Changes with Annie Macmanus

This is a story about intense love, immeasurable loss and incredible strength. Behind the happy positive personality that is Sarah Gwonyoma, founder of @WhatSarahReadNext (a platform that she uses to review books and interview authors), is a woman who has been through unbelievable changes. After meeting Tim, Sarah moved to the other side of the world to be with him. It’s a beautiful film-like stor...

Jake Shears is the opposite of a fun sponge, he’s the life and soul of every party, a positive force. Jake is the frontman of Scissor Sisters, a band which made a huge impression on pop and club culture; their debut album was the biggest album in the UK in 2004. Jake and Scissor Sisters came up in the gay scene of New York and with their fun loving, extravagant performances, the band were instrume...

Jen Brister calls herself the ‘other mother’, the non-biological one, a gay comedian raising twin boys with her partner Chloe. She draws on this in her comedy with millions of views on instagram of her hilarious observations about mothers and their relationships with their children. Jen is currently touring her show The Optimist described by the Guardian as “expertly calibrated crabbiness”, “no on...

At the age of 18, just about to start her adult life, Sophie Morgan was in a car crash which instantly paralysed her from the chest down. She was told she would never walk again. Since that day, rather than let her disability defeat her, Sophie has used it as nothing but motivation and is now one of the first, and only, female disabled television hosts in the world as well as an award-winning disa...

This week we welcome double Oscar nominated, golden globe and BAFTA winning actor Samantha Morton. She is one of the finest actors of her generation, acting since the early 90s, in Hollywood, independent movies and TV. You may know Samantha from the films Emma and Jane Eyre, Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report with Tom Cruise, Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown, Elizabeth the Golden Age and the TV ser...

Have you ever been curious about changing things up in your love life? Or changing the way you view romantic partnerships? Would you consider an open relationship? What about jealousy? Ana Kirova is the CEO of the progressive dating app Feeld for open minded couples and singles to look for potential partners. In 2022, she featured in Forbes 30 under 30 list for technology and ELLE Magazine describ...

Trevor Nelson is a legendary broadcaster. He changed the world of radio and what was played, becoming a figurehead of R&B and black music. He has had a phenomenally successful career broadcasting for 35 years. The list of people he has interviewed is hard to rival - Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Jay Z, Kanye, P Diddy, Muhammed Ali. It goes on. Trevor start...

How do you live after surviving the holocaust? This is a story of hope and determination against all odds. Edith Eva Eger is a holocaust survivor. Her parents were killed in Auschwitz. She got out and dedicated her life to helping others with PTSD by becoming a psychologist. Once a ballerina and part of the Hungarian Olympic gymnastics team, Edith was sent to Auschwitz with her sister and parents...

Is there anything Jayde Adams can’t do? Acting, comedy, cooking, hosting, dancing, all things she’s had huge success in. After her sister died of a brain tumour, Jayde has done her proud; she co-hosted the BAFTA nominated series Snackmasters and Crazy Delicious with Heston Blumenthal, starred in the BAFTA winning series Alma’s Not Normal, made an Amazon prime stand up special called Serious Black...

Last year, America’s Nickelodeon child star Jennette McCurdy released her memoir ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ and it exploded, becoming a number one New York Times Best Seller. Hugely famous in the US starring in ‘iCarly’ and alongside Ariana Grande in ‘Sam and Cat’, no one would have guessed that behind the all smiles, successful glitz of child fame, Jennette was being unbearably controlled by her moth...

This week we are revisiting Annie sitting down with her husband Tom (known as producer Toddla T) to talk about his adult diagnosis of ADHD and speaking to Danila Khomutovsky, a Ukrainian man as he sheltered in Ukraine immediately after Russia invaded. T and Annie had been together 13 years when this conversation was recorded and spoke openly about how T's ADHD impacts their relationship and family...

For the first week of 2023, when you might be thinking about changing some things in your life, big or small, we are revisiting two very different guests who could change your view of things personally and in the world. One, a pop star sensation from Sweden and another a teacher, a filmmaker and an activist who is also a Syrian refugee who experienced crossing the sea to Greece in a rubber Dingy.&...

