The Big Travel Podcast

Picture the scene... Lisa and Simon Hunter (Madrid based journalist) are in the centre of Madrid at the fabulous Ocean Drive Hotel with a balcony over- looking over the Opera square having a chat about politics, celebs, nightclubs, tapas and more before heading up to the rooftop pool for a Vermouth...On this episode we talk..the short trip that turned into a lifetime love of Madrid, becoming the go-to person for British news on Spanish TV, big stories in the busy newsroom in El Pais, the surprise abdication of King Juan Carlos, Spain's mad politics, the eerie quiet over the city at the time of the 2004 bombings, the violent ETA period, spending ‘several years' in Spanish nightclubs, beautiful beaches in Cadiz, arguing over sun loungers in Benidorm, old sherry bars and ‘la hora del Vermouth' Simon's fantastic ‘Walk & Eat' tapas tours, oh and Simon's new abs! So much to unpack there. Join us in Madrid now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Barbara Buczek spent ten years in the management team at the Port of Dover but over two years ago moved continents to establish Saudi's new cruise scene with Cruise Saudi. Born in Poland she felt that travelling at an early age to Kentucky to attend a US high school gave her the travel bug. On this episode we talk about the special relationship with the UK have with Dover, the emotional tug of those white cliffs, how travelling by sea gives you a different perspective, feeling like she is living through history witnessing the cultural changes in Saudi, climbing to Everest Base Camp, jogging through a Taiwanese forest, the unbeatable feeling of running the London marathon and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ash Bhardwaj travel-writer, film-maker & author of the new book Why We Travel is today's wonderful guest – discussing… the rugby trip to New Zealand that changed his life, walking the Nile with his friend Levison Wood, getting dangerously lost Walking the Himalayas, the magical Sufi festival in the Sudanese desert,  the pilgrimage with his father's ashes to the Ganges, an 8500km route through Russian borderlands, ayahuasca therapy in Geneva, the curiosity gene which makes people more likely to travel, the mindset of wonder and awe & much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Faisal Sheiriff, influencer and entrepreneur, lives in Saudi Arabia with his fashion designer wife and two children. He was born in the US to a diplomat father and an anthropologist mother and has travelled to 50 countries. We discuss Saudi's changes and international tourism, living in Jeddah by the sea, beach days, coffee shops, large family gatherings, Cristiano Ronaldo, F1, tennis & golf, the bustling old markets in Jeddah and Riyadh, the dream-world desert landscapes of Alula and wanting to be the person that trawls ancient world markets and shipping back the antique artefacts but actually coming home with a fridge magnet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're back for our new season and starting with an extra special episode recorded in the beautiful Maldivian resort of Dhigali where our presenter Lisa recently spent an idyllic week. Who better to give us a real look at life in the Maldives than resort manager Hassan Said who, having dropped out of school age 14 and one of 11 siblings, very quickly had to start start work. We talk growing up in the islands, happy days working in his grandfather's tin workshop, how the arrival of tourism changed the Maldives, entering ‘a completely different world' in tourism, spending a year at sea, being on a ferry at the time of the 2004 tsunami, navigating Covid, ‘island culture's' happy laid-back attitude, feeling incredibly proud of the beautiful resort he has helped create and the power of loving the community you live in.  Lisa travelled to Dhigali and Velassaru Universal Resorts with the wonderful Kuoni www.kuoni.co.uk. It was utter paradise! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We are happy to announce the imminent arrival of our new season of episodes and as usual we have a few wonderful surprises for you – some on location episiodes from destinations as varied as Copenhagen to the Maldives – some new partners for sponsorship and also a very exciting annoucment as to what Lisa is up to with some travel plans that can also involve you! Yes you. Watch this space. In the meantime feel free to say hello on social media - Lisa Francesca Nand - and subscribe to the podcast so you don't miss us! x Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to The Big Travel Podcast Christmas Special 2023 special…featuring the Casual Birder Podcast's Suzy Buttress on celebrating the winter solstice in Antartica, Countdown's Rachel Riley and her husband's post-Strictly wind down in the blue lagoon in Iceland, musician and writer Nitin Sawhney having a Hallmark picture perfect Christmas in the US, actor Warwick Davies being towed on sledges behind huskies in Lapland, motoring journalist Ben Oliver on a Marrakesh rooftop accompanied by the atmospheric sound of the call to prayer, singer songwriter Freya Ridings' memorable childhood Christmases round the piano at her Nana's house in Coventry and Robert Munns from charity Oceans of Hope UK, spending every Christmas with his parents in the same house in Northamptonshire and this year watching the KING'S speech! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nitin Sawhney's Kent childhood included regular attacks by racists, but he threw himself into music, joining school friend James Taylor's band. Flying to India via Kabul aged 8 he found himself a child mascot riding horseback through the streets, he felt liberated by Liverpool at university, he studied accountancy but ending up creating a hit comedy show with Sanjeev Bhaskar, he's recorded with indigenous musicians the world over, including Australia, Brazil, South Africa and Spain, interviewed Nelson Mandela at his home in Johannesburg and worked with just about every important figure in modern day music. Discussing everything from the connection between Flamenco and Rajasthani gypsies, working with Gary Lineker and refugees on his new album, Identity, being withheld at security in LA before being sent to hospital and so much more.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Motoring journalist Ben Oliver was born amid the troubles in Belfast with the family moving to ‘slightly dull Reading' when he was 6. On this episode we talk about his life-changing teen travels to Israel, Syria, Gaza & Kurdistan, the glory 90s and noughties days of magazine journalism, how LA porn sets are like a clinical operating room, driving an open-top Bentley up ‘the blood highway' to the Arctic Circle in winter, the road sliding away in the Monsoon on an insane Himalayan trip in a Mini to the highest driving point in the world, North Korea being one of the most bizarre travel experiences, the joys of EVs and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Actor Warwick Davis' first trip abroad was to California at the age of 11 to star in Star Wars, a big jump from his day to day childhood in Surrey. On this episode we talk…Carrie Fisher feeding him cookies in the Redwood forest, sweltering in a rubber head-mask in the deserts of Tunisia, being a Goblin with David Bowie, causing mayhem in India on An Idiot Abroad with Karl Pilkington, entering a panda enclosure dressed as a baby panda in China, family holidays in Dubai, the poignant trip to Auschwitz he made for his brilliant documentary The Seven Dwarfs of Auschwitz, the ‘majestic' pencil museum in Cumbria and so much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rachel Riley, Maths expert, Gadget Show & Countdown host, MBE for services to Holocaust education grew up in Essex by way of Manchester. We talk about the astonishing story of her Jewish mother's family escaping from what's now Russia, the family member who was stabbed by a mounted Kossack and ended up a Gaucho in Argentina, taking in Ukrainian refuge, spontaneously marrying her Strictly co-star, Russian dancer Pasha Kovalev in Las Vegas, roping in Robbie Williams for the entertainment, wildlife watching in the Galapagos…using maths to get good travel deals and so much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Robert Munns, CEO of sailing charity Oceans of Hope UK, left the graft and glamour of West End theatre for a life on the seas. He'd not long had a shock diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis when a chance encounter in a harbour changed the course of his future. Rob and Lisa talk West End theatre's transformation, working with Madonna, happy days sailing the Med, the ‘raw shock' of his diagnosis, the physical and emotional enormity of sailing across the Pacific (with or without MS!), committing to life again, watching other MS sufferers transform with sailing and how making conscious decisions (along with the more ‘floaty' subconscious ones) can help us through even the most challenging of times.  