Historian and filmmaker David Olusoga joins journalist Nesrine Malik in conversation to chart the story of Black British history, bringing to light overlooked narratives.From well-known figures to individual lives consigned to the margins of history, how do the lived experiences of Black British people through time influence questions of belonging …

Journalist and author Sathnam Sanghera traces the legacies of the British empire around the world, drawing on his book Empireland: How Modern Britain is Shaped by its Imperial Past, in conversation with Colin Grant. This conversation was recorded live in our Queen Elizabeth Hall on Sunday 14 July 2024, as part of You Belong Here, our summer program…

Renowned for his intricate, colourful knitwork and interplay with music and culture, Nicholas Daley has used fashion as a means to explore ideas around identity, heritage, and memory, intertwined with wider Black British and diasporic themes. In conversation were Pauline Black, lead singer of iconic two-tone band The Selecter, DJ and dub master Den…

Out of the Kiln: From Technique to Concept presents Aaron Angell and Serena Korda - two artists who featured in the Hayward Gallery exhibition, Strange Clay: Ceramics in Contemporary Art - in conversation with exhibition curator Cliff Lauson and Isabella Smith, Deputy Editor at Crafts. They discuss working with ceramics, and explore how their clays…

In the Black Fantastic is a four-part podcast series inspired by the Hayward Gallery exhibition of the same name. This series brings together artists, musicians and writers in conversations that draw on the themes of the exhibition – curated by Ekow Eshun – including myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism. This f…

In the Black Fantastic is a four-part podcast series inspired by the Hayward Gallery exhibition of the same name. This series brings together artists, musicians and writers in conversations that draw on the themes of the exhibition – curated by Ekow Eshun – including myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism. This t…

In the Black Fantastic is a four-part podcast series inspired by the Hayward Gallery exhibition of the same name. This series brings together artists, musicians and writers in conversations that draw on the themes of the exhibition – curated by Ekow Eshun – including myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism. This s…

In the Black Fantastic is a four-part podcast series inspired by the Hayward Gallery exhibition of the same name. This series brings together artists, musicians and writers in conversations that draw on the themes of the exhibition – curated by Ekow Eshun – including myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism. This f…

In 2019, Jean Paul Gaultier brought his Fashion Freak Show – called a 'fabulous fiesta of fabric and flesh' by The Guardian – to the Southbank Centre. But before his extravaganza exploded onto the stage at Royal Festival Hall, the designer himself appeared here in conversation with TV presenter Anita Rani, reflecting on his decades in fashion. Born…

Malala Yousafzai's activist work championing the educational rights of girls led to her being shot by a Taliban gunman in 2012, when she was just 15 – but she refused to be silenced. She came to the Southbank Centre to launch her memoir I Am Malala on Sunday 20 October 2013, appearing in conversation with former Southbank Centre Artistic Director J…

Join poet Holly Corfield Carr, exploring human and non-human ways of looking at and listening to trees, in this podcast from Hayward Gallery's Among the Trees exhibition. Holly considers artworks by Giuseppe Penone, Robert Smithson, Roxy Paine and Mariele Neudecker, and interweaves her own words with poems by Vahni Capildeo, Emily Dickinson, Sasha …

In this podcast, the painter George Shaw discusses some of the themes and influences behind his work with novelist Patrick Langley, in a conversation that ranges from post-war town planning, to punks, apocalyptic literature, woodlands and ‘the everydayness of the end of the world’.Southbank Centre

Southbank Centre's Book Podcast

Southbank Centre's Book Podcast

Southbank Centre's Book Podcast

Southbank Centre's Book Podcast

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of five international bestsellers and was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine.In this podcast, recorded from a London exclusive live appearance here at Southbank Centre, Gladwell discusses his latest book, Talking to Strangers, with broadcaster and former barrister Afua Hirsch.In this fascina…

Star Wars actor Anthony Daniels joins puppeteer and actor Brian Herring to reflect on his time playing one of the most famous droids in cinematic history. Recorded at London Literature Festival, this podcast sees Daniels discuss his new book I Am C-3PO - The Inside Story, a memoir of both himself and his best known role.Daniels talks of his approac…

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton join the scholar Mary Beard to discuss their new book The Book of Gutsy Women: Favourite Stories of Courage and Resilience. In this UK-exclusive event, introduced by Southbank Centre Chief Executive, Elaine Bedell, the pair discuss how and why they chose to write this book.In this podcast recorded from the…

