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Ruth Madeley was born in Westhoughton, near Bolton, and studied English and creative writing at university. She always wanted to work in the entertainment industry and thought that her path lay in scriptwriting. She was born with spina bifida and, as an ambulatory wheelchair user, Ruth just didn’t see herself represented on screen
However, a work experience placement at the BBC led to an unexpected audition. And Ruth fell in love with acting, the moment she joined the set.
In 2016, she was BAFTA nominated for her leading role in Don’t Take My Baby, a factual drama about a disabled couple’s fight to keep custody of their newborn daughter. And the stage and television roles that followed, include the Russell T Davies drama Years and Years.
Most recently, Ruth is back on our screens in the BBC’s biggest drama, Doctor Who. A show that’s just celebrated its 60th anniversary, with three special shows.
In this conversation, Ruth chats to Jon about her unexpected move into acting, the roles and the writers who've had a big impact on her career, and her own role as a spokesperson for inclusivity.
Related links:
Whizz Kidz
Ruth's documentary for Channel 4: Disability & Abortion
Jack Thorne's Snowcast interview
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Dan Schreiber was born in Hong Kong, grew up in Sydney, and moved to England at the age of 19.
Once here, Dan was hired as a researcher on the BBC panel show QI. And it was a job that Dan was born to do - one that combined his love for facts and comedy.
In 2008, Dan launched The Museum of Curiosity on BBC Radio 4 and, after that, came No Such Thing As A Fish - a hugely popular podcast that's clocked up more than 500 episodes and been downloaded 470 million times.
Last year, Dan turned his forensic brain to the fringes of history - taking a voyage into the world of the weird with his book The Theory Of Everything Else. He believes that, if you dig deep enough, nearly everyone holds a batshit belief. And he now encourages people to open up, and share their own, in We Can Be Weirdos. A chart-topping new podcast in which Dan speaks to scientists and historians, as well as guests from the world of entertainment.
In this fun and freewheeling conversation, he chats to Jon about his unconventional childhood, the mentors who helped shape his career, and the weird stories that get his brain whizzing.
Related links:
Kary B Mullis
The Ghostbuster: Dan Aykroyd and His Close Encounters
Dan's forthcoming children's book
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Liz was born in France, grew up in Ireland, and studied biochemistry and wildlife biology at university.
She has since travelled the world studying animal behaviour. And her documentaries include Drowning in Plastic, Galapagos and Should We Close Our Zoos? Liz is also part of Our Changing Planet, a seven-year-project for the BBC, visiting vulnerable habitats - to chart changes and the fight to save our most threatened ecosystems.
Her latest BBC series - Liz Bonnin’s Wild Caribbean - returns to the region that shaped her childhood, and inspired Liz to explore the natural world. Along the way, we meet rare dolphins, enormous crocodiles, brightly coloured birds, and giant spiders. As well as the conservationists showing ingenuity and determination in their efforts to protect native species and habitats.
In this interview, Liz chats to Jon about how she ended up with her "dream of a job", some of the incredible - and endangered - wildlife she has encountered along the way, and the conservationists whose passion and work help her remain positive.
Related links:
Liz pictured at the Caroni Swamp & with the Union Island Gecko
Liz's website
COP28
What Planet Are We On? with Liz Bonnin (a podcast series)
Secrets Of The Jurassic Dinosaurs (another documentary available on the BBCiPlayer)
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Waad Al-Kateab is a BAFTA-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker. Born in Syria, Waad left home at 18, to study at the university of Aleppo.
In 2011, she began shooting video on her phone, while attending pro-democracy protests. Waad went on to document the next five years in Aleppo, capturing life, loss and emergency care in the besieged city - as well as the birth of her first daughter Sama.
Waad wanted the world to know what was happening and, when Channel 4 News shared her reports, they were seen by millions. When she finally had to leave Aleppo, Waad began turning hundreds of hours of footage into the 2019 documentary, For Sama.
Now based in London, Waad campaigns to raise awareness of the crimes committed under President Assad’s regime - as well as the global refugee crisis. And, in her new film, We Dare To Dream, she turns her lens on five incredible athletes, as they strive for a place on the Refugee Olympic Team.
