Spare a Thought

Leo and Tom are joined by Mark Etheridge, Principal Curator of Collection Development: LGBTQ+ at Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales. Mark talks about his route into the heritage sector, the seven museums that make up Amgueddfa Cymru, and how the museum is preserving Welsh history, including the lives of underrepresented LGBTQ+ figures. He also shares his recommendations for books, podcasts, films and...

Join host Tom Spare for an episode of milestones. The 70th edition of the podcast, 2 years since Spare a Thought launched, featuring the first ever interview conducted for the show. Tom focuses on the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ film festival. The Iris Prize is the world's largest short film prize. 2026 marks the Iris Prize's 20th birthday. He gives an overview of the festival's opening night and then share...

This autumn close to three million students will be descending on universities across the UK. Tom Spare is joined by Leo Cartman who has just started her first year at University of Portsmouth studying journalism.  Leo asks questions to Tom who draws on his own time as an undergraduate at the University of Kent, a decade working in higher education, and his return to study a master's at Cardiff Un...

This episode is based on a workshop Tom delivered in July 2026 for the Be the Change Media Network. Drawing on over 100 episodes of Spare a Thought and The Political Dispatch, Tom explores what makes a story worth telling and how to tell it responsibly. He gives the example of three very different episodes he's produced: Living with Long Covid, Spare a Thought for Paternity Leave, and Curly's War,...

With the school holidays in full swing, Tom reviews the biggest blockbuster of the summer, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.  The world has forgotten that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, including all the people he cares for most. Parker works round the clock to fight off New York's criminals. Isolated and heartbroken, Parker begins to develop worrying symptoms that force him to seek out old allies and new. ...

For the first ever in-person recording of Spare a Thought, Tom sits down with Harriette Wight a Breathing Coach and Menstruality Mentor who's on a mission to change the way women understand their menstrual cycles. This episode was recorded on 16th July 2026 with an audience as part of the Be the Change Media tour. The event was organised by CEO of the Be the Change Media Network, Lily Mott, and ho...

Tom started this podcast in October 2024, believing it would remain online only — but this month, that changes. On 16th July, Tom will be holding his first ever live podcast recording, as part of the Be the Change Media Academy's Digital Storytelling Workshop roadshow. He'll be joined by Lily Mott, CEO of Be the Change Media Network, to co-facilitate a workshop on media literacy and storytelling,...

Spare a Thought is the podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins. About the episode CONTENT WARNING: This episode makes reference to suicide and attempted suicide To celebrate Windrush Day (22nd June), Tom is joined by Leonora Cartman to explore the history, the legacy, and the deeply moving human stories of the Windrush generation. Leo details the post-w...

Spare a Thought is the podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins. About this episode To celebrate Refugee week (15th - 21st June), Tom brings together voices from three previous episodes of the show. Rosa Brown of the Welsh Refugee Council reflects on Wales's Nation of Sanctuary approach and the small daily acts that make welcome real.  Dr Samantha James,...

Spare a Thought, the podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins. About this episode Tom interviews Chris Brian, Rhiannon White, Bianca Ali and Taylor Edmonds about the making of Demand the Impossible, part performance, part punk gig, part sensory experience exploring police injustice and the undercover infiltration of activist networks. The play ran at New...

Spare a Thought, the podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins.  About this episode Tom interviews Steven Renderos, Executive Director of MediaJustice, a US based racial justice organisation that advances the media and technology rights of people of colour. They discuss MediaJustice's report Media Capture: Who Controls the Story Controls the Future, explo...

In this episode, Tom reviews Olivia Dean's live show at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 14th May 2026. Featuring excerpts and clips recorded on the night, Tom reflects on Dean's extraordinary rise from the Brit School to record breaking artist, and on a concert that was, in his words, joyous and healing. The episode explores Dean's music, her message of love, heritage and community. All...

In this episode, Tom is joined by writer and creative facilitator Taylor Edmonds to explore the therapeutic power of words and the inspiration behind her creative company, Writing for Joy. Taylor shares her journey from anonymous Tumblr poet to academic creative writer, and how moving from her hometown of Barry, Wales, to England unexpectedly sharpened her sense of Welsh identity. She discusses wo...

