International Women’s Podcast Awards
Moment of Entrepreneurial Inspiration
The International Women’s Podcast Awards recognise moments of brilliance in podcasting and the women and non-binary folk that produce them.
Episodes
5 days ago
5 days ago
As NASA prepares to land people on the Moon for the first time since 1972, aerospace physiologist Dr Tess Morris-Paterson talks about her work selecting astronauts for missions like Artemis and what it takes to become an astronaut.
Tess explains the lunar orbit of the Moon's South Pole, discusses plans for astronauts to live and work under the Moon's surface, and how these missions will pave the way to travel to Mars using hydrogen from the lunar ice caps.
Tess went through the gruelling selection process herself with the European Space Agency. Combining her aerospace knowledge with a decade working in Formula One and Premier League football, she founded Astro Perform to design selection programmes and prepare candidates for the challenges of space flight.
Sunday Mar 17, 2024
Bonita Norris on Conquering Everest at 22
Sunday Mar 17, 2024
Sunday Mar 17, 2024
Bonita Norris became the youngest British woman to summit Everest in 2010, aged just 22. What was even more remarkable about her feat, was that she only started mountaineering at university.
Inspired and driven by the thought of seeing the curvature of the Earth from the world’s highest peak, Bonita explains how she conquered tough mental, physical and practical challenges to achieve her dream.
She recounts the moment she fell on the way down, landing on the treacherous Hillary Step – a near vertical rock face where many have perished. Find out how she survived.
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
How Our Body Clock Can Revolutionise Our Sleep and Health
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
Sunday Mar 10, 2024
Eminent scientist Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University, shares some of his extraordinary life’s work, taking us on a fascinating journey through the science of our body clocks.
As work and recreation time has become increasingly blurred, we’ve neglected our 24-hour biological clock which guides us towards the best time to sleep, eat and think.
Using his own studies and those of other international sleep scientists, Russell explains how new science has proved that living out of synch with our clock not only disrupts sleep, but leaves us more vulnerable to infection, cancer, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and mental illness.
However, with the right knowledge, we can get back into our rhythm and live healthier, sharper lives.
Sunday Mar 03, 2024
Alice Loxton – Bringing History to Life for Millions on Socials
Sunday Mar 03, 2024
Sunday Mar 03, 2024
Historian Alice Loxton is on a mission to bring history to a wider, younger audience using the power of her 2 million followers on socials.
The 28-year-old presenter and author travels up and down the UK, filming intriguing bite-sized historical facts and little-known stories from various periods in authentic settings.
Alice has packed a lot in – working with The National Trust, Downing Street, Sky Arts, Christies, Sotheby’s, and more – and hosts documentaries on History Hit TV with Dan Snow who calls his co-presenter ‘the star of her generation - the next big thing in history’.
Her debut book Outrage is released in paperback this month and her new book, 18, is available to pre-order.
Sunday Feb 25, 2024
Shoshana Stewart on Protecting Heritage & Communities at Risk
Sunday Feb 25, 2024
Sunday Feb 25, 2024
When a 26-year-old American astrophysics major arrived in the Old City of Kabul in Afghanistan to volunteer, she had no idea the work would become a major part of her life, helping tens of thousands of people survive and thrive in unstable, war-torn countries.
Shoshana Stewart, President of Turquoise Mountain, explains how the international NGO started with a chance conversation between the then Prince of Wales and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai, followed by an extraordinary mission for her now husband Rory Stewart.
Eighteen years on, Shoshana shares the compelling story of how the charity supports artisans like rug makers, carvers, and jewellery designers whose lives and ancient traditions in Afghanistan, Myanmar and the Middle East are under threat, giving them a livelihood and restoring their pride in their cultural heritage.
The King's Lodge at The Connaught designed by Guy Oliver with support from Turquoise Mountain artisans
The King's Lodge at The Connaught designed by Guy Oliver with support from Turquoise Mountain artisans
Sunday Feb 18, 2024
How One Woman Exposed the World’s Biggest Fraud
Sunday Feb 18, 2024
Sunday Feb 18, 2024
Investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown reveals the remarkable story behind her exposing the 1MDB fraud in which billions of dollars were embezzled from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund.
From her kitchen table in London, Clare worked doggedly with the FBI and US Department of Justice on her one-woman investigation which toppled a government, implicated top politicians, leading institutions and involved Hollywood names, diamonds & a $250 million super yacht.
The complex story – which began for Clare as an environmental expose into the destruction of Borneo’s tropical rainforest - is the subject of a new Netflix documentary, Man on the Run.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is serving 12 years in jail for his part in the fraud, and his alleged mastermind, Jho Low, remains on the run, wanted for money laundering.
Sunday Feb 11, 2024
How the UK Brought Back its Monuments Men
Sunday Feb 11, 2024
Sunday Feb 11, 2024
Six years ago, the British Army tasked Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick OBE with forming a unit to defend and preserve some of the world’s greatest cultural treasures, at risk of theft or destruction in conflict.