Related links:
We Dare To Dream trailer
Cyrille Tchatchet II
Kimia Alizadeh
The latest news from the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic
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Carol Morley is an acclaimed filmmaker, whose work includes short film, documentary and drama.
She was born in Stockport, and spent her teens enjoying the Manchester music scene, before moving to London - where she studied Fine Art, Film and Video, at Saint Martins College.
Her 2000 documentary, The Alcohol Years, showed a fearlessness and an early interest in identity. Carol’s since been described as "part-psychoanalyst, part-detective, part-social historian". And her films involve a lot of passion, research, tenacity and experimentation with form.
Her latest release is called Typist, Artist, Pirate, King. It stars Monica Dolan as Audrey Amiss, an artist Carol believes should be widely known. And who she brings vividly to life, in a fictional road trip to Sunderland (accompanied by a psychiatric nurse played by Kelly MacDonald).
In this interview, Carol reflects on her childhood, processing the loss of her father to suicide, her path into filmmaking, a brilliant teacher - and a few of her creations, including Dreams of a Life.
Related links:
Find Carol's other films at Cannon and Morley Productions
The amazing undiscovered life of Audrey the artist (Carol's article for the Observer)
Her semi-autobiographical novel 7 Miles Out
In The Studio: Carol Morley (BBC World Service)
Muriel Box: Britain's most prolific female director
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Classics professor Dame Mary Beard was a bright child, who was bumped up a year at school, went on archaelogical digs as a teen, and studied classics at Newnham College. After completing her PhD, Mary taught at King’s College in London, before returning to Cambridge - where she remained for nearly forty years.
During her long academic career, Mary has written many best-selling books. When her 2008 book on Pompeii won the prestigious Wolfson History Prize, she became the star of her own BBC television programme. The first of many documentaries, in which Mary's passion for the past is infectious - and which have helped raise her status to that of national treasure.
Mary’s latest series is for BBC Radio 4. Being Roman looks at six intriguing individuals who lived in the heyday of imperial power and it follows hot on the heels of a brand new book Emperor of Rome.
In this conversation, Mary reflects on her brilliant career, the skills to be gained from studying classics, and what we can learn about democracy and leaders (past and present).
Related links:
Meet The Romans with Mary Beard (BBC TV documentary)
Mary's other books
Mary's TLS column A Don's Life
Marcus Aurelius' Meditations
The Boudicca statue on Victoria Embankment
Galen - one of the most famous figures from the ancient world (that you may not know)
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Ava Glass is the pen name of Christi Daugherty. She was born in Texas and worked as a crime reporter before moving to the UK.
A few years after settling in London, Christi was recruited to work in the communications department of the Home Office - tasked with helping the public understand what the intelligence services do, to keep us safe. This wasn’t a straightforward job, given the secretive world Christi found herself in, but it did prove creatively inspiring. And, after selling millions of young adult and crime books as CJ Daugherty, she turned to spy fiction - writing as Ava Glass.
Ava’s protagonist is Emma Makepeace, an operative for an off-the-books British intelligence agency called The Vernon Institute. Emma made her debut in February, pursued by Russian assassins in The Chase. And now she’s back, with a brand new mission, working undercover on a luxury yacht.
Related links:
The latest Ava Glass book: The Traitor
Ava Glass' website
The Guardian interview that crowned Ava "the new queen of spy fiction"
The Night School young adult series (writing as CJ Daughterty)
MI5 head warns of "epic scale" of Chinese espionage at a meeting of the Five Eyes alliance (BBC)
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In November 2019, Steve Gallant was serving a life sentence for murder when he confronted the terrorist Usman Khan.
Steve had been allowed out on day release, to attend a Learning Together event, near London Bridge. Learning Together was an initiative that brought students and prisoners together - and helped change many lives for the better. But on this dreadful day, two young graduates were fatally stabbed. Saskia Jones, and Steve’s own mentor, Jack Merrit.
After his brave actions, Steve was granted a royal pardon. And in August 2021, after 16 years in prison, he was released on parole. When he received the Queen's Gallantry Medal last month, Steve said that his award symbolised change. That you can make great mistakes, but still work hard, and do something useful with your life.