You can find out about how to support Oceans of Hope by visiting their website www.oceansofhope.co.uk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Freya Ridings' beautiful, heartfelt music, gives you a wonderful sense of her warm and open personality and you're going to LOVE Freya's stories here on the podcast; Learning to play on her Nana's piano, growing up in a musical, talented family (her Dad is the voice of Daddy Pig!), Lost Without You being played on Love Island, getting engaged in Lake Como, battling back from Australia before lockdown, struggling to allow herself to travel for fun, but, how the beauty of travel allows for (and I quote) ‘time outside your environment to think new thoughts and have new ideas'. Full of wonderful thoughts, ideas and indeed music for the release of her new album Blood Orange, we are delighted to have Freya Ridings on the podcast.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was a passion for birding and indeed podcasting that lead Suzy Buttress to establish the wonderful Casual Birder podcast, for which she travels extensively, tracing birds and indeed other wildlife around the world. We discuss her recent expedition cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica, dealing with anxiety when having heard two people sadly lost their lives on the same journey, how whale-watching in Baja California brought her to tears, the truly awesome experience of witnessing a solar eclipse in Oregon, feeling the fear and doing it anyway and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With… Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos in New Zealand, podcaster & author Iszi Lawrence in Australia, charity founder Kevin Chaplin in Cape Town, celebrity vet Marc Abraham building a sand Christmas tree in Thailand, author Hannah Bourne-Taylor rescuing a pangolin in the rainforest in Ghana, Hollywood actor Minnie Driver on beach Christmases in California, comedian & podcaster Cally Beaton ice skating in Central Park, singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt's winter wonderland in Iceland, contemporary artist Firouz Farman Farmaian in the family riad in Marrakech, campaigner Jamie Klingler remembering Philadelphia book stores with her mom, Ibizan DJs The Mambo Brothers drinking cold beer on the beach in Rio, Hotelier Marc Rahola on family Christmas in Ibiza, international travel nanny Nanny Sharz in Jamaica, singer-songwriter Foy Vance wishing he'd not gone to Lanzarote, abandoned places explorer ‘Greg Abandoned' on a Christmas nightclub romance in London and Big Brother star Pete Bennett with a drunk Santa in the Caribbean. What's not to love??? Happy Christmas from us here at The Big Travel Podcast xx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kevin Chaplin left behind his banking career to establish South Africa's Ubuntu Foundation and rescue the Amy Foundation, named after American student, Amy Biehl, from bankruptcy. Kevin and I talk about growing up under apartheid, the hardship of life in the townships, the challenges faced by Cape Town's children and young adults, taking a team of young singers to LA, taking a team of young hockey players to Northern Ireland, his book Can Do – Making the Impossible Possible and how the boys who killed Amy Biehl turned their lives around.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Author, historian, comedian, podcaster and co-presenter of the travel that doesn't actually go anywhere – ‘Your Place Or Mine' with the wonderful Shaun Keavney – Izsi Lawrence is on the Big Travel Podcast. Iszi and Lisa talk… Britain's most fixable landmarks, The British Museum, Ju Jitsu fighting suffragettes, de-colonising history, dinosaurs, earthworms, the slave trade, Charles Darwin, Bovril, flying solo to AUSTRALIA age 6, the Moroccan side of her family and so much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tony Michaelides finds it uncomfortable to call himself legendary, as one would, but he is indeed legendary in the music business…promoting acts including U2, The Stone Roses, David Bowie, New Order, The Police, Depeche Mode, Simply Red, Bob Marley, Massive Attack, REM, Matchbox Twenty, The Pixies, Elvis Costello, Genesis, Johnny Cash, Whitney Houston, Annie Lennox, Tom Petty, Peter Gabriel…and many more.  Born in Manchester he resolutely made it his mission to promote home grown bands and ended up creating a Sony Award winning music show on Manchester's biggest commercial station. His book ‘Moments That Rock' and the podcast of the same name regale some of his brilliant stories and you're absolutely going to love him on this episode.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Instagram Expert, Creative Coach, Photographer and Author Sara Tasker spent lockdown obsessing about the perfect French house and if you follow her on @me_and_orla you know she's an expert in making things look beautiful. We talk French bakeries, river beaches, Insta retreats, West Yorkshire, how she got into her work, the challenges she faces when travelling as a person with a disability, getting left on a plane due to her wheelchair in airports, growing up with parents that didn't have passports, childhood holidays to Blackpool Pontins, our mutual embarrassment of ‘second home problems' and so much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Cyber Crime Expert, climber and caver Lisa Forte has been voted one of the 100 top women in tech, starting her career plotting against Somalian pirates in the Middle East. Having travelled extensively for both work and fun we talk offending the locals in South Korea, climbing frozen waterfalls in the Alps, scaling skyscraper-height granite in Kazakhstan, spending her 21st birthday on Kilimanjaro, the deeply humble experience of tracing journeys of long-ago Welsh miners deep underground, cyber security, getting attacked by a gang of squirrels and so much more…  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt grew up half Swedish and half Scottish in a little Scottish village, kicking off her career age 15 on YouTube before very quickly making a name for herself. Nina talks about touring with Ed Sheeran and Example, overcoming stage fright, fainting in Hong Kong, the confusing familiarity of Australia, a surreal radio tour of the US, deep dish pizzas in Chicago, Philly cheese steaks, having her ex Ed Sheeran write a song about her and going straight to LA after recording this podcast to go on James Corden's Late Late Show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

