The Convex Conversation

Investigative journalist Clare Rewcastle Brown reveals the remarkable story behind her exposing the 1MDB fraud in which billions of dollars were embezzled from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund. 
From her kitchen table in London, Clare worked doggedly with the FBI and US Department of Justice on her one-woman investigation which toppled a government, implicated top politicians, leading institutions and involved Hollywood names, diamonds & a $250 million super yacht.
The complex story – which began for Clare as an environmental expose into the destruction of Borneo’s tropical rainforest - is the subject of a new Netflix documentary, Man on the Run. 
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is serving 12 years in jail for his part in the fraud, and his alleged mastermind, Jho Low, remains on the run, wanted for money laundering. 
 

Six years ago, the British Army tasked Lieutenant Colonel Tim Purbrick OBE with forming a unit to defend and preserve some of the world’s greatest cultural treasures, at risk of theft or destruction in conflict.
The former tank commander explains how the lessons learned by the real-life ‘Monuments Men’ in World War 2 - documented by Sir Leonard Woolley and whose story formed the basis of George Clooney’s film - were invaluable when he set up the British Cultural Property Protection Unit.
Tim designed a course for UNESCO to train Ukrainian armed forces in how to address these issues in the current conflict, and he’s just returned from Estonia where he’s been working with Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian forces.

Hello! Magazine’s former Editor in Chief Rosie Nixon talks openly about how she unexpectedly found herself on the brink of burnout after 16 years at Britain’s favourite celebrity magazine.
 
Despite incredible career success, Rosie was running on empty and didn’t feel the same joy from the adrenalin-fuelled, glamorous publishing world she had once thrived in.
 
She spent hours walking in the Surrey hills, digging deep into how she felt and what she wanted, and has now trained as a life coach, helping other exhausted mid-lifers reinvent themselves. Rosie remains at Hello! one day a week as Editor at Large.
 
Photographs by David Venni 
 
 
 
 

Grange Hill star Linda Magistris founded The Good Grief Trust after she lost her partner – BAFTA-winning director Graham Theakston - to a rare cancer and found little support to help her cope with his early death.  
Linda has grown it into the UK’s leading bereavement network, bringing more than 900 specialist charities & services together under one umbrella for individuals and health care professionals. 
Actors Greg Wise, Afterlife and Downton Abbey star Dame Penelope Wilton and Todd Carty are among its dedicated ambassadors. 
The Trust is run for the bereaved, by the bereaved – people who understand different kinds of loss and who can offer some hope, gentle guidance, and expert direction to ensure the right, tailored help is found.
 
 
 
 
 

Operation Ringtail culminated in convictions following the smashing of a drugs ring who smuggled more than £1.5 billion worth of cocaine into the UK, hidden in boxes of frozen chicken. 
Leading the investigation was this week’s guest, Detective Chief Superintendent Carl Galvin - Head of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Organised Crime Unit.
Carl talks about his 25 years as a covert operative, the ever-changing face of organised crime & how his expert teams work to stay ahead of the criminals. New crimes are constantly emerging, like the 3D printing of automatic weapons destined for terrorists which led to the first UK conviction for privately manufactured firearms. 
Serious and organised crime is estimated to cost the UK taxpayer a staggering £47 billion a year, making it the most significant national security threat to our economy. 
 
 

Dr Chloe Buiting, known as The Jungle Doctor, is an Australian wildlife vet & conservationist whose love for nature & animals started as a teenager on the remote Lord Howe Island, described by Lord Attenborough as “so extraordinary it’s almost unbelievable.”
Chloe’s work includes fitting prosthetics on elephants in Chiang Mai who have lost limbs through treading on landmines; dehorning rhino in Africa to prevent poachers killing or maiming them & treating koalas burned in the Australian bush fires. 
She’s an official Advocate for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize; on the board of Zoos Victoria – the first carbon neutral zoological facility in the world – and a consultant for Fauna & Flora.
 

2024 is an exciting year for women’s sport, not least with the Olympics in Paris on the horizon - the first Games in history to offer gender parity.
Sue Anstiss MBE has been involved in women’s sport for more than three decades - dedicating much of her working life to fighting for equality and driving change. 
We explore the impact of teams like the Lionesses, some fascinating history, the challenges which still lie ahead and what equality in sport can do more broadly within society.  
Sue directed the recent Netflix documentary ‘Game On – The Unstoppable Rise of Women’s Sport’ featuring trailblazers like Paralympian Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, broadcaster Clare Balding and Olympic gold heptathlete Dame Denise Lewis. 
 

As our climate emergency deepens, the CEO of Triodos Bank UK – one of the world’s most sustainable banks – explains how the current global banking system needs strong mandatory regulations to become a catalyst for a more sustainable future and fairer economy. 
Dr Bevis Watts is the first, and perhaps only, environmentalist to lead a UK bank and has spoken at key conferences like Blue Earth Summit and COP26.
We explore how our financial world can use nature-based investments to tackle issues which threaten our way of life as well as the planet, providing more help for those in society who need it. 
Bevis - former CEO of a wildlife trust and passionate scuba diver - also chats about his Swallows and Amazons-style adventure in a kayak which led to the discovery that wild beavers are back on the River Avon for the first time since Tudor days. 
Beaver photographs by Dr. Bevis Watts

When Vogue Philippines asked Artu Nepomuceno to trek to the remote mountain village of Buscalan to photograph 106-year-old tattoo artist Apo Whang-Od, he said yes immediately!
Apo Whang-Od is the last 'mambabatok' of her generation, keeping the thousand-year-old practice of 'batok' alive by training and inspiring her grandnieces in the ancient art of inking. Artu's intimate portraits of Apo Whang-Od - a cultural icon in the Philippines and beyond - graced the cover of Vogue worldwide, re-defining beauty.
He shares the stories and emotions behind what was a very personal journey, humbly insisting he was “just the photographer”. Artu says the spotlight belongs to 106 years of Apo Whang-Od’s pure beauty.
 
 

Scientist, painter and former Army helicopter pilot Hannah Shergold on her "fascinating yet peculiar" journey to becoming an artist.
Hannah is one of the UK's most successful self-represented artists, best known for her extraordinary wildlife pieces which have raised more than £300,000 for conservation charities like Tusk and the Invictus Games Team UK.
She shares stories from her missions to austere & remote parts of places like Afghanistan and African trouble spots recovering the wounded in the Lynx; reveals her usual methods of creating her work - joking paint thinner is her assistant - and talks about her passion for psychology.
 

It’s shocking to learn that two million plastic bags are used every minute and a truckload of plastic is dumped into our ocean every 60 seconds.
Gomi - Japanese for trash - is the name of a young design studio in Brighton who are making stunning bespoke Bluetooth speakers and portable phone chargers with second-use Lime bike batteries and so-called ‘non-recyclable’ waste ordinarily destined for landfill.
Gomi co-founder and designer Tom Meades explains how they actually create the speakers and chargers inspired by artists like Jackson Pollock and why they're collaborating with thought-provoking brands like Paul Smith and Brewdog to reduce our impact on the planet and make something meaningful that lasts a lifetime.
 

Against the backdrop of an ancient temperate rainforest at Cabilla on Bodmin Moor, a high-flying couple - both deeply affected by mental illness – have dramatically changed their lives and turned to the restorative powers of nature to help them and others heal. 
 
Merlin Hanbury-Tenison served as a British Army Major and completed three tours of Afghanistan, but had a breakdown triggered by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from an IED explosion. His wife Lizzie, who worked with dynamic founders of brands like Green and Blacks and Charlotte Tilbury, suffered burnout and postnatal depression. 
 
