starmer can really win back the Red Wall after a powerful speech at this week's Labour Conference.Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

... or you'll cry. This week Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan are joined by a man whose raison d'être is to get the country smiling. Geoff Norcott, one of the UK's only vocally Right-wing comedians, tells Planet Normal why the BBC's pledge towards diversity of opinion might prove futile, why the "woke" musn't be exempt from comedy and why he would never apologise for a joke.Also on the podcast: Allison and Liam weigh up whether Victoria Wood's comedy would fall victim to so-called "cancel culture" and the pair find a cunning loophole to make their Christmases Covid-compliant.Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |"The UK has to defend itself against predatory diplomacy, deal or no deal" - Ambrose Evans-Pritchard: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2020/09/13/uk-has-defend-against-predatory-diplomacy-deal-no-deal/ |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The lockdown rules are changing and Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan aren't happy about it. On today's show, Allison asks what on earth has happened to the country's "Blighty not frighty" spirit, Liam chastises Matt Hancock for his doom-laden language, plus, they deliberate the three Bs - Brexit, the backstop and Brad Pitt.Also on the podcast: this week’s guest and former Supreme Court judge Lord Jonathan Sumption pulls on his space boots and tells Planet Normal listeners why he thinks the government is trying to avoid public scrutiny and why he believes Extinction Rebellion is "verging on facism".Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Listen to the Telegraph's Chopper's Politics podcast: https://www.playpodca.st/chopper |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The BBC is making the headlines for all the wrong reasons, and Telegraph columnists Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan have something to say about it. On today’s podcast, Allison tells us why she feels as if she’s in a toxic relationship with the broadcaster, Liam weighs in the corporation’s “mini moral lectures” and the pair agree that BBC comedy needs to stop using Donald Trump as a punchline.Plus, this week’s guest and long-time Editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Stephen Pollard buckles up his spacesuit and tells Planet Normal listeners the real reason why he believes Britons are increasingly embarrassed by their nationality and why much government criticism over its handling of the pandemic just isn't fair.Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Get 30 days’ free access to The Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Financier Dame Helena Morrissey dons her spacesuit to join Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan on their latest voyage to Planet Normal. The founder of The 30% Club talks about the pandemic's ambiguous effect on women in the workplace, why staying silent over Brexit wasn't an option, and why we need a "burning of the red tape" to save the economy. Plus, she tells us why you won't catch her in a fashionable face mask.Also on the show: Liam and Allison weigh in on face covering in schools and take part in a rousing sing-a-long (brace yourselves). Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/allison-pearson/ |Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |Do you need help subscribing or reviewing? Read more about podcasts here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/radio/podcasts/podcast-can-find-best-ones-listen/ |Save 50% on your Telegraph subscription in our summer sale: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/normal |Listen to the Telegraph's Chopper's Politics podcast: https://www.playpodca.st/chopper |Email: planetnormal@telegraph.co.uk |See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.