The former tank commander explains how the lessons learned by the real-life ‘Monuments Men’ in World War 2 - documented by Sir Leonard Woolley and whose story formed the basis of George Clooney’s film - were invaluable when he set up the British Cultural Property Protection Unit.
Tim designed a course for UNESCO to train Ukrainian armed forces in how to address these issues in the current conflict, and he’s just returned from Estonia where he’s been working with Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian forces.
Sunday Feb 04, 2024
Former Hello! Editor in Chief Rosie Nixon on Reinventing Herself
Sunday Feb 04, 2024
Sunday Feb 04, 2024
Hello! Magazine’s former Editor in Chief Rosie Nixon talks openly about how she unexpectedly found herself on the brink of burnout after 16 years at Britain’s favourite celebrity magazine.
Despite incredible career success, Rosie was running on empty and didn’t feel the same joy from the adrenalin-fuelled, glamorous publishing world she had once thrived in.
She spent hours walking in the Surrey hills, digging deep into how she felt and what she wanted, and has now trained as a life coach, helping other exhausted mid-lifers reinvent themselves. Rosie remains at Hello! one day a week as Editor at Large.
Photographs by David Venni
Sunday Jan 28, 2024
The Good Grief Trust - Help and Hope in One Place
Sunday Jan 28, 2024
Sunday Jan 28, 2024
Grange Hill star Linda Magistris founded The Good Grief Trust after she lost her partner – BAFTA-winning director Graham Theakston - to a rare cancer and found little support to help her cope with his early death.
Linda has grown it into the UK’s leading bereavement network, bringing more than 900 specialist charities & services together under one umbrella for individuals and health care professionals.
Actors Greg Wise, Afterlife and Downton Abbey star Dame Penelope Wilton and Todd Carty are among its dedicated ambassadors.
The Trust is run for the bereaved, by the bereaved – people who understand different kinds of loss and who can offer some hope, gentle guidance, and expert direction to ensure the right, tailored help is found.
Sunday Jan 21, 2024
An Inside Look at Organised Crime in Britain
Sunday Jan 21, 2024
Sunday Jan 21, 2024
Operation Ringtail culminated in convictions following the smashing of a drugs ring who smuggled more than £1.5 billion worth of cocaine into the UK, hidden in boxes of frozen chicken.
Leading the investigation was this week’s guest, Detective Chief Superintendent Carl Galvin - Head of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit.
Carl talks about his 25 years as a covert operative, the ever-changing face of organised crime & how his expert teams work to stay ahead of the criminals. New crimes are constantly emerging, like the 3D printing of automatic weapons destined for terrorists which led to the first UK conviction for privately manufactured firearms.
Serious and organised crime is estimated to cost the UK taxpayer a staggering £47 billion a year, making it the most significant national security threat to our economy.
Saturday Jan 13, 2024
Adventures of The Jungle Doctor, Dr Chloe Buiting
Saturday Jan 13, 2024
Saturday Jan 13, 2024
Dr Chloe Buiting, known as The Jungle Doctor, is an Australian wildlife vet & conservationist whose love for nature & animals started as a teenager on the remote Lord Howe Island, described by Lord Attenborough as “so extraordinary it’s almost unbelievable.”
Chloe’s work includes fitting prosthetics on elephants in Chiang Mai who have lost limbs through treading on landmines; dehorning rhino in Africa to prevent poachers killing or maiming them & treating koalas burned in the Australian bush fires.
She’s an official Advocate for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize; on the board of Zoos Victoria – the first carbon neutral zoological facility in the world – and a consultant for Fauna & Flora.
Sunday Jan 07, 2024
Driving Change in Women’s Sport with Sue Anstiss
Sunday Jan 07, 2024
Sunday Jan 07, 2024
2024 is an exciting year for women’s sport, not least with the Olympics in Paris on the horizon - the first Games in history to offer gender parity.
Sue Anstiss MBE has been involved in women’s sport for more than three decades - dedicating much of her working life to fighting for equality and driving change.
We explore the impact of teams like the Lionesses, some fascinating history, the challenges which still lie ahead and what equality in sport can do more broadly within society.
Sue directed the recent Netflix documentary ‘Game On – The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport’ featuring trailblazers like Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, broadcaster Clare Balding and Olympic gold heptathlete Dame Denise Lewis.
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
Pioneering Nature-Based Solutions to Help Society & the Planet
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
Sunday Dec 17, 2023
As our climate emergency deepens, the CEO of Triodos Bank UK – one of the world’s most sustainable banks – explains how the current global banking system needs strong mandatory regulations to become a catalyst for a more sustainable future and fairer economy.
Dr Bevis Watts is the first, and perhaps only, environmentalist to lead a UK bank and has spoken at key conferences like Blue Earth Summit and COP26.
