Episodes
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Hello! Capitalism, eh? Despite its creative genius, some would say it's at the root of many of the problems we're facing these days, from planetary breakdown, to poor health and social inequality. How can it become the solution? We're revisiting the idea of purposeful business, a way of re-thinking our system so that companies are also putting the needs of people and the environment up there with profit. CEO of Graze Joanna Allen explains how the Better Business Act and B Corp movement will enable this in the UK. We're talking to Charles Conn about Patagonia's 'earth is now our only shareholder' ethos. Finally, we chat to Cemal Ezel, founder of Change Please, a social enterprise which tackles homelessness through the power of selling coffee.
Guests
Joanna Allen, CEO, graze (@grazesnacks)
Charles Conn, Board Chair, Patagonia (@patagonia)
Cemal Ezel, Founder of Change Please (@CemalEzel / @ChangePlease)
More information
Learn more about the Better Business Act and B-Corps
Find out about Patagonia's environmental commitments
Visit one of Change Please's locations
Live show tickets
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Hello! This week we’re taking you back to the distant days of 1898 when social reformer and ‘practical idealist’ Ebenezer Howard set out his ideas about the Garden City, one of the most radical urban planning experiments in Britain’s history. Can we bring Howard’s utopian vision into the 21st century? We talk to Josh Tidy about the history of the Garden City Movement and how it's faring 125 years on. We find out from Nick Skinner whether Letchworth is actually full of sandal-wearing vegetarians (hey Geoff!) Finally, we chat to Katy Lock about how the garden city movement offers a practical path to a more hopeful future.
Plus: Geoff's got a new business idea...will it make him millions?
Guests
Josh Tidy, Heritage Manager, Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation and Curator, International Garden Cities Exhibition (@letchworthgardencity)
Nick Skinner, Manager, The Settlement, Letchworth (@letchworthsettlement)
Katy Lock, Director of Communities and FJ Osborn Fellow, The Town and Country Planning Association (@katy_lock / @theTCPA)
More information
Buy tickets for our one-off live show in Stratford-upon-Avon on 3rd June
A brief introduction to Garden Cities
Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation
The Settlement, Adult Education Centre, Letchworth
Learn about the TCPA's Tomorrow125 project
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Hello! When you’re in the business of optimism, it can be difficult to draw much hope from the mess that Britain is in. Making a change can feel overwhelming and getting involved unappealing. This week, former Labour strategist and now podcaster Alastair Campbell joins Ed and Geoff to talk about his new book about why UK politics has gone so wrong, and why you can - and should - help to fix it.
Plus: Geoff’s turned 50 and took a podcast mini-break. So what's he been up to?
Guest
Alastair Campbell (@campbellclaret / @HutchHeinemann)
More information
Buy a copy of But what can I do? Why politics has gone so wrong, and how you can help fix it (Published by @HutchHeinemann)
Buy tickets to Reasons to be Cheerful Live in Stratford Upon Avon on 3rd June
Contact Reasons to be Cheerful via our website, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Let us know your episode ideas, your comments and feedback!
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Hello! Geoff’s off this week and friend of the pod and writer Melissa Benn is practicing what we preach in this episode by trialing a new vocation as podcast co-host. This week, sparked by the news of the resignation of Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon - we’re talking all about what happens when you take a step back from a high-pressure job. What comes next? And why is the way we think about careers all wrong? We talk to four guests about navigating new career paths, having a mid-career gap year, and whether the dream job really exists.
Plus: Ed’s gone down a new internet rabbit hole. What is it this time?
