Shows / Novara Media
Episodes
Novara Media72: Why does it always have to be me taking responsibility?
Ash and Moya descend into the guilt vortex for a conversation about family, responsibility, and parents who need to be parented. Plus: advice for a special one…
Novara MediaDownstream: India Was the Epicentre of the Ancient World w/ William Dalrymple
The Silk Road has dominated the way we imagine the trading relationship between Europe and Asia to have worked in antiquity. In his new book, The Golden Road…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Trump & Musk Could Start a Global Meltdown w/ Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis is an American author, journalist, and former bond trader. His best-known book, The Big Short, explains the 2000s US housing bubble and helped…
Novara MediaACFM Microdose: Social Reproduction
Following their Trip episode on Cleaning, the ACFM crew take a closer look at the hidden labour that keeps the economy running. Would public canteens solve 80%…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Masculinity, Modern Love, and Mental Health w/ Blindboy
Blindboy is an artist, podcaster, and author. His storytelling style weaves anti-colonial histories with perspectives on modern masculinity, politics, and…
Novara MediaNovara FM: ICE Is Ramping Up. LA Fought Back w/ Harsha Walia
The Trump Administration's 'Big Beautiful Bill' will fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to the tune of $45bn – a staggering increasing. But the…
Novara MediaDownstream: Exposing The True Costs of AI w/ Karen Hao
As AI begins to fundamentally alter our lives, we're in urgent need of expert voices who both understand how the technology works and are capable of…
- Novara Media
71: If I'm so angry then why am I crying?!
*We’ve got merch! The If I Speak Baggu is ethically made, comes in two colours and is available now from https://shop.novaramedia.com. Support the show and…
Novara MediaACFM Trip 52: Cleaning
In the socialist utopia of our dreams, who exactly is doing the cleaning? Nadia, Jem and Keir tackle a surprisingly tricky topic in this ACFM Trip episode…
Novara MediaNovara FM: Israel-Iran War, Escalation Pauses w/ Eskandar Sadeghi
Escalation towards war with Iran has hit a pause. But for how long? Eskandar Sadeghi is the author of Revolution and its Discontents: Political Thought and…
Novara Media70: Can you ever change what you want?
*We’ve got merch! The If I Speak Baggu is ethically made, comes in two colours and is available now from https://shop.novaramedia.com. Support the show and…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Trump's Plan is to Make His Friends Even Richer w/ Quinn Slobodian
Quinn Slobodian is a Canadian historian. His new book, Hayek’s Bastards: The Neoliberal Roots of the Populist Right is a deep dive into the set of far-right…
Novara MediaNovara FM: How BlackRock and Global Finance Stole Your Future w/ Michael A. McCarthy
Got a pension? Or a savings account? Arguably, its purpose is to align your interests with the interests of capitalism: when the market goes up, you benefit…
- Novara Media
69: Is marriage a hard border? w/ Jeremy Atherton Lin
Is marriage like an island, or more of an open house? Ash talks about state-sanctioned relationships with memoirist Jeremy Atherton Lin, whose new book Deep…
- Novara Media
Downstream: American Democracy Is Collapsing, and This Man Predicted It. w/ Joseph Stiglitz
During the 2008 economic crisis, the Obama administration had an opportunity to enact widespread market reforms. Instead, they bailed out the banks and laid…
Novara MediaNovara FM: How to Redistribute the Globe w/ Jo Guldi
Assuming you're not reading this on your yacht, then the most contentious thing in the world is right beneath you. Since the dawn of agriculture, peasants…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: Palantir Technologies and the Age of Automated Genocide w/ Matt Mahmoudi
The genocide in Gaza has been the most automated in history. Systems like 'Lavender' and 'Where's Daddy?' reportedly speed up the process of tracking and…
- Novara Media
67: What's up with Generation Alpha?
