Ways to Change the World with Krishnan Guru-Murthy

“I was thinking about all my friends who launched a podcast and I thought, “if I had a podcast. I'd just talk to people about death. That's a terrible idea”.” When Cariad Lloyd’s father died of cancer when she was 15, she was angry, “for, probably, 10 years”. But later in life, she found herself wanting to share her experience of grief, and started the award-winning podcast Griefcast. 

Cariad has now written a book, ‘You Are Not Alone’, which delves into her own experience of grief, and what she has learned from her hundreds of podcast guests. In today’s Ways to Change the World, Cariad sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss dying, death, grief, and what comes next. 

Produced by Imahn Robertson

“I didn't write this book to be hugely sellable, hugely commercial - I wrote it because it’s a story that I felt needed to be told.”

Jyoti Patel’s debut novel, ‘The Things That We Lost’ is the story of a British Gujarati mother and son discovering how they fit into the world and learning how to balance the Gujarati and British sides of their identities. 

The book earnt Jyoti the Merky Books New Writers Prize 2021, a competition launched by Stormzy and Penguin House UK to discover unpublished and underrepresented writers. 

In this episode, Jyoti joins Krishnan to talk about feeling othered, why her book is written in the voice of a young man, and how to ask someone the question, “where are you from?” 

Produced by: Imahn Robertson

Frances O’Grady stepped down as the General Secretary of British Trades Union Congress at the end of 2022. She was the first woman to hold the post in TUC’s 154-year history.

She is now a Labour peer in the House of Lords where she is committed to abolishing the unelected chamber.

She joins Krishnan to talk about the history of the trade union movement, why she thinks workers are going on strike and what the government should be doing to support them and support for single parents.

Produced by : Imahn Robertson

Rick Rubin is the legendary music producer who founded Def Jam records, one of the most important hip hop labels of the 80s. 

He has won nine Grammy awards and worked with some of the biggest artists of our time, to name but a few: Jay Z, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Strokes, Adele, Run DMZ and Slayer.

He joins Krishnan to talk about his incredible career, as well as the launch of his new book ‘The Creative Act’.   

Produced by: Joe Lord Jones and Nina Hodgson

Music Credits:

Superrappin’ - Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, and The Furious Five

Label: Enjoy Records 

Producer – Bobby Robinson

It's Yours - T La Rock

Artists: Jazzy Jay and T La Rock 

Label: Def Jam Recordings 

Producer Rick Rubin

Feel the Heartbeat - Treacherous Three 

Label: Enjoy Records

Producer – Bobby Robinson

The Big Beat - Label: Capitol Records

Producer – Eddy Offord 

The Adults Are Talking - The Strokes

Label: RCA AND Cult Records

Producer – Rick Rubin

Angel of Death Slayer 

Label: Geffen Records – Def Jam Recordings

Producer: Rick Rubin

Trouble Funk - Drop The Bomb

Label: Sugar Hill Records

Producer – Reo Edwards 

Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash 

Label: Columbia

Producer – Bob Johnston

Hurt - Johnny Cash 

Label - American & Lost Highway

Produced by Rick Rubin

Fight For Your Right - Beastie Boys 

Label - Def Jam & Columbia Records 

Produced by - Rick Rubin, 

I Can't Live Without My Radio - LL Cool J 

Label - Def Jam/Columbia/CBS 

Producer Rick Rubin & Jazzy Jay

RUN DMC - Walk This Way ft. Aerosmith 

Label -  Geffen Records

Produced by - Rick Rubin & Russell Simmons

ChatbotGPT is a new artificial intelligence programme designed to simulate human conversation and tackle complex questions.

It's made by Open AI foundation, a tech-startup co-founded by Elon Musk, and it draws on text taken from a variety of sources on the internet and its creators say it has learned how to answer academic questions, and even sometimes admits when it's wrong. We've done an interview by putting questions to the chatbot, and then generating a voice for it using different software.

We asked the Chatbot GPT whether fears about A.I. threatening the human race are well-founded.

ChatbotGPT is a new artificial intelligence programme designed to simulate human conversation and tackle complex questions.

It's made by Open AI foundation, a tech-startup co-founded by Elon Musk, and it draws on text taken from a variety of sources on the internet and its creators say it has learned how to answer academic questions, and even sometimes admits when it's wrong. We've done an interview by putting questions to the chatbot, and then generating a voice for it using different software.

We asked the Chatbot GPT whether fears about A.I. threatening the human race are well-founded.

Nouriel Roubini is an economist, a professor in New York, a global economic consultant and an author who, amongst many distinguishing things, was one of those who foresaw the 2008 credit crunch and financial crisis. 

His latest work is called ‘Megathreats’, and it details 10 trends that make it more likely than not that we are heading for a global economic crash of stagnant growth, debt crises and high inflation that will cause decades of dystopian suffering and injustice. No wonder they call him Dr. Doom. 

In this episode, Nouriel joins Krishnan to talk about climate change, job-displacing artificial intelligence and our future. 

Produced by: Imahn Robertson

George Takei is an actor, activist and author, best known for his role of Lieutenant Sulu in Star Trek. 

Imprisoned as a child in the United States for being of Japanese origin, he campaigns for gay and immigrant rights. He brings his award-winning broadway musical ‘Allegiance’ to London, which is inspired by his own memories of growing up in a Japanese internment camp. 