Guests
Dr Ali Budjanovcanin, Senior Lecturer in Work Psychology and Public Sector Management at King’s College London, and Career Coach (@AliBudj)
Lucy Kellaway, Economics Teacher and Co-Founder of NowTeach (@lucykellaway / @NowTeachOrg)
Katie White, taking a career break from her role at WWF (@KatieJWhite)
Jaega Wise, Co-Founder and Head Brewer at Wild Card Brewery, London (@jaegawise)
More info
Follow Melissa on Twitter (@Melissa_Benn)
Interested in a career in teaching? Learn more about NowTeach
Attend the 'Teaching Curious with Lord Blunkett' event, hosted by NowTeach (May 23rd)
Check out Wild Card Brewery
Ready to quit your job? Here are 17 things to ask yourself first. (Opinion, Guardian, August 2021)
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Hello! We all know our society is deeply unfair, but how can we fix it? We've been tackling that question for years on RTBC, but according to our guest this week, a twentieth-century philosopher might have already come up with the answer. Daniel Chandler has a new book seeking to excavate the work of John Rawls - the greatest political philosopher you've probably never even heard of - because he believes it can provide the blueprint for a fairer and more equal future. So what are the practicalities of Rawls’ ideas? Could he offer a vision for a 'realistic utopia'? From UBI to democracy vouchers, we find out what exactly political philosophy can do for us.
Plus: Is Ed triathlon ready?
Guest
Daniel Chandler, Author of Free and Equal: What would a fair society look like? (@dan_chandler)
More information
Buy a copy of the book now
Get tickets for our live show on 3rd June, Live at the RSC Festival, Stratford-upon-Avon.
Did you have thoughts on today's episode? Maybe you've got a great idea for a future episode or just want to wish Geoff a happy birthday. You can contact the podcast via our website, Instagram or Twitter!
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Hello! This week we’re returning to one of our favourite topics covered in our very first episode when Geoff was closer to 40 than 50: universal basic income. Except this time it's not money for everyone - it's just for artists - and it raises some important questions about how we recognise the role that art plays in our economy, society and communities. Last year Ireland announced a three-year pilot in which 2,000 artists will receive 325€ a week. Is removing financial stress the key to unlocking creative freedom? Will it mean a wider group of people can access the arts? And what can we learn from our own history, including Mrs Thatcher’s Enterprise Allowance Scheme. These are all big questions that we put to our guests: Eliza Easton, Noel Kelly and Love Ssega - formerly of Clean Bandit - a musician working across artistic boundaries.
Plus: It’s the big 5-0 for Geoff as he records a message to his future self...
Guests
Eliza Easton, Deputy Director, Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre (@ElizaEaston)
Noel Kelly, CEO and Director, Visual Artists Ireland (@VisArtsIreland)
Love Ssega, Musician and Artist in Residence, Philharmonia Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall (@LoveSsega)
More information
Learn more about the PEC, led by Nesta
Learn more about Visual Artists for Ireland, including more information about the Basic Income for the Arts Scheme
Ssega mentioned Ella Kissi-Debrah and her mother's fight to get air pollution on her death certificate
Watch the film of Love Ssega's 'Where are we now?' performance at the National Gallery
Read about Love Ssega and his residency at the Philharmonia Orchestra
Come to the celebration at 6pm on 8th June at the Royal Festival Hall
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Hello! This week we’re getting our wellies on as we dig deeper into the future of farming. Agriculture accounts for around 10% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and has a role in biodiversity loss and pollution. So how can we change the way we farm and use our land in a way that helps ensure food security, restores nature and provides a livelihood for farmers, all while tackling the climate crisis? It's quite a task but we chew it all over with Lydia Collas from Green Alliance and Minette Batters from the National Farmers’ Union. We’re then heading to Dorset to talk to Jyoti Fernandes about the role of ‘agro-ecology’ to feed ourselves, restore nature, and cool the planet.
Plus: Which unexpected (and highly relevant) radio show was Ed obsessed with as a child?
Guests
Lydia Collas, Policy Analyst, Green Alliance (@LydiaCollas / @GreenAllianceUK)
Minette Batters, President, National Farmers' Union (@Minette_Batters / @NFUtweets)
Jyoti Fernandes, Campaigns and Policy Coordinator, Landworkers’ Alliance & Agroecology Smallholder (@fernandes_jyoti / @LandworkersUK)
More information
Visit the websites of Green Alliance, the NFU and LWA
Read Jyoti's open letter to George Monbiot
Elms: England greener farming payments detail unveiled (Article, BBC News, January 2023)
What is agroecology? (Explainer, The Soil Association)
Contact Reasons to be Cheerful via our website, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Let us know your episode ideas, your comments and feedback!