Together they’ve created a nature-inspired relaxing space for retreats where stressed out, worn-out people – including US military personnel and exhausted nurses - can recharge and reconnect with nature.  Sound baths, somatic movement, wild water swimming, guided walks in the forest, yoga, pilates are just some of the offerings. 
 
Photo by John Hersey
Photo by Bex Aston
Photo by Jenna Foxton
Photo by Sophie Bolesworth
Photo by Beth Druce
Photo by Bex Aston
 

Frustrated by abandoned fishing nets - known as ‘ghost gear’ - dumped on their local Cornish beaches and coastline, marine biologists & keen surfers Harry Dennis and Gavin Parker searched for a sustainable solution. 
 
They discovered the very properties which make discarded fishing gear such a threat to the ocean & marine life - it’s abundance, strength, durability and flexibility - make it a perfect material to work with, and so risked everything to set up Waterhaul.
 
After much trial and error, they’re collecting the nets and end-of-life material, recycling the plastic, separating the polymers, and turning harmful waste products into stylish sunglasses and eyewear, with plans to scale their already successful business. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Recently back from a scientific study to the South Pole, health tech entrepreneur Dr Jack Kreindler talks about his life in emergency and high-altitude medicine and how we can put more life into our years.
 
Jack says he thinks of health as a gift and asset born of luck, inheritance, and a wise investment strategy with its purpose to not merely extend our days but to help us live our fullest lives.
 
Jack has worked with stars like Alan Shearer, Robbie Savage and Davina McCall on the extreme Comic and Sport Relief challenges and, in our podcast, explores how we can all ‘kick ass’ in our 80s and 90s thanks to the latest health tech as well as embracing fundamental basics like sleep, hydration, community, good nutrition and music.  
 
Jack has also created WellFounded to enhance the mental and physical health of some of the most successful entrepreneurs and founders, treating them in much the same way as elite athletes, and he runs the ACT for Cancer Foundation with his wife. 
 
South Pole drone footage courtesy of Taavet Hinrikus 
 
 
 

Jude Tebbutt was on holiday in Kenya with her husband David in 2011 when she was snatched in the dead of night by Somali pirates wielding AK47s. 
 
Unbeknown to Jude at the time, the gunmen murdered her husband that night and held her for ransom in squalor, with barely any food, in filthy conditions for six and a half months. 
 
Jude explains how she developed techniques to help her survive, stay mentally strong, cope with the daily threat of being shot and make it home “without going mad” to her wonderful 25-year-old son Ollie who negotiated her eventual release.  Jude is a patron of Sir Terry Waite’s charity Hostage International – supporting kidnap victims and their families, and author of A Long Walk Home. 
 
 
Photographs courtesy of Stephanie Belton Photography
 
Photograph courtesy of N Nastia Photography
 

Expert mountain guide Dawa Geljen Sherpa grew up in a big family in Lukla in Nepal – known as The Gateway to Everest.
 
As a young boy he worked hard tending his parents’ livestock with no access to school until he ran away from home aged ten in search of an education, funded by work he did on Everest as a kitchen porter.
 
After travelling the world guiding expeditions on some of the world’s most challenging mountains, Dawa founded Classrooms in the Clouds so children in the poorest, remotest parts of Nepal can learn.
 
The charity has so far built 70 earthquake-resistant, warm, safe classrooms and sponsored 26 female teachers as role models.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Oli France is back home in Wigan after completing the first of seven extraordinary expeditions – to travel under his own steam from the lowest to the highest point of every continent - an extreme challenge which has been five years in the planning.
 
He’s just cycled the equivalent of London to Moscow through Africa – facing furnace-like temperatures in Djibouti; hostilities & traffic chaos in Ethiopia; the kindness of the Masai in Kenya, as well as the knowledge he was a perfect ‘meal on wheels’ for lions! He finished on the summit of Kilimanjaro.
 
Oli explains what drives him to push himself to the limit, how he manages risk and builds mental resilience, as well as talks us through the expeditions ahead, including sub-zero conditions in the Antarctic, Mount Denali in Alaska, a 2,000- mile cycle across the Australian Outback and ocean row in Oceania, and Everest in Asia.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

If you watched the King’s Coronation Concert, the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee music extravaganza, or were one of the millions tuned in to Prince Harry’s wedding, you’ll have heard some of choir director Mark De-Lisser’s arrangements.
 
Mark puts bespoke choirs together for major events, liaising with artists like Lionel Ritchie, Alicia Keys, Katie Perry and Andrea Bocelli. But he tells Helen it took years to discover his purpose in life after a series of failures in the wrong direction.
 
Mark gets the nation singing; leads Vicky McClure’s Dementia Choir; features in shows like Songs of Praise and The Masked Singer and is about to embark on quantifiable research to discover how singing affects our bodies and brains.  
 
 
 
 
 
 

Olly Williams and Suzi Winstanley – known simply as Olly and Suzi – have travelled the world together tracking, painting, sketching and photographing endangered species in the wild.
 
Their unique method of creating their art has led to powerful interactions and encounters with bears and buffalo, sharks and seals, hyenas and wild cats, and more.
 
They’ve trekked through jungles, deserts, the poles and remote wildernesses experiencing the natural world at its most raw and humbling and have become passionate conservationists, using their art to highlight the threats many of their subjects face.
 
Olly and Suzi’s work is held in private and public collections - including the Damien Hirst “Murder Me” collection and at the Natural History Museum - and Olly has just published his first poetry book, Draw of the Wild.
 
* Images courtesy of Greg Williams Photography and ollysuzi.com
 
 
 
 

Acclaimed Finnish conductor Dalia Stasevska opened this year’s prestigious First Night of the Proms at London’s Royal Albert Hall and went straight to Glyndebourne for a run of Benjamin Britten’s iconic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
 
But in-between her high-profile musical appearances, Dalia – who was born in Ukraine - has been driving trucks into the war-torn city of Lviv, delivering generators, sleeping bags, warm clothes and essential supplies to those struggling to survive, as well as performing there. 
 
She tells Helen she considered giving up her career in music for a while to concentrate on volunteering full-time but has decided to use her platform to keep people informed of the ongoing atrocities and to ensure the world doesn’t tire of the plight of Ukrainian people.
 
Photographs by Veikko Kahkonen
 
 
 
 
 

Find out how Theresa Patricios, Head of Investments at Convex, and Cam Parker from Swiss Re overcame extreme mental and physical challenges to complete the World’s Toughest Row in record time.   
 
The Pacific Discovery 2023 four-strong team rowed 2,800 miles in just 34 days, 8 hours and 22 mins – the fastest mixed team ever – and have become the first reinsurance team to complete the race.
 
Theresa and Cam reflect on how they kept going through harsh weather, serious technical issues, exhaustion, and sleep deprivation. And they share their excitement at passing on the baton so another industry team can rise to the challenge, raising more funds for mental health charity Mind.
 
Photographs courtesy of World’s Toughest Row and Penny Bird 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Journalist John McCarthy was held hostage in Lebanon for more than five years. Now, three decades on, he’s helping others in similar situations through his role as Patron of Hostage International.
 
The charity was originally founded by John’s former cellmate and great friend Sir Terry Waite who himself was held for more almost five years, much of it alone.
 
John reflects on the fanfare he came home to in Britain, how the experience has influenced his life and how honoured he is to help Terry and Hostage International support families and former hostages through the ordeal of kidnap and illegal detention, which remains a global problem.
 