We explore how our financial world can use nature-based investments to tackle issues which threaten our way of life as well as the planet, providing more help for those in society who need it.
Bevis - former CEO of a wildlife trust and passionate scuba diver - also chats about his Swallows and Amazons-style adventure in a kayak which led to the discovery that wild beavers are back on the River Avon for the first time since Tudor days.
Beaver photographs by Dr. Bevis Watts
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
Capturing ’Mambabatok’ Apo Whang-Od’s Beauty for Vogue’s Cover
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
Sunday Dec 10, 2023
When Vogue Philippines asked Artu Nepomuceno to trek to the remote mountain village of Buscalan to photograph 106-year-old tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od, he said yes immediately!
Apo Whang-Od is the last 'mambabatok' of her generation, keeping the thousand-year-old practice of 'batok' alive by training and inspiring her grandnieces in the ancient art of inking. Artu's intimate portraits of Apo Whang-Od - a cultural icon in the Philippines and beyond - graced the cover of Vogue worldwide, re-defining beauty.
He shares the stories and emotions behind what was a very personal journey, humbly insisting he was “just the photographer”. Artu says the spotlight belongs to 106 years of Apo Whang-Od’s pure beauty.
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Hannah Shergold on Science, Art, Psychology and Conservation
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Sunday Dec 03, 2023
Scientist, painter and former Army helicopter pilot Hannah Shergold on her "fascinating yet peculiar" journey to becoming an artist.
Hannah is one of the UK's most successful self-represented artists, best known for her extraordinary wildlife pieces which have raised more than £300,000 for conservation charities like Tusk and the Invictus Games Team UK.
She shares stories from her missions to austere & remote parts of places like Afghanistan and African trouble spots recovering the wounded in the Lynx; reveals her usual methods of creating her work - joking paint thinner is her assistant - and talks about her passion for psychology.
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
Gomi - Turning Plastic Waste into Beautiful Products
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
Sunday Nov 26, 2023
It’s shocking to learn that two million plastic bags are used every minute and a truckload of plastic is dumped into our ocean every 60 seconds.
Gomi - Japanese for trash - is the name of a young design studio in Brighton who are making stunning bespoke Bluetooth speakers and portable phone chargers with second-use Lime bike batteries and so-called ‘non-recyclable’ waste ordinarily destined for landfill.
Gomi co-founder and designer Tom Meades explains how they actually create the speakers and chargers inspired by artists like Jackson Pollock and why they're collaborating with thought-provoking brands like Paul Smith and Brewdog to reduce our impact on the planet and make something meaningful that lasts a lifetime.
Sunday Nov 12, 2023
Healing in Cabilla’s Ancient Temperate Rainforest
Sunday Nov 12, 2023
Sunday Nov 12, 2023
Against the backdrop of an ancient temperate rainforest at Cabilla on Bodmin Moor, a high-flying couple - both deeply affected by mental illness – have dramatically changed their lives and turned to the restorative powers of nature to help them and others heal.
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison served as a British Army Major and completed three tours of Afghanistan, but had a breakdown triggered by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from an IED explosion. His wife Lizzie, who worked with dynamic founders of brands like Green and Blacks and Charlotte Tilbury, suffered burnout and postnatal depression.
Together they’ve created a nature-inspired relaxing space for retreats where stressed out, worn-out people – including US military personnel and exhausted nurses - can recharge and reconnect with nature. Sound baths, somatic movement, wild water swimming, guided walks in the forest, yoga, pilates are just some of the offerings.
Photo by John Hersey
Photo by Bex Aston
Photo by Jenna Foxton
Photo by Sophie Bolesworth
Photo by Beth Druce
Photo by Bex Aston
Sunday Nov 05, 2023
Waterhaul - Transforming Harmful Ocean Plastic into Sunglasses
Sunday Nov 05, 2023
Sunday Nov 05, 2023
Frustrated by abandoned fishing nets - known as ‘ghost gear’ - dumped on their local Cornish beaches and coastline, marine biologists & keen surfers Harry Dennis and Gavin Parker searched for a sustainable solution.
They discovered the very properties which make discarded fishing gear such a threat to the ocean & marine life - it’s abundance, strength, durability and flexibility - make it a perfect material to work with, and so risked everything to set up Waterhaul.
After much trial and error, they’re collecting the nets and end-of-life material, recycling the plastic, separating the polymers, and turning harmful waste products into stylish sunglasses and eyewear, with plans to scale their already successful business.
Sunday Oct 29, 2023
Physician & explorer Dr Jack Kreindler on putting more life into our years
Sunday Oct 29, 2023
Sunday Oct 29, 2023
Recently back from a scientific study to the South Pole, health tech entrepreneur Dr Jack Kreindler talks about his life in emergency and high-altitude medicine and how we can put more life into our years.