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Hello! As our Easter egg to you we’ve recorded a great conversation with two inspiring voices from the climate community. The mood around the climate crisis is mainly one of despair and doom, for understandable reasons, but neither Rebecca Solnit nor Thelma Young Lutunatabua think it needs to be that way. In their new book, they explore how it’s possible to change the climate narrative to one of hope, and why making that shift is more important than you'd think. We have the solutions, we know what we need to do, and most importantly: it’s not too late.
Guests
Rebecca Solnit, Author and Activist (@RebeccaSolnit)
Thelma Young Lutunatabua, Digital Storyteller and Climate Activist (@Thelma_Lutun)
More info
Buy a copy of Not Too Late: Changing the climate story from despair to possibility.
Visit the Not Too Late website or Twitter to learn more about the project.
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Hello! You may not know it, but for decades Britain has enabled the dodgy dealings of the world's criminals, tax dodgers and kleptocrats, says journalist Oliver Bullough. He's been digging deep into Britain’s role as a 'butler to the world' for years, but very little has changed. Estimates suggest that the equivalent of three times the NHS budget is lost to the economy through corruption every year, so why isn’t the government acting? Oliver is joined by Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge to discuss how and why Britain got into the business of dirty money, why we all should care about corruption, and what we can do to change it.
Plus: Has Ed finally got his own back on Geoff following the vegan cheese making incident?
Guests
Oliver Bullough, Journalist and Author of Butler to the World and Moneyland (@OliverBullough)
Dame Margaret Hodge, Labour MP for Barking and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax (@margarethodge)
More information
Buy a copy of Oliver’s book ‘Butler to the World: How Britain became the servant of tycoons, tax dodgers, kleptocrats and criminals
The APPG on Anti-Corruption and Responsible Tax
Support and learn more about the work of Transparency International (@anticorruption), Global Witness (@Global_Witness), Spotlight on Corruption (@EndCorruptionUK)
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Hello! Have you ever dreamed of running your own bookshop? We are cheerful to report that the book industry is smashing it at the moment, with the number of indie bookshops at their highest level in six years, and book sales above pre-pandemic levels. Ed and Geoff speak to Sian Bayley, news editor at The Bookseller, who tells us about what’s driving this upward trend. We hear from co-founders Rosie May and Sarah Scales of Juno Books in Sheffield about how they made their lockdown dreams a reality. Finally, Aimée Felone, children’s publisher and co-director of Round Table Books in Brixton, tells us about her journey into publishing and what it means to run an inclusive bookshop.
Plus: Buoyed up by his viral musical success, Ed's started learning an instrument...
Guests
Sian Bayley, News Editor, The Bookseller (@sleighbayley / @thebookseller)
Rosie May and Sarah Scales, Co-Founders of Juno Books (@junobookssheff)
Aimée Felone, Managing Director of children’s publisher Knights Of and Co-Director of Round Table Books (@aimeefelone / @roundtablebooks)
More information
BookBar in Finsbury Park, London
Learn more about the work of BookTrust and Lit in Colour
Visit the Bookseller's website - the trade magazine for the publishing industry
Visit Juno Books in Sheffield
Visit Round Table Books in Brixton, London
Find out about Knights Of, Aimée’s publishing company
CLPE Survey of Ethnic Representation in Children's Literature. Read the most recent report here
Books Aimée recommends in the episode
Knights and Bikes by Gabrielle Kent
For Every One by Jason Reynolds
Small Worlds by Caleb Azumah Nelson
Windward Family by Alexis Keir
Mind and Me by Sunita Chawdhary
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Hello! Every day, remarkable acts of diplomacy are happening around the world to bring us one step closer to cooperation on our biggest conflicts and challenges. But how much do we really know about what goes on behind closed doors? And what are the ingredients of a successful negotiation? We speak to climate diplomacy legend and friend of the pod, Christiana Figueres, about her leadership on one of the most extraordinary diplomatic feats: the 2015 Paris Agreement. Gabrielle Rifkind, a specialist in conflict resolution, tells us about the importance of finding the ‘human face’ of conflict. Finally, the EU’s former top diplomat Catherine Ashton talks to us about the highs and lows of her time on the job, and why all of us are diplomats without even knowing it.
