Radical with Gabriel Gatehouse

Jenny Krakovsky has spent years trying to get her films made the traditional way. A working-class girl from South London, who was kicked out of school aged 14, she trained as a filmmaker and built a career making documentaries and adverts for high-end brands. But after repeatedly hitting a wall trying to get her feature scripts financed, she decided to take a radical gamble: could she make an entire feature film with AI, using only her laptop, in just a few weeks?

Jenny tells Gabriel about the tech behind the female-driven 1960s crime caper, how she documented the...

Naomi Klein has been writing critiques of capitalism and globalisation for more than 20 years. But now, for one of the most influential and outspoken figures on the political left, things are getting desperate. In her latest book 'End Times Fascism' she writes about how the global economic order is combining with other powerful forces to hasten the end of the world as we know it.

The author and social activist tells Gabriel Gatehouse about the religious fundamentalists, tech bros and white supremacists that keep her up at night, and her ideas about how to stop them...

Award-winning journalist and podcaster Gabriel Gatehouse is the new host of Radical, the podcast exploring the people and ideas trying to change the world.

At a time of radical change, in politics and technology, in culture and the natural environment, Radical with Gabriel Gatehouse is a twice-weekly podcast where thinkers, innovators and heretics explore bold ideas reshaping our world. Can these ideas, and the people driving them, really change the world? And if so, will it be for better, or worse? LISTEN: Listen to Radical every Monday and Thursday on BBC Sounds or wherever you get your...

What if housing, childcare, transport and social care were no longer treated as things to buy and sell but as services everyone was entitled to, regardless of their ability to pay?

Social policy analyst Anna Coote believes the market has failed to provide many of life's essentials. Her answer is universal basic services: a system where access to housing, care, education, transport and other necessities are free or genuinely affordable.

She tells Gabriel Gatehouse about a proposal that challenges the assumption that markets are the best way to allocate resources. From housing shortages to childcare...

Paul Sagar depends on carers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He could die without them. It's been that way ever since the academic at King's College London fell in a rock climbing accident three years ago and was paralysed from the neck down. His experiences in England's adult social care system - and the stories he has heard from others - have led him to a radical plan for how to address its spiralling costs, staff shortages, and increasing demand. Paul thinks that, before they go to university, students should be offered the chance to volunteer in...

Politicians are always making decisions that impact future generations, but how often do they really consider whether they are making life better, or worse, for people who haven’t been born yet?

Rarely, thinks Sophie Howe, but she is part of a movement aiming to change that. She was the first future generations commissioner for Wales - at the time, the first role of its kind anywhere in the world - and her job was to make sure that decisions taken by the Welsh government would benefit its people in the long-term.

She tells Gabriel Ga...

Prepper Mike Chappell is ready for disaster to hit the UK, and he believes everyone else should be prepared too.

Mike is worried that blackouts, food supply disruption, and extreme weather could seriously disrupt normal life, potentially leaving people to fend for themselves for weeks or months at a time. He believes those threats are growing and thinks everyone should have enough supplies to last them at least two weeks - a message he spreads on his YouTube channel, UK Urban Prepper.

The UK government recently urged people to stock up on tinned food and...

Former mortuary technician Kristoffer Hughes wants to bring terramation - or human composting - to the UK. He believes it's a more natural and hopeful way for our bodies to be disposed of, and a more environmentally friendly alternative to burial and cremation.

Kristoffer tells Gabriel Gatehouse about the "epiphany" he had when he first witnessed the practice in the USA, his own experience of being 'buried alive' in a terramation facility, and what human compost can actually be used for.

The practice isn't legal in the UK yet - the Law Commission has suggested...

Neil Woods is a former undercover police officer who used to infiltrate drug gangs, but he now believes drugs should be legalised and the market regulated by government. He's a board member of the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), which campaigns for drug policy reform around the world.

In the main episode Neil explained why he thinks prohibition of illicit drugs has failed and outlined his plan for the government to source and supply drugs like cannabis, cocaine and heroin through pharmacies or via sales in regulated shops.

In this special Q&A, Neil answers...

As an undercover police officer Neil Woods' job was to infiltrate drug gangs and put their leaders behind bars, but he says his work gradually convinced him that he was doing more harm than good. Since leaving the force he has become one of the UK's foremost campaigners for drug policy reform.

Neil tells this week's host, Jenny Kleeman, why he believes the war on drugs has failed, and sets out his alternative vision for legalising and regulating the use of cannabis, cocaine, heroin and other products. He thinks drugs on prescription or sold with age and...

