How To Academy’s podcast series takes you backstage to meet the thinkers shaping the 21st century. From polar explorers to climate activists, CEOs to cabinet ministers, you’ll hear from the men and women making the world of tomorrow.
Season 15, Eps 26
1hr 8mins
Sayeeda Warsi – Muslims Don’t Matter
Britain’s first Muslim Cabinet minister, Conservative peer, campaigner and podcaster Sayeeda Warsi uses her dual lens at the centre of British power and in the heart of our Muslim communities to unapologetically challenge the corrosive consensus.
Season 15, Eps. 25
43 mins
Dan Richards – Stories from the Night
Author Dan Richards explores the intricacy of the nocturnal world, and the work that happens at night to keep the modern world moving.
Season 15, Eps. 24
1hr
LSE Behavioural Economist Paul Dolan – How to Stop Hating People You Disagree With
LSE’s Paul Dolan reveals how we can stop hating the people we disagree with, and how we can foster a more tolerant society.
Season 15, Eps. 24
1 hr 3 mins
Nature Writer and Cambridge Professor Robert Macfarlane – Is a River Alive?
Our greatest living nature writer, Robert Macfarlane shares with Horatio Clare a single, transformative idea: are rivers alive?
Season 15, Eps. 23
1hr 4mins
Masud Husain – A Neurologist’s Guide to the Self and the Brain
Leading neurologist and Oxford Professor Masud Husain shares moving cases of brain disorders from across his career – and what they can teach us about medicine, humanity, and ourselves.
Season 15, Eps. 22
37 mins
Daniel Swift – Art, Commerce, and the Origin Story of William Shakespeare
Before the Globe there was the Theatre. Daniel Swift has meticulously reconstructed the story of the first Elizabethan playhouse — and its part in the making of the greatest writer of all time.
Season 15, Eps. 21
58 mins
Gina Rippon – How Science Failed Autistic Women
Renowned brain scientist Gina Rippon reveals why medical science has long neglected women and girls with autism, and the new research that’s changing the story.
Season 15, Eps 20
1hr 22 mins
Robin Ince Meets Slavoj Žižek – The World In 2025
Slavoj Žižek, one of the most outrageous and maverick thinkers of our time, joins Robin Ince for deep dive into his life and thought.
Season 15, Eps. 19
1hr
Bonnie Tsui – Rethinking Muscle and the Way We Move
Muscle is more than just what we are made of; it allows us to explore who we are and pursue who we want to be. Author and athlete Bonnie Tsui reveals the intriguing world of muscle and why it matters.
Season 15, Eps. 18
1hr 2mins
Gabriel Weston – A New Journey Through the Human Anatomy
Award-winning novelist, memoirist, and surgeon Gabriel Weston joins us with a profound journey through the wonder that is the human body.
Season 15, Eps. 17
1hr 5mins
Yung Pueblo – How To Love Better
New York Times bestselling poet and author Yung Pueblo reveals how we can cultivate deeper compassion and connection in our relationships, to better love our partners and ourselves.
Series 15, Eps. 16
47mins
John Higgs – The Story of Doctor Who
How did a low budget sci-fi show widely loathed by its creators the BBC go on to become a bedrock of British culture that means the world to millions of children and adults alike?
Season 15, Eps. 15
1hr
Anne-Laure Le Cunff – How Everyday Curiosity Can Help You Reach Your Goals
Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff reveals a new, easier way to reach your goals through everyday curiosity and self-discovery: the experimental mindset.
Season 15, Eps. 14
1hr
Edward Fishman – How the Global Economy Became a Weapon of War
Foreign policy expert and former US state department official Edward Fishman reveals the history of economic warfare, and the alarming forecast for international economies to come.
Season 15, Eps. 13
1hr
Maya Raichoora – How to Think, Feel, and Perform Like the Top 1%
Mental fitness expert Maya Raichoora reveals how to harness the power of visualisation to rewire and retrain your brain so you can take control of the way you think, feel and perform.
Season 15 Eps. 12
58 mins
Journalist Annabelle Hirsch – A History of Women in 101 Objects
From thumbscrews to Tupperware, the Amazon rainforest to the plantations of South Carolina, Simone de Beauvoir to Beyoncé, this is the story of women as never heard before.
Season 15, Eps. 11
55 mins
Gary Lightbody – On Grief, Love, and the Power of Music
Time. Love. Death. Life. Snow Patrol’s Gary Lightbody shares the emotional journey behind the band’s latest chart-topping album, at whose heart is the story of losing his father.
Season 15, Eps. 10
1hr 13mins
Kenneth Roth – Fighting for Humanity: Three Decades of Leading Human Rights Watch
The long-time head of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth, joins us to tell the story of taking on the world’s biggest human rights villains, and explores the ongoing fight for a better world.
Season 15 Eps. 9
29 mins
Assyriologist Selena Wisnom – Mesopotamia and the Making of History
Located in modern-day Iraq, Mesopotamia was the first human civilisation and the birthplace of writing. Selena Wisnom is one of the few people alive today who can read the cuneiform tablets that tell its story.
Season 15, Eps. 8
1hr 5mins
Agnes Callard – Socratic Wisdom for Our Modern Times
Philosopher and University of Chicago Professor Agnes Callard reveals how Socrates can continue to guide us in the tumult of our modern world.
Season 15 Eps. 7
1hr 10 mins
Psychologist to the Lionesses Kate Hays – How to Win
The Lionesses’ Performance Psychologist Kate Hays shares a practical playbook on how to thrive, fulfil your potential, and sustain long-term success.
Season 15 Eps. 6
1 hr 4 mins
Courtney Love and Todd Almond – On Bob Dylan
A deeply personal celebration of the legendary songwriter Bob Dylan, from two great stars of stage, studio and screen, Courtney Love and Todd Almond.
Season 15, Eps. 5
1hr
Sumit Paul-Choudhury – Why You Should Be an Optimist
A deep dive into the power and science of optimism that will change the way you think for good, with the former editor of New Scientist, Sumit Paul-Choudhury.
Season 15, Eps. 4
1hr 12 mins
George Osborne Meets Tom Holland – The Lives of the Caesars
The award-winning star of The Rest is History Tom Holland joins George Osborne for a journey back to the Roman empire, breathing new life into the reign of the Caesars.
Series 15, Eps. 3
1hr
Andrew Brodsky – The Secrets of Successful Virtual Communication
To email or not to email? That is the question. We are all virtual communicators, but the struggles of expressing ourselves on text, email, and video calls are familiar to us all. Andrew Brodsky shares an illuminating guide to how we can all communicate better virtually.
Series 15, Eps. 2
49 mins
Sahil Bloom – How to Design Your Dream Life
Entrepreneur and author of The Curiosity Chronicle, Sahil Bloom joins Chris Donnelly for a groundbreaking guide to rejecting the default path and designing the life you’ve always dreamed of.
Series 15, Eps. 1
55mins
Historian and Novelist Ada Palmer – Was the Renaissance Really a Golden Age?
Historian and novelist Ada Palmer debunks the myths of the Renaissance and reveal a richer picture of the era and its luminaries, from the Medicis to Machiavelli.
Series 14, Eps 32
1hr 1mins
Sunita Sah – The Power of No in a World that Demands Yes
In a world that expects compliance, what is the power of defiance and how can we stay true to ourselves? Cornell Professor Sunita Sah reveals the power of ‘no’.
Series 14, Eps 31
50 mins
Anna Sulan Masing – Chinese and Any Other Asian
Dr Anna Sulan Masing explores the vast history of othering and belonging for East and Southeast Asians in the UK, and what it means to be East and Southeast Asian in Britain today.
Series 14, Eps 30
55 mins
Neal Stephenson – Dawn of the Atomic Age
#1 New York Times bestselling author of Termination Shock Neal Stephenson joins us to unveil his creation of a new tale: Polostan, an epic of intrigue presaging the dawn of the Atomic Age.
Series 14, Eps 29
1 hr 7 mins
Activist, Actor and Baroness Lola Young – Defying The Odds
The beloved social justice activist Baroness Lola Young shares her remarkable path from a childhood spent in foster care to becoming one of the first Black women in the House of Lords.
Series 14, Eps 26
1hr 33mins
Frankie Boyle Meets George Monbiot – The Fight Against Neoliberalism
Legendary environmentalist George Monbiot joins comic Frankie Boyle to take on neoliberalism: the insidious doctrine impoverishing society and threatening democracy itself.
Series 14, Eps 25
59 mins
Professor Adam Zeman – The New Neuroscience of Imagination
We think of imagination as a creative faculty. The truth is that it’s the default setting of our daily lives. Robin Ince ventures into the maze of the mind with Professor Adam Zeman.
Series 14, Eps. 24
1hr
Novelist and Activist Cory Doctorow – Fear and Loathing in Silicon Valley
Blogger, author, and activist Cory Doctorow is the most provocative, original, and widely admired thinker on the politics of Big Tech writing today.
Series 14, Eps 23
1hr 3 mins
Caitlin Moran Meets Alex James – Cocaine, Crash Diets and the Return of Blur
Blur’s legendary bassist Alex James shares his heartfelt and hilarious account of being catapulted back into the limelight with Times journalist Caitlin Moran.
Series 14, Eps 22
1hr 28 mins
Yanis Varoufakis Meets Slavoj Žižek
Join the rockstar philosopher and revolutionary Slavoj Žižek for a celebration of his life and thought with his friend, world famous economist Yanis Varoufakis.
Series 14, Eps 21
1hr
Cosmologist Roberto Trotta – How the Stars Shaped Civilisation
All of humanity has arisen under the same sky. Cosmologist Roberto Trotta explores how the night sky has shaped civilisation and what it means to be human.
Series 14, Eps 20
1hr
Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk – A Life in Writing
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2006, Orhan Pamuk has moved readers across the globe with his evocative and deeply stirring works of fiction. He joins us to illuminate his art.
Series 14, Eps 19
35mins
Neuroscientist Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston – How and Why We Should Abolish Death
Can scientists now preserve human minds beyond death – and should they? Australian neuroscientist Ariel Zeleznikow-Johnston joins us to explain the cutting-edge of his field.
Series 14 Eps 18
60 mins
Vanity Fair’s Lili Anolik – Joan Didion v. Eve Babitz
It’s sixties Hollywood. The relationship between two literary titans is about to explode. Vanity Fair’s Lili Anolik reveals glittering insights into the literary rivalry of its age. This is Joan Didion v. Eve Babitz.
Series 14, Eps 17
1hr
Lucy Hughes-Hallett – The Brief & Brilliant Life of the Duke of Buckingham
Winner of the Baillie Gifford Prize Lucy Hughes-Hallett reveals the stunning life of the dazzling young Englishman at the heart of seventeenth-century court politics.
Series 14, Eps 16
1hr 17mins
Andrew Roberts – 150 Years of Winston Churchill
On Winston Churchill’s 150th birthday, Andrew Roberts joins Matthew D’Ancona to illuminate the life of this towering figure and share what Churchill might think of our world today.
Series 14, Eps 15
58 mins
Dr Guy Leschziner – A Neuroscientist’s Guide to the Seven Deadly Sins
Neurologist Dr Guy Leschziner reveals the evolutionary benefits of the seven deadly sins and how modern society can reframe them to create a fairer, more empathetic world.
Series 14, Eps 14
1hr 5mins
Rory Stewart Meets Saad Mohseni – The Fight for a Free Press in Kabul
Saad Mohseni joins Rory Stewart to share his journey of building a free press in Afghanistan – and reveals a stunning portrait of the resilience of the Afghan people.
Series 14, Eps 13
1hr 2mins
Dr Mithu Storoni – How To Transform the Way You Work
Physician, surgeon and neuroscience researcher Dr Mithu Storoni shares insightful and practical strategies to enhance the quality and creativity of your work.