Plus: We’ve talked sandwiches, we’ve talked toasters. Have a guess at which gadget has Ed bought for himself this week...
Guests
Christiana Figueres, co-founder of Global Optimism and former Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC 2010-2016 (@CFigueres / @OutrageOptimism)
Gabrielle Rifkind, Specialist in conflict resolution and Director of the Oxford Process (@OxfordProcess)
Catherine Ashton, Former High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and author of And then what? Inside stories of 21st century diplomacy
More information
Buy a copy of Catherine's book
Listen to Outrage and Optimism, Christiana and Tom Rivett-Carnac's podcast
Learn more about the Oxford Process
'We need to rethink how we do diplomacy,' Guardian Article, Catherine Ashton
Learn more about the Paris Agreement, the legally binding treaty on climate change
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Hello! This week Ed and Geoff sat down with writer, journalist and now Professor of Sociology, Gary Younge. Gary talks about his new book ‘Dispatches from the Diaspora: From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter’, and how his upbringing in a new town - Stevenage - led to a life telling stories from historic moments on both sides of the Atlantic, and what he can teach the next generation of journalists.
Plus: Both Ed and Geoff both went viral fungal this week. Did you see?
Pre-order a copy of Gary's book here.
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Hello! While we generally aim for cheerfulness, it's also ok to be a little angry too. Senator Bernie Sanders is. After a long career of fighting for a more progressive politics, the self-proclaimed democratic socialist has had enough: capitalism isn't working for the average American (or Brit) anymore. Three billionaires own more wealth than the bottom half of American society combined, and healthcare, education, and childcare are unaffordable. The establishment has consistently written off his policies as ‘radical’ but Bernie is convinced that what he's fighting for is just common sense. Geoff and Ed sit down with the longest-serving independent politician in US history to talk about baseball, how his policies have influenced the Democrats, and whether Ed has finally met his political meme match.
Plus: Which tangy snack has Ed rediscovered?
Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders)
Buy a copy of It's ok to be angry about capitalism by Bernie Sanders
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Hello! As you wearily stood in a queue for a flight that was four hours delayed, having been hit with a hefty fee for a bag that you swore would fit under the seat, have you ever wondered if there was a better way to travel? Well, you’re not alone! 2022 was a bumper year for international train travel, as people took to the rails to see Europe and beyond. While long-distance train travel is better for the environment, it is often expensive and buying tickets can be fiddly. We speak to rail royalty Mark Smith, better known as the Man in Seat 61, who tells us why this is changing. Journalist and author Monisha Rajesh inspires us with tales of her travels around the world by train and finally we talk to Jody Bauer from Eurail, the company that sells Interrail passes, about its 50th anniversary and why it has revolutionised rail travel around Europe.
Plus: Has Ed hired the assistance of a food stylist?
