About this episode
Matthew Sweet explores the role of satire in contemporary political discourse with a panel of guests.
300 years after the publication of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels, Matthew Sweet looks at satire, past and present. How can satirists reflect critically and humorously on political events in an age of social media saturation and at a time when reality can seem stranger than fiction? He is joined by: Andrew Hunter Murray, comedian, writer and host of Radio 4's The Naked Week. His new book is Bad Deeds. Jan Ravens, actor and impressionist, known for her work on Spitting Image and Radio 4's Dead Ringers Rosie Holt, actor and comedian. Rosie's shows Churchill's Urinal and Rosie Holt: The Illegal Aliens have landed! will both be at Edinburgh Festival. Tom Peck, Parliamentary sketch writer for The Times and Siôn Parkinson, artist, Research Associate at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and 2026 AHRC/BBC New Generation Thinker. Producer: Eliane Glaser
People in this episode
Host: Matthew Sweet
Guests: Andrew Hunter Murray, Jan Ravens, Rosie Holt, Tom Peck, Siôn Parkinson
Topics covered
- satire
- political commentary
- social media
- humor
- Gulliver's Travels
- Jonathan Swift
Keywords
- satire
- Gulliver's Travels
- politics
- social media
- humor
- comedy
- Jonathan Swift
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Radio 4, The Times, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Books & works: Gulliver's Travels
More episodes of Arts & Ideas
- Wealth · June 5, 2026 · 57 min
- Free Thinking at the Hay Festival: Responsibility · May 29, 2026 · 57 min
- Thinking with Food · May 22, 2026 · 57 min
- Technologies of the Self · May 15, 2026 · 57 min
- The Middle · May 8, 2026 · 57 min
- Weapons, real and symbolic · May 1, 2026 · 56 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Arts & Ideas podcast page.