Undercurrent Stories

In this episode we hear from  Yuri Yastavny, co-owner of Pravda Beer in Lviv, Ukraine.   It was just after 5am on 24th February when news of the Russian invasion reached the Pravda craft brewery in Lviv, in western Ukraine. Pravda had just started making one of their award winning beers. On finishing the beer they decided to release the recipes for five of their beers, encouraging other breweries...

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, St Olga’s Ukrainian Catholic Church in Peterborough UK, has acted as a hub for donations. With its many volunteers it is managing to send 2 lorries a week to Ukraine to give medical and other desperately needed supplies to the Ukrainian people. We hear from Alla and Emma about the extraordinary and wonderful work that is going on at the Church and how it...

In today’s show I’m joined by James Albon. James is an award winning  British illustrator and author of graphic novels. He studied illustration at Edinburgh College of Art and went on to a postgraduate scholarship at the Royal Drawing School in London. He was awarded the Gwen May award from the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in 2012 and was a finalist in the Observer/Cape/Comica Graphic Shor...

Today's show features Colin Crabbe. Colin is a  former Formula 1 Team owner, a racing driver and an eminent restorer and dealer of historic classic racing cars.  In his book, ‘The Thrill of the Chase’, Colin takes us on an exciting  journey right through from his childhood, then as a Captain in the Scots Guards, his motor racing career and a life tracking down classic racing cars throughout t...

*'Over the course of the past two decades beer as we know it has changed forever. Taking their cues from the craft beer revolution in the US and the resurrection of traditional styles in continental Europe, the brewers of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have carved out a unique and world leading beer culture'* (Excerpt from * Modern British Beer ). In today’s show I am joined by Matth...

In today’s show we talk to a man who looks after bees on the roofs of skyscrapers in New York City.  His name is Andrew Cote and he is  a fourth generation beekeeper, president of the New York Beekeepers Association and has his own honey business, Andrew’s Honey. He is author of ‘Honey and Venom: Confessions of an Urban Beekeeper’ and with his organisation, Bees Without Borders, he travels annuall...

With Guy Fawkes night on the 5th November another chance to hear this fascinating episode which was originally released in November 2020. This is a repeat. In the UK when we think of Bonfire Night on 5th November, we tend to just think of Guy Fawkes however, my guest today explains how Guy Fawkes was just one of a group of conspirators led by Robert Catesby, the mastermind behind the plot to blow...

In today's show we welcome back James Horton, author of the Blue Swords Crimes and Crests Saga series of books. James has just published Blue Swords, Broken Oath the sequel to his first novel. The book is set in the fictional town of Stanford in medieval times and contains themes such as murder, corruption and romance. In this inspirational episode  we hear how James's career as a police...

Today's show features multi- talented designer, sculptor, teacher and author, Raef Baldwin. Working  in several media, producing garden objects, and sculpture, as well as decorative pieces and furniture for the home. His work has been  described  as consistently playful and inventive  and pieces include weathervanes, fountains, wall mirrors, birdtables, chairs, cupboards, ceramics and opulent...

My guest today has spent his life exposing the abuse of human rights in conflict zones throughout the world. From Yemen to Iraq, from Afghanistan to Syria with his multi award winning film company, Clover Films, Jamie Doran has investigated the facts and uncovered the truth on what’s really going on behind the mainstream media headlines. I was fortunate to catch up with Jamie shortly after his ret...

In today’s show I am joined by Darren Gregory. Darren is an amateur brewer with his own electric brewery named Red Barron Brewery. In this episode Darren and I talk about our shared interest for brewing beer, swap tips and generally enthuse about our hobby.  Cheers! The conversation features; Learning how to brew Methods of brewing The amateur brewing community Water, Malt, Hops and Yeast Process...

Today on the show I am delighted to welcome Jan Irvin. Jan is an independent researcher, author and lecturer and hosts the Logos Media Podcast. Renowned for fact checking and using critical thinking to uncover the truth, Jan joins me to discuss the Trivium and Logical Fallacies. Both are concepts that go back to ancient times and are arguably more important than ever for use as tools in helping us...

