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Episode details

Radio 4,25 Jun 2026,62 mins

Last Call for the Local: Are Old Pubs the Solution to Modern Crises? (Oisín Rogers)

Radical with Amol Rajan

Available for over a year

The British pub has played a huge part in our lives for hundreds of years: it’s a place to eat, drink, grieve, flirt, celebrate and put the world to rights. Yet thousands have disappeared, and many more are fighting to stay open. This week, Amol speaks to Oisín Rogers, co-founder of The Devonshire in Soho. For Oisín, saving pubs isn’t just about nostalgia - it’s about defending the everyday places that make communities feel less isolated and more human. He’s got some radical ideas on how to save the pub but, as drinking habits change, should we be saving them at all? And what is the reality outside of London where the economic viability of pubs is increasingly under scrutiny? GET IN TOUCH: * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: radical@bbc.co.uk Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and Monday. Amol Rajan presents the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 and hosts University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was the BBC’s media editor and the editor of The Independent newspaper. Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Rufus Gray, Oscar Pearson, and Julian Paszkiewicz. Digital production was by Joe Wilkinson. Technical production was by Mike Regaard. The series producer is Rufus Gray. The editor is Sam Bonham.

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