‘Something special happens in Ibiza…' say our guests on this episode and indeed it feels like this is true, especially for these lovely brothers. Born in Ibiza to a Scottish mum and Spanish Dad, with their parents' Café Mambo attracting world famous faces from music, fashion, stage and screen, Christian and Alan Anadon aka Mambo Brothers, eagerly awaited boxes of the latest vinyls to be delivered from Scotland. We talk about their perpetual childhood on the magical island, touring the world as DJs and getting to know the soul of Brazil, Bali, Australia, Asia, Africa, the Americas, all over Europe to use these influences in their hotels, cafes and bars. Recorded at their wonderful Hostal De La Torre where the sunset is so beautiful it actually brought Lisa to tears, @mambobrothers @mamboibiza @latorreibiza Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ibizan hotelier Marc Rahola went from hotel telephone exchange boy to founder of a chain of boutique hotels and properties by, in his own words, making a series of happy accidents and mistakes. Od Hotels now have many properties all over Europe including the beautiful Ocean Drive Talamanca where Lisa and Marc have coffee and explore… how a Paris Hotel CD inspired Marc's boutique hotel concept, expanding to the Cote D'Azure, Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla, London and more, feeling at home in London's Notting Hill, gigging with his band, Freddie Mercury and George Michael's Ibiza, ALL the DJs, recommendations for hidden Ibiza and how Darwinian adaption and remaining curious can be the making of a game-changing business.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a series of tragic losses Mariellen Ward took a giant leap of faith and headed to India. Her six month plan has seen her now be there for almost 20 years, setting up the inspirational travel site, Breathe Dream Go and also tour company India For Beginners. We explore the alternative music scene in Canada, her year with a film director in Tokyo, the healing power of a warm breeze on a rather dangerously open-doored train through the golden light of the Indian countryside and also how, when your inner voice tells you to travel somewhere, you really should go.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A teenage trip around the galleries of Italy sparked a life-long love for the arts, and as soon as he could Simon Martin, art historian, author and the director of Pallant House Gallery, returned. After a ‘Swallows and Amazons' childhood he's studied in the most prestigious institutions in Venice, been knocked out in a train station in Delhi, experienced an inexplicable rush of energy when being touched by the Dalai Lama, curated exhibitions in Japan, explored visual artists' response to Hiroshima and Nagasaki, enjoyed artistic surprises in Copenhagen, researched and many books and much more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Michael Palin describes Trevor Dolby's book, One Place de L'Eglise, as "a timeless story of what it is that makes France irresistible”. Former publisher, Trevor, and his wife Kaz discovered a medieval house in virtual ruins in Languedoc, just off the local village square and the resulting book, widely known as the new ‘Year in Provence', follows them as they navigate language difficulties floods and freezing winters, colourful characters in the local bar…all with the backdrop of the scent of thyme and lavender, the warmth of sun on stone walls, nights hung with stars…and how they came to create the perfectly imperfect dream French home.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up in Northern Ireland, with his preacher father playing guitar and his granny always singing, for Foy Vance music and the nomadic lifestyle are somewhat ingrained. When Foy was a young boy his father moved the family to Oklahoma to build a church. Back in Northern Ireland he picked up the guitar and eventually immersed himself in the local music scene before moving to London (via a stint in Lanzarote!). He's travelled the US in search of music history, worshipped at the alter of Muscle Shoals, home-schooled his nine year old on a world tour with Ed Sheeran, hangs around with some of Hollywood's royalty and, in true poetic style, calls a tiny village on the edge of the Highlands his ‘seabed' home. A beautiful soul as well as one of our most heart-stirring singer song-writers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the pandemic Jamie Klingler, underwent an incredible transformation from heavy-drinking party girl to sober, and losing 7 stone along the way. But it was the murder of Sarah Everard that led to her becoming the activist her mother always felt she should be and having co-founded Reclaim These Streets you'll now see her all over the news battling for justice, women's safety and more.  She grew up in Philadelphia, travelling the world working in media and events and was in the heart of New York City on 9/11. She's traced her 3 adopted sisters' heritage in China, spent time recovering in the Maldives, loves the Vietnamese fishing village of Hoi An, has followed in the footsteps of Steve Coogan in Italy and feels that fellow Americans need to travel more mindfully.  Watch Jamie's inspirational Tedx here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtycbSeGp2I And find her here: https://jamieklingler.substack.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jennifer Nand was just a young teen when the Beatles were at the start of their meteoric rise. Piling into her friend Jenny's hearse to go watch the bands in The Cavern and other places across the city, hitching lifts home through the Mersey tunnel, being accidentally spat on the nose by none other than John Lennon, watching the debut performances of some of the UK's most brilliant acts, rebelling on the Mersey Ferry, controversially dating then marrying Lisa's Indian-Fijian Dad and much more. Lisa talks to her mum in a home-coming trip to Liverpool and The Wirral! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You might have seen recently a story that went viral, the woman who for three months let a baby bird nest in her hair. Of course the real story is a little bit more nuanced and to hear it directly from nature writer and conservationist Hannah Bourne-Taylor might well bring a little tear to your eye, On this episode, and in her book Fledging, Hannah tells the heart warming story of how, lonely and confused in Ghana, she rescued the little finch who in many ways actually rescued her.  This show wouldn't be possible without some amazing sponsors and for this episode our sponsor is the gorgeous jewellery brand Ana Luisa who create beautiful high quality jewellery using sustainable materials that - in every way – don't cost the earth.   And we have a buy one get 40% discount for you by going to this link!  https://shop.analuisa.com/bigtravelpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marc Araham, OBE, aka Marc the Vet, was inspired by his Holocaust survivor grandmother to change UK law and dramatically improve how we treat our pets. He's vaccinated dogs in Mumbai slums, rescued dancing bears in Ukraine, operated in Buddhist temples in post-tsunami Thailand, battled dog-meat farms in South Korea, travelled deep into the Amazon Jungle and even rehabilitated inmates with pit bulls in US prisons. Marc's new book 'Be More Mosquito: How You Can Campaign & Create Change' is out in June 2022. And he even brought donuts round to Lisa's. What a guy!  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stand-up comedian, star of comedy TV shows and host of the Namaste Mother******s Podcast, Cally Beaton, was a high flying TV exec until Joan Rivers noticed her comedic talent and gave her some life-changing advice. She's partied at some of the world's hottest events, knocked back Vodka with Madonna, refused to indulge Mariah's puppies, narrowly avoided a panther on the loose in South Africa, almost been swallowed by a blizzard in Iceland after a boyfriend dumped her at the airport and much more. Recorded with Lisa in Malaga and Cally live from her laundry cupboard in Amsterdam.   www.callybeaton.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'Nanny Sharz' as she's known is an international Nanny for the rich and famous, work which has taken her all over the world looking after other people's children. Growing up in Birmingham and London she comes from a big, musical, cooking Jamaican family and has jetted away in private planes, had a pool in her hotel room, been escorted to reception by the Masai...all.in the likes of Tanzania, Nigeria, Oman, Greece, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the Caribbean, all across the States and more.