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Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, including music from Lime Garden, Pigeon, Tom Emlyn, Midding, Pem, comfort, Hot Face, Group A.D., Praise Lubangu, Coach Party, Panda Swim, AtticOmatic, Melanie Baker, Champion Trees, Bung, Clara Pople and a Track of the Week from comfort.Produced in Manchester by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, including Chalk, Mandy, Indiana, TTSSFU, Ellur, Cardinals, Hank Bee, TURNSPIT, KuleeAngee, ladylike, Ultimate Thunder feat. Robyn Rocket, a new Track of the Week from Pem, and vegas water taxi are our Featured Artist.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Louise Jameson is a classically trained actress whose first love is the stage—she spent two years with the Royal Shakespeare Company at the beginning of her career—but she also became known to millions of British television viewers through her roles in such hugely popular television series as Doctor Who, Tenko, Bergerac and EastEnders. Her recent theatre credits include Vincent River and directing the UK tour of Revenge. Her audio credits include Doctor Who (Big Finish), writing ATA Girl, about the women of the Air Transport Authority during World War II, and multiple titles for BBC Audio and Audible. Louise talks with me about her unusually young start at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and how her training continued at the Royal Shakespeare Company, how her Doctor Who character, Leela of the Sevateem, reflected the feminism of the 1970s (and how she didn't), how she started writing, and what she thinks of the opportunities for—and representation of—women in film and TV over the years. If you want to watch this conversation, you can see it here on YouTube! Episode breakdown: 00:00 Introduction 04:00 Louise describes childhood creativity, daydreaming, and reading early. 08:00 Drama school, age gap with classmates, and strict discipline. 12:00 Acting requires teamwork; Louise reflects on early career. 16:00 Louise's Shakespeare passion, favorite roles and performance experiences. 20:00 Louise talks about landing Leela role in Doctor Who. 24:00 Doctor Who impacts life daily; gratitude for lasting connections. 28:00 Leela's feminist traits and costume choices, fighting stereotypes. 32:00 Leela's intelligence and evolution, relationship with other companions. 36:00 Influence of audio plays; Gallifrey series has strong female fandom. 40:00 Louise discusses writing, self-doubt, and encouragement from collaborators. 44:00 Directing stage, teaching drama; regrets and living in the now. 48:00 Shakespeare's rhythmic influence on Louise's writing and teaching. 52:00 Conversation shifts to social media, attention economy, and technology. 56:00 Louise analyzes Shakespeare's poetic technique and its storytelling power. 01:00 Louise explains collective magic of live theater and storytelling. 01:04 Progress and ongoing challenges for women in TV and film. Want more? Here are handy playlists with all my previous interviews with guests in writing, theatre, and Doctor Who. Check out the full show notes (now including transcripts!) at fycuriosity.com, and connect with me and fellow creatives on Substack. Please leave a review for this episode—it's really easy and will only take a minute, and it really helps me reach new listeners. Thanks! If you enjoyed our conversation, I hope you'll share it with a friend.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, including Alewya, Emmeline, You Are Steve, tummyache, USNABOY, MAUVEY feat. FREQ MOTIF, Grove, RIYA, Crimewave, Heartcoregirl, Sleepy Gene, MELLT, Joshua Burnside, The Man, The Myth, The Meatslab, and a new Track of the Week from Ellur.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Whisky writer Dave Broom has helped transform how the world tastes and talks about spirits, bringing flavour, culture, and meaning to a new generation. In this festive edition of the programme, Jaega Wise finds out how his ideas and passions came about, and what has made him one of the most influential voices in the drinks world.Born in Glasgow, Dave Broom began his career in the industry with a job at the wine merchants OddBins. He later ran a pub in Bristol before moving into writing about spirits for the trade media. Since then, he's written 15 books on whisky and other spirits. His writing is known for drawing people into the world of flavour through music and food references, and through connections to place. As well as writing about Scotch, he has also long explored whiskies and spirits from around the world - and was an early advocate for Japanese whiskies. In June 2019 Dave Broom presented a crowd-funded documentary film called The Amber Light, which took him across Scotland, meeting distillers, musicians, and writers, and exploring the idea that whisky reflects the place it comes from. The film was directed and produced by Adam Parks.Presented by Jaega Wise Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, with her tips for 2026, including Bathing Suits, The Family Battenberg, Florence Road, TTSSFU, Group A.D., Formal Sppeedwear, Maddie Ashman, Girl Group, Dead Dads Club, vegas water taxi, TURNSPIT, ANOTHER; COUNTRY $$$$, Elanor Moss, Dove Ellis, Lemondaze, and Pollyfromthedirt.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Emily Pilbeam presents volume 2 of her 2025 mixtape highlights from BBC Introducing, with Chalk, DJ Subaru feat. Chopper Johnson, Monks, Nightbus, Adult DVD, Goodnight Louisa, Divorce, Humour, GANS, Welly, Shale, jasmine.4.t, Natalie Wildgoose, and The Orchestra (For Now).Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Annie Gray always rejects turkey and the trimmings at Christmas. She believes they are a construct of a bygone era and will often eat pizza on the big day instead. She explores alternative dinners from Christmases past, present and future. She visits Bath to discover what would have been eaten over Christmas in the Regency period and bakes traditional mince pies - made with minced meat. She'll look at how Christmas is celebrated differently around the world and will discuss Christmas dinners to come with a food futurologist.Presented by Dr Annie Gray Produced in Bristol by Robin Markwell for BBC Audio
