What You Need To Know

ITV News

The quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories. Our team of specialist correspondents plus guests bring you information and analysis you can trust so you get What You Need To Know in minutes.

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705 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes705

Newest first

Jul 10, 2020 · 10 min
Florida’s pub mistake that the UK can learn from
It’s one of the go-to destinations for a sun-filled summer holiday, but Florida has been far from immune from Covid-19. ITV News International Affairs Editor Rageh Omaar talks to Fort Lauderdale mayor Dean Trantalis on how his county and the state itself has handled the virus and learned along the way. Mayor Trantalis has a direct warning for the UK based on his experience of what happened when Florida reopened its bars and restaurants. As he says: “It’s an education curve that we all have to go through until we find a vaccine, until we find a cure.” So how is he balancing the cost of lives with the cost of livelihoods and what are the new restrictions for people flying from the UK to holiday in Florida once regular travel resumes?
Jul 9, 2020 · 24 min
How the gym experience will change when they reopen
The government's green light for gyms to reopen ends months of fitness goers being locked out of their usual places of workout. On the eve of the announcement Pure Gym ceo Humphrey Cobbold and Professor Greg Whyte told ITV News Presenter Lucrezia Millarini what gymgoers could expect when they return. With Pure Gym already open abroad, a working template is there for social distancing measures. But how do they work in practice? Will gyms introduce temperature testing? And can we really expect to not touch our faces while sweating on a treadmill?
Jul 8, 2020 · 21 min
The lessons learned travelling around a tourist-free Europe
While everyone else has been largely restricted from travel these past four months, Emma Murphy has been almost permanently on the go - far away from home. The ITV News Correspondent has been switching back and forth between Italy, Spain, Portugal and France, reporting from some of the world's most famous tourist sites now free of tourists - or as she describes it to ITV News Presenter Mary Nightingale "with more pigeons than people". So what has she learned from our near neighbours' approach to coronavirus and how does it compare with the UK? What do people need to know before embarking on the new kind of travel? And after reporting from war zones in the past, how has this experience of tracking a pandemic affected her? Plus find out what's the one thing - besides your passport and your mask - that you can't afford to leave home without...
Jul 7, 2020 · 25 min
Will the UK's four nations stay united after coronavirus?
The four-nation approach to handling coronavirus has seen the UK divided like never before. Rather than be led by the UK government, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have all adopted their own set of rules and restrictions while facing the pandemic. So what does that mean for the future of the UK? Will there be a demand for more power to be devolved to the nations once lockdown is over? Will decision-making in the UK ever be the same again? To answer those heavyweight questions, ITV Cymru Wales Political Editor Adrian Masters talks to two people with insider knowledge of how power is wielded in the UK, Matt Greenough and Lauren McEvatt.
Jul 3, 2020 · 20 min
Comic Marcus Brigstocke on Zoom gigs and joking about the coronavirus
Marcus Brigstocke has become a household name as a comedian - so what has life been like for the TV star now he’s only able to broadcast from his own home? He spoke to Kylie Pentelow about the challenges he and others have been facing in lockdown and whether it’s right to joke about the coronavirus. Plus he explains how a new Drive-In Club venture will get people out to see live stand-ups again, from the comfort of their car seats.
Jul 2, 2020 · 36 min
How do you grieve when you can't give your loved ones a hug?
“You’ve got my cousins just crying and you can’t do anything.” In this emotional extended edition of the podcast, Charlene White tells fellow ITV News Presenter Julie Etchingham how hard it was to attend a socially-distanced funeral. Lockdown measures have changed how we pay our respects. Funeral mourners are limited to just a handful of close family members and passing a tissue to a teary relative could land you in trouble. Charlene explains how the stripped back process was a world away from the nine-nights - a traditional Jamaican wake that lasts for several days - she is used to and why her aunt's send-off still feels unfinished. She also discusses why coronavirus has felt so close to home in her community and discusses the reaction she got to highlighting the disproportionate impact of the virus on ethnic minorities and black people. Charlene and Julie also discuss the explosion of the Black Lives Matter protest movement in the wake of the death of George Floyd in the US and the prospects of lasting change in British society and family conversations across the UK.
Jul 1, 2020 · 15 min
How do you recover after lockdown ruins your big career moment?
