Philippa Gregory takes us behind the myths to reveal how Jane Boleyn became a scapegoat of Henry VIII’s tyranny and the historians who defended it. Drawing on the silences of the record and the resilience of women navigating a perilous court, Gregory explores how fiction can reveal the internal lives of historical characters who we think we know so well. In Boleyn Traitor , Jane emerges not as a schemer but as a survivor: navigating a world ruled by fear, spectacle and the whims of a king who be...
Oct 16, 2025•33 min
Returning to the podcast following episodes around his prize-winning debut The Mountain Under the Sea and his acclaimed novella The Tusks of Extinction , Ray Nayler joins us to explore the rise in authoritarian systems of control and celebrate the power of human agency to drive meaningful social change. These are the themes of his new novel Where the Axe is Buried : a dystopian fable set in a near-future Russia where Artificial Intelligences, technocrats, and a Putinesque dictator come into an u...
Oct 14, 2025•47 min
Dr Kerry Burnight reveals a transformative new approach to aging—one that goes beyond lifespan and healthspan to embrace joyspan : the ability to experience joy from within. Dr Burnight reveals how joy differs from happiness, the damaging effects of internalised ageism, and the surprising abilities—such as judgment, emotional regulation, and humour—that often improve with age. Dr Burnight also shares the four essential practices necessary to expanding our joyspan as we age. With her guidance and...
Oct 10, 2025•1 hr 5 min
From our new technological era ushered in by AI, to the fall of democracies across the globe, the world today appears fraught with uncertainty, poised between repeating errors from the past and entering a new age of the unknown. What lies behind tribalistic claims of patriotism, and on what does democracy truly depend? How might technology shape the narrative to come, and what remains in our control? Bestselling author of Sapiens and Nexus , Yuval Noah Harari joins Ritula Shah to help us better ...
Oct 07, 2025•1 hr 15 min
How has loopholes around social media's censored word, 'kill', found its way into students' essays on Hamlet ? What is the history of 'skibidi' and 'delulu' and how are these concepts shaping the way we think, write, and speak? Linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic turns a keen eye to explore how the internet has transformed our linguistic landscape, from the rise of 'YouTube accents' to the meaning of 'brain rot', from the ephemerality of memes to the enduring power of language to shape con...
Oct 03, 2025•27 min
From the Thames to the Tigris, the Ure to the Euphrates, rivers have flowed through the history of humanity, shaping our civilisations and sustaining our species. Robert Macfarlane and Elif Shafak illuminate the life-giving force of rivers, the stories they have inspired, and explore the crucial question of how humans can coexist with the natural world on which our survival depends. From the Epic of Gilgamesh to the gods of old, from the ancient Euphrates to the Thames of today, from lost rivers...
Sep 30, 2025•1 hr 18 min
Drawing on the economist’s toolkit, she reframes “happiness” as utility, shows how to maximize it under constraints, and treats fertility as “reproductive capital” to be timed and invested thoughtfully. She shifts the spotlight from women “leaning in” to men leveling up at home, and from vibes to data: track time, surface invisible labor, and use BATNA thinking to set walk-away points at work and in relationships. In an age of burnout and performative perfection, Low offers practical moves: pay ...
Sep 26, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Drawing on everything from Dougal and the Blue Cat to Angel Heart , from Walter Murch’s “pickle jar” of sound to Tarantino-style needle drops, Kermode turns listening into a way of seeing: treat scores as storytelling, not wallpaper; hear nostalgia without depending on it; notice how rooms, acoustics, and “vibrations” change performances; and understand why live accompaniment can transform a film in the moment. Along the way: Ken Russell’s emotional maximalism, Under the Skin ’s alien minimalism...
Sep 23, 2025•1 hr 6 min
In 2003, British police infiltrated a group of idealistic young environmental activists, forming sexual relationships and spying without warrant on hundreds of innocent civilians. Among these young activists was Kate Wilson, who developed an intimate relationship with Mark. Unbeknownst to her, Mark was a fictional persona created by the Metropolitan Police to spy on her. After this shocking discovery, Kate Wilson fought back, and now she joins us to tell her story. Learn more about your ad choic...
Sep 19, 2025•34 min
Drawing on Aristotle’s playbook, he shows how to turn rhetoric inward: treat the “soul” as your better self, shift from past/present blame to future-tense choices, separate needs from appetites, and tune out the social “white noise” of feeds, trends, and bucket lists that distort motivation. In an age of distraction and burnout, Heinrichs offers practical tools: the “lure and ramp” for easing into new behaviors, kairos (timing) and chaos as opportunity, analogical thinking, rhythmic mantras (pae...