Emily Pilbeam presents volume 1 of her 2025 mixtape highlights from BBC Introducing, including Getdown Services, Jessica Winter, The Itch, pyncher, holybones, Ellur, Cassia, Hang Linton, Lime Garden, The NONE, Westside Cowboy, Bug Teeth, Joshua Burnside, and Nadia Kadek.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Leyla Kazim takes a look at the best food books and writing from 2025, and chats to food writer Ruby Tandoh about her new book looking at why we eat the way we eat now. We hear picks from the rest of The Food Programme presenters - Sheila Dillon, Dan Saladino and Jaega Wise; books to get you cooking and books to get you thinking.Tom Tivnan from The Bookseller discusses the latest bestsellers, and Carla Lalli - cookbook author and former Bon Appétit food director - helps bust some common myths and even lies we see in about recipe books and in online recipes.Food Books for 2025: * Serving the Public: The Good Food Revolution in Schools, Hospitals and Prisons by Professor Kevin Morgan * Give It a Grow: Simple Projects to Nurture Food, Flowers and Wildlife in Any Outdoor Space by Martha Swales * Food Fight: From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet by Stuart Gillespie * Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from My Palestine by Sami Tamimi * Naturally Vegan: Delicious Recipes from Around the World That Just Happen to Be Plant-based by Julius Fiedler * WINE: Everything You Need to Know by Olly Smith * Winter Wellness: Nourishing Recipes to Keep You Healthy When It's Cold by Rachel de Thample * Abundance: Eating and Living with the Seasons by Mark Diacono * Kapusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe by Alissa Timoshkina * Indian Kitchens: Treasured Recipes from India's Diverse Food Culture by Roopa Gulati * All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now by Ruby Tandoh * Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh Presented by Leyla Kazim Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, with music by Monks, Mercy Girl, TURNSPIT, Huartan, Hunny Buzz, Formal Sppeedwear, cosign, ANOTHER; COUNTRY $$$$, EV, Careerist, Hank Bee, Lacuna, hot springs, and a new Track of the Week from Heidi Curtis.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
The judges have reached their verdicts so who has won the coveted Food Programme chopping boards in 2025's BBC Food and Farming Awards? Sheila Dillon and chair of the judges Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall meet some of the best food and drink producers in the country at this week's ceremony in Bristol.Produced by Robin Markwell of BBC Audio in Bristol.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, with music by Willie J Healey, VALA, Eaves Wilder, Elanor Moss, KILIMANJARO, Ady Suleiman, PVA, Balderdasch, Pollyfromthedirt, Shaking Hand, Joshua Burnside, Blood Wizard, So Anne-So, SOURCE, and a new Track of the Week by Huartan.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, including Sean Trelford, Two Man Lift, Mandy, Indiana, Lime Garden, Lande Hekt, Aimée Fatale, The Itch, Shale, Indoor Foxes, House Proud, Crimewave, and a new Track of the Week by Elanor Moss. Plus there's highlights from the BBC Introducing Stage at Live at Leeds 2025 with live music from Goodnight Louisa and The Orchestra (For Now).Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Conflict Resolution Beyond the International Relations Paradigm: Evolving Designs as a Transformative Practice in Nagorno-Karabakh and Syria (Ibidem Press, 2017) holds the promise of freeing approaches and policies with regard to politics of identity from the fatalistic grip of realism. While the conceptual literature on identity and conflicts has moved in this alternative direction, conflict resolution practice continues to rely on realist frames and acts as an unwanted auxiliary to traditional International Relations (IR). Perpetuation of conflict discourses, marginalization, and exclusion of affected populations are widespread. They are caused by the over-reliance of conflict resolution practice on the binary frames of classic IR paradigms and also by the competitive and hierarchical relationships within the field itself. Philip Gamaghelyan relies on participatory action research (PAR) and collective auto-ethnography to expose patterns of exclusion and marginalization as well as the paradoxical reproduction of conflict-promoting frames in current conflict-resolution practice applied to the Nagorno-Karabakh and Syrian crises. He builds on the work of post-modernist scholars, on reflective practice, and on discourse analysis to explore alternative and inclusive strategies with a transformative potential through reflections and actions customary for PAR. The IR discipline, that has dominated policy-making, is only one possible lens, and often a deficient one, for defining, preventing, or resolving contemporary conflicts wrapped in identity politics. Other conceptual frameworks can help to rethink our understanding of identity and conflicts and reconstruct them as performative and not static phenomena. These transformative frameworks are increasingly influential in the conflict resolution field and can be applied to policy-making. