Best Zing Tsjeng Podcasts (2025)

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 Putin plays Trump again! — Weekly wrap-up with Rafael Behr and Jacob Jarvis 40:12

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4h ago40:12

40:12

Wrapping up the stories of the week… Jacob Jarvis is joined by Rafael Behr to break down the stalled US–Russia peace talks, Putin’s strong-arming, and what Trump’s shaky negotiating team tells us about the state of American power. Back in Westminster, they dig into the fallout from the OBR’s budget leak and what it all means for Labour’s economic c…

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What is The OBR anyway? – Understanding Britain’s under fire fiscal watchdog 28:32

1d ago28:32

28:32

The Office for Budget Responsibility is supposed to be the calm, quiet body that keeps watch over Britain’s public finances. But after it accidentally released its Budget analysis before Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her statement, its chair Richard Hughes resigned and the watchdog suddenly became the lead story. Today on The Bunker, Seth Thév…

1
Anti-Christ Superstar — What’s the deal with Peter Thiel? 35:42

2d ago35:42

35:42

He’s a nightmare made flesh for progressives and liberals: an anti-woke, hyper-libertarian tech billionaire who bankrolled JD Vance, supports Curtis Yarvin’s anti-democracy “Dark Enlightenment” movement, and seems to base his worldview on the worst parts of Lord Of The Rings. But lately Peter Thiel has been getting even weirder, warning of the rise…

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Middle Rage – Inside the radicalisation of Britain’s 40-somethings 31:06

3d ago31:06

31:06

We usually think radicalisation is something that happens to young people. Teenagers doomscrolling in dark bedrooms, or twenty-somethings disappearing into algorithmic rabbit holes. But look around, and the picture feels very different. The loudest voices in the culture wars, the Facebook fire-starters, the men who seem permanently furious in comme…

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War, Tax, Rage-Bait and the Christmas Number One – Start Your Week with Gavin Esler and Ros Taylor 26:39

4d ago26:39

26:39

It’s December, so come open this week’s Advent Calendar of misery with Ros Taylor and Gavin Esler. Is the Mail/Telegraph frenzy over Rachel Reeves allegedly misleading the Commons over Britain’s finances just a mountain out of a molehill? How is the Budget fallout settling? Does David Lammy really want to bring trial by jury to an end for all but t…

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Luciano Benetton: Famous fashion to cultural controversy 41:25

4d ago41:25

41:25

Luciano Benetton rose from poverty in postwar Italy to found a chain of 7,000 high street fashion stores and create some of the most controversial advertising campaigns in history, becoming a billionaire along the way. Journalist Zing Tsjeng and BBC business editor Simon Jack discover how it all started for Luciano Benetton with a yellow sweater kn…

1
The Budget, Trump's Russia love-in and more! – Weekly Wrap-Up with Seth Thévoz and Jacob Jarvis 28:14

7d ago28:14

28:14

Wrapping up the stories of the week… Jacob Jarvis and Seth Thévoz dig into the media’s reaction to Rachel Reeves’s budget and what it really tells us about the state of Labour. We break down the latest twist in the Trump/Russia saga after the collapse of the so-called “peace plan”, and look at The Guardian’s continuing coverage of Nigel Farage’s ra…

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Loser takes it all? – How Trump's plan for Ukraine fell apart, with Luke Harding of The Guardian 31:51

8d ago31:51

31:51

The US-Russia “peace plan” isn’t happening. Days after the 28-point proposal leaked, it collapsed spectacularly amid accusations that it amounted to a surrender to Putin. Is there anything left in the “amended” version? And who really wrote the proposals? Luke Harding, foreign correspondent for The Guardian and author of Invasion explains why the p…

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The Epstein files: What's going to be inside them? – with investigative journalist Vicky Ward 38:07

9d ago38:07

38:07

Anticipation is building around the imminent release of the “Epstein files.” With Donald Trump finally signing off, the Justice Department is expected to publish long-sealed documents on the disgraced financier, and the public is bracing for answers. But what should we actually expect? Today in The Bunker, Seth Thévoz talks to journalist and author…

1
The Cosmic Absurd – How The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy nearly explains our world 30:00

10d ago30:00

30:00

A pocket-sized device that contains all knowledge in the universe? Which makes your life better, and not a hellscape of political rancour and surveillance capitalism? Come off it! Never happen. But that’s exactly what Douglas Adams imagined as the titular device in The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, the cosmic road novel that changed the minds …

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No Money Mo' Problems – Start Your Week with Rafael Behr and Jacob Jarvis 33:38

