Best Stephen McNally Podcasts (2025)

1
Episode 678: JEAN GUERRERO(2020)-HATEMONGER: Stephen Miller, Donald Trump, & the White Nationalist Agenda 59:51

14d ago59:51

59:51

Ever the real estate guy, Trump unleashes a demo crew on the government, says US should develop Gaza’s beachfront. Elon Musk invades federal agencies, accesses all our data, brags about throwing our global humanitarian aid in a wood chipper. Criminal, cruel, and unconstitutional. Here’s my 2020 conversation with JEAN GUERRERO, about her book, HATEM…

1
S9, Ep1: Gary Kemp, musician 49:04

3d ago49:04

49:04

Songwriter, musician and actor, best known as a heartthrob in one of the biggest bands of the 1980s, Gary Kemp joins Grace for a brand new helping of Comfort Eating. Longtime Spandau Ballet fan Grace hears about the good old days: how Gary poured a tin of golden syrup over baby brother Martin Kemp’s head; how there were eels for dinner kept alive i…

1
Episode 679: JAMES STEELE-of investigative reporting team, Barlett & Steele-AMERICA: What Went Wrong? The Crisis Deepens 1:00:00

7d ago1:00:00

1:00:00

I’m honored to talk with JAMES STEELE, of the investigative reporting team, Barlett & Steele. He and DON BARLETT worked together for over 50 years, won journalism’s highest awards, wrote nine books. Don Barlett died this past fall. Their 1991 Philadelphia Inquirer series America: What Went Wrong? showed how Wall Street and Washington were squeezing…

1
Comfort Eating with Grace Dent is back for a new helping 0:29

8d ago0:29

0:29

Season nine of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent will kick off on Tuesday 18 February. Join Grace and her celebrity guests, including Gary Kemp, Ellie Simmonds and Pete Tong, as they delve into what they love to eat when nobody is watchingBy The Guardian

1
Episode 677: STEVE SCHMIDT-Straight talk from former GOP strategist, co-founder, Lincoln Project 1:20:03

22d ago1:20:03

1:20:03

A week into Trump 2.0, the cruelty and overreach are on full display, and the media and the Democrats are not up to the challenge. I turn to longtime Republican strategist, STEVE SCHMIDT, who abandoned the GOP in 2018 and co-founded the Lincoln Project. He’s now perhaps the most articulate, full-throated and damning critic of his former party and t…

1
Episode 676: The time I was the guest. TERRENCE McNALLY(2014)-interviewed by SARA DAVIDSON 56:11

28d ago56:11

56:11

TERRENCE McNALLY is my guest this week. In February 2014, I took a hiatus from this show after 17 years. I thought it might be the end of the line, and before signing off, turned to journalist and best-selling author, SARA DAVIDSON, to interview me. I returned to these conversations In 2017 after Trump’s election. So here we are - 11 years after th…

1
Episode 675: A life in books & newspapers-editor & publisher-STEVE WASSERMAN, TELL ME SOMETHING. TELL ME ANYTHING. EVEN IF IT’S A LIE. 1:00:00

1M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

STEVE WASSERMAN has spent half a century in the world of books, newspapers, and ideas, as an opinion editor at the LA Times, editor of the LA Times Book Review; and as an editor at several major publishers. We’ll talk about that lifetime of work, how publishing and the press have changed, and about his first book, a memoir, TELL ME SOMETHING. TELL …

1
Episode 674: What were we thinking last time? NAOMI KLEIN (2017) NO IS NOT ENOUGH: Resisting Trump's Shock Politics and Winning the World We Need 54:48

1M ago54:48

54:48

With Trump acting as if he were already president - and madly so - a number of the wealthy and powerful are stepping over each other to obey in advance. A clear step on the path toward authoritarianism cited by both Tim Snyder in On Tyranny and Daniel Ziblatt & Stephen Levitsky in How Democracies Die - here’s my conversation with Naomi Klein, recor…

1
Episode 673: SAM DALEY HARRIS-RECLAIMING OUR DEMOCRACY-Transformational Advocacy Between Elections 1:00:10

2M ago1:00:10

1:00:10

Happy New Year! Let’s work together locally & personally in 2025 as citizens and neighbors to overcome the political and media failures that brought us to this place. Here’s my conversation with SAM DALEY-HARRIS, founder of the anti-poverty lobby Results, about RECLAIMING OUR DEMOCRACY: Every Citizen’s Guide to Transformational Advocacy (2024 editi…

