Sobremesa Podcast

Arron Shulman joins Alan to discuss his book The Age of Disenchantments: The Epic Story of Spain's Most Notorious Literary Family and the Long Shadow of the Spanish Civil War. Here he explores Spain's chaotic 20th century via the lense of the larger-than-fiction Panero family. They discuss the cult classic documentary El desencanto (1976), which po…

After weeks of tension, uncertainty and violent protests, Spain has a new progressive coalition government as prime minister Pedro Sanchez won an investiture vote today in the Spanish parliament. Eoghan sat down with Sumar MP Txema Guijarro a few hours after the vote to discuss the events of recent weeks, the Catalan amnesty deal and where the coun…

Miguel Hurtado is a human rights activist and clergy sex abuse survivor. He sits down with Alan to discuss the recent report from the Spanish government that estimates 440,000 people in the country have been victims of sexual abuse by the Catholic church. They discuss the methodology and content of the report and later the reaction. They also discu…

In today's episode Eoghan is joined by historian Andrew Dowling to discuss the ongoing efforts to form a government in Spain, with negotiations currently centred on the possibility of a sweeping amnesty law for the Catalan independence movement. Pro-independence Junts' pragmatic turn since September suggests a confidence and suppy deal can reached …

Freelance journalist James Badcock has reported on the numerous scandals of Juan Carlos closely over the years from dodgy dealings to his mistresses. He has even interviewed Juan Carlos's ex-lover Corinna. James joins Alan to discuss Leonor's recent elevation to heiress, Felipe's battles and, of course, the playboy king himself. This is the sordid …

Carlos Delclós is a Professor of Sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He joins Alan to clarify what gentrification is and is not, what different types of gentrification there are and how they have had an effect on Spain's biggest city and tourist destination Barcelona.

Joana Ramiro joins Alan to discuss the changing cityscape of Lisbon and Porto. As a Portuguese journalist living in the UK, Joana was shocked when she went back to her home city for 6 months during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Following several articles on the changes taking place, specifically regarding housing, Joana sits down with Alan to explor…

This week Eoghan is joined by independent journalist Leah Pattem to discuss the fallout from Spanish Football Federation chief Luis Rubiales' alleged sexual assault of Jenni Hermoso at the World Cup final and why most international coverage is ignoring a crucial player in this story: Spain's powerful feminist movement.…

Mahmoud Roshdy joins Alan to discuss an alternative way of teaching and looking at the history of Arabic Spain. With 8oo years of history, this new approach makes for interesting listening when compared to the average history class. Alan and Eoghan also discuss the Women's World Cup and what is happening politically after the elections. Photo by Ma…

This week Eoghan sits down to talk to Dr. Brittany Kennedy from Tulane University about the two contemporary Spains. On August 17th the new speaker of the Spanish parliament recognised the right for MPs to intervene in the Congreso using the three minority languages of Spain: Catalan, Basque and Gallego - thus ensuring the state's democratic instit…

This week Eoghan is joined by Vicente Rubio-Pueyo to discuss how last month's general election results fit into the wider political context of Spanish politics since the 2008 financial crisis. Vicente also explains why he believes Pedro Sánchez can be compared to the figure of Adolfo Suárez in Spain's last conjunctural crisis during the country's t…

Alan and Eoghan are joined by sociologist Carlos Delclós and journalist Tiare Gatti Mora to discuss the fallout from last Sunday's general election. The polls suggested a clear right-wing victory for PP and Vox but it never materialised. Now could we see a new progressive coalition or are we facing new elections by Christmas?…

This week Alan and Eoghan are joined by political analyst Iago Moreno to discuss the pre-campaign to July's general election in Spain. They discuss Vox's particular brand of right-wing populism, Pedro Sanchez's attempts to regain momentum and Sumar's chances after a difficult left-unity deal. While the right currently have the edge in polls, it is …

After a sweeping right-wing victory in local and regional elections last Sunday, prime minister Pedro Sanchez called a surprise general election for July. Professor Andrew Dowling joins Alan and Eoghan to discuss the latest developments.

With Spain's new housing law being approved in Congress last month, the current local and regional election campaign has come to be dominated by the question of housing. As rents continue to soar and a new generation of Spaniards find themselves locked out of home ownership, the left-wing coalition government are promising a raft of measures aimed …

Dan Hancox joins Alan to discuss his 2013 book The Village Against the World. 10 years on prominent mayor Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo will not stand for re-election in 2023's local elections. He is standing down from his post after 44 years of public service. How did the village get here and where is it going? Alan and Dan discuss these questions …

This week Eoghan speaks to political analyst Mario Ríos about the current reorganization of the Spanish left around deputy prime minister Yolanda Díaz's new Sumar [Unite] platform and the divisions this is creating among the organizations within the current left space. Mario teaches political science at the University of Girona, is an advisor to Ca…

This week Alan and Eoghan sit down with Jim Jump, Chair of the International Brigade Memorial Trust, to talk about his father's experience in the Brigades, the 85th anniversary of the Battle of the Ebro and why he thinks the story of the international volunteers who went to Spain in the 1930s still fascinate and resonate today. They also discuss th…

This week's guest is writer, historian and guide Catherine Howley. Catherine runs the Spanish Civil War Walking Museum tours with Nick Lloyd in Barcelona and has written extensively on Barcelona's architecture and working-class history. In this episode she talks to Eoghan about the historicial context in which Antoni Gaudí designed his iconic build…

Steven Marsh joins Alan to give an overview of Spanish film. They touch on the autobiographical film written by Franco, how Ken Loach inspired 90's cinema and the legacies of prominent Spanish directors such as Pedro Almodóvar and the late Carlos Saura. Originally from the UK Steven Marsh is a specialist on Spanish film. Before coming to the US he …

Simon Deefholts from The Clapton Press joins me to discuss the memoirs of Kate Mangan and Jan Kurzke, which until recently had been languishing in a Dutch archive only accessible to professional historians. Here he recounts the love story that can be found in Kate's memoir (but not in Jan's!) and how with the help of historians and Kate and Jan's d…

Eoghan is joined by Irish journalist Brendan Boyle to talk about the innovative urban model of his adopted home city of Pontevedra, which has largely eliminated the use of private cars. Traffic in the city of 65,000 has been reduced by 97 percent under current mayor Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores . Brendan also compares his pre-pandemic life in hectic…

Nerea joins Alan to discuss why she is standing as a candidate for Izquierda Unida in for the regional parliament of Extremadura. Here they talk about some of the other factors around the 'empty Spain' and Extremadura in particular.

Alan and Eoghan are joined by IE University's Joe Haslam to discuss the year in Spanish politics - from Pablo Casado's political assassination in February to Pedro Sanchez creating his own luck in the Christmas lottery. Also a shout out to Popular Party MP Alberto Casero who voted mistakenly in favour of the coalition's labour reform, thus tipping …

Jose Armengol, Professor of English at Castilla La Mancha University, joins Alan to discuss how masculinity and aging have changed in their form of representation in Spanish literature and film. Eoghan and Alan also discuss a closely related polemic that includes the Ministry of Equality and Minister Irene Montero.…

Alcarràs, Cinco lobitos (Lullaby), En los márgenes (On the Fringe), El Agua, As bestas and Modelo 77 - 2022 has been a great year for Spanish cinema. Eoghan sits down with La Base's Anita Fuentes to review the year in film and discuss the impact a new generation of women and feminist directors are having on cinema in Spain. Anita Fuentes is also th…