Best Bentley Davis Podcasts (2024)

1
163. Barbara Buczek; From Poland to Kentucky, Saudi Cruising to Everest Base Camp and The Emotional Tug of Those White Cliffs of Dover 53:09

1M ago53:09

53:09

Barbara Buczek spent ten years in the management team at the Port of Dover but over two years ago moved continents to establish Saudi’s new cruise scene with Cruise Saudi. Born in Poland she felt that travelling at an early age to Kentucky to attend a US high school gave her the travel bug. On this episode we talk about the special relationship wit…

1
162. Ash Bhardwaj; Walking The Nile, Slipping Down the Himalayas & Exploring Why We Travel 1:14:33

1M ago1:14:33

1:14:33

Ash Bhardwaj travel-writer, film-maker & author of the new book Why We Travel is today’s wonderful guest – discussing… the rugby trip to New Zealand that changed his life, walking the Nile with his friend Levison Wood, getting dangerously lost Walking the Himalayas, the magical Sufi festival in the Sudanese desert, the pilgrimage with his father’s …

1
161. Faisal Sheraiff; Saudi-Influencer on Saudi’s Changes, the Old Markets of Riyadh, Dream-Scapes in Alula 32:38

2M ago32:38

32:38

Faisal Sheraiff, influencer and entrepreneur, lives in Saudi Arabia with his fashion designer wife and two children. He was born in the US to a diplomat father and an anthropologist mother and has travelled to 50 countries. We discuss Saudi’s changes and international tourism, living in Jeddah by the sea, beach days, coffee shops, large family gath…

1
160. Hassan Saeed; Maldivian Resorts, Island Culture and the Importance of Loving Your Community 45:49

2M ago45:49

45:49

We’re back for our new season and starting with an extra special episode recorded in the beautiful Maldivian resort of Dhigali where our presenter Lisa recently spent an idyllic week. Who better to give us a real look at life in the Maldives than resort manager Hassan Saeed who, having dropped out of school age 14 and one of 11 siblings, very quick…

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159. NEW SEASON IMMINENT! 4:38

3M ago4:38

4:38

We are happy to announce the imminent arrival of our new season of episodes and as usual we have a few wonderful surprises for you – some on location episiodes from destinations as varied as Copenhagen to the Maldives – some new partners for sponsorship and also a very exciting annoucment as to what Lisa is up to with some travel plans that can als…

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158. The Big Travel Podcast Christmas Special 2023! 20:56

5M ago20:56

20:56

Hello and welcome to The Big Travel Podcast Christmas Special 2023 special…featuring the Casual Birder Podcast’s Suzy Buttress on celebrating the winter solstice in Antartica, Countdown’s Rachel Riley and her husband’s post-Strictly wind down in the blue lagoon in Iceland, musician and writer Nitin Sawhney having a Hallmark picture perfect Christma…

1
157. Nitin Sawhney CBE; Racism in Kent, India on Horseback, Mandela at Home 1:03:28

7M ago1:03:28

1:03:28

Nitin Sawhney’s Kent childhood included regular attacks by racists, but he threw himself into music, joining school friend James Taylor’s band. Flying to India via Kabul aged 8 he found himself a child mascot riding horseback through the streets, he felt liberated by Liverpool at university, he studied accountancy but ending up creating a hit comed…

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156. Motoring Journalist Ben Oliver; Belfast Troubles, Braving An Open Top Bentley To The Arctic Circle, Manoeuvring A Mini Up the Himalayas in Monsoon 48:49

11M ago48:49

48:49

Motoring journalist Ben Oliver was born amid the troubles in Belfast with the family moving to ‘slightly dull Reading’ when he was 6. On this episode we talk about his life-changing teen travels to Israel, Syria, Gaza & Kurdistan, the glory 90s and noughties days of magazine journalism, how LA porn sets are like a clinical operating room, driving a…

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155. Warwick Davis; Cookies with Carrie Fisher in California, Varanasi with Karl Pilkington, The Seven Dwarfs of Auschwitz and The World’s Best Pencil Museum 34:39