Series 14, Eps 12
1hr 6 mins
Cambridge Professor David Spiegelhalter – How to Navigate Change, Ignorance, Risk and Luck
Life is uncertain, so how can we manage risk and ignorance? Join coincidence-prone Robin Ince and national treasure Professor David Spiegelhalter for a journey into navigating life’s unknowns.
Series 14, Eps 11
1hr 1min
Alison Fragale – How Women Can Get the Success They Deserve
Behavioural scientist Alison Fragale reveals a practical playbook for women to advance in any workplace, while remaining authentic to themselves.
Series 14, Eps 10
1hr
Alan Moore – Twenty Six Letters, Infinite Worlds
Legendary magician and author of Watchmen Alan Moore joins Robin Ince for a spellbinding exploration of everyday magic and the enduring power of prose in our new technological age.
Series 14, Episode 9
22 mins
Robyn Davidson – Journeys of a Lifetime
Acclaimed author of Tracks, Robyn Davidson, shares a deeply moving journey into the past as she traces her extraordinary life and the love and loss that shaped it.
Series 14, Eps 8
1hr 31mins
Yuval Noah Harari – Humanity in the Age of AI
Humanity has always evolved with its technology, but now a new threat looms. Yuval Noah Harari joins us to explore how the rise of artificial intelligence is reshaping humanity as we know it.
Series 14, Eps 7
1hr 8mins
Rebecca Kuang – Yellowface
The award-winning novelist Rebecca Kuang shares the inside story of Yellowface, the satire of the literary world that became a global sensation.
Series 14, Eps 6
1 hr 1 min
Yale Historian Sunil Amrith – How Humanity Reshaped the Planet
Yale historian and MacArthur ‘genius’ Sunil Amrith shares a paradigm-shifting survey of human history’s imprint on the earth, and where we go from here.
Series 14, Eps 5
1hr 2mins
Harvard Historian Serhii Plokhy – Chernobyl Under Russian Occupation
What happens when a hostile power occupies the site of a nuclear catastrophe? Ukrainian-born historian Serhii Plokhy returns to Chernobyl to tell a harrowing and profoundly important story.
Series 14, Eps 4
32mins
Historian of Science Natalie Lawrence – Why Monsters Matter
Since the dawn of humanity monsters have loomed large in our collective imagination. But why do frightening beasts hold such a powerful grip on us?
Series 14, Eps 3
1hr 5 mins
Pulitzer Prize winners Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig – How Donald Trump Squandered His Fortune
He claimed he could do for America what he had done for business. But Trump’s acumen was a house of cards. Pulitzer Prize winners Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig dismantle the myth of America’s luckiest loser.
Series 14, Eps 2
1 hr 44 mins
Psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk – When the Body Keeps the Score
Is helplessness and invisibility inevitable after trauma? Not according to global bestselling author Bessel van der Kolk, who joins the podcast to share a new paradigm for healing.
Series 14, Episode 1
42mins
Anthropologist Webb Keane – Animals, Robots, Gods
What can animals, robots, and gods teach us about what it means to be human? In this episode, anthropologist Webb Keane investigates how our morality entwines with the non-human world.
Series 13, Eps 32
1hr
Psychologist Mary Anderson – How to be a Happy High-Achiever
Being a happy high-achiever is possible: psychologist Dr Mary E. Anderson reveals how you can aim high and nurture your ambition, all while being kinder on yourself.
Series 13, Eps 31
1 hr 18 mins
David Olusoga and Alan Lester – The Truth About the British Empire
David Olusoga and Alan Lester reveal the dark realities of the British Empire, and reflect on the importance of historians amid the resurgence of nationalism and misinformation.
Series 13, Eps 30
1hr
Psychotherapist Anna Mathur – How To Tame Your Mind’s Greatest Fears
Bad things will happen to people we love. Sometimes we will fail. Some people won’t like us. So, what can we do in the face of things we cannot control?
Series 13, Eps 29
1hr 12mins
Sam Leith and Amy Jeffs – Tales of Wonder, Myth and Magic
Artist and folklorist Amy Jeffs and author and critic Sam Leith come together for a rich and wide-roaming investigation into the nature of magic, wonder, imagination, and storytelling.
Series 13, Eps 28
1hr 9 mins
Oliver Burkeman – How to Live a Meaningful Life in an Age of Bewilderment
How can we embrace our limits? Oliver Burkeman dispels the myths of self-help and helps us realise a freer and more enchanted life.
Series 13, Eps 27
48mins
Novelist Rumaan Alam – on Wealth, Power, and Entitlement
Rumaan Alam’s novel ‘Leave the World Behind’ catapulted him into the stratosphere of American letters. Now he returns with a new novel dissecting money and power through the lens of philanthropy: Entitlement.
Series 13, Eps 26
1hr 15mins
Superstar Election Forecaster Nate Silver – The Art of Risking Everything
Legendary forecaster Nate Silver joins Jeremy Vine to present a new paradigm of power, progress, and chaos, that takes risk-taking to the extreme.
Season 13, Eps 25
31 mins
Stefan Stern – The Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition
What do Shakespearean tragic heroines and the Financial Times have in common? Journalist and business scholar Stefan Stern joins us to unpack the nature of ambition — with practical insights for all of our lives.
Season 13, Eps 24
58 mins
Mark Galeotti – Putin, Prigozhin and the Future of Russia
The life of rebel-in-chief Yevgeny Prigozhin offers a chilling lens on Russia’s future. Expert Russia-watcher Mark Galeotti reveals the chaotic new direction of late Putinism.
Series 13, Eps 23
55mins
Senior Jewellery Curator at the V&A Helen Molesworth – The Dazzling History of Gems
For as long as humans have known gems, human history has been closely intertwined with these rare finds. Senior Jewellery Curator at the V&A Museum Helen Molesworth joined us to reveal a new history of our world as shaped by gems, and the dazzling human stories within.
Series 13, Eps 22
51 mins
Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith – How Animal Minds Transformed Planet Earth
Peter Godfrey-Smith’s Other Minds introduced the world to the wonders of the octopus. Now he turns his attention to an animal closer to home: us.
Series 13, Eps 21
1hr 14mins
Yuval Noah Harari Meets Katherine Rundell – Unstoppable Us (Summer Repeat)
In a special podcast for children and families, the author of the multi-million bestselling Sapiens tells the incredible story of the human race to Katherine Rundell.
Series 13, Eps 20
1hr 18mins
Fern Academy Prize winner Gabriela Denise Frank – Fear and Loathing in White Collar America
The inaugural winner of How To Academy’s essay prize, Gabriela Denise Frank is a literary artist whose essay A Self She Can Continue Living With is both a deeply personal and highly relatable account of the profound awfulness of modern corporate working life.
Series 13, Eps 19
1hr 3 mins
Dr Emily Leeming – The Life Changing Science of Gut Health
Your gut isn’t just a swirling sac of acid, it’s your second brain, capable of sharpening focus and changing your mood. With new groundbreaking evidence, Dr Emily Leeming digests your body’s secret powerhouse.
Series 13, Eps 18
1hr 9 mins
William Dalrymple and Sathnam Sanghera – British Imperialism in India (Summer Repeat)
A story of powerful empires, covert political machinations and bloody resistance, Sathnam Sanghera and William Dalrymple join us with the history of the world’s first corporate power.
Series 13, Eps 17
58 mins
Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum – The Dictators Who Want to Run the World
For the first time in history, autocracies are working together to stay in power. Celebrated journalist Anne Applebaum joins Luke Harding to uncover the networks trying to destroy the democratic world – and how we can stop them.
Series 13, Eps 18
56 mins
Henry Oliver – How To Find Success in Midlife
Good things come to those who are late. Henry Oliver is here to reveal how you can find hidden talents and professional success in middle age.
Series 13, Eps 16
27 mins
World Record Breaking Mountaineer Lhakpa Sherpa and Filmmaker Lucy Walker
Lhakpa Sherpa, the first Nepali woman to summit and descend Everest, joined filmmaker Lucy Walker to reveal her lifelong dream of empowering women and her own extraordinary journey against all odds.
Series 13, Eps 15
1hr 6mins
Neuroscientist Patrick House – How to Make Sense of Consciousness
Despite decades of research from the smartest brains on the planet, we still don’t understand the nature of consciousness. Neuroscientist Patrick House guides Robin Ince through the leading theories.
Series 13, Eps 14
1hr 2mins
Pioneering Biologist J Craig Venter – The Future of Life on Earth
Upon completing his historic work on the Human Genome Project, J. Craig Venter declared that he would sequence the genetic code of all life on earth. A journey that begins in the oceans…
Series 13, Eps 13
55 mins
New York Times Bestseller Paolo Bacigalupi – Money and Power in the Fantasy Renaissance
Award-winning speculative novelist Paolo Baccigalupi’s Navola is a bloodthirsty literary fantasy inspired by the Medici family and Renaissance Florence.
Series 13, Eps 12
40mins
Neuroscientist Kelly Clancy – How Games Change Reality
We might think of games as trivial fun, but, as neuroscientist Kelly Clancy reveals, they are deeply intertwined with human history.
Series 13, Eps 11
1hr 1 min
Conservationists Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell – When the Wild Things Returned
Conservationists Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell share their inspiring story of rewilding a failing farm – and reveal how you can help bring wildness back into your corner of the world.
Series 13, Eps 10
36 mins
Bestselling Sociologist Sarah Thornton – Why Breasts Matter
Bestselling sociologist Sarah Thornton shares the findings of her innovative investigation in the cultural and social significance of breasts.
Series 13, Episode 9
1hr 8mins
Stephanie Harrison – How to Get Happiness Right in a World That’s Got it Wrong
Well-being expert Stephanie Harrison joins us to reveal a new understanding of happiness, with actionable steps towards a happy life.
Series 13, Episode 8
1hr 4mins
FT columnist Ruchir Sharma – How Capitalism Went Wrong
Chairman of Rockefeller Capital and Financial Times columnist Ruchir Sharma joins Gillian Tett to share a capitalist’s guide to capitalism’s many problems – and what we can do to fix them.
Series 13, Episode 7
1 hr 1 min
Olympic Gold medallist and entrepreneur Mark Tuitert – How Stoic Philosophy Can Change Your Life
It brought him an Olympic medal, bestselling authorship and a thriving business. Now Mark Tuitert is here to teach you how to master the principles of Stoicism and achieve your peak potential.
Series 13, Episode 6
1hr 18mins
Yanis Varoufakis – The Rise of Technofeudalism
What if capitalism is already dead? World-famous economist and former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis joins Ash Sarkar to reveal that we’ve been ushered into a new age: technofeudualism.
Series 13, Episode 5
57 mins
Bestselling Science Writer David Robson – The Laws of Social Connection
Award-winning science journalist David Robson joins us to illuminate the science and art of social connection and reveal how we can build better relationships to improve our lives.
Series 13, Eps 4
1 hr 2 mins
Naomi Klein – The Mirror World of Conspiracists and the Far-Right
Winner of the inaugural Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction, Naomi Klein’s Doppleganger takes us down the rabbit hole of far-right conspiracy theories. She joined Moya Lothian-McLean to tell us more.
Series 13, Episode 3
49 mins
Anna Funder – Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life
Eileen O’Shaughnessy’s literary brilliance shaped George Orwell’s work, but like the undesirable citizens of Airstrip One she was erased from the history books. Why – and how – was she written out of the story?
Series 13, Episode 2
1hr 7mins
Clover Stroud – On Home, Belonging, and Letting Go
What makes a home? And what does it mean to leave that home behind? Clover Stroud joins us to investigate community, country, and connection.
Series 13, Episode 1
42mins
Booker Prize winner Richard Flanagan – On Love, Memory, and History
With a cast including HG Wells, Rebecca West, and Leo Szilard, Richard Flanagan’s Question 7 fuses memoir, history, and philosophical meditation in a singular investigation into the power of the human spirit.
Series 12, Eps 41
1hr 13 mins
My Octopus Teacher star Craig Foster – How to be Wild
Academy-Award-winning filmmaker behind My Octopus Teacher, Craig Foster, joins Kate Humble for an awe-inspiring meditation on the power of nature and our place within it.
