Three Old Hacks
Mihir Bose – former BBC Sports Editor, David Smith – Economics Editor of the Sunday Times and political commentator Nigel Dudley have been friends since they first met while working at Financial Weekly in 1980s. They have kept in touch regularly, setting the world to rights over various lunches and dinners. With coronavirus making that impossible, what do journalists do, deprived of long convivial lunches over a bottle of red wine or several? Why, podcast of course.Get in contact with the podcast by emailing threeoldhacks@outlook.com, we’d love to hear from you!
Episodes
47 episodes since 2020
Things Can Only Get Worse
Tony Blair's anthem was Things Can Only Get Better. Keir Starmer's appears to be Things Can Only Get Worse says David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times in this week's Three Old Hacks podcast, following on fr...
September 03, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 47
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41:21
Far right violence on the streets of Britain
Author and journalist, former Sports Editor of the BBC Mihir Bose talks to fellow journalists Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley about the week’s events.“We haven’t seen that in a long tim...
August 20, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 46
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57:52
“The ‘We’re here to serve’ mantra sounds a bit trite, but I think he really means it”
The Three Old Hacks, aka prolific author and former BBC Sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley give their analysis of Keir Starmer’s first few days in Government.“The...
July 16, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 45
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48:07
Three Old Hacks on the “boring” election campaign
The Three Old Hacks, aka prolific author and former BBC Sports editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley, can scarcely remember a more boring election campaign.“Boring, but imp...
July 02, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 44
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47:01
Three Old Hacks on the general election
The past week has seen things go from bad to worse for Rishi Sunak, being called out for lying in the debate against Keir Starmer on the claim that Labour would increase taxes by £2,000 per household, then being accused of a lack of respect for...
June 11, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 43
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51:21
Thank you Mr Crombie
Mihir Bose, former BBC Sports News editor, talks to David Smith, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times, and political commentator Nigel Dudley about his memoir Thank you Mr Crombie - Lessons in Guilt and Gratitude to the British.Mihir gr...
May 14, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 42
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49:38
Prime Ministers in election mode - from the pipe-smoking Harold Wilson to the dishwasher-stacking Rishi Sunak
The Three Old Hacks have long memories. Former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics Editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley have been covering the nation's major events for decades and are well placed t...
March 26, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 41
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41:59
But is it democracy?
The Three Old Hacks discuss the power of the people. Recorded the day after the chaotic Gaza vote in Parliament, they consider the safety of MPs, the leverage voters have to influence them, the impact of a powerful grassroots movement supported...
February 27, 2024
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Season 1
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Episode 40
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38:00
Piers Morgan, hacking and the unseemly side of journalism
The intrusions into the private lives of celebrities rehashed by the phone hacking case brought by Prince Harry against Mirror Group Newspapers represent a "dreadful low" in the history of British journalism, says Mihir Bose.The High Cou...
December 19, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 39
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44:31
Holding the line for a free press
The Culture and Media Secretary Lucy Frazer has intervened to scrutinise the sale of the Daily Telegraph to a company backed by the Abu Dhabi ruling family, over concerns around public interest.Would they interfere with the edi...
December 05, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 38
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51:52
Three Men in a Boat navigating British Journalism
Our podcast with The Three Old Hacks, aka former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith, and political analyst Nigel Dudley, has been described as ‘the modern equivalent of Jerome K Jerome’s book
November 06, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 37
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41:47
A perfect profession for spying
Former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley continue setting the world to rights with their podcast Three Old Hacks. This week their subject is spi...
September 19, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 36
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43:52
What the Nigel Farage ‘debanking’ saga tells us about British journalism
Much has been written and said about the Nigel Farage ‘debanking’ story. Thinking a client is a ‘disingenuous grifter’ or a xenophobic racist is not supposed to be a good enough reason for a bank to deny someone an account.But what abou...
August 07, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 35
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41:17
Gamesmanship and Protest
The Three Old Hacks, aka Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith, former Sports News editor at the BBC and author of many books about sport, Mihir Bose, and political commentator Nigel Dudley, have been chewing over the w...
July 18, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 34
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54:58
Is the coronation still going on? Sorry, I missed a bit, the dog needed a walk
Flags flying upside down, Rishi Sunak being criticised for 'not being grounded in our culture' despite his perfect reading from the scriptures at the coronation, and Nigel being accused of being a Marxist for taking the dog for a walk dur...
May 16, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 33
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46:24
Gwyneth, Boris and the economy, stupid!
From Gwyneth Paltrow to the protests in France and Israel and the perennial subjects of Boris Johnson’s career and the state of the economy, the Three Old Hacks, aka former BBC Sports News editor Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times...
April 03, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 32
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27:10
Three Old Hacks consider the week’s news
As the war in Ukraine marks its grim one-year anniversary, the Three Old Hacks, aka former Sports News editor at the BBC Mihir Bose, Economics editor of the Sunday Times David Smith and political commentator Nigel Dudley, discuss whether we hav...
February 28, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 31
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46:00
Nadhim Zahawi, tax avoidance and embarrassing the Prime Minister
Mihir Bose – former BBC Sports Editor, David Smith – Economics Editor of the Sunday Times and political commentator Nigel Dudley discuss the hot topic- Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairsThey thought he should jump, and apologise for embarrassin...
January 31, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 30
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53:55
Opinions of superior excellence
“No nation in Europe is more haughty and disdainful, nor more conceited in an opinion of its superior excellence.”This quote from a French Viscount about Britain some 400 years ago reminds us nothing much has changed, says political anal...
January 06, 2023
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Season 1
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Episode 29
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46:11
A World Cup and a Budget
A football World Cup and a Budget, what better subjects could Mihir Bose, former sports news editor at the BBC, Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith and political analyst Nigel Dudley wish for, to talk about?Let's just say, in a pub...
November 29, 2022
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Season 1
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Episode 28
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46:16
The revolving door of Number 11
The Sunday Times Economics Editor David Smith was with fellow ‘old hacks’ Mihir Bose, former sports news editor at the BBC, and political analyst Nigel Dudley recording their podcast for The Chiswick Calendar when the news broke on Friday that ...
October 18, 2022
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Season 1
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Episode 27
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48:41
Delivery, Delivery, Delivery
The Three Old Hacks, who regularly review the week's news for us, recorded a podcast on Thursday morning, before the Queen's death was announced."Spare us from this false positivism", says Nigel Dudley, commenting on Liz Truss's keynote ...
September 13, 2022
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Season 1
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Episode 26
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42:31
Choosing a replacement for Boris
In their previous podcast Mihir Bose said he thought Boris Johnson would lead the Conservative Party into the next election and not only that, but he would win it.David and Nigel remind him of that as this week they discuss whether it wi...
July 30, 2022
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Season 1
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Episode 25
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49:34
Will Boris lead the party into the next election?
Mihir Bose thinks he will and not only that, he will lead the Conservative party to win it. David and Nigel disagree. What will be the deciding factor? It's the economy, stupid. Former BBC News sports editor Mihir Bose, Econo...
June 20, 2022
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Season 1
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Episode 24
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48:28