Bold Politics with Zack Polanski
| Bold Politics with Zack Polanski | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Political podcast |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Cast and voices | |
| Hosted by | Zack Polanski |
| Technical specifications | |
| Video format | YouTube |
| Audio format |
|
| Publication | |
| No. of episodes | 19 |
| Original release | 3 September 2025 |
| Provider | Acast |
| Related | |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2025–present |
| Subscribers | 52,400 |
| Views | 3,977,705 |
| Last updated: 9 March 2026 | |
Bold Politics with Zack Polanski is a weekly political podcast hosted by Zack Polanski,[1] Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales. First released on 3 September 2025, a day after Polanski's victory in the 2025 Green Party leadership election, it is the first podcast to be hosted by a leader of a British political party.[2] Bold Politics takes on a conversational format, featuring guests including Ash Sarkar, Gary Stevenson and Owen Jones. It is usually recorded at Acast Studios in central London.[3]
Background
Prior to his election as leader, Polanski has stated that too much time was being spent "complaining about media coverage for the Green party, and I still think that's legitimate. But I also think at some point you've just got to step up, and you've got to go even if all the odds are stacked against us. The Green Party's role is to cut through and to be able to tell an alternative story."[4] On 2 September 2025, Polanski won the 2025 Green Party of England and Wales leadership election by a landslide.[2]
History
The first 35-minute episode of the podcast was released on 3 September 2025,[2] during Polanski's "media blitz" following his victory.[1] The New Statesman has argued that the podcast is "clearly intended as a left-wing counter to Nigel Farage’s prime-time daily GB News show, and the right-wing drift of so many 'podcast bros'."[5]
The first episode featured Polanski talking to journalist and activist Ash Sarkar on the topics of wealth taxes, the future of the Green Party, and why they believed UK Prime Minister “Keir Starmer is spectacularly shit at politics."[1] They also discussed their agreement on transgender rights and the Israeli–Palestinian conflict,[6] including the proscription of Palestine Action, as well as Zohran Mamdani.[2]
Guests Gary Stevenson and Zoe Gardner followed in subsequent episodes.[5] At the Green Party's annual conference, Polanski was scheduled to record a live episode of Bold Politics with journalist Owen Jones.[7]
As of 3 September 2025, future guests billed for the podcast included actor-director Jolyon Rubinstein.[2] In December 2025, ex-Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker appeared on the podcast. Lineker stated that there was "too much political influence from the very top" of the BBC, which he said had "tied itself up in knots” on the issue of impartiality; "what we really need is truth in reporting, in that sense. It’s impossible to be impartial on everything." Polanski also interviewed Lineker on his outspoken views on empathy for immigrants and his want for "proper peace" in Gaza.[8]
Reception
By 8 September, Bold Politics had reached fourth place in the UK news podcast charts.[4]
Conservative papers The Times and The Telegraph rated the first episode of the podcast negatively, both giving it 2 out of 5 stars.[6][2] The Times called it "nauseating left-wing populism", comparing it to the California governor Gavin Newsom's This Is Gavin Newsom podcast.[6] The Telegraph noted that Ash Sarkar's inclusion may have been a "courtship of Sarkar's base, and therefore anyone considering joining [Jeremy] Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's Your Party."[2] Both papers criticised the podcast for not sticking to conversation about the environment.[6][2]
The Guardian noted the podcast in a weekly review of the best podcasts of the week, describing it as part of Polanski's "impressive media blitz".[9]
Episodes
| No. | Episode title | Guest(s) | Running time | Original release date | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Future Of Left Politics | Ash Sarkar | 39 mins | 3 September 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 2 | How To Beat The Anti-Immigration Playbook | Zoe Gardner | 25 mins | 10 September 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 3 | How To Confront The Radicalisation Of Young Men | Jimmy The Giant | 44 mins | 17 September 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 4 | Why Rachel Reeves Is Obsessed With Growth At Any Cost | Grace Blakeley | 33 mins | 24 September 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 5 | How Labour Sold Their Souls To Billionaires | Gary Stevenson | 52 mins | 1 October 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 6 | The Death Of Two Party Politics | Owen Jones | 34 mins | 8 October 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 7 | Why We Should Want Our Politicians To Be Flawed | Chlöe Swarbrick | 33 mins | 15 October 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 8 | Should We Return To The EU? | Mike Galsworthy | 33 mins | 17 October 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 9 | Are We Looking At The Economy All Wrong? | Richard Murphy | 39 mins | 22 October 