Series 12, Eps 40
1hr 13 mins
Charles Duhigg – How to be a Supercommunicator
Charles Duhigg reveals how you can use conversation to build authority and influence, and forge better relationships.
Series 12, Eps 39
1 hr 21 mins
George Monbiot Meets Nish Kumar – The Secret History of Neoliberalism
How can you fight something if you don’t know it exists? Legendary environmentalist and Guardian columnist George Monbiot deconstructs the narratives of neoliberalism in conversation with Nish Kumar.
Series 12, Eps 38
1hr 17mins
Africa Brooke and Jameela Jamil – How To Break Free From Self-Sabotage
Acclaimed coach and podcaster Africa Brooke joins actor Jameela Jamil to show us how to break free from self-sabotage and build authentic relationships in our deeply divided world.
Series 12, Eps 37
44 mins
Haemin Sunim – When Things Don’t Go Your Way
Internationally bestselling author and Zen Buddhist teacher Haemin Sunim reveals how we can find inner peace and happiness even when things don’t seem to go our way.
Series 12, Eps 36
1hr 18 mins
Mo Gawdat & Alice Law – A Guide to Stress-Free Living
Google [X] tech pioneer, bestselling author and podcaster Mo Gawdat and stress management expert Alice Law are here to help us through the stress pandemic.
Series 12, Eps 35
1 hr 21 mins
James O’Brien Meets Ian Dunt – How They Broke Britain
Radio sensation James O’Brien reveals the dark forces who have broken Britain and reveals why he is confident of a brighter political landscape.
Series 12, Eps 33
1hr 17 mins
Slavoj Žižek Meets Ash Sarkar – A 75th Birthday Celebration
As he turns 75, rockstar philosopher and revolutionary Slavoj Žižek joins us to share what life has taught him about dialectics, diet and death.
Series 12, Eps 32
1hr 17 mins
Robin Sharma Meets Ali Abdaal – How to Be Truly Wealthy
Internationally bestselling author of The 5AM club and legendary mentor shares how to become truly wealthy with Ali Abdaal.
Series 12, Eps 31
1hr 12mins
George the Poet – Me Music and the War on Blackness
The ground-breaking rapper, poet, and podcaster George the Poet joins Gary Younge to share life lessons on education, politics and feeling at home.
Series 12, Eps 30
44 mins
Economist Andrew Scott — How We Can Sustain Longer, Healthier Lives
Economist and longevity expert Andrew Scott joins us to call for a revolution in the way we think about health, ageing, and the future.
Series 12, Eps. 29
37mins
Rebecca Boyle – The Story of Our Moon
The moon is more than a source of majesty and wonder; it has profoundly shaped the course of life on planet Earth.
Series 12, Eps 28
1hr 7mins
Neuroscientist Clayton Page Aldern and Dr Xand van Tulleken – How the Climate Crisis Affects Our Brains and Bodies
Neuroscientist Clayton Page Aldern joins Dr Xand van Tulleken to reveal the staggering effects of climate change on our brains and bodies.
Series 12, Eps 27
1 hr 5 mins
Emma Reed Turrell – How To Overcome Your Blind Spots
One of the UK’s best-loved therapists and podcasters shows us how to free ourselves of the unconscious blind-spots that cloud our minds and damage our relationships.
Bonus Episode
Outrage + Optimism with Christiana Figueres
Christiana Figueres’ podcast Outrage + Optimism is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand the complexity of the climate situation. This podcast is a preview of the O+O mini-series, Our Story of Nature.
Series 12, Eps 26
1hr 7mins
Philip Ball – How Life Works
Philip Ball takes us to the new frontier of the life sciences and reveals why life is much, much stranger than we realise.
Series 12, Eps 25
1hr 14 mins
Gary Stevenson – Confessions of a Trader
Gary Stevenson once dealt in nearly a trillion dollars a day. He joins Sam Knight to reveal why he left the dark heart of an intoxicating world.
Series 12, Eps 24
1hr 9 mins
Mary Beard and Jo Quinn – Who Made The West?
Forget what you think you know about the Roman Empire and the story of the West. Two renowned classicists join us to debunk myths and reveal new and thrilling histories of power.
Series 12, Eps 23
1 hr 13 mins
Neuroscientist Charan Ranganath meets Robin Ince – Why We Remember
Robin Ince joins UC Davis Professor Charan Ranganath shares the surprising secret to memory: forgetting.
Series 12, Eps 22
1hr 19 mins
Harvard’s Christopher Palmer – How Metabolism Affects Mental Health
Harvard’s Christopher Palmer has been causing ripples on both sides of the pond with his pioneering approach to mental health.
Series 12, Eps 21
1hr
Diplomat Christiana Figueres and former Unilever CEO Paul Polman – Fighting the Climate Crisis
Global leader on climate change Christiana Figueres joins former CEO of Unilever Paul Polman to rally the world to choose a better future.
Series 12, Eps 20
1hr 11 mins
Professor of Global Politics Brian Klaas – Why Everything We Do Matters
Justin Webb joins award-winning broadcaster, podcaster and politics professor Brian Klaas for a provocative new vision of how our world really works – and why chance determines everything.
Series 12, Eps 19
1hr 7mins
Neuroscientist Tali Sharot – How to See the World Anew
It is all too easy to become numbed to the world around us. Neuroscientist and behaviour expert Tali Sharot helps us break the habit and see the world anew.
Series 12, Eps. 18
33mins
Philosopher Tom Chatfield – How Technology Changes Humanity, From Fire to AI
Since the dawn of our species, technology has not only extended the powers of human agency but profoundly shaped our nature.
Series 12, Eps 17
33mins
Novelist Kiley Reid – Come and Get It
The author of the New York Times bestseller Such a Fun Age returns with a tale of campus politics, desire, and bad behaviour.
Series 12, Eps 16
1hr 4mins
Neuroscientist Dr Richard Restak – How To Prevent Dementia
America’s preeminent neurologist offers a comprehensive guide to memory and dementia, sharing how we can strengthen our memory to prevent losing what we hold dear.
Series 12, Eps 15
32mins
Novelist and Macarthur ‘genius’ Kelly Link — The Book of Love
Macarthur Grant winning short story writer Kelly Link joins us to explore her very, very long awaited debut novel.
Series 12, Eps 14
1hr 5mins
Daniel Goleman – Emotional Intelligence at Work
The pioneer of the paradigm-shifting concept of Emotional Intelligence reveals why being wired isn’t the key to performing well.
Series 12, Eps 13
45 mins
Novelist and Diplomat Ray Nayler – The Tusks of Extinction
Award-winning novelist and US diplomat Ray Nayler returns to the podcast to explore his philosophical thriller, The Tusks of Extinction.
Series 12, Eps 12
1hr 3mins
Dr Gemma Newman – The Six Healing Health Habits You Need to Know
Drawing together lessons from twenty years of clinical practice, Dr Gemma Newman shares a practical, holistic approach to wellness, starting with love from within.
Series 12, Eps 11
36 mins
Amitav Ghosh – How The Opium Trade Shaped Capitalism
Novelist Amitav Ghosh reveals the rarely told true history of opium, from the Enlightenment all the way to the present day.
Series 12, Eps. 10
1hr 20mins
Musician James Blunt – Not Safe for Work
One of the best-selling recording artists of the Noughties joined us to tell his NSFW life story.
Series 12, Episode 9
1hr
Comedian Ruby Wax – On Mental Health
The comedian, broadcaster, and mindfulness advocate joins us for a journey into the depths of her psyche.
Series 12, Episode 8
1hr 10 mins
Physicist Carlo Rovelli Meets Theatre-Maker Simon McBurney
What happens at the bottom of a black hole? Join the superstar physicist and founder of Complicite for an Alice in Wonderland trip to the edge of space and time, science and imagination.
Series 12, Episode 7
30minutes
Psychotherapist Adam Phillips – What We Must Give Up To Feel More Alive
Both a renowned psychotherapist and the ‘best living essayist writing in English’ (John Gray), Adam Phillips joins us to reflect upon what we must give up in order to feel more alive.
Series 12, Episode 6
1hr
Daniel Dennett v. Robert Sapolsky – Do We Have Free Will?
Two titans of neuroscience and philosophy come together to debate the existence of free will – a question with profound implications for identity, justice, and the very meaning of life itself.
Series 12, Episode 5
1hr 4mins
Dr Uma Naidoo – How to Calm Your Mind With Food
Both a practising psychiatrist and a professionally trained chef, Dr Uma Naidoo joins us to explore the mind-body connection.
Series 12, Episode 4
Sathnam Sanghera on the British Empire – Live at Wilderness
How does the Empire continue to affect our lives in modern Britain? And why are we so unwilling at talking about it?
Series 12, Episode 3
37mins
Oxford Data Scientist Hannah Richie – Climate Anxiety
In this episode of our sister podcast Found in Conversation, researcher Hannah Richie and ESG investor Rosa Sangiorgio outline how we can overcome the climate crisis.
Series 12, Episode 2
1hr20mins
Economist Mariana Mazzucato – The Entrepreneurial State and the Future of Innovation
Mariana Mazzucato’s ideas have changed how governments see their role in the economy – but where do we go from here?
Series 12, Episode 1
45mins
Psychologist Dan Ariely – Why People Are Drawn to Conspiracy Theories, and How to Help
The superstar social scientist joins us for an eye-opening exploration of the misinformation crisis, examining what drives otherwise rational people to adopt deeply irrational beliefs.
Series 11, Eps 30
1hr 10 mins
Mary Beard and David Mitchell – On Rulers and Power
Cambridge classicist Mary Beard and beloved comedian David Mitchell share the histories of Roman and English rulers like you’ve never heard them before.
Series 11, Eps 29
1hr
Harvard Psychologist David Rosmarin – How To Thrive With Anxiety
Harvard Medical School psychologist David Rosmarin joins us with a practical guide for transforming your anxiety from a burden to a benefit.
Series 11, Eps 28
33mins
Hein de Haas – Debunking Myths About Migration
Why do people really migrate and what does it mean for their destination nations?
Series 11, Eps 27
1hr
Holistic Psychologist Nicole LePera – How to Heal Your Relationships
‘A practical and inspiring primer on how to extend true connection and love to others and to our hurting world.’ – Dr Gabor Mate
Series 11, Eps 26
1hr
New York Times columnist David Brooks – How to Know Others and Be Truly Seen
‘One of the most prominent public intellectuals of our time.’ (Washington Post), New York Times columnist David Brooks joins us with a guide to seeing others deeply – and being seen.
Series 11, Eps 25
1hr 10mins
Walter Isaacson – The Life of Elon Musk
The inside scoop on the most controversial innovator of our era.
Series 11, Eps 24
1hr
Harvard Business School Prof. Amy Edmondson – How Learning to Fail Can Teach Us to Thrive
Drawing on a lifetime’s research, the world’s most influential organisational psychologist reveals how failures can lead us to happier, more successful lives.
Series 11, Eps 23
1hr 20mins
Marina Abramović Meets Tim Marlow
Join us for a journey into the mind of the world’s greatest living performance artist.
Series 11, Eps 22
32mins
Immunologist Luke O’Neill – The Joy of Science
What do art and science have in common? Will we ever be able to invent Star Trek style teleportation ? Can we make AI that is truly sentient? Join biochemist Luke O’Neill for a romp through the past, present, and future of science.
Series 11, Eps 21
1hr
David Spiegel – How Hypnosis Can Change Your Life
Stanford’s Dr. David Spiegel is the world’s foremost authority on the power of self-hypnosis to improve our mental and physical health.
Series 11, Eps 20
1hr 30minutes
Astronaut Chris Hadfield Meets Robin Ince
Astronaut, fighter pilot, bestselling author, commander of the International Space Station, and the first man to sing Bowie’s ‘Space Oddity’ in zero G: is there anything Chris Hadfield can’t do?