Moya and Ash wonder what’s up with kids these days, thinking about parenting, advertising, social media and anxiety. Plus, advice for a bereaved listener who’s…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Britain’s Most Powerful Multi-Millionaire Hippy w/ Dale Vince
Dale Vince is a former new age traveller. In 1985 he was beaten up by police and arrested during the infamous Battle of the Beanfield at Stonehenge. And he's…
- Novara Media
ACFM Microdose: Superheroes
Following the recent Trip episode on Heroes, Keir and Jem offer a Microdose focusing on the masked, the winged and the mutated. Why are superheroes such a…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: How Enoch Powell Explains British Politics' Rivers of Shit w/ Kojo Koram
Keir Starmer stands accused of echoing Enoch Powell in his ‘Island of Strangers’ speech. But who was this titanic figure in the history of British racism? And…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: How Enoch Powell Explains British Politics' Rivers of Shit w/ Kojo Koram
Keir Starmer stands accused of echoing Enoch Powell in his ‘Island of Strangers’ speech. But who was this titanic figure in the history of British racism? And…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: The New Party, Beyond London w/ Pamela Fitzpatrick, Jamie Driscoll and Shockat Adam
There will be a new party. And also, there already is one. We put the strategies of Pamela Fitzpatrick, Jamie Driscoll and Shockat Adam head to head: do we…
- Novara Media
66: I'm right, you're wrong, end of!
Moya has an intrusive thought about our need for certainty and Ash responds with a claim about how the internet has polarised our thinking. Plus, advice for a…
- Novara Media
Downstream: How to Be a Morally Effective Person w/ Rutger Bregman
This week’s guest is best known for hijacking a panel at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting at Davos, where he told a room full of billionaires to stop…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: What Communism Actually Is w/ Jasper Bernes
Communism is a classless, moneyless and stateless society. So far, so simple. And so far out of reach. Or, we could define it differently, as "the real…
- Novara Media
65: Has your smartphone broken your brain?
Ash and Moya face up to all the ways their smartphone has warped their minds. Plus, advice for a trans woman struggling to interact with the world in the wake…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Big Tech Is Making Our Children Depressed and Anxious. Here’s How w/ Jonathan Haidt
As smart phone use has soared, Generation Z’s mental health has plummeted. But just how bad is this crisis, and who should we hold responsible? In The Anxious…
Novara MediaACFM 51: Heroes
The ACFM crew offer their weird-left perspective on the role of the hero (and heroine) in politics and culture. Nadia, Jem and Keir assess theories of Great…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: Are India and Pakistan Gambling with Nuclear War? w/ Mohamad Junaid
Last week, a terrorist attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir sparked a rapid military escalation: planes were shot down, thousands were arbitrarily detained, the…
- Novara Media
64: What is the female gaze?
What do straight women find attractive? Too many men think the answer is ‘big muscles’, argues Ash in a big theory about sensuality. Plus: what to do when your…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Why the Left Fails to Connect With People w/ Jimmy The Giant
Not long ago, Kieren Owen AKA Jimmy The Giant was in the ‘alt right pipeline’. He believed in the tyranny of the welfare system, thought ‘woke culture’ was…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: A New Era For The World's Billion Catholics w/ Matthew Sitman
A new Pope has been chosen by the conclave. But how much can one man, even one appointed by the Holy Spirit, do to transform one of the most powerful…
- Novara Media
63: Do people just want to be told what to do?
Moya has a big theory and we're not going to like it: most people would rather be told how to live their lives by someone else than work it out for themselves…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Is Christianity Back? Gen Z’s Search For Meaning w/ Lamorna Ash
What do Christianity and communism have in common? Are Nuns missing out on their lives, or living their best one? And can attending church once a week provide…
Novara MediaCommitted: 4. Was Prison Worth It?
Just Stop Oil has ended its campaign of direct action, yet many activists still face years in prison. In the final episode, Rivkah and Clare find out whether…
Novara MediaCommitted: 3. How Does It Feel When They Choose Activism Over You?
In episode three of Committed, Clare and Rivkah find out what it’s like to see your loved ones locked up. How do the Just Stop Oil prisoners’ families make…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Does International Law Even Work? w/ Kenneth Roth
Today the leaders of Israel, Russia, and Hamas all stand accused of war crimes. Yet it seems doubtful that these men will ever face justice – so what's the…
- Novara Media
62: I’m not sure I want to call myself a feminist anymore...
Ash and Moya confront their feelings after a bad fortnight for feminism, from Katy Perry in space to the Supreme Court’s anti-trans ruling. Plus: advice on…
Novara MediaACFM Microdose: Make Way for Winged Eros!
