Strong Recommend: The Contestant

In 1998, a Japanese man was filmed in solitary confinement for our entertainment. Naked as the day he was born, which led to his suggestive nickname, the Japanese people were gripped by Tomoaki Hamatsu's journey. Today, can we see how reality TV has infected our storytelling and our language? Whether it's someone in Big Brother proudly declaring they'll 'say it to your face' or an Apprentice-host-turned-President telling you 'you're fired' - are these reality shows replacing the art of storytelling?And Armando asks 'what is structured reality?', 'What is America's Next Top Model, and, more generally, 'What?!'.Join Helen and Armando over the summer for more cultural recommendations, available weekly on BBC Sounds.Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Sound Editing: Chris Maclean Recorded at The Sound CompanyStrong Message Here: Strong Recommend is produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies and is a BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

Om Podcasten

In this new series, Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci investigate which political buzzwords are strong and stable and which are a crock of covfefe.Each week Helen and Armando will crack open the political phrasebook and attempt to decode the doublespeak. Why does everything now have to be 'turbo-charged'? What's the difference between a 'pledge' and a 'mission'? Why has my local MP been 'weaponised' and should I be worried?You'll be treated to a crash course in the dark arts of political language from two people both baffled and beguiled by it. They'll walk you through the various verbal fiascos of the modern political lexicon so that by the end you'll be oven-ready for an appearance on Newsnight.Warning: this podcast features strong political language that some listeners may find nonsensical.Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.