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On top of a building in Chernobyl, overlooking the destruction and devastation, Greg made a life-changing decision. From that moment on he would dedicate his life to exploring abandoned places, becoming 'Greg Abandoned'. He's been shot at in Bulgaria, risked his life to trek to a Soviet-era abandoned space shuttle in Kazakhstan, explored countless deserted amusement parks in China and as a result has some of the most jaw dropping Instagram and YouTube footage and an incredible new book called Abandoned China. www.linktr.ee/gregabandoned Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lisa is utterly delighted to have Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos on the podcast to talk about growing up half Greek, the rock and rolls side of cheffing, how Franz Ferdinand partly emerged from a kitchen, Ethiopian instruments, Colombian bull's testicle maracas, getting arrested as a spy in Moscow, being rushed to hospital in Budapest, learning how to say 'I have a peanut allergy' in every language, breaking down in a Lada on his way to his first Glastonbury and so much more.  Franz Ferdinand's greatest hits album Hits To The Head is also out this month. Get it! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A childhood divided between her father's home in Barbados and the cold grey of a wintery London gave Hollywood actor Minnie Driver a love for the laid-back sunshine of the coast of California. Minnie and Lisa talk America's contrasts of rich and poor, the philosophy of travel, the highs and lows of boarding school, taking the train across Europe, getting beaten up in a bar in Greece, delivering food to stranded neighbours during the Malibu fires, exploring the Middle East with her documentary-maker partner and how she is happiest strumming away on her ukulele on a shady veranda in Hawaii.  Note: Lisa flew to LA with Virgin Atlantic and although she didn't actually interview Minnie in LA (Minnie is recording in London and Lisa in Malaga, Spain) Lisa promised she would say thank you to the team at Virgin anyway as she had the BEST time on board and indeed in the sunshine in California. Anyway, as you were. (not a paid thing, just wanted to say thanks!). www.virginatlantic.com    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Peace Activist and Nuclear Disarmament Expert, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, grew up in a Hutterite community in the rural US. After living in Japan and visiting Hiroshima she was moved to join the women's peace camp at Greenham Common, protesting against nuclear weapons. She's driven supplies into war-torn Bosnia, sailed the seas on Greenpeace's Rainbow Warrior, worked with the UN in Geneva and spent time with the Fidel family in Cuba. In 2017 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize alongside her ICAN team. Rebecca is also never far from the sea and a song and is a captivating story teller. An unmissable episode.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Growing up on a Peckham council estate with his musician mother and a 'Lizzie-Anne the transvestite' childcarer led to Pete Bennett's own love of quirk and music  Now an actor, director, voice over artist and of course musician (with his band Lovedogz), he first came to public attention in 2006's Big Brother and really opened up the conversation about Tourette's Syndrome. Pete tells hilarious stories about the crazy acid trip at a psychedelic rave which gave him a vision that he would win Big Brother, being suckered in by a stoned agent with nefarious intentions in Hollywood, surviving a forest fire on a weed farm in Santa Cruz, witnessing a chicken sacrifice in a Mexican church, narrowly avoiding eating a Golden Retriever in Vietnam and much more. A real treat of an episode with lots and lots of laughter. And LOTS of swearing! You have been warned. On this episode we talk:  Growing up on a council estate in Peckham  His musician mum touring with the Cure, Communards and Marc Almond Being brought up by a transvestite called Lizzie-Anne  Being threatened by ‘Fred the stick' Not many serial killers called Bob Enjoying his Tourette's  Swearing makes him happy  Dressing up in drag from a young age Martinique being like ‘Peckham on Sea' Downtrodden and burnt out cars A natural progression for him to become a musician The crazy acid trip on which he predicted he would go on and win Big Brother (hold on for this one, it's quite a ride!) How his friend's tragic death changed him Running around naked in a psychedelic trance rave  His beautiful experience spiralling to a vision of heaven Seeing Jim Carrey and Billy Idol in heaven  Hitting rock bottom after the trip Getting a vision of the Big Brother house and realising what he needed to do  The recent tragic loss of his former girlfriend and friend Nikki Grahame  Being invited to Hollywood by an agent  Who turned out to be a stoner with no contacts Finding Hollywood a dump  His job cutting weed on a farm in Santa Cruz Suddenly being engulfed by the snoke of a forest fire Thinking he was going to die in the fire Escaping in a truck over the top of the mountain  Mexico being the most beautiful place he has ever been  ‘Bright colours, midgets and everyone off their nut on tequila'   Dancing in the parades on the Mexican Day of the Dead  Watching a rather unusual chicken sacrifice in a church  Lisa's brother doing gigs in cock-fighting rings in Mexico  Lisa and Pete not really knowing what a cock is (!) Golden Retrievers in cages in Vietnam  Eating a chilli burger and ending up in hospital  Being born because of an Indian curry  Wanting to go to India and eat all the chilli  Munching on cockroaches, duck's head and jellified chicken feet  Singing us out to the Vietnamese ding dang dong song Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A year spent camping out in the bush in Cameroon led Will Bolsover from Natural World Safaris make travel his life's work. From tracking tigers in Siberia, to finding hidden corners of Madagascar and most recently spending 48 minutes in the Antarctic followed by 11 nights in hotel quarantine…it's not always straightforward but it certainly sounds absolutely magical.  www.naturalworldsafaris.com On this episode we talk: Launching Will's own travel podcast for Natural World Safaris Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Polar Regions  From adventure through to luxury Guiding in Francophone Africa  Starting with primates and throwing in big cats and bears  The best way to see the Galapagos  How nobody combines being a vet and a priest How Madagascar is an unsung hero  Lisa's low cultural references Up close and personal with wildlife in Madagascar  Lemurs bouncing across the lawns  The haunting calls of the teddy bear creature  Needing to be patient with the weather in the Polar regions  Spending 48 minutes in Antarctica!  Following by ten days in hotel quarantine outside Heathrow Hotel quarantine being not as bad as he worried it would be  Boling mulled wine in the kettle  Lisa finding home quarantine very difficult Doing a lot of solo travel  Tracking tigers in Siberia  Spending a year in the Bush in Cameroon  How the standout moment was going home! Building a football pitch The transient periods of travel can be challenging  How leaving on a plane can access intense feelings Balancing his work with children Swimming with whales in Sri Lanka And Sperm Whales in Dominica  How the community of conservationists is key  Stargazing in the middle of nowhere  The pandemic being a chance to re-set travel Travel bans affecting everyone from high end companies to the guides on the ground in Botswana  The travel industry needing industry-specific support  Morcheeba at sunset on the ridge of the Atlas Mountains www.naturalworldsafaris.com @willbolsover @portraitsonhumanity  

Authors Anne Sebba on the Royal abdication, Sathnam Sanghera on a dismal Christmas restaurant, Lisa Jewell singing Boney M in Barbados, adventurer Jamie Douglas-Hamilton rowing to the Antarctic, satirist Matt Forde in an NYC  football bar, podcaster Olly Mann's disappointing Santa in LA, artist Firouz FarmanFarmaian hybrid Muslim Catholic Christmas in Marrakesh, Yellowood Adventures' Sam McManus's ancient fiesta tradition in Northern Spain, Festival promoter Huw Win's Italian restaurant in Thai paradise and Nobel Peace Prize winter Rebecca Johnson on a magical protesting Christmas with the women of Greenham Common.