11d ago33:38

33:38

It’s a big week for Starmer and Reeves as the Budget looms. How’s it going to go down? Plus, talks over a plan to end the war between Russia and Ukraine continues, Trump gets a new best friend and Cop30 ends on a disappointing note. Rafael Behr and Jacob Jarvis discuss the news to look out for this week. Support us on Patreon for episodes ad free a…

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Tyler Perry: Homeless to Hollywood entrepreneur 42:26

11d ago42:26

42:26

From a childhood marked by abuse and trauma, Tyler Perry worked whatever jobs he could to fund his self-written and produced play for six years: sometimes performing to an audience of just one. But then success literally came calling for the future billionaire, and kick-started his rise in showbiz. Journalists Zing Tsjeng and Simon Jack explore how…

1
Trump panics over Epstein files – Weekly Wrap-Up with Jonn Elledge and Andrew Harrison 29:48

14d ago29:48

29:48

As the Epstein walls close in on Trump, the President pulls a desperate U-turn and says he wants the release of files he tried to suppress. How will they be redacted, and to save whom? Plus Labour’s latest attempts to look tough on migration, the Cloudflare outage, Russia bombs railway lines in Poland and shines lasers at the RAF… and why Trump’s “…

1
Is China our only hope? 20:43

15d ago20:43

20:43

For years China has been cast as a climate villain, responsible for roughly a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. But China’s emissions have begun to level off and the country has quietly become a powerhouse in clean-energy. Today on The Bunker, Gavin Esler is joined by Barbara Finamore, Senior Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Ener…

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Line of Duty – How comics journalist Joe Sacco brings untold stories to life 34:28

16d ago34:28

34:28

Writer-artist Joe Sacco created a new kind of journalism when he combined on-the-ground reportage with painstaking hand-drawn illustration. His award-winning books including Palestine and Safe Area Gorazde brought under-reported stories to new audiences. In his absorbing new book The Once And Future Riot he travels to Uttar Pradesh, India, to explo…

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Brave new world – Is 2026 our last chance? 29:25

17d ago29:25

29:25

Next year is shaping up to be a year of uncomfortable truths. Rich countries are spending way beyond their means, the A.I. bubble could be about to burst, and global conflicts are drifting further into dangerous territory. But it may also be a turning point for the planet as we confront these challenges head-on. Today on The Bunker, Seth Thévoz is …

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Gov will tear us apart – Start Your Week with Rafael Behr and Jacob Jarvis 34:26

18d ago34:26

34:26

Starmer’s position remains in question after a week of chaos and the announcement of controversial new asylum plans. Can the narrative shift? Rafael Behr joins Jacob Jarvis to discuss this and more as they outline the news to look out for this week. Head to nakedwines.co.uk/thebunker to get 6 top-rated wines from our sponsor Naked Wines for £39.99,…

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Lakshmi Mittal: King of steel 44:31

18d ago44:31

44:31

Lakshmi Mittal grew up in Kolkata, where he gained early experience in his father’s steel business before founding his own steel mill in Indonesia in his twenties. By adopting mini-mill technology and electric arc furnaces, Lakshmi Mittal produced steel more efficiently than traditional methods and began acquiring underperforming state-owned mills …

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NEW Weekly Wrap-Up – Starmer vs. Streeting and Trump vs. Epstein – with Rafael Behr 34:07

21d ago34:07

34:07

Welcome back to the Weekly Wrap-Up, where we break down the biggest news, the weirdest stories, and the important bits that slipped under the radar. Today on The Bunker, Jacob Jarvis and Rafael Behr dig into Starmer’s briefing war with Wes Streeting, unpack the latest revelations from the Epstein files, and ask the big question: could the BBC survi…

1
Can we solve the incel crisis? 29:52

22d ago29:52

29:52

What if the incel problem is a symptom of something bigger in our society? We regularly pin misogyny on villains like Andrew Tate, the loud, memorable faces of a much darker problem. But what do we do if the real issue runs deeper than a few influencers? Today on The Bunker, Zoë Grünewald sits down with Katherine Denkinson, author of INCEL The Weap…

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Trump vs. Xi Jinping – Who's more powerful? 32:16

23d ago32:16

32:16

Trump and Xi Jinping’s fractious relationship is one of the most important connections in the world. As each side fights for dominance, who appears to be on top at the moment – and why? And what is shaping how they behave? Seth Thévoz is joined by Elizabeth Economy, author of The World According to China and By All Means Necessary: How China's Reso…

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Will A.I. really kill us all? 33:43

24d ago33:43

33:43

Amid the multi-trillion dollar stampede to build and control A.I., one question is being drowned out: Will artificial intelligence kill the entire human race, and all life on the planet? Nate Soares is president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute and co-author of a chilling exploration of the race to create artificial super-intelligence…

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Coup at the BBC – Start Your Week with Ros Taylor 30:05

