Intelligence Squared

Can Pigs Really Appreciate Bach? Katherine Rundell Live

Intelligence Squared

Show Notes

Katherine Rundell has dazzled millions of readers globally with her writing on fantastical beasts. In her bestselling book The Golden Mole, she profiled some of the world’s most extraordinary endangered animals, including pangolins, wombats, lemurs and seahorses. This critically acclaimed compendium celebrated the earth’s greatest wonders, and offered a rallying call to prevent their extinction.

In October 2026 Rundell joined us live on stage at Conway Hall to discuss a new menagerie of spectacular creatures. Rundell drew on her new book, Napoleon’s Orangutan, to introduce us to twelve vanishing, amazing animals – from Napoleon’s pet orangutan to pigs who can learn the difference between Bach and a brass band. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More from Intelligence Squared

Oct 20, 2026

Few figures in modern British politics have operated as close to the centre of power as Michael Gove. Over more than a decade in government, he has held some of the most senior offices of state – including Education Secretary, Justice Secretary and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, shaping policy across domestic reform, economic strategy and the future of the Union.

Oct 18, 2026

In England and Wales, the total fertility rate fell to 1.39 children per woman in 2025. More than half of the world’s countries and areas are now below the level at which a population replaces itself without migration. Yet those numbers cannot tell us whether people are freely choosing smaller families, struggling to find a partner, leaving parenthood too late or being priced out of the future they wanted.

Oct 18, 2026

In the summer of 2020, as Black Lives Matter protests swept the world, the arts and creative industries faced urgent questions about racism, representation and their role in driving meaningful change.

Oct 15, 2026

Thomas Cromwell helped Henry VIII break with Rome, reshape government and establish the Church of England. A century later, his distant relative Oliver Cromwell helped defeat a king, establish a republic and became Lord Protector. Both men are usually remembered as exceptional commoners who rose through talent and ruthless pragmatism. But neither rose alone.

Oct 13, 2026

Europe’s past is not past. The borders of vanished empires still surface in election results. The European Union and Nato face a world in which Russia is aggressive, America is less dependable and Europe’s own ability to act remains fragmented. Here in Britain, the political argument has begun to move from whether Brexit worked to what a return might demand.

See all episodes →