Oceans and Porn - this boxing day we have a unique and intriguing offering for you courtesy of highlights from Orla Doherty and Caitlin Moran.  Orla Doherty is a TV producer and environmentalist making change through deep sea filming. Orla produced ‘the Deep’ episode and the finale of Blue Planet II with David Attenborough. We revisit her Changes episode as she describes in precise detail the...

Over the festive period we are revisiting some previous Changes episodes. This week we look back at highlights from presenter and now author Nick Grimshaw and Bake Off’s Prue Leith. Both episodes discuss changing as we get older, which as we end another year, seems appropriate.  Nick Grimshaw was the host of BBC Radio 1’s breakfast show, something he had dreamed of forever but in this convers...

It’s that time of year again, an end of year special! Who better to join Annie to look back at the madness and events of 2022 than Rebecca Taylor aka, Self Esteem; a popstar who not only speaks her mind and does not hold back (yes, this is no exception), but has also had a phenomenal year and seen her career change irrevocably after releasing her album Prioritise Pleasure. There’s been Brit and NM...

Prepare to be amazed by Beeban Kidron, a woman who took on the tech giants and won, making urgent, life impacting changes to digital regulation and the online experiences of children and young people. As a member of the House of Lords, Beeban pushed through the world’s first ever Design Code into law in the UK, radically changing how social media treats children. Beeban is also a film and document...

In support of World Aids Day on 1st December, Annie spoke to Sasha who was born with HIV but only found out about her hidden diagnosis when she was 16 after going to A&E with an injury. She had spent most of her childhood in hospitals but wasn’t told why. Sasha is part of the first cohort of babies to survive with HIV and has struggled with treatments for most of her life. After she found...

Goldie is a music legend; a producer and DJ, graffiti artist and actor, instantly recognisable for wearing gold grills on his teeth. In the 90’s he became a pioneer of jungle and drum and bass music in the UK and launched the now legendary music label Metalheadz with DJ duo Kemistry & Storm. He released his ground breaking album Timeless in 1995, which went on to sell 250,000 copies. He dated...

How and why should we change the conversation around death and grief? Cariad Lloyd is an award winning actor and comedian but she might be best known for starting a much needed public conversation around grief. In 2016, Cariad launched her multi award winning podcast, Griefcast - a podcast that examines the human experience of grief and death but with comedians, so it’s cheerier than it sounds. Ha...

Patrick Cox was the most sought after shoe designer of the 90s, now he is a toad facilitator in Ibiza. When it comes to changes, you can’t get much more extreme. Patrick (otherwise known as Party Pat thanks to Janet Jackson) is the creator of the Wannabe, a modern style loafer, wanted and worn by everyone in the Brit Pop era. Every pop star you can think of had them - George Michael, Bob Dylan, Mi...

This week’s episode is a story of love and how love can change your life. It’s a story about marriage, family, health and grief but at its core is love. Love at all costs.  Tembi Locke is an actress and an author and now the co-writer and executive producer behind the new Netflix’s series, ‘From Scratch’, based on Tembi’s beautiful and heartbreaking life story which she wrote about in her New...

Can you heal yourself from trauma and change the course of your health? Gabor Mate believes you can. Gabor is a physician and an internationally renowned bestselling author and addiction expert in huge demand to speak about his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. Gabor teaches that as human beings we are creatures of our environment an...

Sophie Willan is fabulous; an actor, comedian and writer from Bolton, whose sitcom ‘Alma’s Not Normal’ earned her two BAFTAs. Her writing manages to be both fearless in tackling serious themes, and incredibly funny. You only have to watch Sophie’s reaction to winning her first BAFTA and acceptance speech for the second to realise how hilarious Sophie is and just how much her success means.  G...

‘You never quite know the ripple effect you have when you’re telling a tale’. Anne Marie Duff is a storyteller at heart. She is currently starring as Grace, a wife in an abusive relationship in Sharon Horgan’s phenomenal dark comedy, Bad Sisters which is being talked about everywhere. She’s an award-winning actress known for her BAFTA nominated roles in Shameless, The Virgin Queen and No...

Sam Smith is back and on fire. They’re releasing new music and being completely themselves, knowing exactly who they are. Sam’s achieved monumental success - four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. In 2019, Sam came out as non binary and today, their music is more popular than ever with their current single Unholy instantly becoming the number 1 trending song in...