Born in Tehran, the descendent of a nomadic tribe traced back to the 1400s, Contemporary Artist Firouz FarmanFarmaian's family scattered after the Islamic Revolution, from Paris to Marrakesh and a houseboat on a lily-covered lake in Kashmir. He grew up trekking mountains and deserts, touring with his Indie rock band and now with his internationally acclaimed art. With a gallery in Tarifa, Spain, and a new base in Athens, he travels the globe sourcing ideas and materials with craftswomen in remote regions and will be representing Kyrgyzstan at the Venice Biennale with the exhibition Gates of Turan.   www.gatesofturan.com www.firouzfarmanfarmaian.com @werthenomads   On this episode we explore:   His recent 5 week trek through Kyrgystan  Landlocked country not unlike Switzerland in look Separated by mountains from China Krysgystan's pristine nomadic tradition 'Interweaving' metaphorically, material and cultural ideas His pluralesque approach to artist interaction Being important to connect to archaic cultures and what they have to teach us  Soviet brutalist architecture in the Bishkek capital, frozen in time How losing his own country to the Islamic revolution made him a citizen of the world The Russians industrialising in the 19th century Working towards the Venice Biennale for 2022  Going on sourcing/production trips to remote areas Mostly working with craftswomen  His job as an artist being to highlight the 'virtual circle' of craft history The beauty of the mountains and yurts around the Issyk-Kul lake   'The village of 100 yurt makers'   Local craftswomen developing felt for Muji  Felt becoming the centre of Firouz's artwork  How craftmaking empowers women  His We R The Nomad agency  Preparing another show for the Istanbul Biennale  The government completely changing cabinet in the middle of his government journey  Growing up in Iran just before the revolution  Taking one of the last flights out of Tehran before the Ayatollah took over  Being sent to boarding school in Paris  Growing up with his father in Marrakesh His father growing up a hunter before becoming a trekker The family houseboat in Kashmir  Trekking the Himalayas with mules, eating with their hands and travelling as a nomad Killing a live mutton to feast on around the fire  His work stemming from this sense of displacement  Getting lost in the middle of the Sahara overnight  His father reading the stars and finding their way out  The ancient family tribe of Turkish descent going back to the 1400s and Mongol invasions  His father's radical approach to travelling (as a hippy in the 60s and a nomadic background)  Contrast being a key part of his life - privilege, nomadism, radicality creating richness in his art  His grandfather, a well known architect in Iran, narrowly escaping execution Touring in an indie rock band for many years Shooting experimental black and white movies in art school  Opening for Interpol for New York and the Notting Hill Arts Club  Wanting to always better himself Working with his wife Camilla and Balenciaga  Facing his fear of solitude The pandemic making them spread their wings with both art and travels  How Athens currently feels like Berlin after the wall of the wall Street art and cultural events everywhere  The Bob Dylan song that takes him back to sunset on the lily-covered lake in Kashmir 

Marbella, known for its glitz and glamour, is one of the most well-known places in Spain and the old town is one of our favourite parts. Join Lisa on a journey through the maze of Marbella's 16th Century cobbled lanes surrounding the old 'Orange Square', where we meet flamenco singers and opera stars and sample some of the coast's most wonderful tapas. With tour guide Javier Gonzalez and staying at the stunning Anantara Villa Padierna, with its beautiful classical Italian design and sophisticated yet arty vibe.   Lisa stayed at the Anantara Villa Padierna Palace https://www.anantara.com/en/villa-padierna-marbella in Marbella courtesy of Anantara Hotels https://www.anantara.com/en Javier Gonzalez and more tours of Marbella and surrounding areas can be found at www.marbellatrips.com     

Comedian, political satirist and Spitting Image star Matt Forde talks accosting Billy Connolly in New York, 'dying' on stage in Luxemborg, pints of Carling in ex-pat clubs in Bahrain, Nick Leeson's luxury hotel dash around the world, spending 3 months locked in a first floor flat, an emotional pilgrimage to the Ghostbusters fire station, being the voice of Boris Johnson and Donald Trump (yes he does give us some excellent impressions) and posh people behaving badly on the podcast British Scandal.   On this episode we cover:      Matt's British Scandal podcast series along with My Dad Wrote a Porno's Alice Levine Posh people behaving badly New season of the podcast about Nick Leeson and Barings Bank Wondery making Hollywood films in podcast form Nick Leesom absconding and travelling the world The possibilty of following in Nick Leeson's footsteps Lisa Leeson becoming an air steward for Virgin! Starring in Spitting Image Being the voice of Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and Keir Starmer Boris Johnson having to have a rainy weekend in Cornwall  Travelling the UK in a camper van with Jon Richardson Gigging in Bahrain to ex pats Failing at doing very British stand up comedy in a cafe in Luxemburg Glittering hotels in Bahrain contrasting with... ...Carling and Walkers in the ex-pat clubs Brits abroad, bangers and mash and Premier League Football British music and British breakfast  Having to shield during lockdown because of asthma Staying inside for 3 months in a first floor flat How walking around the block felt like another planet Pub crawls post lockdown Childhood trips to the wonderful British seaside Loving going to see gigs abroad Being in love with Berlin The beauty of New York at Christmas Liam Gallagher in Berlin The kindess of Berliners to British tourists Indecipherable Berlin tube maps Dodgy nightclubs, S&M and gimp masks. An emotional pilgrimage to the Ghostbusters fire station  Playing the lookalike game in New York Randomly bumping into their hero Billy Connolly Billy talking to them for ages and giving them career advice Loving history in Paris, Dubrovnik, Rome... Succumbing to the love of an all-inclusive in Cape Verde Mauritius whale watching after a heavy night out Poignant baby whale appearances whilst vomiting overboard Watching England play in Euro 2020 

