Showing results by author "Holly Newson" in All Categories

Joining us at Audible Studios is author Kit de Waal. Growing up in poverty in Birmingham, de Waal was exposed to many challenges as a child. Being British, Irish and Caribbean, she experienced many aspects of racism, and her chaotic home life was both a comfort and a difficulty. We'll be talking with Kit de Waal about her newest book, a memoir titled Without Warning and Only Sometimes, and asking why she turned the lens on herself, how her love of reading began, and how it felt to have Armageddon hanging over her as a child.

Joining us at Audible Studios is performance artist, writer and theatre maker, Travis Alabanza. Following the incredible success of their award-winning debut work, Burgerz, Alabanza has continued to create performance and discourse about trans and black identities. Their theatre show Overflow, which premiered at The Bush theatre, was shortlisted for the George Devine Award, and has been met with critical acclaim. Their writing appears in The Guardian and Vice, and has been published in anthologies such as Black and Gay in the UK.

Selling out the Edinburgh Fringe in 2006 with Asylum Speaker was where Shaparak Khorsandi made a name for herself and she has gone on to perform worldwide. She has appeared as a regular panelist on shows. Her writing career began with her bestselling memoir, A Beginners Guide to Acting English which looks at her childhood as her family fled Iran. Since then she has written a novel, Nina Is Not Okay, and young adult fiction, Kissing Emma. We'll be chatting to Sharapak Khorsandi about her new memoir, Scatter Brain, which takes us through her life with lens of now knowing that she has ADHD.

Choosing to pursue a career in journalism (rather than being a footballer) has paid off for Dan Walker. Having previously released his book Remarkable People, Walker is following it up with Standing on the Shoulders, another collection full of inspiring people: the heroes that he doesn't want history to forget. We'll be talking to Dan Walker about the stories he tells, what inspires him, and how difficult it is to have a last minute toilet break on Strictly Come Dancing.

Known for his impeccable style and acerbic wit, Tom Allen is a regular feature on our televisions, previously presenting Bake Off: The Professionals and Bake Off: An Extra Slice, as well as his own show on Channel 4, Quiziness. Allen trained with the National Youth Theatre and has appeared in films such as Starter for Ten and Tamara Drewe, and began his stand-up career winning the So You Think You're Funny award in 2005.

Starting out as a double act with Stewart Lee, Herring appeared in This Morning with Richard Not Judy, and Fist of Fun, and became known for his comedy drama You Can Choose Your Friends. His podcasts and interview style have wonderful charm, and his Richard Herring Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (or RHLSTP as it is affectionately known) gives insight into celebs such as Stephen Fry and Jeremy Paxman.

Joining us in the Audible Studios is radio and telly presenter, Nick Grimshaw. Known to us affectionately as Grimmy, he has been a part of our daily lives since reaching his childhood dream of presenting on BBC Radio 1 in 2007. Having hosted the Radio 1 Breakfast show, taken over the Drive Time slot, and appeared on our screens in The X Factor and Gogglebox, Nick Grimshaw has become a household name.

Known for hosting live TV coverage of international events such as the Six Nations rugby, the World Cup and the Olympic Games, Logan is one of Britain's best loved broadcasters. Starting out on Sky Sports, then working for BBC and ITV, as well as hosting shows on BBC Radio, Logan's career has been illustrious. Being a woman in the arena of sports broadcasting hasn't always been an easy ride, but Logan has not let it hold her back, and has changed the face of women in sport, receiving an MBE for her Services to Sports Broadcasting and the Promotion of Women in Sport.

Growing up in Dublin, Biala focused on science, completing an undergraduate and master's degree in Pharmaceutical Quality Assurance and Regulation. However, in 2019, she left her job as a professional scientist to take part in reality television series Love Island. Following her departure from the show, Biala became a social media influencer and published articles discussing racial re-naming and the damage it causes. The huge interest in this article led her to write her first book, Reclaiming, which discusses everything from microaggressions, to career choices.

In 2008, Cain began playing football for Coventry City but in 2012 he had to give up football after an injury put an end to his career. Cain then pursued reality TV, and appeared in shows such as Ex on the Beach, The Challenge and, more recently, SAS: Who Dares Wins. In 2020, life changed for Cain. His 8-week-old daughter, Azaylia, was diagnosed with cancer and passed away aged 8 months. Cain has done his utmost to raise awareness of childhood cancers and raise money, putting himself through grueling physical challenges.

Joining us at Audible Studios is comedian and writer, Josie Long. Having performed stand-up comedy since the age of fourteen, Long is a familiar with the comedy circuit. We'll be talking to Josie Long about her newest venture, a collection of short stories titled Because I Don't Know What You Mean and What You Don't. We'll find out if Josie is a cat lover, why rubbish housing pops up a lot in her stories, and what impact her ADHD diagnosis has had on understanding her writing process.

Joining us at Audible Studios is economist and writer, Faiza Shaheen. We'll be speaking with Shaheen about Know Your Place, her book tackling social mobility. We'll be asking if hard work can really change your life, what it means when people talk about changing the whole system, and how austerity cuts affected her mum.

Rising to fame as a pop star as part of The Communards, Richard Coles has had a very varied career - he has worked as a vicar for several parishes after finding religion later in life, has appeared on many panel shows. He shared his life through his memoirs, including details of his civil partnership and grief following the death of his partner. Coles has begun writing fiction – the Canon Clement Mystery series – starting with Murder Before Evensong, and is with us to talk about the second in the series, A Death in the Parish.

Karen Yates has been a journalist for over ten years; she writes regularly on immigration, politics, housing and culture and has written for publications including The Guardian, The Independent and VICE. Yates has been nominated for accolades such as Culture Writer of the Year, and has contributed to award-winning titles such as The Good Immigrant. We'll be chatting to Kieran Yates about her first solo book, All the Houses I've Ever Lived In, finding out what home means to her, how Britain's housing crisis came about, and how we can fight against it.

Beginning her professional career as a fashion journalist and stylist, Scanlon has gone on to become a household name at the BBC, fronting documentaries on BBC Three, and presenting Your Home Made Perfect. Scanlon has not stopped there: she has also presented a BBC Radio 2 show and often presents The One Show too. Scanlon has hosted her own podcast since 2019 titled Thanks A Million which has proved to be hugely popular, currently on its fifth series, and her book Joyrider is now on the (virtual and physical) shelves. 

Joining us at Audible Studios is high profile human rights and civil liberties barrister Leslie Thomas QC. Thomas was called to the bar in 1988 and has represented some very high-profile cases, including families of the Hillsborough disaster, the family of Mark Duggan, whose death sparked the 2011 London riots, and more recently, the families of the victims of Grenfell Tower. It's clear that Thomas has a passion for supporting the voiceless and vulnerable, and is an expert in claims against the police and other public authorities. 

Lloyd is well known for her comedy, regularly appearing on panel shows such as QI, Would I Lie To You and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and acting in Give Out Girls and Peep Show among many others. She is prolific in her radio work, including The Cariad Radio Show, and Here Be Dragons. Lloyd is now equally well known for her conversations on grief. And now, You Are Not Alone, Lloyd's first book, which shares her experiences of death at a young age, and how we deal (or don't) with grief.

After appearing in three seasons of Made in Chelsea, Dunlop decided it was time to leave, and she moved to LA to pursue a career as a singer. Dunlop was struggling with anxiety and depression around this time and the behaviours she had learned when she was younger were no longer serving her to become who she wanted to be. She decided to start a podcast, Saturn Returns, with astrologist Noura Bourni, in which they look at the transitions a person in their late twenties can face when Saturn returns to the position it was in when they were born.