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Professor Tim Evans of Middlesex University tells Simon Rose of his concern that GDP data is being spun and politicised and thus becoming less reliable and useful. After a raft of trade deals with an Indo-Pacific tilt, is a UK-US trade deal back on the table and, if so, can it be done in time? And, a year on from Liz Truss's ill-fated premiership, Tim looks at the things she got right, particularly that growing our economy should be at the heart of policymaking and understanding that the high-tax approach could be creating a doom loop.

David Ricardo Pearce talks with Director Blanche Mcintyre. They take a deep look into her sterling career in theatre, her work at the company "Out of Joint" and how to include an octopus in a Shakespearian production. This episode of Share Drama was first broadcast on 12th March 2015.

Russ Mould of A J Bell looks at the high rate of departures of FTSE 100 CEOs and, indeed, CFOs. 18 CEOs are going this year, with another 4 already known to be departing in 2024. The figures for CFOs are 31 this year, with another 6 planned next. Such elevated numbers were also seen in 2000, 2007, 2013 and 2020, none of them years investors will look back on fondly. Russ also answers the obvious question, "What does a CEO actually do?".

Steve Caplin waxes lyrical about the iPhone 15, with a camera he's dying to get his hands on and an EU-enforced change to the charging slot. There's also a new Apple Watch, while Polaroid have, despite the ageing technology, brought out a new camera. Duolingo are moving from language into music, students have created the fastest-accelerating EV and the Finns are experimenting with a digital passport scheme. An oscilloscope watch is shipping, a mere 10 years after it was launched, cyclists can get NASA-inspired punctureless tyres and there's a Chinese e-unicycle which can go off-road up 50-degree inclines. Steve warns of the dangers of Amazon selling AI-written books on mushroom foraging.

Many people have big dreams and amazing ideas, but we all know how easy it is for them to be eclipsed by everyday concerns. Great plans are often sabotaged by thoughts like 'Is it really going to happen?', causing doubts to build and that initial motivation to slip away, becoming increasingly less real and tangible. However, if those inspirations are accompanied by a 'What if?' mindset, there's a real possibility of holding on to that initial purpose and finding ways to achieve it. This episode is designed to help you with that transformation.

Adam Cox is joined by Gerry O'Prey of eSIM.net to delve into recent research findings aligning with the forthcoming iPhone 15 launch. The research underscores that a mere 17% of the general population comprehends the inner workings of eSIMs. During their conversation, they explore the fundamentals of eSIM technology, shed light on the public's lack of preparedness for this technological shift, and Gerry elucidates the advantages of eSIMs in comparison to conventional SIM cards. https://esim.net/

Apple’s iPhone development might seem iterative by year, but over time it compounds into huge improvements and reasons to upgrade. Tim Beyers and Dylan Lewis discuss Apple’s fall update and the details on the iPhone 15 and 15 Plus, how the company is using phones to feed content for its future Vision Pro headsets, and why we want to be hearing more about Slack during Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference. Then, 19 minutes in, Motley Fool analyst Bill Mann joins Ricky Mulvey to break down the fundamentals of reinsurance and one misconception about Florida's home insurance woes. Companies discussed: AAPL, CRM, ARM, BRK.A, BRK.B, TRV. Host - Dylan Lewis; Guests - Tim Beyers, Ricky Mulvey, Bill Mann

What does an investor have to believe for today’s share price to make sense? Ricky Mulvey and Asit Sharma continue their conversation about Expectations Investing, applying the framework to four companies with different growth outlooks. They discuss value drivers for a mature automaker, a high-growth payment processing company experiencing a narrative shift, and whether Nvidia can maintain its moat over the long-term. Companies discussed: GM, CP, ADYEY, NVDA. Host - Ricky Mulvey; Guest - Asit Sharma

If the triple lock is stuck to, the state pension should rise by 8.5% next April. That will be an inflation-busting rise but a promise is a promise - and the triple lock is meant to be a cast iron guarantee that the state pension will rise by either 2.5%, average wages, or inflation. Except it's already been unpicked once and arguing about whether the government can wriggle out of it has become an annual event. It's expensive and paid for by current workers, but the triple lock has improved the state pension - and one day those workers should get that payout themselves. Yet, has it run its course and is it time for a better policy than the triple lock? Georgie Frost, Sam Barker and Simon Lambert debate the triple lock and whether to keep it. Plus, why is Facebook Marketplace such a wild west for consumers and what happened when we tried to set up our own (fake) scam? Santander's cracking 5.2% easy access savings deal was pulled this week. The team discuss whether another account will come close in future and why those who signed up to This is Money's savings alerts didn't miss out. And finally, a reader has viewed 40 homes for sale but not found one they like. What should they do?

Here is our 'writing on the wall': the clearest evidence yet that sea temperatures are undermining the Antarctic. Let's not turn a blind eye and follow the mistakes which destroyed the Libyan city of Derna, whose leaders failed to heed their warnings. The total area of missing sea-ice at the height of the southern hemisphere winter is five times the area of the United Kingdom: no-one can justify denial of global warming in the face of this clear evidence. The catastrophic flooding of Derna should therefore be a wake-up call for us all — don't let climate change get out of control. Background music: 'Ether Oar' by The Whole Other Image source: BBC