Jack says he thinks of health as a gift and asset born of luck, inheritance, and a wise investment strategy with its purpose to not merely extend our days but to help us live our fullest lives.
Jack has worked with stars like Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage and Davina McCall on the extreme Comic and Sport Relief challenges and, in our podcast, explores how we can all ‘kick ass’ in our 80s and 90s thanks to the latest health tech as well as embracing fundamental basics like sleep, hydration, community, good nutrition and music.
Jack has also created WellFounded to enhance the mental and physical health of some of the most successful entrepreneurs and founders, treating them in much the same way as elite athletes, and he runs the ACT for Cancer Foundation with his wife.
South Pole drone footage courtesy of Taavet Hinrikus
Sunday Oct 22, 2023
Judith Tebbutt’s kidnap story of hope, resilience & survival
Sunday Oct 22, 2023
Sunday Oct 22, 2023
Jude Tebbutt was on holiday in Kenya with her husband David in 2011 when she was snatched in the dead of night by Somali pirates wielding AK47s.
Unbeknown to Jude at the time, the gunmen murdered her husband that night and held her for ransom in squalor, with barely any food, in filthy conditions for six and a half months.
Jude explains how she developed techniques to help her survive, stay mentally strong, cope with the daily threat of being shot and make it home “without going mad” to her wonderful 25-year-old son Ollie who negotiated her eventual release. Jude is a patron of Sir Terry Waite’s charity Hostage International – supporting kidnap victims and their families, and author of A Long Walk Home.
Photographs courtesy of Stephanie Belton Photography
Photograph courtesy of N Nastia Photography
Sunday Oct 15, 2023
Dawa Geljen Sherpa on Classrooms in the Clouds
Sunday Oct 15, 2023
Sunday Oct 15, 2023
Expert mountain guide Dawa Geljen Sherpa grew up in a big family in Lukla in Nepal – known as The Gateway to Everest.
As a young boy he worked hard tending his parents’ livestock with no access to school until he ran away from home aged ten in search of an education, funded by work he did on Everest as a kitchen porter.
After travelling the world guiding expeditions on some of the world’s most challenging mountains, Dawa founded Classrooms in the Clouds so children in the poorest, remotest parts of Nepal can learn.
The charity has so far built 70 earthquake-resistant, warm, safe classrooms and sponsored 26 female teachers as role models.
Sunday Oct 08, 2023
The Ultimate Seven Challenge with adventurer Oli France
Sunday Oct 08, 2023
Sunday Oct 08, 2023
Oli France is back home in Wigan after completing the first of seven extraordinary expeditions – to travel under his own steam from the lowest to the highest point of every continent - an extreme challenge which has been five years in the planning.
He’s just cycled the equivalent of London to Moscow through Africa – facing furnace-like temperatures in Djibouti; hostilities & traffic chaos in Ethiopia; the kindness of the Masai in Kenya, as well as the knowledge he was a perfect ‘meal on wheels’ for lions! He finished on the summit of Kilimanjaro.
Oli explains what drives him to push himself to the limit, how he manages risk and builds mental resilience, as well as talks us through the expeditions ahead, including sub-zero conditions in the Antarctic, Mount Denali in Alaska, a 2,000- mile cycle across the Australian Outback and ocean row in Oceania, and Everest in Asia.
Sunday Oct 01, 2023
Mark De-Lisser - Connecting the World Through Song
Sunday Oct 01, 2023
Sunday Oct 01, 2023
If you watched the King’s Coronation Concert, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee music extravaganza, or were one of the millions tuned in to Prince Harry’s wedding, you’ll have heard some of choir director Mark De-Lisser’s arrangements.
Mark puts bespoke choirs together for major events, liaising with artists like Lionel Ritchie, Alicia Keys, Katie Perry and Andrea Bocelli. But he tells Helen it took years to discover his purpose in life after a series of failures in the wrong direction.
Mark gets the nation singing; leads Vicky McClure’s Dementia Choir; features in shows like Songs of Praise and The Masked Singer and is about to embark on quantifiable research to discover how singing affects our bodies and brains.
Sunday Sep 24, 2023
Sunday Sep 24, 2023
Olly Williams and Suzi Winstanley – known simply as Olly and Suzi – have travelled the world together tracking, painting, sketching and photographing endangered species in the wild.
Their unique method of creating their art has led to powerful interactions and encounters with bears and buffalo, sharks and seals, hyenas and wild cats, and more.
They’ve trekked through jungles, deserts, the poles and remote wildernesses experiencing the natural world at its most raw and humbling and have become passionate conservationists, using their art to highlight the threats many of their subjects face.
Olly and Suzi’s work is held in private and public collections - including the Damien Hirst “Murder Me” collection and at the Natural History Museum - and Olly has just published his first poetry book, Draw of the Wild.