 
 
 
John's return to RAF Lyneham, UK
 
John reunited with former cellmates Brian Keenan and Terry Waite
 
Jill Morrell campaigning for John's release
 
John McCarthy with former girlfriend Jill Morrell
 
 

YouTube star Geoff Marshall reveals how and why he started making great quality, informative, interesting, fun transport films which have attracted more than 82 million views on his channel and are appreciated by his 314,000 plus subscribers.
 
Geoff travelled to all 2,563 trains in the UK followed by Ireland's 198 and held the Guinness World Record twice for visiting every London Underground station in the fastest time!
 
He shares his YouTube story, his passion for transport, chats about his new stand-up show - World’s Biggest Tube Nerd – and, in a rare contemplative moment, talks about a moving film he made about how travelling by train can sometimes help when people feel low.

Dr Who celebrates 60 years in November with special new episodes featuring former Time Lord David Tennant and Catherine Tate, and the release of an audio book voiced by impressionist Jon Culshaw in which the third and fourth Doctors meet and work together.
 
A life-long Dr Who fan, Jon came up with the idea for The Box of Terrors, written by Lizzie Hopley, based on Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker's time as the Doctors. 
 
In part two of our special, Jon talks about the responsibility of playing David Bowie in an audio documentary on what it might of been like in the studio as Bowie recorded his final album, Blackstar. 
 
Plenty of other guests drop in on this week's podcast including HRH King Charles, Chris Eubank, Tony Blair, William Hague, Les Dawson and Julian Clary. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

On this week’s podcast we hear from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, King Charles, Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis and former PM Boris Johnson, thanks to the incredible talent and wit of impressionist Jon Culshaw.
 
Jon, who is busy rehearsing two shows for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe – LENA and Imposter Syndrome – stops off for a chat and some laughs on his way to record the latest episode of BBC Radio 4’s comedy programme Dead Ringers.
 
He shares his thoughts on how satire has changed since he first graced our screens on Spitting Image; recalls butterflies the size of seagulls when he got through to the then Prime Minister Tony Blair at No 10 posing as Leader of the Opposition William Hague, and explains how he starts to build and develop a new voice.
 
 
 

Scott Mitchell talks about his life loving Dame Barbara Windsor - one of Britain’s national treasures - and their heart-breaking battle with dementia. 
 
Scott is an Ambassador for Alzheimers' Research UK and is involved in campaigning, fundraising, and taking part in trials to help find a cure for a disease which affects more than a million people in Britain. 
 
Scott says he feels blessed to have shared almost three decades with Carry On and Eastenders star Barbara and shares lots of happy, wonderful memories of their life together.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Acclaimed British painter and Academician David Remfry confesses he thought he’d never be asked to coordinate the Royal Academy's world-famous Summer Exhibition. When the call came, the 80-year-old artist says he was over the moon and said yes immediately.  
 
Helen catches up with David at his London studio surrounded by his stunning work to find out what’s involved; hear about his colourful life in London and New York, and his daily passion for Afrobeats dancing.
 
David recalls leaving Hull in the '60s with his paintings packed in the back of a £50 van to seek his fortune in London; reminisces about living for two decades at the infamous Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan and talks about how his love of people inspires much of his work.
 
Main photograph courtesy of the Royal Academy of Arts
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Twenty-five years ago, a young hat-maker secured a grant from The Prince’s Trust to help fund her own atelier.
 
So as milliner Jess Collett joined millions watching the King’s Coronation, she felt grateful for the help she’d received but also knew all eyes were on the stunning head pieces she’d designed for the Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte in collaboration with Alexander McQueen. Jess said she’d waited "all her hat-life" for that moment!
 
She’s designed for Madonna, Helena Bonham Carter, Princess Eugenie, Samantha Cameron, Pippa Middleton and many more famous people, but her passion is making hats for everyone and seeing the confidence the right one can bring.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Journalist Kate Silverton tells Helen why she left a hugely successful career in broadcasting to become a child therapist.
 
Since studying psychology at Durham University, Kate has been fascinated with the complexities of how the brain works and the role it plays in shaping behaviour as well as our future mental health.
 
She works closely with The Princess of Wales on Her Royal Highness’s Shaping Us campaign and says they are both passionate about the science behind the importance of a child’s early years.
 
Kate’s first book – There’s No Such Thing as Naughty – is a best-seller and her second, There’s Still No Such Thing as Naughty, is due out this autumn.
 
 
 

Crime reporter Martin Brunt has covered some of the biggest and most notorious crime stories in British history for Sky News for the last three decades. 
Still working in 24-hour breaking news, he’s finally found time to write a book - No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason – filled with previously undisclosed details and fascinating inside track.
Martin shares gripping dispatches about his relationship with violent prisoner Charles Bronson; an unusual encounter with his music hero Sir Paul McCartney; discusses the nations insatiable appetite for crime, both real-life and fiction, and reveals how a fascination with Valerio Viccei, the charismatic Italian robber behind Britain’s biggest ever jewellery heist, ended in a death threat!
 
Photograph by Mark Senn
 
 
 
Convicted robber Valerio Viccei

Helen joins Chef Tom Sellers at his stunning new London restaurant, Story Cellar in Neal’s Yard, for an honest and open chat about his journey and the next chapter in Tom’s story.
 
From the age of 16, he worked unforgiving hours in the kitchens of some of the world's most influential chefs – Tom Aikens, Thomas Keller and Rene Redzepi – and earned his first Michelin star just 16 weeks after opening Restaurant Story near Tower Bridge.
 
Ten years on and two stars to his name, he talks about the fear and pressure of opening somewhere new, being in the right mindset for a new challenge, how his journey has shaped him, provenance and his love of food, including baked beans on toast!
 
He also shares the narrative behind some of his well-known dishes, including the beef dripping candle which was inspired by his dad and his working-class roots.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Daniel Wiegand shares the story of how he came up with the concept and architecture for the electric Lilium jet as a young engineering student inspired by the V-22 Osprey - a vertical take-off US military aircraft -- and how he’s grown the company from the ground up.
 
More than a billion euros and some of the finest minds in aerospace and engineering are behind the creation of the world’s first, zero emissions electric vertical take-off and landing jet, an eVTOL, which it’s hoped will revolutionise the way we travel regionally.
 
Helen becomes the first British journalist to fly in the simulator at Lilium’s HQ in Munich where more than 800 people from 56 countries are working towards the aircraft's certification in 2025.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Blue Marine Foundation’s co-founder and former award-winning British film-maker George Duffield explains how overfishing is destroying the ocean’s biodiversity and its ability to store carbon yet is one of the world’s most solvable problems.
 
George hopes robust data gleaned from Blue’s partnership with scientists from Exeter University and Convex in the five-year Convex Seascape Survey will reveal how much carbon is stored in the seabed and he's confident the findings will provide a solution to help with runaway global temperatures.
 
Helen also hears some of George's favourite adventures as a diver and wildlife photographer - swimming with whale sharks and hammerheads in the Galapagos and diving under the ice with leopard seals in Antartica, which led to George winning the Natural History Museum's Underwater Photographer of the Year.
 
 
 
 
 

Herbert Hall Winery in Kent produces just 20,000 bottles of English sparkling wine a year but can be found in some of the most prestigious places, including Fortnum & Mason, and King Charles’s Highgrove collection.
 
Herbert farmed in Marden at the end of the nineteenth century. His great-grandson Nick explains why the land is perfect for growing grapes like Chardonnay, Pinor Noir and Pinot Meunier, and making wine in the Methode Champenoise, known as the traditional method.
 