12M ago34:39

34:39

Actor Warwick Davis' first trip abroad was to California at the age of 11 to star in Star Wars, a big jump from his day to day childhood in Surrey. On this episode we talk…Carrie Fisher feeding him cookies in the Redwood forest, sweltering in a rubber head-mask in the deserts of Tunisia, being a Goblin with David Bowie, causing mayhem in India on A…

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154. Rachel Riley MBE; Holocaust Education, Ukrainian Refugees, Wildlife in the Galapagos & Maths for Travel 29:26

12M ago29:26

29:26

Rachel Riley, Maths expert, Gadget Show & Countdown host, MBE for services to Holocaust education grew up in Essex by way of Manchester. We talk about the astonishing story of her Jewish mother’s family escaping from what’s now Russia, the family member who was stabbed by a mounted Kossack and ended up a Gaucho in Argentina, taking in Ukrainian ref…

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153. Robert Munns; West End Theatre with Madonna, Sailing The Pacific With MS and Life-Changing Conscious Decisions 1:13:00

12M ago1:13:00

1:13:00

Robert Munns, CEO of sailing charity Oceans of Hope UK, left the graft and glamour of West End theatre for a life on the seas. He’d not long had a shock diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis when a chance encounter in a harbour changed the course of his future. Rob and Lisa talk West End theatre’s transformation, working with Madonna, happy days sailing …

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152. Freya Ridings; Nana’s Piano, From a London Shed to LA’s Best Studios, Love Island & Much More 38:54

1y ago38:54

38:54

Freya Ridings’ beautiful, heartfelt music, gives you a wonderful sense of her warm and open personality and you’re going to LOVE Freya’s stories here on the podcast; Learning to play on her Nana’s piano, growing up in a musical, talented family (her Dad is the voice of Daddy Pig!), Lost Without You being played on Love Island, getting engaged in La…

1
151. Suzy Buttress from The Casual Birder Podcast; Antarctic Endeavours, Mexican Whale-Watching & Emotional Eclipses 1:06:50

1+ y ago1:06:50

1:06:50

It was a passion for birding and indeed podcasting that lead Suzy Buttress to establish the wonderful Casual Birder podcast, for which she travels extensively, tracing birds and indeed other wildlife around the world. We discuss her recent expedition cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica, dealing with anxiety when having heard two p…

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150. The Big Travel Podcast Christmas and New Year Special! 50:14

1+ y ago50:14

50:14

With… Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos in New Zealand, podcaster & author Iszi Lawrence in Australia, charity founder Kevin Chaplin in Cape Town, celebrity vet Marc Abraham building a sand Christmas tree in Thailand, author Hannah Bourne-Taylor rescuing a pangolin in the rainforest in Ghana, Hollywood actor Minnie Driver on beach Christmases in Cali…

1
149. Kevin Chaplin; Growing Up Under Apartheid, Inspiring Township Children and the Power of Travel to Expand Horizons 43:40

1+ y ago43:40

43:40

Kevin Chaplin left behind his banking career to establish South Africa’s Ubuntu Foundation and rescue the Amy Foundation, named after American student, Amy Biehl, from bankruptcy. Kevin and I talk about growing up under apartheid, the hardship of life in the townships, the challenges faced by Cape Town’s children and young adults, taking a team of …

1
148. Iszi Lawrence; Travelling Nowhere with Shaun Keavney, Decolonising History & Flying Solo to Australia age 6 58:00

1+ y ago58:00

58:00

Author, historian, comedian, podcaster and co-presenter of the travel that doesn’t actually go anywhere – ‘Your Place Or Mine’ with the wonderful Shaun Keavney – Izsi Lawrence is on the Big Travel Podcast. Iszi and Lisa talk… Britain’s most fixable landmarks, The British Museum, Ju Jitsu fighting suffragettes, de-colonising history, dinosaurs, eart…

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147. Tony Michaelides; Legendary Rock Promoter on Bowie, Joy Division, U2 & Manchester’s Finest Exports 1:10:59

1+ y ago1:10:59

1:10:59

Tony Michaelides finds it uncomfortable to call himself legendary, as one would, but he is indeed legendary in the music business…promoting acts including U2, The Stone Roses, David Bowie, New Order, The Police, Depeche Mode, Simply Red, Bob Marley, Massive Attack, REM, Matchbox Twenty, The Pixies, Elvis Costello, Genesis, Johnny Cash, Whitney Hous…

