Ways to Change the World with Krishnan Guru-Murthy

“The police haven’t changed,” says American rapper Ice Cube, marking 35 years since the release of the track “F*** Tha Police” that cemented his status in musical history alongside the hip hop group N.W. A. Ice Cube is regarded by hip-hop critics and fans as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. He was first famous for the N.W.A album, Straight Outta Compton, then became a solo artist, actor, producer and owner of a new basketball league, BIG3. Today on Ways to Change The World, Ice Cube tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy about his journey through 50 years of Hip Hop, his thoughts on the American government and why he thinks AI is an existential threat.   Produced by Shaheen Sattar  

Gina Martin is best known as the driving force behind the Voyeurism Act, which made upskirting, or the taking of pictures under a person’s clothing without permission, a criminal offence in England and Wales, after she was assaulted at a music festival. The gender equality activist is now working to teach people how to challenge problematic statements such as ‘boys will be boys’ and ‘not all men’, and have constructive conversations on social justice issues. Today on Ways to Change the World, Gina Martin tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy about the lessons she has learnt since changing the law on upskirting, the importance of trans voices, the online abuse she has received and why the conversation around masculinity needs to change. Produced by Silvia Maresca

‘This earth that we love is in grave danger because of us,’ reads the first line of Sir Ben Okri’s poem, ‘The Broken’.    The poet and Booker-prize winner, who has long been a vocal environmental activist, has seen the effects of the climate catastrophe firsthand, as a young boy growing up in Nigeria, but is optimistic that it’s not too late to reverse the damage that’s been done to our planet.   Today on Ways to Change the World, Ben Okri tells Krishnan Guru-Murthy about the urgent need for action on climate change, the importance of disruptive protests like Just Stop Oil, and why artists like him should use their voice to encourage people to rise up to the challenge.   Produced by Alice Wagstaffe and Silvia Maresca

When he fled his war-torn hometown of Damascus, Imad Al Arnab spent three dangerous months smuggled in lorries trying to reach Europe. He arrived in the UK in the autumn of 2015 with a fake passport and just £12 in his pocket.   Now, the Syrian chef has opened his own restaurant in Soho, and written a cookbook that is as much a celebration of his homeland as a reflection of his experience as a refugee.   Today on Ways to Change the World, Imad Al Arnab joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy to talk about fleeing Syria and his journey from losing everything in the war to rebuilding a life in the UK.   Produced by Annie La Vespa, Silvia Maresca and Alice Wagstaffe

Brought up on a council estate in the East End of London, the son of a single mother whose own father was a bank robber and whose mother once shared a prison cell with Christine Keeler, Wes Streeting MP owes his life to a fry up.   His working class background and the challenges he experienced growing up in poverty now inform the Shadow Health Secretary’s mission in politics, to ensure others like him have similar opportunities.   Today on Ways to Change the World, Wes Streeting joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy to talk about his journey from a Stepney council estate to the Labour frontbench in Westminster, his optimism that poverty is a trap we can escape and his vision for an NHS ‘fit for the future’ on the eve of the 2024 UK general election.   Produced by Silvia Maresca   Warning: The following contains language that some viewers might find offensive

When Evgenia Kara-Murza and her husband Vladimir parted ways in April 2022, she had no idea that would be the last time they’d see each other.   Vladimir, a long-time Russian opposition activist, was arrested in Moscow later that month and is now serving 25 years in prison for his public criticism of President Vladimir Putin and Russia's war on Ukraine. Since then, Evgenia has taken up the mantle of his activism, travelling around the world to speak out against his detention and the crimes of Putin’s authoritarian regime.   Today on Ways to Change the World, Evgenia Kara-Murza joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy to talk about her fight to free Russia’s political prisoners, the toll Vladimir’s detention has taken on their family and whether she can envisage a future in a free, democratic Russia.   Produced by Silvia Maresca

For a generation growing up in the rural US state of Virginia, opioid addiction isn't an abstraction - it's neighbours, parents, and friends.   Writer Barbara Kingsolver wanted to give these ‘lost boys’ of Appalachia a voice; to tell the story of the children forced into a life of foster care because their parents are dead, in prison or too incapacitated by addiction.   Today on Ways to Change the World, the award-winning author joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy to talk about America’s opioid crisis, the devastating impact it has on rural communities and how she set out to write ‘the great Appalachian novel’, tracing back the steps of Charles Dickens.   Produced by Silvia Maresca

In 1988, a 15-year-old Kamila Shamsie stayed up all night to watch Pakistan elect its first woman prime minister. Years later, and politics is still very much at the centre of the writer’s life – on and off the page.   The Pakistani / British writer has long been a vocal critic of the UK government’s immigration and civil rights policies, and yet she only felt able to write Home Fire – which offers a piercing critique of Islamophobia within the British political establishment – after she became a citizen of the country.   Today on Ways to Change the World, Kamila Shamsie joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss her Pakistani upbringing, how politics shaped her writing and her view of Suella Braverman’s ‘racist’ immigration policy.   Produced by Silvia Maresca and Alice Wagstaffe  

What is ultra-processed food? And do we really know what it’s doing to our bodies, our health, and the planet? Chris van Tulleken is a doctor and TV presenter who says most of the food that we eat isn’t really food. “Whether you're eating a burger, or a piece of fried chicken, or a breakfast cereal, there are illusions of texture. There will be little crunches and pops and snaps and greasy bits and dry bits and chewy bits. But it's all inhalably fast-to-eat and the hormones that tell you to stop just can't keep up.” His latest book, ‘Ultra-Processed People’, explores how ultra-processed food is designed to fuel addiction and is creating an epidemic of diet-related disease.  Today, Chris joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Ways to Change the World to discuss the dangers of a UPF diet, and why urgent government regulation is needed. Produced by Annie La Vespa, Freya Pickford and Alice Wagstaffe.   

Sadiq Khan has been the mayor of London since 2016, and he’s seeking a third term next year.  In today’s episode of Ways to Change the World, Sadiq talks to Krishnan about his new book, ‘Breathe’, in which explores why tackling the climate emergency has become his defining policy, as the mayor of London.  Sadiq also discusses the crisis of policing in London, the possibility of a Labour government in Downing Street and why the UK government should be allowing more migrants to move to London. This podcast was recorded on June 24 2023.  Produced by: Freya Pickford