Series 11, Eps 19
1hr 10mins
Iain McGilchrist – The Divided Brain and the Meaning of Life
A neuroscientist, psychiatrist, and philosopher, Iain McGilchrist joins us with a compelling argument for a new philosophy of living.
Series 11, Eps 18
1hr5mins
Philippa Gregory – 900 Years of Women’s History
The beloved historical novelist tells the epic story of ordinary British women doing extraordinary things, from 1066 to modern times.
Series 11, Eps 17
1hr 20mins
Albert Read Meets Will Gompertz – Where Good Ideas Come From (and How to Have More of Them)
Imagination is our most powerful muscle and our greatest source of fulfilment. Find out how to exercise yours with two of the country’s most influential and creative people.
Series 11, Eps 16
1hr
Werner Herzog Meets Mark Kermode – A Life in Cinema
The undisputed master of world cinema reveals the story of his extraordinary life to Mark Kermode.
Series 11, Eps 15
34mins
Found in Conversation – The Future of Europe
What role will Europe play in our multipolar world? Three experts explore the past, present, and future of the European project.
Series 11, Eps 14
1hr
Arthur C. Brooks – How to Build the Life You Want
The Atlantic columnist and Harvard Professor shares a blueprint for a better life.
Series 11, Eps 13
1hr 10mins
Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter – How to Thrive Through Menopause
Davina McCall and Dr Naomi Potter join us for a hands-on guide to help you live your best life during menopause.
Series 11, Eps 12
1hr 20mins
Gordon Brown, Mohamed El-Erian, and Michael Spence – Fixing the Permacrisis
In this episode of the podcast, three visionary leaders a bold new plan to prevent crises and manage the future for the benefit of the many and not the few.
Series 11, Eps. 11
1hr 10mins
David Nutt – How Psychedelics Can Change Your Life
Are you ready to change your mind? Professor David Nutt joins us to cut through the noise and share his discoveries from more than a decade of scientific research.
Series 11, Eps. 10
1hr
Camilla Nord – The New Neuroscience of Mental Health
There are many routes to wellbeing. Camilla Nord joins us with a tour of the scientific developments that are revolutionising the ways we think about mental health.
Series 11, Episode 8
50mins
Michel Faber – Why Music Matters
Why do humans love music? The author of wildly acclaimed novels including Under the Skin and The Crimson Petal and the White, Michel Faber joins us to explore his lifelong obsession with the heard world.
Series 11, Episode 9
1hr
Dr Anders Hansen — How to be Happier and Less Distracted
Our modern world is a battlefield of apps, atomisation, and anxiety; Anders Hansen is here to help us fight back.
Series 11, Episode 6
40mins
John Higgs – The KLF, the Band that Burned a Million Pounds
At the height of their fame, the electronic music pioneers The KLF burned a million pounds and disappeared. John Higgs tries to understand why.
Series 11, Episode 5
1hr
Susan Magsamen and Ivy Ross – The Neuroscience of Art
Join us for a journey through the new science of neuroaesthetics, and discover how your brain transforms when you participate in the arts.
Series 11, Episode 5
56 mins
Joyce Carol Oates – Zero Sum
Enter a new world of erotic obsession, thwarted idealism and ever-shifting identities with the wildly acclaimed and astonishingly prolific novelist.
Series 11, Episode 4
1hr
Jesse Coomer – The Power of Breathwork
Learn how to combat the always-on, hamster-wheel culture of contemporary life with techniques from breathworker Jesse Coomer.
Series 11, Episode 3
1hr 5mins
Kristen Ghodsee and Angela Saini – Radical Experiments in the Good Life
Join Kristen Ghodsee and Angela Saini for a tour of better ways to live together.
Series 11, Episode 2
57mins
Dr James Kinross – The New Science of the Microbiome
World-leading microbiome scientist and surgeon James Kinross shows how to optimise the microbiome to protect our health.
Series 11, Episode 1
50mins
Emma Southon – Women of the Roman Empire
Forget generals, battles, and consuls. Emma Southon tells the story of Rome through its women, from sex workers to Vestal Virgins, empresses to saints.
42mins
Rahul Jandial – How to Rewire Your Brain (Summer Repeat)
Learn how to make your mind fitter, healthier and stronger using the insights of cutting-edge neuroscience in this week’s podcast.
20mins
David Christian – A User’s Guide to the Future (Bonus Episode)
Historian David Christian investigates what we can know about the future in this episode of our sister podcast, Found in Conversation.
Series 10, Eps 28
45mins
Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché – Nostalgia is a Weapon
Described by its authors as ‘Barbie meets Oppenheimer’, Helen Macdonald and Sin Blaché’s surrealistic speculative thriller Prophet interrogates our relationship with nostalgia and its stranglehold over our politics.
Series 10, Eps 27
45mins
Alan Philps – Stalin’s Disinformation War
How did Stalin manipulate foreign correspondents to stifle the truth about life in the Soviet Union? Alan Philps tells the story of the Metropol Hotel and its critical role in Stalin’s disinformation war.
Series 10, Eps 26
40mins
Victoria Belim – The Resilience of Art in Times of War
Victoria Belim is a Financial Times columnist and translator whose new memoir The Rooster House is both a detective story and a paean to her lost land.
Series 10, Eps 25
1hr
Dr Pooja Lakshmin – Sustainable Strategies For Real Self-Care
Leading physician Dr Pooja Lakshmin joins us with an evidence-based guide to achieving real and lasting wellbeing.
Series 10, Eps 24
42mins
Malcolm Harris – How Palo Alto Conquered the World
How did the suburb of Palo Alto become the epicentre of a global tech revolution, changing not just American capitalism but the world?
Series 10, Eps 23
1hr
Dr Amy Shah – How to Manage Hunger and Cravings
Physician Amy Shah debunks mainstream myths about hunger and provides you with science-based strategies to manage food cravings.
Series 10, Eps 21
1hr
Andy Clark – How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality
One of the most important living thinkers in cognitive science and philosophy joined us with a grand new vision to explain our lived experience.
Series 10, Eps 20
1hr
Christina Wallace – How To Futureproof Your Career and Live a Life Worthy of You
Christina Wallace has a radical new model for work and life that upends the notion they should have ever been at odds.
Series 10, Eps 19
1hr
Shehan Karunatilaka – The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida
A major new voice in the tradition of Rushdie, Bulgakov and Marquez, Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka joins us to share an unforgettable vision of Sri Lanka’s civil wars.
Series 10, Ep. 18
1hr
Emma Gannon – The Meaning of Success
What if we were told that everything we’ve been led to believe about traditional success is a lie?
Series 10, Ep. 17
1 hr
Richard Dawkins – Live at Wilderness Festival 2022
Richard Dawkins joined us at last year’s Wilderness Festival for a celebration of an extraordinary life in science.
Series 10, Ep. 16
52 mins
Viorica Marian – How the Language We Speak Changes How We Think
How do languages change our experience of the world? Psycholinguist Viorica Marian has dedicated her life to finding the answer.
Series 10, Ep. 15
50 mins
Peter Heather – Will the West Fall Like Rome?
Is the West doomed to be the next Roman Empire? Can we learn something from its fall? Medieval historian Peter Heather thinks we can – and must.
Series 10, Ep. 14
1hr 5mins
Lorraine Candy – How to Live a Magnificent Midlife
Lorraine Candy is here to teach us how to embrace the transformations of midlife.
Series 10, Ep. 13
48mins
Scott Shapiro – The Dark Art of Hacking
The Information Age is built on precarious architecture, leaving states, companies, and individuals open to hacking. Scott Shapiro joins us to bust the myths and reveal the truth about viruses, espionage, and cyberwar.
Series 10, Ep. 12
1hr 10mins
James Comey – The Pursuit of Justice in a Divided America
The former FBI director turned novelist joins us to share his insights into power and justice in a dangerous and divided America.
Series 10, Ep. 11
1hr
Gretchen Rubin – How to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life
Join Gretchen Rubin and discover how the five senses to get us out of our heads and back into the world to find our true happiness.
Series 10, Ep.10
1hr
William Dalrymple and Sathnam Sanghera – British Imperialism in India (Summer Repeat)
A story of powerful empires, covert political machinations and bloody resistance, Sathnam Sanghera and William Dalrymple join us with the history of the world’s first corporate power.
Series 10, Episode 9
45mins
Richard Ford – A Life in Literature
Pulitzer Prize winner Richard Ford joins us to reflect on the responsibility of the writer, the politics of language and the prospect of happiness in an imperfect world.
Series 10, Episode 8
1hr
Andre Sólo – How to Thrive as a Highly Sensitive Person
It’s time to shatter the myth that being sensitive is a weakness and celebrate the power of a deeper, more tuned-in mind.
Series 10, Episode 7
30mins
Susie Alegre – Protecting Freedom of Thought in the Digital Age
Susie Alegre charts the history and fragility of our most important human right: freedom of thought.
Season 10, Episode 6
1hr
Sarah Knight – How to be an Adult and Get Treated Like One
Described as ‘Oprah meets Amy Schumer’ by Elle, Sarah Knight is here with hilarious, tough love wisdom you can’t afford not to hear.
Series 10, Episode 5
40mins
M. John Harrison – Living in an Age of Fantasy
Both an icon and an iconoclast, M. John Harrison has spent fifty years shifting the boundaries of what ought to be possible in literary and genre fiction.
Series 10, Episode 4
1hr 25mins
Alastair Campbell – Why Politics Has Gone So Wrong, and How You Can Help Fix It
Sky News’s Beth Rigby asks the legendary New Labour strategist and host of The Rest is Politics what we can each to do to confront policies that serve the interests of a privileged few.
Season 10, Episode 3
37mins
Thomas Hertog – Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory of the Universe
How did the universe begin? Stephen Hawking’s collaborator and friend Thomas Hertog shares the physicist’s final theory of the origins of time.
Series 10, Episode 3
1hr 10mins
Ruby Wax Meets Julia Samuel – I’m Not As Well As I Thought I Was
Checking into a psychiatric institution wasn’t exactly on Ruby Wax’s agenda for 2022 – talking about it wasn’t either, but here we are.
Series 10, Episode 2
45mins
Fiona Buckland – How to Change Your Life
How can we reconnect with ourselves to live the life we want? Coach Fiona Buckland shares how we can actively create the life we want to live.
Series 10, Episode 1
1hr
Robin Ince Meets Justin Gregg – What Animal Intelligence Tells Us About Human Stupidity
A hilarious and demystifying look at humans, animals, and the meaning of life itself.
Season 9, Episode 29
1hr 15mins
Robin Ince Meets Chris van Tulleken – Why We Can’t Stop Eating Stuff That Isn’t Food
The BAFTA winning physician joins us to reveal what ultra-processed foods are doing to our bodies and our society.
Series 9, Episode 28
1hr
Mick Herron – Slow Horses and Bad Actors
Mick Herron ‘is at the summit of a new golden age of spy fiction’ (Sunday Times); the creator of the embittered, second-rate MI5 agents known as the Slow Horses.
Series 9, Episode 30
1hr
Eleanor Janega – Going Medieval on Women’s Roles in Society
A hilarious and thought-provoking podcast looking at sex, gender, and misogyny in the Middle Ages – with medieval pick-up artists, beauty tips based on the Bible, and much else besides.
Series 9, Episode 28
45mins
Alexa Hagerty – Genocide, Forensics, and What Remains
Bones can reveal brutality, beauty, trauma, and love – Alexa Hagerty used them to reveal the truth.
Series 9, Episode 27
1hr
Adam Gopnik – The Mystery of Skill and Mastery
Inspired by the genius of the people he writes about for the New Yorker, Adam Gopnik embarked on a quest to discover how we obtain skill and mastery.
Series 9, Episode 26
36mins
Brad Smith – Tools and Weapons
Join us for a preview of Tools and Weapons, the new podcast with Microsoft President (and former How To Academy guest in London) Brad Smith.
Series 9, Episode 25
1hr
Richard Restak – The Neuroscience of Strengthening Your Memory
It’s never to late to start future-proofing your memory. Find out how from renowned neurologist Dr Richard Restak.