1
146. Sara Tasker; From Passport-Less to Wanderlust, Struggles of Special Assistance Travelling and The French House That Stole Her Heart 48:19

1+ y ago48:19

48:19

Instagram Expert, Creative Coach, Photographer and Author Sara Tasker spent lockdown obsessing about the perfect French house and if you follow her on @me_and_orla you know she’s an expert in making things look beautiful. We talk French bakeries, river beaches, Insta retreats, West Yorkshire, how she got into her work, the challenges she faces when…

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145. Cyber Crime Expert Lisa Forte; Battling Somali Pirates, Skyscraper Climbs in Kazakhstan & Descending Deep Into Abandoned Mines 47:40

1+ y ago47:40

47:40

Cyber Crime Expert, climber and caver Lisa Forte has been voted one of the 100 top women in tech, starting her career plotting against Somalian pirates in the Middle East. Having travelled extensively for both work and fun we talk offending the locals in South Korea, climbing frozen waterfalls in the Alps, scaling skyscraper-height granite in Kazak…

1
144. Nina Nesbitt; Swedish-Scottish Upbringing, Fainting in Hong Kong, US Radio Tours, Overcoming Travel Anxiety 36:33

1+ y ago36:33

36:33

Singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt grew up half Swedish and half Scottish in a little Scottish village, kicking off her career age 15 on YouTube before very quickly making a name for herself. Nina talks about touring with Ed Sheeran and Example, overcoming stage fright, fainting in Hong Kong, the confusing familiarity of Australia, a surreal radio tour…

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143. Mambo Brothers; Growing up in Ibiza’s Mambo Café, Becoming International DJs and Searching for the Soul 32:53

1+ y ago32:53

32:53

‘Something special happens in Ibiza…’ say our guests on this episode and indeed it feels like this is true, especially for these lovely brothers. Born in Ibiza to a Scottish mum and Spanish Dad, with their parents’ Café Mambo attracting world famous faces from music, fashion, stage and screen, Christian and Alan Anadon aka Mambo Brothers, eagerly a…

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142. On location in Ibiza – Hotelier Marc Rahola; From Telephone Operator to Founder, Ibiza’s Contrasts, London’s Notting Hill & What Makes a Hotel Entrepreneur 36:05

2y ago36:05

36:05

Ibizan hotelier Marc Rahola went from hotel telephone exchange boy to founder of a chain of boutique hotels and properties by, in his own words, making a series of happy accidents and mistakes. Od Hotels now have many properties all over Europe including the beautiful Ocean Drive Talamanca where Lisa and Marc have coffee and explore… how a Paris Ho…

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141. Mariellen Ward; Alternative Music in Toronto, A Year in Tokyo, the Inner Voice That Led to India 42:06

2y ago42:06

42:06

After a series of tragic losses Mariellen Ward took a giant leap of faith and headed to India. Her six month plan has seen her now be there for almost 20 years, setting up the inspirational travel site, Breathe Dream Go and also tour company India For Beginners. We explore the alternative music scene in Canada, her year with a film director in Toky…

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139: Trevor Dolby; Creating The New ‘A Year in Provence’, a Village Life in France, the Publishing World in London 49:15

2y ago49:15

49:15

Michael Palin describes Trevor Dolby’s book, One Place de L'Eglise, as "a timeless story of what it is that makes France irresistible”. Former publisher, Trevor, and his wife Kaz discovered a medieval house in virtual ruins in Languedoc, just off the local village square and the resulting book, widely known as the new ‘Year in Provence’, follows th…

1
138. Foy Vance; Childhood Church Building in Oklahoma, Growing up in Northern Ireland’s Music Scene, Recording in Muscle Shoals, Home-Schooling on Tour With Ed Sheeran 50:09

2y ago50:09

50:09

Growing up in Northern Ireland, with his preacher father playing guitar and his granny always singing, for Foy Vance music and the nomadic lifestyle are somewhat ingrained. When Foy was a young boy his father moved the family to Oklahoma to build a church. Back in Northern Ireland he picked up the guitar and eventually immersed himself in the local…

