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Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared

By: Intelligence Squared
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Ideas shape the world. Intelligence Squared brings you the conversations that explain them. In every episode, we bring together leading thinkers, writers, scientists, policymakers and entrepreneurs, to challenge assumptions, test ideas and debate the questions shaping our future. If you want to think more clearly about the world and where it's heading, you're in the right place. If you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared today. Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.Intelligence Squared Art Politics & Government Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Spielberg, Coppola and Lucas: The Remaking of Modern Cinema, With Paul Fischer

    Spielberg, Coppola and Lucas: The Remaking of Modern Cinema, With Paul Fischer
    Aug 16 2026
    By the early 1980s Francis Ford Coppola, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were the richest, best-known filmmakers in the world, with an empire of their own. Coppola had directed The Godfather, then the highest-grossing film of all-time, until Spielberg surpassed it with Jaws — whose record Lucas broke with Star Wars, which Spielberg surpassed again with E.T. In a new book, The Last Kings of Hollywood, Paul Fischer charts their rise from young, ambitious filmmakers in the 1960s to the dominant creative forces of 1970s and 80s American cinema. In this episode, he joins Anna Bogutskaya to examine how these three era-defining filmmakers rivalled and supported each other, fell out and reconciled, and struggled to reinvent popular American cinema. Paul Fischer is an author, screenwriter and filmmaker. The Last Kings of Hollywood: The Battle for the Soul of American Cinema is available online and in bookstores now. Anna Bogutskaya is a film critic, programmer and author of Feeding The Monster. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    52 mins
  • Colm Tóibín on Stories of Exile (Part Two)

    Colm Tóibín on Stories of Exile (Part Two)
    Aug 15 2026
    Colm Tóibín is widely acclaimed for the emotional restraint and quiet power of his prose. His writing explores exile, abandonment, loss and denial, the things that go unspoken and the feelings not acted upon. His novels include Nora Webster; Brooklyn, which was turned into a film starring Saoirse Ronan; and its sequel, Long Island, both telling the story of a young Irishwoman who emigrates to the United States in the years after the Second World War. In June 2026 he comes to Intelligence Squared to discuss the themes of his new collection of short stories, The News From Dublin. In these poignant tales, a woman in Galway learns of her son’s death in the First World War; an Irishman seeks anonymity in Barcelona; and an undocumented worker prepares to leave San Francisco after decades in America. We were joined by Tóibín at Union Chapel in June 2026 where he discussed the themes of this new collection – exploring the ordinary lives of individuals navigating extraordinary moments in history – and refleted on the influences and experiences that have shaped his writing. ---If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    37 mins
  • Colm Tóibín on Stories of Exile (Part One)

    Colm Tóibín on Stories of Exile (Part One)
    Aug 13 2026
    Colm Tóibín is widely acclaimed for the emotional restraint and quiet power of his prose. His writing explores exile, abandonment, loss and denial, the things that go unspoken and the feelings not acted upon. His novels include Nora Webster; Brooklyn, which was turned into a film starring Saoirse Ronan; and its sequel, Long Island, both telling the story of a young Irishwoman who emigrates to the United States in the years after the Second World War. In June 2026 he comes to Intelligence Squared to discuss the themes of his new collection of short stories, The News From Dublin. In these poignant tales, a woman in Galway learns of her son’s death in the First World War; an Irishman seeks anonymity in Barcelona; and an undocumented worker prepares to leave San Francisco after decades in America. We were joined by Tóibín at Union Chapel in June 2026 as he discussed the themes of this new collection – exploring the ordinary lives of individuals navigating extraordinary moments in history – and reflected on the influences and experiences that have shaped his writing. --- This is the first instalment of a two-part episode. If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
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    39 mins
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