George joins Krishnan to tell his extraordinary story, from childhood to stardom and his mission to raise awareness about his life.

Produced by: Imahn Robertson

Rosie Holt has become famous on Twitter, where she  reinvented herself via satirical videos; A conversative MP and right-wing activist who many mistake for being real. 

In this episode Rosie joins Krishnan to discuss life as a social media sensation, women in media and why we should laugh at things that make us angry. 

Produced by: Imahn Robertson

Clint Dyer is an actor, writer and director who has turned his pain into power. That power has resulted in numerous ‘firsts’, the first Black British artist to have performed, written and directed a full-scale production at the National Theatre and the first Black man to direct a Shakespeare tragedy at a major British venue.

In this episode, Clint joins Krishnan to discuss theatrical traditions, his vision to articulate the Black experience and his new history-making production of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello. 

Warning: this podcast contains references to racist language

Produced by : Imahn Robertson

Julian Lennon is a singer-songwriter, who rose to fame for the Beatles song Hey Jude, which was written after his parents John and Cynthia Lennon separated.

In this episode, Julian joins Krishnan to speak about his seventh album Jude, emotion in songwriting, dealing with depression and the importance of relearning his old material.

While Julian has received platinum success for his music, he has also pursued other endeavours. The multi-faceted singer-songwriter discusses his work as a photographer, filmmaker, author and his foundation called The White Feather Foundation. 

Produced by Ka Yee Mak

Rob Delaney is a comedian, actor and writer, best known for co-creating the British sitcom Catastrophe, which won him a Bafta for comedy writing.  

But during the height of his success, he learnt that his son, Henry, was dying of a brain tumour. He’s written a book about it in which he grapples with the fragility of life, the mysteries of death, and the question of purpose for those left behind.

In this episode, Rob joins Krishnan to talk about his new book, ‘A Heart That Works’ and why he felt it was important to tell his family’s story.

Produced by : Imahn Robertson and Nina Hodgson

Photo Credit: Southbank Centre

Orhan Pamuk is a renowned Turkish Nobel Prize winning author.

He is one of Turkey’s most acclaimed writers and has been openly critical of laws which curtail freedom of expression, particularly those which make it illegal to criticise Turkish President Recep Erdogan.

He joins Krishnan to talk about his new book, ‘Nights of Plague’, why he believes pandemics fuel authoritarianism and how he became an author.

Produced by : Joe Lord-Jones

Marina Hyde is a columnist at the Guardian, where she’s worked for over 20 years.

She is one of the most admired journalists in the UK and known for her witty analysis of politics and the chaotic times we live in. 

She joins to talk about her new book ‘What Just Happened?!’,  an amalgamation of the columns she writes for the Guardian. It spans post-referendum politics in Britain, from David Cameron to Theresa May, to Boris Johnson. 

Marina also talks about how she became a journalist, the state of British politics and what’s next in her career. 

Produced by Freya Pickford

Gaia Vince is a science and environment journalist and author. 

She has written extensively about the impact human life has had on our planet. 

In this episode, Gaia joins Krishnan to talk about her new book, Nomad Century, in which she takes a look at how migration could be the solution to the climate crisis.

Produced by : Joe Lord-Jones

Tova Friedman was one of the youngest survivors of the Auschwitz death camp.

Her family came from Poland, went through various concentration camps, and ended up in Auschwitz. But remarkably, both her, her mother and father survived.

She has written an extraordinary memoir called The Daughter of Auschwitz, together with the journalist Malcolm Brabant. 

Tova joins Krishnan with her grandson Aron, who is taking her story to a new generation through the medium of TikTok.

Krishnan talks to Tova about what she remembers of her time in Auschwitz, her views on God and what she wants the world to learn from her story.

Producers: Freya Pickford and Rachel Evans

Edward Enninful is the editor of British Vogue and European editorial director of Condé Nast.

Krishnan talks to him about what it’s like to be a refugee in the UK, having moved to London from Ghana at a young age. 

They also discuss Enninful’s new book, ‘A Visible Man’, what he thinks of Liz Truss and how he’s changed Vogue to be representative of all women. 

Producer: Freya Pickford 

Dave Stewart is a musician, who rose to fame after forming the iconic British pop duo, Eurythmics, alongside Annie Lennox. 

Krishnan talks to him about his latest solo album, Ebony McQueen, which has drawn heavily on the blues he heard growing up in Sunderland, as he tells the story of his life through the songs.

Ebony McQueen is a 26 track epic, which will also become a film, featuring a fictional “voodoo queen” who visits a boy very much in need of the blues.

Producer: Joe Lord-Jones

Deborah Meaden is a successful businesswoman, entrepreneur and star of the TV show Dragons’ Den.

She talks to Krishnan about her worries about the British economy, how Dragons’ den has transformed the world of business and why she has been talking about protecting the environment for decades.

Producer: Rachel Evans

Tom Daley is an Olympic Gold Medallist, sports personality, campaigner and knitter.

We recently saw him at the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games as a flag bearer, bearing the Progress Pride flag with LGBTQ+ athletes across the commonwealth.

Krishnan talks to Tom about why he is fighting for LGBTQ+ inclusion in sports, his views on trans athlete participation and what it’s been like for him being a gay parent in the UK.

Warning: contains distressing themes.

Sources: BBC

Produced by: Rachel Evans