Country Life

For four four decades, George Monbiot has been one of Britain's strongest voices speaking out on the environment. After starting his career with the BBC, Monbiot is now best known for his books and his weekly column in The Guardian , winning a reputation as a tireless and passionate advocate for the natural world, as well as making plenty of enemies along the way. He joins James Fisher on this wee...

Everyone has their passions. I, for example, enjoy collecting football shirts. Other people like stamps. Some people like vintage tractors. Oliver Godfrey, from Cheffins, is very good at auctioning them. It is important to understand people and their passions. So we asked Oliver to join the Country Life Podcast, to talk us through the slightly niche world of vintage tractor buying, selling and col...

The nature writer, children's author and journalist Melissa Harrison joins James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about her life, her career, and how she found herself creating a smartphone app to help people connect with nature. •  Listen to Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts •  Listen to Country Life podcast on Spotify •  Listen to Country Life podcast on Audible Epi...

The animals we share Britain with mean far more to us than we realise. Beyond the obvious companionship, food and farming, they are a part of our folklore, our language and intertwined with our lives. Karen Jones, professor of environmental and cultural history at the University of Kent, has long been fascinated by the creatures that populate our island, and our interactions with them. We're delig...

Before lockdown changed life in Britain in early 2020, Chloe Dalton led an almost overwhelmingly metropolitan existence. A foreign policy expert, her comfort zone was in the corridors of power, around Whitehall and Westminster, a person who — in her own words — was ‘addicted to the adrenaline’ of flying around the world playing a key role in the decisions that shape the nation.  A c...

It's almost two decades since photographer Cath Harries set out to work on a book documenting London's finest pubs. As she walked the streets of the capital, however, she found herself wondering about a new project: London's most extraordinary doors. The idea took hold, and she found herself embarking upon a project which would take a decade and a half. Listen to Country Life podcast on Apple Podc...

Wildlife cinematographer Dan Abbott has travelled the world documenting marine life from the peaceful turtles of the Mediterranean to the iconic great white sharks off the coast of South Africa. More recently, though, Dan has hit the headlines for the videos he has shared of the colonies of whales who have made the British coast a regular stop in recent years. We're delighted, then, that Dan was a...

Guy Goodfellow and his Creative Director Steven Rodel have carved out a reputation as two of the finest interior designers working in Britain today. We're thrilled, then, that they were able to join us for the Country Life Podcast, to discuss the unique qualities of British design, the country house look, and what it feels like to see your cushions in the background while watching The King on...

After starting her career writing about student life, Eleanor began to write about Britain's great country houses, and — more importantly — the people who live in them. Over a decade later she has travelled to over 150 of the finest country piles in Britain, interviewing their owners to discover the ups and downs of their lives. Listen to the Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts Listen...

Should we have a right to roam? It's something that we've talked about a fair bit at Country Life in recent times — not least with our articles from opposing sides of the argument from Alexander Darwall and Lewis Winks . Rather than just listen and read, Patrick the author and journalist Patrick Galbraith decided to travel the length and breadth of Britain to discover for himself what access...

HS2: blot on the landscape? Or the greatest missed opportunity in a generation? What if the future of transport in Britain wasn't about electric cars and extra runways at Heathrow, but a 200-year-old technology of the past? That's the argument made by Gareth Dennis, the engineer, writer, policy adviser and podcaster who has made a name for himself in recent years with his clear-headed analysis of...

It’s an annoying thing to have to write down, because in my head it felt like it was only yesterday, but it’s been 10 years since I finished university, packed a big rucksack, and went to go and see the world. Lots of people had gap years. We all knew that there were only two essential items that you needed. Some rehydration tablets and a Lonely Planet guide. This week, I was joined on the Country...

We are back. Thank you all for bearing with us while we get our ducks in a row for another year of the Country Life Podcast. If it’s even possible, it’s going to be better than last year, that we can guarantee. Our first guest for 2025 is the legendary Marina Gibson, angler extraordinaire, who was more than happy to indulge me in lots of fishing related conversation. She was at Gleneagles, where s...

