Share Sounds presented by Simon Rose

James Cameron-Wilson explains that all existing films saw a box office collapse in the warm weather while new #1 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness steamrollered all before it with a £19.8m opening. The new Downton film saw a 50% collapse in box office and all other films suffered a worse fate. With only one new film, James quizzed Simon on his knowledge of the film actresses in the top 20 inflation-adjusted winners at the UK box office. How would you fare in answering these?

Victoria Scholar of Interactive Investor talks to Simon Rose about the latest UK GDP figures and the pound hitting a 2-year low. She discusses the sell-off in tech stocks around the world and the switch to value shares and those which provide decent dividend yields. She points out that Apple has lost its crown as the world's most valuable company to Saudi Aramco and takes a brief look at the plunge in crypto that debunks the idea Bitcoin might be an inflation hedge.

Steve Caplin talks to Simon Rose about the latest tech news. After 21 years, Apple are discontinuing the iPod, the UK is to launch a satellite from Newquay, Mercedes' new electric car will go 1,000km on one charge, the Italians are producing a hydrofoil which will dive down 50 metres, smart screws will detect if they're coming loose in bridges, wind turbines and the like, the Dutch are making cracklier chocolate, there's a crowdfunded inflatable tent and solar table and a prototype app could detect the early stages of Alzheimer's Disease.

Russ Mould of A J Bell looks at the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee decision to raise interest rates to 1% with a statement dampening some expectations for future sharp rises. He asks if the MPC (and the Fed) have painted themselves into a corner and wonders whether more debt should have been the answer to a debt crisis. Indeed, can 9 people in a room, however smart and well-intentioned, really set the price of money? As always, he offers advice for investors about what lies ahead.

Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University examines how Europe will cope as it tries to reduce its energy dependence upon Russia. He looks at an article on what those at the top of the Conservative Party profess to believe against their actions and whether Conservatism is ideological or pragmatic. And in the light of America's resurfacing divide on the subject of abortion, he considers why there is so little debate on the subject in the UK.

James Cameron-Wilson marvels at Downton Abbey: A New Era, a British film with the second widest opening of all time in the UK. To his surprise, after the disappointment of the first film, he found it beautifully-crafted, funny, moving and even occasionally exciting and had the best time he can recall in the cinema for ages. However, it only managed £3m at the weekend, presumably as its target "grey pound" audience is fighting shy. He also recommends an amazing documentary currently on BBC iPlayer called Navalny about the Russian opposition leader which includes extraordinary insights into Putin and those who tried to assassinate Navalny. He finishes by giving us the top 5 inflation-adjusted movies in the UK of all time.

Share Radio's technology editor Steve Caplin tells Simon Rose about how Space X is using helicopters to catch its booster rockets - and then drop them! Also the e-buses catching fire in Paris, faster charging for lithium batteries, how to map the moon, a robot that can jump 100 feet, street lights powered by passing cars, AR glasses for the deaf, making better chocolate and how to avoid leaving your baby in the car.

Victoria Scholar of Interactive Investor talks to Simon Rose about the latest US GDP numbers (-1.4% in the first quarter) and asks if the US is heading for a recession. She discusses the surge in Meta shares after its earnings topped estimates. Here banks Standard Chartered and Barclays both jumped after their latest numbers. And Unilever has announced another jump in its prices. Will it be able to pass on higher prices to its customers or lose sales as a result?

UK box office is weak, says James Cameron-Wilson, with only 1 new film in the top 10 ahead of the new Downton Abbey film. At #7 is the highly meta 'The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent' with Nicolas Cage playing himself. It is, says, James, a massive waste of time. He also looks at Judd Apatow's comedy 'The Bubble' on Netflix, with Karen Gillan and David Duchnovy the funniest and at the thriller 'All The Old Knives' on Amazon with Chris Pine and Thandiwe Newton, which James found implausible.