Podcasts presented by Simon Rose

With the Supreme Court weighing up the prorogation of Parliament, political commentator Mike Indian considers where the power lies in our parliamentary democracy and how MPs should behave if they disagree with their constituents. He ponders whether the UK would be better off with a written constitution and, with the publication of his memoirs, believes that David Cameron is the last gasp of a bygone political era.

Steve Caplin reveals the winners of the IgNobel Awards for bonkers scientific research. He drools over the new iPhone and thinks gamers will love the company's Apple Arcade. In auto news there's funding for a project to charge car batteries in 6 minutes, a 3-wheel electric car from Estonia and an electric water taxi on trial in the Seine. Self-driving Segways will soon recharge themselves while e scooters could speed up urban journey times if made legal.

James Cameron-Wilson looks at the UK box office, where Downton Abbey has scored the highest-ever opening for a British period film. In at #3 is the Jennifer Lopez true-life scam movie Hustlers. For home viewing, James recommends the Blu-Ray release of the 1952 Western High Noon starring Gary Cooper.

Helal Miah of The Share Centre looks at recent news from Ocado, Kingfisher, Next and Sirius Minerals, as well as the surge in the oil price. He also looks ahead to what we might expect from Boohoo, Halma, the AA, United Utilities and SSE.

Steve Caplin reveals why the BBC's voice assistant is being taught regional accents, where magnetic north has moved to, Bosch's electric pushchair, the zip that could kill astronauts' favoured tradition, the advent of Wifi 6, how many people google "how to change a lightbulb" and Harley-Davidson's electric bikes for three-year-olds.

Steve Caplin explains how, in China, you may soon be able to pay for goods with a smile (while a hand might do it for Amazon). Hauwei unveil the first 5G phone; Apple launch a titanium card you must take care with; popular face-swapping app Zao has privacy problems, Hyundai have an electric scooter you can charge in the boot while South Korean robots are being taught to feel pain.

Tim Price of Price Value Partners discusses the Eurozone "doom loop", with negative interest rates impacting banks' business models and leading to the destruction of money while bail-in rules cause a slow-motion (but quickening) bank run as funds seek safety in government bonds. Tim explains why the ECB's new head Christine Lagarde may be powerless to stop a deflationary recession, why gold is back in favour and why diversification may be the last free lunch in finance.

Graham Spooner of The Share Centre looks at recent company news from Boohoo, the Restaurant Group, Barratt Developments and banks hit by last-minute PPI claims including RBS and CYBG. He also looks ahead to expected numbers from Associated British Foods, Morrison's and Ashtead.

James Cameron-Wilson dissects the latest box office news with Once Upon A Time in Hollywood regaining the #1 spot, making it Tarantino's most successful-ever movie. Thriller The Informer only manages to enter the chart at #10 while Mrs. Lowry and Son disappoints at #12. James also reviews cinema doc Memory: The Origins of Alien about the sci-fi classic. His home release is comedy/horror In Fabric.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University looks at the political furore over the prorogation of Parliament and asks what it really means. He updates us on the situation in Venezuela where it transpires Nicolas Maduro has been talking to the White House and where Reuters has exposed Cuba's true influence. And he looks at the new age of Surveillance Capitalism, the topic of a new book by Shoshana Zuboff.