Climatic changes have seen a dramatic rise in successful wineries in the south of England – and the perfect conditions have tempted Champagne Houses like Taittinger to buy acreage here in the UK.
 
Photographs by Andrew Yates
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Hot on the heels of his exciting new album release, Grammy winning Bluegrass fiddler Michael Cleveland wows Helen with his breathtaking playing, live from his studio in Indiana. 
 
Michael was born blind and is partially deaf, yet has risen to the absolute top of his game, collaborating with music legends like Alison Krauss, Bela Fleck and Vince Gill. As a youngster he played alongside ‘the father of Bluegrass’ Bill Monroe and has won countless awards. 
 
Thanks to Airgigs.com, Michael records tracks for musicians all over the world from his basement studio. Lovin' of the Game - with his band Flamekeeper - is out now. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wim Hof Instructor Belinda Raphael explains the many health benefits and compelling science behind the famous Wim Hof Method, and shares stories from a recent expedition to Poland with The Iceman himself.
 
Belinda discovered cold-water therapy accidentally after she was left suffering chronic pain following a severe attack by a patient in her role as a critical care nurse practitioner.  
 
Now she’s one of Wim’s 900 Warriors, teaching breath work and mindset techniques to increase cold water exposure and allow people to feel the invigorating and life affirming advantages.  
 
Wim Hof has set more than two dozen world records for extreme temperature exposure – both in freezing cold and blistering heat – but his mission is to pass on the what he's learnt so millions can experience the health benefits. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Metaverse is predicted to be a fast growing trillion-dollar industry by 2030, but how much do we know about it or understand how it might enrich our lives?
 
Vault Hill Founder/CEO Jimi Daodu and his team are building the first human centric virtual world designed to enhance human experiences. 
 
Jimi takes us on a fascinating journey from his offices in Dubai through the endless exciting possibilities the Metaverse has to offer and explains how we can be part of this 3D phenomenon.
 
Helen and Jimi discuss everything from the virtual property boom to how it can be used for education, work, entertainment, climate change and they explore the measures needed to keep us safe.
 

The Black Cop – winner of Best British Short Film at last year’s BAFTAs – is the story of Gamal ‘G’ Turawa’s life - growing up with a white foster family in Kent, abuse by his biological parents and his experiences in the Metropolitan Police.
 
Despite the racism he suffered in the force, including having his face painted white by fellow officers, ‘G’ is proud to have served 25 years in the Met. He explains to Helen how he tried to fit in, desperately wished he was white, and concealed the fact he’s gay.
 
G now speaks all over the world, including to police forces, to help people own their story, find a sense of belonging and embrace who they are. The Black Cop was made  by film-maker Cherish Oteka and can be watched on You Tube. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Theresa Patricios - Head of Investments for Convex Insurance - and life-long friend Cam Parker talk about the mental and physical challenges of their upcoming 2,800-mile row across the Pacific, raising funds for mental health charity Mind. 
 
As part of an organised race, their four-man team – Pacific Discovery 2023 – estimate spending 40 days at sea, rowing in two-hour slots, and carrying out research for the Convex Seascape Survey. Their ambition - to become the first re-insurance team to tackle an ocean.
 
Theresa has been drawn to the sea since she was a child growing up in Johannesburg and Cam is an accomplished free diver with the same passion for the ocean and an Atlantic row under his belt. 
 
 

“Seeing John hold his bear made it really hit home that he was just a child when he was facing the Holocaust in Hungary” Rankin
Holocaust Survivor John Hajdu describes life as a small boy in Budapest as Jews were rounded up & killed, and his parents taken to concentration/labour camps in World War 2.
He describes the fear of hiding in a dark cupboard as four-year-old, surviving in a cramped ghetto with little food and dead bodies on the streets, being forced to wear a Yellow Star, and finally escaping Hungary through a minefield with just his teddy bear & clothes given to him in Vienna.
John, now 85, finds it’s desperately painful watching history repeat itself in Ukraine.
He was honoured to be photographed recently by Rankin who said: “John’s bear is a tangible reminder that the stories we are telling happened in recent history and we must learn from these events – for a better future.” 
* Photographs by Rankin
 
 

Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies / economist Paul Johnson explores the state of Britain’s economy and explains what’s needed for recovery and vital economic growth.
 
Paul – who writes a column for The Times newspaper – says the absolute priority is for inflation, currently at a 40-year high, to come down and be under control, and explains how trade-offs are essential.
 
He's a regular on programmes like Today on BBC Radio 4 and made front page headlines when he predicted Liz Truss’s economic pledges as she fought to become Prime Minister would crash the public finances, which they did in her Autumn mini budget.

Light Artist Chris Levine takes us behind the scenes on his sittings at Buckingham Palace to create the first holographic portraits of The Queen and explains how Her Majesty embraced his innovative and complex techniques.
 
‘Lightness of Being’ - which captures the Queen with her eyes closed wearing the Diadem she wore to her Coronation – and ‘Equanimity’ hang in London’s National Portrait Gallery.
 
Meditation informs Chris’s work - the Queen told him gardening at Balmoral was hers. He talks about being the wild card for the shoot; how he was allowed to choose what Her Majesty wore and their private audiences afterwards to look through the work.
 
He also reveals the Dalai Lama chuckled a lot as he posed for a rare portrait to mark his 80th birthday; recounts talking holograms with David Bowie in a chance conversation as the rock icon left the dry cleaners and hints at an upcoming major light project at Stonehenge.
 
 
 
 
 

Hazel Findlay has been climbing for 27 of her 33 years. She tells Helen how tackling the most difficult, vertical, steep rocks is what motivates her most and shares her joy of sleeping in a makeshift hammock hanging from a sheer rock face.
 
On a recent expedition to Greenland, Hazel made two ‘first ascents’, climbing massive walls that no one has ever conquered, and explains how much harder it is to stay focussed in sub-zero temperatures and snow storms, with painful bare hands and frozen feet.
 
Inspired by the mental & psychological challenges of her very physical sport, Hazel has set up a coaching business - Strong Mind - to help other athletes overcome their fears and limitations – lessons she says are valuable for life in general.
 
Images by Jon Griffith and Cameron Maier 
Footage by Max Montgomery 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

More people have been to space than have been Yeoman Warders at The Tower of London - a role created by King Henry V11 after the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. 
 
Former Royal Marine Commando Andy Merry talks about the Yeoman Warders’ role in modern day history, giving us a behind the scenes look at guarding Her Majesty The Queen as she lay in state; their involvement in the proclamation of King Charles 111, and in the upcoming Coronation. 
 
From his home in the shadow of The Crown Jewels, Andy shares some of the lesser-known stories and tales from the iconic Royal palace and fortress’s thousand-year history and invites Helen to witness the Ceremony of the Keys which has taken place every night at The Tower for the last 700 years.
 
Andy also talks about tackling Mont Blanc after his MS diagnosis.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

In our first podcast of 2023, Mindset Coach Kamran Bedi talks about how to deal with the overwhelming feelings many people have as a new year dawns, and how to achieve a positive mindset and live more in the present.
 
Kamran – author of The Anxiety Antidote & Your Mind is Your Home – tells Helen that now is a good time to take a look at our minds and shares positive tips on how to start.
 
He also reflects on the struggles he had with his own mental health in his twenties when there wasn’t as much help available and reveals the tools he uses to live a happy, content life.  
 
