How Russell Brand "Hid in Plain Sight"

The Discourse with Zoe Grunewald

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Wednesday, 11 November 2026 - 55 minutes

In this week's episode of The Discourse, Zoë Grünewald is joined by Harriet Williamson, Commissioning Editor and Reporter at Novara Media, and Oscar Gill-Lewis, Deputy Editor of CapX, to get stuck into the biggest political stories of the week.First up, following Russell Brand's sentencing and the allegations of sexual misconduct against David Walliams, which he strongly denies, the panel asks whether fame and influence make it harder to hold powerful people accountable. And are the people and institutions surrounding celebrities doing enough to challenge bad behaviour?Next, with the second phase of an independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes announced, the panel looks at why disadvantaged white British pupils are falling behind. We ask what’s really driving the attainment gap and whether the issue is being turned into a political football.Then, are the Tories making a comeback? With new polling putting Kemi Badenoch's Conservatives ahead of Reform UK, Harriet and Oscar discuss whether the party is finally turning things around and what it could mean for Nigel Farage.Finally, in Politics IRL, Zoë puts a listener's question to the panel: what can men actually do to better support the women in their lives? From calling out sexist comments to challenging inappropriate behaviour, they discuss what being a good ally looks like in practice.Guests:Harriet Williamson, Commissioning Editor and Reporter at Novara Media. You can find her on Instagram here.Oscar Gill-Lewis, Deputy Editor at CapX. You can find him on X here. Presenter: Zoë Grünewald. You can find her on Instagram here.Producer: Monica Lillis

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