Series 9, Episode 24
55mins
Luke Turner – Men at War
Award-winning journalist Luke Turner looks beyond the myths of heroes and villains to reveal a much more nuanced portrait of the multitude of men who served in the Second World War.
Series 9, Episode 23
36mins
Curtis Sittenfeld – Romantic Comedy
Skewering all our certainties about why we fall in love, Curtis Sittenfeld’s new novel Romantic Comedy sees her at her daring and compassionate best.
Series 9, Episode 22
1hr
Julian Baggini – How to Think Like a Philosopher
Join bestselling public philosopher Julian Baggini for a ‘complete treat: a breath of fresh air and a bracing detox for our beleaguered, battered brains’ (Derren Brown).
Series 9, Episode 21
1hr
Dr Shilpa Ravella – The New Science of Inflammation
Dr Shilpa Ravella joins us to debunk common myths about ‘anti-inflammatory’ lifestyles – and reveal a radical new vision of human health and illness.
Series 9, Episode 20
1hr 16mins
Vex King and Kaushal – Get Closer to Love
The bestselling author and mind coach Vex King and his wife Kaushal joined us on Valentines Day with insights for deepening your connections and relationships.
Series 9, Episode 19
42mins
Amantha Imber – How to Use Time Wisely
Organisational psychologist Amantha Imber has distilled the wisdom of the world’s most innovative people to help us all use our time more productively.
Series 9, Episode 17
1hr 15mins
Mariana Mazzucato and Rosie Collington – How the Consulting Industry Weakens Our Democracy
A ground-breaking investigation into how the consulting industry has made its way to the heart of our economies, weakening businesses and infantilising governments.
Series 9, Episode 16
1hr
Nicholas Humphrey – The Invention of Consciousness
How do sensations arise in the brain? Who else in the world is conscious the way humans are? Nicholas Humphrey brings together a lifetime’s work to put forward a provocative new theory.
Series 9, Episode 15
1hr 25 mins
Bernie Sanders Meets Frankie Boyle – It’s Okay to Be Angry About Capitalism
The longest-serving independent in Congress, the leader of democratic socialism in America, and a hero to progressives across the globe, Senator Sanders joins Frankie Boyle to take on the 1%.
Series 9, Episode 14
45mins
Blake Morrison – The Power of Art in Grief
Can writing help us find solace in grief? One of Britain’s best loved poets and memoirists, Blake Morrison, makes a powerful case.
Series 9, Episode 13
55mins
Caroline Dodds Pennock – How Indigenous Americans Discovered Europe
The story of Colombus’s ‘discovery’ of America has been told endlessly; but that of the indigenous Americans who travelled to the ‘savage shores’ of Europe remains almost untold. Until now.
Series 9, Episode 12
1hr
Ray Nayler – What Octopuses and AI Teach Us About Consciousness
What does the intelligence of animals and machines tell us about human nature? Diplomat Ray Nayer investigates in his deeply philosophical new novel, The Mountain in the Sea.
Series 9, Episode 11
1hr
Tracey Shors – A Neuroscientist’s Guide to Trauma
Contrary to popular belief, trauma is not only caused by a singular extreme events. How can we protect our brains and build resilience?
Series 9, Episode 10
1h 20m
Mervyn King Meets Martin Wolf – The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism
The former governor of the Bank of England and the renowned FT commentator explore why the relationship between democracy and capitalism is coming undone.
Series 9, Episode 9
1hr
Julia Samuel Meets John and Julie Gottman – How to Make Love Last
How can you revive and renew your relationship? For the past fifty years, Drs. John and Julie Gottman have been studying love. They join Julia Samuel to share their insights.
Season 9, Episode 9
1hr
Daniel Finkelstein Meets Adam Wagner – The Freedoms We Lost in the Pandemic
Leading human rights barrister Adam Wagner joins Lord Finklestein to tell the story of Britain’s State of Emergency – and issue a wake up call to protect our liberties.
Season 9, Episode 8
25mins
Tom Rob Smith – Antarctica and Apocalypse
The internationally bestselling author of Child 44 and The Farm puts human nature under the microscope in a new speculative thriller.
Season 9, Episode 7
1hr
Morgan Levine – How to Reverse the Ageing Process
While ageing itself may be inevitable, science allows us to measure our biological age – and provides strategies to slow down and even reverse the ageing process.
Series 9, Episode 6
1hr 10 mins
Nouriel Roubini – Megathreats That Imperil The World’s Future
Nouriel Roubini was dubbed ‘Dr Doom’ when he predicted the 2008 crash. He joins the podcast to reveal new threats to our collective future ‘as scary as they are plausible’ (Martin Wolf).
Series 9, Episode 5
1hr 10 mins
Dr Gabor Maté – Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture
We tend to believe that normality equals health. Yet what is the norm in the Western world? Join the renowned physician for a pathway to reconnection and healing.
Series 9, Episode 4
1hr 15mins
Maria Ressa – How To Stand Up to a Dictator
Crusading Filipino journalist Maria Ressa has spent decades speaking truth to power.
Series 9, Episode 3
1hr
Alan Moore – The Magic of Storytelling
Robin Ince joins the legendary author of Watchmen, Jerusalem, and V For Vendetta for a journey into the fantastical underside of reality.
Series 9, Episode 2
1 hr
Katy Milkman Meets Annie Duke – How To Quit
After making millions of dollars as a poker pro, Annie Duke retired to teach others the science of making smart decisions. Her secret? Know when to quit.
Series 9, Episode 1
34 minutes
Felix Flicker – The Magic of Matter
Forget string theory. Forget black holes. The most magical and wondrous ideas in the universe are right before your eyes.
Series 8, Episode 26
1hr 10mins
Jools Holland and Mark Cooper – Celebrating Thirty Years of Music and Mayhem
Jools Holland, Mark Cooper and a grand piano come together in a delightful ensemble of songs and stories to celebrate the greatest music show ever made.
Series 8, Episode 25
1 hr
Sathnam Sanghera – Marriage Material
Join acclaimed writer Sathnam Sanghera for a moving conversation on love, politics, family and the immigrant experience.
Series 8, Episode 24
1hr 20mins
Chelsea Manning – Information is Power
Join one of the world’s most famous transparency advocates and trans women for her life story.
Series 8, Episode 23
1hr 10mins
Meik Wiking – Hygge, Home, and Happiness
Join the internationally bestselling author of The Little Book of Hygge and The Art of Making Memories, Meik Wiking as he shares fresh insights into making our homes into a sanctuary.
Series 8, Episode 22
35mins
Marie Kondo – Kurashi At Home
Join global superstar of tidying-up, Marie Kondo, as she shares her wisdom on how to spark joy at home and beyond.
Series 8, Episode 21
1hr
Lost Realms – An Epic New History of Britain from the Romans to the Vikings
Join bestselling author and historian Thomas Williams for the true history of Britain’s forgotten kingdoms.
Series 8, Episode 20
1hr 10mins
The Pursuit of Growth is a Disaster for Our Country and Our Planet
From Westminster to Beijing, politicians and economists believe growth is the path to progress and prosperity. But are they blindly leading us towards catastrophe?
Series 8, Episode 19
35mins
Harry Sidebottom – The Mad Emperor Heliogabalus
Join bestselling Oxford historian Harry Sidebottom for the story of Heliogabalus, a teenage Roman emperor whose wild reign makes Joffrey Baratheon seem meek and mild.
Series 8, Episode 18
1hr
Siddhartha Mukherjee – The Song of the Cell
Pulitzer Prize winning physician Siddhartha Mukherjee and geneticist Adam Rutherford tell the extraordinary story of cells.
Series 8, Episode 17
35mins
Danielle Keats Citron – How to Protect Dignity and Identity in the Digital Age
The privacy we once took for granted has disappeared. Danielle Keats Citron is here to fight back.
Series 8, Episode 16
1hr 20mins
Live Debate: “Now is the Time to Make Peace in Ukraine”
Jeremy Corbyn and Elon Musk might seem strange bedfellows, but both advocate for a negotiated peace to the war in Ukraine. Are they right?
Series 8, Episode 15
30mins
Joyce Tyldesley – The Life, Death, and Afterlife of Tutankhamun
One hundred years after the discovery of his tomb, Joyce Tyldesley tells the story of Egypt’s most famous pharaoh.
Series 8, Episode 14
1hr 5 mins
Yuval Noah Harari Meets Katherine Rundell – Unstoppable Us
In a special podcast for children and families, the author of the multi-million bestselling Sapiens tells the incredible story of the human race to Katherine Rundell.
Series 8, Episode 13
35mins
George Saunders – Liberation Day
The Booker Prize winning author of ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ returns to the podcast to share his idiosyncratic take on the human condition.
Series 8, Episode 12
1hr
Geena Davis – Dying of Politeness
The two time Oscar winning actor and activist joins us to share stories from her incredible life in Hollywood and beyond.
Series 8, Episode 11
30mins
Kate Summerscale – The History of Phobias and Manias
Are you frightened of clowns, spiders, or buttons? Award-winning author Kate Summerscale dives into the strange history of our fears and obsessions.
Series 8, Episode 10
1hr
Kate Mosse – Warrior Queens and Quiet Revolutionaries
The bestselling author and founder of the Women’s Prize joins us for a celebration of incredible women from history.
Series 8, Episode 9
25 mins
Amy Jeffs – Tales of the Medieval Wilderness
The acclaimed artist and author joins us to share forgotten stories from the medieval imagination.
Series 8, Episode 8
1 hr
Irvine Welsh – Confessions of a Novelist
The legendary author of TRAINSPOTTING joins us for a one-way trip into his febrile, sordid, singular imagination. Not for the faint of heart.
Series 8, Episode 7
1hr
Clover Stroud – The Red of My Blood
Journalist and acclaimed author Clover Stroud joins us with the raw and powerful story of surviving the loss of her sister.
Series 8, Episode 6
36 minutes
John Higgs – Bond, the Beatles, and the British Psyche
James Bond and the Beatles are cultural twins. But they present opposing values and ideas about masculinity that still affect the British psyche in 2022.
Series 8, Episode 5
1hr
Dr Ellen Vora – The Anatomy of Anxiety
Functional medicine psychiatrist Dr Ellen Vora joins David Malone for a ground-breaking approach to understanding and managing anxiety.
Series 8, Episode 5
40mins
Adrian Hon – How Corporations and Governments Use Videogames to Control Us
Game designer Adrian Hon reveals how videogame mechanics are being used to influence human behaviour in the real world and rob us of dignity and autonomy.
Series 8, Episode 4
1hr 11mins
Cornelia Parker Meets Carlo Rovelli – The Hidden Nature of Things
Visual artist Cornelia Parker and theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli come together to explore the revelations of quantum physics and the nature of reality.
Series 8, Episode 3
1hr
Mark Bergen – Inside YouTube’s Chaotic Rise to Global Domination
Bloomberg News reporter Mark Bergen reveals the story of how YouTube changed the world through untamed freedom of speech.
Series 8, Episode 2
1hr
Charlotte Fox Weber – A Journey Into Human Desire
Join leading psychotherapist Charlotte Fox Weber for a fly-on-the-wall journey through universal human wants and desires, and a practical toolkit for living well.
Series 8, Episode 1
Series 8, Episode 1
Melanie Joy – How to Get Relationships Right
Psychologist Melanie Joy shares the principles and tools that can make any relationship, from personal to professional, healthier and more resilient.
Series 7, Episode 17
1hr
Patrick Radden Keefe – True Stories of Killers, Grifters, and Crooks
Patrick Radden Keefe exposed the Sackler family’s role in the US opioid crisis: a parable of greed that made headlines the world over. He joins us with more stories of crime and corruption.
Series 7, Episode 16
1hr
Philip Ball – How to Make Sense of Inhuman Minds
Understanding the human mind has challenged scientists and philosophers for centuries. How do we even begin to think about ‘minds’ that are not human?