 
 

Entrepreneur and pioneer Margo Marrone reveals how she grew her business from a shop in London’s Kings Road 20 years ago - at a time when there was a lot of scepticism about ‘organic’ - into a global brand with a presence in more than 40 countries.
 
Margo – a pharmacist, homeopath, yogi and shaman - has dedicated her life to healing and finding natural ways to promote wellness of the mind, body and skin. 
 
Her passion started as a young child growing up in Iran, inspired by the vibrant bazaars and remedies her mum and grandmother used. She qualified first as a pharmacist before exploring the world of homeopathy and the science behind a more natural approach.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sam Zeller shares the story behind lifting the first ever World Cup for Physical Disability Rugby League for England, beating New Zealand 42-10 in a tough game to become champions.
Sam - a 23-year-old claims adjuster at Convex - says the England team's focus is now on getting more exposure for the game to ensure more people are able to play.
The England side is made up of players with cerebral palsy, brain injuries, missing limbs and so on, but Sam - who was born without a right hand - says the split makes the team special. He talks about training under former England full-back Shaun Briscoe, the commitment of Australian comedian/player Adam Hills to the sport and the pride his parents felt watching the game. 
 
 
 
 

Consultant anaesthetist Dr Manish Raval of Moorfield’s Eye Hospital reflects on 11 years volunteering for Orbis, travelling to places like Peru, Zambia and Mongolia to work on surgeries on board their state-of-the-art Flying Eye Hospital and in the community.
 
Manish explains that 1.1 billion people have some sight loss yet 90% is avoidable. Orbis - a non profit organisation - empowers local medics in developing countries with the skills and resources to fight blindness on their own, teaching surgeries and techniques.
 
Manish specialises in paediatric anaesthesia and takes us round the world with examples of the charity's work.
 
In Ethiopia Orbis is heavily involved in eradicating trachoma – a bacterial infection which is the leading preventable cause of blindness. In Bangladesh volunteers teach cataract procedures and in Vietnam, where diabetes is a big problem, diabetic retinopathy surgery.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

It’s Friday night at St Columba’s Church in London’s Knightsbridge. Helen joins Haircuts4Homeless founder Stewart Roberts at work and chats to some of those who turn up for a free cut and warm meal.
 
Stewart started offering homeless people haircuts eight years ago. He now has 600 volunteers who have given more than 40,000 cuts all over the UK and Ireland, and the charity is proud that Game of Thrones star Lena Headey is an ambassador.
 
Hear Me, See Me - a beautiful book of black and white portraits of Haircuts4Homeless guests shot by Jack Eames – is on sale to help raise funds so the work can continue. Stewart says: “It might be ‘just a haircut’ but it’s the kindness shown that makes a homeless person know people care.”
 
Portraits by Jack Eames
 

As COP27 approaches, Callum Roberts - Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Exeter - talks about the Convex Seascape Survey, an ambitious five-year scientific research programme to fathom out how the ocean could be a vital asset in slowing planetary warming.
 
The seabed is the ultimate sink for carbon emissions but has been overlooked and undervalued because of insufficient and inconclusive data.
 
Working with BLUE Marine Foundation, scientists will gather and analyse accurate data to quantify how healthy seascapes thriving with life can absorb carbon, in a project which has never been more critical.

Globally renowned business expert Adam Kingl talks to Helen about the three generations in today’s workforce - baby boomers, Gen X and Gen Y
 
By 2025, it’s estimated Gen Y will make up 75% of the global workforce but a typical Gen Y doesn’t tend to stay in a job long-term.
 
Adam explains the paradigms and events which have led to the creation of a generation who demand a better work-life balance; more flexibility; positive career development; commitment to a more sustainable world and strong team culture.
 
We discuss reverse mentoring, side hustles, digital natives, Gen Z and the importance of assessing the health of a company through the lens of a sociologist – by observing behaviours.
 

As Hampton Court Palace prepares to host the 10th Tusk Conservation Awards, Helen is in Northern Kenya with the awards' partner/co-creators Ninety One to meet their first ever winner, Tom Lalampaa.
 
Tom - CEO of the North Rangelands Trust - explains how he’s found success brokering peace with feuding tribes in Northern Kenya using a conservancy method to ensure communities, wildlife and the habitat can thrive together.
 
Tom tells Helen about life in the Samburu Tribe, growing up with nomadic parents and 16 siblings, and reflects on what it meant to receive his award in London from Tusk’s royal patron HRH William, the Prince of Wales.
 
 
 

As the UK’s cost of living crisis deepens, Helen meets the Deputy Editor of MoneySavingExpert.com - Helen Saxon - for advice on what we can all do to survive the coming months.
 
With energy rates soaring, as well as food, broadband, council tax and fuel going up in a way we haven’t seen since the 1970s, Helen shares her expertise and offers some practical advice.
 
Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis started the business 20 years ago when a discount email to friends took off. Martin and his MSE team have gone on to help millions of people cut costs, find great deals, beat the system and fight their corner.

60 years ago Sean Connery uttered those immortal words “Bond, James Bond” when Dr No premiered in October 1962.
 
As the franchise celebrates the milestone with a focus on the iconic music scores, Helen talks to Neal Callow - Art Director of the last five Bond films starring Daniel Craig – and Austrian entrepreneur Jakob Falkner – the man behind the world’s first permanent Bond installation.
 
Neal and Jakob created ‘007 Elements’ 3,000m above sea level inside a glacier in Solden in the Austrian Alps where the most dramatic chase scenes from Spectre were filmed at Ice Q.
 
Neal gives an insight into what it’s like being part of the Bond family, the pleasure of working with Daniel Craig and explains why designing Elements to pay homage to the music, films, gadgets, action-scenes, characters and locations with Jakob was so special.
 
Music from Bond 25 - played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fresh from performing 25 one-woman shows at the Fringe, New York comedian Emily Wilson talks to Helen about her “life-changing” experience in Edinburgh.
In the show, written by Emily and Sam Blumenfeld, Emily shares the humiliating story of being a finalist on The X Factor USA when she was just 15, performing in front of Simon Cowell, Nicole Scherzinger and the other judges.
Through hysterical, self-deprecating stand-up, archive footage and original songs, Emily transports audiences back to 2011 and the embarrassing moments of her rollercoaster journey through boot camp to the finals and - boy - do we share her pain!
FIXED will be in London at the Soho Theatre January 12th through the 21st.
 
 
 

Ten-year-old Betsi Rose Powley tells Helen that sharing her battle with Ewing Sarcoma - a rare form of cancer - with 70,000+ followers on Instagram has kept her positive through gruelling chemo & radiotherapy, and made her happy she's helped others cope with with their treatment. 
 
In her first podcast, Betsi says making short films from her hospital bed at The Royal Marden kept her going, gave her the confidence to talk to other young cancer patients for support and sparked the idea for a unique project to help other poorly children.
 
She’s raised more than £23,000 so she can design pyjamas with special areas for tubes & ports so PJs no longer get cut up during treatment and has started her own label BAM Wear - Betsi And Monkey.  Follow @betsiatthemarsden 
 
 
 
 

Pilot and founder of Spitfires.com Matt Jones shares extraordinary stories with Helen from his record-breaking and risky circumnavigation of the globe in G-IRTY - a beautifully restored 1943 Mk IX Silver Spitfire.
Matt and his team flew 22,138 nautical miles around the world in just four months, crossing deserts, red mountains, barren areas of Russia, fields of ice and stunning cobalt lakes - climbing “a pilot’s Everest”.
They aspired to push the boundaries of what’s possible in the iconic single-engine aircraft, honouring its role in history, and succeeded.  A stunning documentary of the expedition is out soon.
 