* Images courtesy of Greg Williams Photography and ollysuzi.com
Sunday Sep 17, 2023
Conductor Dalia Stasevska Using Her Profile to Help Ukraine
Sunday Sep 17, 2023
Sunday Sep 17, 2023
Acclaimed Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska opened this year’s prestigious First Night of the Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall and went straight to Glyndebourne for a run of Benjamin Britten’s iconic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
But in-between her high-profile musical appearances, Dalia – who was born in Ukraine - has been driving trucks into the war-torn city of Lviv, delivering generators, sleeping bags, warm clothes and essential supplies to those struggling to survive, as well as performing there.
She tells Helen she considered giving up her career in music for a while to concentrate on volunteering full-time but has decided to use her platform to keep people informed of the ongoing atrocities and to ensure the world doesn’t tire of the plight of Ukrainian people.
Photographs by Veikko Kahkonen
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
The Power of Mindset on the World’s Toughest Row
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
Sunday Sep 10, 2023
Find out how Theresa Patricios, Head of Investments at Convex, and Cam Parker from Swiss Re overcame extreme mental and physical challenges to complete the World’s Toughest Row in record time.
The Pacific Discovery 2023 four-strong team rowed 2,800 miles in just 34 days, 8 hours and 22 mins – the fastest mixed team ever – and have become the first reinsurance team to complete the race.
Theresa and Cam reflect on how they kept going through harsh weather, serious technical issues, exhaustion, and sleep deprivation. And they share their excitement at passing on the baton so another industry team can rise to the challenge, raising more funds for mental health charity Mind.
Photographs courtesy of World’s Toughest Row and Penny Bird
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
John McCarthy CBE on his role at Hostage International with Sir Terry Waite
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Sunday Sep 03, 2023
Journalist John McCarthy was held hostage in Lebanon for more than five years. Now, three decades on, he’s helping others in similar situations through his role as Patron of Hostage International.
The charity was originally founded by John’s former cellmate and great friend Sir Terry Waite who himself was held for more almost five years, much of it alone.
John reflects on the fanfare he came home to in Britain, how the experience has influenced his life and how honoured he is to help Terry and Hostage International support families and former hostages through the ordeal of kidnap and illegal detention, which remains a global problem.
John's return to RAF Lyneham, UK
John reunited with former cellmates Brian Keenan and Terry Waite
Jill Morrell campaigning for John's release
John McCarthy with former girlfriend Jill Morrell
Sunday Jul 23, 2023
YouTuber Geoff Marshall shares his YouTube success
Sunday Jul 23, 2023
Sunday Jul 23, 2023
YouTube star Geoff Marshall reveals how and why he started making great quality, informative, interesting, fun transport films which have attracted more than 82 million views on his channel and are appreciated by his 314,000 plus subscribers.
Geoff travelled to all 2,563 trains in the UK followed by Ireland's 198 and held the Guinness World Record twice for visiting every London Underground station in the fastest time!
He shares his YouTube story, his passion for transport, chats about his new stand-up show - World’s Biggest Tube Nerd – and, in a rare contemplative moment, talks about a moving film he made about how travelling by train can sometimes help when people feel low.
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
Impressionist Jon Culshaw on playing long-form characters like David Bowie
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
Sunday Jul 16, 2023
Dr Who celebrates 60 years in November with special new episodes featuring former Time Lord David Tennant and Catherine Tate, and the release of an audio book voiced by impressionist Jon Culshaw in which the third and fourth Doctors meet and work together.
A life-long Dr Who fan, Jon came up with the idea for The Box of Terrors, written by Lizzie Hopley, based on Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker's time as the Doctors.
In part two of our special, Jon talks about the responsibility of playing David Bowie in an audio documentary on what it might of been like in the studio as Bowie recorded his final album, Blackstar.
Plenty of other guests drop in on this week's podcast including HRH King Charles, Chris Eubank, Tony Blair, William Hague, Les Dawson and Julian Clary.
Sunday Jul 09, 2023
Sunday Jul 09, 2023
On this week’s podcast we hear from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, King Charles, Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis and former PM Boris Johnson, thanks to the incredible talent and wit of impressionist Jon Culshaw.
Jon, who is busy rehearsing two shows for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe – LENA and Imposter Syndrome – stops off for a chat and some laughs on his way to record the latest episode of BBC Radio 4’s comedy programme Dead Ringers.
He shares his thoughts on how satire has changed since he first graced our screens on Spitting Image; recalls butterflies the size of seagulls when he got through to the then Prime Minister Tony Blair at No 10 posing as Leader of the Opposition William Hague, and explains how he starts to build and develop a new voice.
Sunday Jul 02, 2023
Dame Barbara Windsor’s widower on his dementia mission
Sunday Jul 02, 2023
Sunday Jul 02, 2023
Scott Mitchell talks about his life loving Dame Barbara Windsor - one of Britain’s national treasures - and their heart-breaking battle with dementia.