Series 7, Episode 15
1hr
Alice Sherwood – How to Fight Back Against Counterfeit Culture
In an age when authenticity is valued above all, why are tricksters and con artists thriving — and what can we do to fight back?
Series 7, Episode 14
37 mins
Daniel Pink – The Power of Regret
No regrets! The mantra adorns tattoos, T-shirts and posters; celebrities from John Travolta to Laverne Cox say they live by it. But should they?
Series 7, Episode 13
35 mins
Daniel Pick – A New History of Thought Control
Psychoanalyst and historian Daniel Pick reveals the murky and pernicious story of ‘brainwashing’, taking us from the first days of the Cold War through to modern-day conspiracy theories.
Series 7, Episode 13
1hr
Tara Porter – A Psychologist’s Guide to Life for Girls and Young Women
‘If God were a mother, [Tara Porter’s book] is the Bible she would write for teenage girls and young women’ (Caitlin Moran).
Series 7, Episode 12
1hr 5 mins
Chris Patten – The Future of Hong Kong
The last British governor of Hong Kong joins us to share unprecedented insights into negotiating with the Chinese government and reflect on the new superpower’s role on the world stage.
Series 7, Episode 11
1hr 15 mins
Jeremy Hunt – The Future of the NHS
On the day of Boris Johnson’s historic resignation, former Secretary of State for Health and Tory leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt joined us to unveil his plan to renew the NHS.
Series 7, Episode 10
1hr 10 mins
Bonnie Wright – How to Nurture Yourself and the Planet
Lessons for living sustainably and protecting the future of our planet with actresses and activists Bonnie Wright and Evanna Lynch.
Series 7, Episode 9
30mins
Francesco Dimitri – The Search for Wonder
Italian author and screenwriter Francesco Dimitri shares stories from his lifelong search for finding wonder and enchantment in the everyday.
Series 7, Episode 8
1hr
Suzie Sheehy – The Matter of Everything
Physicist Suzie Sheehy joins science filmmaker David Malone for a thrilling new history of particle physics, told through the discoveries that have shaped our lives – often without us knowing it.
Series 7, Episode 7
1hr
Michael Ignatieff – Finding Solace in Dark Times
Political leader, philosopher, historian, journalist, broadcaster, and Booker shortlisted literary novelist: Michael Ignatieff is a twenty-first century Renaissance man.
Series 7, Episode 6
35 mins
Ken Liu – Storytelling is Our Most Important Technology
The award-winning novelist explores why speculative fiction is so bad at predicting the future — and so good as revealing hidden aspects of the present.
Series 7, Episode 5
1hr
Susan Cain – How Sorrow and Longing Make Us Whole
Susan Cain’s Quiet changed the way we think about introverts forever. Now she is back to challenge our thinking again, revealing the strength and power in vulnerability and pain.
Series 7, Episode 4
1hr 5 mins
Jane McGonigal – How to See the Future Coming
Game designer, futurist and TED superstar Jane McGonigal explains how imagining the future can help us to adapt to change – and be ready for anything.
Series 7, Episode 3
1hr 18 mins
Colm Toibin and Terence Killeen – Ulysses Unbound
Celebrating the centenary of the novel widely regarded as the greatest ever written, Colm Toibin and Terrence Killeen untangle Joyce’s knotty classic to reveal the wonders beneath.
Series 7, Episode 2
1hr
Alice Roberts – Buried
Combining archaeological evidence with cutting edge DNA research, the bestselling anthropologist joins us with a bold new account of death in the so-called Dark Ages.
Series 7, Episode 1
48 mins
Rory Stewart – The State of the Nation
The former politician and diplomat shares his insights into Britain and the world in 2022.
Series 6, Episode 31
1hr 7mins
Pandora Sykes Meets Tina Brown – The Inside Scoop on the House of Windsor
Can the monarchy survive? Drawing on exclusive inside access, Tina Brown tells Pandora Sykes the riveting inside story of the Royal Family.
Series 6, Episode 30
1 hr
Sam Knight – The Premonitions Bureau
Join legendary journalist Sam Knight for the true story of a strange experiment – a journey into the oddest corners of 60s Britain and the outer edges of science and reason.
Series 6, Episode 29
1hr 10 mins
John Cleese Meets Iain McGilchrist – On Consciousness, Culture, and Creativity
John Cleese meets preeminent neuroscientist Iain McGilchrist to explore the science of human consciousness and creativity.
Series 6, Episode 28
1 hr 10 mins
Minnie Driver – Managing Expectations
As one of our most loved actors, Minnie Driver has spent her life mostly telling other people’s stories. Until now.
Series 6, Episode 27
Owen Jones Meets Michael Lewis – The Fifth Risk
‘I read Michael Lewis for the same reasons I watch Tiger Woods. I’ll never play like that. But it’s good to be reminded every now and again what genius looks like’ – Malcolm Gladwell
Series 6, Episode 26
51 mins
Robin Ince Meets Neal Stephenson – Termination Shock
‘Sometimes when you’re reading Neal Stephenson, he doesn’t just seem like one of the best novelists writing in English right now; he seems like the only one.’ – TIME magazine
Series 6, Episode 25
1hr
Eliot Higgins – We Are Bellingcat
“Taking on the Kremlin from his couch . . . Eliot Higgins and Bellingcat are fighting Vladimir Putin and his ilk, using little more than computers and smartphones.” (Foreign Policy)
Series 6, Episode 25
46 mins
The Metaverse – Hype or Hyperreality?
Take a trip into the Metaverse in the latest episode of Found in Conversation, the monthly ideas show we co-produce with Pictet.
Series 6, Episode 24
1hr
Ann Patchett – These Precious Days
‘I don’t think that there’s a book of hers that I haven’t put down at the end and been haunted by for weeks after’ (Gillian Anderson).
Series 6, Episode 23
1hr 5 mins
Robin Ince Meets Richard Dawkins
“My eyes are constantly wide open to the extraordinary fact of existence… That’s never far from my thoughts, that sense of amazement.” – Richard Dawkins
Series 6, Episode 22
1hr
Ed Miliband – How to Fix Our World
A better world is possible; the solutions are out there. We can all make a difference. We just need to know where to look – and have the courage to think big.
Series 6, Episode 21
57 mins
Dispatches from Afghanistan
What does the future hold for the people of Afghanistan in the wake of America’s withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power?
Series 6, Episode 20
32 mins
Matthew Green – A Journey Through the Shadowlands
From Old Winchelsea to Skara Brae, Matthew Green transports us to Britain’s shadowlands – the once thriving towns and cities that are now lost to time and memory.
Series 6, Episode 19
1 hr
Julia Samuel – Every Family Has a Story
What predicts family breakdown? Why do our families drive us mad? What is it the enables some families to thrive despite enormous adversity, when others fragment?
Series 6, Episode 18
28 mins
Philip Oltermann – The Stasi Poetry Circle
The Guardian’s Berlin bureau chief reveals the strange but true story of the book club that tried to win the Cold War through lyrical verse.
Series 6, Episode 17
40 mins
Simon Sebag-Montefiore and Luke Harding – The History of the Ukraine-Russia Conflict
Prizewinning historian Simon Sebag Montefiore and former Guardian Moscow bureau chief Luke Harding look at the deep history behind the headlines.
Series 6, Episode 16
45 mins
Max Porter – Why Art Should Challenge Us
The genre-defying author joins us to explore his lifelong obsession with Francis Bacon, the undefinable magic of language, and pushing readers outside their comfort zones.
Series 6, Episode 15
1hr 4 mins
Alan Moore and B. Catling – The Power of Imagination
The comics legend and Oxford sculptor turned literary novelist come together to explore humanity’s greatest superpower: imagination.
Series 6, Episode 14
40 mins
Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina – #CookForUkraine
Join us for a special episode in support of #CookForUkraine, a campaign organised by the food writers Olia Hercules and Alissa Timoshkina to support children and families affected by the war.
Series 6, Episode 13
56 mins
Yanis Varoufakis Meets David Wengrow – The Dawn of Everything
The collaborator of the late, legendary anthropologist David Graeber joins Yanis Varoufakis to overturn everything you think you know about the history of human civilisation.
Series 6, Episode 12
32 mins
Paul Craddock – The Surprising History of Organ Transplants
We think of transplant surgery as one of the medical wonders of the modern world. But the true history of transplants is more ancient, and far stranger, than we could ever imagine.
Series 6, Episode 11
1hr 2 mins
Suzanne Simard – Finding the Mother Tree
World-leading scientist of plant communication and intelligence Suzanne Simard reveals how she discovered the secrets of the forest.
Series 6, Episode 10
1hr
Jon Ronson and Brian Klaas – On Psychopaths and Power
Why do bad people disproportionately rise to power? Do broken systems produce authoritarian leaders, and if so – what can we do about it?
Series 6, Episode 9
52 mins
Salena Godden Meets Yrsa Daley-Ward – How To Know Yourself
Shot to fame in her early twenties as model and actor, Yrsa Daley-Ward quickly established a reputation as a poet and storyteller of rare honesty, vulnerability, and emotional power.
Series 6, Episode 8
1hr
Jameela Jamil and Michael Schur – How to Be Perfect
Jameela Jamil and Michael Schur join us to explore the question of their hit series The Good Place: how can we live a more ethical life?
Series 6, Episode 7
46 mins
Adam Rutherford – The Troubling History of Eugenics
Eugenics remains one of the most destructive ideas of the 20th century. Today, politicians and scientists alike threaten to build on the legacy of this dangerous ideology.
Series 6, Episode 6
1hr
William Dalrymple and Sathnam Sanghera – British Imperialism in India
A story of powerful empires, covert political machinations and bloody resistance, Sathnam Sanghera and William Dalrymple join us with the history of the world’s first corporate power.
Series 6, Episode 5
Fi Glover and Jane Garvey – Did I Say That Out Loud?
At a time of constant anxiety and uncertainty, BBC radio legends Fi Glover and Jane Garvey joined us on stage in London to tell us that they haven’t got a clue what’s going on either.
Season 6, Episode 4
51 mins
John Preston – The Rise and Fall of Robert Maxwell
Media moghul Robert Maxwell was a war hero who embodied Britain’s post-war boom: but within days of mysterious death, he was already reviled as the embodiment of greed and corruption. What went so wrong?
Season 6, Episode 3
35 mins
Claire Fuller – Unsettled Ground
Claire Fuller, author of the Costa Novel Award 2021 winner Unsettled Ground, explores folk music, memory, and the surreal everyday in this week’s episode of the How To Academy Podcast.
Season 6, Episode 2
58 mins
Marcus du Sautoy Meets Steven Pinker – Why Rationality Matters
In the twenty-first century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding – and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that discovered vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, quack cures and conspiracy theorising?
Series 6, Episode 1
45 mins
Bexy Cameron – How to Escape a Cult
Filmmaker Bexy Cameron was born into the Children of God, one of the world’s most notorious cults. She joins us with the story of her upbringing and escape.
Season 5, Episode 26
1 hour 7 mins
Pandora Sykes Meets Emily Ratajkowski
What does it mean to be a woman today? Pandora Sykes meets model, entrepreneur and activist Emily Ratajkowski for an investigation into feminism, sexuality and power.
Season 5, Episode 25
1 hour
Paul Bloom – The Surprising Secret of Happiness
‘Paul Bloom can always be counted on to take your confident assumptions about humanity and turn them upside down’ (SUSAN CAIN, author of Quiet).
Series 5, Episode 24
1 hour
Philip Pullman Meets Iain McGilchrist – The Matter With Things
The award-winning novelist and acclaimed neuroscientist join us with a profound new story of what the world is and who we are.
Series 5, Episode 23
Fatima Bhutto Meets Noam Chomsky
In conversation with the author Fatima Bhutto, the legendary philosopher and activist joins us live to shed light on the world in 2021.
Season 5, Episode 22
1hr
Robin diAngelo and Beverly Daniel Tatum – Conversations About Race
What we can do to have better conversations with our children and with each other about race, and build a better world?