There isn't a full episode this week as Tom is taking a break, however now is the change for you to catch-up on some previous episodes. In this edtion of Spare a Thought, you'll hear clips from the following episodes: Tadao Ando: to Create is to Live - Tom is joined by his friend Bee, together they explore the extraordinary life of Japan's self taught architect who started his career as a boxer. L...

In this episode, Tom is joined by multidisciplinary designer and architecture graduate Bee Yogasivam to explore the life and legacy of Tadao Ando, one of Japan's most celebrated architects. This episode is released during Golden Week, one of Japan's three busiest holiday seasons. Ando grew up in working class Osaka, unable to attend university, he taught himself architecture from second hand unive...

Spare a Thought returns with a refreshed format. The podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins. In this episode, Tom explores the recently published essay anthology The Waters that Raised Us, a powerful collection of unique stories, histories and imagined futures for the waters of Wales. Tom is joined by some of the books' authors. Taylor Edmonds, who is...

In this episode, Tom turns his attention to the student loan system in the UK, asking whether it is fit for purpose. You'll hear from six Plan 2 graduates: Josh, Tom, Emily, Alex, Brie and Bee, who share their experiences of a debt that keeps growing. Tom also speaks with Ollie from Rethink Repayment, a campaign pushing the UK government to fundamentally reform the system. Tom draws on a decade wo...

Reforming Tuition debt repayments in the UK  There is no episode of Spare a Thought this week, but I do need your help. I am currently developing an in-depth feature regarding the necessity of a fairer student loan repayment system in the United Kingdom. In collaboration with Rethink Repayment, this upcoming episode aims to highlight the financial realities faced by those under the Plan 2 repaymen...

In this episode, Tom sits down with filmmaker Dan Freeman to ask the question: Was King Arthur Welsh? Dan is currently in production on Excalibur, an epic fantasy film set in Wales, centred on King Arthur and his knights. Tom and Dan explore the origins of the King Arthur myth and its relevance today, the innovative funding model behind the film, and how listeners can follow the production as it d...

In today's episode, Tom and Ben Kitchener step back from modern policy and into the history that still shapes the Welsh language today. This is Part 2 of 2. From the Blue Books to the Welsh Not, this episode explores the policies that explicitly tried to stigmatise Welsh and shame its speakers — and the psychological weight that legacy still carries today. To close this two-parter, Ben also shares...

In today's episode, Tom tries something different. Instead of a guest interview, this is the first in a series of short essays, just Tom, in his own words, reflecting on issues that matter. This episode marks Long Covid Awareness Day 2026. Six years after lockdown began, an estimated two million people in the UK are still living with Long Covid, and most of us have moved on as if the pandemic is o...

In today's episode, Tom and Ben Kitchener look past the St David's Day celebrations to explore the real mechanics and politics of the Welsh language - Cymraeg. This is Part 1 of 2. With an ambitious target of a million Welsh speakers on the horizon, this episode gets into the gap between policy and reality - specifically the "usage gap": the difference between having the ability to speak Welsh and...

In today's episode, Tom and Emily Merry conclude their two-part exploration of monumental Welsh women whose contributions to history are finally being recognised in bronze. From Elizabeth Andrews, the socialist activist who fought tirelessly for the rights of miners' wives, to Cranogwen, the extraordinary master mariner, poet and preacher who declared "gender difference is nothing in the world," t...

In today's episode, Tom and Emily Merry explore the lives of several monumental Welsh women whose contributions to history are finally being recognised in bronze. This is part 1 of 2.  From Princess Gwenllian, the 12th century warrior princess, to the modern-day campaign to commemorate her, this episode explores why representation in public spaces matters and how the Monumental Welsh Women project...

Tom delves into the Spare a Thought archives for the Rewind to celebrate St David's Day on 1st March with conversations focused on Wales and Welsh identity. In this episode, you'll hear from four guests recorded in Spring 2025: Gwern Gwynfil, Director of New Wales and former CEO of Yes Cymru, discusses how St David's Day traditions have evolved, the changing attitudes towards the Welsh language, W...