1
137. Jamie Klingler; Reclaim These Streets, Taking the Police to Court, Turning Your Life Around 50:52

2y ago50:52

50:52

During the pandemic Jamie Klingler, underwent an incredible transformation from heavy-drinking party girl to sober, and losing 7 stone along the way. But it was the murder of Sarah Everard that led to her becoming the activist her mother always felt she should be and having co-founded Reclaim These Streets you’ll now see her all over the news battl…

1
136. Jennifer Nand; Liverpool, The Cavern and When John Lennon Spat on her Nose 45:26

2y ago45:26

45:26

Jennifer Nand was just a young teen when the Beatles were at the start of their meteoric rise. Piling into her friend Jenny’s hearse to go watch the bands in The Cavern and other places across the city, hitching lifts home through the Mersey tunnel, being accidentally spat on the nose by none other than John Lennon, watching the debut performances …

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135. Hannah Bourne-Taylor; Ghana, Conservation and The Baby Bird That Nested in Her Hair 47:40

2y ago47:40

47:40

You might have seen recently a story that went viral, the woman who for three months let a baby bird nest in her hair. Of course the real story is a little bit more nuanced and to hear it directly from nature writer and conservationist Hannah Bourne-Taylor might well bring a little tear to your eye, On this episode, and in her book Fledging, Hannah…

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134. Marc 'The Vet' Abraham OBE; Mumbai Slum-Dogs, Rescuing Bears in Ukraine, Operations in Thai Temples, Changing the Law 1:11:05

2y ago1:11:05

1:11:05

Marc Araham, OBE, aka Marc the Vet, was inspired by his Holocaust survivor grandmother to change UK law and dramatically improve how we treat our pets. He’s vaccinated dogs in Mumbai slums, rescued dancing bears in Ukraine, operated in Buddhist temples in post-tsunami Thailand, battled dog-meat farms in South Korea, travelled deep into the Amazon J…

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133. Cally Beaton; Vodka with Madonna, Panthers on the Loose and Joan Rivers’ Life-Changing Approval 1:00:12

2y ago1:00:12

1:00:12

Stand-up comedian, star of comedy TV shows and host of the Namaste Mother******s Podcast, Cally Beaton, was a high flying TV exec until Joan Rivers noticed her comedic talent and gave her some life-changing advice. She’s partied at some of the world’s hottest events, knocked back Vodka with Madonna, refused to indulge Mariah’s puppies, narrowly avo…

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132. International Travel Nanny, Shada Lambert; Celebrity Clients, Private Planes, Swimming Pools in Hotel Rooms and a Big Jamaican Family 35:33

2y ago35:33

35:33

'Nanny Sharz’ as she’s known is an international Nanny for the rich and famous, work which has taken her all over the world looking after other people’s children. Growing up in Birmingham and London she comes from a big, musical, cooking Jamaican family and has jetted away in private planes, had a pool in her hotel room, been escorted to reception …

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131. Abandoned Places Explorer ‘Greg Abandoned’; Soviet Space Shuttles in the Desert, Being Shot at in Bulgaria and a Life-Changing Visit to Chernobyl 55:36

2y ago55:36

55:36

On top of a building in Chernobyl, overlooking the destruction and devastation, Greg made a life-changing decision. From that moment on he would dedicate his life to exploring abandoned places, becoming 'Greg Abandoned'. He’s been shot at in Bulgaria, risked his life to trek to a Soviet-era abandoned space shuttle in Kazakhstan, explored countless …

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130. Alex Kapranos; Growing up Half Greek, Rock n Roll Chefs, Moscow Arrests and Colombian Bull’s Testicles 54:15

2+ y ago54:15

54:15

Lisa is utterly delighted to have Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos on the podcast to talk about growing up half Greek, the rock and rolls side of cheffing, how Franz Ferdinand partly emerged from a kitchen, Ethiopian instruments, Colombian bull’s testicle maracas, getting arrested as a spy in Moscow, being rushed to hospital in Budapest, learning ho…

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129. Minnie Driver; California Contrasts, Barbados v Boarding School, European Trains and Hawaiian Ukuleles 45:16

