Deep Dive

Episod

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  BONUS: Ceuta Migrant Crisis - Can Europe Control Its Borders? 07.08.2026 24min

  Last week, more than 70,000 migrants stormed into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the North African coast, almost doubling the population of the city in 48 hours. More than 80 people died. Ceuta was overwhelmed: shops shut, residents barricaded themselves indoors and unaccompanied children slept rough on the streets as the city's only migrant reception centre filled within hours.Despite most having returned to Morocco, the crisis has left many questions unanswered: what triggered the mass crossing? Why did the border fail so spectacularly? And can Spain's left-wing government stop it happening again?The Mail on Sunday's chief reporter Ian Gallagher has been in Ceuta, gathering the stories of those who made the crossing. On this special episode of Deep Dive, he sits down with senior foreign news reporter Eliana Silver to piece together how the crisis unfolded and ask what happens next.Host: Eliana SilverProducer: John RogersExecutive Producer: Joseph Luke PalmerFollow the work of the Daily Mail's award-winning Deep Dive team by clicking here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/deep-dive/index.htmlA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Selling Off the World Cup: The End of Infantino? 06.08.2026 30min

  After a World Cup mired in scandal, Gianni Infantino sparked an all-out revolt against his FIFA presidency with a proposal to sell a $4.2 billion stake in the World Cup's commercial rights to a venture capital firm founded by Joshua Kushner - brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared.Just three days after the plan was announced, it was scrapped. But football hasn't forgotten. The leaders of the game's biggest governing bodies - UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation - have reportedly formed an alliance to force the FIFA president out.On this week's Deep Dive, host Henry Williams and Football News Reporter Bobby Manzi ask whether one of the most reviled men in the game has finally run out of road.Host: Henry WilliamsProducer: Sally McLennanEditor: Alex GrahamExecutive Producer: Joseph Luke PalmerFollow the work of the Daily Mail's award-winning Deep Dive team by clicking here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/deep-dive/index.htmlA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  France on Fire: Is the Worst Yet to Come? 30.07.2026 27min

  Unprecedented wildfires four times the area of Paris have ravaged southwestern France, forcing over 260,000 residents to evacuate their homes. The inferno is fast closing in on Bordeaux, France's wine-making capital - an area nearly a million people call home.On this week's episode of Deep Dive, Chief Foreign Correspondent Andy Jehring is joined by senior reporter James Fielding, who's been in Bordeaux since the fires broke out. With yet another heatwave forecast this week, they discuss whether the worst is yet to come, and how local people are handling the devastating loss of property and risk to life.Host: Andy JehringProducer: Sally McLennanEditor: Artemis IrvineExecutive Producer: Joseph Luke PalmerFollow the work of the Daily Mail's award-winning Deep Dive team by clicking here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/deep-dive/index.htmlA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Will Burnham Outlast Starmer? 23.07.2026 36min

  Andy Burnham - the 'King of the North' - has finally become Prime Minister, Britain's seventh in just a decade. In his first speech as PM, the former Greater Manchester mayor promised his government would be a 'circuit breaker', a departure from years of political chaos and economic decline.Yet Burnham governs without a mandate, an anxious bond market is breathing down his neck, and his Cabinet is full of familiar faces. He's vowing to make big political changes, but his policy platform - reindustrialisation and devolution - harks back to the 1970s.Our Political Editor James Tapsfield has been in Westminster to witness Burnham's coronation. In this episode of Deep Dive, Tapsfield sits down with columnist and host Robert Hardman to break down everything we've learned so far from our new Prime Minister's first week in the job.Host: Robert HardmanProducer: Sally McLennanEditor: Alex GrahamExecutive Producer: Joseph PalmerFollow the work of the Daily Mail's award-winning Deep Dive team by clicking here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/deep-dive/index.htmlA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  What's Really Going On Inside Iran? 16.07.2026 36min

  For those who oppose the Islamic Republic of Iran, the knock on the door can come at any moment. Some sleep with makeshift weapons by their bed. Or try to sleep, as each night flag-waving goons patrol the streets and blast pro-regime slogans through their windows.By morning, they wake to the latest disaster. Another early hours arrest. Another execution. Another family ripped apart.Over the past few weeks, Chief Foreign Correspondent Andrew Jehring and Middle East Correspondent Natalie Lisbona have been speaking directly with Iranians to find out what's really happening inside the country.In this special episode of Deep Dive, they share what they've heard and ask: as the rage of its own people reaches boiling point, can the Ayatollah's regime survive?Host: Andrew JehringProducer: Sally McLennanEditor: Alex GrahamExecutive Producers: Bella Soames and Joseph PalmerFollow the work of Daily Mail's award-winning Deep Dive team by clicking here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/deep-dive/index.htmlA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Farage's 'Furious' Gamble: Will the Clacton By-Election Backfire? 09.07.2026 30min