The ACFM gang gather for a midwinter reading of one of the most influential political tracts ever written. Download a version online and follow along as Nadia…
Novara MediaCommitted: 2. How Do Climate Activists Cope in Prison?
Locked in their cells for up to 22 hours a day, how are Britain’s jailed climate activists coping with a life of inaction? In episode two of Committed, Rivkah…
Novara MediaCommitted: 1. What Kind of Person Goes to Prison for Their Politics?
In episode one of Committed, Clare and Rivkah meet imprisoned Just Stop Oil activists who took direct action against the climate crisis and faced dire…
- Novara Media
61: Can friendships cross class lines? w/ Natasha Brown
Ash speaks to author Natasha Brown about the big questions raised by her acclaimed second novel Universality, a ‘whydunnit’ mystery about identity, class and…
- Novara Media
Downstream: Has Israel Become A Fascist State? w/ Ilan Pappé
Aaron Bastani was joined by Israeli historian Ilan Pappé for a live recording of Downstream on 7 April at EartH in East London. They discussed the origins of…
Novara MediaCommitted: A New Series Out Now
How does a teenage goodie-two-shoes grow up to be a convicted criminal? On Committed, a new four-part series from Novara Media, we go behind bars to find out…
- Novara Media
Downstream: What's The Real Point of Trump's Tariffs? w/ Slavoj Žižek
Donald Trump has been ripping up the rule book on global trade, implementing huge tariffs and sending markets into a frenzy. But is there any method in his…
- Novara Media
60: Are we too addicted to convenience?
60: Are we too addicted to convenience? by Novara Media
- Novara Media
59: Does my ex owe me money for the house we renovated?
Moya and Ash offer advice to a special one who’s lost everything after renovating a house with their ex. Plus: what if some of us are ‘relationship people’…
- Novara Media
Downstream: On Palestine, Prisons and British Vs. American Racism w/ Ta-Nehisi Coates
There are few, true, public intellectuals anymore. But Ta-Nehisi Coates – author of ‘Between The World And Me’ and recipient of the MacArthur Genius Grant – is…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: How the West Tried to Co-Opt Iranian Feminism w/ Bahar Noorizadeh
When you think about neoliberal states, maybe you think of the UK, or Russia in the 90s, or Chile. You probably don’t think about Iran. And yet, argues Bahar…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: How Forensic Architecture Mapped the Gaza Genocide w/ Samaneh Moafi
Forensic Architecture is a research agency that investigates state violence and environmental destruction. It reconstructs events that states worldwide wants…
- Novara Media
Downstream: This Much We Agree On: Britain Is In Decline w/ Peter Hitchens
In 2024 the Conservative party suffered their worst defeat in two centuries. But while Labour struggles in office, the Tories are going nowhere fast. Meanwhile…
Novara MediaACFM Trip 50: Fifty Shades of Acid
The gang convene for a milestone 50th Trip episode all about acid – as a drug, a music genre, a political concept, a mental tool and a thought corrosive…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: Geoengineering is Coming Whether We Like It Or Not w/ Laurie Laybourn
We’ve entered a new climate reality. The pace of the energy transition has picked up – and so have the impacts of climate change. But has there ever actually…
- Novara Media
58: I want to be fun again. Help!
Ash has an intrusive thought that she thinks Moya can help with: make me fun again! Plus advice for a listener navigating the identity politics of the student…
- Novara Media
57: Do you really want to know about your partner's past mistakes?
Nicola Dinan returns to the show to talk about her second novel, Disappoint Me, and respond to Moya's question about how to deal with a partner’s past…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: Is This What Neofeudalism Looks Like? w/ Jodi Dean
After capitalism comes communism, according to Marxist doctrine. But in the meantime, what should we call our increasingly unequal system? 'Neofeudalism'…
- Novara Media
56: The one where Moya grills Ash on her new book
Moya has a bone to pick with Ash about Minority Rule and the conversations sparked by her book tour, while posing the big question: why is it so hard to form…
- Novara Media
Novara FM: Rojava After Assad: Where Next for the Kurdish Struggle? w/ Elif Sarican
On the 8th December 2024, the Assad regime in Syria fell, replaced by a group of former jihadists called Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham. In the north east of the…