Mark And Pete

The Winter Olympics are facing an awkward little problem: winter is increasingly unreliable. In this episode of Mark and Pete, we explore the growing concern that the Winter Games may not have a long-term future, thanks to warming temperatures, shrinking snow seasons, and the rising cost of staging a global sporting spectacle in an era where snow has become a luxury item.It’s a story that sounds absurd at first, almost like satire. How can the Winter Olympics exist without winter? Yet the facts are stacking up. Fewer countries are willing or able to host the Games, and even traditional alpine venues are struggling with shorter snow seasons, higher freezing lines, and the increasing dependence on artificial snow. Ski slopes once famous for natural snowfall are now being kept alive with snow cannons, refrigerated tracks, and industrial-scale infrastructure that feels less like sport and more like an engineering project.We discuss how climate change, economics, and modern bureaucracy are colliding in real time.

Is Keir Starmer already on his last legs, or is he exactly the kind of leader modern Britain deserves: bland, managerial, and strangely unkillable? In this episode of Mark and Pete, we take a sharp (and mildly sarcastic) look at the Prime Minister’s growing credibility problem, and ask whether Labour is quietly heading toward another internal panic.Starmer was sold as the competent adult in the room, the calm lawyer who would restore order after years of political circus. But instead of Churchillian grit, we’ve been given something closer to a Human Resources memo with a haircut. He’s cautious, polished, and relentlessly careful… yet the country feels like it’s wobbling on the edge of something much darker than “policy disagreements.”We explore why Starmer increasingly gives off the impression of a leader who is not steering events, but reacting to them. Is he trapped between factions inside Labour, trying to keep the activist wing happy while reassuring the wider public? Is he losing the confidence of workin

Driverless cars are coming to London — and not in a distant sci-fi future sense. Real streets, real traffic, real pedestrians stepping into the road while staring lovingly into their phones. With Waymo preparing autonomous vehicle rollouts, the capital may soon become one of the biggest live experiments in artificial intelligence transport ever attempted in the UK.In this episode of Mark and Pete, we explore what the arrival of self-driving cars really means, beyond the glossy headlines. Are autonomous vehicles genuinely safer than human drivers? What happens when algorithms replace judgement? And who is responsible when a driverless car makes the wrong decision — the passenger, the programmer, the manufacturer, or the invisible data model trained on millions of previous journeys?We look at the deeper cultural shift behind automation: convenience slowly eroding competence, responsibility being outsourced, and society drifting into a world where humans stop making decisions because machines make them faster. D

2026 marks an extraordinary milestone: 100 years since the invention of television, the glowing box that quietly reshaped modern civilisation while we were busy eating microwave dinners and arguing over the remote control.In this episode of Mark and Pete, we explore how television didn’t merely entertain us, but fundamentally changed how we think, how we relate, how we worship, and how we understand truth itself. From the first experimental broadcasts in the 1920s to the rise of mass media empires, TV turned politics into theatre, news into narrative, and public life into performance.But the real transformation wasn’t technical. It was psychological. Television trained whole generations to sit, watch, absorb, and react emotionally — without reflection, conversation, or accountability. It altered childhood, shortened attention spans, and created a culture where image often matters more than argument, and personality more than principle.Mark and Pete discuss the surprising social consequences of television: the

Are we really on the brink of World War Three — or are we simply being herded into panic by a media economy that thrives on fear?In this episode of Mark and Pete, we take a clear-eyed, historically grounded look at rising tensions between the United States and Iran, with Donald Trump once again looming large in the background of global affairs. Missile tests, proxy conflicts, sanctions, and strong rhetoric are all familiar features of this long-running geopolitical drama — but familiarity doesn’t stop headlines from screaming “WW3” at the slightest provocation.Rather than joining the chorus of alarm, Mark and Pete ask harder questions. How often has the world stood closer to catastrophe than we realise? Why does modern media benefit from amplifying fear? And why does Trump’s loud, unpredictable style often coincide with a surprising reluctance to start new wars?Drawing on Cold War history, biblical theology, and cultural analysis, this episode challenges the assumption that conflict automatically means collap

