Ideas Matter

Will Storr's The Science of Storytelling: Why Stories Make Us Human, and How to Tell Them Better is a scalpel-sharp, thought-provoking book that demonstrates how master storytellers manipulate and compel us.Leading us on a journey from the Hebrew scriptures to Mr Men, from Booker Prize-winning literature to box set TV, The Science of Storytelling applies dazzling psychological research and cutting-edge neuroscience to the foundations of our myths and archetypes; showing how we can use these tools to tell better stories – and make sense of our chaotic modern world.Read by Will Storr.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Award-winning author, Will Storr, in conversation with Tom Killingbeck, the editor of his bestselling book: The Science of Storytelling.They discuss how essential stories have been in human evolution, how we can use stories to make sense of our chaotic world, and give some tops on how to write your own masterful narrative."In our evolutionary history, when our brains were evolving, we would have been roaming around our territory in loose bands of around 150 people. So how do you get 150 people to cooperate with no police force, with no judiciary, with no prisons - how do you do it? You do it with gossip."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Cathy Newman's Bloody Brilliant Women: The Pioneers, Revolutionaries and Geniuses Your History Teacher Forgot to Mention is a freewheeling history of modern Britain that focuses on the pioneering women who defied the odds to make careers for themselves and alter the course of modern history.Blending meticulous research with information gleaned from memoirs, diaries, letters, novels and other secondary sources, Bloody Brilliant Women uses the stories of some extraordinary lives to tell the tale of 20th and 21st century Britain. It is a history for women and men. A history for our times.Read by Cathy Newman.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Journalist and broadcaster, Cathy Newman, in conversation with Arabella Pike, the editor of her bestselling book: Bloody Brilliant Women.They discuss the slow march of progress for women's rights; some of the remarkable women who are illuminated throughout the book; and how we can learn from the mistakes of the past to build a more equal future."[in 2019] I think what is so inspiring is that there are so many powerful, opinionated women who are determined to make a difference [...] women who know their own mind and are not going to be intimidated and are determined to stand up for what they believe."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An exclusive extract from the first chapter of Green and Prosperous LAnd: A Blueprint for Rescuing the British Countryside, Dieter Helm's radical and tangible plan for positive change.In it he sets out a bold, achievable 25-year generational plan for a green and prosperous country.Read by Mike Grady.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Professor Dieter Helm is Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford and Fellow in Economics at New College, Oxford. He specialises in the environment, notably in climate change, biodiversity, water, energy and agriculture.The environment is one of the most important topics facing all parties in this election, and increasingly those on all sides are beginning to recognise the importance of protecting our climate from the oncoming crisis. In his book Green and Prosperous Land, Dieter Helm tackles theseIn this discussion with his editor, Myles Archibald, he talks about how we can leave the next generation with a better environment than we inherited, how we do that in a way that also enhances our economy, and why their fishing trips together in North Uist inspired the idea behind the book."I don't think we're going to need so much land for agriculture. I think we're going to use less land to produce much more food, and actually better and more environmentally friendly food. And that means we free up the land - quite a lot of it [...] this is a world in which a lot of the land can be used for better purposes, and that is why I'm wildly optimistic about what we can achieve."In December 2015, Dieter was reappointed as Independent Chair of the Natural Capital Committee. He is also an Honorary Vice President of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An exclusive extract from the first chapter of A Good Time to be a Girl: Don't Lean in, Change the System, Helena Morrissey's manifesto for change.In it she makes the case for diversity and difference in any workplace, and shows how, together, we can develop smarter thinking and broader definitions of success. This book sets out a way to reinvent the game – not at the expense of men but in ways that are right and relevant for a digital age. It is a powerful guide to success for us all.Read by Helena Morrissey.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dame Helena Morrissey is a financier, campaigner and author. Former CEO of Newton Investment Management, she then joined Legal and General Management where she spearheaded the launch of the Gender in Leadership UK equity fund. She is the founder of the 30% Club (a cross-business initiative to achieve better gender-balanced UK company boards), a Cambridge philosophy graduate, and is married to a Buddhist meditation teacher with whom she has nine children.In this expansive interview, Helena discusses the ideas at the heart of her book, A Good TIme to be a Girl, with her editor, Arabella Pike.They talk about how the workplace has changed since she began her career, the challenges women still face in the corporate environment, and how we can achieve a more equal, balanced workplace and life for everyone."I want people to know they are not alone in the way that people might have been many years ago, and that the law is on their side if all else fails."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An exclusive extract from the first chapter of Who Owns England?: How We Lost Our Green and Pleasant Land, and How to Take It Back, Guy Shrubsole's explosive examination of land ownership in England. This is the history of how England’s elite came to own our land, and an inspiring manifesto for how to open up our countryside once more.Read by Malk Williams.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Guy Shrubsole is a campaigner and writer. He campaigns for Friends of the Earth and has written for numerous publications including the Guardian and New Statesman.In his book Who Owns England, he goes trespassing through tightly-guarded country estates, ecologically ravaged grouse moors and empty Mayfair mansions, and uncovers a wealth of never-before-seen information about the people who own our land, to create the most comprehensive map of land ownership in England that has ever been made public.In this discussion with his editor, Tom Killingbeck, he talks about how he went about exposing the truth of land ownership in England, why land ownership is one of the most pressing issues we face today, and how we begin to take back our green and pleasant land."We still have a massive housing crisis. As long as that remains the case [...] there needs to be a land reform movement, because ultimately the housing crisis isn't a crisis of the prices in bricks and mortar, they haven't gone up in price suddenly, it's a crisis of land affordability."