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Philip Gamaghelyan is an Associate Professor at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego. He has served as Director of the Master's Program in Conflict Management and Resolution, the Graduate Certificate in Mediation, and the Security Studies concentration. His teaching spans conflict analysis and resolution, mediation, media and conflict, nationalism and conflict, and intervention design, among other areas. Dr. Gamaghelyan is a conflict resolution scholar-practitioner and co-founder of the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, where he also serves on the Board of Directors. He is the Managing Editor of Caucasus Edition: Journal of Conflict Transformation (www.caucasusedition.net). His practical and research experience extends across the post-Soviet states of Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as well as Turkey, Syria, and other conflict-affected regions, where he has worked with policymakers, journalists, educators, and civil society leaders. His current research focuses on the critical re-evaluation and redesign of conflict resolution interventions in the 21st century, as well as on shaping the future of peace studies and peace practice. Areas of Expertise: Structural and symbolic violence, Ethnically-framed conflicts, Methodological innovations and intervention design in conflict resolution practice, Discourse analysis, Action research, Conflicts in Russia and Erurasia Coming Up Soon - Recently, Professor Philip Gamaghelyan was featured on BBC Audio discussing the recent Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks that were held at the White House. In the coming days, this academic and grassroots organizer associated with the School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego will join our PodCast to discuss his incredible publication titled Conflict Resolution Beyond the International Relations Paradigm. Evolving Designs as a Transformative Practice in Nagorno-Karabakh and Syria (2017). His expertise spans conflict analysis and resolution, mediation, media and conflict, nationalism and conflict, and intervention design, among other areas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network
Conflict Resolution Beyond the International Relations Paradigm: Evolving Designs as a Transformative Practice in Nagorno-Karabakh and Syria (Ibidem Press, 2017) holds the promise of freeing approaches and policies with regard to politics of identity from the fatalistic grip of realism. While the conceptual literature on identity and conflicts has moved in this alternative direction, conflict resolution practice continues to rely on realist frames and acts as an unwanted auxiliary to traditional International Relations (IR). Perpetuation of conflict discourses, marginalization, and exclusion of affected populations are widespread. They are caused by the over-reliance of conflict resolution practice on the binary frames of classic IR paradigms and also by the competitive and hierarchical relationships within the field itself. Philip Gamaghelyan relies on participatory action research (PAR) and collective auto-ethnography to expose patterns of exclusion and marginalization as well as the paradoxical reproduction of conflict-promoting frames in current conflict-resolution practice applied to the Nagorno-Karabakh and Syrian crises. He builds on the work of post-modernist scholars, on reflective practice, and on discourse analysis to explore alternative and inclusive strategies with a transformative potential through reflections and actions customary for PAR. The IR discipline, that has dominated policy-making, is only one possible lens, and often a deficient one, for defining, preventing, or resolving contemporary conflicts wrapped in identity politics. Other conceptual frameworks can help to rethink our understanding of identity and conflicts and reconstruct them as performative and not static phenomena. These transformative frameworks are increasingly influential in the conflict resolution field and can be applied to policy-making. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Philip Gamaghelyan is an Associate Professor at the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego. He has served as Director of the Master's Program in Conflict Management and Resolution, the Graduate Certificate in Mediation, and the Security Studies concentration. His teaching spans conflict analysis and resolution, mediation, media and conflict, nationalism and conflict, and intervention design, among other areas. Dr. Gamaghelyan is a conflict resolution scholar-practitioner and co-founder of the Imagine Center for Conflict Transformation, where he also serves on the Board of Directors. He is the Managing Editor of Caucasus Edition: Journal of Conflict Transformation (www.caucasusedition.net). His practical and research experience extends across the post-Soviet states of Ukraine, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, as well as Turkey, Syria, and other conflict-affected regions, where he has worked with policymakers, journalists, educators, and civil society leaders. His current research focuses on the critical re-evaluation and redesign of conflict resolution interventions in the 21st century, as well as on shaping the future of peace studies and peace practice. Areas of Expertise: Structural and symbolic violence, Ethnically-framed conflicts, Methodological innovations and intervention design in conflict resolution practice, Discourse analysis, Action research, Conflicts in Russia and Erurasia Coming Up Soon - Recently, Professor Philip Gamaghelyan was featured on BBC Audio discussing the recent Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks that were held at the White House. In the coming days, this academic and grassroots organizer associated with the School of Peace Studies at the University of San Diego will join our PodCast to discuss his incredible publication titled Conflict Resolution Beyond the International Relations Paradigm. Evolving Designs as a Transformative Practice in Nagorno-Karabakh and Syria (2017). His expertise spans conflict analysis and resolution, mediation, media and conflict, nationalism and conflict, and intervention design, among other areas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/world-affairs
