Geoff Lloyd Ed Miliband Podcasty

Hello! Capitalism, eh? Despite its creative genius, some would say it's at the root of many of the problems we're facing these days, from planetary breakdown, to poor health and social inequality. How can it become the solution? We're revisiting the idea of purposeful business, a way of re-thinking our system so that companies are also putting the …

Hello! This week we’re taking you back to the distant days of 1898 when social reformer and ‘practical idealist’ Ebenezer Howard set out his ideas about the Garden City, one of the most radical urban planning experiments in Britain’s history. Can we bring Howard’s utopian vision into the 21st century? We talk to Josh Tidy about the history of the G…

Hello! When you’re in the business of optimism, it can be difficult to draw much hope from the mess that Britain is in. Making a change can feel overwhelming and getting involved unappealing. This week, former Labour strategist and now podcaster Alastair Campbell joins Ed and Geoff to talk about his new book about why UK politics has gone so wrong,…

Hello! Geoff’s off this week and friend of the pod and writer Melissa Benn is practicing what we preach in this episode by trialing a new vocation as podcast co-host. This week, sparked by the news of the resignation of Jacinda Ardern and Nicola Sturgeon - we’re talking all about what happens when you take a step back from a high-pressure job. What…

Hello! We all know our society is deeply unfair, but how can we fix it? We've been tackling that question for years on RTBC, but according to our guest this week, a twentieth-century philosopher might have already come up with the answer. Daniel Chandler has a new book seeking to excavate the work of John Rawls - the greatest political philosopher …

Hello! This week we’re returning to one of our favourite topics covered in our very first episode when Geoff was closer to 40 than 50: universal basic income. Except this time it's not money for everyone - it's just for artists - and it raises some important questions about how we recognise the role that art plays in our economy, society and commun…

Hello! This week we’re getting our wellies on as we dig deeper into the future of farming. Agriculture accounts for around 10% of the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions and has a role in biodiversity loss and pollution. So how can we change the way we farm and use our land in a way that helps ensure food security, restores nature and provides a liveliho…

Hello! As our Easter egg to you we’ve recorded a great conversation with two inspiring voices from the climate community. The mood around the climate crisis is mainly one of despair and doom, for understandable reasons, but neither Rebecca Solnit nor Thelma Young Lutunatabua think it needs to be that way. In their new book, they explore how it’s po…

Hello! You may not know it, but for decades Britain has enabled the dodgy dealings of the world's criminals, tax dodgers and kleptocrats, says journalist Oliver Bullough. He's been digging deep into Britain’s role as a 'butler to the world' for years, but very little has changed. Estimates suggest that the equivalent of three times the NHS budget i…

Hello! Have you ever dreamed of running your own bookshop? We are cheerful to report that the book industry is smashing it at the moment, with the number of indie bookshops at their highest level in six years, and book sales above pre-pandemic levels. Ed and Geoff speak to Sian Bayley, news editor at The Bookseller, who tells us about what’s drivin…

Hello! Every day, remarkable acts of diplomacy are happening around the world to bring us one step closer to cooperation on our biggest conflicts and challenges. But how much do we really know about what goes on behind closed doors? And what are the ingredients of a successful negotiation? We speak to climate diplomacy legend and friend of the pod,…

Hello! This week Ed and Geoff sat down with writer, journalist and now Professor of Sociology, Gary Younge. Gary talks about his new book ‘Dispatches from the Diaspora: From Nelson Mandela to Black Lives Matter’, and how his upbringing in a new town - Stevenage - led to a life telling stories from historic moments on both sides of the Atlantic, and…

Hello! While we generally aim for cheerfulness, it's also ok to be a little angry too. Senator Bernie Sanders is. After a long career of fighting for a more progressive politics, the self-proclaimed democratic socialist has had enough: capitalism isn't working for the average American (or Brit) anymore. Three billionaires own more wealth than the b…

Hello! As you wearily stood in a queue for a flight that was four hours delayed, having been hit with a hefty fee for a bag that you swore would fit under the seat, have you ever wondered if there was a better way to travel? Well, you’re not alone! 2022 was a bumper year for international train travel, as people took to the rails to see Europe and …

Hello! Climate change litigation has come on a long way since the 2000 blockbuster film Erin Brockovich. There's been a huge rise globally in the number of cases being filed against negligent governments and corporations, but what does this mean for our efforts to tackle the climate crisis? We hear from Catherine Higham, policy fellow at LSE, and L…

Hello! Nepo-babies are a new-fangled term but the issue of social mobility goes much deeper…in this episode Ed and Geoff explore why the same kind of people often seem to make it to the top. Why does your starting point in life still strongly determine where you’ll end up? We find out why it matters and if there’s anything we can do to change it. W…