2+ y ago45:16

45:16

A childhood divided between her father’s home in Barbados and the cold grey of a wintery London gave Hollywood actor Minnie Driver a love for the laid-back sunshine of the coast of California. Minnie and Lisa talk America’s contrasts of rich and poor, the philosophy of travel, the highs and lows of boarding school, taking the train across Europe, g…

1
128. Dr. Rebecca Johnson; Crossing the US in a Hearse, Greenham Common, Driving Aid to Bosnia, Dancing in Cuba and Winning the Nobel Peace Prize 2:15:48

2+ y ago2:15:48

2:15:48

Peace Activist and Nuclear Disarmament Expert, Dr. Rebecca Johnson, grew up in a Hutterite community in the rural US. After living in Japan and visiting Hiroshima she was moved to join the women’s peace camp at Greenham Common, protesting against nuclear weapons. She’s driven supplies into war-torn Bosnia, sailed the seas on Greenpeace’s Rainbow Wa…

1
127. Pete Bennett; Big Brother, Peckham Transvestites, Hollywood Agents, Mexican Chicken-Sacrifices and Celebrating Tourette’s 1:07:40

2+ y ago1:07:40

1:07:40

Growing up on a Peckham council estate with his musician mother and a 'Lizzie-Anne the transvestite' childcarer led to Pete Bennett’s own love of quirk and music Now an actor, director, voice over artist and of course musician (with his band Lovedogz), he first came to public attention in 2006’s Big Brother and really opened up the conversation abo…

1
126. Will Bolsover; Natural World Safaris, Big Cats in Siberia, Little Lizards in Madagascar and the Challenges of Covid-Era Travel 35:15

2+ y ago35:15

35:15

A year spent camping out in the bush in Cameroon led Will Bolsover from Natural World Safaris make travel his life’s work. From tracking tigers in Siberia, to finding hidden corners of Madagascar and most recently spending 48 minutes in the Antarctic followed by 11 nights in hotel quarantine…it’s not always straightforward but it certainly sounds a…

1
125. Christmas Special 2021; Sathnam Sanghera, Lisa Jewell, Matt Forde, Anne Sebba, Olly Mann, Greenham Common and more 30:16

2+ y ago30:16

30:16

Authors Anne Sebba on the Royal abdication, Sathnam Sanghera's dismal Christmas restaurant, Lisa Jewell's Boney M in Barbados, adventurer Jamie Douglas-Hamilton rowing to the Antarctic, satirist Matt Forde in an NYC Irish bar, podcaster Olly Mann’s disappointing LA Santa, artist Firouz FarmanFarmaian Muslim Catholic Christmas in Marrakesh, adventur…

1
124. Firouz FarmanFarmaian; Escaping Tehran, Kashmiri Houseboats, Trekking Kyrgyzstan, Rock Bands and Contemporary Art 38:45

2+ y ago38:45

38:45

Born in Tehran, the descendent of a nomadic tribe, Contemporary Artist Firouz FarmanFarmaian's family scattered after the Islamic Revolution. He grew up trekking mountains and deserts, touring with his Indie rock band and now with his internationally acclaimed art. With a gallery in Tarifa, Spain, and a new base in Athens, he travels the globe sour…

1
123. On Location in Marbella Old Town with Tour Guide Javier Gonzalez 29:31

2+ y ago29:31

29:31

A journey through the maze of Marbella's 16th Century cobbled lanes surrounding the old 'Orange Square', encountering flamenco singers and opera stars and sampling some of the coast's most wonderful tapas. With tour guide Javier Gonzalez and staying at the stunning Anantara Villa Padierna Palace, with its classical Italian design and sophisticated …

1
122. Matt Forde; Billy Connolly in New York, Liam Gallagher in Berlin and Nick Leeson's Worldwide 'British Scandal' Jaunt 39:34

3y ago39:34

39:34

Comedian, political satirist and Spitting Image star Matt Forde talks accosting Billy Connolly in New York, 'dying' on stage in Luxemborg, pints of Carling in ex-pat clubs in Bahrain, Nick Leeson's luxury hotel dash around the world, spending 3 months locked in a first floor flat, an emotional pilgrimage to the Ghostbusters fire station, being the …

1
121. Sam McManus; Adventure Travel When the World Closes, Costa Rica, Green Northern Spain and the Unexpected Pull of Home 34:57

