This week, the kid from Hamburg who grew up to become one of the most powerful forces in global fashion. Karl Lagerfeld built not one but three hugely successful brands. After his death last week at the age of 85, we're exploring the flaws, quirks and legacy of this complicated man with the help of Fiachra Gibbons, culture editor at Agence France-Presse and long-time observer of 'the Kaiser'. We also discuss Europe's rising problem with anti-Semitism, some good news for Serbia's gay first couple, and how to make it big in Finland.

This week we're stretching the definition of Europe to the limit and travelling all the way down to the French-Italian research base in the Antarctic! By some miracle we managed to Skype the physicist Meganne Christian at the Concordia base about what it's like spending an entire year living in the most isolated place on Earth (albeit with decent Italian cooking). At the other end of the planet: bears, Viktor Orbán's bid to turn Hungarian women into baby-machines, and pop that pisses off the populists.

 This week's guest is ten years old and one of the fiercest, smartest people we've ever had on this podcast. Lilly Platt calls in from Zeist in the Netherlands to tell us why she's helping to lead the tens of thousands of children across Europe striking to demand action on climate change. And from skipping school to skipping the queue, anti-money laundering expert Laure Brillaud is here from Brussels to cast a light on the murky world of 'golden visas' for sale in Europe. Plus: positive pop, bad meat, and one very happy cellist. 

This week, two Kraemers for the price of one! Dominic's brother, BBC political nerd Daniel Kraemer, is here to explain why Britain has the weirdest parliament in Europe. Don't worry, we kept the B-word chat to a minimum. Plus: Macron and Merkel's Duolingo pact, Ronaldo's millions, and the kindest grandma on the continent. 

This week, smart Finns and a very smart bear. Computer scientist Teemu Roos is on the line from Helsinki to explain why Finland is trying to educate its population en masse about artificial intelligence. And our Woman in Warsaw Ania Jakubek is back with the tale of a Polish wartime hero who just happened to be... a bear. Plus: Greek drama, Satanic tourism, and how to make the internet a nicer place. 

This week, the need for more buzz around Europe: the bee kind, and the excitement kind. Our very special guest to round off the year (and keep Katy company while Dominic was rolling around on the floor) is the Dutch writer Joris Luyendijk, who despite having been named Bad News reporter for De Correspondent has more hope than you might think for this continent as we roll into 2019. Trigger warning: there's a mention or two of the b-word as we talk about why Europe ain't so boring and the mysteries of the British psyche. Plus: Powerfrauen; an all-too-human robot, and the fight to save our pollinators.

This week on The Europeans, two passionate defences of liberty, the political and the sexual. Renowned Hungarian rights defender Márta Pardavi is on the line from Budapest to talk about what it's like fighting with the increasingly authoritarian government of Viktor Orbán. And Paulita Pappel calls in from Berlin to chat about her work as a feminist pornographer. Plus: France's road rage, Luxembourg's road delight, and the greatest ever reason to uncork a bottle of wine.

A special show marking A WHOLE YEAR OF THE PODCAST! Extra brilliant guests are here to help us mark this very narcissistic edition of anniversary annexe/commemoration corner. Flavia Kleiner, whose Operation Libero has been waging a quietly successful war against rightwing populism in Switzerland, calls in from Zurich with some lessons for the rest of Europe. And Andrea Chalupa is here to discuss her new film Gareth Jones, about a courageous Welsh journalist's battle to tell the truth about the famine her grandfather survived in Ukraine 85 years ago. Plus: vote-buying, espionage, and a few splashes of prosecco.

This week, the story of one of Europe's strangest art heists keeps getting stranger; the fate of Poland's judges keeps getting more complicated; and a teacher in one of France's poorest towns refuses to give up on her kids. Juliette Perchais is on the line to talk about what it's like teaching in one of her country's toughest schools and how she traveled the world to bring back the best educational ideas out there.

This week of all weeks, your favourite Parisian reporter and Amsterdam crooner are here to bring you Everything Europe That Isn't Brexit. We’ve got two brilliant guests who couldn’t be more different from each other: YouTube tech guru Marton Barcza, aka TechAltar, is here to talk about why Europe hasn’t produced an internet giant to rival Google or Facebook. And Paris-based comedian Sarah Donnelly walks us through an ethical minefield: to open for Louis CK, or not to open for Louis CK?

Also: a runaway prime minister, political underwear, and the smell of defeat.

A hundred years on from the end of World War I, we wanted to look at an aspect of the conflict we don't often talk about: the role of millions of troops of colour who fought for European powers. The excellent Christian Koller, professor of modern history at Zurich University, is here to help us explore what life was like for African and Asian soldiers who were often dismissed as 'savages' while risking their lives for European governments.