Hello! This week we're speaking to comedian, actor and author Cariad Lloyd who's on a crusade to help us become better at talking about death and grief. Although it might not seem like the most cheerful of topics, Cariad believes that there's a lot of hope and optimism in thinking and talking about death. We discuss why the five stages are a load o…

Hello! This week on Reasons to be Cheerful Ed and Geoff are Going Out Out and talking about the night-time economy: generally everything that happens between 6pm and 6am. At the end of 2022, iconic Manchester venue ‘Night & Day’ was threatened with closure over a noise complaint. We talk about why this example represents a wider crisis in city nigh…

Hello! This week we’re talking about ChatGPT, the artificial intelligence language model that’s taken the world by storm. But is the hype justified? And what can it do beyond writing poems about your favourite podcast? We speak to Rory Cellan-Jones, whose dog is also an internet sensation, about what ChatGPT is and whether it’s been trained on a pr…

Hello! New year, new term and this week Ed and Geoff are going back to school. Too little has changed about our education system since the Victorian times, and for too many young people it can seem an outdated and rigid system - geared simply towards passing exams - which is letting them down. We speak to three experts who tell us that it doesn't h…

Hello and happy 2023! Normal service will resume next Monday but in the meantime we’ve got a cracking interview with co-authors Adrienne Buller and Mathew Lawrence for you. Their new book ‘Owning the Future: Power and Property in an Age of Crisis’ is all about ownership. Basically, who owns what in our economy and society, and why it matters. They …

It’s been another calm year for politics: four chancellors, three prime ministers and a lettuce. Through the tumult, we’ve been providing you a steady stream of reasons to be cheerful. Having applied a (not very) rigorous methodology we’ve chosen our ten favourite moments from the year. What’s made it to the top spot? We’d love to hear from you ove…

Hello! We’ve decked the loft with boughs of holly and after two years, Ed and Geoff are finally reunited for some Christmas fun and frolics. Traditional board game proceedings have been temporarily suspended, as we ask some friends of the pod to tell us their reasons to be cheerful. And boy, it’s a real bagamashings. We hear from Jon Ronson, Self E…

Hello! When we hear about social workers it's usually because something terrible has happened. Social work is rightly subject to scrutiny, but why do we never hear about any of the good stuff? Despite operating in an under-resourced and bureaucratic system, social workers are helping individuals and families facing some of the toughest life circums…

Hello! This week Ed and Geoff are on location to chat with two big brains who have been part of two important commissions about the state of the UK economy. What are the deep roots of the economic crisis facing our country? And what's the solution? The UK is suffering from a 'toxic combination' of high inequality and stagnating growth. We look at s…

Hello! This week we're talking about disability activism: its past, present and future. Disabled people are routinely excluded from society, despite making up 15% of the population. How has disability activism shifted people's attitudes and perceptions? And how can we transform our society so it's fairer for everyone? To find out we speak to disabi…

Hello! Ed's just come back from COP27 where he was roving with his mic. He spoke to some experts on how we shift to zero carbon power and break our dependency on fossil fuels. We talk to Kingsmill Bond about why the transition to renewables makes economic sense. Tzeporah Berman tells us about the potential of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treat…

Hello! This week as world leaders- and Ed -gather in Sharm El-Sheikh for COP27 we’re covering a tricky topic: what’s our role as individuals in tackling the climate crisis? When we feel like governments and businesses aren’t doing their bit to keep 1.5C alive, is it normal for us to feel disillusioned about the power that’s in our hands? Our guests…

Hello! A bonus Cheerful Book Club episode coming at you this week direct from Geoff’s loft. We’re talking to bestselling author Anand Giridharadas about his new book The Persuaders: Winning Hearts and Minds in a Divided Age. Progressive movements need to persuade, not simply preach, he says. But what does that look like if it is not ‘persuasion by …

Hello! This week we interrupt our regularly scheduled programming to throw you a bit of an RTBC curveball. Not only are Ed and Geoff venturing gingerly into the world of sport, but they're talking about the fastest-growing game in the US, which is now gaining popularity closer to home: pickleball! We talk to hall-of-famer Jennifer Lucore about the …

Hello! This week we're treating you to a new author episode: a fascinating conversation with Nicola Rollock, Professor of Race and Social Policy at King's College London. Nicola's new book The Racial Code: Tales of Resistance and Survival is all about the implicit rules of race and racism that govern our lives and strengthen the status quo. Geoff s…

Hello! The pranksters at RTBC have got a joke about trickle-down economics.…99% of people won't get it... This week as Liz Truss prepares to exit we’re talking about the economic philosophy that characterised her reign: supply-side or trickle-down economics—and its alternative: so-called middle-out economics.The latter is the idea that investing in…