Guests
Mark Smith, founder of the Man in Seat 61 website (Twitter: @seatsixtyone / Instagram: @seatsixtyone)
Monisha Rajesh, Journalist and Author (Twitter: @monisha_rajesh / Instagram: @monisha_rajesh)
Jody Bauer, Research Analyst, Eurail (Instagram: @eurail / @interraileu)
More information
To plan an international train journey visit the Man in Seat Sixty-One
Visit Monisha's website and buy her books Around India in 80 Trains and Around the World in 80 Trains
Visit 33 countries with one pass. Buy an Interrail or Eurail pass and get inspiration for your next trip here
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Hello! Climate change litigation has come on a long way since the 2000 blockbuster film Erin Brockovich. There's been a huge rise globally in the number of cases being filed against negligent governments and corporations, but what does this mean for our efforts to tackle the climate crisis? We hear from Catherine Higham, policy fellow at LSE, and Laura Clarke from ClientEarth about the kinds of climate-related cases being thrashed out in court. We then cross the pond to Canada, where 15-year-old climate activist Sophia Mathur has been busy suing the Ontario government. We find out what inspired her to act, and what her hopes for the future are.
Plus: Where did Ed go for a *bracing* open water swim this week?
Guests
Catherine Higham, Policy Fellow, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, LSE (@CatherineHigha3, @GRI_LSE)
Laura Clarke, CEO, ClientEarth (@LauraClarkeCE, @ClientEarth)
Sophia Mathur, Climate Activist (@sophiamathur)
More info
Global Trends in Climate Litigation 2022 (Report, Grantham Research Institute, LSE)
Learn more about ClientEarth's work
Learn more about Sophia's journey to becoming an activist
Why 2023 will be a watershed year for climate litigation (Article, The Guardian)
Sign up to The Wave: the newsletter about climate litigation and justice
Links to additional cases mentioned can be found on our website
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Hello! Nepo-babies are a new-fangled term but the issue of social mobility goes much deeper…in this episode Ed and Geoff explore why the same kind of people often seem to make it to the top. Why does your starting point in life still strongly determine where you’ll end up? We find out why it matters and if there’s anything we can do to change it. We’re speaking to social mobility tsar Alan Milburn, social entrepreneur Joe Seddon who helps state school pupils get into top Universities and to comedian Josie Long about how to open up the creative industries to more people.
Plus: Can Geoff persuade Ed to woo Justine with a ChatGPT Valentine's poem?
Guests
Alan Milburn, Chair, Social Mobility Foundation (@alanmilburn1958 & @SocialMobilityF)
Joe Seddon, Founder & CEO, Zero Gravity (@whatjoedid & @zerogravity)
Josie Long, Comedian & Co-Founder, Arts Emergency (@JosieLong & @artsemergency)
More info
Read the New York Magazine article on nepo babies in Hollywood
Read Vice's article about why American nepo babies have nothing on the British
Learn more about the Social Mobility Foundation and apply to their Aspiring Professionals Programme
Sign up to Zero Gravity as a sixth form student to get mentoring, or as a university student to become a mentor
Read Zero Gravity's Gap Zero Report on the network advantage
Learn more about Arts Emergency, get support as a young person, donate or become a mentor
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Hello! This week we're speaking to comedian, actor and author Cariad Lloyd who's on a crusade to help us become better at talking about death and grief. Although it might not seem like the most cheerful of topics, Cariad believes that there's a lot of hope and optimism in thinking and talking about death. We discuss why the five stages are a load of twaddle, how there is no 'right way' to deal with your grief and what to say (and what not to say!) to someone who's grieving.
Plus: Geoff and Ed’s telepathy reaches new levels...for the first time in the pod’s history, they have the same reason to be cheerful!
Follow Cariad on Twitter (@ladycariad)
Buy a copy of Cariad's book out now You are not alone: A new way to grieve
Listen to all episodes of Griefcast including the episode with Dr Kathryn Mannix
Cariad mentioned psychotherapist Julia Samuel
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Hello! This week on Reasons to be Cheerful Ed and Geoff are Going Out Out and talking about the night-time economy: generally everything that happens between 6pm and 6am. At the end of 2022, iconic Manchester venue ‘Night & Day’ was threatened with closure over a noise complaint. We talk about why this example represents a wider crisis in city nightlife and how it is possible to protect it, both for a good night’s sleep and for better workers’ rights. We chat to Dr Alessio Kolioulis about the history of the night-time economy, to Sacha Lord about why Manchester’s nightlife is the keystone of its cultural identity and to Clare Lynch, long-time resident of Soho, who tells us about the changes happening there and how to preserve the area’s character. And where does Bez from the Happy Mondays keep his bees?