A statistic quietly slipped into the news, and it landed with more cultural weight than most headlines.Robbie Williams now has sixteen UK number-one albums — more than The Beatles. For some, it’s a curiosity. For others, a mild heresy. But in this episode of Mark and Pete, we argue it’s neither scandal nor joke. It’s a diagnosis.This isn’t a debate about musical quality. It’s about how modern culture works. The Beatles belonged to an era of disruption, risk, and genuine artistic rupture. Robbie Williams belongs to an age of loyalty, legacy, and perfectly managed familiarity. One changed the weather. The other mastered the climate that followed.We explore how the music industry shifted from innovation to consolidation, from revolution to reunion tours, and from cultural shock to emotional reassurance. Album charts now measure not what is new, but what is trusted — and that tells us something about ourselves.There’s a biblical undercurrent too: the temptation to romanticise the past, to mistake memory for meani

When a celebrity moment sparks discomfort rather than applause, it usually means something deeper has been touched.In this episode of Mark and Pete, we turn to the controversy surrounding Victoria Beckham and her now-viral dance at a wedding — a moment that drew criticism not for being joyful, but for being conspicuously out of place. At a celebration traditionally centred on the bride and groom, many felt the spotlight had been subtly, but unmistakably, redirected.This isn’t a story about dancing, fashion, or even celebrity gossip. It’s about proportion, timing, and the quiet social rules that hold communities together. Why do some public displays charm us, while others leave us uneasy? Why does modern culture struggle so badly with the idea that not every moment is ours to dominate?We explore the British instincts around decorum, hierarchy, and knowing the room — instincts often dismissed as snobbery, but which may actually be forms of social wisdom. In an age that rewards visibility and self-assertion, res

When Donald Trump floated the idea of acquiring Greenland, the media treated it as comedy — late-night fodder, Twitter mockery, and a thousand smirking think-pieces about American vulgarity. What almost nobody bothered to ask was the obvious question: why Greenland?In this episode of Mark and Pete, we rewind the laughter and look at the map.Greenland sits at the crossroads of Arctic shipping routes, rare earth minerals, and military positioning that matters far more than most Western commentators are willing to admit. As the ice melts and global power shifts northward, the Arctic is no longer a frozen backwater but a strategic frontier — and one that China has been quietly and deliberately moving into for years.Trump’s instinct wasn’t madness. It was realism. Ungainly, unfashionable, and entirely out of step with a political class that prefers moral posturing to long-term planning. The real scandal isn’t that the idea was voiced, but that it was laughed out of the room without serious consideration.We explore

This week on Mark and Pete, we take a hard look at a British political landscape that feels increasingly unstable, unserious, and oddly theatrical. The episode opens with the defection of Robert Jenrick from the Conservatives to Reform UK, using the moment as a springboard to assess the wider collapse of trust, loyalty, and coherence in UK politics. We explore what this says about principle versus ambition, and why voters are left feeling like spectators at a knife-fight conducted behind closed doors.We then turn to one of the most controversial proposals currently causing uproar in Westminster and beyond: Labour’s support for a vast new Chinese embassy in London, positioned alarmingly close to sensitive data infrastructure and security services. We unpack the public backlash, the national security concerns, and the broader question of whether Britain has lost its instinct for strategic caution in an increasingly hostile global environment.Finally, we step away from geopolitics and return to something unexpec

Robots, Junk Food, and Talentless Tennis explores three revealing stories that say far more about modern culture than their headlines suggest.First, we look at the rapid expansion of robotics in business, prompted by Hyundai’s growing investment in automated workers. From factories to service industries, robots are no longer experimental novelties but permanent colleagues. The discussion centres on what automation means for productivity, human dignity, work ethic, and the temptation to treat technology as a saviour rather than a tool.Next, attention turns to the UK ban on junk food advertising across television and online platforms, alongside tighter restrictions on high-sugar drinks. Framed as a public health measure, the move raises deeper questions about personal responsibility, self-control, government overreach, and whether virtue can ever be produced by regulation rather than character.Finally, we examine a bizarre tennis incident in Nairobi involving an Egyptian wildcard entry whose performance include