1
Sadiq Khan, mayor of London 44:53

2M ago44:53

44:53

To welcome in the New Year, Grace is joined by politician Sadiq Khan. Born in south London, to British Pakistani parents, he is one of eight children and was MP for Tooting before becoming London’s mayor in 2016. Now in his third term, Sadiq and Grace talk about how doughnuts fuel him during elections, the art of screwing up a tuna pasta bake, and …

1
A Comfort Eating Christmas 29:49

2M ago29:49

29:49

Christmas has arrived at Comfort Eating HQ, so join Grace as she joyfully wallows in her annual Christmas baking session while musing on her favourite Comfort Eating yuletide memories. From multi-Grammy winner Gregory Porter on his mum’s festive cook-ups, to baking extraordinaire Nadiya Hussain on her childhood turkey midnight feasts, plus Craig Da…

1
Episode 672: DREW GILPIN FAUST-1st female Harvard president-NECESSARY TROUBLE: Growing Up Southern in Midcentury 1:02:05

2M ago1:02:05

1:02:05

What was it like for a girl to grow up in Virginia in the days of legal segregation and civil rights battles? What was it like to go to college in the days of the women’s and anti-war movements? The first female president of Harvard (2007-18), DREW GILPIN FAUST, and I are contemporaries, and we look back together at our young years in the South and…

1
S8, E13: Matt Goss, musician 39:16

2M ago39:16

39:16

Join Grace for a twinkly helping of festive Comfort Eating, where she is joined by Matt Goss, one third of Bros. One of the biggest boy bands of the 20th century, it was a tabloid sensation when the band split. Since then, Matt has broken the US and holds the record as the longest-running British resident artist in Las Vegas. Grace and Matt discuss…

1
Episode 671: We were warned-DON BARLETT (RIP) & JIM STEELE-The BETRAYAL of the AMERICAN DREAM (2012) 58:04

2M ago58:04

58:04

I was saddened to learn of the recent passing of Donald Barlett. Here's my 2012 conversation with him & Jim Steele, about their book, Betrayal of the American Dream - one of my favorites. Had the Democratic party heeded their warnings about rising inequality & the destruction of the Middle Class, Trump would never have been President. To say nothin…

1
S8, E12: Paterson Joseph, actor and author 42:58

2M ago42:58

42:58

One of the UK’s best loved character actors, Paterson Joseph, joins Grace for another serving of Comfort Eating. The Beach, Peep Show and Wonka actor looks back at his career and muses on the roles he didn’t get, namely the role of Doctor Who to replace David Tennant in 2010. Paterson remembers his parents smuggling yams in from Saint Lucia, the po…

1
Episode 670: MARSHALL GANZ-PEOPLE, POWER, CHANGE: Organizing for Democratic Renewal-lessons of MLK, UFW, Obama ’08 1:02:10

3M ago1:02:10

1:02:10

MARSHALL GANZ worked on organizing campaigns with Mississippi Freedom Summer in 1964 and Cesar Chavez and UFW for 16 years, helped devise the grass-roots organizing model for Obama’s 2008 campaign, and teaches organizing and public narrative at Harvard. We talk about his life’s work and his new book PEOPLE, POWER, CHANGE:Organizing for Democratic R…

1
S8, E11: Diane Morgan, actor 42:04

3M ago42:04

42:04

Actor and comedian Diane Morgan joins Grace for another helping of Comfort Eating. Diane is best known for playing mockumentary historian Philomena Cunk, droll antihero Liz in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom Motherland, and Mandy in … Mandy. Diane reveals how she keeps a straight face when asking world experts very silly questions, why she was …

1
Episode 669: Good News on the Menu-PAULA DANIELS (2019)-Transforming our food system one county, one school district at a time 1:00:00

3M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

I talk with PAULA DANIELS, Co-Founder, Chair of the Board of the Center for Good Food Purchasing, and recently announced initial director of the Los Angeles County Office of Food Equity, which aims to address the root causes of food-system problems in the region. We talk about what it takes to pull together elements of business, entrepreneurism, po…

1
S8, E10: David Gray, musician 40:31

3M ago40:31

40:31

The multi-platinum selling musician David Gray joins Grace this week on Comfort Eating. His breakthrough album White Ladder topped the charts worldwide and sold more than 3m copies in the UK, making it one of the best selling albums of the 21st century. Now with his 13th album, Dear Life, he joins Grace to look back at how music changed his life, t…

1
Episode 668: THOM HARTMANN-HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN DREAM: The Demise of the Middle Class & the Roots of MAGA 29:57