Sarah Harper is Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford and one of the world's leading experts on demographic change. She challenges the widespread belief that ageing populations are primarily a social and economic burden, arguing instead that longer lives represent one of humanity's greatest achievements and an opportunity to rethink how society is organised.

In the last episode, Sarah explained why many of the pressures associated with ageing societies stem from institutions that were designed for a very different era. She argued that our welfare systems, labour markets and expectations around retirement no longer reflect...

This week, James Marriott talks to Sarah Harper, Professor of Gerontology at the University of Oxford and one of the world's leading experts on demographic change. She challenges the increasingly common narrative that ageing populations represent an inevitable economic and social burden, arguing instead that longer lives should be seen as an achievement that requires us to rethink the way society is organised. As birth rates fall and life expectancy increases, governments across the world face growing concerns about pensions, healthcare and shrinking workforces. Yet Harper believes many of these pressures stem from institutions that were designed for a...

Brendan Simms is Professor of the History of International Relations at the University of Cambridge and the author of The Return of the Great Powers. He challenges the widespread belief that Britain is in terminal decline, arguing that the UK remains one of the world’s four true Great Powers.

In the main episode, Brendan explained why Britain’s resources, global reach, reputation and resilience still give it significant international influence. He also argued that great power politics has returned as the dominant force shaping global affairs.

In this special Q&A, Brendan answers your ques...

Is Great Britain really still great? Is it in decline, or has the UK underestimated its own status in the world?

In his latest book The Return of the Great Powers, Brendan Simms, Professor of the History of International Relations at the University of Cambridge, challenges one of the most deeply rooted current assumptions in British public life and argues that the UK is still a significant player on the world stage.

While much of the national conversation focuses on economic stagnation, geopolitical uncertainty and the fading legacy of empire, Simms argues that the UK...

Is Great Britain really still great? Is it in decline, or has the UK underestimated its own status in the world?

In his latest book The Return of the Great Powers, Brendan Smith, Professor of the History of International Relations at the University of Cambridge, challenges one of the most deeply rooted current assumptions in British public life and argues that the UK is still a significant player on the world stage.

While much of the national conversation focuses on economic stagnation, geopolitical uncertainty and the fading legacy of empire, Simms argues that the UK...

Derek Gow is a farmer, conservationist, author and leading rewilding advocate who has become one of the UK's most vocal champions of large-scale species reintroductions. In this special Q&A, he tackles some of your most challenging and provocative questions. In the main episode, Derek explained why he breeds native British species and argued that rewilding is a vital tool in addressing the biodiversity and climate crises. In this follow-up discussion, listeners ask whether turning farmland into wildlife habitat can ever be financially sustainable and how he responds to critics who believe conservation is a luxury. He also explains...

This week, John Burn-Murdoch speaks with Derek Gow, the British farmer, conservationist, author and rewilding pioneer who has become one of the UK's most outspoken advocates for large-scale species reintroductions.

From his farm in Devon, Derek breeds native British animals, including species that have been absent from the UK for centuries. His goal is to demonstrate what is possible when conservation ambition matches the scale of the ecological challenges we face.

A passionate supporter of reintroducing beavers across the country, Derek argues that restoring them into the wild can play a crucial role in tackling...

David Runciman, podcaster and former politics Professor, answers Your Radical Questions. In the main episode, David argued that lowering the voting age to six is a true expression of universal suffrage and could help reinvigorate our stagnant democracy. Now, our listeners challenge him on whether kids would just vote how their parents tell them,  and whether there’s any evidence or precedent to support his radical proposal. 

Plus, should knowledge and competence be rewarded in our democratic system? Should some votes count more than others and should our politicians have to pass tests before they stand for offi...

This week, guest presenter Sophia Smith Galer speaks to David Runciman, a podcaster and former politics academic, about his radical proposition to lower the voting age to six.

It’s a position that has been met with laughter, scorn, and even anger, but he believes it’s not just in accordance with our democratic principles - it could also help give our stale and fractious democracy a much-needed shot in the arm. David talks us through the history of the arguments about suffrage (some of which have echoes now in the debate around children), his work talking to c...

Writer Lamorna Ash, author of Don’t Forget We’re Here Forever, answers Your Radical Questions. In the main episode, Lamorna told James Marriott what she discovered while travelling around Britain and meeting young Christians across the religious and political spectrum. Now, you ask her why some people under 40 are finding faith in older and more ritualistic churches, and whether Christianity is beginning to feel countercultural.

Lamorna is also challenged on whether Christianity offers genuine help to people experiencing psychological distress, or if it allows them to surrender their agency. And have modern forms of spirituality, from taro...

This week, James Marriott speaks to the writer Lamorna Ash about her journey through the changing world of British Christianity.

