How has resistance shaped Britain? With Steve McQueen (Part Two)

Intelligence Squared

Arts, News, Society & Culture, News Commentary

4.2 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 5 June 2025

⏱️ 37 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Steve McQueen is one of Britain’s most acclaimed filmmakers and artists. He is the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Picture, two BAFTA Awards, the Caméra d’Or, a Golden Globe, and the Turner Prize. McQueen’s work includes his first feature-length film Hunger about Bobby Sands and the 1981 Irish hunger strike, the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave, the BBC anthology Small Axe, and his most recent film Blitz. In April 2025 McQueen joined us live on the Intelligence Squared stage to discuss the themes of his new book Resistance. Accompanied by a major exhibition of the same name at Turner Contemporary, Resistance is a landmark collection of photographs and essays charting a century of British activism. Speaking alongside author Gary Younge, McQueen explored the power of collective action and uncover the often-overlooked stories of individuals who have been instrumental in forming modern Britain. McQueen discussed how acts of resistance have shaped Britain and the powerful role of photography as a catalyst for change. From the radical suffrage movement in 1903 through key moments including the Battle of Cable Street, the Black People’s Day of Action, Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp and the Miners’ Strike; onto protests against environmental destruction, struggles for LGBTQ+ and disability rights; and the largest protest in Britain’s history: the march against the War in Iraq in 2003. ----- If you'd like to become a Member and get access to all our full ad free conversations, plus all of our Members-only content, just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. For £4.99 per month you'll also receive: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared episodes, wherever you get your podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series - 15% discount on livestreams and in-person tickets for all Intelligence Squared events ... Or Subscribe on Apple for £4.99: - Full-length and ad-free Intelligence Squared podcasts - Bonus Intelligence Squared podcasts, curated feeds and members exclusive series … Already a subscriber? Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content and early access. … Subscribe to our newsletter here to hear about our latest events, discounts and much more. https://www.intelligencesquared.com/newsletter-signup/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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1:03.1	Welcome to Intelligence Squared where Great Minds meet.
1:05.3	I'm head of programming, Connor Boyle.
1:11.2	This is part two of our conversation with Sir Steve McQueen and Gary Young recorded live in April 2025.
1:16.6	If you miss part one, just jump back an episode and get up to speed with this conversation about resistance, photography and British history. Let's rejoin the conversation with our host,
1:22.3	Gary Young, now. I want to stop there with, because there's hunger, there's 12 years a slave, there is a sense...
1:29.3	Shame, that's a sex, I think.
1:31.3	Shame.
1:32.3	Sorry. Don't forget the sex.
1:34.3	Addiction.
1:35.3	There is a sense of resistance being at the centre of your work.
1:43.3	Not all of it, but enough of it.
	...

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