  Nigel Farage has resigned as MP for Clacton and triggered a by-election in his own constituency; a dramatic gamble designed to get ahead of a parliamentary standards inquiry into his failure to declare a £5 million personal gift from a crypto billionaire and the undisclosed use of a townhouse near Buckingham Palace rented by close ally, and convicted felon, George Cottrell. The Reform leader says he's the target of a hostile establishment trying to destroy him; his critics call it a desperate stunt.On this week's episode of Deep Dive, the Mail's Robert Hardman sat down with political editor James Tapsfield to unpack the donations row, the case for and against Farage's anti-establishment brand, and whether his gamble will pay of - or simply hand Count Binface his greatest moment. Host: Robert HardmanProducer: Artemis IrvineEditor: Alex GrahamExecutive Producers: Bella Soames and Joseph Palmer A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  The Defence Investment Plan: Has Starmer Laid a Trap for Burnham? 02.07.2026 30min

  This week, we unpick the government’s long-awaitied Defence Investment Plan (DIP) and ask very simply: is it enough?Joining Chris Pleasance for a deep dive into the document is the Daily Mail’s Defence Editor Mark Nicol, who’s been pouring over the details since Keir Starmer unveiled it on Tuesday.Read Mark's reporting here: https://www.dailymail.com/profile-881/mark-nicol.htmlHost: Chris PleasanceProducer: Artemis IrvineExecutive Producer: Bella Soames & Joseph Luke PalmerA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Beckham vs Beckham: The Next Chapter 25.06.2026 23min

  David Beckham was handed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this month, flanked by Victoria, Tom Cruise and three of his four children. The fourth, Brooklyn, was nowhere to be seen. Six months on from the explosive Instagram statement that tore the lid off the family's private war, the rift is only getting messier, with a "choreographed" doorstep visit from sister Harper and a reported £750,000 DoorDash advert that pokes fun at Brooklyn's own estrangement. Daily Mail Showbusiness Editor Katie Hind joins Jamie East on Deep Dive to unpack the latest chapter in Britain's unofficial Royal Family saga and ask where it goes from here. Host: Jamie East Guest: Katie HindEditor: Alex Graham Executive Producer: Bella Soames A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Iran's Exiled Crown Prince: The Iranian People Feel Betrayed by Trump's Deal 19.06.2026 26min

  After American and Israeli airstrikes killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February, many wondered whether Iran's theocratic regime was finally facing collapse. That came after tens of thousands of protesters had died earlier in the year rising up against the regime. But four months later, the US has signed an interim peace deal extending the ceasefire between the two countries. That deal has drawn criticism from Donald Trump's Republican Party and Reza Pahlavi - the son of the last Shah who the ayatollahs deposed in order to take power, forcing him into exile for the last 46 years.In this episode, the Mail's Middle East correspondent Natalie Lisbona sits down with Mr. Pahlavi to discuss what the deal means for ordinary Iranians. Pahlavi argues the regime cannot be reformed, only replaced, and warns that rewarding it with sanctions relief and billions in unfrozen funds provides a financial lifeline that will simply fuel its proxies abroad while executions and repression continue at home.Host: Natalie LisbonaEditor: Alex GrahamExecutive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Are Reform Losing Steam? 18.06.2026 41min

  Andy Burnham has won a landslide in the Makerfield by-election, a result that puts him in a commanding position ahead of the looming Labour leadership contest.Reform came second with 35%, with Restore Britain - the hardline party founded by Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe after his explosive fallout with Nigel Farage - taking 7%, votes that may otherwise have gone to Reform.Earlier this week, host Chris Pleasance spoke to the Daily Mail's policy editor Martin Beckford about Restore Britain, to ask: with the right of British politics fracturing, is Reform losing momentum?Host: Chris PleasanceProducer: John RogersExec Producers: Bella Soames and Joseph PalmerA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  The Belfast Riots 12.06.2026 22min

