Hello! Another summer conversation for you. It’s our extended chat with poet and writer Lemn Sissay about 'My Name is Why' - his powerful memoir about growing up in the care system. Lemn talks about his 30 year battle to access his records and why it was so important to write about his story.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! Here’s the second of our summer conversations. We speak to former tech insider turned critic Wendy Liu about her new book, Abolish Silicon Valley. Wendy chats about failing in love with tech as a teenager, her experience in the industry and the complex problems of Big Tech. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! We’re doing something a bit different over the next few weeks and giving you extended conversations with some fab guests. This week: comedian and writer Sara Pascoe on her book Sex, Power, Money. Sara chats about the complexity around issues like sex work and porn, how her mind has changed, and why it’s so important to listen to people’s own experiences.PLUS the story of how she ended up working with Robbie Williams’ dad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! We’ve done it! Reasons to be Cheerful has hit the big the 1-5-0. Reunited at a safe distance in Ed’s garden, we thought it was time for a bit of self-indulgence… We chat about what we’ve learned, pick out the memorable moments, and explore some themes that have come up again and again since that first episode nearly three years ago.PLUS a couple of birthday surprises! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! In the last few months towns and cities around the world have experimented with closing roads, expanding pavements and pop-up cycle lanes. Does this offer a vision of a better way of using space on our streets? Greater Manchester walking and cycling supremo Chris Boardman talks us through what’s happened in the region and their plans for the future. And former New York transport commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan explains why this is an important moment to rethink our approach to getting around.Plus very cheerful comedian Josie Long on lockdown, Twitch & the future of live comedy. Read Farhad Manjoo's piece on the vision of a future without cars: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/09/opinion/sunday/ban-cars-manhattan-cities.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! It’s a story that brings together Mark Zuckerberg, Nick Clegg and the biggest civil rights groups in the US... This week we’re talking about the incredible success of the Stop Hate for Profit Facebook ad boycott. Jessica González, one of the leading figures in the campaign, explains how they’ve persuaded 1,000 advertisers to boycott Facebook over a lack of action on hate speech. Digital organiser Melissa Ryan talks about why social media has such a problem with extremist content. And the Centre for Countering Digital Hate’s Imran Ahmed tells us why mobilising advertisers works. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! In recent months, many working parents have had to juggle looking after kids at home with their usual jobs. Research shows this has had a disproportionate impact on working mothers. We talk to researcher Christine Berry and Lucie Stephens from the New Economics Foundation about our reliance on childcare, the crisis now facing the sector, and how to ensure it is truly valued in the coronavirus recovery. Then Mary-Ann Stephenson from the Women’s Budget group discusses the broader economic impact of the last few months on women.Plus singer-songwriter turned CBeebies star Nick Cope is here to talk about his Popcast! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! Even before lockdown began, millions of people in the UK regularly struggled to afford to eat and the current crisis has only made this worse. This week we're talking about Britain’s hunger problem. Food bank manager Jon Taylor explains the huge rise in food poverty that he’s seen. Kath Dalmeny from Sustain talks solutions, including the case for a new 'right to food'. And we ask Unni Kjærnes about the situation in Norway.Plus director, screenwriter and king of romcoms Richard Curtis chats about Make My Money Matter - his new campaign on how our pensions are invested.Sign up to the Cheerful newsletter: https://cheerfulpodcast.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! With 70% British theatres on the brink of collapse and hundreds of thousands of arts jobs at risk, we’re talking about the need to save our arts and culture sector. Playwright James Graham sets out the threat to theatres and what government needs to do. Our FDR expert David Woolner is back to explain the huge art programmes in the New Deal. Then Berlin-based journalist Kate Brown talks about Germany’s ambitious culture bailout.Plus poet Lemn Sissay on lockdown, judging the Booker Prize, and his powerful memoir ‘My Name is Why’.Sign up to the Cheerful newsletter: https://cheerfulpodcast.com/subscribe Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! The recent Black Lives Matter protests have led to renewed calls to rethink our understanding of British history. We’re talking about how to address the widespread lack of knowledge of black British history, as well as how the legacies of slavery and Empire shape racism today. Lavinya Stennett talks about how the Black Curriculum is trying to transform how history is taught in schools. Dr Richard Benjamin from the International Slavery Museum explains how museums shape our understanding. And Michelle Gayle and Ruth Ibegbuna talk us through the World Reimagined - an art project opening up the conversation about Britain's past. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.