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Material World

Unexpected stories from the underbelly of the modern world

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The North Sea is not just about the North Sea

The weird and wonderful world of gas, in all its different flavours. And what the strange chemistry of methane has to do with one of the most controversial issues facing the new UK government

The Radio, the Submarine and the Tariffs

What a smashed Toshiba boombox can teach us about Trump, transshipment and the mysterious hidden routes of world trade

At least one very good reason to pre-order Trade World

What no-one tells you about writing a book. And my shameless attempt to confront it...

What Andy Burnham's £80 T-shirt really tells us

This isn't just a story about expensive clothes. It's about where things are made, about why you can't really trust what it says on the label and about what happens after the "end of geography"

The Most Important Trainer You've Never Heard Of

This is the story of how an obscure sneaker that didn't even carry the logo of the company that made it, helped to change the world - in ways we're still reckoning with even today...

The Factory We Had to Build Again

Rachel Reeves, John Healey, and the surprising story of Britain’s return to manufacturing. With some big explosions along the way

The Apple-Banana Paradox

Why the story of the world's favourite fruit is actually the story of everything

The Missing Pipe

A short history of how Britain chose the wrong heating system a century ago, and why we are unnecessarily sweating our way through a heatwave in 2026

Stuff Matters!

I've only gone and made a blooming podcast

How fracking changed the world

An energy boom has changed geopolitics. It might help explain what's happening in the Persian Gulf.