3M ago29:57

29:57

In 2024, Republicans won the popular vote for only the second time since 1980. After the worst four years of his life, Trump, running against the best administration for labor in years, won bigger numbers than 2020 among working class voters - including Blacks & Latinos. Hartmann’s new book, THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN DREAM: The Demise of t…

1
S8, Ep9: Monica Dolan, actor 43:00

3M ago43:00

43:00

Bafta-award winning actor Monica Dolan shares her ultimate comfort food with Grace. Known for playing cardigan-wearing villains, Monica has been described as one of the greatest actors of her generation. She talks about the hell of Covid shopping, how to play a serial killer, and how a weekly Irish stew held her family together during childhood. If…

1
S8, Ep8: Phil Wang, comedian 44:04

3M ago44:04

44:04

Funny guy Phil Wang joins Grace this week for another helping of Comfort Eating. Phil has a textbook comedy career: president of Footlights at Cambridge University, graduating with agents sniffing at his heels; sell-out Edinburgh shows; and now purveyor of two Netflix comedy specials. Phil and Grace talk about how to supermarket shop with crocodile…

1
Episode 667: ROB JOHNSON & I RESPOND TO ELECTION-Every election now a vote for change. Seeds sown for last 40 years. 1:00:00

4M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

As we have for the last few elections, ROB JOHNSON - Executive Director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET) and host of podcast ECONOMICS & BEYOND - and I offer our post-mortems. Biden’s late withdrawal meant the Dems skipped primaries, debates, and a convention that would have tested candidates and messages. 2024 was another “change”…

1
S8, Ep7: Vanessa Feltz, broadcaster 40:08

4M ago40:08

40:08

Grace is joined by broadcasting legend Vanessa Feltz. From BBC breakfast to BBC London to LBC, she has graced our airwaves – and our TV screens – since the late 80s. Grace and Vanessa take a trip down memory lane to discuss her granny’s secret Jewish recipes she’ll never pass on, her mother’s ‘bombe surprise’ pudding, and how being in the public ey…

1
S8, Ep6: Richard E Grant, actor 41:05

4M ago41:05

41:05

This week on Comfort Eating, Grace is joined by one of the most successful and enduring film stars of the past 40 years: Richard E Grant. The Swaziland-born English actor made his film debut as Withnail in the comedy Withnail and I, and has since starred in the likes of Star Wars, Gosford Park and Saltburn. Richard and Grace chew over the food he a…

1
Episode 666: She got Alito to confess his politics-LAUREN WINDSOR-new doc-GONZO FOR DEMOCRACY 42:10

4M ago42:10

42:10

LAUREN WINDSOR calls herself an “advocacy journalist”. Her biggest scoops usually come when she goes undercover among right-wing pols and donors to secretly record things they don’t want us to hear. Her accidental truth-tellers include Sam Alito, Rudy Giuliani, Roger Stone, John Eastman, and Ted Cruz. Executive producer of The Undercurrent and exec…

1
S8, Ep5: Rob Rinder, barrister and television host 38:30

4M ago38:30

38:30

TV presenter Rob Rinder joins Grace in her east London home to share his comfort food. Rob has been on our TV screens for a decade as Judge Rinder on the hit ITV show and, more recently, making documentaries. His 2020 BBC documentary My Family, The Holocaust and Me, about his Jewish heritage, garnered him an MBE for services to Holocaust education …

1
Episode 665: STEVE UJLAKI-Must See Doc-BAD FAITH: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy 1:00:00

4M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

STEPHEN UJLAKI’s documentary BAD FAITH opens with the following text: “Christian Nationalism is a political movement that believes America was founded as a Christian nation privileging Christianity over all other faiths. Masquerading as religion, this ideology exploits scripture and sacred symbols to achieve extremist objectives.” The film lays out…

1
S8, Ep4: Leila Farzad, actor 41:51

4M ago41:51

41:51

Joining Grace for a big serving of Comfort Eating is Bafta nominated actress Leila Farzad. Leila is best known for her performance alongside Billie Piper in I Hate Suzie, her Netflix hit show KAOS, and is set to star in the next Bridget Jones film. Grace and Leila ruminate on the moot question of batter versus breadcrumbs, travel back to the Iran o…

1
Episode 664: GREG PALAST-VIGILANTES INC-GOP takes voter suppression & election theft to next level 34:42

4M ago34:42

34:42

I’ve been talking about voter suppression with GREG PALAST since 2002. Known for his investigative reports for BBC, The Guardian, and Rolling Stone, his new documentary, VIGILANTES INC: America’s New Vote Suppression Hitmen, narrated by Rosario Dawson and produced by Martin Sheen, reveals that in 43 states individual citizens are able to challenge …