Season 5, Episode 21
45 minutes
Greg Jenner – How to Find Comedy in History
What was the first recorded joke? When were Mondays invented? Who, or what, is “mellefied man”? We discover the answer to all of these questions from public historian Greg Jenner.
Season 5, Episode 20
Jane Goodall – A Survival Guide for an Endangered Planet
The world needs a manifesto of hope now more than ever. Jane Goodall joins us to show that even in the face of great adversity, we can find hope in human nature, and in nature itself.
Season 5, Episode 19
1 hour 7 mins
Richard Powers – Why Stories Matter
The Booker Prize 2021 shortlisted author of Bewilderment and The Overstory explores the power of fiction to change our future.
Season 5, Episode 18
58 mins
Bernard-Henri Lévy – Dispatches from a World of Misery and Hope
For fifty years philosopher and activist Bernard-Henri Lévy has reported on the world’s most urgent and overlooked humanitarian crises and human rights abuses.
Season 5, Episode 17
53 mins
Kate Bowler – The Meaning of Life
At thirty-five, Divinity Professor Kate Bowler was diagnosed with colon cancer. She joins us to explore what life really means, as she approaches its close.
Season 5, Episode 16
1 hour 16 min
Stephen Fry Meets Steven Pinker – The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
In anticipation of Steven Pinker’s return to How To Academy later this month, this episode of the podcast revisits his conversation with Stephen Fry on stage in London in 2018.
Season 5, Episode 15
57 minutes
James Nestor – the Art and Science of Breathing
Sunday Times bestselling author James Nestor joins us with a guide that will forever change the way you think about health and wellbeing.
Season 5, Episode 14
Bonus Episode: With Reason – Learning from our Ancestors, with Alice Roberts
In this special bonus episode by our friends at New Humanist magazine and the Rationalist Association, Professor Alice Roberts takes us through important archaeological discoveries to help us better understand life today.
Series 5, Episode 13
1 hour 3 mins
Fiona Shaw – A Life on Stage and Screen
The BAFTA and Olivier award-winning Irish actor and director explores her life and career on stage and screen.
Season 5, Episode 13
1 hour
Rutger Bregman and Philippe Sands – Are Humans Naturally Good?
Philippe Sands meets Rutger Bregman, one of the greatest young thinkers of our time, to hear a new story of human nature that places our capacity for kindness, not selfishness, at its heart.
Season 5, Episode 12
38 mins
Dennis Duncan – Index, a history of the
In this week’s podcast, literary scholar Dennis Duncan takes us into the secret world of the index and reveals how it transformed the way we read and process knowledge forever.
Season 5, Episode 11
55 mins
Mary Portas – How To Thrive in the New Kindness Economy
In 2021, it’s not only possible to build healthy businesses that do less bad and add more good – it’s a commercial imperative. Mary Portas is here to show us how.
Season 5, Episode 10
1 hour
Gordon Brown – How to Change the World
It is time for a new era of global order. The former Prime Minister Gordon Brown joins us with authoritative solutions to the greatest challenges of our age.
Season 5, Episode 9
1 hour
Anish Kapoor – a Life in Art
An icon whose spectacular works occupy a liminal space between sculpture, engineering and architecture, Anish Kapoor is one of the world’s most ambitious living artists.
Season 5, Episode 8
58 mins
Sarah Gilbert and Catherine Green – The Inside Story of the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine
Robin Ince meets two of the leading scientists behind the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, marking this historic moment for science and humanity.
Season 5, Episode 7
31 mins
Charles Yu – Interior Chinatown
Enter the genre-bending metafictional world of National Book Award winner Charles Yu, one of the most exciting young American novelists.
Season 5, Episode 6
37 min
Mike Rothschild – The Rise of QAnon
Join the conspiracy culture expert Mike Rothschild for an in depth look into how QAnon became a movement, cult, and conspiracy theory of everything.
Season 5, Episode 5
53 mins
Lisa Taddeo and Hadley Freeman – Madness, Transgression and Power
Lisa Taddeo’s THREE WOMEN changed how we think about desire. She returns to the podcast to explore what drives women to extremes and how they can take back power.
Season 5, Episode 4
1 hour
Daniel Kahneman – Why We Make Bad Judgments
Why are humans so bad at making good judgements? Join ground-breaking psychologist Daniel Kahneman, strategist Olivier Sibony, and Nudge co-author Cass Sunstein for a guide to a little-known but profoundly important phenomenon: noise.
Season 5, Episode 3
36 mins
John Higgs – William Blake vs the World
Join us for a wild journey through culture, philosophy and religion to better understand the mercurial genius William Blake in the twenty-first century.
Season 5, Episode 2
52 mins
Katrine Marcal and Caroline Criado Perez – Mother of Invention
In conversation with author and activist Caroline Criado Perez, Katrine Marçal shows us how, in a time of crisis, the ingenuity and intelligence of women is that very thing that can save us.
Season 5, Episode 1
51 mins
Bill Clinton and James Patterson – The President’s Daughter
The 42nd President of the United States and the World Record-breaking master storyteller share insights into their thrilling new collaboration.
Series 4, Episode 20
54 mins
Sir David Hare – A Life in Theatre
The legendary playwright joins us to reflect on his life and career as the most prolific, influential and respected dramatist of his generation.
Series 4, Episode 19
51 mins
Ginny Smith – The Neuroscience of Everyday Life
How do we learn? Why we do sleep, or fall in love? Can we trust our memories? In this week’s podcast Ginny Smith explores the latest science of the mind and brain to answer the big questions about human behaviour.
Series 4, Episode 18
54 Minutes
Maggie O’Farrell – The Life of Hamnet Shakespeare
‘The story of Hamnet Shakespeare has been waiting in the shadows for over four hundred years. Maggie O’Farrell brings it dazzlingly, devastatingly, into the light’ – Kamila Shamsie
Series 4, Episode 17
1 hr
Michio Kaku – The Quest for a Theory of Everything
Michio Kaku takes Robin Ince on the mind-bending ride through the twists and turns of an epic scientific journey: the quest to find a Theory of Everything.
Season 4, Episode 16
51 mins
Anna Ploszajski – Finding Meaning Through Making
Sitting at the intersection of art, science, and history, this week’s podcast reveals fresh perspectives and fascinating insights into our material world.
Series 4, Episode 15
1 hr
George Saunders – Lessons in Writing and Life
What makes great stories work? What can they tell us about our world today? How can they make us better readers and how can we write them ourselves?
Series 4, Episode 14
1 hour
Matthew d’Ancona – Why the Old Politics is Useless and What to Do About It
Political journalist Matthew d’Ancona’s issues a call to arms to challenge this age of political extremism, lazy populism and democratic torpor.
Series 4, Episode 13
53 mins
Isabel Allende – The Soul of a Woman
One of the most acclaimed and beloved figures in world literature, legendary novelist Isabel Allende joined us for a meditation on feminism, activism and revolution.
Series 4, Episode 12
1hr 7 mins
Ian McEwan – A Life in Literature
The country’s most prolific and celebrated novelist reflects upon a life in literature.
Series 4, Episode 11
30m
Rowan Hooper – How to Spend a Trillion Dollars
If you had a trillion dollars and a year to spend it for the good of the world and the advancement of science, what would you do?
Series 4, Episode 10
1hr
Derren Brown – How To Be a Little Happier
Learn how to think differently and overcome anxiety in a difficult world with the legendary star of stage and screen.
Series 4, Episode 9
1 hr
Tim Harford Meets Adam Grant – The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know
If knowledge is power, knowing what we don’t know is wisdom. One of the world’s most influential business professors, psychologist Adam Grant is here to teach us how to think again.
Series 4, Episode 8
1 hour
Ethan Kross – How to Harness the Voice Inside Your Head
Turn your ‘inner critic’ into a supportive coach with award-winning psychologist Ethan Kross, one of the world’s leading experts on controlling the conscious mind.
Series 4, Episode 7
55 mins
George the Poet Meets Mariana Mazzucato – A Moonshot Guide to Changing Capitalism
Join one of the world’s most exciting and original economists for a powerful new approach for dealing with inequality, disease and climate change.
Season 4, Episode 6
45 mins
Toby Ord – Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity
We live during the most important era of human history. In the twentieth century, we developed the means to destroy ourselves – without developing the moral framework to ensure we won’t.
Season 4, Episode 5
54 mins
Owen Jones Meets Claudia Rankine
The first and only poet to write a New York Times bestseller, the winner of every significant literary prize in the United States, Jamaican-born Claudia Rankine is an icon of contemporary American letters.
Series 4, Episode 4
55 mins
Iain McGilchrist – The Divided Brain and the Search for Meaning
A tour de force of neuroscience and philosophy, Iain McGilchrist’s The Master and His Emissary speaks to everyone searching for happiness, meaning and understanding in the modern world.
Series 4, Episode 3
37 mins
Malcolm Gladwell – How to Make a Good First Impression
From Blink to Outliers, Revisionist History to David and Goliath, no-one challenges our shared assumptions and invites us to rethink human nature like Malcolm Gladwell.
Series 4, Episode 2
56 mins
Caitlin Moran – More Than a Woman
‘First, you have to learn how to be a woman. Then middle age arrives, and you realise you have to become … more than a woman. To those around you, you’re now the Fourth Emergency Service.” – Caitlin Moran
Series 4, Episode 1
1 hour
Simon Schama – The World in 2021
What lessons does the past hold for our future? Join Britain’s pre-eminent public historian to explore his thoughts on the world to come.
Series 3, Episode 21
1 hour
Richard Dawkins – The Meaning of Life
Richard Dawkins has done more than any other scientist to promote and celebrate the origins of life on Earth.
Series 3, Episode 20
1 hour
Yanis Varoufakis Meets Owen Jones
The global crisis of COVID-19 presents an opportunity for a radical rethink of Britain as we know it. Join two icons of the Left as they imagine a future for progressive politics.
Series 3, Episode 19
1 hour
Len Mlodinow and Robin Ince – The Life of Stephen Hawking
Not since Einstein has a scientific figure held such a place in popular consciousness. Leonard Mlodinow tells Robin Ince the story of his friend and collaborator, Stephen Hawking.
Series 3, Episode 18
48 mins
Philip Lymbery – How to Live Sustainably in a Changing World
Our meat and dairy intensive diets are destroying the planet. In this podcast, animal welfare environmentalist Philip Lymbery shares the new science of living sustainably and makes a powerful case for changing how we eat.
Season 3, Episode 17
52 mins
Jung Chung – Three Women at the Heart of 20th Century China
Wild Swans author Jung Chang presents a true story of love, war and betrayal: the lives of the Soong sisters, who each rose to the heights of power and left an indelible mark on modern China.
Season 3, Episode 16
55 mins
Elizabeth Gilbert Meets Julia Cameron – The Path to Higher Creativity
Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way has inspired millions to realise their passions – including Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. Coming together for this podcast, they show us the path to a creatively-fulfilling life.
Series 3, Episode 15
1 hour
Brian Cox Meets Rebecca Wragg Sykes – The Lost World of Neanderthals
In conversation with particle physicist Brian Cox, archaeologist Rebecca Wragg Sykes reveals the Neanderthals as curious, clever connoisseurs of their world, technologically inventive and ecologically adaptable.
Series 3, Episode 14
55 mins
David Mitchell – Dishonesty is the Second Best Policy
Are smartphones more dangerous than nuclear weapons? Should we uninvent the Internet? The comedian and columnist joins us with witty reflections upon our dumbfounding post-truth age.
Series 3, Episode 13
1 hour
Jess Phillips – How to Speak Truth to Power
At a time when many of us feel the world isn’t listening, Jess Phillips is here to teach us how to get organised, speak out and fight against injustice in all its forms.