This week Helen visits a small primary school in Ntumbiri in Northern Kenya to meet Ephantus Mugo - winner of Disney's Conservation Hero Award 2020 - to find out and experience how children are learning the value of conservation to improve their lives. 
Ephantus explains the challenges rural communities in Kenya face and how, in his role as Conservation Education Programme Coordinator for Lewa Conservancy, he’s helping them to solve those challenges and co-exist in harmony with the beautiful endangered species who share the land.  
Ephantus grew up in the coffee producing area of Mount Kenya seeing nothing more than squirrels (!) in terms of wildlife. He tells Helen what drives him to make a difference and talks about the success of the Next Generation of Conservationists project pupils took part in with families from investment firm Ninety One. 
 

Stephen King described Sarah Pinborough’s psychological thriller Behind Her Eyes as ‘bloody brilliant’. Netflix snapped it up and made it into a hugely successful six-part series in record time
The ending - #wtfthatending - trended on social media and the book, like many of Sarah’s others, shot to the top of best-sellers lists all over the world.
Sarah talks us through what happened, how her mum fell asleep when it aired, how the ending of all her books has to be written first, and teases her new thriller Insomnia which is also being adapted for TV. 
 

This week I’m in Northern Kenya with an 11-person team from investment firm Ninety One to document their unique experience taking part in Tusk's annual marathon through the beautiful Lewa Wildlife Conservancy alongside some of the world’s most endangered species.
The corporate team raised money for Tusk and visited incredible projects funded by the conservation charity, including schools, to see first-hand the difference the fundraising makes. 
More than £6 million has been raised since the marathon began 22 years ago, helping save the black rhino population from the brink of extinction, protecting critically endangered Grevy's zebra, and providing healthcare, water, education programmes, and much more. 
Find out how Emily, Steph, Ethan, Sheena and Marius from Ninety One’s London and Cape Town offices got on in the African Bush competing in one of the world's most challenging marathons and the impact the trip had on them all.
 

London’s Ambulance Service is the busiest in the world, receiving around seven thousand 999 calls a day.
Jules Lockett shares stories from her 21 years at the heart of the Emergency Operations Centre - as a call-handler, trainer & now EOC General Manager – and reveals her pride in wearing the NHS/Ambulance uniform.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Jules talks about 50 years of Pride and how London Ambulance Service supports LGBT, ensuring staff can be themselves and feel supported. Jules is Co-Chair of the LAS LGBT Network.

In part two of our special, F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart explains the dangers of emotion & how he managed to remove that emotion before a race by forcing himself to read despite having severe dyslexia.
The former three-times World Champion talks about how dangerous racing was in the sixties & seventies, his crash at Spa in 1966 and the safety measures he fought hard to bring in, even though it didn’t make him popular.
Sir Jackie, who remains one of motor sport’s greatest ambassadors, reveals how he started the champagne spraying tradition on the podium by accident & chats about today's star Lewis Hamilton. 
 

In part one of our two-part special, former three-times World Champion Sir Jackie shares stories from his heyday in racing – the close bond with other F1 drivers & their families, the excitement, glamour & adrenalin but also the incredible dangers & sadness of losing friends on the track.
Jackie’s beloved wife of 60 years, Helen, was his stopwatch, timing his laps to the millisecond with unwavering accuracy. Lady Stewart is suffering from dementia and Jackie talks about how he’s using the sharpness & speed of motorsport to inspire the finest young PhDs in the world to find a cure.
Some of those PhDs will be attending the Sir Jackie Stewart Classic in Scotland, an event to help raise funds for his charity, Race Against Dementia.

Simon Jeffries, co-founder of The Natural Edge, explains how mindset is a skillset & the path to long-term happiness begins & ends with our minds.
Drawing from his own personal experiences, including eight years & three tours as a Special Forces soldier, Simon shares some simple tips for making positive change, starting the journey to turn our potential into peak performance.
If you’ve plateaued, hit a wall, or feel frustrated with life, then Simon’s words will resonate & hopefully help you see how a change of mindset is key & there for everyone.   
 
 
 

Led Zeppelin’s frontman Robert Plant is to thank for two of the nation’s most loved & respected broadcasters hitting the road to share extraordinary stories from a combined 100 years in the music business.
Bob Harris & Danny Baker have been touring Britain with ‘Harris and Baker’s Backstage Pass’ recounting tales from the most seminal moments in music history featuring icons like David Bowie, Marc Bolan, The Rolling Stones, Elton John, Van Morrison, The Beatles & many more greats.
Helen secures her own backstage pass and catches up with Bob & Danny in their dressing room at the New Wimbledon Theatre in London. 
 

To mark Dementia Action Week, Dr Dennis Chan from UCL reveals the ground-breaking work he & research colleagues are doing to detect Alzheimer’s disease - one of the biggest causes of dementia - years, even decades, before symptoms like memory loss show.
Dr Chan explains how Virtual Reality is useful in testing & how everyday digital data like our heart rates, sleep patterns & breathing patterns gathered on smart devices can be crunched to identify ‘fingerprints’ which allow the earliest signs of diseases like Alzheimer’s to be detected.
EDoN – Early Detection of Neurodegenerative diseases – is an ambitious global project, spearheaded by Alzheimer’s Research UK. It’s hoped this kind of big data will help scientists like Dennis make faster breakthroughs, enabling them to test new preventions and treatments.

Helen travels to the southern tip of the Western Isles to learn everything there is to know about one of life’s great delicacies & what it’s like to be an oyster farmer in one of the most beautiful, remote places in the Outer Hebrides.
Gerard MacDonald founded the company after a visit to France & the realisation that the cold pristine waters of the Atlantic could offer the perfect habitat. Landing on a white sandy beach in a small aircraft, Helen discovers Gerry’s work is not for the faint-hearted!

Triathlete Dame Flora Duffy dreamt of winning the Olympics from the age of seven when she started competing in triathlons in Bermuda where she was born & spent her childhood.  
Fast-forward to Tokyo 2020, and the 34-year-old won gold in typhoon conditions – finishing her cycle, swim & run more than a minute clear of Britain’s silver medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown.
Flora gives Helen an insight into the mindset of an Olympic champion, the pressure she felt as favourite in Japan, her brutal training regime and how she has her sights set on defending her Commonwealth title this year & her Olympic title at Paris 2024.
 

Line of Duty star Vicky McClure introduces us to her Dementia Choir, subject of a third series on BBC1 this autumn.
She explains how science has proved the positive impact music has on those living with dementia, something she sees when she’s with the choir members and experienced with her nonna Iris, who died of dementia.
Vicky also reveals how she uses music to help her prepare for roles in dramas like Trigger Point; chats about an incredible decade in Line of Duty, and the first film she's made with her production company -  Build Your Own Films - in her home town of Nottingham.
 

After 24 years as a correspondent, Foreign Affairs Editor & Diplomatic Editor at Sky News, award-winning journalist Tim Marshall has used his experiences to write best-selling books using maps of crucial regions to explain the geo-political strategies of world powers. 
Tim - who is commentating on the situation in Ukraine and writing for publications like The New Statesman - explains why he thinks this conflict is the best example in the world of geography being a determining factor.
He tells Helen there's been an outpouring of need for context in what he describes as a 'watershed moment' in our history - from both a detailed level on the ground and a bird's-eye view of why this is happening and the deep background & history to it all.