The introduction of lockdown impacted so many people’s working lives. For Stephen Laughton it stopped short his career’s ambition. The playwright had been working hand to mouth before finally seeing one of his plays, One Jewish Boy, open to packed audiences and rave reviews in London’s West End. Then a week later the introduction of lockdown shut theatres, blocked crowds and left his play with no certain date of return. Which meant TV and film deals were all put on pause, leaving Stephen in real uncertainty. Speaking from New York, he describes his experience to ITV News Presenter Mary Nightingale, discusses the impact on the industry and offers a spirited defence of the need for the arts in all our lives. Plus he has a message for theatre director-turned-Hollywood heavyweight Sam Mendes.
Jun 30, 2020 · 20 min
Does lockdown easing worry you? Follow this advice
“You’ll have some people celebrating and being thrilled. You’ll have other people really terrified of making those first steps into the communities they once felt completely at peace within.” So says TV presenter and psychologist Emma Kenny on how different people are likely to respond to the easing of lockdown measures. She has timely advice for those suffering from ‘return anxiety’ as things in society begin to resemble what life was like pre-pandemic. The Manchester-based psychologist talks Kylie Pentelow through key strategies for dealing with common concerns, like stepping out in public, sending children back to school or preparing to mix with a lot of people after months of isolated living.
Jun 23, 2020 · 16 min
How can lockdown improve our lives and the way we work?
Lockdown has drastically changed the way we live our lives. While the dramatic restrictions have hindered so many freedoms, some have found benefits from the simplification of their daily lives. Could it be that once the lockdown is over, people will look to retain some elements of this newfound simpler form of living? Or will the pace of 'normal' life overrun our best intentions? In this episode, psychotherapist John Halker explains to ITV Channel's Gary Burgess how we could use what we've learned to appreciate amid the pandemic to improve society and the way we work. What are the steps we can take to better appreciate our own lives?
Jun 22, 2020 · 20 min
Meghan Markle and Alexa Chung's hairstylist on how you can get a safe haircut
Are you desperate for a haircut? The wait could soon be over with salons and hairdressers hopeful of reopening by summer. Hairdressers to the stars George Northwood explains to Kylie Pentelow how salons like his are taking steps to reopen safely, why he’s expecting to deal with some drastic DIY cuts and why lockdown has made him rethink what getting a haircut means to people. George - whose clients include Meghan Markle and Alexa Chung - says he and other salon owners are not prepared to compromise on safety and those coming in for cuts must understand it won't be the same as their pre-lockdown haircut experience. Plus, he discusses his experience of the past few months and how he replied to the "few requests" he received to give a sly trim to his clients at the height of lockdown.
Jun 19, 2020 · 21 min
How has lockdown affected house prices and renting?
Despite the strict stay-at-home restrictions at the start of lockdown, some brave people continued to move home - often through forced circumstances. Mary Nightingale speaks to Monica Menniti who was stuck living with her ex-fiancé when lockdown started and had an anything-but-ideal experience when she moved into a studio flat in London which she'd only seen through a virtual viewing. Miles Shipside from Rightmove.com then explains how lockdown has affected the way people search for their next home - and the way people advertise their properties. And as our nation prepares to potentially change its way of life dramatically whenever the post-pandemic begins, he gives his thoughts on how that could impact on the houses we want to live in as more and more people work from home (WFH).
Jun 18, 2020 · 19 min
Duncan Goodhew on how swimming can be safe
ITV News Presenter Kylie Pentelow speaks to British swimming legend Duncan Goodhew on the future of the nation’s favourite form of exercise. “It’s the longest time I’ve been out of the water. It’s not been easy,” he admits as he and other avid swimmers endure a third month of pools being shut across the UK with no return date in sight. The Olympic golden boy at Moscow 1980 is now president of the Swimathon charity and explains the actions he wants to see taken to get pools back open amid lockdown. He explains why swimming pools should not be prioritised behind gyms and the changes which could be made to limit the spread of the virus. Duncan also explains the action he wants government to take to help save under-threat pools and questions the role of lifeguards in the short term. And he asks whether the 2m rule should apply to swimmers, while arguing pools can be made viable for the whole community.
Jun 17, 2020 · 14 min
Q&A: Should we wear PPE that covers our eyes?
Coronavirus: Q&A, which airs on ITV every Monday night, puts your questions to key public figures involved in making the big decisions affecting our lives at the moment, plus our resident health and consumer affairs experts. ITV News Presenter Nina Hossain puts viewers' health and consumer questions to Dr Sarah Jarvis, CEO of the British Retail Consortium Helen Dickinson and Political Correspondent Daniel Hewitt. Among the questions this week: Should we wear PPE that covers our eyes? Will social distancing make our immune systems weaker? And how will retailers be able to cope now the shops have re-opened? Plus we hear from a viewer who is worried their newborn granddaughter won't be able to travel abroad as they have been unable to register her birth. You can listen to previous episodes of the Coronavirus: Q&A on this podcast feed or check out the full programme on our YouTube page.