1
S8, Ep3: Stanley Tucci, actor 37:10

5M ago37:10

37:10

Hollywood royalty Stanley Tucci shares his ultimate comfort food with Grace this week. Born in America to Italian parents, Stanley and Grace discuss his love of Italian food, the lows of British food in the 1980s, and exactly which aphrodisiac he and Meryl Streep ate a lot of on set togetherBy The Guardian

1
Episode 663: WENDELL POTTER-Health Insurance Whistle-Blower-Profits over patients and only getting worse 1:03:07

5M ago1:03:07

1:03:07

I get the dirt from WENDELL POTTER about our broken healthcare system, especially the role of insurance companies, who consistently put profit above the health and lives of patients. Potter walked away from his job at one of the country's largest health insurers to emerge as a critic of the industry and an advocate of reform. He’s a best-selling au…

1
S8, Ep2: Maisie Adam, comedian 40:30

5M ago40:30

40:30

Maisie Adam joins Grace in her east London home to share her ultimate comfort food. Maisie is a comedian, writer and actress and one of the most exciting rising stars on the UK comedy circuit. Her critically acclaimed comedy sells out theatres across the land, and has bagged her a regular spot on the TV quiz show circuit. Maisie shares memories of …

1
Episode 662: KEVIN BOYLE, THE SHATTERING: America in the 60s-Are the Silent Majority today’s undecided MidWest voters? 58:01

5M ago58:01

58:01

Here’s my 2022 conversation with National Book Award winner, KEVIN BOYLE, about his book, THE SHATTERING: AMERICA IN THE 1960s. He reminds us that, after the Depression and two World Wars, the Silent Majority craved security not change. I suspect this history lesson offers us a window into the minds and the worldviews of many of the crucial undecid…

1
S8, Ep1: Rag’n’Bone Man, singer 40:36

5M ago40:36

40:36

Rag’n’Bone Man joins Grace for a new serving of Comfort Eating. Rag’n’Bone Man, AKA Rory Graham, shot to fame in 2016 with his song Human. A couple of albums later, he’s collaborated with an incredible roster of stars, from Gorillaz to P!nk, and his back catalogue has been streamed billions of times. He and Grace discuss how oven chips are always e…

1
Comfort Eating with Grace Dent is back for a new season 0:29

5M ago0:29

0:29

Season eight of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent will kick off on Tuesday 24 September. Join Grace and her celebrity guests, including Richard E Grant, Rag’n’Bone Man and Vanessa Feltz, as they delve into what they love to eat when nobody is watchingBy The Guardian

1
Episode 661: ARLIE HOCHSCHILD-STOLEN PRIDE: Loss, Shame, and the Rise of the Right 1:00:27

5M ago1:00:27

1:00:27

ARLIE HOCHSCHILD is the author of best-seller, STRANGERS IN THEIR OWN LAND: Anger & Mourning on the American Right. Five years talking with folks in Southern Louisiana revealed a “deep story” that holds their political contradictions together - they’re waiting in line for the American Dream and Democrats help others - Blacks, Latinos, LGBTQ - cut i…

1
Episode 660: How progressives win in rural America-CHLOE MAXMIN & CANYON WOODWARD, DIRT ROAD REVIVAL 56:06

5M ago56:06

56:06

The Democrats have for too long ceded rural voters to the GOP. When the solution to minority rule is voting, connecting with and winning over rural voters is essential. Here’s my 2022 conversation with Maine state senator CHLOE MAXMIN and CANYON WOODWARD about the the book they’ve co-authored, DIRT ROAD REVIVAL. It tells the story of their winning …

1
Episode 659: The Walls We Don’t See-RICHARD KAHLENBERG, EXCLUDED: Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, Class Bias 1:11:35

6M ago1:11:35

1:11:35

Blind spots. In his book, EXCLUDED: How Snob Zoning, NIMBYism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don't See, RICHARD KAHLENBERG points out not only how restrictive zoning laws negatively influence all sorts of things in this country, but also that such laws are more likely or more restrictive in communities that are otherwise more liberal and progre…

1
Episode 658: 1) PHIL DONAHUE (2007), 2) MUHAMMAD YUNUS (2008) - Wise elders in the news 59:36

6M ago59:36

59:36

This episode, archived conversations with two wise elders recently in the news. First, my 2007 conversation with PHIL DONAHUE who died August 18th at the age of 88. Donahue always seemed to be as focused on the common good as he was on ratings - while delivering well on both. We talked about his decades of work as well as Body of War, the documenta…