Hello! After the Second World War, council housing was an important part of the government’s ambitious vision for the welfare state. Over the past 50 years, with a growing emphasis on home ownership, the amount of council housing and its condition has diminished. Where does that leave the state of social housing now? Geoff finds out with architect …

Following Labour’s announcement of a new national wealth fund to invest in green industries, we’re exploring what 'public wealth funds' are and how they offer a way to keep profits in the hands of the people. We talk to Professor Karin Thorburn about Norway’s Sovereign Wealth Fund which has guaranteed that future generations can benefit from its na…

Hello! Why is it that women live longer, but spend more of their lives in poor health? We explore why women’s pain is often dismissed and why it can take many years to receive a diagnosis with Dr Larisa Corda. We then delve deep into the history of medical misogyny with Dr Elinor Cleghorn and finally we find some reasons to be cheerful with the cre…

Hello! It's a big week at Reasons to be Cheerful HQ as we're back in Geoff's loft to record a very special 5th anniversary episode with a very special guest. We're talking to the brilliant and hilarious Guardian columnist Marina Hyde about her way with words, fielding the phones on the Sun's showbiz desk in the 90s and what she thinks about the alt…

Hello! This week Geoff's exploring how individuals have taken on the big dogs to seek justice. We talk to three guests who have faced up to their employers, multinational corporations and even governments to challenge unfair treatment and inspire change for the better. But can an eventual victory ever outweigh the personal toll? And how can we make…

Hello! Ed is absent due to the period of national mourning, so Geoff takes the reins with a conversation recorded before last week's news. We talk to three inspiring guests about the commons. But what are the commons, how do they reduce inequality and why can we be optimistic about them today? We speak to Guy Standing, Professorial Research Associa…

Hello! This week we’re back to school and learning all about character education. But what is it and why is it relevant beyond the classroom too? One of the leading authorities on the topic (the Jubilee Centre) defines character education as all explicit and implicit educational activities that help young people to develop positive personal strengt…

Hello! Normal service has resumed on Reasons to be Cheerful following our summer break, and this week we're talking all about the charity sector. But what the heck is it? Ed and Geoff try to find out by talking to Daniel King, Professor of Organisation Studies at Nottingham Trent University. We also talk to Mita Desai, CEO of the Young Trustees Mov…

Hello! For the final episode in our Existential Cheerful Summer series we’re talking to Oliver Burkeman: author, journalist and self-proclaimed ‘reformed productivity geek’ for the Guardian. We talk to him about his new book Four Thousand Weeks: Time and How to Use It which is all about why it’s empowering for us to confront our ‘finitude,’ i.e. th…

Hello! This week's summer episode is all about music and our powerful relationship to it. Ed is a latecomer to music's joys, but critic, journalist and interviewer Jude Rogers has been a life-long devotee. Jude's new memoir The Sound of Being Human: How Music Shapes Our Lives traces the pivotal moments of her life soundtracked by twelve songs. Alon…

Hello! In the second of our summer episodes we're talking to environmental activist, author and journalist George Monbiot. Farming is the most environmentally damaging industry in the whole world, and great swathes of the Earth's surface are given over to the production of our food, particularly through grazing and feeding livestock. In his new boo…

Hello! To kick off our season of Existential Cheerful Summer interviews we’re talking to Professor Brian Cox ahead of his UK tour ‘Horizons: A 21st Century Space Odyssey’. Ed and Geoff chat to Brian about the big questions: black holes, how we came to be here, what it means to be human, and what we can become. What does the climate crisis mean if w…

Hello! This week we're revisiting the issue of plastic pollution, something we explored for the first time in 2018. Plastic pollution affects everyone, but not equally. While progress is being made on the international stage with the recent agreement of a UN resolution to end plastic pollution, there's still a long way to go. We talk to Zaynab Sada…

Hello! For the first time in over two years, Ed and Geoff are back together for a live show! It's been a quiet few weeks in British politics, so we thought we'd take the chance to think nostalgically about what chaos with Ed Miliband might look like. To dissect the current political situation, what's next for the Conservatives and how progressives …

Hello! This week we're talking about the Climate Change Committee's recent progress report on the UK government's Net Zero targets. While they say the UK is doing well at setting targets, what about delivery? Where do we need to improve? And why are workers' rights, delivering zero carbon jobs and public engagement so crucial in our work to reduce …

Hello! This week we're talking about museums and the role they have in shaping social and political issues. Many in the museum community agree that our museums are not neutral, but what does that mean when it comes to addressing issues such as climate change, colonialism and corporate influence? We talk to Doug Gurr, Director of the Natural History…

Hello! Fungi are everywhere, but most of us have never given them much of a second thought. From mushrooms to moulds, they may have the power to help with some of our trickiest problems. We talk to Merlin Sheldrake about why ignoring fungi is dangerous and what we can learn from them. Dr David Erritzoe from Imperial College discusses the potential …