What will 2026 really bring? In this episode of Mark & Pete, we take a boldly unscientific but spiritually alert look at the year ahead, guided by Mark’s satirical poem The Top Prediction Picks for Twenty Twenty-Six. Expect humour, cultural commentary, and a Christian lens on a world that seems to be making it up as it goes along.We cover predictions about a stagnant economy, increasingly surreal British politics, AI replacing human candidates, cyber-espionage, and the strange return of superstition and modern witchcraft. From Keir Starmer’s ever-shifting image to the possibility of Scotland humiliating England on the world stage, no national anxiety is left untouched. We also explore Donald Trump’s media-saturated dominance, the rise of algorithmic power, and what happens when social media becomes the measure of human worth.As ever, Mark brings the poetry and Pete brings the theology, grounding the satire in Scripture and reminding us why Christians should be calm when everyone else is hysterical. Drawin

Welcome to the New Year episode of Mark and Pete, where optimism is treated with caution and realism is offered with grace. The Survivor’s Guide to 2026 is a thoughtful, funny, and quietly Christian exploration of how to step into the year ahead without losing your soul, your sanity, or what remains of your dignity.This episode blends poetry, reflection, and cultural commentary in the distinctive Mark and Pete style. Mark brings two original poems: The Survivor’s Guide to 2026, a wry field manual for enduring the year ahead, and New Year – Same Old Feeling, an honest meditation on why January so often feels emotionally familiar despite the calendar reset.

Christmas, as it turns out, is a strange mixture of warmth and mild insanity, and this special episode leans cheerfully into both. Mark and Pete wander through the season’s rituals, irritations, costs, comforts, and contradictions, pausing often enough to laugh at them, and just long enough to take something seriously when it matters. There are poems, naturally, because rules appear wherever joy is under pressure. There are elves too, watching quietly, costing loudly, reminding us that modern magic rarely comes without a receipt.Along the way, attention drifts to neighbours who decorate with evangelical enthusiasm, festive music that promises feeling without substance, and the peculiar cultural agreement that Christmas must be enjoyed correctly, on schedule, and with visible enthusiasm. It’s all very merry, in the way that British merriment often is, slightly strained at the edges.

In this episode of Mark and Pete, we take a clear-eyed look at three stories that reveal how badly modern Britain and the wider West now struggle with value, authority, and fear.We begin with the theft of more than 600 artefacts from a Bristol museum. Individually, the items are of little monetary worth, but collectively they represent something far more important: history, memory, and inheritance. We ask what motivates a crime like this, what the thieves can possibly do with such objects, and what it says about a culture that no longer understands the difference between price and worth.Next, we turn to Australia’s decision to ban children from using social media. The policy lasted about five minutes before children worked around it. We explore why governments repeatedly try to legislate formation, why this always fails, and why parenting, presence, and moral training cannot be outsourced to the state or to technology.Finally, we look at the latest flu outbreak and the familiar NHS response: emergency languag

This week’s Mark and Pete episode dives into the brilliantly baffling state of modern Britain and beyond. We begin with the latest UK budget, where rising beer duty and new hospitality taxes threaten the future of hundreds of pubs across the nation. Why is the beating heart of British community life being priced out? Mark and Pete explore the humour, frustration, and cultural loss behind the numbers — from village locals to city taverns.Then we cross the Atlantic to a bizarre headline from Virginia: a raccoon found raiding a liquor store and discovered passed out, completely drunk. Is it a one-off curiosity — or a worrying sign civilisation has now influenced wildlife in the worst possible ways?Finally, the West End triumph of the new Paddington musical prompts one question: if a polite bear can sing and dance, what would a Rachel Reeves or Nigel Farage musical look like? 

