About the
Why Curve

Roger and Phil spent most of their lives oblivious to each other. Then, in early 2022 they met at a coffee shop in Guildford and hatched a plan for an exciting new weekly podcast that would delve into topical issues in a lively, intelligent and entertaining way. 

Roger Hearing is a seasoned journalist, with many years at the BBC World Service, where he's still called on to host shows like Business Matters. He's also had a recent stint at Bloomberg, as co-host of the London-based Daybreak Europe.

Phil Dobbie has a mix of business, radio and podcasting experience. He has hosted a variety of music and talk shifts on commercial and public stations in the UK and in Australia. Now, he's a prolific podcaster. Alongside The Why Curve he hosts The NAB Morning Call, a daily finance podcast for Australian audiences, and Debunking Economics with Steve Keen.

All Episodes

Recent Episodes

Featured award-winning podcasts

Homing In on Homelessness
The Why? CurveAugust 05, 2026x
218
41:5738.41 MB

Homing In on Homelessness

Why do we still have people rough-sleeping in our cities? How can an advanced economy like ours allow people to slip through the net so far, they have to live on the street? Andy Burnham has promised to end rough-sleeping, but how can he do it? Jo Richardson, Professor of Housing and Social Inclusio...

Why Can't We Do High Speed Rail?
The Why? CurveJuly 29, 2026x
217
42:4158.85 MB

Why Can't We Do High Speed Rail?

Japan has the bullet train, Spain, France and Italy have fast connections across the country, China has a huge high-speed network...... and we have the shrunken remains of HS2. Why can't the country that invented railways now create its own efficient, well-managed express train system? Phil and Roge...

Money for Nothing?
The Why? CurveJuly 22, 2026x
216
49:3045.33 MB

Money for Nothing?

As Andy Burnham vows to tackle the cost of living, could a Universal Basic Income be part of his reset of the economy? He’s supported pilots of the scheme, which would give every citizen a living wage, whatever they do or don’t do. Could it end financial insecurity, and boost the economy? Or is it a...