Series 3, Episode 12
57 mins
Thandie Newton Meets Gloria Steinem
For decades Gloria Steinem has helped women empower themselves. Now the legendary feminist meets Emmy and BAFTA winning actress and activist to share her insights. >>
Series 3, Episode 11
36 mins
Sid Meier – The Rise of Civilization
As the inventor of an entirely new genre of entertainment, legendary video-game designer Sid Meier is a true creative pioneer, and godfather to a multi-billion dollar industry.
Series 3, Episode 10
32 minutes
Geoffrey Robertson – Who Owns History?
The question of whether Western nations must return the artefacts plundered under colonial rule is the most pressing issue in the art world today.
Series 3, Episode 9
38 mins
Roman Krznaric – How to Think Long-Term in a Short-Term World
The greatest challenge facing humankind is not climate change or terrorism; it is our inability to think long term. Britain’s leading public philosopher is here to change the way we think to ensure a tomorrow.
Series 3, Episode 8
68 mins
Anthony David – Mental Health After COVID
From anxiety to PTSD, the consequences of the pandemic for global mental health are profound. Neuropsychiatrist Anthony David explores what we know so far – and what we can do about it.
Season 3, Episode 7
57 mins
Maria Konnikova – The Biggest Bluff
When bestselling author Maria Konnikova set out to investigate the science of decision-making, she never expected to become a world-class poker player under the wing of a legend of the game.
Season 3, Episode 6
42 mins
Clive Woodward – How to Win
Sir Clive Woodward has spent a lifetime in high-performance environments, from the rugby field to the boardroom.
Series 3, Episode 4
53 mins
Kiley Reid – Such a Fun Age
In this week’s podcast Hannah MacInnes meets Kiley Reid, whose Booker nominated debut SUCH A FUN AGE announces her as an extraordinarily astute new voice of a generation.
Series 3, Episode 4
1 hour 13 mins
Owen O’Kane – How To Manage Anxiety and Stress
Owen O’Kane was the NHS Clinical Lead for Mental Health. He joined Matthew Stadlen to explore evidence-based techniques for developing a healthier perspective.
Series 3, Episode 3
1 hour 6 mins
Madeleine Albright – Hell and Other Destinations
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright may be the most widely admired diplomat of our age.
Series 3, Episode 2
39 mins
Rahul Jandial – How to Rewire Your Brain
It’s time to turn the tide against mental decline. Learn how to make your mind fitter, healthier and stronger using the insights of cutting-edge neuroscience in this week’s podcast.
Season 1, Episode 1
36 mins
Richard Eyre – How to Make Theatre
Join one of Britain’s most acclaimed directors of stage and screen for a masterclass in the art of making plays.
Season 2, Episode 21
Glennon Doyle – How to Find Yourself
The legendary author of Love Warrior explores the themes of her latest book, Untamed — the joy and peace we discover when we stop striving to meet the expectations of the world, and start trusting the voice deep within us.
Season 2, Episode 20
1 hour 7 m
Martin Wolf – The World After the Pandemic
Revered by politicians and business leaders, the FT’s Martin Wolf may be the world’s most influential economic commentator.
Season 2, Episode 19
34 mins
Max Brooks – How to Survive a Global Catastrophe
How can we build resilient societies? Novelist Max Brooks writes about horrifying fictional catastrophes to teach us how to survive real ones.
Series 2, Episode 18
43 mins
L. David Marquet – Leadership is Language
‘David Marquet is the kind of leader who comes around only once in a generation… His ideas and lessons are invaluable’ – Simon Sinek
Series 2, Episode 17
58 mins
Julia Ebner – Undercover With Extremists
Frustrated by the limits of an outsider’s perspective, counter-extremism expert Julia Ebner secretly infiltrated five fanatical groups.
Series 2, Episode 16
33 mins
John Browne – How to Engineer the Future
Fans of Steven Pinker and Yuval Noah Harari ought not to miss this eloquent blueprint for building a brighter future from engineer, John Browne.
Series 2, Episode 15
27 mins
Layla Saad – How to Fight White Supremacy
How can white people challenge racism — whether in the form of their own unconscious biases or the wider systems of white supremacy?
Series 2, Episode 14
30 mins
Brian Greene – How to Find Meaning in an Evolving Universe
The bestselling author of The Elegant Universe joins the How To Academy Podcast to explore humankind’s search for purpose in the vastness of the cosmos.
Series 2, Episode 13
51 mins
Julia Samuel – How to Adapt and Survive in a Time of Crisis
Psychotherapist Julia Samuel joined Hannah MacInnes on the How To Academy Podcast to tell us how to find unknown strengths in times of difficulty and change.
Series 2, Episode 12
38 mins
Anil Seth – How to Make Sense of Consciousness
How do our brains produce the magic show of conscious experience?
Series 2, Episode 11
1 hour
Mervyn King – How to Make Decisions for an Unknowable Future
Can we make better decisions by acknowledging radical uncertainty? Mervyn King and John Kay build a powerful case.
Bonus Episode
41 mins
BONUS EPISODE – Global GoalsCast
The How To Academy Podcast presents an episode of one of our favourite shows: the Global GoalsCast.
Series 2, Episode 10
30 mins
William Gibson – How to Create the Future
He coined the word ‘Cyberspace’ and envisioned the Internet and Virtual Reality before they ever existed. Now William Gibson turns his prophetic eye to the 21st century.
Series 2, Episode 9
43 mins
Elif Shafak – How to Build Bridges in an Age of Division
Author and activist Elif Shafak is the most widely read female writer in her home nation of Turkey — but her fight to preserve and extend human rights is urgent no matter where you live.
Series 2, Episode 8
82 mins
Ai Weiwei – Human Rights in the 21st Century
Ai Weiwei is living proof that creativity can change our world for the better.
Series 2, Episode 7
33 mins
Paul Krugman – Politics, Economics, and the Fight for a Fairer Future
Nobel laureate and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman shares his insights into the Trump administration and beyond.
Series 2, Episode 6
30 mins
How to Be a Polar Explorer
Two of the greatest living adventurers meet Hannah MacInnes to reflect on what motivates their journeys across the polar ice.
Series 2, Episode 5
30 mins
Joseph Stiglitz – How to Save American Capitalism
Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz challenges us to throw off the free market fundamentalists and reclaim our democratic power.
Series 2, Episode 5
1 hour
Lisa Taddeo and Hadley Freeman On Sex and Desire
Lisa Taddeo’s Three Women is a world-wide sensation – forever changing how we think about women and desire.
Series 2, Episode 4
40 mins
BJ Fogg – How to Hack Your Habits
Never make a New Year’s Resolution again after hearing this podcast from the world’s most renowned expert in forming new habits –Stanford behavioural scientist, BJ Fogg.
Series 2, Episode 3
38 mins
Eric Schmidt – How to Make a Trillion Dollars
In this week’s episode, Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt, VP Jonathan Rosenberg and Director of Executive Communications Alan Eagle present a blueprint for farsighted leadership.
Series 2, Episode 3
63 mins
Life Lessons from Gina Miller
After her first Supreme Court victory, Gina Miller was asked how she could keep going at the cost of so much pain and aggravation. To her the answer was obvious: she’d been doing it all her life.
Series 2, Episode 2
35 mins
Hilary Cottam – How To Revolutionise the Welfare State
Dr. Hilary Cottam meets Matthew Stadlen to reveal her vision of a system that puts human connection first.
Season 2, Episode 1
58 mins
Reflections From an Astrophysicist
Neil deGrasse Tyson joins the How To Academy Podcast to ask: what is our place in the universe?
Series 1, Episode 21
32 mins
Chetna Gala Sinha – How to Fight Global Poverty
Matthew Stadlen meets activist and microfinance pioneer Chetna Gala Sinha, whose work in rural India empowers some of the world’s poorest women.
Series 1, Episode 20
66 mins
Rory Stewart – The Truth About Politics
Rory Stewart tells Hannah MacInnes what he’s discovered about British democracy in his time an MP and minister.
Series 1, Episode 19
29 mins
Matthew Syed – a Radical Blueprint for Creative Problem-solving
Where do the best ideas come from? Matthew Syed takes Matthew Stadlen on a fascinating journey through the new science of creative problem-solving.
Series 1, Episode 18
80mins
Speeches That Changed the World
Simon Sebag Montefiore and an all-star cast of actors take you on a journey from ancient times to the present day with the greatest speeches in history.
Series 1, Episode 17
75 mins
Roger McNamee – How to Stop Facebook From Destroying Democracy
Roger NcNamee was Mark Zuckerberg’s mentor in the first days of Facebook. He explains why he’s now devoted to stopping the behemoth he helped to create.
Series 1, Episode 16
84 mins
Marie Forleo – How to Create Unstoppable Success
The athlete and entrepreneur Marie Forleo joined the How To Academy Podcast to teach us what she’s learned on her path to success.
Series 1, Episode 15
72 minutes
Jonathan Safran Foer – How to Save the Planet
Feeling impotent in the face of the climate crisis? The bestselling author of EATING ANIMALS joined us to how how we really can make a difference.
Series 1, Episode 14
25 mins
When the Body Says No: The Costs of Hidden Stress
Learn how to prevent and heal illnesses related to hidden stress with the help of acclaimed physician Dr. Gabor Maté.
Series 1, Episode 13
38 mins
Juliet Stevenson – How to Be an Actor
This week’s How To Academy Podcast is a masterclass with one of the greatest British actors of her generation.
Series 1, Episode 12
53 mins
Rory Sutherland – How to Be Less Rational (and More Brilliant)
The advertising legend Rory Sutherland joins us for a masterclass in improving business with the insights of psychological science.
Series 1, Episode 11
54 mins
Melinda Gates – How To Empower Women
In this week’s podcast, Melinda Gates makes a timely and necessary call to action for women’s empowerment.
Series 1, Episode 10
45 mins
John Humphrys – How to Make the News
Our greatest living current affairs journalist sits down with Matthew Stadlen to look back on a lifetime of holding our leaders to account.
Series 1, Episode 9
28 mins
Marcus du Sautoy – A.I. and the Secret of Creativity
The nation’s most loved science communicator, Oxford mathematician Marcus Du Sautoy, explores the potential of artificial intelligence to think creatively.
Series 1, Episode 8
48 mins
Giles Coren – A Man For All Seasons
In Episode 8 of the How To Academy Podcast, Matthew Stadlen meets restaurant critic and raconteur Giles Coren, for a freewheeling and hilarious conversation about truth, love and clean cutlery.
Series 1, Episode 7
37 minutes
Michael Pollan – How to Change Your Mind
Could psychedelic drugs change our worldview? In Episode 7 of the How To Academy Podcast, Michael Pollan tells Matthew Stadlen about his journey to the frontiers of the human mind.
Series 1, Episode 6
80 minutes
Elizabeth Gilbert – On Life and Love
The author of EAT, PRAY, LOVE and BIG MAGIC joins the How To Academy podcast for an open-hearted conversation exploring all she has learned in her journey through life.
Series 1, Episode 5
36 mins
An Insider’s Guide to Crime in America
Matthew Stadlen meets the former US district attorney who successfully prosecuted some of the most high-profile crimes in America.
Series 1, Episode 5
36 mins
An Insider’s Guide to Crime in America
Matthew Stadlen meets the former US district attorney who successfully prosecuted some of the most high-profile crimes in America.
Series 1, Episode 4
37 minutes
How to Survive Climate Change
A terrifying vision of unfolding climate catastrophe may just be the wake-up call we need to save the future.
Series 1, Episode 3
77 Mins
The Gendered Brain Debate
Two giants of cognitive science – Gina Rippon and Simon Baron-Cohen – debate one of the most contested ideas in the history of science: do men and women have essentially different brains?
Series 1, Episode 2
23 minutes
How to Make Change Happen
In this podcast, the author of Nudge, Professor Cass Sunstein, presents a guide for anyone who wishes to fuel – or block – transformative social change.
Series 1, Episode 1
26 minutes
How to Lead in the 21st Century
Matthew Stadlen meets Simon Sinek – perhaps the 21st century’s most acclaimed thinker in the field of business leadership.