The poet and activist Nikki Giovanni discusses the power of literature as she joins us for Poetry International and London Literature Festival.An undeniable cultural icon, Giovanni is the winner of numerous awards, including the Langston Hughes Medal and NAACP Image Award, as well as a Grammy Award nomination for her album The Nikki Giovanni Poetry…

The much-loved comedian, actor and writer Sir Lenny Henry joins comedian Romesh Ranganathan in this special edition of our Book Podcast, as the two talk about Henry’s remarkable career and his new memoir Who Am I, Again?Henry explains why and how he chose to write a truthful book about his life, rather than a ‘lying book’, and details his experienc…

Documentary-maker Louis Theroux joins his schoolfriend Adam Buxton to discuss his new book Gotta Get Theroux This and his two decades of investigating the weirder, more outlandish sides of human life.In this live discussion, Theroux and Buxton discuss the value of puns, Theroux's distinctive interview techniques and styles, and the worth of silence…

Comedian Sara Pascoe joins Deborah Frances-White in conversation to discuss her new book Sex, Power, Money.In this live discussion, Pascoe examines blind spots in relationships and skewers sexual inequalities, taking a comedic and educational hopscotch over anatomy, the history of sexual representation and the sticky way all human interactions are …

Former Children’s Laureate Malorie Blackman joins Tobi Kyeremateng in conversation to discuss 'Crossfire', the latest novel in her popular Noughts & Crosses series.Enjoy highlights of their Queen Elizabeth Hall discussion, and a reading from the novel, in this exclusive podcast, recorded live at the event on 8 September 2019.…

In this episode of Southbank Centre’s Book Podcast we have an excerpt from writer and director Richard Ayoade in conversation with Adam Buxton, as he reflects on his award-winning films and comedy.As well as reading extracts from his latest book 'Ayoade on Top', the author explains how he drew inspiration from the unlikely source of cabin crew rom-…

In this episode of Think Aloud we turn our attention to poetry, and sit down with the London poet and founder of poetry collective Out-Spoken, Anthony Anaxagorou. With him we delve into how poetry can rewrite history, the ways in which he has developed and established his own voice, and how, when this is not a poem, he is not a poet. We also hear f…

German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen didn't just write new music, he created music that had never before been imagined, transformed sound, influenced musicians from classical to Kraftwerk to The Beatles, all while believing he was born on a distant planet. Electronic musician Actress and Southbank Centre's Director of Music, Gillian Moore spoke to…

The bestselling author of The Hate U Give presented an homage to hip-hop and the power of storytelling in a discussion of her second novel, with Charlie Brinkhurst-Cuff.She talked about On the Come Up, the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects …

In this episode, Harriet Fitch Little asks is this a golden age for political humour? Why do we laugh at politics and do we need to? She speaks to joke writer for Private Eye magazine Tom Jamieson, and comedians Tiff Stevenson and Kieran Hodgson about the effect of current affairs have had on comedy. “Satire sits bleary eyed & unshaven in a cheap m…

Invented in China over 2,500 years ago, the abstract strategy game Go is thought to be the oldest board game continuously played to the present day. In March 2016, the Go world champion Lee Sedol accepted a challenge to play against a computer program called AlphaGo. In the second game of a five game challenge series, the computer made a move no hu…

In December, US writer Roxane Gay made her first ever appearance in the UK at Southbank Centre. Author of the New York Times bestselling Bad Feminist, as well as An Untamed State, the short story collection Ayiti and the Marvel comic series Black Panther: World of Wakanda. Roxane was in conversation with editor-in-chief of gal-dem, Liv Little, as w…

In this episode, Harriet Fitch Little is joined by paralympian, TV presenter and children’s author Ade Adepitan, and children’s book critic Imogen Russell Williams to talk about the lack of diversity in children’s literature. “I suddenly started to get a perception that certain people did certain things, that main protagonists, that strong characte…

In this special episode, Southbank Centre literature team's Ted Hodgkinson and Debo Amon turn their focus to the TS Eliot Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in the poetry calendar.Listen to extracts from the nominated poets’ collections read by the nominees, and, fresh from the 2019 ceremony, Debo shares reaction from the event, including an…

Author Mohsin Hamid and actor, writer and musician Riz Ahmed reflect on why stories of migration have captivated our imaginations.From the Ancient Greeks to Hamid's most recent novel, Exit West, stories of migration and displacement, love and hope are necessary in dark times. Ahmed, who starred in the film adaptation of Hamid's novel The Reluctant …

How do you make something not funny, funny? How do you deal with nerves? Who is your dream comedy sidekick? Do people expect you to be funny all the time? Which of your jokes goes down the best? Harriet Fitch Little brings you a Christmas special that reveals the tricks of the trade of stand up comedy. Listen to the questions we put to our panel of…

