Ideas shape the world. Intelligence Squared brings you the conversations that explain them. In every episode, we bring together leading thinkers, writers, scientists, policymakers and entrepreneurs, to challenge assumptions, test ideas and debate the questions shaping our future. If you want to think more clearly about the world and where it's heading, you're in the right place. If you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

Latest episodes

The Age of Change with Jeremy Hunt, in Partnership with IBM

October 6, 2026 · 44 min

In this episode, Kamal was joined by Jeremy Hunt, former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and Dr. Angela Spatharou, Senior Partner and EMEA…
Carlo Rovelli Live: Why Numbers Don’t Exist

October 4, 2026 · 1 hr 33 min

Carlo Rovelli is an award-winning theoretical physicist and writer with a gift for making complex ideas feel real and accessible. Whether exploring black holes, quantum mechanics, philosophy, or history, he inspires audiences with his…
Anthony Scaramucci Tour Highlights

October 3, 2026 · 38 min

With the US midterm elections one month away, we revisit highlights from Anthony Scaramucci’s recent Intelligence Squared tour across the UK. The former White House communications director recalls how he discovered he had been fired, what…
Harlan Coben and Bill Nighy on the Art of the Plot Twist

October 1, 2026 · 1 hr 32 min

The bestselling author of more than 36 novels, including Fool Me Once, Tell No One and the Myron Bolitar series, Coben is renowned for his ability to build tension, wrong-foot his readers and create intricately plotted narrative worlds…
Introducing: Intelligence Squared Live

October 1, 2026 · 3 min

This podcast has always brought together two kinds of conversation. Original episodes recorded in the studio, and live events from the Intelligence Squared stage. Now, we’re giving each a home of its own, making it easier for you to find…
Britain’s War in Palestine, with Sebastian Faulks

September 29, 2026 · 1 hr 9 min

Sebastian Faulks is one of the country’s best loved novelists, known for books such as Birdsong, Human Traces, Engleby and Charlotte Gray. His writing is renowned for its masterful storytelling and bringing historical periods to life…
The CIA vs MI6: Allies or Rivals? With David McCloskey

September 28, 2026 · 38 min

What if the CIA and MI6 began spying on each other? This is the question that David McCloskey, the former CIA analyst and co-host of the Rest is Classified, discusses on this episode with Carl Miller. Together, they examine what would…
Is There a Royal Sex Scandal Hidden in the Bayeux Tapestry? With David Musgrove

September 26, 2026 · 39 min

This September the Bayeux Tapestry went on display at the British Museum to huge crowds of eager patrons. This is the first time it has been displayed in England since it was made almost 1,000 years ago, and the exhibition is expected to…