Zoya and the crew answer your questions

Summary

Brussels Playbook Podcast — 100th Episode Q&A Special
Host: Zoya Sheftalovich (with crew)
Date: July 20, 2026

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Episode Overview

This celebratory episode marks the 100th edition of the Brussels Playbook Podcast. Recorded live in front of a studio audience, the show breaks format for a behind-the-scenes Q&A session featuring the full podcast crew—including Zoya Sheftalovich, Ian Wishart, Nick Vineker, Ben Runninga, producers Saga and Dionis, and MC Sarah Wheaton. The hosts and producers answer audience questions about the podcast’s making, their favorite controversies, and the future of both EU politics and the show itself.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Behind the Scenes: "Is Zoya as Energetic in Real Life?"

• The team kicks off by dispelling the notion that they "hate Brussels," reinforcing their appreciation for the city.
• Zoya banters with her colleagues, emphasizing the team’s chemistry and lively off-air dynamic.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Is Zoya as animated and energetic in her real life as on air?” — (Ian Wishart, 02:02)
  • “In the nighttime, I roast him.” — Zoya Sheftalovich teasing Ian (02:10)

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2. Brussels Pet Peeves and Listener Feedback

E-scooters and Grocery Store Closures

• Nick Vineker shares his ongoing campaign against E-scooters, referencing recent city discussions on banning them:
  • “Yeah, that was one of my favorite stories this year was about the E. Scooters. And I'm shamelessly using the podcast to campaign on this.” (Nick Vineker, 02:50)
• Ian Wishart discusses the controversial topic of grocery stores closing early on Sundays, which sparked strong listener reactions:
  • “We got some hate mail...People think we're fascists. Neoliberals.” (Zoya & Ian, 03:30)
  • “But anyway, to be fair...I was born in proper communism, so, you know, I know what that's like.” (Zoya, 03:37)

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3. Intergenerational Concerns: Climate Change & AI

Are We Doing Enough for the Next Generation?

• A poignant audience question pivots discussion to youth anger about climate change—and emerging risks from AI.
• Nick Vineker, as "the voice of the youth," and Dionis, representing the younger generation, voice concerns about the EU’s slow policy responses:
  • “I don't think we've started protecting them from AI. I think we're just starting to protect them from smartphones.” (Nick Vineker, 04:27)
  • “The technological pace is just so much quicker than our ability to actually address those risks.” (Dionis, 04:46)
• Ian Wishart connects these anxieties to the podcast’s role as a "human" medium:
  • “That is our battle of humans against AI.” (Ian Wishart, 05:50)

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4. The Future of the Brussels Playbook Podcast

Expanding Formats & Audience Engagement

• The team reflects on how the podcast might evolve, including potential video content and new show formats:
  • “Just 20 minutes of me roasting Ian.” (Zoya, 06:36)
  • “I think the challenge for all journalism...is to go where your audience is.” (Ben Runninga, 06:39)
• Nick floats the idea of sharpening the show's comedic angle:
  • “I wonder if we're going to drop the news side at some point and just lean into the Funny...” (Nick, 07:16)
• Zoya reveals the logistical challenges of switching to video:
  • “But that's something we've been talking about. The problem is our faces...That's going to be an interesting journey.” (Zoya, 07:42)
• The crew considers an afternoon, drive-time edition as a possible next step (08:38).

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5. Daily Production: How the Podcast Comes Together

• Audience curiosity about podcast-making reveals the editorial process:
  • “We start thinking about the next day's podcast...around 2 o'clock in the afternoon usually.” (Zoya, 09:21)
  • The producers, Saga and Dionis, are thanked for their crucial role in research and preparation.
  • Recording times vary: “If it's the European Council summit and we're there until 4 or 5 in the morning, that's just when we tape it. Other days we might do it the night before...” (Zoya, 10:30)

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6. Unseen Moments and Halloumi Gate

What Gets Cut from the Podcast?

