The last decade or so has witnessed the seemingly unstoppable rise of populism across Europe and the world. The ruling Law and Justice party in Poland were one example of the trend and there were no signs they were going anywhere. But a couple of weekends ago, Poland voted for a change. We explore the shock result, how

Happy 6th birthday to us! And just like a young child who hasn’t learned a sense of self-restraint we’re reaching for the Ferrero Rocher with restaurant critic Grace Dent. Join us for a conversation about comfort eating, the title of her podcast and new book. What do we eat when nobody else is watching? And why are som

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 wh

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 li

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 co

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 fee