Joe Boyd is a man about music, record producer, a film producer and author.

He arrived in London in 1964 with Muddy Waters and a host of blues musicians who played to sold out UK audiences when they were unappreciated in their US homeland.

In this conversation he talks about Nick Drake, Paul Simon, The Incredible String Band, Paul Butterfield, MIke Bloomfield and the enduring power of real music.

A thought provoking podcast.

The effect of the American reverberates around the globe. There seems to be perceived electoral advantage in fanning hate and intolerance.

The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine continue.

Why is this? Is there any cause for optimism? Where do non rational beliefs and convictions fit in the conflicts?

This conversation with the activist and thinker Tariq Ali was recorded soon after the outrage of 9/11.

There is a plan for the future in what Tariq was saying but I wonder if he is as optimistic today. Will rational thought and reasoned discussion bring peaceful coexistence?

This new book is terrific - its a revelation.

Catherine has studied texts written around the same time as the writings we know as the gospels.

Some of these ancient documents tell the story of the bible characters we are familiar with in a totally different way.

Listen to Catherine talk about her research and you will be surprised ..... probably very surprised!!

My favourite book of the year. Every time I see a politician leaning in a faith direction I want to urge them to read this book!

This conversation too place in the West End of London to mark the publication of the third in the shopaholic series of stories.

As the interview progressed it wasn't clear whether we were talking about a real wedding or the fictional 'over the top' one.

This title is alive and well. The audiobook was published on Sept 1st 2023 and the paperback is still on sale.

We wish Sophie a speedy recovery from her health challenges.

Jilly Cooper is back in the news and she has every reason to be jolly.

Her football novel is out and Disney have made a movie of one of her stories.

I met Jilly when her novel Pandora was first published. She was jolly then too!!

Spike Milligan is a timeless national treasure.

In this episode Spike Milligan talks to David Freeman about his life in comedy, The Goons, and the mental health problems that dogged his life after he was blown up by a wartime bomb.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on December 10th 1948.

We now live in a world where the rights agreed in that document are widely ignored and some politicians openly seek to remove the UK from enforcing them.

Plus racial intolerance is on the march . The horrible spectre of antisemitism is looming over the news as is denial of the rights of Palestinians.

A good time to listen to the words of the late Sir Martin Gilbert.

Sir Martin Gilbert is known as Churchill's biographer, but also as the historian of the Holocaust.

This conversation with David Freeman took place when his book Never Again was published. Sir Martin's thoughts on war are sadly relevant.

Sir Martin died in 2015.

This interview was recorded in 2001 and in the introduction recorded at the time I say that the story is no longer relevant as the Taliban are no longer in charge.

This was true at the time but sadly the Taliban are back and the the story of The Breadwinner is all too relevant again. Did the UK let these people down?