After studying diligently in prison, Steve’s now written a book, titled The Road To London Bridge. He's said that he wants to contribute something constructive to a public debate that seems stuck in its approach, to keeping people safe and dealing with those who commit crime.
Related links:
Steve's website
Own Merit
Jack Merritt & Saskia Jones remembered
London Bridge: Facing Terror (Channel 4 documentary)
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The British-Trinidadian artist Zak Ové was born into an artistic family. After studying at St. Martin’s School of Art, he worked as a photographer and as a director of television and music videos.
At the age of 40, Zak had an epiphany while filming in Trinidad. Feeling a distance from his subject matter, Zak realised that he wanted to be a “maker” and that sculpture would allow him to express his true voice.
Since then, Zak’s sculptures have been exhibited in the British Museum, at Somerset House, and around the world. His latest is a nine-metre-high sculpture, called The Mothership Connection.
Part psychedelic totem pole, part space rocket — it’s his largest work to date - and currently stands resplendent in London’s Regent’s Park.
This interview was recorded on Monday 9th October, just a few weeks after the death of Zak’s father, the acclaimed film-maker Sir Horace Ové. So we took some time to discuss Horace’s considerable legacy, as well as Zak’s own brilliant career.
Related links:
Horace Ové's films
Zak's Moko Jumbies
The Invisible Man and the Masque of Blackness
Frieze Sculpture
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Sarah Sands grew up in Tunbridge Wells and cut her teeth on a local newspaper in Kent, before moving to the diary, on the Evening Standard.
She later edited the Standard but not before spending some time at The Telegraph, and re-designing the Sunday edition, with the launch of two new magazines.
In 2017, Sarah moved into broadcast journalism, as editor of Today. While at the BBC, she steered Radio 4’s flagship news programme through Brexit, Covid and a General Election.
But, after three years of early mornings, Sarah stepped away from the newsroom and wrote The Interior Silence. A book which explores the lessons to be found in monastic living, as an antidote to the stresses of everyday life.
She's now followed that book with The Hedgehog Diaries: A Story of Faith, Hope and Bristle. It's a meditation on grief, healing, and the British hedgehog community - in which this prickly mammal becomes a metaphor for hope.
Related links:
In Search of the Queen of Sheba by Sarah Sands
The Felix Project
Julian Sands
Kit Hesketh-Harvey
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Michael Mansfield became a barrister in 1967 and, since then, he’s worked on some very high-profile cases in the UK. He has overturned miscarriages of justice, fought for civil liberties, and for change.
He helped to free the Guildford Four and the Birmingham Six. He defended the Orgreave miners, fought for the family of Stephen Lawrence. And he represented victims’ families at inquiries into the sinking of the Marchioness, the Hillsborough football stadium disaster, and the fire at Grenfell Tower.
Michael has now written a book, called The Power in The People: How We Can Change The World. In it, he revisits some of his most important cases, to demonstrate that, when people get together, they can make lasting and positive change.
Michael wants to inspire people. To give them a blueprint for fighting their own battles and to challenge the status quo. Because he believes that: those who stand in the way of change cannot do so forever.
Related links:
The People's Covid Inquiry
The Warwick District People's Climate Change Inquiry
Stéphane Hessel's Indignez-Vous! (Time For Outrage)
Michael's Two Heads podcast
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Sir Chris Bryant was born in Cardiff, and lived in Spain as a child, before returning to the UK. After reading English at Oxford, he studied Theology and was ordained in the Church of England.
He then spent time in Latin America, and worked as a curate, before deciding to leave the church and move into politics. Chris was elected MP for Rhondda in 2001 and he’s held this seat for Labour ever since. Along with a variety of frontbench and committee posts, in both government and opposition.
For the past two years, Chris has been very busy as Chair of the Standards Committee. But, earlier this month, he returned to the Labour frontbench, as Shadow Minister for Creative Industries and Digital.
During his parliamentary career, Chris has earned a reputation as someone unafraid to speak truth to power - as a vocal critic of both News International and Vladamir Putin. But he also enjoys cross-party collaboration and he was given an award, for Civility in Politics, in 2022.
Chris is also a big fan of parliamentary process. He will happily nerd out on a point of order and he’s just published a book on the subject, called Code of Conduct: Why We Need to Fix Parliament – and How to Do It. He strongly believes - that when parliamentary standards fall – public trust wears thin.