  Twenty seven people are homeless. At least twelve police officers have been injured. Burnt out cars litter the streets.How did this happen?This week, senior reporter James Fielding has been on the ground in Belfast following a vicious stabbing and a spate of anti-immigration riots. He joins Deep Dive host Chris Pleasance to make sense of the unrest as shellshocked communities pick their way through the rubble.Follow James's reporting here: https://www.dailymail.com/profile-345/james-fielding.html.Host: Chris PleasanceEditor: Alex GrahamExecutive Producer: Joseph Luke PalmerA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Can Britain Defend Itself? 11.06.2026 39min

  A broken down aircraft carrier. An entire fleet of hunter-attack submarines unfit for war. Dozens of RAF jet pilots stuck in a training backlog. Why are Britain’s armed forces plagued by disaster and delay?This week, defence editor Mark Nicol has been writing about the dire state of Britain’s armed forces, leading the Daily Mail’s Don’t Leave Britain Defenceless campaign.He joins Deep Dive host Chris Pleasance to discuss the near year-long delay to the government's Defence Investment Plan and what Britain's armed forces need to do to prepare for a world where Russia could attack NATO as early as 2030.Read Mark's reporting here: https://www.dailymail.com/profile-881/mark-nicol.htmlHost: Chris PleasanceProducer: Artemis IrvineExecutive Producer: Joseph Luke PalmerA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  The Nazi 'Ratlines' 04.06.2026 34min

  How did some of the worst Nazi war criminals slip through the fingers of the Allies and end up living freely in South America, the Middle East, Africa, and even… the US?Reporter Darren Boyle has written a piece for the Daily Mail about the secret Nazi 'ratlines' - the covert networks that funnelled Hitler's henchmen out of Europe at the end of World War Two.He joins Deep Dive host Chris Pleasance to retrace these routes, exploring how the men did it, what became of them, and whether justice was ever done.Read Darren's full piece here: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15174659/Hitler-Nazi-ratlines-escape-Holocaust.htmlHost: Chris PleasanceProducer: Joe PalmerEditor: Alex Graham Executive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Iran War: The Looming Economic Crisis 28.05.2026 30min

  When the US began bombing Iran back in February, Iran's response was swift: close the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway through which roughly a fifth of the world's oil flows. America has since added its own blockade on top of that, reducing traffic through this artery of global trade to a trickle. At the time, economists warned this could lead to global economic meltdown, but three months later, things feel surprisingly normal. But, three months on, life has largely carried on: petrol is more expensive, energy bills are up, but there's been no economic meltdown. So have we dodged the bullet?Not quite, says economist David Lubin. Deep Dive Host Chris Pleasance is joined by the Chatham House senior research fellow to explain why the real pain is still coming, and why the UK is especially vulnerable. From rising bond yields and interest rate hikes to the spectre of fuel rationing, tax rises, and a potential US stock market crash, Lubin maps out what happens if America and Iran fail to do a deal - and why the longer the strait stays shut, the worse the shock will be to the global economy. Host: Chris PleasanceProducer: Joe Palmer Executive Producer: Bella Soames A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Keeping the Black Cab Rapist Behind Bars, with Carrie Johnson 21.05.2026 48min

  In 2009, John Warboys - the so-called black cab rapist - was convicted and jailed, believed to have attacked more than 100 women, making him one of Britain's most prolific sex offenders. Nearly twenty years later, ITV's drama Believe Me has brought his crimes back into the national conversation. Host Nicola Thorpe speaks to two of those survivors: Carrie Johnson, who has written about her experience for the Mail, and "Sarah", who has chosen to remain anonymous. Together, they describe what it took to keep Warboys behind bars - a crowdfunded judicial review that put them at risk of losing their homes if they lost - and the landmark changes to parole board transparency that their campaign helped bring about. This is a story about female friendship, and a justice and policing system that still has a long way to go.Host: Nicola ThorpProducer: Artemis Irvine Content Editor: Joseph Palmer Executive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Starmergeddon 14.05.2026 41min

