The Guardian has refreshed the look and sound of its long-running Weekly Policy podcast, including a new broadcast schedule and a presenter.
Starting today (February 24), Weekly policy revive like UK Weekly Politics and moves from Wednesday to Thursday, while Extra Weekly Policy is renamed Politics Weekly America and will be available every Friday, starting tomorrow (February 25).
Guardian award-winning columnist John Harris joins UK Weekly Politics as a new presenter, appearing alongside a regular cast of Guardian journalists and contributors to dissect the latest political news and opinion. Every Thursday, UK Weekly Politics will feature expert commentary and analysis, giving listeners a unique insight into the latest happenings in Westminster and across the UK.
John Harris, presenter of UK Weekly Politicssaid:
“Politics Weekly UK is intended to be an entertaining journey through the biggest political stories of the week, building on the foundations laid by the team over many years. Listeners can expect lively debates and insightful commentary from the Guardian’s top journalists and contributors, as well as humor and irreverent discussion that should hopefully offer something a little different from other political podcasts. also to keep one foot in Westminster and one foot out, always striving to hear how politics impacts people across the UK I am delighted to start what has already been an extraordinary year in politics and extremely unpredictable so far.
John Harris is the creator and co-presenter of the Guardian’s Orwell Prize winning video series Anywhere but Westminsterwhich has subverted political coverage throughout its decade-long history by chronicling the experiences of people and places too often overlooked.
Starting tomorrow (February 25), Extra Weekly Policy also raises as Politics Weekly America. The podcast will continue to be hosted by Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland every Friday, with guests from across the US analyzing the latest in US politics. Extra Weekly Policy originally launched in 2020 in response to one of the largest and most controversial presidential election campaigns in American history. The extra episode was an immediate hit with listeners and has continued ever since.
Nicole Jackson, Head of Audio, Guardian News & Media, says:
“The relaunch of Politics Weekly makes our intent clear to listeners; expert political analysis in two separate UK and US editions, with high-quality audio journalism that Guardian Podcast listeners have come to expect.
Led by award-winning journalist John Harris, Politics Weekly UK will have an exciting new energy bringing together guests from Westminster and beyond for humorous and insightful conversations about the latest political news. Politics Weekly America, hosted by the Guardian’s esteemed Jonathan Freedland, will continue to build on its success as the go-to podcast for those interested in understanding the ins and outs of Washington politics. With the midterms taking place later this year, it will be an exciting time for American politics and Jonathan and the team will be covering it all.
Weekly Policy is one of the Guardian’s most established podcasts. From 2006 as Weekly Westminster before becoming Weekly Policy in 2007, the first episode was recorded just outside the House of Commons and featured an analysis of Gordon Brown’s first Queen’s Speech as Prime Minister. There have been over 800 episodes of Weekly policy since 2007 – a period that has seen four British prime ministers and four US presidents.
The Guardian has been creating podcasts for over fifteen years, with the combined podcast network enjoying millions of plays each month. Listening to Guardian podcasts increased by more than 14% in 2021, demonstrating a growing audience and continued demand for quality audio journalism.
The revival of Weekly policy follows an award-winning year for Guardian and Observer journalism, including winning News Site of the Year at the Press Awards and News Provider of the Year at the British Journalism Awards.
Notes to Editors
About the Guardian News and Media
Guardian News & Media (GNM) publishes theguardian.com, one of the world’s leading English-language news sites. Traffic from outside the UK now accounts for around two-thirds of the Guardian’s total digital audience. In the UK, GNM publishes the Guardian newspaper six days a week, first published in 1821, and the world’s oldest Sunday newspaper, The Observer.