Planet Normal

Planet Normal

The podcast that speaks your language. News and views from beyond the bubble with Telegraph columnists, Allison Pearson and Liam Halligan, every Thursday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episodes

October 15, 2025 62 mins

With co-pilot Halligan off the train and back in the rocket the team has returned to wade through the madness.


As Donald Trump declares “peace in the Middle East” Liam and Allison take their hats off to him as they credit his deal that led to the release of all the remaining hostages, as co-pilot Pearson reflects on the stark reality of Hamas's true face and Starmer’s attempts to claim credit were slapped down by Trump with disd...

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In a special episode of Planet Normal co-pilot Pearson brings you a long interview with Eli Sharabi, who after the 7th of October spent 491 days as a captive of Hamas under the tunnels of Gaza.


Eli has recently told his story, in his own words, in his book, Hostage. The book tells the harrowing and deeply moving story of his period of captivity, a scarcely credible tale of man's inhumanity to man.


An awful added chapter of hi...

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As Labour Conference draws to a close and Prime Minister Keir Starmer launches an attack on Nigel Farage, your co-pilots are here to make sense of the madness.


Allison brings you a special report from the “Pink Ladies” demonstration outside Downing Street and speaks to women who have raised concerns about migrant hotels and lack of accountability for women’s safety, and catches Conservative London Assembly member Susan Hall ahea...

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September 24, 2025 61 mins

With Trump giving a dressing down to the UN and Starmer clinging on amid yet more scandals, there is no shortness of madness for your co-pilots to get their teeth into!


Returning crew member Danny Kruger straps in to explain why he defected to Reform after so many years in the Conservative Party and he admits he feels ‘guilty’.


Allison shares her disgust and anger at the government's shameful decision to recognise a state of ...

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With a Trump state visit, an axed Ambassador and Labour polling in third in the upcoming Welsh election there is no shortage of news to wade through, and your co-pilots are here to steer you through it all!


Allison questions the chances of Andy Burnham being able to challenge Starmer for the Premiership, having to rely on a by-election which could be won by Reform, while polling in Wales is showing a battle between Plaid Cymru a...

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After a brief trip to Planet Earth at the Reform UK party conference, the rocket is back and making sense of the madness, so you don’t have to!


Allison questions Starmer's decision making in light of yet another scandal, this time concerning Lord Peter Madelson and his 'friendship' with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.


Meanwhile Liam shares his frustration at Labour’s unrealistic net zero targets, which ignore the realit...

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The co-pilots briefly dock the rocket of right-thinking at the Reform Party Conference this week, for an on-stage episode with special guest Lucy Connolly.


Watch Allison, Liam and Lucy on stage here: https://youtu.be/VMjbGgpiVSU


Read more from Liam: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/liam-halligan/ |

Read more from Allison: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/a/ak-ao/allison-pearson/ |

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September 3, 2025 62 mins

The rocket is back from the summer break and blasting through the nonsense to bring you some common sense! There’s a lot to catch up on so buckle in…


A special stowaway this week is former Home Secretary, Suella Braverman to discuss the rise of Reform in the polls, and renews her call to leave the ECHR


Allison, fresh from her sun lounger, shares her disgust that comedian and Father Ted writer, Graham Linehan, was arrested ove...

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Summer is coming to an end on Planet Normal! So in our final installment of our "best of the rocket" series, our co-pilots take a look back at another two of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.


In May, after Keir Starmer's EU 'reset', Allison and Liam invited Lord David Frost on to the rocket. The former diplomat and Boris Johnson's chief Brexit negotiator, now a Conservative p...

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Citizens of Planet Normal, you were expecting the co-pilots to be on holiday during August but we now have a surprise bonus episode for you!


Allison was literally at the beach when the exciting news came through confirming Lucy Connolly was about to be released. Lucy is of course the Northampton mum and childminder who ad spent more than a year behind bars for posting a tweet which she quickly deleted in the wake of th...

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Summer continues on Planet Normal! In this, the second of the three part best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.


Back in March, Allison spoke to Ray Connolly - husband of Lucy Connolly, who was sentenced to 31 months for posting a tweet in response to the tragic death of 3 girls in Southport last year. Ray discuss...

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August 13, 2025 66 mins

It's the summer break on Planet Normal so in the first of this year's best of the rocket series, our co-pilots take a look back at some of their most explosive voyages on the rocket of right thinking from the year so far.


Following the emergence of more harrowing details of rape gangs operating in the UK, in January Allison spoke to a warrior of free speech, and one of her heroines, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A former Dutch MP, Ayaan has ...

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August 6, 2025 63 mins

Another black hole has appeared in the country’s coffers, but you can bank on your co-pilots to make sense of the pennies and cents.


Allison thinks Starmer’s new migrant swap deal with France is nonsense and nothing more than a secret legal route made by Labour under the pretence of benefiting the British tax payer.


Whilst Liam says the ongoing cost of Labour’s private school VAT increase is crippling families and private sch...

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With Donald Trump giving Starmer a piece of his mind, there’s no shortage of madness this week, and your co-pilots are ready to make sense of it all!


Allison thinks The US President took the Prime Minister to task on his immigration and green power policies, completely humiliating him on the world stage.


Whilst Liam says the ‘febrile atmosphere’ in the country isn’t being managed very well by Starmer's immigration policies.

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Co-Pilot Pearson is taking a break but fear not, Nick Timothy is strapping in to help Co-pilot Halligan make sense of this week’s madness.


Liam is pleased Labour have caught up with the rest of the country in talking about addressing ‘concerns’ over immigration, but is concerned they haven’t given any substance to their position or how they will achieve it.


Nick points out Labour scrapped the Rwanda scheme deterrent and s...

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Secrets, lies and spies are on the agenda for this week and your co-pilots are here to make sense of the madness.


Allison is horrified by the secrecy surrounding the Ministry of Defence data leak, which has been estimated at a potential cost of £7bn to the UK tax payer, without any oversight or accountability of where people will be settled around the Country.


Meanwhile Liam focuses on the news inflation has increased and the...

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Another week in Labour’s u-turn government and the rumblings of a wealth tax are on the horizon, just as your co-pilots predicted!


Allison thinks the PM’s speech on Monday was a ‘soft focus’ reflection of the 7th July London bombing, and once again avoiding the concerns of Islamists and mass immigration.


Meanwhile Liam focuses on the sticky issue of a potentially imminent ‘Wealth Tax’ as Chancellor Rachel Reeves struggles to ...

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As Labour performs another head spinning u turn, your co-pilots are here to cut through the madness, so you don’t have to.


Allison thinks this government has been a series of ‘car crashes’ culminating in another major humiliating U-turn on the flagship Welfare Bill. The rebellion of his own MPs is making him a ‘dead man walking’.


Meanwhile Liam focuses on the impact of the concessions Starmer has had to make, and how this...

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With another packed news week at home and abroad, your co-pilots are here to steer you through the carnage with their usual dose of common sense.


Allison thinks the PM’s weak response to the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities is once again humiliating the UK on the world’s stage, and that Keir Starmer is concerned more about the Muslim vote share than National Security.


Meanwhile Liam wonders if Labour’s is now deploying...

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As Labour skids into yet another U-turn, your co-pilots are here to clear the chaff from the wheat.


Allison is hopeful the inquiry could finally shed light on the ‘worst scandal in British history’ as it is led by Louise Casey, but is concerned the scope won’t see enough towns included by Labour who want to avoid their own patches coming under scrutiny. 


Meanwhile Liam thinks accusations of racism aimed at Sajid Javi...

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