Just as the world was closing Sam McManus from YellowWood Adventures took a daunting gamble and hopped on a plane to Costa Rica. We talk about how the pandemic can change travel (even for the better), tourism being potentially a means for good, eco-tourism and re-forestation, surfing, small pueblos in the green hills of Northern Spain, his wonderful travelogue about his explorations - Wax and Gold Journeys in Ethiopia & Other Roads Less Travelled - and feeling the pull of friends, family and home.    On this episode we cover:    Second only returning guest   His wonderful travelogue - Wax and Gold Journeys in Ethiopia & Other Roads Less Travelled   Ethiopia and the inspiration to go there   Tribal country and the civil war in Ethiopia   Sending money to his business partner to escape the conflict   The terrible plight of his business partner in Ethiopia    The famine in Ethiopia being caused by the regimes   Ethiopia being surprisingly verdant    Camping out in the remote Tigray region    Making his business about remote regions    Touring Oman, Lebanon, Mongolia    The pandemic putting a stop to the tours    Booking a one way flight to Costa Rica on the eve of the UK lockdown   Adventures during a global pandemic   Sleepless nights in hostels whilst people were fleeing the country   Studying and surfing Costa Rica for a year   Planting trees and ecotourism in South America   The positive financial impact of tourism    Compared to the negative impact of over tourism    Barcelona going from over-tourism to empty    Carbon compensation and biodiversity   Partnering with a food giving charity in Lebanon   Partnering with an animal protection charity in northern Spain   Climate change speeding up    The opportuning to reset travel after the pandemic    Feeling a huge shift in investors starting to care    Al Gore – the sustainability revolution will happen with ‘the speed of the digital revolution'    Lisa contrasting Sam's lockdown in Costa Rica to hers at home in the cold with no school!   Spending his lockdown in a tropical paradise    Making lasting friendships in difficult circumstances abroad    Driving down to the Picos de Europa in Northern Spain    National Geographic asking for an article on Beirut    Writing an 80000 word travel anthology   Achieving life goals,   Living and being locked down in rural northern Spain   Falling back in love with the UK   Home and friends again   Listening to classic music in the car and getting stick for it   

Finally some good news, at least for those people who have had two UK administered vaccines. From 19th July we can now go to amber list countries and not have to quarantine on return. BUT at the moment this is just for UK administered vaccines meaning the country is not yet open to inbound tourism. Travel needs to be two-way! We need people in the UK to support our business too. Whilst we are aware it needs to be done safely we also need to get aviation and travel moving even further. This episode gives you the very latest developments in the travel restrictions and also is a call to action to the government to go that one step further. 

A Big Travel Podcast special on the latest UK Travel Update; the new rules, the changes in the traffic light ratings, vaccinations soon to be taken into account and much more. A ten minute episode of essential listening. 

  Olly Mann, from Answer Me This podcast fame, his new The Retrospectors and much more, loves nothing more than researching trivia especially with travel. We talk Wrigley’s chewing gum and decapitation, leaving your baby outside a pub, people who get erections on public transport, a love for Luton Airport, the misleading American Dream, cocktails worth shortening your life for, having a bottom accident on an African roadside (yes this episode does feature the S word) and much more.    On this episode we cover:   His new day in history' podcast The Retrospectors How Lisa’s research for this conversation has been INTENSE (basically just talking to Helen Zaltzman) Greyhound buses – Wrigley’s chewing gum and decapitation Holiday camps – sorry – forest villages -   The woman jailed for leaving her baby outside a bar in New York  How they choose their subjects for The Retrospectors Wanting to spend his whole day researching trivia Our favourite Alvin and the Chipmunks hits Lisa’s ‘research’ – basically Google and talking to Helen Zaltzman ‘Why is it when I travel on a bus I always get an erection?’ Is Simon Calder kinky on certain forms of transport Does Michael Portillo get an erection on a train Centre Parcs and holiday camps coming into their own Covid-19 restrictions meaning we now have to be more organised The salty smell of the sea with a drying octopus nearby Wanting to sit where the busker plays the accordion Creating whole podcasts so he can go out and meet people Flying to Vienna to interview a Canadian he found on Instagram Having a love for Luton airport Being fascinated by Gibraltar (where he got married) Lisa feeling bad about slagging off Gibraltar on TV and radio Churchill decreeing there should be monkeys John and Yoko and Sean Connery also getting married there How Madonna wasn’t writing about San Pedro in Malaga Marbella being lovely yet easy (with an appealing trashy side) How there’s nothing wrong with wanting a branch of McDonalds How mod cons are quite nice to have, for tourists and for locals The miracle of Uber Loving walking around cities His favourite cocktails (worth shortening your life for) How a swim-up bar begs for a Piña Colada Malawi, despite a lot of guns and poverty, being incredibly welcoming The threatening side of the USA The ‘American Dream’ being pervasive and appealing but not quite true Is it easier in Britain to transcend social barriers than it is in the US? Helen sharing Olly’s shi*tty socks story from his African gap year ‘Your anus becomes a floodgate’ Chickens on buses Squatting lurid yellow sh*t on his socks at the side of the road The sponsorship opportunities of a niche podcast ‘have you sh*t yourself abroad’ Travelling to India to help his friend scatter his grandparents’ ashes in the Ganges Having no sense of direction Previously not knowing where the Pacific is Laughing at his dyspraxia and feeling terrible How Tom Tom was revolutionary for dyspraxics Driving ten junctions the wrong way round the M25 Needing huge landmarks like the Eiffel Tower Being a ‘geriatric millennial’, straddling digital and pre-digital worlds How it doesn’t matter what your company/podcast is called Imposter syndrome holding people back Swimming around his holiday pool hosting pretending he was Jonathan Ross Travelling around the UK for his show on BBC Radio 4 – Four Thought Enjoying the challenge of something goes down badly with the crowd Leaning into the ‘something sad’ about being somewhere on his own Yes Sir I Can Boogie blaring out on a truck guarded by a man with a gun How not everyone who travels is mentally ill The Full Monty and its bizarre CD spin offs