They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day - but what happens when thousands of children arrive at school too hungry to learn? In this programme, Jaega Wise looks into how the Government's new free breakfast club scheme is being rolled out across England, seven months into a trial involving 750 primary schools. While the policy which aims to tackle hunger and improve attendance is welcomed by all, schools and campaigners raise questions about it's future funding and the exclusion of secondary schools and some special school pupils.At Holy Trinity Church of England School in Tottenham, Jaega visits a breakfast club being run in partnership with Chefs in Schools, where hot food is cooked fresh each morning in the same kitchen that serves lunch. In Weston-super-Mare, headteacher Marie Berry explains why her school's breakfast club is a lifeline for families - and why she's keen to be included in the new scheme. Campaigners at Sustain argue breakfast clubs could be a powerful tool to support local food producers and promote sustainable sourcing - and urge the Government to back that vision.We also hear from the charity Magic Breakfast, which provides food to 300,000 children at breakfast clubs every day, and from Olivia Bailey MP at the Department for Education. Food writer Michael Zee of @SymmetryBreakfast discusses Britain's breakfast culture, and why we so often eat the same thing every day.Presented by Jaega Wise Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, and also reveals this year's BBC Introducing Artist of the Year! There's music from Oscar November, Zach Templar, Beattie, Dove Ellis, Milange, The Motor Show, Langkamer, Mumble Tide, Alana Henderson, MLEKO, Callinsick, August Charles, Maya Delilah, and a new Track of the Week by LIME GARDEN.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, with Future Infinite feat. Nomis, Tribal Ting feat. Moonfish and 4t4Voltz, Baby Universe, ANOTHER; COUNTRY $$$$ & Oli Knight, vegas water taxi, Esme Emerson, Lemondaze, White Flowers, Jacob Alon, jasmine.4.t., Little Comets, Robyn Errico, and a new Track of the Week from Dove Ellis.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
He's a New York Times best selling author. He's written tie in fiction for Star Wars and Stranger Things. Adam Christopher joins the Power of 3 to discuss his Doctor Who work, which has seen him write for Big Finish (including a script on the most recent War Master set), and now, a BBC Audio. We speak to Adam about growing up with Doctor Who in New Zealand, editing the fanzine Time Space Visualiser, and so much more! (Please note, sound quality drops out for one brief section, and we hope this doesn't spoil your enjoyment of the episode)
It's twenty years since the Aldeburgh Food Festival began. Sheila Dillon examines its impact in this small Suffolk seaside town where food producers work together to forge strong local supply chains. She speaks to the festival's co-founder Lady Caroline Cranbrook who has been a passionate advocate of Suffolk's rich food ecosystem. She goes on a shopping trip with local restaurateur and hotelier George Pell, a self-styled "blow-in" from London. They visit a fishing family, a butcher and a farmer supporting a start-up serving crullers in a town where collaboration is king.Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Robin Markwell
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, including My First Time, Chalk, DREAMWAVE, Vona Vella, Shayk, Novo Amor, djank, Tragic Sasha, pyncher, Dog Saints, Maddie Ashman, and Katherine Priddy, plus holybones in session for BBC Introducing, and a new Track of the Week by ANOTHER; COUNTRY $$$$Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Sheila Dillon and this year's head judge of the BBC Food and Farming Awards, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, hit the road to meet the finalists in the Best Food Producer category. From sourdough pioneers Aidan Monks and Catherine Connor at Lovingly Artisan in Kendal, and regenerative grower Calixta Killander at Flourish Produce in Cambridgeshire, to cheese champions Andy and Kathy Swinscoe at The Courtyard Dairy in North Yorkshire — they explore how these exceptional producers might hold clues to a more resilient food future. Inspired by Professor Tim Lang's recent report, Just in Case: narrowing the UK civil food resilience gap, the episode asks: could these small but significant businesses be part of the solution to Britain's food security crisis?Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
Sheila Dillon is joined by four guests who each have a deep connection with Welsh food and farming for a panel discussion recorded at the 2025 Abergavenny Food Festival. Beca Lyne-Pirkis is a food writer and broadcaster; Patrick Holden is an organic farmer and founder of the Sustainable Food Trust; Carwyn Graves is a Welsh food historian and author; and Sue Pritchard leads the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission. Together, they explore what is currently making Wales's approach to food distinctive — and what lessons it might offer for the future of food across the UK.Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
As sales of matcha continue to boom, Leyla Kazim traces the story of the powdered green tea from centuries-old Japanese tradition to global health trend phenomenon. We look behind the social media videos and headlines to find out more about the reported matcha shortage, how the matcha supply chain is reacting, and ask what might happen next. Also in the programme Leyla learns about some of the misconceptions we have about matcha, including the issues around the term 'ceremonial grade'; we have a report from Kyoto Obubu Tea Farms in Japan about how tea farmers are coping with the sudden boom; and Leyla digs into the health claims about matcha with dietician and scientist at King's College London, Dr Emily Leeming.Presented by Leyla Kazim and produced by Sophie Anton for BBC Audio in Bristol.