In this Mark and Pete Budget Special, our intrepid duo dive into the chaos, comedy, and quiet despair of Britain’s latest economic rumblings. First up: the OBR leak that spilled early forecasts across Westminster like a carelessly opened hymnbook, revealing sluggish growth, stubborn borrowing, and a government hoping nobody notices the fine print. Then it’s on to the endlessly controversial mansion tax, where homeowners panic, politicians posture, and Mark calmly explains why half the country is suddenly checking their Zoopla valuation with sweaty palms.Pete brings the theological lens, Mark brings the economic logic, and together they explore the growing maze of ISAs, the rise of salary sacrifice, and the lingering chill of the threshold freeze — Britain’s favourite stealth tax. Along the way, expect dry humour, a touch of pulpit wisdom, and a brutally honest look at how ordinary people will fare as the nation stumbles forward.Finally, the pair unveil their fateful fiscal forecast: a wry yet hopeful predicti

In this episode of Mark and Pete, your favourite businessman-and-preacher double act dive into a trio of “super” stories shaping the week’s headlines. First up, a pristine copy of Superman #1 turns up in a dusty attic and becomes the most valuable comic ever sold, reminding us how forgotten things can suddenly reveal extraordinary worth. Then we plunge — metaphorically, thankfully — into Britain’s sewers, where super fatbergs made from flushed wet wipes are causing ten-ton blockages and costing millions to clear. Mark and Pete explore how small habits create big national problems, and why stewardship still matters. Finally, the lads head north of the border to celebrate Scotland’s shock World Cup qualification, a last-minute victory so wild it practically registered on the Richter scale.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/mark-and-pete--1245374/support.Supporters get updates on new projects and hot takes on the latest news plus Mark and Pete Extra  in depth commentary episodes

In this episode of Mark & Pete, the boys tackle three stories that prove the world has not yet learned to behave itself. First up: Donald Trump threatens to sue the BBC for billions after an edited clip of his January 6th speech sparks outrage and accusations of media misconduct. We explore what’s actually happened, the legal reality behind defamation claims, and why this case matters far beyond the headlines — touching on truth, trust, and the strange modern dance between politicians and broadcasters. Then we head to The Barking Dog, where a pub quiz team has been caught cheating with smartwatches and phones, raising the eternal British question: is nothing sacred, not even general knowledge and the picture round? Mark and Pete unpack how technology, temptation, and a desire to win three pints of lager collide in one very British scandal. Finally, we go global with banana-related trade drama, as U.S. tariffs shift again, affecting countries like Guatemala and Ecuador.Become a supporter of this podcast: h

In this thoughtful and gently sardonic episode of Mark and Pete, we take a reflective walk through three very British stories of courage, dignity, and the quietly absurd. First, we consider Remembrance: the solemn honour we give to those who laid down their lives, and the rather patchier support we offer to the veterans and service personnel who are still alive and carrying scars we cannot see. With Scripture in hand, we look at what true honour means — not only silence at the Cenotaph, but practical compassion in daily life. Next, we turn to the North Sea, where oil workers have been told to lose weight to meet helicopter seat restrictions. This raises questions about workplace dignity, corporate priorities, and whether human beings should be measured in service of the ledger. It’s serious — but we do enjoy a wry chuckle along the way. Finally, we celebrate the opening of the National Centre for Illustration by Sir Quentin Blake — a tribute to the imaginative, joyful, slightly wobbly line that has shaped chi

Mark and Pete, the Reverend and the Retailer tackle three stories that expose the strange priorities of our modern world — from comedy to catastrophe and cosmetic chaos. First, they salute the late Prunella Scales, Britain’s beloved queen of sitcom wit, whose turn as Sybil Fawlty made her both feared and adored. Her death marks the passing of an age when women could be beautiful, brainy, and blisteringly funny all at once. Mark and Pete reflect on humour, holiness, and the grace of growing old with dignity. Next, they descend into the corporate turbulence of Boeing, now facing a five-billion-dollar penalty for missed deadlines and broken promises. What happens when engineering pride outruns integrity? Finally, they bare their teeth at Britain’s booming black-market whitening trade, where peroxide-heavy gels are burning gums and blinding sense. The British Dental Association is appalled — and so are Mark and Pete. From laughter to litigation, the duo uncover the spiritual truth behind society’s obsession with