The News Quiz: Ep4. By-elections, hello defections

Top of the agenda this week is some royal breaking news - who got a special birthday visit from the police? We’ll be analysing yet another government U-turn and see who’s emerged from the shadows for Nigel Farage’s proposed ‘shadow cabinet'. Plus a couple of stories on robots and aliens - something for everyone.Joining Andy this week is Mark Steel, Daliso Chaponda, Coco Khan and Bella Hull.Written by Andy Zaltzman.With additional material by: Jade Gebbie, Ruth Husko and Peter Tellouche. Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu Sound Editor: Marc WillcoxA BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

This week the panel discuss PM Keir Starmer fighting off a potential coup; whether it’s a good idea to take Valentine’s day tips from a two-timing Norwegian athlete; and after 40 days of rain in some parts of the UK, is the country actually getting sunnier?Joining Andy this week is Alasdair Beckett-King, Rachel Fairburn, Stephen Bush and Mhairi BlackWritten by Andy Zaltzman.With additional material by: Cody Dahler, Eve Delaney, Jade Gebbie, Ruth Husko and Peter Tellouche. Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu Sound Editor: Marc WillcoxA BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Is there a way out for Keir Starmer after the Peter Mandelson scandal? Who fled ‘under the cover of darkness’ from their royal lodgings? What exactly is a humble address? And why are iguanas falling out of trees? Helping Andy answer some of the big questions of the week are Desiree Burch, Pierre Novellie, Daniel Finkelstein and Catherine Bohart.Written by Andy Zaltzman.With additional material by: Cody Dahler, Eve Delaney and Sarah Mills Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producers: Richard Morris and James Robinson Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu Sound Editor: Marc WillcoxA BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

On the agenda this week is Starmer vs Burnham in Labour's latest civil war, Suella Braverman’s defection to Reform, and working out how to save The Great British pub. To get to the bottom of all this, Andy is joined by Daliso Chaponda, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Hugo Rifkind and Holly Walsh.Written by Andy Zaltzman.With additional material by: Christina Riggs, Cameron Loxdale and Sarah Mills Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Production Coordinator: Jodie Charman Sound Editor: Marc WillcoxA BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

This week we'll be looking at Trump's Board of Peace and asking whether Trump is bored of peace. We'll be working out how China managed to afford to get on the central London property ladder with their new mega-embassy, and hoping that a clever cow who can use a tool to scratch its back can up its game and sort out global diplomacy before it's too late. Joining Andy to help make sense of all the madness is Lucy Porter, Alasdair Beckett-King, Stephen Bush and Shappi Khorsandi.Written by Andy Zaltzman.With additional material by: Christina Riggs, Cameron Loxdale, Ruth Husko and Dee Allum. Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: James Robinson Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu Sound Editor: Marc WillcoxA BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Andy’s returned from The Ashes and is back in the News Quiz chair. He’s come home to a selection of defections, some serious U-turning and 30,000 properties without water in his hometown of Tunbridge Wells. He was only away for one week! Helping Andy make sense of it all is Susie McCabe, Paul Sinha, Cindy Yu and Scott Bennett.Written by Andy Zaltzman.With additional material by: Mike Shephard, Eleanor Morton and Dee Allum Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: Richard Morris Production Coordinator: Giulia Mazzu Sound Editor: Marc WillcoxA BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Here's a chance for Friday Night Comedy listeners to hear another satirical comedy from BBC Radio 4, as Jon Holmes introduces the latest episode of his series The Skewer. The four-time Gold Comedy winner at the Radio Academy Awards returns as Jon Holmes mashes up more news with pop culture to create a current affairs comedy concept album. This week: Trump vs The World, Jenrick The Secret Traitor, No Way Nobel and Peace Board Assemble! To listen to more episodes from the series, just search for The Skewer on BBC Sounds. Producer: Jon Holmes An unusual production for BBC Radio 4

With Andy away at The Ashes, guest host Ian Smith steps in to make sense of a dramatic news week. Topics include the US capturing Nicolás Maduro and threatening to invade Greenland, new driving rules for the over 70s and the problem with Grok AI. Helping Ian decide which way to turn are Ria Lina, Hugo Rifkind, Lucy Porter and Geoff Norcott.Written by Ian Smith.With additional material by: Mike Shephard, Alex Kealy and Angela Channell Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes Mazzu Sound Editor: Marc WillcoxA BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

A satirical smorgasbord of The News Quiz's best bits of the year, covering local elections, flag fever, Starmer's struggles, Trump's travails, and a very special meeting between King Charles and Pope Leo XIV. Written and presented by Andy Zaltzman.Producer: Rajiv Karia Executive Producer: Pete Strauss Production Coordinator: Giulia Lopes MazzuA BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4 An Eco-Audio certified Production

Top political comedian Matt Forde reconvenes his Focus Group for a Boxing Day special with a Dickensian twist.Recorded in front of a live audience, Matt is joined by journalists, comedians and politicians – including former Cabinet Minister Michael Gove – to review the political state we're in through the lens of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Expect sharp analysis, unexpected confessions, and the year's biggest stories getting visited by the Ghosts of Politics Past, Present and Yet to Come.Appearing as a festive treat in BBC Radio 4's Friday Night Comedy feed, it's a topical comedy that's both genuinely funny and surprisingly insightful – perfect for digesting with the leftover turkey.Written and performed by Matt Forde Additional writing from Karl Minns, Laura Claxton and Richard Garvin Producer: Richard Garvin Executive Producers Jon Thoday and Richard Allen Turner Co-Producers: Daisy Knight and Jules Lom Broadcast Assistant: Sahar Rajabali Sound Design and Editing: David Thomas An Avalon production for BBC Radio 4