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 10 | How Can We All Be Better Allies? | Tia Kofi | 27 mins | 24 October 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 11 | How Grass Roots Can Turn Into Global Movements | Mikaela Loach | 45 mins | 31 October 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 12 | How A Mamdani Win Will Send Shockwaves Around The World | Hasan Piker | 54 mins | 31 October 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 13 | Are We Failing The Next Generation? | Jordan Stephens | 65 mins | 5 November 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 14 | How An Education System Became A Mental Health Crisis | Natasha Devon | 42 mins | 11 November 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 15 | How To Platform Socialist Ideas Through Billionaire Owned Channels | George Monbiot | 40 mins | 19 November 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 16 | How The Left Can Come Together To Beat Reform | Yanis Varoufakis | 64 mins | 26 November 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 17 | How Can The Left Be Louder Than The Right? | NoJusticeMTG | 30 mins | 28 November 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 18 | Why We Deserve Better Than Reeves And Starmer | Marina Purkiss and Jemma Forte | 48 mins | 3 December 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 19 | Why There's No Such Thing As A 'Perfect Green' | Femi Oluwole | 42 mins | 5 December 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 20 | How Rising Inequality Impacted The Trans Experience | Shon Faye | 55 mins | 10 December 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 21 | Are Voters Losing Faith In Democracy? | Lewis Goodall | 40 mins | 12 December 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 22 | Why The Media Is Looking At Economics All Wrong | James Meadway | 44 mins | 17 December 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 23 | We Deserve Better In 2026 | Gary Lineker | 35 mins | 31 December 2025 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 24 | How Antisemitism Is Used To Excuse War Crimes | Rachel Shabi | 36 mins | 7 January 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 25 | Why A Vote For Reform UK Is A Vote For Russia | Carole Cadwalladr | 50 mins | 14 January 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 26 | Why The System Just Isn’t Working | Nadia Sawalha and Mark Adderley | 61 mins | 21 January 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 27 | Why Did Starmer Really Block Burnham From Running In Gorton and Denton? | Paul Holden | 34 mins | 28 January 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 28 | Why The Left Can’t Agree On Everything | Kieran Andrieu | 49 mins | 29 January 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 29 | What Happens When You Underfund Education | Daniel Kebede | 36 mins | 3 February 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 30 | Everyone Deserves Equal Rights | Doris (UVW member) | 18 mins | 6 February 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 31 | The Battle For The Soul Of The Nation | Hannah Spencer | 62 mins | 11 February 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 32 | Why The Rich Get Richer | Faiza Shaheen | 41 mins | 18 February 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 33 | What The F*** Is Going On?! | Mark Steel | 43 mins | 20 February 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 34 | The Green Future | Caroline Lucas | 46 mins | 25 February 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
| 35 | We Need Water Nationalisation Now | Feargal Sharkey | 48 mins | 4 March 2026 | link at Apple Podcasts |
References
- ^ a b c Duggins, Alexi; Richardson, Hollie; Davies, Hannah J. (15 September 2025). "No other show gets as up-close-and-personal as this: best podcasts of the week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bennion, Chris (3 September 2025). "The Green Party leader's new podcast forgets to talk about the environment". The Daily Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Wheeler, Caroline (27 September 2025). "Green Party leader 'open to pacts' if they stop Tories and Reform". The Times. Retrieved 4 October 2025.
- ^ a b Walker, Peter (8 September 2025). "'We have to tell an alternative story': Green leader Polanski chats to Nigel Farage's constituents". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ a b Kenyon, Megan (1 October 2025). "Zack Polanski: "We absolutely need to stop the boats"". New Statesman. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ a b c d Ditum, Sarah (10 September 2025). "Bold Politics with Zack Polanski review — nauseating left-wing populism". The Times. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
- ^ Charley, Will (4 October 2025). "Green Party membership overtakes Liberal Democrats under Polanski". Sky News. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
- ^ Vinter, Robyn (31 December 2025). "Greens' Polanski prepared to work with Burnham but not Starmer 'to stop Reform'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 February 2026.
- ^ Duggins, Alexi; Richardson, Hollie; Davies, Hannah J. (15 September 2025). "No other show gets as up-close-and-personal as this: best podcasts of the week". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 October 2025.