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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
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Presented by Jonathan Freedland and produced by Ben Green

The week in review podcast: Bankers, marriage and politics on screen

Jonathan Freedland has former Heat editor Sam Delaney and Guardian columnists Richard Williams and Miranda Sawyer in the studio for the latest Week in review podcast.

Our section on great anticlimaxes in world history was consigned to the cutting room floor when Hosni Mubarak finally stood down as Egypt's president. But before Mubarak's "will-he-won't-he" act, it was those nasty British bankers who dominated the news agenda. George Osborne's much-heralded Project Merlin was meant to be the moment when the government finally backed up its rhetoric with decisive action on banks and the bonus culture. Was it any more than political hocus pocus?

Also in the podcast, after Hollywood gave us a glimpse of politics past with Meryl Streep's turn as Margaret Thatcher, we ask why it's usually only American politicians that are deemed worthy of the big screen.

Finally, we discuss Iain Duncan Smith's assertion that Hello! magazine and the cult of celebrity is to blame for tarnishing the institution of marriage – and cranking up the cost of the average wedding to £20,000.

Have a listen, and post your feedback below.

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