Into The Wild Festival promoter Huw Wyn grew up in his mother’s hotel in Wales then moved to Spain. Lisa and Huw talk growing up feral in Andalucia, hitchhiking across Europe, dropping fish-packing in the Netherlands to run off to Glastonbury, the Arabian Nights vibe of Cairo, the poetic side of being a London bin man, working in an orphanage in India, Mother Theresa in Calcutta, meeting the Dalai Lama, studying Tibetan medicine in Scotland, the remote Buddhist kingdom in Ladakh, hitching 2000 miles to Mount Kailash in Nepal, Tom Hardy at his festival, rewilding, den-building and much more.    On this episode we cover:     Growing up ‘feral’ in Spain  Mopeds and sunshine  The contrast of rural Spain Drunk teachers having affairs  Leaving school at 15 tempted by the beach  Festivals after Covid Running Into The Wild The largest nature based festival  Wildcrafts, bushcrafts, fire making A very child-friendly festival  Spending lockdown walking through the South Downs Gary Schneider – ‘become famous for five miles’ Discovering the frogs, swans, buzzards and deer  Realising how much wildlife has been lost  Becoming passionate about rewilding Knepp Castle – West Sussex  Setting up Wilder Lands, wild weekends Workshops in denmaking, yoga, meditation Writing handwritten letters to David Attenborough  Jay Griffiths – Wild Alan Watson Featherstone  Folklore, mythology, rewilding Tom Hardy turning up at his festival  Lisa bumping into Huw all over the place  Following a ‘wild bunch of English travellers’ to Morocco age 16  Hitchhiking across Europe  The Argentinian priest he met in the Alps  Getting a lift off the only one-legged lorry driver in France  Joining the free-festival scene at Glastonbury  Bunking in for free and having his mind blown  Working in a fish factory in Holland  Finding Egypt life-changing Taking a boat up the Nile  The Arabian nights vibe of Cairo in the 90s  The poetic side of being a bin man  The lasting impact of losing his dad age 6 The old monastery in Anglesey his mother turned into a hotel  Working in an orphanage in India  Meeting Mother Theresa in Calcutta  Meeting the Dalai Lama  The culture shock of staying with the India High Commissioner  From having to kick out the rats in the loo  Being picked up in a bomb-proof Daimler Staying in the room Princess Diana was in the week before  Dining with the ambassadors  Travelling to the remote Buddhist kingdom in Ladakh The shock death of his girlfriend’s brother mountain climbing in Canada  Rushing back to the UK for the funeral  Meeting a man in a London nightclub who took him back to India   Studying in a Tibetan monastery in Scotland  Hitching 2000 miles to Tibet's Mount Kailash in the back of trucks  Being arrested by the Chinese Hanging out with nomads Barely recognising himself in a mirror  Eggs, chips and cold beer in Nepal being the best meal he ever had Sitting on the roof of a bus on the way to Kathmandu  The old blind women singing at a Sufi festival Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Iceland and the Mid Western American states of Arizona, Utah, California The out of this world landscapes of the USA  The American RV travelling culture  Missing people and places all over the world  His mother and grandmother’s extraordinary lives  Losing his father age 6  Lisa planning to get his 82 year mum on the podcast  How it all could have gone badly wrong! Teaming up with Brighton author Neil Ansell – The Last Wilderness - to buy land for a rewilding project  www.intothewildgathering.com www.wilderlands.co.uk/wild-weekends

The author of one of Lisa’s favourite books, Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died in the 1940s, Anne Sebba explores the lives of women ‘writers and fighters’. As a journalist and author she's worked in film-star-filled 70s Rome, moved to New York with a baby, camped in the Mexico desert with Wallis Simpson’s free-diving step-son, had her camera film thrown into the Ganges while tracing Mother Theresa and, for her most recent book on Ethel Rosenburg, to Belarus and Sing Sing Prison.   On this episode we cover: Lisa obsessed with her book about Parisian women during Nazi Occupation Getting a job at the BBC World Service Arabic department Being the first female correspondent at Reuters (and later, when she got pregnant, the first woman they sacked!) Not believing she was paying for something so exciting Being told France. Germany and Russia were too dangerous for a women Being sent to Rome age 21 and having a blast Sitting next to the Trevi foundation for lunch every day Rome in the 1970s being full of film stars Nude swimming parties with Roman Polanski Being a ‘repressed English girl’ Flying in the Aga Khan’s helicopter in Sardinia Covering the kidnap of Jean Paul Getty Rome being ‘rife with banditry and mafia’ The heart of Europe being fought in that area But Rome not being taken seriously by London at that time The difference between the ex-pat lifestyle and what really goes on Left wing students being imprisoned The Vatican and deep Catholicism controlling attitudes  The British having a terrible reputation in Italy at the time The extraordinary life in Rome at that time Blagging her way into a restaurant to interview Elizabeth Taylor Moving to New York in the edgy late 70s With a small baby! Writing about Enid Bagnell (author of National Velvet) After getting sacked from Reuters New York giving her a passion for writing about American women Travelling the west coast and New Orleans Her new book about Ethel Rosenberg who was convicted of spying Visiting Sing Sing prison where Rosenberg spent two years in solitary confinement Ethel Rosenberg’s eventually execution Travelling to Minsk in Belarus for research Belarus locals being very fearful Finding her way Los Alamos and remote New Mexico Treading in the footsteps of the developers of atomic bomb J Robert Oppenheimer The direct line from distrust of Communism to Trumpian politics 1936 being the one year the world could have stopped Hitler   Writing about women ‘fighters and writers’ How the Wallis Simpson crisis distracted us from Hitler Her book about Jennie Churchill, Winston’s American mother Jumping on a plain to meet a free-diver in Mexico (who’s Wallis Simpson’s stepson) Desert camping under the stars with Aaron Solomon In the place where John Steinbeck wrote Pearls Les Parisiennes – what women did in occupied Paris Questioning whether you’d sleep with a Nazi or become a member of the Resistance The German officers being deliberately chosen as charming and cultured Joining the Resistance being very hard for women as they had to give everything up The one dimensional view that all French women collaborated 200,000 Franco-German babies during the war The 39 British women who were parachuted into Paris under the Nazis The life expectancy of a wireless operator in Paris being about 6 weeks The British and American role in the liberation of Paris Ravensbruck, the camp outside Berlin where the Frenchwomen were sent Odette Fabius and Genevieve De Gaulle who ended up the camp Walking the streets of Paris and imagining the Nazis stomping the cobblestones and taking over the cafes The preservation of Paris being a condition of the occupation The velodrome where most of the Jews were rounded up, 14,000 Parisian Jews taken there Loving interviewing old people looking back Lisa’s grandmother given birth during WW2 air raids Lisa’s argument with an ex boyfriend about Anne Frank in Amsterdam Anne’s soldier son listening to Mary Poppins on the streets of Basra  Writing a children’s book about Mother Theresa Making The Saint Making Process for Channel 4 in the Himalayas Being interrogated by India Police for two hours! How Calcutta and Bengal helped her understand India more  The police throwing her camera film into the Ganges        