Sheila Dillon investigates the growing number of food tours and trails in the UK as consumers show more and more interest in the provenance of what is on their plate. She heads to Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire – a town that boasts the title of Rural Capital Of Food - and joins a walking tour that spans pork pie producers, stilton sellers, a samosa wallah and a prizewinning brewery. Produced by Robin Markwell for BBC Audio in Bristol
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, including EMiDORA, holybones, NEM, WOOM, The Family Battenberg, Sydney Minsky Sargeant, Vaarwell, Shayk, SANITY, noxz Pheelz & DaniLeigh, ovajoi, Aimée Fatale, Rail Replacement Bus Service, Freddie Lewis, Jerkcurb, and a new Track of the Week from vegas water taxi.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Jaega Wise heads to the Isle of Man to find out what's driving a growing movement to produce more of the island's own food, and why its approach might matter beyond its shores. She hears about the challenges facing producers, how the fishing industry is adapting, and what it means to work within a UNESCO biosphere. Just 6% of food bought in Manx shops is locally produced — a figure the Manx NFU is campaigning to change. Meanwhile, the Government has announced reforms to primary school meals after discovering half of the food served was ultra-processed, and very little was locally sourced. Contributors: Chris Waller, NOA Bakehouse Sue King, author of "Ham & Eggs and Turtle Soup: A Slice of Manx Culinary History" Jack Emmerson – Sea Fisheries Policy Manager, Isle of Man Government (DEFA) Dr David Beard – Chief Executive, Manx Fish Producers Organisation Elizabeth Townsend and Nick Scarffe, Kerroo Brewing Co Helen Crosbie, Isle of Man Sea Salt Jenny Shepherd and Rawdon Hayne – Isle of Man Charcuterie Sarah Comish, Manx National Farmers' Union (NFU) Shirley Callow, Isle of Man Creamery Daphne Caine, Minister for Education, Sport and Culture, Isle of Man Government Pippa Lovell, Chef, The Laxey Glen. Presented by Jaega Wise Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, including a new Track of the Week by WOOM, and we get to know dream pop superstar-in-the-making Goodnight Louisa!There's also music from British Birds, Fright Years, GANS, Ellur, Jennifer Walton, Nightbus, WHITEHORSE, Euan Blackman, Mên An Tol, Wax Head, and Thandii.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, with Silver Gore, Aderyn, TTSSFU, Bug Teeth, Lowbrain, Riot Jazz Brass Band, Monster Florence, Polite Bureaux, Chalk, Lemondaze, Maruja, ugly ozo, Girl Group, FORMER CHAMP, Woodpig, and a new Track of the Week by Ellur.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, with Porij, Dubbul O & Tommy P-Nuts, Sorry, Callinsick, Group A.D., LuvCat, Yung Omz, Caolán Austin, and a new Track of the Week from Bug Teeth. Plus there's live highlights from the BBC Introducing Stage at the Reading & Leeds festival courtesy of Girl Group and Charles.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Butter superfan Felicity Cloake asks whether the movement against ultra-processed foods is linked to a recent rise in popularity of her favourite kitchen staple. Her investigations take her to the rich grasslands of the West Country as she visits Wyke Farms, Quicke's and Ivy House Farm Dairy. She looks at how flavoured butter is taking off and finds out more about the tradition of cheesemakers making whey butter.Professor Sarah Berry from King's College London gives advice on how much butter we should be eating as part of a healthy diet and food historian Regina Sexton looks at the relationship between butter and Ireland. Felicity also has a turn at making her own butter using an historic dash churn at The Butter Museum in Cork. Presented by Felicity Cloake Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Robin Markwell The programme features a short excerpt of the song "Please Leave My Butter Alone" by Elsie Carlisle.
It's been nearly 50 years since invasive American Signal Crayfish were introduced to the UK, and we still haven't figured out how to get rid of them. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall joins Sheila Dillon to meet a man who believes the way to control their spread is to get more people eating them — but not everyone's convinced. These crustaceans are so invasive that ecologists worry encouraging consumption could lead to further spread. Meanwhile, in parts of the Southern US, crayfish are a beloved delicacy. Sheila heads to a crayfish boil in London to see how that tradition is being recreated here.Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol
Emily Pilbeam presents a mixtape of her personal selection of tracks from BBC Introducing, with Goodnight Louisa, Thandii, She's In Parties, SlowHandClap, Isabel, yas., The Allergies, ADJUA, Bleach Lab, Midnight Rodeo, City Dog, Bella Artois, VERA SACRA, Tom A Smith, Helon Lyon, and a new Track of the Week from Merseyside's Monks.Produced in Salford by BBC Audio for BBC Radio 6 Music.