Related links:
Chris' website
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Stephen Davis is an investigative journalist and author, who has worked around the world, on newspaper stories and documentaries.
He’s also a podcaster, whose most recent series investigates the sinking of the passenger ferry Estonia. It is Europe’s worst shipping disaster - since the Titanic - and a gripping tale of tragedy, smuggling, and spies.
But this interview will focus on the fate of British Airways Flight 149. This is another story which reads like a film script and which Stephen has been covering for more than 30 years.
On the 1st August 1990, nearly 400 passengers and flight crew were caught up in the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. They were taken hostage, used as human shields, and endured months of terror.
Many of the hostages hold Saddam Hussein principally responsible for their ordeal. But they also believe that Flight 149 should never have landed in Kuwait. And they are now taking legal action against the British Government and British Airways, for their alleged role in the ordeal.
Related links:
Stephen's book: The Secret History of Flight 149
Episode 1 of The Secret History of Flight 149 podcast
Liz Truss' November 2021 statement on the events surrounding Flight 149
BBC & PA story on the legal action (including the latest statement from British Airways)
The National Archives documents on Flight 149
Episode 1 of The Secret History of The Estonia
Stephen's Twitter account (@Theeditorspeaks)
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Professor Rose Anne Kenny is an expert in ageing who has over 35 years of clinical and research experience. She’s a Professor of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College, Dublin, and the Director of Mercer's Institute for Successful Ageing, at St. James's Hospital.
Rose Anne is also the brains behind TILDA - a groundbreaking research study into ageing in Ireland - which has followed eight and a half thousand adults - aged 50 plus - since 2009.
She published a best-selling book last year: Age Proof: The New Science of Living a Longer and Healthier Life. And she’s passionate about sharing what she’s learned, to change our experience of - and attitude towards - ageing.
In this conversation, Jon learns more about how diet, exercise, social engagement and attitude can affect our experience of ageing. And this is a conversation for all ages - younger listeners shouldn’t postpone making changes and it's never too late to start.
Related links:
Jon's documentary for Channel 4: How To Live To 100
Professor Sophie Scott's episode on brain health
Deaths of Despair by Anne Case & Angus Deaton
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Jess McDonald was one of the first recruits on The Metropolitan Police’s Direct Entry Detective Scheme. Launched in 2017, to address a shortage of detectives, this scheme was not without its critics. Successful applicants had a direct route into a career as a detective, without first undertaking a role in uniform policing.
When Jess first pitched an idea for a book, she wanted to bridge the gap between people’s fascination with true crime and the reality of what it is to be a detective. But she ended up leaving the job she loved and writing about the challenges she found - both in The Met and the justice system.
Jess believes that transparency can only be bracingly positive. A sentiment that was shared by Baroness Casey, when she conducted a year-long review of The Met, following the murder of Sarah Everard, by a serving officer.
Given that Jess worked on cases of domestic abuse, this interview may include content that some may find triggering. But it’s a fascinating insight into the life, and work, of a Met detective.
Related links:
Jess's book: No Comment: What I Wish I'd Known About Becoming A Detective
Baroness Casey's Report
Domestic abuse - how to get help
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The Nottingham-born comedian Matt Forde has been fascinated by politics ever since he was 9 years old. Raised by his mum, without much money, Matt experienced life: “at the sharp end of every political decision taken by the government.”
He studied politics at university and, after working for a few MPs, he became a regional organiser for the Labour Party. But by 2010, Matt had left party politics behind and, when he moved to London, he began to pursue a career in stand-up. A job at TalkSPORT followed and he also wrote for shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Last Leg.
In 2013, Matt launched The Political Party Podcast, which combines topical comedy and a light-hearted interview - with a big political name. He also hosts the award-winning British Scandal podcast, with Alice Levine. And, in 2020, he revived Spitting Image, which is currently enjoying a run in London’s West End.
This interview was recorded on Monday 24th July, hot on the heels of three by-elections, and just before Matt headed off to Edinburgh - with a brand new stand-up show, titled Inside No. 10, and three Political Party specials.