Scott is an Ambassador for Alzheimers' Research UK and is involved in campaigning, fundraising, and taking part in trials to help find a cure for a disease which affects more than a million people in Britain.
Scott says he feels blessed to have shared almost three decades with Carry On and Eastenders star Barbara and shares lots of happy, wonderful memories of their life together.
Sunday Jun 25, 2023
Painter David Remfry RA on coordinating this year’s Summer Exhibition
Sunday Jun 25, 2023
Sunday Jun 25, 2023
Acclaimed British painter and Academician David Remfry confesses he thought he’d never be asked to coordinate the Royal Academy's world-famous Summer Exhibition. When the call came, the 80-year-old artist says he was over the moon and said yes immediately.
Helen catches up with David at his London studio surrounded by his stunning work to find out what’s involved; hear about his colourful life in London and New York, and his daily passion for Afrobeats dancing.
David recalls leaving Hull in the '60s with his paintings packed in the back of a £50 van to seek his fortune in London; reminisces about living for two decades at the infamous Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan and talks about how his love of people inspires much of his work.
Main photograph courtesy of the Royal Academy of Arts
Sunday Jun 18, 2023
Milliner to rock stars and royalty, Jess Collett on her passion for hats
Sunday Jun 18, 2023
Sunday Jun 18, 2023
Twenty-five years ago, a young hat-maker secured a grant from The Prince’s Trust to help fund her own atelier.
So as milliner Jess Collett joined millions watching the King’s Coronation, she felt grateful for the help she’d received but also knew all eyes were on the stunning head pieces she’d designed for the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte in collaboration with Alexander McQueen. Jess said she’d waited "all her hat-life" for that moment!
She’s designed for Madonna, Helena Bonham Carter, Princess Eugenie, Samantha Cameron, Pippa Middleton and many more famous people, but her passion is making hats for everyone and seeing the confidence the right one can bring.
Sunday Jun 11, 2023
BAFTA and Emmy-winning cameraman Doug Allan on climate change
Sunday Jun 11, 2023
Sunday Jun 11, 2023
In part two of our special with multi-BAFTA and Emmy-winning wildlife and documentary film-maker Doug Allan, he discusses climate change and, in particular, the impact it’s having on the polar regions.
Doug says if the world had paid more attention to indigenous people in the Arctic and elsewhere, and listened seriously, we might have been more aware of the dangers ahead.
Doug shares more incredible stories behind capturing breathtaking material for landmark series like The Blue Planet and Frozen Planet as well as filming with Sir David Attenborough, who says cameramen don’t come much more special than Doug.
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
Wildlife cameraman Doug Allan shares adventures on the ice
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
Sunday Jun 04, 2023
Sir David Attenborough says cameramen don’t come much more special than Doug Allan.
The multi-BAFTA and Emmy-winning wildlife cameraman has filmed some of the most spectacular sequences for landmark programmes like Blue Planet. Orcas attacking gray whales off California; polar bears trying to catch belugas in a frozen hole in Arctic Canada and killer whales washing seals off ice floes in Antarctica. All on-screen firsts.
In part one of our two-part special, Doug recounts wonderful stories and adventures from his 60+ trips to the poles over the last five decades, filming underwater and on land.
He also recalls how he managed to escape the terrifying clutches of a determined walrus who mistook him for a seal!
Monday May 29, 2023
Kate Silverton on her ‘second act’ as a complex case child therapist
Monday May 29, 2023
Monday May 29, 2023
Journalist Kate Silverton tells Helen why she left a hugely successful career in broadcasting to become a child therapist.
Since studying psychology at Durham University, Kate has been fascinated with the complexities of how the brain works and the role it plays in shaping behaviour as well as our future mental health.
She works closely with The Princess of Wales on Her Royal Highness’s Shaping Us campaign and says they are both passionate about the science behind the importance of a child’s early years.
Kate’s first book – There’s No Such Thing as Naughty – is a best-seller and her second, There’s Still No Such Thing as Naughty, is due out this autumn.
Sunday May 21, 2023
Crime reporter Martin Brunt reveals undisclosed stories behind the headlines
Sunday May 21, 2023
Sunday May 21, 2023
Crime reporter Martin Brunt has covered some of the biggest and most notorious crime stories in British history for Sky News for the last three decades.
Still working in 24-hour breaking news, he’s finally found time to write a book - No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason – filled with previously undisclosed details and fascinating inside track.
Martin shares gripping dispatches about his relationship with violent prisoner Charles Bronson; an unusual encounter with his music hero Sir Paul McCartney; discusses the nations insatiable appetite for crime, both real-life and fiction, and reveals how a fascination with Valerio Viccei, the charismatic Italian robber behind Britain’s biggest ever jewellery heist, ended in a death threat!
