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The Two Matts

The New World
The Two Matts
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677 episodes

  • The Two Matts

    The Two Matts Q&A: Why tell ourselves lies about prison time? And what do we miss about the 70s?

    2026/07/25 | 38 mins.
    The Matts answer listener questions including: Has Andy Burnham made a mistake appointing so many loyalists? Why aren’t the courts more honest about what time prisoners will actually serve? What do the Matts miss about the 70s? Should Gianni Infantino run the United Nations? Are generation gaps a real thing? And what can you recommend to someone who has zero interest in The Odyssey? Enjoy!

    Produced by Matt Withers

    OFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Two Matts

    What is it about the prospect of a Reform government they don’t get?

    2026/07/23 | 51 mins.
    The Matts dig into the reaction to Andy Burnham’s first few days in government. Obviously the usual suspects - such as the Daily Mail and GB News - have already declared it a failure. But one column by Janan Ganesh in the Financial Times stands out as an utterly miserable misreading of the reality of where British politics is. Is the biggest problem Burnham faces a hostile right wing media, or is it liberals who don’t fully grasp the consequences of him failing? And what is required to avoid that? Enjoy!

    Produced by Matt Withers

    OFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Two Matts

    The Two Matts Q&A: Will Self on football and audiobook recommendations

    2026/07/18 | 45 mins.
    The Matts answer listeners’ questions in their regular Sunday Q&A session, including: Is Will Self right about the impact of football on our national mentality? What is the long term future of the Falklands? What should Andy Burnham’s first message to the nation be? How could Rupert Lowe skew hard right politics? How do we protect MPs? And what audiobooks do the Matts recommend for a population which finds reading books increasingly testing? Enjoy!

    Produced by Matt Withers

    OFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Two Matts

    It’s not coming home after all

    2026/07/16 | 48 mins.
    The Matts reflect on England’s World Cup tournament (and listeners from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will be delighted to know it’s not a sea of self-pitying Anglophilia) and what lessons we can learn from Argentina’s late comeback about the prevailing DNA of institutions.

    Also - what should we expect from Andy Burnham as he comes into power? First as Labour leader and then, on Monday, as PM. No, he won’t have the artificial boost of a World Cup win to provide him with national momentum, but perhaps that’s no bad thing as he wrestles with the stark reality of a Britain stuck in a rut.

    Finally, following the horrific murder of Ann Widdecombe, is it time for political figures in the UK to have personal security as standard?

    Produced by Matt Withers

    OFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
  • The Two Matts

    The Two Matts Q&A: Does Andy Burnham live rent-free in Farage’s head?

    2026/07/11 | 37 mins.
    The Matts answer listeners' questions including: Is the Andy Burnham effect already kicking in? Should Congress give Donald Trump the red card? Who - apart from Count Binface - should take on Nigel Farage? How do we make the BBC great again? Is Elon Musk more Homer Simpson than Homer’s Odyssey? And what books do the Matts recommend for a summer holiday? Enjoy!

    Produced by Matt Withers

    OFFER: Get The New World for just £1 for the first month. Head to https://www.thenewworld.co.uk/2matts/
    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About The Two Matts
Join The New World's Matt Kelly and Matt d'Ancona plus occasional guests for weekly chat on politics and media with a side of cultural stuff. A podcast in the spirit of the award-winning New World newspaper - irreverent, witty, surprising, argumentative ... and annoying all the right people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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