Intelligence Squared

Latest Episodes:

Ctrl, Alt, Delusion: Resetting Reality in the Manosphere Jul 04, 2025

Show notes

Today’s episode is the recording of our recent panel Ctrl, Alt, Delusion: Resetting Reality in the Manosphere, live at SXSW London, in partnership with Sage & Jester.

Sage & Jester is an impact-led arts production company that exposes manipulation and misinformation. At Sage & Jester, entertainment sparks critical thinking. Their work blends wisdom and wit to entertain, enlighten, and help you harness your internal BS detector. They're not just storytellers, they are catalysts for a more informed, more engaged society.

For this panel, host Sophia Smith Galer was joined by journalist Ash Sarkar, Cambridge University social psychologist Sander van der Linden and documentary filmmaker Matt Shea to shed light on how influencer culture weaponises masculinity, transforming isolation and insecurity into a misinformation powerhouse. Exploring how key figures such as the infamous Tate brothers thrive on grievance and viral distortions, the panel discussed the specifics of misinformation in the manosphere, and how to ‘inoculate’ against these falsehoods.

Click here to find out more about Sage & Jester and their mission to fight the misinformation crisis. (https://sageandjester.com/)

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The Genius Myth, with Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci (Part Two) Jul 01, 2025

Show notes

The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist. The tech disruptor.

You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius. You can also tell who it excludes, who it enables, and what it is prepared to tolerate. Taking us from the Renaissance Florence of Leonardo da Vinci to the Florida rocket launches of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Helen Lewis joined us to unravel a word that we all use — without really questioning what it means.

In conversation with acclaimed satirist and screenwriter Armando Iannucci she drew from her new book 'The Genius Myth' to uncover the secret of the Beatles’ success, discuss how biographers should solve the ‘Austen Problem’ and reveal why Stephen Hawking thought IQ tests were for losers.

Lewis and Iannucci asked if the modern idea of genius — a class of special people — is distorting our view of the world.

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The Genius Myth, with Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci (Part One) Jun 30, 2025

Show notes

The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist. The tech disruptor.

Lewis and Iannucci asked if the modern idea of genius — a class of special people — is distorting our view of the world.

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This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

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Yardsticks For Failure, with Ivo Graham (Part Two) Jun 29, 2025

Show notes

After coming last by quite such a distance on Taskmaster Series 15, and seeing his emotional frailties laid bare in a series of memes of him with his head in his hands, Ivo Graham is adapting to an increasingly irreversible reputation as a man better known for his chaos than his comedy.

His new book Yardsticks For Failure is a map of the brain behind the breakdowns; a deep dive into the various facepalms of Ivo’s recent past, and a live diary of his unravelling present, where his solution to the general bedlam of his life has been to pile his plate higher than ever before. Longer-term resolutions of rest and relaxation can wait; in the meantime he’s trying to host the greatest club night of all time, run a Sub-3 marathon while pushing a wheelchair, and put his heart on the line in a show unlike anything he’s ever done before. Can these dreams become a reality, or will they just become more yardsticks for failure?

We were joined by Ivo at the Kiln Theatre in May 2025 for a unique self-examination from one of the funniest writers of his generation.

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Yardsticks For Failure, with Ivo Graham (Part One) Jun 27, 2025

Show notes

After coming last by quite such a distance on Taskmaster Series 15, and seeing his emotional frailties laid bare in a series of memes of him with his head in his hands, Ivo Graham is adapting to an increasingly irreversible reputation as a man better known for his chaos than his comedy.

His new book Yardsticks For Failure is a map of the brain behind the breakdowns; a deep dive into the various facepalms of Ivo’s recent past, and a live diary of his unravelling present, where his solution to the general bedlam of his life has been to pile his plate higher than ever before. Longer-term resolutions of rest and relaxation can wait; in the meantime he’s trying to host the greatest club night of all time, run a Sub-3 marathon while pushing a wheelchair, and put his heart on the line in a show unlike anything he’s ever done before. Can these dreams become a reality, or will they just become more yardsticks for failure?