Photograph by Mark Senn
Convicted robber Valerio Viccei
Sunday May 14, 2023
Chef Tom Sellers on life, his journey, and being ready for the next chapter
Sunday May 14, 2023
Sunday May 14, 2023
Helen joins Chef Tom Sellers at his stunning new London restaurant, Story Cellar in Neal’s Yard, for an honest and open chat about his journey and the next chapter in Tom’s story.
From the age of 16, he worked unforgiving hours in the kitchens of some of the world's most influential chefs – Tom Aikens, Thomas Keller and Rene Redzepi – and earned his first Michelin star just 16 weeks after opening Restaurant Story near Tower Bridge.
Ten years on and two stars to his name, he talks about the fear and pressure of opening somewhere new, being in the right mindset for a new challenge, how his journey has shaped him, provenance and his love of food, including baked beans on toast!
He also shares the narrative behind some of his well-known dishes, including the beef dripping candle which was inspired by his dad and his working-class roots.
Monday May 08, 2023
Monday May 08, 2023
Daniel Wiegand shares the story of how he came up with the concept and architecture for the electric Lilium jet as a young engineering student inspired by the V-22 Osprey - a vertical take-off US military aircraft -- and how he’s grown the company from the ground up.
More than a billion euros and some of the finest minds in aerospace and engineering are behind the creation of the world’s first, zero emissions electric vertical take-off and landing jet, an eVTOL, which it’s hoped will revolutionise the way we travel regionally.
Helen becomes the first British journalist to fly in the simulator at Lilium’s HQ in Munich where more than 800 people from 56 countries are working towards the aircraft's certification in 2025.
Monday May 01, 2023
Monday May 01, 2023
Blue Marine Foundation’s co-founder and former award-winning British film-maker George Duffield explains how overfishing is destroying the ocean’s biodiversity and its ability to store carbon yet is one of the world’s most solvable problems.
George hopes robust data gleaned from Blue’s partnership with scientists from Exeter University and Convex in the five-year Convex Seascape Survey will reveal how much carbon is stored in the seabed and he's confident the findings will provide a solution to help with runaway global temperatures.
Helen also hears some of George's favourite adventures as a diver and wildlife photographer - swimming with whale sharks and hammerheads in the Galapagos and diving under the ice with leopard seals in Antartica, which led to George winning the Natural History Museum's Underwater Photographer of the Year.
Sunday Apr 02, 2023
Sunday Apr 02, 2023
Herbert Hall Winery in Kent produces just 20,000 bottles of English sparkling wine a year but can be found in some of the most prestigious places, including Fortnum & Mason, and King Charles’s Highgrove collection.
Herbert farmed in Marden at the end of the nineteenth century. His great-grandson Nick explains why the land is perfect for growing grapes like Chardonnay, Pinor Noir and Pinot Meunier, and making wine in the Methode Champenoise, known as the traditional method.
Climatic changes have seen a dramatic rise in successful wineries in the south of England – and the perfect conditions have tempted Champagne Houses like Taittinger to buy acreage here in the UK.
Photographs by Andrew Yates
Sunday Mar 26, 2023
Sunday Mar 26, 2023
Hot on the heels of his exciting new album release, Grammy winning Bluegrass fiddler Michael Cleveland wows Helen with his breathtaking playing, live from his studio in Indiana.
Michael was born blind and is partially deaf, yet has risen to the absolute top of his game, collaborating with music legends like Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck and Vince Gill. As a youngster he played alongside ‘the father of Bluegrass’ Bill Monroe and has won countless awards.
Thanks to Airgigs.com, Michael records tracks for musicians all over the world from his basement studio. Lovin' of the Game - with his band Flamekeeper - is out now.
Sunday Mar 19, 2023
Sunday Mar 19, 2023
Wim Hof Instructor Belinda Raphael explains the many health benefits and compelling science behind the famous Wim Hof Method, and shares stories from a recent expedition to Poland with The Iceman himself.
Belinda discovered cold-water therapy accidentally after she was left suffering chronic pain following a severe attack by a patient in her role as a critical care nurse practitioner.
Now she’s one of Wim’s 900 Warriors, teaching breath work and mindset techniques to increase cold water exposure and allow people to feel the invigorating and life affirming advantages.
Wim Hof has set more than two dozen world records for extreme temperature exposure – both in freezing cold and blistering heat – but his mission is to pass on the what he's learnt so millions can experience the health benefits.
Sunday Mar 05, 2023
Entrepreneur Jimi Daodu on building the first human centric Metaverse
Sunday Mar 05, 2023
Sunday Mar 05, 2023
The Metaverse is predicted to be a fast growing trillion-dollar industry by 2030, but how much do we know about it or understand how it might enrich our lives?
Vault Hill Founder/CEO Jimi Daodu and his team are building the first human centric virtual world designed to enhance human experiences.
Jimi takes us on a fascinating journey from his offices in Dubai through the endless exciting possibilities the Metaverse has to offer and explains how we can be part of this 3D phenomenon.