Raised with little religious belief, Lamorna spent a year visiting churches, festivals, monasteries and Christian communities across the country. What began as an investigation into why young people were rediscovering faith gradually became a much more personal search for meaning and belief. James and Lamorna discuss the decline of organised religion, the loneliness and uncertainty of modern life, and Christianity’s surprising appeal to a new generation with diverse beliefs and politics. Is Britain witnessing a genuine re...

Professor David Keith, one of the world’s leading researchers in geoengineering, answers Your Radical Questions. In the main episode, David told Gabriel Gatehouse why deliberately reflecting a small amount of sunlight away from Earth could slow global warming. Now, you ask him whether we could ever know the unintended consequences before trying it, and whether sunlight reflection could be stopped safely once it had begun.

David’s also challenged on whether carbon capture and carbon removal genuinely help tackle climate change, or if they offer oil companies an excuse to continue operating as usual. And is cont...

What if the answer to climate change is not only to cut carbon emissions, but to make the Earth more resilient using tech?

Professor David Keith is one of the world’s leading researchers of geoengineering which aims to do just that. Efforts to capture carbon are already underway, but Professor Keith is particularly interested in sunlight reflection - the controversial idea of cooling the planet by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space. To do this, he wants to release sulphur high into the atmosphere, and believes governments should consider starting within years.

To c...

On Amol’s last day as the host of Radical, he shares five conversations that really stand out. Matt Clifford, Emma Grede, Jacob Dunne, Katherine Birbalsingh and James Marriott.

Next week, Gabriel Gatehouse speaks to Professor David Keith about geoengineering, deliberate large-scale interventions in the Earth’s climate system designed to fight human-caused climate change.

If you have a Radical question for Professor Keith, get in touch:

- WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 - Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical are released every Thursday and Monday.

Series producer: Rufus Gray

Pr...

Sophie Pender, founder of The 93% Club, returns to answer your questions on class, privilege and education.

In the main episode, Sophie told Amol why she thinks Britain needs to stop talking politely about social mobility and confront the power of private schools. Now, listeners ask whether class identity has become too slippery, whether people downplay their own privilege, and whether support for state-school students risks helping those who are already advantaged.

Sophie also discusses oracy, accent and confidence in the classroom, the culture shock of elite universities, the case for and against grammar schools, and...

Sophie Pender grew up on council estates in North London, became the first in her family to go to university, trained as a corporate lawyer - then walked away from a six-figure salary to fight Britain’s class problem.

She’s the founder of ‘The 93% Club’, a network for state-educated students and professionals, named after the proportion of people in Britain who go to state schools. But Sophie argues that “social mobility” has become too polite a phrase for something much deeper: how much class, accent, money and private education shapes who gets power – and who doesn’t.

In Amo...

For this week’s Q&A, Amol is joined by the economist, author, Labour peer, and happiness champion Lord Richard Layard. In their previous conversation, Lord Layard outlined his radical idea; that government policymaking should be decided first and foremost by how it impacts overall happiness and wellbeing.

Now, he answers your questions on the NHS and mental health, how we should measure success, the ethics of farming animals for food, and whether pacifism is the answer for how we achieve greater happiness around the world.

GET IN TOUCH * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: [email protected] Ep...

This week, Amol sits down with Lord Richard Layard, the author, economist, and Labour peer who has spent decades making the case for happiness and wellbeing. He successfully helped implement talking therapy to the NHS, and was a key figure in persuading the UK government to measure wellbeing.

But he wants to go further - in this conversation, Lord Layard outlines why he wants happiness to become the main objective of all government policy, and argues that this radical change would even pay for itself.

But what actually are happiness and wellbeing? How can we...

Oisín Rogers takes your questions on how pubs can not only survive, but thrive. In the main episode we heard Oisín’s radical ideas about why he thinks pubs are essential not just for our history and identity, but also for the problems of the modern age.

Today, Oisín considers the old-fashioned pub customs some people cherish and others find faintly terrifying: no laptops, no swearing, no sprawling groups and even a landlord who is not desperately pleased to see you. Are these traditions part of what makes a proper pub special, or a route...

The British pub has played a huge part in our lives for hundreds of years: it’s a place to eat, drink, grieve, flirt, celebrate and put the world to rights. Yet thousands have disappeared, and many more are fighting to stay open.

This week, Amol speaks to Oisín Rogers, co-founder of The Devonshire in Soho. For Oisín, saving pubs isn’t just about nostalgia - it’s about defending the everyday places that make communities feel less isolated and more human.

He’s got some radical ideas on how to save the pub but, a...