Plus: Find out which TV chef has given a professional review of Ed’s soup…
Guests
Dr Alessio Kolioulis, Lecturer teaching urban economic development at the Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL (@AleKolioulis)
Sacha Lord, Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester (@Sacha_Lord)
Clare Lynch, Audio producer and Soho Resident (@clarelynchred)
More info
Night & Day: Manchester venue’s noise breach appeal hearing postponed
Brussels famous nightclub Fuse allowed to reopen
Working Nights: Municipal strategies for nocturnal workers
It’s official - Germany declares its nightclubs are now cultural institutions
Listen to Soho Radio
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Hello! This week we’re talking about ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence language model that’s taken the world by storm. But is the hype justified? And what can it do beyond writing poems about your favourite podcast? We speak to Rory Cellan-Jones, whose dog is also an internet sensation, about what ChatGPT is and whether it’s been trained on a pro-Ed dataset, to Dr Kate Devlin about what it means for education and whether we can trust AI, and finally to Andrew Strait about some of the ethical concerns surrounding ChatGPT. Can AI really make society better and fairer?
Plus: Where is Ed off to next on his culinary journey?
Guests
Rory Cellan-Jones, Former Technology Correspondent, BBC (@ruskin147 and check out the hashtag #SophiefromRomania to keep up to date with the latest doggie developments)
Dr Kate Devlin, Reader in Artificial Intelligence and Society, Department of Digital Humanities at King’s College London (@drkatedevlin & @kingsdh)
Andrew Strait, Associate Director, Ada Lovelace Institute (@agstrait & @AdaLovelaceInst)
More info
Try out ChatGPT for yourself
Subscribe to Rory’s Substack on health and technology
Department of Digital Humanities, King’s College London
Visit the Ada Lovelace Institute’s Website
UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous Systems
Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind by Rory Cellan-Jones
OpenAI underpaid 200 Kenyans to perfect ChatGPT then sacked them
Human-like programs abuse our empathy by Professor Emily Bender
ChatGPT used by mental health tech app in AI experiment
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Hello! This week we’re talking about climate misinformation and how we tackle it. Mis- and disinformation about the climate crisis is not new: since the 1970s industry players and fossil fuel giants have been denying the reality of climate change in order to sow confusion and polarise public support for taking action. Delay is the new denial, according to Jennie King, who talks to us about some of the arguments used to delay action on climate change. Professor Sander van der Linden tells us about the psychology of misinformation spread and why social media has only turbocharged it. Finally, Sean Buchan talks to us about the grassroots campaign Stop Funding Heat which aims to make climate misinformation unprofitable.
Plus: Geoff goes on a gastronomic journey with Ed's latest cooking attempt.
Guests
Jennie King, Head of Climate Research and Policy, Institute for Strategic Dialogue (@jkingy, @ISDglobal)
Professor Sander van der Linden, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Cambridge (@Sander_vdLinden)
Sean Buchan, Campaign Director, Stop Funding Heat (@seanforachange, @stopfundingheat)
More info
What is climate mis-/disinformation?
Deny, deceive, delay: documenting and responding to climate disinformation at COP26 and beyond Report from the ISD
Taxonomy of climate contrarian claims Academic paper: Coan, Boussalis, Cook, Nanko
Discourses of Climate Delay Comic by Céline Keller
Climate Action Against Disinformation
Pre-order a copy of Sander's book Foolproof: Why we fall for misinformation and how to build immunity
Stop Funding Heat Campaign
Other resources
DeSmog Journalism to clear the 'PR Pollution' clouding the science and solutions to climate change
Skeptical science Website set up by academic Jon Cook to examine the science and arguments of climate scepticism
Ed and Geoff mentioned:
Three policies making life in Paris better for children
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