Also: France faces its past, European conservatives face their future, and Dominic faces a lifetime of incessant church bells.

This week, the story of a painting that's been attacked with knives, chopped up, hidden in a cave from Nazis, and has probably had beer spilled on it. It also happens to be one of the world's greatest masterpieces. Our very special guest is Taco Dibbits, director of the Rijksmuseum, here to explain why the Netherlands' national museum is going to be restoring The Night Watch while the whole world watches. And from Rembrandt to race, the playright Marjorie H. Morgan is on the line from Liverpool to talk about the difference between being black in Europe and black in America.

This week: freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom of speech, and freedom to attempt a robbery in Belgium even when you're not quite sure how robberies work. Dominic's been at the European Parliament's liaison office in Berlin chatting to Frank Piplat and Christopher Lade about what makes these elections different, and Sally Eshun is here from Are We Europe to talk about hate speech on both sides of the Atlantic. Also: naughty Italians, balloon sticks, and the beauty of toilets.

This week on the Europeans: bacteria, cathedral thinking, and a Spanish drug lord who got too cocky. We're guest-less this week due to illness so this is a mini-show, but we wanted to drop by and say a quick gutentag.

We'll be back with a fully-sized episode next week. Thanks so much for listening.

The Europeans is supported by Future Europe, a podcast from the European Investment Bank. Check it out here: eib.org/future-Europe

And we're supported by Are We Europe! Type 'europeanspod' for a 15% discount on your copy of the continent's most beautiful magazine at www.areweeurope.com

Whether you're a European passport-holder or not, so much in life is determined by the paper we carry in our pockets. Our guest this week is the Yemeni photographer Thana Faroq, whose brilliant project The Passport explores what it's like to hold a so-called 'unlucky' passport. Her work is on show in New York right now, but she's not allowed to travel from her home in the Netherlands to see it with her own eyes.

Also this week, Bram Hilkens is here to delve into the continent's hip-hop scene, Katy and Dominic have been gallivanting in Berlin, and Greece has been lightening the load for its donkeys.

The Europeans is supported by Future Europe, a podcast from the European Investment Bank. Check it out here: eib.org/future-Europe

And we're supported by Are We Europe! Type 'europeanspod' for a 15% discount on your copy of the continent's most beautiful magazine at www.areweeurope.com

What's in a name? A lot, if you're Macedonia. Emil Atanasovski is here to talk us through one of the most confusing questions in the Balkans, thank god. Transatlantic movie man Kevin Sachs is on the line to explain why Netflix is about to get a lot more European, with his tips for stylish German television thrown in for free. Plus bears, trains, and ancient weapons, we've got it all this week.

The Europeans is supported by Future Europe, a podcast from the European Investment Bank. Check it out here: eib.org/future-Europe

And we're supported by Are We Europe! Type "europeanspod" for a 15% discount on your copy of the continent's most beautiful magazine at www.areweeurope.com

This week a tiny horse made a grand entrance to Europe, and one of France's finest singers took his final bow. RIP Charles Aznavour, trailblazer and source of the most embarassing story of Dominic's life (listen til the end). Our guest this week is Monique Van den Abbeel, a Belgian campaigner for the visually impaired who is soon to be welcoming Europe's first guide horse into her home in Bruges. Yes, this is a thing, and we are very excited about it.

In Week 2 of our partnership with Are We Europe we also talk to co-editor Alexander Hurst about being an American on the continent. Check out the magazine's latest issue here: https://areweeurope.com

Also: a space race, a non-existent wall, and a message from the past.

This week on the Europeans: bad Italian wifi, a bad Danish bank, and badly behaved Spanish politicians. And spiders, lots of spiders. The Financial Times' Madrid correspondent Michael Stothard is on the line (kind of) to explain Spain's growing plagiarism scandal. And as part of our new partnership with the uber-cool magazine Are We Europe, we chat with its editor Kyrill Hartog about their latest issue The Ocean Between Us, all about Europe's complicated relationship with America.

Check it out here — and if you too believe that print is not dead, buy a copy! www.areweeurope.com

There's a big difference between a shelter and a home. After Sweden's elections cast a spotlight on the integration of immigrants, this week we're asking how housing and urban design can affect your ability as a newcomer to settle in a new place. Alice Pittini, research coordinator at Housing Europe, talks us through some of the best examples of housing designed to help refugees and asylum seekers get stuck in and start building new lives. We also chat about Viktor Orbán and the battle for Europe's soul, green jargon, and French superheroes. Plus, a listener sheds some light on Dominic's salty German food mystery.

Read Housing Europe's latest research on migration & housing here: https://bit.ly/2N6p89H 
And check out this neat project they're involved with, Designing Inclusion: https://www.desinc.org