3y ago34:57

34:57

Just as the world was closing Sam McManus from YellowWood Adventures took a daunting gamble and hopped on a plane to Costa Rica. We talk about how the pandemic can change travel (even for the better), tourism being potentially a means for good, eco-tourism and re-forestation, surfing, small pueblos in the green hills of Northern Spain, his wonderfu…

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120. UK TRAVEL UPDATE; Travel Opens Up, Vaccines, Quarantine and a Call to Action to The Government 8:12

3y ago8:12

8:12

Good news at least for those people who have had two UK administered vaccines. From 19th July we can now go to amber list countries without quarantining on return. BUT at the moment this is just for UK administered vaccines meaning the country is not yet open to inbound tourism. Travel needs to be two-way! We need people in the UK to support our bu…

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119. UK TRAVEL UPDATE; New Rules, Traffic Lights, Vaccinations 9:41

3y ago9:41

9:41

A Big Travel Podcast special on the latest UK Travel Update; the new rules, the changes in the traffic light ratings, vaccinations soon to be taken into account and much more. A ten minute episode of essential listening. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Auddy Network

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118. Olly Mann; Guns On Trucks in Malawi, Swim-Up Bar Piña Coladas, Greyhounds and The American Dream 53:50

3y ago53:50

53:50

Olly Mann, from Answer Me This podcast fame, his new The Retrospectors and much more, loves nothing more than researching trivia especially with travel. We talk Wrigley’s chewing gum and decapitation, leaving your baby outside a pub, people who get erections on public transport, a love for Luton Airport, the misleading American Dream, cocktails wor…

1
117. Huw Wyn; Arabian Nights in Cairo, Hitching Through Nepal, Tibetan Medicine in Scotland and Tom Hardy Dropping into his Festival 45:48

3y ago45:48

45:48

Into The Wild Festival promoter Huw Wyn grew up in his mother’s hotel in Wales then moved to Spain. We talk growing up feral in Andalucia, hitchhiking across Europe, fish-packing in the Netherlands, Glastonbury, Arabian Nights in Cairo, the poetic side of being a London bin man, orphanages in India, Mother Theresa in Calcutta, meeting the Dalai Lam…

1
116. Anne Sebba; Parisian Women and Nazis, Film Stars in Rome, ‘Communists’ in Sing Sing Prison 59:46

3y ago59:46

59:46

The author of one of Lisa’s favourite books, Les Parisiennes: How the Women of Paris Lived, Loved and Died in the 1940s, Anne Sebba explores the lives of women ‘writers and fighters’. As a journalist and author she's worked in film-star-filled 70s Rome, moved to New York with a baby, camped in the Mexico desert with Wallis Simpson’s free-diving ste…

1
115. Lisa Jewell; Family Roots in India, a Different Barbados and How Nothing Beats a Week in Lanzarote 37:32

3+ y ago37:32

37:32

Internationally best-selling author Lisa Jewell is a Londoner through and through, yet her Anglo-Indian mother a rather traumatic upbringing in India. Lisa’s travelled far and wide – tracing her family roots in India, having rare-for-the-time childhood holidays in Barbados and was even inspired to centre one novel about an unknown woman sneaking in…

1
114. Sathnam Sanghera; Empire, Racism and Legacy, Brits Abroad and Boris Johnson’s Therapy 36:48

3+ y ago36:48

36:48

Winning a Radio 1 competition age 15 to fly to LA first piqued Sathnam Sanghera’s taste for travel and journalism. His latest book EmpireLand: How Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past explores how the British Empire still shapes who we are. As well as the Empire, racism, Enoch Powell, Cambridge, 80s popular culture, the history of Brits Ab…

1
113. Jamie Douglas-Hamilton; Treacherous Seas, Great Explorers and Crazy Hallucinations 39:10

3+ y ago39:10

39:10

The Drake Passage is one of the most treacherous seas and Jamie Douglas-Hamilton and team rowed from South America to Antarctica, breaking 9 world records and resulting in the incredible documentary The Impossible Row for Discovery+. Inspired by his adventurer grandfather Jamie previously rowed from Australia to Africa. He’s endured towering waves,…

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