1
Revisited – S3 E4: Big Zuu, rapper and TV personality 42:27

6M ago42:27

42:27

The Comfort Eating team is taking a break. So for the next few weeks, we’re looking back at a few of our favourite episodes. In this episode of Comfort Eating, double Bafta winner Big Zuu goes round to Grace’s house for a plate of his ultimate comfort food. They talk about his ‘scandalous’ mother, growing up between extreme wealth and poverty, and …

1
Episode 657: RANDY OLSON - HOUSTON, WE HAVE A NARRATIVE - a simple method to create compelling stories 1:05:32

6M ago1:05:32

1:05:32

RANDY OLSON earned a Harvard Ph.D. in Biology and was a tenured professor when he quit and moved to LA to attend USC film school. His goal: help scientists learn to communicate better. We receive so much input that we can no longer deal with separate bits of information, so we look for narratives. He’s the author of DON’T BE SUCH A SCIENTIST and HO…

1
Revisited – S3 E12: Natalie Cassidy, actor 44:27

6M ago44:27

44:27

The Comfort Eating team is taking a break. So for the next few weeks, we’re looking back at a few of our favourite episodes. In this episode of Comfort Eating, Eastenders actor and all-round hun Natalie Cassidy pops over for a chat with Grace. She and Grace remember the 90s London club scene, discuss the perils of having a fitness DVD, and how bein…

1
Episode 656: JOSHUA DOUGLAS (2019) VOTE FOR US: How to Take Back Our Elections & Change the Future of Voting 59:03

6M ago59:03

59:03

80-some days till the polls close. The Harris-Walz campaign is riding a wave of momentum in the country to move past Trump that feels sustainable to me. I assume Trump/the Right/the GOP will get very dirty. That’s a reality, but so is my 2019 conversation with JOSHUA DOUGLAS, about his book - VOTE FOR US: How to Take Back Our Elections and Change t…

1
Revisited – S1 E2: Nish Kumar, comedian 38:51

6M ago38:51

38:51

The Comfort Eating team is taking a break. So for the next few weeks, we’re looking back at a few of our favourite episodes. In this episode of Comfort Eating with Grace Dent, comedian Nish Kumar tells Grace about some of the most important moments in his life – and the comfort food that saw him through them. They lament the ‘golden years’ of Pizza…

1
Episode 655: BILLY WIMSATT, MOVEMENT VOTER PROJECT - a voice of both grassroots & donors in the Biden-Harris-Walz relaunch 1:01:24

7M ago1:01:24

1:01:24

BILLY WIMSATT is founder and executive director of Movement Voter Project and Movement Voter PAC. MVP helps progressive donors invest in the election efforts of local community-based organizations in battleground states. In that role, during the Biden-Harris-Walz relaunch, Wimsatt and MVP listened to and at times spoke for both grassroots organizer…

1
Revisited - S3 E2: Self Esteem, musician 47:52

7M ago47:52

47:52

The Comfort Eating team is taking a break. So for the next few weeks, we’re looking back at a few of our favourite episodes. In this episode of Comfort Eating, the pop star Rebecca Lucy Taylor, AKA Self Esteem, drops into Grace’s kitchen. Their riotous afternoon includes ‘northern women eating carbs’, the joy of buying expensive jumpers, and some u…

1
S7, Ep8: bonus episode – a few of the tastiest bits from all seven series 29:37

7M ago29:37

29:37

This week, Grace takes us on a trip down memory lane to hear some of the best bite-sized tidbits of food tales from seven glorious seasons of Comfort Eating, featuring the likes of Rafe Spall, Scarlett Moffatt and Russell T Davies. We hear the stories of Jay Blades’ school pudding obsession and Russell Tovey’s teenage love of brussels sprouts, and …

1
Episode 654: ROB JOHNSON of INET* & I (11-05-2020) - first show following Biden’s election - *Institute for New Economic Thinking 1:02:13

7M ago1:02:13

1:02:13

Given Biden’s exit from the race, I thought it might be interesting to replay the first episode I recorded following his election. Here is my November 5th, 2020 conversation with Rob Johnson, Executive Director of the Institute for New Economic Thinking. Rob and I have made a point to talk after the last several elections. This episode is very much…

1
S7, Ep7: Bimini, drag queen 40:02

7M ago40:02

40:02

This week, Grace is joined by east London’s plant-based princess Bimini who shot to fame in 2021, after the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, where they captivated the BBC audience with quippy one liners, high fashion runway looks, and death drops. Although Bimini didn’t snatch the crown, they remain the most-followed UK contestant. Since fil…

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