The 286 Project

Claire Fox is a writer and journalist who in 2020 was invited to sit in the House of Lords as a non-affiliated life peer. She is also the director and founder of the think tank the Academy of Ideas, as well as the Battle of Ideas.  I spoke to her about the House Of Lords, free speech, the Battle of Ideas and Scotland's hate crime law.  Academy of Ideas' website: https://academyofideas.or...

It is often said that the arts have been 'captured' or that the showcasing of art has elements of being 'woke'. Yet it is not just on stage, screen, in a museum or gallery where the nature of the arts has had a big impact. The administrative side of art and the awarding of grants and bursaries has also gone through profound change over the last few years.  I spoke to Denise Fah...

This year's African Cup of Nations was one of the most interesting football tournaments for many years. From Uganda's lost generation of players in the 1990s to Cameroon's emergence as a force in the African game a few years earlier, the African Cup of Nations has always been a compelling continental tournament.  I spoke to Ben Jackson about his book, which looks back at the history...

Gary Turner is a 10-time world champion, as well as winning countless European and domestic titles across a wide range of martial arts styles.  He is also a PhD researcher, looking into traumatic brain injury in combat sports. I spoke to him about how he came to reconcile competing in combat sports with the brain injury that those sports can cause and why he decided to research this area.  Find Th...

Lee Spencer is a former Royal Marine who after coming through three tours of Afghanistan, lost his right leg and nearly his life due to an accident on the motorway. I spoke to him about overcoming adversity and the challenges he has set for himself and overcome. Lee Spencer's website: https://leespencer.co.uk/about-lee/ Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project Abo...

I spoke to Thomas Harris from The Free Speech Union about all things to do with free speech including how free speech is dealt with around the world and Ireland's speech bill. Free Speech Union website: https://freespeechunion.org/ Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything...

For this episode, I spoke to writer, podcaster, history enthusiast and social commentator Momus Najmi about world history, politics and the reasons why the West seem to have weak leaders. The World of Momus podcast: https://www.youtube.com@UC4YBowCYlUouQcgcqItq-mQ  The World of Momus Substack: https://www.theworldofmomus.com/  Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project A...

From Financial Fair Pay to Everton's points deduction and Manchester City's 115 charges, the financial health of football has been on the back pages regularly over the last few months.  To make sense of it all, I spoke to former Financial Controller of global football organisation City Football Group and football financial expert Neill Wood to explain it all.  Neil's website - https...

Keri Smith is the host of the podcast Deprogrammed with Keri Smith. She is also one of the first people I know who wrote about why she decided to leave the Left. We discuss that, as well as her views on the political landscape over the last decade, tribalism and her route to Christianity.  Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project  About The 286 Project: A podcast talki...

Simon Edge is the author of six books including The End of the World is Flat and his latest book In The Beginning. We discuss amongst other things, what was it like to edit Graham Linehan's autobiography, how has the publishing industry changed over the last couple of decades and whether there is a grievance industry. Simon's website: https://www.simon-edge.com/ Find The 286 Project on S...

Farmers have been protesting in Germany since late last year. Why are they doing so? How is the news media in Germany reporting them? Are there any similarities between these protests and the farmers' protests in the Netherlands last year? I spoke to Spiked’s Germany correspondent Sabine Beppler-Spahl about these issues. Sabine's article in Spiked about the protests: https://www.spiked-o...

For this episode, I spoke to freelance writer and journalist Ella Whelan about her own experience of giving birth and her own investigation into maternal care in the UK. Ella's article on Unherd about maternity care in the UK: https://unherd.com/2023/12/the-nhs-cu... Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, polit...

Should people be allowed to smoke? Is smoking becoming increasingly undermined by public health measures? Is smokers' behaviour being controlled beyond what is reasonable?  I spoke to the director of smokers' rights group FOREST Simon Clark, who is a non-smoker himself, about all of these issues surrounding smoking. FOREST website: https://www.forestonline.org/ Simon's letter of lib...

There is a perception during recent protests, that the police were more heavy handed with certain groups while more hands off with others, even if those groups caused damage.  Is two-tier policing a thing and how can we improve the police service as a whole?  I spoke to writer, historian and lecturer in policing Tom Andrews about this and other issues around the police such as bodycams, deaths in...

After retiring from professional football, Allan Cockram established a football team for people with Down's Syndrome, the Brentford Penguins. Now a documentary called Mighty Penguins has been made about the team, which has been shown at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York. I spoke to Allan about his football career and journey through life, the Penguins and how the team has changed his life...

The Yugoslav wars of the 1990s led to the break up of Yugoslavia into six independent countries. Not surprisingly, this had a massive effect on their leagues, both on their domestic leagues and their national team, which was in the midst of its own golden generation. Writer Chris Etchingham has written a book on this called Emancipation for Goalposts: Football's Role in the Fall of Yugoslavia...

I spoke to award-winning sports writer Donald McRae about the books he has written, the people he has interviewed, his thoughts on boxing and his opinions on sportswashing. Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we can think of.

1966. Etched into English sporting and culture as even more non-football fans in England know that the country won the World Cup that year. While there have been documentaries and books galore about England's triumph that day, little has been written of a number of players and the manager of that side. I spoke to award-winning writer Duncan Hamilton, whose latest book Answered Prayers: Englan...

Rosie Kay is a Choreographer, Dancer, Artistic Director, Speaker, Artist and CEO of her own company K2CO. We discussed why she was forced out of her original company,  why the arts have engaged in cancel culture over the last decade, the organisation she has co-formed to promote freedom in the arts, and her current work on the stage. K2CO's website - https://k-2co.com/ Freedom In The Arts&apo...

Boxing publicist Rachel Charles has lived an eventful life, to say the least. Born and brought up in a working-class area of Birmingham, she moved to Los Angeles as a teenager and eventually was the in-house publicist for boxing promoter Dan Goosen. The journey of how she got there will shock and inspire in equal measure. Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project About...

Since rugby union players were able to make a living in the mid-90s, the spectre of concussion has loomed large over both union and league. Over the last few years, more ex players have come forward, stating that they are suffering from neurological illnesses due to the repeated head trauma they endured while playing the sport. But is the game taking concussion and its long-term effects seriously?...

Dr Rakib Ehsan is a British-Bangladeshi independent researcher specialising in race relations, social cohesion and public security. His latest book is called Beyond Grievance: What the Left Gets Wrong about Ethnic Minorities.  Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project  About The 286 Project: A podcast talking about art, politics, culture, sport....and anything else we c...

William Douglas was a respectful university professor with a loving family. However, he led a secret life, spending his nights in Boston's red light district, known as the "Combat Zone. Inevitably, this led to tragic circumstances for both Douglas, a woman he had befriended and both of their families. I spoke to author Don Stradley, who in his latest book has written about this extraordi...

People have likely heard of the band the Dropkick Murphys. The man the band named themselves after led an unbelievable life. Dr. John “Dropkick” Murphy's legacy extends far and wide. From becoming a household name as a wrestler who put himself through medical school to leaving that world behind to open Bellows Farm - an at the time one-of-a-kind institution where elite athletes could train an...

Education in the UK has long been a source of conversation. From teaching standards to decolonising the curriculum, the education system is going through a number of changes. Dr Joanna Williams is the founder of Cieo, an independent think tank run by a small team of academics and authors. I spoke to her about the state of education in the UK including the standard of teaching, affirmation action i...