Related links:
Matt's website
Matt's interview with Tessa Jowell
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Mick Lynch is the General Secretary of Britain's largest specialist transport trade union, the RMT.
In May 2022, the RMT announced that its members had voted overwhelmingly in favour of strikes, in a dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
At the time, they said it was the biggest endorsement of industrial action, by railway workers, since privatisation. But the dispute remains unresolved. And 20,000 railway workers will now walk out over three more days, on the 20th, 22nd and the 29th of July.
All this is set against a cost of living crisis, and a wave of industrial action that has included teachers, nurses, junior doctors, and university staff. And while the government has just made a pay offer to millions of public sector workers, they are also looking to curb strike disruption with a new bill.
In this interview, recorded on Monday 17th July, Mick reflects on a year of industrial action, the campaign to save ticket offices, the Strikes Bill, Labour policy, rail nationalisation and Brexit.
Related links:
The Rail Delivery Group's response to the latest RMT strike dates
The Department for Transport's dispute handling guide for train operating companies (& rail passenger contracts)
Have your say on proposals to change the way ticket offices are staffed
The Strikes Bill and the impact assessment
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South Londoner Candice Carty-Williams has gone from publishing house marketing executive, to literary sensation - and now, she's taking on TV.
Queenie, her 2019 debut, was a best-seller. Critics and readers loved it and Candice won several awards, including book of the year at the Nibbie’s.
Fast forward to 2023 and Candice is the creative force behind two big series: Champion, a BBC drama which revolves around two siblings (Bosco and Vita Champion) and celebrates the Black British music which she loves. As well as a much-anticipated dramatisation of Queenie for Channel 4.
Candice is both talented and determined. If there's something she wants to change - or do - she goes for it. She will fight her corner, work very hard to prove what she's capable of, and create opportunites for others along the way. She is loving the collaboration of television - working with a team of writers, as well as composers, music producers and other creatives - in her new role as a showrunner. Fortunately, there's always a book waiting to get out (and the next one will feature a person who Candice - and many others - have missed).
Related links:
Candice's website
The trailer for Champion
The 4thWrite Short Story Prize (which Candice launched)
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The poet and writer Sir Ben Okri was born in Nigeria and spent some of his childhood in London, before moving with his family to Lagos, on the eve of the Nigerian Civil War. This experience had a defining impact on Ben, who has said that he is “crammed full” of the painful things that he witnessed.
In 1978, Ben returned to London to study but he really came to write. By 21 he had published his first novel and, at the age of 32, The Famished Road won the Booker Prize.
Ben's latest publication is Tiger Work - a collection of poetry, short stories and essays about the climate crisis. He writes with urgency about our "suicidal relationship with the earth’" and believes that we must imagine the end of things, so that we can imagine how we will come through this existential crisis. But he remains an optimist, who believes in the power of art and storytelling to activate our hearts. And that, when our backs are against the wall, human beings can accomplish extraordinary things.
Related links:
Ben's website
Ben reads Grenfell Tower, June, 2017 on Channel 4 News
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The voice of broadcaster and writer Anita Anand will be familiar to many. Her career began while she was still at university, in the newsroom of satellite channel Zee. Anita was then snapped up by Radio 5 Live and she has since presented many news and current affairs programmes on the BBC.
In 2012, Anita became the host of Any Answers on Radio 4, where she also hosts The Reith Lectures. A few years later, she published her first book: a compelling biography of Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, daughter of the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire and a goddaughter of Queen Victoria.
This book launched a divergent career in history. After the sucess of her debut, Anita wrote Koh-i-Noor: The History of the World's Most Infamous Diamond with William Dalrymple, and then investigated the massacre at the Jalllianwala Bagh in Amritsar and the revenge of Udham Singh in The Patient Assassin.
Anita now reaches a huge audience with the Empire podcast, which she co-hosts with William, and which looks at the rise and fall of empires and how they shape the world today. And, though her new book about the kick-ass undercover reporter Olive Malvery may be a little late, it sounds well worth the wait.
Related links:
Anita's website
The Empire episode on Princess Sophia Duleep Singh
The first Empire episode on the Koh-i-Noor Diamond (1/4)
The Empire episode on the The Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
The Empire episode on Udham Singh, subject of The Patient Assassin
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