Jun 16, 2020 · 24 min
Everything you need to know about the Premier League return
The national sport is back on June 17 as wall-to-wall football comes to living rooms and smartphones across the UK. The Premier League insists footballers are safer on the pitch than at the supermarket, but how will the games in empty stadia work in practice and what happens if an outbreak of the virus hits one of the 20 teams? Sports Editor Steve Scott talks Mary Nightingale through all the issues, including the prospect of Liverpool clinching their first title in 30 years at the home of their city rivals Everton: will the fans really follow the law and stay away?
Jun 15, 2020 · 23 min
What can the UK learn from a country now declared virus-free?
The Faroe Islands has become one of the first countries in the world to declare itself Covid-19 free. Scotland Correspondent Peter Smith speaks to member of parliament, Kristina Háfoss, who explains how a swift in the strategy brought in in March has succeeded. She argues there were disadvantages as well as advantages to fighting a pandemic among a relatively small population. And she explains what other nations could learn from its approach, particularly its testing regime.
Jun 12, 2020 · 24 min
UK's first hotels to reopen - but how will they be safe?
Northern Ireland is the first country in the UK to confirm it will reopen its hotels. July 20 is set to be the day guests are welcomed back for a night or an extended stay away from home. So how will social distancing work and can hotels really ensure there will be no spread of the virus as people stay from one night to the next? UTV's Gareth Wilkinson spoke to Claire Hunter of the Marine Hotel in Ballycastle as she prepared to pioneer the new normal in her industry. The interview was recorded prior to the Republic confirming it is opening hotels at the end of June rather than be in sync with Northern Ireland.
Jun 11, 2020 · 17 min
The part of the British Isles where the pubs and schools are open
The pubs are open, along with restaurants and cafes, and the kids are back at school - while the hairdressers are back in business. And all on the British Isles. While the UK may be in lockdown, the British Crown dependency Guernsey has managed to return its islanders to something that looks very much like normal life. One person earning an enormous amount of credit for that success is Dr Nicola Brink, the director of public health for Guernsey and Alderney. In this fascinating discussion with ITV Channel’s Gary Burgess she explains how she and colleagues initiated a test and trace system months ago, introduced phrases of household bubbles and engaged the community to drive the changes which has led to lockdown easing. With more than 40 days without a new reported case of Covid-19, it’s led to Guernsey being dubbed the New Zealand of the Northern Hemisphere.
Jun 10, 2020 · 24 min
Can we trust China's claims about the virus?
The World Health Organisation has praised China for its response to Covid-19 but some people are sceptical. ITV News Presenter Mary Nightingale talks to Asia Correspondent Debi Edward who has been reporting from both Beijing and Wuhan since the outbreak started. Debi has interviewed families who have lost loved ones from coronavirus and questioned health officials about what is and isn't being reported. With just over 84,000 cases in the country compared to the UK's staggering 290,000, what has China done well and is it sharing everything it knows about the virus?
Jun 9, 2020 · 15 min
Q&A travel special: Can I go on holiday abroad in July?
In this episode of our podcast, we bring you this week's audio version of ITV News' weekly programme, Coronavirus: Q&A, which airs every Monday night. The programme puts your questions to key public figures involved in making the big decisions affecting our lives at the moment, plus our resident health and consumer affairs experts. ITV News Presenter Nina Hossain puts viewers' health and consumer questions to Dr Sarah Jarvis and travel writer Simon Calder. Among the questions this week: Can I go on holiday abroad in July? Will I be able to get a refund for a flight if I'm shielding? And how can I socially distance at an airport? Plus we find out who should be wearing face coverings and how to properly remove them. You can watch Coronavirus: Q&A live on ITV every Monday at 8pm and we'll bring you an audio version of each edition on this podcast feed. If you have a health or consumer question you would like our experts to answer on the programme, email coronavirus@itv.com.
Jun 5, 2020 · 26 min
Will anti-lockdown stance bring down Bolsonaro in Brazil?
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has left a country divided with his handling of the coronavirus outbreak. ITV News Presenter Mary Nightingale talks to correspondent Juliet Bremner who has been reporting from the South American country during the outbreak. From protests on Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Copacabana Beach to the bedside of patients in São Paulo, we get the latest at how the country - which has been recording over 1,000 deaths a day - is coping. Juliet explains what's next for the nation and if Covid-19 will be Bolsonaro's downfall.