Intelligence Squared

With the US midterm elections one month away, we revisit highlights from Anthony Scaramucci’s recent Intelligence Squared tour across the UK.

The former White House communications director recalls how he discovered he had been fired, what election night 2016 looked like from inside Trump Tower and how he faced media ridicule. He also considers whether America is ready for its first female president, why she might come from the political right and whether he could one day run himself.

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The bestselling author of more than 36 novels, including Fool Me Once, Tell No One and the Myron Bolitar series, Coben is renowned for his ability to build tension, wrong-foot his readers and create intricately plotted narrative worlds. His thrillers have been published in 46 languages and adapted into more than twenty television and film adaptations, including Netflix hits The Stranger, Stay Close and I Will Find You. He is also the first author to win crime fiction’s grand triple crown: the Edgar, Shamus and Anthony awards.

In September 2026, Coben came to the Intelligence Squared stage in conversation with BAFTA and Golden Globe Award-Winning Actor, Bill Nighy, to discuss the secrets of a good thriller. Drawing on the themes of his new book Plot Twist, Coben gave audiences an insight into the artistic process that goes into thriller writing and explained his own journey from suburban beginnings to publishing phenomenon.

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If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

For £4.99 per month you'll also receive:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts

- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

- 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events

...

Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts

- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

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This podcast has always brought together two kinds of conversation. Original episodes recorded in the studio, and live events from the Intelligence Squared stage. Now, we’re giving each a home of its own, making it easier for you to find exactly what you want to hear. Search Intelligence Squared Live to find out more.

Two podcasts. Two distinct ways to explore the ideas that matter.

Intelligence Squared. Ideas that matter.
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Sebastian Faulks is one of the country’s best loved novelists, known for books such as Birdsong, Human Traces, Engleby and Charlotte Gray. His writing is renowned for its masterful storytelling and bringing historical periods to life through the inner lives of his characters.

In September 2026 Faulks joined us live on stage to discuss his new novel, Farewell to Eden.

In a blazing return to Faulks’ heartland themes of faith, war, and love in conflict, Farewell to Eden is a sweeping portrait of an embattled post-war Britain. It follows Philip Deval, a soldier recently returned from the beaches of Normandy, who arrives in Palestine on a peace-keeping mission in the final days of the British Mandate.

Faulks shed light on the real soldiers’ testimonies he drew on from the Imperial War Museum archives, his own father’s experiences as a soldier posted in British Mandate Palestine, and the legacy of the British Empire in the Middle East.
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What if the CIA and MI6 began spying on each other? This is the question that David McCloskey, the former CIA analyst and co-host of the Rest is Classified, discusses on this episode with Carl Miller.

Together, they examine what would happen if the ‘special relationship’ between the Agency and its British counterpart were to be purposefully disrupted. From a potential technological revolution upending intelligence tradecraft to navigating a new environment where old friends become adversaries, McCloskey and Miller discuss the scenarios that inspired the former’s latest thriller, London Station.

David McCloskey is the Sunday Times-bestselling author of The Persian, The Seventh Floor, Moscow X, and Damascus Station. He is co-host of the podcast The Rest is Classified. David is a former CIA analyst and former consultant at McKinsey & Company.

Carl Miller is a Senior Fellow at Demos and founder of the Centre for the Analysis of Social Media (CASM). He is the co-writer and host of the investigative podcast Kill List and is the author of The Death of the Gods: the New Global Power Grab.

If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more.

For £4.99 per month you'll also receive:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts

- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

- 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events

...

Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99:

- Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts

- Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series

…

Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access.

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