Helen and Jimi discuss everything from the virtual property boom to how it can be used for education, work, entertainment, climate change and they explore the measures needed to keep us safe.
Sunday Feb 26, 2023
Sunday Feb 26, 2023
The Black Cop – winner of Best British Short Film at last year’s BAFTAs – is the story of Gamal ‘G’ Turawa’s life - growing up with a white foster family in Kent, abuse by his biological parents and his experiences in the Metropolitan Police.
Despite the racism he suffered in the force, including having his face painted white by fellow officers, ‘G’ is proud to have served 25 years in the Met. He explains to Helen how he tried to fit in, desperately wished he was white, and concealed the fact he’s gay.
G now speaks all over the world, including to police forces, to help people own their story, find a sense of belonging and embrace who they are. The Black Cop was made by film-maker Cherish Oteka and can be watched on You Tube.
Sunday Feb 19, 2023
One boat, four rowers, 2,800 miles at sea, raising £100K for Mind
Sunday Feb 19, 2023
Sunday Feb 19, 2023
Theresa Patricios - Head of Investments for Convex Insurance - and life-long friend Cam Parker talk about the mental and physical challenges of their upcoming 2,800-mile row across the Pacific, raising funds for mental health charity Mind.
As part of an organised race, their four-man team – Pacific Discovery 2023 – estimate spending 40 days at sea, rowing in two-hour slots, and carrying out research for the Convex Seascape Survey. Their ambition - to become the first re-insurance team to tackle an ocean.
Theresa has been drawn to the sea since she was a child growing up in Johannesburg and Cam is an accomplished free diver with the same passion for the ocean and an Atlantic row under his belt.
Sunday Feb 12, 2023
Sunday Feb 12, 2023
“Seeing John hold his bear made it really hit home that he was just a child when he was facing the Holocaust in Hungary” Rankin
Holocaust Survivor John Hajdu describes life as a small boy in Budapest as Jews were rounded up & killed, and his parents taken to concentration/labour camps in World War 2.
He describes the fear of hiding in a dark cupboard as four-year-old, surviving in a cramped ghetto with little food and dead bodies on the streets, being forced to wear a Yellow Star, and finally escaping Hungary through a minefield with just his teddy bear & clothes given to him in Vienna.
John, now 85, finds it’s desperately painful watching history repeat itself in Ukraine.
He was honoured to be photographed recently by Rankin who said: “John’s bear is a tangible reminder that the stories we are telling happened in recent history and we must learn from these events – for a better future.”
* Photographs by Rankin
Sunday Feb 05, 2023
Sunday Feb 05, 2023
Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies / economist Paul Johnson explores the state of Britain’s economy and explains what’s needed for recovery and vital economic growth.
Paul – who writes a column for The Times newspaper – says the absolute priority is for inflation, currently at a 40-year high, to come down and be under control, and explains how trade-offs are essential.
He's a regular on programmes like Today on BBC Radio 4 and made front page headlines when he predicted Liz Truss’s economic pledges as she fought to become Prime Minister would crash the public finances, which they did in her Autumn mini budget.
Sunday Jan 29, 2023
Sunday Jan 29, 2023
Light Artist Chris Levine takes us behind the scenes on his sittings at Buckingham Palace to create the first holographic portraits of The Queen and explains how Her Majesty embraced his innovative and complex techniques.
‘Lightness of Being’ - which captures the Queen with her eyes closed wearing the Diadem she wore to her Coronation – and ‘Equanimity’ hang in London’s National Portrait Gallery.
Meditation informs Chris’s work - the Queen told him gardening at Balmoral was hers. He talks about being the wild card for the shoot; how he was allowed to choose what Her Majesty wore and their private audiences afterwards to look through the work.
He also reveals the Dalai Lama chuckled a lot as he posed for a rare portrait to mark his 80th birthday; recounts talking holograms with David Bowie in a chance conversation as the rock icon left the dry cleaners and hints at an upcoming major light project at Stonehenge.
Sunday Jan 22, 2023
Professional climber Hazel Findlay on the extreme challenges she thrives on
Sunday Jan 22, 2023
Sunday Jan 22, 2023
Hazel Findlay has been climbing for 27 of her 33 years. She tells Helen how tackling the most difficult, vertical, steep rocks is what motivates her most and shares her joy of sleeping in a makeshift hammock hanging from a sheer rock face.
On a recent expedition to Greenland, Hazel made two ‘first ascents’, climbing massive walls that no one has ever conquered, and explains how much harder it is to stay focussed in sub-zero temperatures and snow storms, with painful bare hands and frozen feet.
Inspired by the mental & psychological challenges of her very physical sport, Hazel has set up a coaching business - Strong Mind - to help other athletes overcome their fears and limitations – lessons she says are valuable for life in general.
Images by Jon Griffith and Cameron Maier
Footage by Max Montgomery