Host Ben McPartland is joined by The Local France’s Emma Pearson, Emma Albright and John Lichfield for a look at all the latest news and talking points from France. We start, as we must, with the heat – as France scorches under a record-breaking and fatal early heatwave we look at how the country is preparing for this new normal, and why work isn’t being done fast enough. The Talking France team would like to offer listeners the chance to join The Local using our
half-price introductory offer. Just click on this link to take advantage of it. Members, feel free to pass the offer on to friends and family. You can find the Talking France podcast on Spotify, Apple or the French platform Deezer or on World Radio Paris. You can download it here or listen on the link below. For those tempted to deal with the heat by stripping down, this week, yet another French town imposed fines on people being topless or wearing swimwear in the town
centre – meanwhile, one French newspaper is tackling the all-important question; can you work naked if you’re working from home? The 2026 football World Cup is in full swing – but did you know that almost one in 12 players in the tournament are French? We look at how France became a global footballing powerhouse, and why so many teams have French players. Moving to France is not an easy process, so we asked listeners for their biggest worries about making the move, and then
tried to address their concerns. And finally, we take a look at some of the useful vocab you will need to discuss the heat and the climate change that is driving the extreme weather. Becoming a member of The Local helps us to continue producing Talking France, and maintain it as a free podcast.
France heatwave, extreme weather, climate change, Talking France podcast, The Local France, Ben McPartland, Emma Pearson, Emma Albright, John Lichfield, World Cup 2026, French players, town centre fines, working from home rules, French vocabulary