Inspired by the forthcoming Soundstate festival, Harriet Fitch Little is joined by Southbank Centre's Music Director, Gillian Moore; Susanna Eastburn, CEO of Sound & Music; and Dai Fujikura, composer of contemporary classical music. They discuss the trouble with genres, how writing music will never be the same and why they don't use the word 'class…

Sue Perkins made a rare appearance at Southbank Centre's London Literature Festival. The evening was packed full of crackling wit and dubious puns. She was interviewed by her partner, Anna Richardson.Southbank Centre's Book Podcast

In this episode, Harriet Fitch Little talks comedy and brings you the secrets and what do you do if nobody laughs. She talks to comedian Dave Gorman about why comedians can't lie and what the qualities are of the genre 'Gormanesque'. Her co-presenter is Ken Cheng, Chinese Comedian. She brings up his joke 'geek student' video and how it went down, t…

Ted Hodgkinson examines the different ways in which literature has interpreted the past, dissected the present and shaped the future of American politics. Guests feature authors Salman Rushdie and Marilynne Robinson, poet Terrence Hayes and academic Sarah Churchwell."The thing that is weirdest about this book is that, when I started writing it, nob…

Ahead of EFG London Jazz Festival, self-confessed jazz amateur Harriet interviews eminent musician Orphy Robinson and David Jones, a director and programmer of the festival. They talk about where jazz can be misunderstood, how it defies the limitations of the 'genre', the vibraphone, and which type of music you should be listening to on a date. Fin…

Celebrated actor Sally Field tells her extraordinary story in a candid conversation with Elizabeth Day, Field reveals how she discovered her craft and used it as a tool to escape from a lonely early life. An actor of remarkable range whose roles tell the story of a changing America, Field won her first television role at just 17, starring on the si…

Dissect the making and unmaking of civilisations and cultures at a conversation between MOBO award-winning hip-hop poet Akala and historian David Olusoga. Chaired by television broadcaster June Sarpong MBE.This timely discussion explores everything from empire and race to culture and class, retracing and contextualising the roots of modern British …

Hear Roger Daltrey in conversation with writer and presenter Will Hodgkinson.He tells the inside story of the rise of British rock, becoming the vocalist in one of rock music’s era-defining bands and he separates myth from reality, reflects on his wild journey with the band through chart-topping hits, in-fighting, drugs, mayhem, trashed hotel rooms…

Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2018, Anna Burns talks to Ted Hodgkinson about how she went about creating a story that won one of the most prestigious prizes in literature, why her characters don't need names and when her writing makes her feel 'angel shivers'."You only get the first step and then you have to trust and have faith that more steps wi…

This episode looks at migration, civil war, and the power of stories and poetry to take us beyond the headlines.Three years ago, the body of three-year-old Syrian refugee, Alan Kurdi was found on the beach in Turkey. This provoked Khaled Hosseini, best-selling author and Afghan refugee, to write the illustrated story, Sea Prayer.Ted Hodgkinson had …

For national #AskACurator day, we poached the programmers at Southbank Centre to ask what goes on behind the scenes. Harriet Fitch Little is joined by; Bengi Unsal, Southbank Centre’s Senior Contemporary Music Programmer; Debo Amon, Literature Programmer; Rupert Thomson, Senior Programmer Performance & Dance and Jessica Cerasi, art curator and auth…

In preparation for this year's Unlimited, Southbank Centre's festival celebrating extraordinary work by disabled artists, this episode features talks with some of the performers who will be appearing. Presenter Harriet Fitch Little talks to Jackie Hagan about how amputation spurred her on to make comedy, whilst blind musician, Baluji Shrivastav exp…

In this episode we bring you highlights from author Matt Haig’s recent interview at Southbank Centre about his new book Notes on a Nervous Planet and musician and campaigner Jordan Stephens talks to Ted Hodgkinson about the relationship between mental health and creativity. "There's a lot of 'I' and 'self' wrapped up in the consumerist world we liv…

What does it take for a novel to win over a reader? What does it take for a novel to win a prize? In this episode, journalist and Think Aloud presenter Harriet Fitch Little is joined in conversation by Debo Amon, Southbank Centre’s Literature Programmer, to discuss how the way in which we read novels has changed, why 'shameful' literature is so pop…

In this episode, we bring you some of the highlights from Man Booker 50 festival at Southbank Centre, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Man Booker Prize.We hear extracts from a talk with novelists Alan Hollinghurst and Marlon James; a debate about the meaning and importance of genres; the moment the winner of the Golden Man Booker Prize, Mich…