  Labour is in freefall. After catastrophic local election results - losing 38 councils, nearly 1,500 councillors, their worst-ever showing in Scotland, and a devastating collapse in Wales after 27 years in power - Keir Starmer is clinging to power.Cabinet ministers are briefing against him, and Health Secretary Wes Streeting has already briefed allies that he'll launch a formal leadership challenge. The question is no longer if Starmer goes - but when.Chris Pleasance is joined by the Mail Online's Political Editor James Tapsfield, reporting live from the corridors of Westminster, to untangle the chaotic sequence of WhatsApp rows, 16-minute meetings and backbench rebellions that brought us here. Who can actually replace Starmer? Can Andy Burnham get back into Parliament in time? And is whoever comes next simply inheriting a poisoned chalice?Host: Chris PleasanceGuest: James TapsfieldProducers: Joseph Palmer and John RogersA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Who Really Are Polanski's Greens? 07.05.2026 37min

  Britain goes to the polls on Thursday - and the political map is being redrawn in real time. Daily Mail columnist Guy Adams has spent a week on the campaign trail, canvassing across Wales, and what he found should alarm both Labour and the Conservatives. Labour are losing voters to Reform on the right and the Greens on the left, while the Conservatives are fighting a "rear-guard action". But the story stealing the headlines is the Greens' extraordinary surge under Zack Polanski - a former actor and hypnotherapist who deploys social media with devastating effectiveness. Is he the hard-left Donald Trump? And as thirty Green candidates face antisemitism investigations, what dark forces has he unleashed?More from Guy Adams:https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15783551/Zack-Polanski-huckster-Green-Party-leader.htmlhttps://www.dailymail.com/news/article-15767291/GUY-ADAMS-finds-Labours-grip-Wales-doomed.htmlHost: Chris PleasanceGuest: Guy AdamsProducers: Joseph Palmer and Artemis IrvineA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  King Charles' US Visit: Politics or Pageantry? 30.04.2026 37min

  King Charles and Queen Camilla's state visit to the United States is already being hailed as a diplomatic triumph - but can royal charm do what politicians have failed to? Sarah Vine is joined by the Daily Mail's Richard Kay, reporting live from New York, to unpack every extraordinary moment of the first British state visit to the US since 2007. From Charles's barnstorming congressional address, complete with 13 standing ovations and some very cheeky jokes, to the story of HMS Trump's bell and a White House-shaped beehive, the king has navigated a diplomatic minefield with remarkable aplomb. But with Harry taking potshots from Montecito, Andrew lurking in the background, and a new British ambassador already in hot water, there's no shortage of drama. So what does this visit really mean for the special relationship?Hear more from Richard Kay and the Mail's other royal experts on the royal talk show Palace Confidential - on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. Host: Sarah VineProducers: Joe Palmer and John RogersExecutive Producer: Bella SoamesA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Minute by Minute: The Chernobyl Disaster 25.04.2026 39min

  Senior reactor operator Leonid Toptunov was 25 years old when he sat down at the controls of Reactor Number Four at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. It was just after midnight on April 26, 1986. He would be dead within three days.At 1:23am and 44 seconds, a power surge of catastrophic proportions tore the 1,000-tonne concrete roof off the reactor and blasted the equivalent of 500 Hiroshima bombs worth of radiation into the night sky above Soviet Ukraine.In Pripyat, a city of 50,000 people built for one purpose only: Chernobyl, the buses were already on their way. The residents would never return home.In extraordinary detail, Minute by Minute: Chernobyl reconstructs how the world's worst nuclear disaster unfolded – from the routine safety test that spiralled out of control, through the desperate hours as firefighters and engineers fought an invisible killer without knowing what they faced, to the cover-up that reached all the way to the Kremlin, and the clean-up operation that exposed around 700,000 people to dangerous levels of radiation.Narrated by legendary broadcaster Michael Buerk, this is the definitive minute-by-minute account of the Chernobyl disaster - 40 years on. Host: Michael BuerkProducer: John RogersSound Design: John ScottExecutive Producers: Bella Soames and Jamie EastA Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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  Iran: Not Strait Forward 23.04.2026 36min

  For two months, Iran has held the global economy hostage through a narrow stretch of water and the world's most powerful military can't seem to do anything about it. With oil prices surpassing $100 a barrel; Trump's ceasefire extended for the fourth time; and negotiations deadlocked between US demands and Iranian hardliners who don't want to negotiate with Western officials, Chris Pleasance sits down with Daily Mail US political reporter Philip Nieto to untangle the mess. Why was America so unprepared? Why can't the West simply take the strait by force? And is the US - long guarantor of the world's open sea lanes - watching its superpower status slip away in real time? Host: Chris PleasanceProducers: Joe Palmer and John Rogers Executive Producer: Bella Soames A Daily Mail production. Seriously Popular Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.