Former Chief of the Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter gives his assessment on the current conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, as well as reflects on his 45 years serving in the military. Sir Nick says the world looks a lot more like it did in the 1910s and 1930s and explains the geopolitics behind why he believes conflict is now possible …

As NASA prepares to land people on the Moon for the first time since 1972, aerospace physiologist Dr Tess Morris-Paterson talks about her work selecting astronauts for missions like Artemis and what it takes to become an astronaut. Tess explains the lunar orbit of the Moon's South Pole, discusses plans for astronauts to live and work under the Moon…

Bonita Norris became the youngest British woman to summit Everest in 2010, aged just 22. What was even more remarkable about her feat, was that she only started mountaineering at university. Inspired and driven by the thought of seeing the curvature of the Earth from the world’s highest peak, Bonita explains how she conquered tough mental, physical…

Eminent scientist Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at Oxford University, shares some of his extraordinary life’s work, taking us on a fascinating journey through the science of our body clocks. As work and recreation time has become increasingly blurred, we’ve neglected our 24-hour biological clock which guides us towards the bes…

Historian Alice Loxton is on a mission to bring history to a wider, younger audience using the power of her 2 million followers on socials. The 28-year-old presenter and author travels up and down the UK, filming intriguing bite-sized historical facts and little-known stories from various periods in authentic settings. Alice has packed a lot in – w…

When a 26-year-old American astrophysics major arrived in the Old City of Kabul in Afghanistan to volunteer, she had no idea the work would become a major part of her life, helping tens of thousands of people survive and thrive in unstable, war-torn countries. Shoshana Stewart, President of Turquoise Mountain, explains how the international NGO sta…

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,…

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 Woo…

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 th…

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 …

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 ta…

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 th…

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…

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 …

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 …

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 Tea…

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…

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 Afgha…

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, stren…

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 exten…

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 dev…

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 g…

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…

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…

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…

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 …

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 …

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…

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 …

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 H…

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 o…

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…

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 …

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 Charlot…

In part two of our special with multi-BAFTA and Emmy-winning wildlife and documentary film-maker Doug Allan, he discusses climate change and, in particular, the impact it’s having on the polar regions. Doug says if the world had paid more attention to indigenous people in the Arctic and elsewhere, and listened seriously, we might have been more awa…

Sir David Attenborough says cameramen don’t come much more special than Doug Allan. The multi-BAFTA and Emmy-winning wildlife cameraman has filmed some of the most spectacular sequences for landmark programmes like Blue Planet. Orcas attacking gray whales off California; polar bears trying to catch belugas in a frozen hole in Arctic Canada and kill…

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 Pr…

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 …

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 hi…

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 engineerin…

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 i…

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 gra…

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.…

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 a…

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 offic…

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…

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,…

“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 cupboa…

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 explain…

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 ‘Equani…