We were joined by Ivo at the Kiln Theatre in May 2025 for a unique self-examination from one of the funniest writers of his generation.

---

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An Evening with Matt Haig: Embracing Hope, Wonder and the Power of the Imagination (Part Two) Jun 24, 2025

Show notes

‘A beautiful novel full of life-affirming wonder and imagination’ Benedict Cumberbatch

Matt Haig is one of Britain’s most celebrated authors, best known for his internationally bestselling novel The Midnight Library and the critically acclaimed memoir Reasons to Stay Alive.

Matt’s newest novel, The Life Impossible, which became an instant Sunday Times bestseller, follows retired maths teacher Grace Winters who leaves her mundane bungalow in England for Ibiza, where she embarks on a journey to uncover the mysteries of her friend’s life and death. Full of surprises and adventure, The Life Impossible is a story about hope and the promise of a new beginning.

To celebrate the publication of the paperback edition of the novel, Matt will come to the Intelligence Squared stage to talk about the themes of his book and his writing career so far.

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An Evening with Matt Haig: Embracing Hope, Wonder and the Power of the Imagination (Part One) Jun 22, 2025

Show notes

‘A beautiful novel full of life-affirming wonder and imagination’ Benedict Cumberbatch

Matt Haig is one of Britain’s most celebrated authors, best known for his internationally bestselling novel The Midnight Library and the critically acclaimed memoir Reasons to Stay Alive.

To celebrate the publication of the paperback edition of the novel, Matt will come to the Intelligence Squared stage to talk about the themes of his book and his writing career so far.

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An Evening with Deborah Frances-White and David Tennant (Part Two) Jun 21, 2025

Show notes

Deborah Frances-White is the writer and comedian best known for hosting The Guilty Feminist podcast. David Tennant is the multi-award-winning actor who has played iconic roles including Doctor Who, Hamlet, Barty Crouch Jr., Rivals’ Lord Tony Baddingham and more.

In April 2025 they came to Intelligence Squared to discuss how we can have better and more open conversations on difficult topics. Drawing from her new book Six Conversations We’re Scared to Have, Deborah shared how she grew up in a cult which shut down any dissenting voices. And she made the case that she sees similar tactics being used today in our rapidly changing digital society. Deborah and David discussed the state of freedom of speech, politics in the arts, and the value of critical thinking.

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An Evening with Deborah Frances-White and David Tennant (Part One) Jun 20, 2025

Show notes

Deborah Frances-White is the writer and comedian best known for hosting The Guilty Feminist podcast. David Tennant is the multi-award-winning actor who has played iconic roles including Doctor Who, Hamlet, Barty Crouch Jr., Rivals’ Lord Tony Baddingham and more.

In April 2025 they came to Intelligence Squared to discuss how we can have better and more open conversations on difficult topics. Drawing from her new book Six Conversations We’re Scared to Have, Deborah shared how she grew up in a cult which shut down any dissenting voices. And she made the case that she sees similar tactics being used today in our rapidly changing digital society. Deborah and David discussed the state of freedom of speech, politics in the arts, and the value of critical thinking.

---

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Is Britain in Denial About the Far Right? With Harry Shukman Jun 17, 2025

Show notes

What is happening behind closed doors in Britain’s far right movement?

On today’s episode, we’re joined by journalist Harry Shukman, the journalist who spent over a year undercover investigating the British far right.

Drawing on his new book, Year of the Rat, Shukman sheds light on the secret meetings, pub gatherings, political canvassing, and neo-Nazi conferences at the heart of the extreme right-wing activity in Britain. Through his investigations, Shukman has effectively exposed the mechanics of how far-right ideologies – from eugenics to Holocaust denial – are being normalised across the country, often with surprising allies in big tech, government, and the mainstream media.

Harry Shukman is a researcher at HOPE not hate, an anti-fascist organisation. Formerly a journalist, he worked as a news reporter for The Times and then a writer and editor for the Manchester Mill.

Joining him to discuss the book is Carl Miller, the journalist, co-founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media at Demos, and host of crime podcast Kill List.

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