Sheila Dillon looks into claims that big food companies wield too much influence over government decisions and public health. The episode follows news from the youth-led campaign group BiteBack2030, which says its billboard campaign has been effectively silenced. The group recently organised a mock inquiry in Parliament, involving MPs, to share concerns about how junk food advertising and sponsorship are affecting the health of children in the UK.Sheila also hears from a group of protesters who marched to Downing Street this month, shouting the message “Fight Fake Food.” Organiser Rosalind Rathouse, from the Cookery School on Portland Street, says the public needs to know how the food they're eating is damaging their health. She is calling on everyone to learn to cook this summer. During the march, campaigners delivered a list of wishes to Downing Street, highlighting the changes they'd like to see in food policy.Also featured are Jennifer Richardson from The BMJ, which has been investigating the impact of commercial influence on children's health, and Cathy Cliff from the Soil Association, who submitted a Freedom of Information request to uncover the extent of food industry lobbying and its effect on government policy.Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
The adventures of Barbara and Tom Good in Surbiton brought self-sufficiency to the small screens of the nation. Fifty years on from the airing of that first episode of The Good Life, Leyla Kazim is about to embark on her own sustainable living dream as she seeks to live off the land when she moves from London to Portugal. So what lessons can she learn from The Goods about food production – whether that's animal husbandry or growing-your-own? And will she succeed when she can't even speak the language? Leyla visits Groundswell, the Regenerative Agriculture Festival, in urgent search of advice. She speaks to Andy Cato from Wildfarmed, Rob Hopkins of the Transition Network and Helen Browning from the Soil Association. She also explores the forest garden of Martin Crawford in Devon as she plans her own food forest.Produced by Robin Markwell for BBC Audio in Bristol.Contains clips of The Good Life from Series 1, Episode 1 "Plough Your Own Furrow", Series 1 Episode 2 "Say Little Hen..." and Series 1 Episode 4 "Pig's Lib"
On this podcast, we obviously love Big FInish. But don't forget, they're not the only producers of audio Doctor Who. Today, we learn more about the output of BBC Audiobooks and head to the lair of the (Zarbi) supremo Michael Stevens, who tells us about what's out, and what's still to come in 2025 - plus an exclusive tease for some 2026 releases!
In this episode, social media chef and queen of potatoes, Poppy O'Toole, explores the world of her favourite ingredient, the Potato. Last year, Poppy appeared on Mastermind, choosing the history of the potato as her specialist subject. Let's just say… it didn't quite go to plan. So now, she's joining the team at The Food Programme to fill in the gaps in her knowledge.Along the way, she meets historian Professor Rebecca Earle from the University of Warwick, who explains how potatoes travelled from the Andes to Europe. She visits Lima, a Peruvian restaurant in London, where she speaks with sous chef William Coz about how potatoes remain central to Peruvian cuisine. Dr Stef de Haan from the International Potato Center shares how Peru continues to cultivate thousands of potato varieties.In Suffolk, Poppy visits James Foskett's farm to discover how he grows both organic and conventional potatoes. And she speaks with Dr Jean Beagle Ristaino—known by some as “the Sherlock of Spuds”—about her work investigating the pathogen behind the Irish Potato Famine.The programme includes archive from Mastermind which is co-produced for BBC 2 by Hindsight and Hat Trick.Presented by Poppy O'Toole Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
With the price of olive oil soaring in the shops after drought disrupted production in Spain, Leyla Kazim looks into the English farms planting olive groves in the hope of bottling their own oil. She meets a farmer in Essex who explains that English growing conditions are more suitable than you might think and discovers a producer in Cornwall who has already started pressing his own extra virgin olive oil. So will olive oil from Essex or Cornwall become the new English sparkling wine?Dan Saladino reports from Sicily where hotter conditions due to climate change are presenting new challenges for growers. Food historian Dr Annie Gray debunks some of the myths around olive oil consumption in England and Leyla learns the correct way to approach an oil-tasting from one of the country's biggest suppliers. Produced by Robin Markwell for BBC Audio in Bristol.
In this episode of 'A Life Through Food', Sheila Dillon meets one of the most provocative scientific minds of the last half-century: Professor Michael Crawford. Now in his 90s, Crawford's pioneering research into the brain and nutrition has reshaped how we understand the essential role of food—especially Omega-3 fatty acids—in human development and health.Long before Omega-3 became a buzzword on supermarket shelves, Crawford was uncovering its vital connection to brain function. His work, often at odds with mainstream science, has led to over 300 peer-reviewed papers and three books challenging conventional theories of human evolution and nutrition.The programme also features chef and broadcaster Rick Stein, who reflects on Crawford's influence and the importance of sustainable seafood. And we hear from Dr Anneli Löfstedt, a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Oxford's Smith School of Enterprise and Environment, who is building on Crawford's legacy by exploring the links between nutrition, sustainability, and the future of food systems.Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.
Leyla Kazim visits York, the UK's 'chocolate city', on the centenary of Joseph Rowntree's death, to find out how the Quaker entrepreneur pioneered both social reform and iconic chocolate brands like Smarties and Kit Kat.Today, many independent chocolate makers still call York home, as do some of the word's biggest multinational confectionary makers. Leyla Kazim wanders through York Chocolate Festival to trace the city's unique chocolate heritage and find out what changed when global companies got involved.As the so-called 'Dubai chocolate' drives a frenzy of demand for filled bars and imitations, Leyla meets a Newcastle chocolate maker with a penchant for wacky flavours and who inspired the original sell-out hit.Leyla also hears how falling global production and high prices of cocoa could be the end of chocolate as we know it.Produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.