Like all serious journalists, James May used to work for Country Life writing about cars. It didn't go very well, but thankfully he bounced back and went on to present Top Gear, The Grand Tour, and many other TV shows including his latest, James May and The Dull Men. He's also been busy making his own gin. James Gin started off as something to pass the time during Lockdown, but it soon got a bit s...

'Anything said with absolute confidence and in absolute terms is normally nonsense,' says Oscar Dodd, about Fortnum & Mason's wine and spirits buyer, when it comes to discussing the oft-trotted out truisms about wine, beer and spirits that you often hear. But not everything you hear is so wide of the mark. 'They say that the English drink their red wine too old and too warm, and their white wi...

Dancer, actor, father of four and farmer. There are very few things that Kelvin Fletcher cannot do. ‘Hold on’, you might say. ‘What do you mean farmer? I thought that was just acting?’ Well, it was, until about three years ago when Kelvin and his wife Liz decided that they needed a change of scenery. Plans to move to Los Angeles were touted, but a far more sensible decision (we think) was made: a...

Lady Henrietta Spencer-Churchill, the only daughter of the 11th Duke of Marlborough, has by any measure led an extraordinary life. As a girl she moved from the family home in Oxfordshire to Blenheim Palace, the family seat and — by any measure — one of the finest buildings not just in Britain, but the world (it has UNESCO World Heritage Site status to prove it). Listen to Country Life po...

The idea of 'nature as a healer' as become a truism, often repeated without much thought given to how or why it should do so. One man who has thought about this phenomenon — and spent much of his life researching and writing about it — is Professor Miles Richardson, a member of the psychology department at Derby University, founder of the Nature Connectedness Research Group , and author...

In 1996, a television show arrived on British screens which changed the way we see interior design: Changing Rooms . It made household names of several of its stars, including host Carol Smilie and carpenter 'Handy Andy' Kane, but none became so famous as designer Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen, whose flamboyant dress sense, often outrageous designs and laconic demeanour made him world-famous. As he turn...

Why are country houses so often the perfect settings for horror novels? That's just one of the questions posed by James Fisher to Louise Davidson, author of The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond , on the latest episode of the Country Life Podcast. Listen to Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts Listen to Country Life podcast on Spotify Listen to Country Life podcast on Audible Growing up in Northern Ir...

When it comes to travel, few know more than our very own Rosie Paterson. She has been to many places, and seen many things. And that’s just this year. She also has her finger on the pulse when it comes to places people might like to go in the future. Imagine how smug you would feel telling friends at a drinks party that, actually, ‘Japan is a bit overdone at the moment; south-west China is where i...

Interior designers Nicole Salvesen and Mary Graham, better known by their company name Salvesen Graham, have earned a reputation as some of Britain's most sought-after interior designers, developing an aesthetic which blends classic principles with modern touches. Yet as well as having a great love of beautiful rooms and objects, they're both firmly rooted in how people actually live day to day in...

I suppose we all remember the house, or houses, we grew up in. Where we learned to walk, or first explore the garden, or climb some stairs. Most houses are quite small. Some are quite big. And then there are houses like Cluny Castle in Abderdeenshire . I was joined on the podcast this week by its owner, Cosmo Linzee Gordon, who grew up there. Cosmo agreed to answer the questions that I imagine I a...

What is the fundamental job of a writer? 'We try to turn the world into language,' according to the poet, broadcaster and writer Ian McMillan. Ian, one of Britain's best-loved poets and writers, as well as the presenter of The Verb on BBC Radio 4, joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast in what is one of the most entertaining and wide-ranging chats so far. Listen to Country Life podcast on...

Organising a literary festival is no mean feat. You've got to book the right guests, organise plenty of activities, and find somewhere to host it. Vicky and Charles Rangeley-Wilson joined the podcast this week to talk about exactly that, ahead of the upcoming Literature and Landscape Festival in Norfolk. With a star-studded lineup, there was plenty to talk about. Listen to Country Life podcast on...