25d ago30:05

30:05

The BBC’s Director General and head of news are forced to resign in a confected row about Donald Trump’s incendiary Jan 6 speech. Overdue accountability for mediocre leaders, or a successful drive-by from lifelong enemies of the BBC – and dangerous interference in British democracy from Trump? Plus, Rachel Reeves’ budget plans crystallise, COP30 sh…

1
Michael O’Leary: Ryanair’s cost-cutting king 48:55

25d ago48:55

48:55

How Michael O’Leary, the outspoken CEO of Ryanair, turned a struggling regional airline into a €28 billion powerhouse by relentlessly cutting costs and embracing controversy. BBC business editor Simon Jack and journalist Zing Tsjeng uncover how O’Leary - who neither founded Ryanair nor intended to work in aviation - redefined the airline industry. …

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NEW Weekly Wrap-Up – From New York to Westminster with Alex von Tunzelmann 33:28

28d ago33:28

33:28

NEW: If you like Start Your Week’s look ahead, how about a round-up of the biggest, strangest, most important stories of the week, every Friday? On today’s debut edition: What Zohran Mamdani’s win in New York really means. “Vibe coding”. The heroism of train attack defender Samir Zitouni. Rachel Reeves’ pre-budget nerves. And what the hell has Dona…

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Iron Curtain Call – How The Spy Who Came In From The Cold still tells the ugly truth about espionage 33:39

29d ago33:39

33:39

John le Carré was still a working secret agent when he wrote The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, the book that shocked the Britain of 1963 with its portrait of espionage not as heroic but as sordid, morally compromised and utterly without glamour. In comparison James Bond’s escapist world of girls and gadgets seemed naive and shallow. As a new stage…

1
One year of Trump 2.0 – Does scandal mean anything anymore? 36:19

1M ago36:19

36:19

It's been a year since Trump’s election victory, how has US politics changed? What’s the trajectory? And is there any hope for the future? Emma Kennedy is joined by Casey Burgat, author of We Hold These "Truths": How to Spot the Myths that are Holding America Back and director of the Legislative Affairs program at the Graduate School of Political M…

Zing Tsjeng Podcasts

1
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BBC World Service

1
The Bunker – News without the nonsense

Podmasters

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Great Lives

BBC Radio 4

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United Zingdom

BBC Sounds

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Never Told

Brock Media

1
 Putin plays Trump again! — Weekly wrap-up with Rafael Behr and Jacob Jarvis 40:12

1
What is The OBR anyway? – Understanding Britain’s under fire fiscal watchdog 28:32

1
Anti-Christ Superstar — What’s the deal with Peter Thiel? 35:42

1
Middle Rage – Inside the radicalisation of Britain’s 40-somethings 31:06

1
War, Tax, Rage-Bait and the Christmas Number One – Start Your Week with Gavin Esler and Ros Taylor 26:39

1
Luciano Benetton: Famous fashion to cultural controversy 41:25

1
The Budget, Trump's Russia love-in and more! – Weekly Wrap-Up with Seth Thévoz and Jacob Jarvis 28:14

1
Loser takes it all? – How Trump's plan for Ukraine fell apart, with Luke Harding of The Guardian 31:51

1
The Epstein files: What's going to be inside them? – with investigative journalist Vicky Ward 38:07

1
The Cosmic Absurd – How The Hitch-Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy nearly explains our world 30:00

1
No Money Mo' Problems – Start Your Week with Rafael Behr and Jacob Jarvis 33:38

1
Tyler Perry: Homeless to Hollywood entrepreneur 42:26

1
Trump panics over Epstein files – Weekly Wrap-Up with Jonn Elledge and Andrew Harrison 29:48

1
Is China our only hope? 20:43

1
Line of Duty – How comics journalist Joe Sacco brings untold stories to life 34:28

1
Brave new world – Is 2026 our last chance? 29:25

1
Gov will tear us apart – Start Your Week with Rafael Behr and Jacob Jarvis 34:26

1
Lakshmi Mittal: King of steel 44:31

1
NEW Weekly Wrap-Up – Starmer vs. Streeting and Trump vs. Epstein – with Rafael Behr 34:07

1
Can we solve the incel crisis? 29:52

1
Trump vs. Xi Jinping – Who's more powerful? 32:16

1
Will A.I. really kill us all? 33:43

1
Coup at the BBC – Start Your Week with Ros Taylor 30:05

1
Michael O’Leary: Ryanair’s cost-cutting king 48:55

1
NEW Weekly Wrap-Up – From New York to Westminster with Alex von Tunzelmann 33:28

1
Iron Curtain Call – How The Spy Who Came In From The Cold still tells the ugly truth about espionage 33:39

1
One year of Trump 2.0 – Does scandal mean anything anymore? 36:19