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Magnus started his career as a Salmon farmer in rural Argyll, but when the Balkan conflict began, he and his brother were so moved by the scenes on television that they gathered a jeep-load of aid and joined a convoy travelling to Bosnia to distribute it. In 2002 his work led him to Malawi, where he met a family whose situation would alter the course of his work, and Mary’s Meals was born. It now feeds over 1.5 million children across the world.In conversation with his editor, Carlos Darby, Magnus discusses what the essence of charity is, how it can lead us to a happier, more joyful life, and how it is associated with his Christian faith.'When we're tempted to shut the door and look inward and think about our own problems, or what we want, or what we desire, I don't think that generally brings us to a happier place [...] we are created to be people who are charitable, who look outwards, and if we can do that I think we become happier, more joyful people.'All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An exclusive extract from the first chapter of The Making of Her: Why School Matters, Clarissa Farr's provocative look at our education system where she examines what the challenges facing students and their teachers are today, how we can educate girls to become tomorrow’s leaders, and what the role of a school in a modern, virtual world should be.Read by Clarissa Farr.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Clarissa Farr was the High Mistress of St Paul’s Girls’ School, one of the country’s top academic schools, for eleven years.An expert in education and leadership, a non-executive director and a writer, Clarissa pulls together everything she has learned during her extraordinary leadership career in her book, The Making of Her: Why School Matters, and discusses it here with her editor, Arabella PIke.In this episode she tackles what the challenges facing students and their teachers are today, how we can educate girls to become tomorrow’s leaders, and what the role of a school in a modern, virtual world should be."The girls at a girl's school don't have any sense that Maths and Science are meant to be harder, they don't have any sense that they can't be cast in any part in a play [...] so when those girls, with all that strength, go out into that co-educational world, they're fortified with that belief in themselves, that certainty that what they have to say is interesting, and that they don't have to wait until all of the men in the room have spoken first. And that is how a girl's school has a very forward thinking role to play in society."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An exclusive extract from the first chapter of With the End in Mind: How to Live and Die Well, Kathryn Mannix's unprecedented exploration of the biggest taboo in our society and the only certainty we all share: deathRead by Elizabeth Carling.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Palliative care consultant Kathryn Mannix makes a compelling case for the therapeutic power of approaching death not with trepidation but with openness, clarity, and understanding, in her book, With the End in Mind.In conversation with her editor, Arabella Pike, she explores how we die, how to promote a greater understanding of an ordinary death, and how that can enable us to live a better life."People who know that the end of their life is approaching spend far more time in this present moment than they do worrying about all of those other things; all of their possessions and legacy [...] people become very centered and focused on the now and the present moment can be a safe place of great comfort."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An exclusive extract from the Introduction to How to Grow a Human: Adventures in Who We Are and How We Are Made, Philip Ball's gripping journey into what it means to be human.Read by Philip Ball.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In his book, How to Grow a Human, scientist and broadcaster Philip Ball delves into the cutting-edge scientific developments that will change our world.In today's episode he discusses his journey into creating his own 'mini brain', genetic editing, cloning, and why what is happening in the laboratories of today will shape our future."Any cell in our body is much more plastic and versatile than we ever imagined. It's not too much to say that any part of our flesh can be turned into any other part of our flesh. That is an extraordinary thing - not just in terms of what you might do with that, but what it says about us and what is says about our identity."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An exclusive extract from the first chapter of Jog On: How Running Saved My Life, Bella Mackie's bestselling memoir.Read by Bella Mackie.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mental health advocate and journalist, Bella Mackie, in conversation with the editor of her bestselling memoir, Tom Killingbeck.They discuss the health crisis that first led her to pull on her trainers, the positive impact that exercise can have on our mental health, and the first small steps that can help all of us begin."Once I realised that I could run 5k I remember genuinely feeling like I could fly [...] that sense of achievement was so incredible that I felt new confidence. Running 5k led me to being able to get on the tube, get a new job, and get married again."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An exclusive extract from the Foreword of For the Record, David Cameron's bestselling memoir.Read by David Cameron. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Now more than ever: Ideas Matter.In a new podcast series from William Collins Books, we welcome you into the intimate conversations between extraordinary authors and thinkers, and their closest confidantes - their editors.Featuring interviews with mental health advocate Bella Mackie, former Prime Minister David Cameron, Channel 4 news presenter Cathy Newman and others at the forefront of their fields. Ideas Matter presents enlightening conversations on the most prescient issues of our time, including the mental health epidemic, the role of politicians in the modern world, why women have been left out of the history books, and much more across the arts, politics, history, and science.All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, in conversation with the editor of his bestselling memoir, Arabella Pike.In this inaugural episode of Ideas Matter they discuss why he set out to write his memoirs, the pressures of Downing Street, stories of Sarkozy and embargoed Libyan money; as well as, of course, the EU referendum."The life of a Prime Minister is that you start the week thinking this is the week I'm going to agree the budget and spending strategy and talk about the economy, but by Monday morning you've got a foreign policy crisis over here, a domestic political crisis over there, a cabinet resignation happening between now and Tuesday lunchtime, and you've probably got stuff going on in your family and personal life as well, and the point is that all these things hit you at once...you're having to cope with a lot of different pressures all at the same time, and it's very hard to brief yourself on all of them simultaneously."All the books discussed throughout this series are available at Apple Books, via this link: https://apple.co/ideasmatter See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.