Baroness Floella Benjamin once said “childhood lasts a lifetime” and our experiences of school dinners can shape how we eat for the rest of our lives. In this edition of The Food Programme Sheila Dillon investigates the importance of those early food memories with the help of Dr Heather Ellis from the School Meals Project. The Project says its aim is to produce the first ever comprehensive history of school meals across the different nations of the United Kingdom The programme makes a trip to the Food Museum in Suffolk to see a landmark exhibition around school food and Sheila pays a visit to a forward-thinking school in West London which bakes its own bread with flour made from the wheat that it grows just outside the school kitchen!Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Robin MarkwellFeaturing an archive clip from BBC Breakfast in April 2025 with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson MP Also a brief extract from the book The Farmer's Wife: My Life In Days by Helen Rebanks
With the Government pledging to overhaul the way food is sourced for public institutions like hospitals, schools, prisons, and army bases, Sheila Dillon explores how these changes could be implemented and why they are deemed essential by many.Sheila visits St Peter's Hospital in Chertsey, Surrey, where chef Raouf Mansour has transformed the canteen for staff and visitors. After bringing the operation in-house post-Covid, the hospital began collaborating with local suppliers to provide fresh, seasonal produce. Raouf emphasises that retraining chefs to prepare nutritious, mezze-style meals has been crucial in encouraging staff to dine at the restaurant. The hospital is also working on plans to revamp patient meals, which are all prepared off-site, by working with smaller local caterers who can better meet some of the specific needs of patients there.Following her visit, Sheila returns to the studio to discuss whether the changes in Chertsey could signal a broader trend. She is joined by:Kevin Morgan, Professor of Governance and Development at Cardiff University and author of "Serving the Public: The Good Food Revolution in Schools, Hospitals, and Prisons" Kath Dalmeny, Chief Executive of Sustain Katie Palmer from Food Sense Wales, who is working on the Welsh Veg in Schools Project Derek Wright from Blackpool Catering Services, which has expanded its school meal provision over the past five years, with on-site chefs and locally sourced produce.Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan
Sheila Dillon hears the first exclusive readings from a Tudor ‘pamphlet of cheese' that details the cheesemaking traditions of the 16th century, and reveals how cheese was seen as a nutrient-rich health food - from digestion aid to wound cleaner. Fast-forward to today, and Sheila visits Yorkshire cheesemongers Andy and Kathy Swinscoe to help recreate one of these historic recipes by hand in their dairy, as they discuss the significance of cheese history and how milk and cheese have a 'terroir' just like wine. While the Tudors believed cheese was inherently good for you, modern-day science is still exploring the evidence. Now, cheese scientists are producing ground-breaking research investigating links between cheese and the health of our hearts and gut microbiome. But making cheese today is a tough job, from complying with food safety rules to the challenges of setting up and maintaining a small business. Sheila speaks to renowned cheesemaker Martin Gott to hear the strange tale of how gave up his career in the UK to set up the first ever organic creamery in Oman. Are we losing our cheesemakers just at the point when we're rediscovering more about its potential health benefits?Sheila's journey to find out how our cheese heritage faltered takes her to the Middle East, Japan and finally back to Yorkshire, where a new raw milk cheesemaker sparks hope for the future. Presented by Sheila Dillon and produced by Nina Pullman for BBC Audio in Bristol.
