Step inside The Briefing Room for indepth explainers on the biggest news stories.

A podcast and radio show hosted by Journalist and Author David Aaronovitch.

Listen anytime: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b07cblx9.

**THE BRIEFING ROOM**

Alongside a panel of academics, policy experts and journalists, each week we break down the essentials of the biggest news stories, in the United Kingdom and beyond. From international politics, healthcare, and technology; to the economy, education, and immigration.

At the end of 2024 The Briefing Room covered the following topics: - What’s going on in Syria? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0025l2l - Will new weight loss drugs bankrupt the NHS? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0025vw7 - Is the push for the electric cars in trouble? www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002693m

Our promise to you each week: If you step inside The Briefing Room, you'll be fully briefed on the biggest stories in the news.

**SPECIAL EPISODES**

As well as our weekly episodes, The Briefing Room has also recorded several mini-series that you can listen to anytime:

- Global Tensions: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0kh4p9s - Health: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0kh4nwt

**HOW TO LISTEN**

New episodes are published every Thursday and are usually around 30 minutes long. Listen anytime here: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b07cblx9.

Catch us every Thursday and Monday on BBC Radio 4. Have a look at the latest BBC Radio 4 schedule for timings: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/schedules/bbc_radio_fourfm.

Also, you can now listen to us on a smart speaker. Just say, "Ask BBC Sounds to play The Briefing Room" for the latest episode. It works on most smart speakers.

**GET IN TOUCH**

We'd also love to hear from you. If you have a question or a comment for the team, please email us anytime at briefingroom@bbc.co.uk.

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The Briefing Room

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The synthetic opioids claiming lives in the UK