Sep 16, 2025•1 hr 5 min
A journey of both past and future, of the natural world and metaphysical realms, Philip Hoare guides us through a dreamscape slipping through time and space with the unpredictable guide of William Blake. From William's visions of angels to his radical approach to artistic creation, from his anarchic and seditious writing to the enchanting and democratic force of his art, from his belief in the holiness of every living creature to his staunch opposition to slavery, William Blake was an artistic g...
Sep 12, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Immunologist Jenna Macciochi reveals the “wellness system” linking body and brain, urging us to focus on healthspan as well as lifespan. She explains “immune age,” inflammaging, and the body’s cycle of inflammation and repair, showing how stress, mind, and lifestyle choices—from sleep and movement to diet—shape immunity. Amid chronic stress, isolation, and processed diets, Macciochi offers evidence-based habits: meditation, community, smart nutrition, and supplementation. She recasts immunity as...
Sep 09, 2025•1 hr 3 min
Granted to mythical kings and fugitives alike, enshrined by gods and by communal, human consent, an ancient right since classical times, sanctuary has been a haven, a place of refuge and freedom from harm. It was a sacrilege to lay hands on a sanctuary-seeker: sanctuary was sacred. But in our modern times, with growing crises in displacement, war, and xenophobia, could a revived practice of sanctuary offer refuge and a home for those who seek it? Award-winning novelist, historian, and mythograph...
Sep 05, 2025•1 hr
Distracted by our own agenda, we so often hear without understanding, impatiently waiting for our turn to speak. Journalist Emily Kasriel joins us to show how shifting from surface-level exchanges to deep listening can enrich our relationships with both others and ourselves. From restoring agency through listening, to how deep listening can create a safe environment to explore deeper vulnerabilities, to how we can use deep listening to diffuse conflict, Emily guide us, step by step, through the ...
Sep 02, 2025•1 hr 7 min
One winter’s night, Alex James received an unexpected call. Blur had been invited to play their biggest gig ever: Wembley Stadium. The only trouble was, he and his bandmates hadn’t spoken to – or even shouted at – each other for years. And he now had five children, an out-of-control menagerie of cats, and a sprawling farm to run. This is the story of what happened next. Taking us behind the scenes of a raucous, rollercoaster year, Alex tells Times journalist and bestselling author Caitlin Moran ...
Aug 26, 2025•1 hr 9 min
Long gone are the days when pigeons relayed our messages; now we have a flood of information at all times, from social media to artificial intelligence, all weaving narratives that shape our lives. But the rise of these new modes of information technology has the power to spread misinformation, challenge independent thought, and even threaten democracy. Bestselling author of Sapiens , Yuval Noah Harari joins Robin Ince to explore how humanity can navigate these new networks, and asks, in this co...
Aug 19, 2025•1 hr 32 min
As an evolutionary anthropologist working with human populations around the globe, Herman Pontzer has conducted research that reveals the wonder of our species's evolution and our biological diversity, documenting the connections between lifestyle, landscape, local adaptations and health. He joins Robin Ince to reveal these intricacies and how the way we understand our biology and its interplay with our cultural environments is critical to how we understand our world and one another. Learn more ...
Aug 15, 2025•1 hr 2 min
One of the great mavericks of British music, Kevin Rowland, recounts his formative years and reveals a deeply personal account of his life. From trying to be 'good' at church and to make his mum proud, to thieving and fighting on the outside, from his early discovery of his love for music as a school boy, to his earliest gigs in his brother's band, Kevin reveals the roots of his musical journey, and the lessons they imparted to him through the years. With an unwavering passion for music and a hi...
Aug 12, 2025•1 hr 6 min
Informed by over fifteen years covering the world’s most advanced innovations, Lewington joins journalist Hannah MacInnes to explore the transformative potential of AI and health tech—from early cancer detection and personalised diagnostics to wearable devices that track everything from sleep to blood sugar. Drawing on her new book Hacking Humanity , Lewington shares her own journey of self-experimentation, separates scientific promise from Silicon Valley hype, and asks what it truly means to li...
Aug 08, 2025•1 hr 6 min
It’s the early 20th century, in the small village of Nagyrév in Hungary. The village is so small, there is no post office, no police, and no doctor. And the men are being poisoned. By their wives. Journalist and author Hope Reese reveals the motivations and consequences of this mysterious chapter of the past, this open secret, which became one of the deadliest mass poisonings in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...