Based in Stamford, England,  Alex and Nuria tell the story of how they were inspired to grow some chilli plants during the first lockdown in the Spring of 2020.  Producing some bottles of hot chilli sauce from the fruits of the plants and with positive feedback from their family and friends we hear how they were both encouraged to start selling their sauces.  Fast forward to Spring 2021 and they n...

Today's show  features widely published and highly respected investigative journalist, Robin Jones. Robin has written many books on on Britain’s railway history and is currently the editor of Heritage Railway Magazine. In this episode Robin gives an excellent succinct account on the history of the British railways.  We talk about the  campaign to save a threatened disused 19th century Victori...

In today’s show  I am delighted to be joined by Mick Burgoyne. Mick is one half of the folk/rock duo, Fresh Maggots, which also features Leigh Dolphin.  Originally from Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England, the band's first self titled album was released in October 1971 on RCA records followed by a single. Playing the university circuit and clubs such as the famous  Marquee club in London, the b...

 In today’s show  I am delighted to be joined by Yumiko Jones. Originally from Fukuoka in the South of Japan, Yumiko came to the UK in 2001.  After settling in Bristol, Yumiko felt that there was a need to bridge the gap between the Japanese people who lived in the city and the wider population who wanted to find out more about Japan. In 2008 she started the Bristol Japanese Cultural Society. In o...

Ever wondered how you can live a less materialistic lifestyle? Our guest today is Paul Canham  a self confessed tree hugger, van dweller, tudor reenactor and brewer based in Suffolk.  Paul spent 30 years working at RAF Lakenheath  until he took early retirement to study sociology and psychology. We hear how he set out on a quest to live a more non-materialistic lifestyle, leading to living a more...

Quint Starkie is an English musician originally from Accrington, Lancashire. After living and performing in Los Angeles in the 80's he now resides in Stockholm, Sweden.  In our conversation we discuss how Quint’s passion for playing the guitar inspired him to move to Hollywood to study guitar with some of the world’s best musicians at the Guitar Institute of Technology. We hear how he played...

In this episode we hear from Heide Goody and Iain Grant who tell us all about their co- written Clovenhoof series of books in which Jeremy Clovenhoof is fired from Hell and sent to live in a flat in the suburbs of Birmingham.  The story can be described as a mixture of contemporary fantasy, satire and comedy and having read the first book in the series I found it hilarious and was literally laughi...

At some point in their lives many people have thought about writing a book. This desire is sadly often thwarted due to fears about time, commitment, and the technical aspects of editing and publishing. My guest today has faced all these challenges and tells us how by breaking the writing process into steps, it is possible to both enjoy the creativity of writing and produce a book that is publishab...

Ever heard of Sea Buckthorn or Sea Berries? Well neither had my guest today, Seth Pascoe, until he discovered this fruit and it’s amazing health properties while trekking in the Himalayas. Seth tells us about how a chance encounter with Sea Buckthorn and its use for combating the effects of altitude sickness led him on a journey to discover more about the  health benefits of this little known berr...

Today’s show features Emma Inch. Emma is a multi award winning beer writer and presenter. Known for her work in the UK and overseas, in 2018  Emma received  the prestigious Beer Writer of the year award. As well as hosting her own podcast, (one of my favourite shows!), Emma  has acted as a Taste Judge for the prestigious World Beer Awards . We talk about the recent renaissance of beer, food pairin...

Today’s show features Alex Hobby. With over 150 interviews from people all around the world, Alex can perhaps best be described as a curator of hobbies. In his show, Time For Your Hobby, he provides people with an opportunity to take the stage and share their hobby with listeners. Subjects range from cooking, keeping fit, archery, dancing, deejaying and many many others.  We also talk about some v...

In this episode we celebrate the music of Thin Lizzy! Having just released his new book, Thin Lizzy, Every Album, Every Song I am delighted to be joined by Graeme Stroud. Graeme is a musician and writer and has written on websites and blogs on a number of subjects, both musical and non-musical, for several years. He has also performed interviews and written feature articles, gig reviews and album...

My guest today left his hometown in rural Lincolnshire, England to join the police service in London at the age of nineteen. Serving as a police officer in several units, he had his eyes opened to the highs and lows that come with serving as a constable. Suffering a stroke at the age of twenty-seven, he turned to historic action novels to help settle his mind and aid his recovery. After his recove...