• Listeners ask for the “most unhinged bits” left on the cutting room floor.
• Zoya and Nick joke about a secret “blackmail” folder and ponder releasing a bloopers or outtakes episode:
  • “We're keeping safe and the name is Blackmail.” (Zoya, 11:30)
• Favorite outtakes include rants about EU officials’ pay and the infamous "Halloumi Gate" (when Ian disparaged the cheese, angering Cypriot listeners).
  • “I audibly gasped when I heard Ian declare that Halloumi is disgusting. Unbelievable.” (Zoya, 12:14)
• Saga reminisces about a few particularly spicy moments that never made it to air.
  • “Oh, the mffing MFF is probably my favorite...Zoya said f k me, which I thought was very good, but that did not make it on air...” (Dionis, 12:45)

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Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “Yeah, that was one of my favorite stories this year was about the E. Scooters. And I'm shamelessly using the podcast to campaign on this.” — Nick Vineker (02:50)
• “I was born in proper communism, so, you know, I know what that's like.” — Zoya Sheftalovich (03:37)
• “I don't think we've started protecting them from AI. I think we're just starting to protect them from smartphones.” — Nick Vineker (04:27)
• “The technological pace is just so much quicker than our ability to actually address those risks.” — Dionis Glezos (04:46)
• “I audibly gasped when I heard Ian declare that Halloumi is disgusting. Unbelievable.” — Zoya Sheftalovich (12:14)
• “We're keeping safe and the name is Blackmail.” — Zoya Sheftalovich (11:30)

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Memorable Moments & Timestamps

• [02:50] E-Scooters debate and Nick’s campaign
• [03:30] Listener backlash over Sunday shop closures
• [04:27] AI/smartphone regulation and generational divides
• [07:42] The joke about facial suitability for video podcasts
• [11:25] The “blackmail” folder and dream of a blooper episode
• [12:14] “Halloumi Gate” and its unexpected backlash

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Conclusion

This 100th episode of the Brussels Playbook Podcast opens a candid window into the personalities and processes behind each episode. With audience questions as prompts, the team shares laughs, reflects on listener engagement, contemplates journalism’s future, and isn’t shy about revealing embarrassing or contentious podcast moments. The relaxed, jovial tone and insider anecdotes make it a treat for loyal listeners and newcomers alike.

Transcript

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

So good, so good, so good.

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[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Good morning. It's Monday, July 20, and this is the Brussels Playbook podcast. The vibe in Brussels today is out of office. Belgium is about to celebrate its national day, which means there isn't going to be a podcast in your feed tomorrow. But today we thought we'd bring you something a little different. I'm Zoya Shevdolovic and I'm going to take you behind the scenes of our live recording. A few weeks ago, when this podcast celebrated celebrated its 100th episode in front of a studio audience. After the recording, we held a little Q and A. And that is what you're about to hear. It was a really good night, Dionis. Wasn't it a great night?

[Nick Vineker]

It was a fun night.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

We were all in a very good mood, weren't we?

[Nick Vineker]

It was fantastic.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Yeah. Well, we had loads of fun answering the questions from the audience. The whole crew was there. I was there. Ian Wishart was there. Nick Finneker was there. Sarah Wheaton was our mc. Katie Carlson was answering questions. Saga and Dionis, you get to learn a little bit more about them. Even Ben, the man Runninga was there. Dionis.

[Nick Vineker]

He indeed was.

[Dionis Glezos]

He was.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

And here it is. I hope you enjoy it.

[Ian Wishart]

As Zoya said, now we're gonna go to a Q and A, so that means we will be having a microphone go around the room and in fact, while people kind of collect themselves and raise their hand, please do that. Now, I will go ahead and read one question that has come through on slido, although I think it kind of answered itself. Is Zoya as animated and energetic in her real life as on air?

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

I don't think I can answer that about myself. Ian.

[Ian Wishart]

Ian, Azoia's boss in the daytime. So, yeah, he's well qualified.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

And in the nighttime, I roast him.

[Ben Runninga]

As usual, I can't get a word in edgeway to answer the question, but

[Ian Wishart]

yes, thankfully, any questions yet from the audience behind me can also ask questions to Diannis and Saga, our producers. You can now see how hard their job is.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Actually, I had a question that someone sent me, which was, why do we hate Brussels so much, but we don't.

[Ben Runninga]

Oh, that sounds.

[Nick Vineker]

Oh no, we're all here. Right.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

We love Brussels.

[Nick Vineker]

I've been here eight years and counting.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

And you go everywhere on scooters and love the size of the town.

[Nick Vineker]

Yeah, well, don't get me started about the scooters. Oya, we talked about this. Yeah, no, that was one of my favorite stories this year was about the E. Scooters. And I'm shamelessly using the podcast to campaign on this. They're going to be banned next year.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Not if you have your way.

[Nick Vineker]

I mean, you know. Yeah, there's still about seven months, six months to overturn that.

[Audience Member 1]

Yeah.

[Ian Wishart]

I mean, something we have bonded over about our frustration in Brussels on the podcast is the Sunday closure and early closure of the grocery stores. And that's my favorite kind of third segment that we've done. And I thought it was gonna be pretty controversial, I mean, especially for this listenership. But we got some hate mail.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Yeah. People think we're fascists. Neoliberals.