This week, Shiv Malik, the man behind the proposals for ‘Forest City 1’, takes your questions. He’s a former investigative journalist turned campaigner: instead of writing another book about Britain’s housing crisis, he’s trying to build his way out of it.

Forest City is his ambitious pitch for Britain’s first new city in more than 50 years: a million-person settlement east of Cambridge, with around 400,000 homes, new rail links and thousands of acres of new woodland.

We hear Shiv talk about his own background and credentials, whether ‘Forest City’ is actually affordable, and if people can sh...

This week, Amol is joined by the author and journalist Shiv Malik, to discuss his plan to build a new mega-city from scratch in East Anglia.

In 2010 Shiv Malik wrote a book called the Jilted Generation, which argued that anyone born since 1979 has been robbed of their future because of how expensive home ownership has become.

Now, he’s dedicating his life to a plan for a new city that he thinks will save Britain, and prove that we can be builders again.

Shiv wants to build ‘Forest City’ on 45,000 acres of farmland in Eas...

Kate Raworth believes that mainstream economists have got it wrong for decades. For her, reducing everything to a simple measure of gross domestic product and increasing that number every year is a huge mistake that is harming both people and planet.

In 2017 she proposed a radical alternative in a book called ‘Doughnut Economics’. It proposes a new economic model that priortises social and environmental needs instead of how much we produce and consume.

Many of you asked us to invite her on the podcast, and you've also sent in your questions - so we put them...

What if growth wasn’t the main goal for economic prosperity? Kate Raworth, the author and economist behind Doughnut Economics, tells Amol why she thinks that measuring success by GDP growth is unsustainable, immoral, and an unfit economic model for the 21st century. Kate’s thesis goes against centuries of economic consensus and has radical ideas for how to overhaul the system by prioritising nature and wellbeing. She argues that real abundance is possible, but only if we learn from nature and live within the planet’s limits.

GET IN TOUCH:

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480

* Email: radica...

This week, Amol is joined by Ben Cohen, one half of the team behind Ben & Jerry's ice cream, who stopped by on his way to the South by Southwest festival to answer your questions. They include queries on whether ethics is more important to business success than a good product? Can companies be trusted to fulfil corporate responsibilities without government oversight? And how does he square his ethical stance with the fact that his ice cream is an ultra processed food?

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released...

Amol is back from his stint in the Celebrity Traitors castle. This week, while in town for the South by Southwest festival, Ben Cohen of Ben and Jerry's drops by the Radical studio to talk about what took his ice cream company from a single store in rural America into a billion-dollar business.

Ben Cohen argues that most corporations have trained people to believe profit and purpose are from separate worlds – while he says that a company’s values should be as important to its mission as making money. Cohen makes the case that consumers are not just...

The FT’s John Burn-Murdoch stands in for Amol, joined this week by the immunologist and geneticist Professor Sir John Bell. After talking about the radical change being ushered in by successive medical breakthroughs on the main podcast, Sir John takes your questions on implications of this profound change.

Will we see only wealthy people being able to benefit from these revolutionary treatments? What impact will the Trump administration have on the advance of medical science? And just how close are we to effectively curing cancer? * WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480 * Email: [email protected] Episodes of Radical with Amol Ra...

This week, John Burn-Murdoch sits in for Amol to speak to Professor Sir John Bell, one of Britain’s leading medical scientists, about the huge (and often undiscussed) medical breakthroughs changing how we live, age and die. Medical advances have already added 12 years to average life expectancy in the UK in the last 50 years. But the next revolution may be even more radical: earlier cancer detection, personalised vaccines, obesity drugs, AI-driven prevention and treatments that could keep us healthier for longer. But with the science and technology moving this fast, can the health service, the economy, and the public ke...

Oli Dugmore is in for Amol this week, and he's joined by Andy Cato to answer your radical questions about the regenerative farming movement. Before becoming a farmer, Andy was a successful musician and DJ as one half of Groove Armada. He sold the rights to his back catalogue to pursue a career in agriculture, pioneering regenerative farming methods though his company, Wildfarmed.

In this episode, we put Andy in the hotseat, and ask him your questions about regenerative farming, including the potential scalability difficulties, whether it is being used for greenwashing, the role of rewilding, and...

This week, guest host Oli Dugmore, speaks to Andy Cato, one half of electronic music duo Groove Armada and a leading advocate for regenerative farming.

Andy argues that modern agriculture is reaching a breaking point. He says that a reliance on chemical farming has degraded our ecosystems, taken agency away from farmers, and made us over reliant on fragile international trade systems. Through regenerative farming, he believes it’s possible to restore ecosystems, rebuild soil health and create a more resilient food system for the 21st century.

They discuss Andy’s unlikely journey from global tour...