Coinneach Macleod, who comes from a small crofting settlement on the remote island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, reveals how he’s unexpectedly become known to millions all over the world as The Hebridean Baker.
Coinneach’s unique blend of delicious recipes & fascinating stories from the Scottish Islands, music, stunning scenery, culinary secrets from his Aunt Bellag (93) & Gaelic in his one-minute baking films has attracted more than 17 million views on TikTok.
The fact the videos went viral have led to publication of a beautiful cookery book - featuring a “wee slice” of the Hebridean life Coinneach's so proud to share - numerous TV appearances & an upcoming book tour of America.

Actor Neil Morrissey was catapulted to fame in Men Behaving Badly & has been on our screens for the last four decades, in drama & comedy. 
The Good Karma Hospital star tells Helen about growing up in children's homes from the age of ten, being taken away from his parents, and how acting saved him. 
He also explains what it was like being a household name through the phone hacking years, talks about his pub, brewing his own Morrissey Blonde, new projects with broadcaster Sara Cox & Richard Osman & his love of relaxing in the middle of nowhere in France.

The Ukrainian refugee crisis is the fastest growing in Europe since the second world war & could last years, with more than 2 million people already abandoning their homes following Russia’s invasion.
Founder & CEO of Indigo Volunteers Holly Penalver talks about her charity’s role at the Ukranian borders, the extraordinary international response & the need for the UK to urgently issue more visas.
Holly and her teams work in the field in countries like Serbia, Bosnia & Greece long after the headlines are over, coordinating the grassroots refugee response and matching volunteers to organisations which provide vital support.
She says the current momentum for Ukraine is unlikely to be sustained therefore explains the need to pace ourselves for the mid- to long-term humanitarian crisis.
 
 

To mark International Women's day, we hear from Shabnam Dawran – a national news presenter from Afghanistan – who made headlines all over the world for standing up to the Taliban in Kabul when she was refused entry to her TV studios in the first few days of the new regime. 
 
The 26-year-old was forced to flee her home country a few months ago after being threatened at gun point & sharing her story on social media.
 
With support from Convex, Shabnam is building a new life in the UK with her younger brother and sister but dreams of returning to her family in Afghanistan in safer times & resuming her career as a national news anchor. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Broadcaster & editor-in-chief of The Frank Magazine Melanie Sykes speaks openly to Helen about her recent discovery she’s autistic & her new-found determination to speak out & help others.
 
Melanie has embraced her diagnosis at the age of 51 & says she’s looking at life through a different lens, unpicking and making sense of some of the past.
 
Melanie also talks passionately about the magazine she founded; her love of creating, interviewing, elevating & inspiring others, and a life-changing trip to India to connect with her family’s roots.  

As a young boy, Alessandro Savelli grew up in Genoa in Italy enjoying pasta made by his grandmother. When he wanted to start a brand from scratch, he came up with the idea for Pasta Evangelists, offering hand-made fresh pasta and the ingredients for delicious sauces delivered through the letterbox.
 
Alex and his partner Finn pitched on Dragons Den two years ago for £75,000 of investment but were turned down. They humbly listened to the Dragons’ advice but continued with their plans and sold a major stake in their company last year for £40 million.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Netflix say The Queen's Gambit has broken all records for the most watched limited series, with 62 million households gripped by their seven-part drama. But the story behind it is just as fascinating.
 
Co-creator & executive producer Allan Scott bought the rights to the Walter Tevis book in the eighties & tells Helen the trials & tribulations behind trying to get studios interested in the story of orphaned chess prodigy Beth Harmon. Chess being the blocker. 
 
Allan, who brought us iconic films like Don’t Look Now starring Donald Sutherland & Julie Christie and the musical Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, jokes he thought he was hallucinating when he watched the first episode air from his hospital bed!
 

As well-intentioned New Year’s resolutions fade & over-ambitious goals for a new body start to slip, wellness guru Rhian Stephenson explains the power of food and how to feel good & energised all year round.
 
Rhian is a nutritional therapist & naturopath who gave up her role as CEO of Psycle London to create her own wellness company, ARTAH out of her passion to help and inspire people to enjoy optimal health.
 
As a child Rhian suffered unexplained respiratory illnesses & skin conditions which were only resolved when, aged 17, a naturopath discovered she was allergic to a protein in milk.
 
 

British actor Peter Wight tells Helen about filming the upcoming BBC drama The Reckoning, based on the life of disgraced entertainer Jimmy Savile. He also chats about working with Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage on Cyrano which is out at cinemas now.
 
Peter, who has graced our screens & performed on stage for five decades, shares stories of working with legendary film director Mike Leigh; brushing shoulders with Hollywood’s Brad Pitt & Kiera Knightley & explains what drove him as a teenager to become one of Britain’s finest theatre actors.

Fredi Nwaka’s latest film, On the Other Foot, about a white racist cabbie who find himself stuck in a black body for 72 hours is comedic as well as thought-provoking. 
 
Fredi looks back on growing up as the only black child in the seaside town of Deal in Kent; reflects on his time in a notorious London gang and explains how he draws on his experiences to mentor young offenders & gang members to help steer them away from a life of crime.
 
The award-winning writer & rapper works in schools, prisons and in America with Crips & Bloods gang members.

Simson Uri-Khob is CEO of Save the Rhino Trust Namibia & this year’s winner of Prince William's Tusk Lifetime Award for Conservation in Africa.
 
He explains why he’s dedicated his life to protecting the world’s last free-roaming black rhino population in the desert from poachers & preserving their habitat with the vital help of local communities and leading conservation charity Tusk.
 
Simson also recalls taking the Duke of Cambridge rhino tracking in Namibia’s Kunene region & their joy at finally seeing one for 30 seconds after hours of trekking!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Annie Auerbach explains how learning to flex in our work & home lives, being rebellious & reinventing the rules, helps to create a smarter, happier life.
 
Annie is the co-founder of trends & cultural insights agency Starling and an expert in the future of work.
 
Her book on living & working on our own terms was written before the pandemic & has been critically acclaimed by the FT, Sunday Times Style, Stella & many more publications. Discover how Annie's findings can help you. 
 

Born in the UK to American parents, Jared Blumenfeld is one of America’s most innovative environmental leaders. He attended COP26 in Glasgow & gives us his take on what was achieved at the UN’s climate change summit as well as talking about the progress being made in California & the extreme weather America’s largest state is experiencing.
 
Jared believes we’ve gone beyond the precipice with climate change & that big business needs to be held more accountable for its actions. He also describes his extraordinary one-man 2,662-mile trek from Mexico to Canada, across searing deserts & rugged mountain ranges, on the stunning Pacific Crest Trail. 
 
 
 

Sabine knew at the age of 15 she wanted to design jewellery & work for herself. She shares fascinating stories of making a bracelet for Morgan Freeman for the Oscars; a golden corset for Angelina Jolie for the Maleficent 2 red carpet & reflects on precious time she spent with former South African President Nelson Mandela.
 
Sabine explains how she helped women in Botswana make a living, teaching them to make more sophisticated jewellery from ostrich eggshells & talks about the importance of giving back after surviving a terrifying cloud burst & devastating floods in India which destroyed entire villages & mountainsides.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This year’s Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year & Royal Marines Veteran Mark Ormrod tells Helen how his life was devastated in a split second in the early hours of Christmas Eve 2007. He stepped on & triggered an improvised explosive device on routine foot patrol in Afghanistan. He was just 24 & lost both legs & his right arm.
 
Mark has raised more than £600,000 to help other veterans & a film is being made of his inspirational story based on his book, Man Down.
 