In this second episode from Copenhagen, Sheila Dillon explores why Denmark leads the way in organic food consumption. In 2023, nearly 12% of all food bought in Denmark was organic—one of the highest levels in the world. In the UK, that figure is just 1.5%. But how did Denmark get here? And can the organic movement keep growing as the conversation shifts toward climate concerns and plant-based eating?Sheila meets the people shaping Denmark's food future, from organic farmers to chefs and researchers. She also asks how does this apparent national embrace of organic food sit alongside Denmark's industrial farming, including its vast pork industry?Featuring conversations with: • Trine Hahnemann – Chef, writer, and campaigner • Trine Krebs – Organic farmer and Green Chef at The Food Organisation of Denmark • Prof. Ole Mouritsen – Gastrophysicist researching how to encourage more plant-based eating • Søren Buhl Steiniche – Head chef at EAT, a public kitchen serving Copenhagen's schools • Heidi Svømmekjær – Copenhagen-based food writer and home cookPresented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan
Restaurant critic and lifelong Charlton Athletic fan Jimi Famurewa finds out how football clubs are upping their game when it comes to serving food for their fans. He'll taste the world at AFC Wimbledon's Food Village, hear how Forest Green Rovers went vegan and discover the secret liquor behind Leyton Orient's pie and mash. Food writers Jack Peat and Daniel Gray pitch in with their thoughts on a world that has moved far beyond Bovril and burnt burgers.Presented by Jimi Famurewa Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Robin MarkwellThe Bovril Song was composed by Roger Jackson and Phil Nicholl and performed by Sing! Cambridge in 2013 Football commentary courtesy of BBC Radio London and BBC Radio Nottingham
Sheila Dillon joins diners eating together in Manchester and Copenhagen, and hears why some think we should be making more time in the UK for eating communally.During World War II, British Restaurants provided nutritious, affordable meals across the UK. Endorsed by Winston Churchill, they ensured good food was accessible to all. Now, some believe this model should return.Professor Bryce Evans from Liverpool Hope University explains why reviving communal dining could help tackle today's cost-of-living crisis. In Manchester, we hear from "The Manc Kitchen" - a pilot inspired by MP Ian Byrne's "Scouse Kitchen" and his "Right to Food" campaign. Similar initiatives are emerging across the UK.Sheila Dillon travels to Copenhagen, "the capital of communal dining," to see how the Danes have embraced eating together. She visits Absalon, a repurposed church where 200 people dine each night, and Grønne Eng (Green Meadows), a co-housing community where 190 residents cook and share meals communally four times a week. Even in workplaces, communal dining is the norm—Sheila eats with a team of architects at a long table.Food writer Heidi Svømmekjær explains how Denmark's long, dark winters have shaped this culture, making shared meals a way to foster warmth and connection.With food insecurity and loneliness on the rise, Sheila asks if communal restaurants be a solution? Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Natalie Donovan
Two of the country's largest wholesale markets are on the brink of closure. The City of London Corporation has decided to shut the historic meat market at Smithfield and the fish market at Billingsgate, bringing to an end centuries of food history. Sheila Dillon is given a tour of Smithfield market by the historian Matthew Green who describes how Smithfield features in the work of Charles Dickens and was once described as the "kitchen of the universe" by the writer Ned Ward in 1702.The programme hears from the Smithfield traders who work through the night butchering and selling meat to restaurants and shops across London, the South East of England and beyond. There has been considerable opposition to the closure of the markets. More than 37,000 people have signed a petition asking the City of London Corporation to keep the markets where they are including Alicia Weston who we meet at Ridley Road street market in East London. Here fishmongers are concerned about where they will source their supplies if Billingsgate closes. The City of London Corporation chairman Chris Hayward responds.Finally, the author of Hungry City Carolyn Steel and Professor Tim Lang from City University reflect on the importance of wholesale markets in strengthening food supply chains as well as their contribution to the social and cultural fabric of a place.Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Robin Markwell
Sheila Dillon revisits the idea of our grannies' cooking and how it shapes us, hearing from listeners who sent in their own stories. Why does learning to cook from your granny seem to be such a powerful experience? What about those grannies who leapt at the chance technology offered to escape the endless cycle of cooking from scratch? And – for those of us who feel we're relying too much on processed food - can we find a granny substitute to help us put down the takeaway menu and pick up a peeler?Guests include: Dr Polly Russell - food historian Alicia Weston - founder of Bags of Taste Sophie Beckett - Public Health Research Officer at Birmingham Museums Trust Jonny Murphy "The Hungry Hooker" We'd like to thank all of the listeners who wrote in to us following the broadcast of the programme "Nan the Wiser", but we'd like to say a special thanks to Matthew, Lynn, Mary, Tony, Marie, Peter, Rob and Giselle. Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced in Bristol for BBC Audio by Beth Sagar-Fenton. The Assistant Producer was Jo Peacey.Archive from Birmingham's Food and Drink Oral Histories Project: Interviewee: Doris Evans, 1984. From the City Sound Archive, courtesy of Birmingham Museums Trust Interviewee: John Baker, 1984. From the City Sound Archive, courtesy of Birmingham Museums Trust
It's 2025, and the same old questions are still being asked about food and health—how do we get people eating better, reduce obesity, improve health, and ease pressure on the NHS? Despite decades of policies and campaigns, the challenge remains. In this episode, Sheila Dillon is joined in the studio by three people whose work is dedicated to finding answers: Dr Dolly Van Tulleken, a visiting researcher at Cambridge University's MRC Epidemiology Unit, who has examined UK government obesity policy, documenting its repeated failures and interviewed several leaders about what can be learned from them; Anna Taylor, head of the Food Foundation, whose organisation has been researching the impact of poor diets, particularly on those living in poverty; and Ben Reynolds, formerly of Sustain, where he played a key role in some of the most successful food campaigns and is now working on food and farming policy across Europe as Executive Director of the Institute for European Environmental Policy.Also featured are Henry Dimbleby, author of The National Food Strategy, and Welsh food historian Carwyn Graves.Together, they discuss what's gone wrong, what's worked, and, as the new government announces plans for a fresh food strategy, what must be put in place to ensure it delivers real change.Presented by Sheila Dillon Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Natalie Donovan