Internationally best-selling author Lisa Jewell is a Londoner through and through, yet her Anglo-Indian mother had a rather traumatic upbringing in India and Pakistan. Lisa’s travelled far and wide – tracing her family roots in India, having rare-for-the-time childhood holidays in Barbados and was even inspired to centre one novel about an unknown woman sneaking into a posh beach resort in the south of France. But she’s in her holiday element when spending a couple of weeks chilling in a nice hotel in Lanzarote.     On this episode we cover:   Her mother being abandoned in India as a child Her grandmother being sent to England solo with baby twins Her four year old mother being sent to boarding school Being told she had a different mother now Finally taking the boat to England age 10 The long-lost brother who appeared in the garden Casual acts of cruelty against children in the Victorian era The difficult trip to India that should have been magical Struggling with countries with extreme wealth divides Finding India a huge culture shock Turning into sulky teenagers when on holiday with parents Not being that impressed by the Taj Mahal Finding Cape Town a similar experience in terms of struggling with the poverty Preferring a week in a resort in Lanzarote Good food, female emancipation and nice weather LFN ‘going travelling’ as ending up as far as Amsterdam People’s expectations going to be lower now since Covid The joys of writing in a café But feeling guilty in post Covid cafes Not doing any research for her books Writing a book a year Her first book being written for a bet when working as a secretary The mysterious woman in the South of France who inspired a whole book LFN’s parents probably looking quite striking as a mixed race family in the South of France in the 70s and 80s No-one inheriting her mother’s Anglo-Indian colouring Growing up sandwiched between the colourful, loud Indian side and her white middle class side Barbados being an (unexpected for 1970s and 80s) huge part of their childhoods Barbados Christmas parties (and Boney M) being etched in her mind forever  

It was winning a Radio 1 competition age 15 to fly to LA that first piqued Sathnam Sanghera’s taste for travel and indeed journalism. His latest book EmpireLand: How Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past explores how the British Empire, genocidal as it often was, still shapes who we are. As well as the Empire, racism, Enoch Powell, Cambridge, 80s popular culture, the history of Brits Abroad and Boris Johnson needing therapy we chart Sathnam’s own journey from his Sikh community in Wolverhampton to journalist for The Times and more.     On this episode we cover:   Selective amnesia and nostalgia Conquering the world We see ourselves as the people who won WW2 But actually Empire was often genocidal white supremacy 500 years of differing history More useful to talk about the modern legacies of empire Much we haven’t faced up to The book being accidentally timely with Black Lives Matter Statues not mattering Multi-culturism being much more important Our racism being explained by empire Our dysfunctional politics being explained by empire British travelling almost more than any other nation Statue toppling getting middle England angry How statue toppling can weaponise the right wing Massacres, genocide and the creation of modern racism Lisa being a product of British Colonialism indentured labour Where British moved millions of Indian people around the world British changing stereotypes of what races were good and bad at The Sikhs being made to be a martial race His parents arriving in Wolverhampton the same year as Enoch Powell’s rivers of blood speech Sikhs having a good record of integration Integration and multicultural being an inversion of racial hierarchy’ Lisa recording podcasts with Lord Mountbatten’s daughter Lady Pamela Hicks Empire not being that long ago Textbooks with offensive racial generalisations being used into the 1980s Lisa’s Indian-Fijian father marrying her white mother in the 1960s Lisa growing up with no Indian culture whatsoever Growing up in a Sikh community in Wolverhampton Most of his classmates being brown or black Being ‘Enoch Powell’s nightmare’ Hiding in a Sikh temple when far right yobs attacking houses Wolves fans wearing KKK hoods A scholarship to a private school changing his life The school fees being more than his parents earned in a year The inspirational headteacher who believed in him Going from someone who barely talked in class to being head boy Education distancing him from his family Cutting off his top knot being quite a statement His wonderful education also being a form of colonisation Indian Princes being sent to British schools His father and sister having schizophrenia Briefly deleted his heritage But appreciating his amazing childhood surrounded by cousins (52!) Factory work as a child for up to 90 hours a week Being poor in money but truly rich in love Poverty meaning you need other people more You can sense when someone hasn’t been loved as a child And quite often they end up in politics Boris Johnson needing years of therapy Boris Johnson saying crazy things about British Empire; ‘Water melon smiles’ and an obsession with being world-beating Jacob Rees-Mogg also being obsessed with Empire Not really understanding the people at Cambridge Cambridge being ‘socially confusing’ Rich people pretending to be poor Not feeling sentimental about being working class Becoming middle class as quickly as he could Regretting not be more sociable at Cambridge Is Sathnam now part of the establishment working for The Times…? Doing anti-networking journalism Asking people rude and difficult questions Feeling it’s a duty to be honest to the reader Strategy is to not say much – people struggle to handle silence The connection between Empire and travel The British love of travel going back directly to Empire We have the largest number of emigrants overseas How drunk ‘Brits Abroad’ are actually following a long tradition of Empire The British Empire being famously drunk Eating a full English breakfast in the middle of Rome Our tradition of dressing quite badly abroad Enoch Powell in a three piece suit in the heat of India Reverse missionaries – where we spread Christianity and now foreign nations are more religious British Expats being obsessed with a British education The Grand Tour, sons of wealthy families travelling for culture, art and freedom Going to Empire having been financially lucrative The real risk of death and disease in Empire Spending a year in the USA for the Financial Times Hating travelling in his 20s and being very homesick Lockdown cancelling world trips to promote his book How often the best part of travelling is coming back home Feeling he knows his home town better now he’s moved out Loving the diversity and excitement in London Winning a Radio 1 competition to see Michael Jackson Age 15, having barely left Wolverhampton he ended up in LA Flying to LA with Jackie Brambles Being pictured with Michael Jackson at the Superbowl