Aug 05, 2025•39 min
At the age of twenty-two, Dr Grace Spence Green’s spine was broken at the fourth thoracic vertebra. One day, she was in hospital supporting patients, the next she was fighting for her own life. As Grace came to understand her new life as a wheelchair user, she also had to reconceptualise how she could be both a doctor and a patient, and her now deeply personal understanding of society’s persistent ableism. She joins Dr Xand van Tulleken to share her journey, from how people’s perception of her p...
Aug 01, 2025•58 min
Sir David Attenborough, Miriam Margolyes, Nigel Planer, and others join us for a glimpse into Uncharted Territories , a new audio author showcase from John Murray publishers. This week we have a guest appearance from our friends at John Murray publishers who are sharing Uncharted Territories , their first ever audio author showcase. Here they’ve curated a collection of some of the best historians, memoirists, academics, critics and national treasures publishing on their 2025 non-fiction list to ...
Jul 29, 2025•53 min
Most of us speak a descendant of one ancient tongue: Proto-Indo European. Almost all of Europe shares the DNA of its legacy. Acclaimed journalist and author of international bestseller Pale Rider: The Spanish Flu of 1918 and How it Changed the World Laura Spinney explores the origins of this ancient language and how it spread far from its cradle near the Black Sea. Reaching the coasts of Scotland and the western reaches of China, traveling across the Mediterranean and deep into South Asia, Indo-...
Jul 22, 2025•58 min
How does the body stay alive? And what does ageing really mean, from the inside ? Biomedical scientist and Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Imperial College London John Tregoning reveals the science of staying alive, ageing, and death. Journeying from the nature of genes to the science of inflammation, from today's anti-ageing craze to real health foods and the evolving landscape of diagnostic care, John reveals how we can lead healthier, better-informed lives. Learn more about your ad choices...
Jul 17, 2025•1 hr 5 min
Oscar nominated for her film The Edge of Democracy , which documented the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff and the rise of Jair Bolsonaro, Petra Costa returns to the subject of Brazil's fragile democracy in Apocalypse in the Tropics. Streaming now on Netflix, Apocalypse explores the relationship between evangelical Christianity and the far-right, following the televangelist Silas Malafaia in his work campaigning for Jair Bolsonaro. Petra joins the podcast to discuss this precarious moment...
Jul 15, 2025•21 min
When high-flying journalist Dolly Jones had her children, the idea of returning to work felt daunting. She struggled to find material to galvanise and reassure her, and to make her feel that anything was possible. She set out to change all of that, gathering practical advice, life-hacks and guilt-avoidance strategies from a diverse range of women in a wide variety of industries – fashion designers, taxi drivers, journalists, actors, employment lawyers, doctors, bankers, health specialists, entre...
Jul 11, 2025•1 hr 4 min
Today, you are far more likely to die of heart disease, cancer, or accident than you are to die of an illness caused by a germ: but for most of human history, microorganisms were our greatest nemesis. As recently as 1900, pnuemonia, influenza, tuberculosis, and gut infections accounted for half of all deaths in the United States. And yet, humans had known of the existence of germs since the invention of the microscope and the Scientific Revolution in the 17th century - to precious little advanta...
Jul 08, 2025•56 min
Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt shares a thought-provoking vision of our place in the world in the century ahead. Is Britain a minor player, marginalised by our departure from the EU and dwarfed by the rise of new economies? Or is there a major role for us to play in a rapidly changing international order? With the election of President Trump, the answer to that question matters. A world that was already becoming more dangerous has also become more unpredictable. As competition increases be...
Jul 04, 2025•1 hr 15 min
Tracing his journey through his diagnosis with ADHD, Robin Ince explores his own insecurities and discoveries along the way, from the importance of vulnerability, to finding greater meaning and happiness, to the beauty of connecting with others through shared neurodiversity. Illuminating how diagnosis can help individuals find and understand their best selves, Robin also reveals how society—from individuals to wider school systems—can change to create a more welcoming world. Learn more about you...
Jul 01, 2025•1 hr 19 min
Caroline Darian, daughter of Dominique Pelicot, shares with Afua Hirsch a rallying cry for change, and confronts the hidden violence that too many endure in silence. The Pelicot mass rape trial was unprecedented in scope and nature, captivating France and the world. Dominique’s daughter, Caroline Darian, shares with journalist Afua Hirsch her family’s strength and resilience in the face of Dominique’s horrific crimes and turns the tables on the abusers, placing the blame squarely at their feet a...
Jun 30, 2025•1 hr
