Skip to content
Sign in
Artwork for Let Me Explain with Seán Defoe
News

Let Me Explain with Seán Defoe

Newstalk

If you don't have the time to keep up with every twist and turn of the news agenda then sit back and Let Me Explain. Each week host Seán Defoe goes behind the scenes on one of the biggest stories dominating the airwaves. Why is it a big deal? Who's trying to spin you a line? And, most importantly, why should you give a damn?

CONVERSATION THAT COUNTS | Ireland’s national independent talk station for news, sport, analysis and entertainment

Listen to Newstalk at http://newstalk.com/listenlive | Download the GoLoud app now, the new home for Newstalk

Play
Open in
  • 32 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 15 min
  • English

Episodes 32

NewestOldestLongest
All20Unplayed20In progress0Played0
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • S2 · E11
    Monday · 16 min

    What is The European Political Community?

    This week, Seán takes a look at what the European Political Community is and why its presence in Dublin may be hindering some people's journey to work, home and otherwise. Let Me Explain...

  • S2 · E10
    October 30 · 15 min

    The Legacy of Sir Patrick Stewart

    From the Shakespearean stage to the bridge of the Starship Enterprise, Sir Patrick Stewart became one of the most recognisable actors of his generation. Best known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek and Professor Charles Xavier in X-Men, Stewart died this week aged 86, leaving behind a career spanning more than six decades. This week on Let Me Explain, Seán Defoe looks back at the life, career and lasting legacy of a man who became a cultural icon.

  • S2 · E9
    October 26 · 14 min

    Harry Houdini's war on clairvoyants

    100 years ago this Halloween the famous escape artist Harry Houdini died. For the next decade his wife would conduct a seance every year on his anniversary - not trying to prove Houdini could communicate from the world beyond, but that the clairvoyants, mystics and soothsayers who claimed to talk the dead were frauds. Let Me Explain

  • S2 · E8
    October 19 · 12 min

    Will Israel's elections change anything for Palestinians?

    With right wing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing the prospect of losing power - would a change in Government change anything for Palestinians? Who are the favourites for this month's Israeli national elections - and where do they stand on the war? Let Me Explain. Episode 254

  • S2 · E7
    October 12 · 15 min

    How Manchester City Became Football’s Superpower

    In 2008, Abu Dhabi money transformed Manchester City from a struggling club into one of the biggest forces in world football. But behind the trophies, Pep Guardiola and the unforgettable Agüero goal came 115 Premier League charges and a guilty verdict. We explore the money, the politics and the legal battle that could change Manchester City’s future.

  • S2 · E6
    October 5 · 17 min

    5 Things To Watch in Budget 2027

    With budget 2027 on the horizon here's five things you need to watch out for as Simon Harris completes his first budget as Finance Minister

  • S2 · E5
    September 28 · 18 min

    AI Will Wipe Us All Out... Or Will It?

    This week, Sean looks at the most recent technological moral panic: The Hugging Face Incident. From this, Sean investigates whether Artificial Intelligence is something we really should worry about, or just another feature of a technology advancing so quickly. The answer might not be so black and white. Listen here.

  • S2 · E4
    September 21 · 16 min

    Episode 250! How Did UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld Die?

    For our milestone 250th EPISODE, we look back 65 years to the death of UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld. He died in a plane crash in the Congo while on a mission to negotiate a ceasefire. Was it an accident, or was his plane deliberately brought down? We examine his final mission and the unanswered questions surrounding his death.

  • S2 · E3
    September 14 · 13 min

    How Star Trek Invented the Sound of Space

    Star Trek helped shape the way we imagine the future should sound. From the Enterprise and its strange electronic noises to the sounds that became staples of science fiction, its influence is still everywhere. We look at how Star Trek built a soundscape for space, and why filmmakers are still borrowing from it today. Listen here.

  • S2 · E2
    September 9 · 17 min

    Lindsay Clancy: Mental Illness and Murder

    This week we take a deep dive into the Lindsay Clancy murder case. A woman found guilty of murdering her three children, but could responsibility lie elsewhere, or how can we really understand cruel acts like this. Listen here.

  • S2 · E1
    September 7 · 16 min

    247. The Woman Who Scammed 9/11

    This week we go inside the story of a woman who posed for years as a 9/11 survivor, gained the trust of hundreds who thought she'd been in the Twin Towers that day - but who wasn't everything she seemed

  • August 31 · 14 min

    246. The bank robbery that created Stockholm Syndrome

    In August 1973 a man walks into a Swedish bank, demands three million kroner and takes four hostages. The six day standoff that followed would become the origin story for Stockholm Syndrome. Let Me Explain.

  • August 24 · 11 min

    245. The day the Mona Lisa was stolen

    You might never have heard of Mona Lisa if she hadn't been stolen from the Lourve 115 years ago. The two year manhunt and the resulting news coverage made her the most famous painting in history. Let Me Explain.

  • August 17 · 14 min

    244. Inside the hardest day of the Battle of Britain

    Immerse yourself in the 18th of August 1940 when the Luftwaffe tried to use overwhelming force to crush British resistance in the air. Follow the newly promoted RAF captain facing his hardest day yet - and the German destroyer squad looking to cripple British fighter command.

  • July 27 · 11 min

    242. Sex, Superman and Lughnasadh

    Lughnasadh: you’ve heard the name, but what exactly is it — and how does a Celtic harvest festival connect to Ireland’s very own “Superman”? Sean Defoe dives into the myth behind the 1st of August, from the Tuatha Dé Danann and the fearsome Fomorians to Balor of the Evil Eye and the prophecy that finally catches up with him. Along the way, we meet Lugh: master of every craft, spear-throwing hero, and the figure at the heart of the festival. Plus: a brilliant (and slightly outrageous) link to the Puck Fair — and a quick heads-up about our All Together Now dadhood special this Friday at 4.

  • July 6 · 13 min

    239. Are Politicians Worse Than They Used To Be?

    Are politicians worse than they used to be, or are we all wearing rose-tinted glasses? Sean Defoe takes on the big question as a new poll suggests Fine Gael has edged back into first place, with Sinn Féin stalling and the Social Democrats still climbing. From “Pepsi and Coke” party comparisons to what Mary Lou McDonald says about Sinn Féin’s momentum, Sean unpacks the fractured landscape and why approval ratings now look grim compared to the Haughey/Ahern/Robinson era. He also makes the case that, for all the noise, the overall quality of today’s Dáil might actually be improving.

Showing 1–20 of 32 episodes