He shares how, with the unwavering support of friends & family, he came back from suicidal thoughts, changing his mindset to become an 11-times medal winner at the Invictus Games, a peak performance coach & motivational speaker.
 
 
 
 

Dr Hannah French takes Helen on a musical journey through her life as a baroque flautist, studying and tutoring at the Royal Academy of Music. She talks about her passion for Bach & the pleasure she gets helping audiences unlock the fascinating secret stories classical music holds. 
 
Hannah has Ehlers Danlos syndrome – a genetic collagen deficiency which means she dislocates easily. She explains how she copes with the chronic pain, describing it as a constant companion she’s learnt to live with, and reveals how she fights the pain to make way for her music. 
 
 
 

Air Vice-Marshal Harv Smyth gives a fascinating insight into his job as as Britain’s first ever Director Space for the Ministry of Defence, responsible for building & delivering a national space programme for the UK.
A fast-jet pilot of 20 years & former leader of the combat arm of the Royal Air Force, AVM Smyth reveals he’s currently concentrating on low earth orbit, operating 63 miles above our planet and beyond.
His focus is looking back at Earth from space, using satellites & state- of-the-art technology to help with issues like climate change, agriculture, coastal erosion & to militarily protect & defend our nation.

As Britain prepares to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26, meteorologist Clare Nasir talks about the deep learning and research going on at the Met Office where she works by some of the biggest brains in climate science.
Clare says the science behind climate change has been known for decades and points out that this autumn the Nobel Prize for Physics went to two scientists for their work on the Earth's climate & reliably predicting global warming back in the sixties.
But we're now on the frontline, experiencing extreme weather, and chasing our tails. Clare stresses the need has never been more urgent to change our lifestyles and reduce our CO2 emissions. 

Helen free-falls at 125mph from 15,000 feet for an exhilarating sense of life as a member of The Tigers Army Parachute Display Team, in the capable hands of their leader, Sgt Frank Millerick.
 
Frank has done more than 3,000 jumps and talks about his passion for instructing hundreds of soldiers, watching them go from zero to hero, and seeing that light bulb moment. He talks openly about the challenges of life in the military and his pride at being part of the British Army’s Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment.  
 
 
 
 
 

As we mark World Mental Health Day, Dan Keeley shares his battles with his own mental health in the hope his journey can help others who may feel too afraid to speak up.
 
Dan, who describes being bi-polar as both a blessing & a burden, talks about his extreme adventures including running unsupported from Rome to Home – 1,250 miles in 65 days – to raise awareness. His sights are now set on Mont Blanc’s ultra-marathon.
 
He’s just delivered his first TEDx talk on the power of speaking up when we’re suffering for which he received a resounding standing ovation.
 
TEDx photographs by Simon Finley 
 

Mark Fallon spent 27 years as an NCIS special agent and was the US Deputy Assistant Director for Counterterrorism. He’s been undercover in some of the darkest corners of the world - with drug lords in Thailand buying heroin, capturing poachers in the Kenyan Bush and spent time questioning prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.
Mark says the most frightening thing of his entire career was a decision made by the US Government to “embrace torture as an instrument of national policy”. 
He talks about the rapport techniques he’s developed based on science which preserve the dignity of the process and the people on both sides of the interrogation table, resulting in more reliable information. 
Mark’s book - Unjustifiable Means, The Inside Story of How the CIA, Pentagon, and US Government Conspired to Torture – was published in 2017 but with more than 113 redactions. 
 

As Britain prepares to host the United Nation's Climate Change Conference COP 26, the CEO of NGO Plastic Oceans International talks to Helen about the catastrophic situation the world is in and the serious threat to our ecosystems. 
More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year. 10 million tonnes end up in our oceans with only 10 per cent recycled. Julie explains if we don't change our sight line, it will have catastrophic results for the planet. She shares innovative stories of positive projects happening in communities around the globe and stresses the massive difference we can all make collectively towards ending plastic pollution. 

West End actors Ed Currie & Andy Coxon met in 2015 rehearsing for a punishing schedule of live performances of Beautfiful: The Carole King Musical in London.
In the mele & drama of performing an intensely physical show under hot lights & high pressured conditions, theatre-life inspired them to create a natural deodorant balm which not only solved a problem for their fellow actors (!) but has been voted top in its field by Vogue. 
Ed & Andy have become unlikely yet hugely successful entrepreneurs & share their unusual story in this week’s podcast.
 

Dr Hilary has been broadcasting on breakfast shows like ITV's Good Morning Britain & Lorraine for more than 30 years, keeping his finger literally on the pulse of the nation! 
Never has he faced a more “fascinating & professionally challenging” time than throughout the pandemic.
Hilary talks about the responsibilities which come with being a TV doctor; how he helped people in one of the most remote areas of the world as a young medic & reveals the inspiration behind his epic WW1 debut novel, Frontline.
 

TV presenter Anneka Rice talks about her latest project - performing stand-up comedy for BBC Radio 4 in which she goes in search of her missing Madame Tussauds waxwork head!
It's 30 years since Challenge Anneka drew TV audiences in their millions. Annie reveals she's still involved with most of the show's 60 projects, including the Romanian orphanages she drew the world's attention to.
Anneka also talks about her dad's ten year battle with Alzheimer's & how she's championing Alzheimer's Research UK.
 
 

 
Astronomer Mark Thompson DSc is preparing to deliver a 140-hour marathon lecture – a first in terms of studying extreme sleep deprivation & an attempt which will hopefully break a Guinness world record.
A familiar face from BBC1’s The One Show & Stargazing Live, Mark will be scientifically monitored as he lectures on deep space, our solar system, black holes, the fact all our body atoms were created inside stars (!) & much more.
Marks explains the results will likely have real implications, including the possible development of an algorithm to detect when people are too tired to drive. 

Downton Abbey, Cold Mountain, Batman & Outlander are just some of the dramas & films food stylist Lisa Heathcote has worked on, cooking up screen dishes & banquets for stars like Nicole Kidman, Dawn French, Hugh Bonneville & Dame Maggie Smith.
She's currently letting her imagination run wild on the set of the new series of Bridgerton for Netflix.
Lisa worked on Downton from episode one & shares behind the scenes stories of how she not only makes the 20th century fare look the part upstairs and below stairs, but ensures it's historically accurate, edible & survives the studio lights & retakes. 
 

Jon Allen was originally discovered by Mark Knopfler gigging in a small club in Shepherd’s Bush in 2006 which led to him touring in the UK & Europe with Dire Straits.
 
Jon plays alongside artists like Seal, Dionne Warwick & Damien Rice. He’s had more than 5 million downloads on Spotify, is back on the road performing tracks from his new studio album 'Meanwhile' & laughs about how the whisky-soaked “husk” he tried to lose as a teenager has paid the bills!
 
 

George Bye, founder & CEO of Bye Aerospace in Colorado, has created the eFlyer – stunning & innovative all-electric aircraft designed for two, four & eight passengers which will revolutionise the skies.
A pilot himself, George tells Helen how sustainable electric flying will not only eliminate CO2 and noise, it will significantly reduce costs, making the thrill of aviation accessible to many more people. The eFlyer 2 is expected to be FAA certified by the end of next year. 
 

Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor reveals how feeling paralysed by a lack of creativity & inspiration during lockdown, and "with no manual for how to do this", her musician husband Richard came up with the idea for her much-loved kitchen discos. 
Sophie tells Helen how her podcast series Spinning Plates featuring inspirational mums has been one of the best projects she's taken on; talks about writing her autobiography, and the pleasure of being back on stage performing at live gigs throughout the UK.