Episodes

  • Listeners' Strong Messages (with Stewart Lee)
    Jan 1 2026

    It's New Year's day, so Armando and Stewart are dipping into the very real, physical listener's mailbag.

    In an loose and end-of-term episode, with some adult humour, we talk about the misuse of the phrase 'bad apples', Stewart thanks Armando for his leadership, and are treated to unexpected, slightly fruity, film reviews of 'Who Dares Wins' and 'Cats'.

    We also hear about Armando's ambassador for 'pace', Stewart's artistic skills, and some alternatives to the phrase 'fighting age males'.

    Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman and Giulia Mazzu Executive Producer: Richard Morris Recorded at The Sound Company

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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    37 mins
  • Words of the Year (with Natalie Haynes)
    Dec 18 2025

    As the year comes to a close, Natalie Haynes joins Armando to discuss and dissect the words of 2025.

    Looking at official lists, and conjuring up some of their own, they set about breaking down the language that defined another frenetic year. We find out what links all of the official words of the year, and why we can learn a lesson from Austria when choosing them. Armando also denies he writes Pete Hegseth's speeches, and Natalie denies she is in a parasocial relationship with Taylor Swift

    Got a strong message for Armando? Email us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman and Giulia Mazzu Executive Producer: Richard Morris Recorded at The Sound Company

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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    28 mins
  • Civilisational Erasure (with Stewart Lee)
    Dec 11 2025

    Is 'Civilisational Erasure' upon us?

    This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to look at this phrase, and others from the US' new National Security Strategy. Would this kind of language have been unthinkable even a few years ago?

    We also look at other elements of the strategy, and whether it's time to forget the idea that Trump is playing '3-dimensional chess' with his language. Outside civilisational erasure, we look at whether leaders need to communicate on social media, given Starmer's new TikTok account and Liz Truss' YouTube show both launched this week.

    If you want to know what Liz Truss has got against Gails, and why 70s sitcoms are back in the spotlight both sides of the Atlantic, then this programme is for you.

    Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk to have your missive read out in our listener mailbag special.

    Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Recorded at The Sound Company

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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    29 mins
  • AI Hallucinations (with Stewart Lee and Sarah Wynn-Williams)
    Dec 4 2025

    This week, Armando is joined again by Stewart Lee to discuss the language around AI.

    They are also joined by public policy expert and author of Careless People, A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism Sarah Wynn-Williams.

    For legal reasons, Sarah is not allowed to say anything negative about Meta, so we discuss lots of other areas around tech and AI.

    We look at hallucinations - what are they, and are they solvable? Do we respond to the sycophancy of AI? Should there be rules around AI in weapons, and why is that even up for debate?

    We also take a retrospective look at the budget, headlice, and the Your Party members' decision to call Your Party 'Your Party'.

    Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk and your email could be read out on our listener mailbag special episode over the festive period

    Sound editing: Rich Evans Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Recorded at The Sound Company

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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    36 mins
  • Spooking the Markets (with Natalie Haynes and Stewart Lee)
    Nov 27 2025

    It's budget week, Armando is joined by two members of the Strong Message Here commune, Natalie Haynes and Stewart Lee.

    How do markets get 'spooked'? Who has the broadest shoulders? And what does 'a Labour Budget with Labour values' actually mean?

    We discuss how taxes get their nicknames, why we know so much about the budget ahead of time these days, and whether Rachel Reeves could've taken inspiration from Taylor Swift to make the budget more exciting.

    In the longer edition, we also look at 'the banter defence', and decide a new name for 'the markets' that feels more apt for the way they behave.

    Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound editing: Rich Evans Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman Executive Producer: James Robinson Recorded at The Sound Company

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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    33 mins
  • Moral Failure and Deadly Negligence (with Sara Pascoe and Matt Winning)
    Nov 20 2025

    António Guterres has said that missing the 1.5 degree climate target is "a moral failure and deadly negligence". Is he right?

    Dr Matt Winning joins Sara Pascoe and Armando to discuss the language around climate change. Is it proportionately alarmist, or does it just scare us? Are we numb to the jaw-dropping headlines?

    Matt has some ideas of how to communicate these complex ideas more succinctly, and tell us of the days spend at COP agonising over whether 'urges' or 'suggests' makes it into an agreement. We also look at how language has been used to put the onus on us, rather than corporations, for waste and pollution, and a Swedish word that should make its way into Keir Starmer's vocabulary.

    Listen to Strong Message Here every Thursday at 9.45am on Radio 4 and then head straight to BBC Sounds for an extended episode.

    Have you stumbled upon any perplexing political phrases you need Armando to decode? Email them to us at strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound Editing by Chris Maclean Production Coordinator - Jodie Charman Executive Producer - Pete Strauss

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4. An EcoAudio Certified Production.

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    38 mins
  • The Buck Stops Here (with Ria Lina and Sophy Ridge)
    Nov 13 2025

    This week, Armando is joined again by comedian Ria Lina, and Sky New's new breakfast host, Sophy Ridge.

    In the week with 2 big resignations at the BBC, news journalism and accuracy are under the spotlight. We discuss the pressures on live broadcasting, editing, and deciding what stories make it to air. When is something worthy of coverage? These decisions are made all the time, but how? We also discuss how comedians skills can be deployed by journalists with tricky interviewees, and why the Edinburgh Fringe is the nadir of 'selective editing'.

    Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman Executive Producer: Pete Strauss and James Robinson Recorded at The Sound Company

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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    34 mins
  • Be Vigilant (with Phil Wang)
    Nov 6 2025

    This week, Armando is joined by Phil Wang to look at the use and abuse of political language.

    Defence Secretary John Healy says we need to 'be vigilant', and Reform councillor Laila Cunningham says 'Labour want us to shut up and die' - we look at how the public and the police respond to horrific events, and at our relationship with the police.

    We also discuss chocolate getting worse, Nigel Farage straddling the line between being a maverick and assuring the markets, and what other things Rachel Reeves is 'refusing to rule out'.

    Got a strong message for Armando? Email us on strongmessagehere@bbc.co.uk

    Listen to Strong Message Here at 0945 on Radio 4, and an extended version is available on BBC Sounds.

    Sound editing: Chris Maclean Production Coodinator: Jodie Charman Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Recorded at The Sound Company

    Produced by Gwyn Rhys Davies. A BBC Studios production for Radio 4.

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    30 mins