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From Trump to Bolsonaro: Misha Glenny on The Rise of the Iron Men

The new podcast from the McMafia author looks at the populist leaders who refuse to play by the rules, but still triumph, from the US to Brazil – and even Britain

Creating my latest podcast, The Rise of the Iron Men, was a huge challenge for me and my producer, Dasha Lisitsina. I wanted to write a show about the spread of populism around the world since 2016. But Lisitsina was quick to point out that this was a vast and sprawling subject, which needed a much tighter, more specific focus.

Lisitsina’s observation was born of the fact that podcasts are changing the structure of factual radio programmes and documentaries. The most visible (and audible) turning point was This American Life’s true crime series, Serial. Recently, the BBC has started to create podcasts which have strong narrative stories, such as Tunnel 29 or The Missing Cryptoqueen, for example, but, equally, they seek to illuminate bigger political, economic or historical issues. While maintaining BBC production values, they nonetheless represent a significant stylistic break from much of Radio 4’s output.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/34vEVqd
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