Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin looks at the latest from the world of tech. He tells us how much Earth and Jupiter weigh, who the 8th billion person on Earth is, how to scare sharks away from fishing lines, why Bob Dylan's signature isn't what it seems, about a free time-lapse photography app, about an audiobook app that has trouble pronouncing words and how the United State has just become the second country to approve lab-grown chicken for sale.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Political commentator Mike Indian looks at the aftermath of the Autumn Statement and what it mean for UK politics. While he can't see Labour not winning the next election, he's not convinced the Conservatives will be wiped out. He looks at Nicola Sturgeon losing the independence referendum case and at the prospect of yet more rail strikes in the weeks to come.
Guests: Mike Indian
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
If you missed the Chancellor of the Exchequer's Autumn Statement on Thursday 17 November 2022, here's the opportunity to listen to it in full: unabridged and with no interruptions.
Guests: Jeremy Hunt
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Victoria Scholar of Interactive Investor takes Simon Rose through the main points of the Chancellor's Autumn Statement. Investors will want to take note of the changes to dividends and Capital Gains Tax. She points out that market reaction was fairly muted although the electricity companies' shares were incredibly volatile. As so often, these days, of course, much of what Jeremy Hunt had to say had already been well signposted in advance.
Guests: Victoria Scholar
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Original Broadcast: The Bigger Picture
Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University says the Autumn Statement has no vision, will make a difficult situation worse and will be hated by Conservative voters. He predicts that Labour will outflank the Tories as a moderate, pro-business party and that there will be no more than 100-150 conservative MPs. He feels the NHS, with falling output and productivity despite extra funding, is in uncharted waters with Labour calling for greater partnership with the private sector. And he admires Gordon Brown's insights on nationalism, which is weaponising trade to the detriment of us all.
Guests: Professor Tim Evans
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office where a 119% jump is entirely down to the release of Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever with Letitia Wright in the lead. Despite good performances, he found it OTT and overlong. Other films suffered heavily from its amazing £12.4m weekend take. On Netflix, James enjoyed the rollicking yarn that is Enola Holmes 2 with Millie Bobby Brown. He found Christmas Carol knockoff Spirited, with Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds (both paid $20m), squirm-inducing, mawkish and crude.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin discusses the latest tech news with Simon Rose. As well as some bizarre Twitter blue ticks, there are Japanese robotic spiders to check sewers, cameras strapped to sharks to map seagrass meadows off the Bahamas, rats dancing to Mozart, the Ministry of Defence firing the first-ever real laser weapon, a Swedish wooden choir, a desk to facilitate using a laptop outdoors, a Japanese mission to collect moon dust and crowdfunding the monitoring of the modal frequencies of bridges to warn of possible collapse.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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Original Broadcast: The Financial Outlook for Personal Investors
Russ Mould of A J Bell looks at the housebuilders, hit by inflation, mortgage problems and dwindling demand with some cutting dividends. Pointing out the dangers of double-digit yielding shares, he wonders if the sector might be worth looking at soon. Although investors often go for growth or income, the Holy Grail, he says is a company that grows its dividend consistently, which will then produce both outcomes. How to find them? Do your homework with proper research.
Guests: Russ Mould
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Original Broadcast: The Business Of Film
James Cameron-Wilson laments a box office falling another 34% (ahead of next week's Wakanda Forever). The Banshees of Inisherin is strong at #3 with over £6m while Living, with Bill Nighy, enters at #4. James (and Simon) adore the film and hope Nighy will finally get the Oscar recognition that has eluded him. On Netflix, James thinks the German remake of All Quiet On The Western Front is a masterpiece while he finds Causeway, on Apple+, full of wonderful performances, including that of Jennifer Lawrence.
Guests: James Cameron-Wilson
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Original Broadcast: Gadgets and Gizmos
Steve Caplin updates Simon Rose on the latest tech news, with problems at Twitter, Tesla and Meta in the news. He marks 10 years of Candy Crush then drones on about drones seeing wifi devices through walls, edible drones, autonomous emergency rescue drones, undersea drones and ashes released by drones. There's an origami mouse, a discussion about how we might talk to aliens when we can't even chat to whales and an attempt to produce whipped cream without the high fat content.
Guests: Steve Caplin
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