[Ian Wishart]

Neoliberal. Yeah. New world, New world capitalists.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Yeah.

[Ian Wishart]

But anyway, to be fair, like, I

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

was born in proper communism, so, you know, I know what that's like.

[Nick Vineker]

People, you were campaigning for opening on Sundays.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Oh, yeah.

[Nick Vineker]

And the listeners said, no, they don't like it. Okay.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Yeah, they do not like it. Day of rest. Don't make them work. What else have we got?

[Ian Wishart]

We have a question here.

[Audience Member 2]

Oh, hi, Zoya.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Hey.

[Audience Member 2]

So lots of kids graduating today, and some of them are angry at all of us because we're old. And they say we haven't done enough to protect them from climate change, which the heat wave may support. Are we doing enough to protect them? Not done yet. To protect them from AI.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Oh, twist, plot, twist. We should ask the voice of the youth, Nicholas Vineker.

[Nick Vineker]

I'd literally turn to Catherine. Are we doing enough to protect them from AI?

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

I mean, well, you're a former tech editor.

[Nick Vineker]

I don't think we've started protecting them from AI. I think we're just starting to protect them from smartphones. I think it's fascinating that some EU countries are now banning access to smartphones for under 16s. And we'll get there with AI as well. I think there'll be rules around that stuff.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Well, Catherine, Catherine, will AI, would you take a chip in your brain?

[Dionis Glezos]

I'm a borderline Gen Z, a millennial slash Gen Z. So I think that counts me as a semi young person, at least. I think it's also a question of how you're able to keep up so. Particularly what we've seen with people's bank accounts and other critical infrastructure that we all need is the stuff can happen very, very quickly. The technological pace is just so much quicker than our ability to actually address those risks. So we really saw it coming out of America about two months ago, and Europe is only just catching up now while its risk is still developing. And most of us kind of have no idea what's going on in China because it's a bit of a black box. So we only know about the risks that are coming from the States. So I would lean, like, if we want to, we need to get faster.

[Ian Wishart]

I would even just add to tie it back to podcasting. Also. The thing that I love about podcasting is the relationship that I've gotten to build and that we've all gotten to build with the audience. I mean, it's incredible intimacy that you let us be in your ear while you're doing sometimes quite intimate activities, and that is so inherently human. And you've gotten to see we're not perfect here.

[Dionis Glezos]

How dare you yourself, Sarah.

[Ian Wishart]

Again, thanks to our editors. It's not always evident, but, I mean, so that is our battle of humans against AI. We have a question over here.

[Audience Member 1]

Thank you very much. I'm a proud listener. I like the a lot. The Alumi gate, for example. I have a question. I have a question about the product. So what do you think the podcast will be in the next three, five years? Now you have complete dominance, I would say, in Brussels with this format and the morning. Yeah, your morning format. Do you have, like, any surprises for the future, new formats or whatever? I would like to know more about how you think you see this thing.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Just 20 minutes of me roasting Ian.

[Ben Runninga]

I think the challenge for all journalism, it probably always has been like that, but it's particularly the case now with new technology, is to go where your audience is, and some of that audience will still want you see it in the Ballymore at lunchtime. You see a lot of people approaching retirement age still reading the broadsheet newspaper. And at the other end of the extreme, you see people watching TikTok videos and listening to podcasts. So I think the challenge for all of us, whether it's this year, next year, five years in the future, is to try to predict where the audience is going to go next and, you know, meeting that challenge.

[Nick Vineker]

I think I don't personally know, but someone once described this podcast to me as a comedy news podcast. And I wonder if we're going to drop the news side at some point and just lean into. Lean into the Funny, but it's really

[Ben Runninga]

difficult to get that balance right because we do want to talk about the news, but you also have to make it accessible and entertaining and thinking, you know, people or listening on their walk to work or in the shower or whatever. So, you know.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Yeah, I think video is perhaps the most obvious thing coming next. We haven't really done much in the way. I see Ben, who's my ultimate master and overlord in the us he's very keen on the video. But that's something we've been talking about. The problem is our faces. I was gonna be subtle, but yeah, look, it's a tough one. Obviously that's. None of us are television broadcast journalists. So that's gonna be an interesting journey that we take. We might have to dress better cause Ian might have put on a suit today. But let me tell you, we're normally in a base like we're on level four in the Politico Towers. No one sees us, just Dionis and Saga. No one to judge when we roll in.

[Ian Wishart]

I think we need wardrobe budgets.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Oh, okay.

[Nick Vineker]

Next step there is the afternoon.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

That's true twice a day. The afternoon ripe for the plucking, for your drive home.

[Nick Vineker]

Who knows?

[Ian Wishart]

These are the people to lobby right here. If you have thoughts, any other questions from the room right now? Yes, right here. We'll bring a microphone to you.

[Dionis Glezos]

Yes.

[Audience Member 3]

Hello, everyone. It's very nice to see your faces after listening to you every day. But I was just wondering, I have no background on communication at all. I was just wondering how is the preparation of the podcast? I'm very interested to hear what time do you wake up or if it's like in the evening. And how do you prepare to address the topics of the day?

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Oh, that's a good one. I mean, we start pretty. So we start thinking about the next day's podcast in around about 2 o' clock in the afternoon usually. And that's when we think about, like, what might be the topics, what might be the mix. It's also, it's linked to our editorial like meetings as well, where we're trying to figure out what's going to be at the top of the website, what's going to be at the top of Brussels Playbook the next day. So usually we start thinking around about that 2 to 15 mark. And thank God we have Saga and Dionis who like, yes, big round of applause. So they usually kind of will have a meeting. We'll discuss, we'll decide probably the three topics. Not always do we have it all fully Locked down at that time, but we've kind of got it most of the way locked down. And then they'll go away and do a bunch of preparation, help us with our notes. So we get like a little briefing which explains some of the stuff. And that's particularly important when we're talking about stuff that we're not personally reporting on, because the easiest ones, it's funny, they're also the longest. The ones where I've done the reporting or Nick has or Catherine has or Sarah. Those are the easiest ones on the one hand because we know more about them, but on the other hand, the hardest because we've got to condense what we know. But, yeah, if we don't know anything, then we've got the preparation from Saga and from Dionis with like all of the stuff that we need. And then in terms of when we tape, it really depends on the day. Like, some days it's got to be the middle of the night. Like if it's the European Council summit and we're there until 4 or 5 in the morning, that's just when we tape it. Other days we might do it the night before because we've got varying kind of schedules. So, yeah, it just kind of depends. It depends on how busy it is and what the stories are. Some things we can cook the night before, some things they need to wait until the morning.

[Ian Wishart]

Yes. And that. Actually, I want to send our last question via Slido to these unsung people whose voices you don't hear. To our producers, Diana Sinsaga, this question is, what are the most unhinged bits that editors and producers cut out of any of the episodes? Can we. Can we bring.

[Nick Vineker]

Yeah, we've got a whole folder

[Audience Member 2]

that

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

we're keeping safe and the name is Blackmail.

[Nick Vineker]

Or when we have to use it.

[Audience Member 2]

But there is an idea floating of

[Nick Vineker]

maybe producing an episode of exactly that one day. So stay tuned.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

I think I did come into one episode talking about the mother. Mff. And that got cute because of Ben just bossing me around.

[Ben Runninga]

So you're ranting about how much EU officials were paid. Was that got cut out?

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

That did get cut out, because I want some of that money.

[Ben Runninga]

Yeah.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Yeah.

[Dionis Glezos]

And yet you kept Halloumi Gate.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

We kept.

[Dionis Glezos]

No, again, insulting an entire population.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

I wasn't there during Halloumi Gate because I was out. I don't remember. I was in Australia for Halloumi Gate.

[Nick Vineker]

Yeah, we were.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

And I was listening to it. I listened to it when everyone else listened to it. And I audibly gasped when I heard Ian declare that Halloumi is disgusting. Unbelievable. I was like, wow, we're going to get mail. And then my phone immediately started lighting up with text messages from all of the Cypriot presidency people and various Cypriot friends. And they're like, wow, how dare you?

[Ben Runninga]

They were saying.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

They were saying. They were like, I can't believe you let Ian do this to our people and our nation, the great nation of Cyprus.

[Ian Wishart]

We'll give the last word to Saga.

[Dionis Glezos]

Oh, the mffing MFF is probably my favorite. There was also. I don't even know if I can say this here, but I will. Anyway, we were doing something fak related, and Zoya said f k me, which I thought was very good, but that did not make it on air for obvious reasons.

[Ian Wishart]

Perfect note to end on. Perfect note to end on. Thank you all for joining us to celebrate this 100th episode of the Brussels Playbook podcast. Thanks and have a great evening.

[Zoya Shevdolovic]

Thack is in Foreign Affairs Council. Dionis. I'm just saying, so I don't get more emails. All right, folks, that's it from us today. Please do subscribe to the podcast. Leave us a nice review, leave us a rating, and to our Belgian listeners, enjoy the National Day tomorrow. We'll be back on Wednesday.