Let’s Talk About… Unheard Stories

Send us Fan Mail This month, Nicky is asking a big question - is capitalism killing creativity? From the cassette recorder she and her best friend used to play with as kids, to the systems that decide whose creative work gets funded, recognised and seen, this episode looks at what happens when commercial value becomes the only measure of creative worth. Covering awards, independent creators, the c...

Send us Fan Mail Some sounds aren't just noise, they are history in the making. Let's Hear About... digs into the stories behind the sounds that shaped our lives. Where they came from, how they spread, and why they stayed with us. From the Nokia ringtone to the Wilhelm Scream, from the first recorded human voice to the sounds of space itself, new episodes drop on the 1st of every month....

Send us Fan Mail This month Nicky is talking about something that affects millions of neurodivergent people, carers, and everyone really!  Let's talk about... Form Filling! From benefits to education, housing to healthcare, forms are often the only way to access the support you need. So why are they so badly designed for the very people who need them most? This episode covers the real cost of...

Send us Fan Mail This week's episode of Let's Talk About... Unheard Stories is a special one. 💙 After 15 years as the admin heart of ADHD+ Perth, Lorna Fotheringham has just retired, and I couldn't let that moment pass without saying a very public thank you. I've been part of the ADHD+ Perth community for over 20 years. Lorna is one of those people who shows up, gets on with i...

Send us Fan Mail To mark International Women's Day, Nicky visits one of the most extraordinary pieces of Scottish history currently on public display, the last letter ever written by Mary Queen of Scots. Written in the early hours of 8th February 1587, just hours before her execution at Fotheringhay Castle, the letter is now on free display at Perth Museum until 26th April 2026, the first tim...

Send us Fan Mail In the centre of Tron Square stands a dry but dignified landmark, the Alexander Martin Memorial Fountain, gifted to Dunning in 1874 by a villager who built a new life across the Atlantic.  Today, it’s more than stone and plaque; it’s a reminder of connection across oceans and time. But Dunning is not just its past. From the sound of kids on the green to chatter in the pub and the...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Fiona Clason , from the University of Stirling Art Collection , talks us through the stories behind the collection, its purpose, its people, and its mission, before diving into the history and significance of Mary Martin’s Wall Construction. Fiona shares: How the University’s art collection began and what makes it unique Why art on campus matters for students, sta...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, In this episode, writer Francesca Flowers reflects on her father, photographer Adrian Flowers , and the time he spent in the studios of Mary and Kenneth Martin during the 1950s. Her words are read by Zoe , bringing warmth and clarity to this beautifully written historical insight. We follow Adrian’s visits to the Martins’ London studio, his fascination with constr...

Send us Fan Mail Artist Audrey Grant joins me for a reflective, quietly powerful conversation about Mary Martin’s Wall Construction and the deeper artistic ideas that run through both women’s work. Audrey shares how she approaches Wall Construction, the geometry, the stillness, the discipline, the invitation to slow down. We talk about the connections between Mary Martin’s ordered structures and A...

Send us Fan Mail On the night of January 28th, 1716, Dunning was burning. As Jacobite troops from the Earl of Mar’s army retreated through Strathearn, they set fire to villages along the way.  Thirty-three families lost their homes, and at least three villagers died in the bitter cold that followed.  Out of the destruction came two enduring landmarks: the Thorn Tree in the village square, planted...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I speak with Paul Martin , son of the artist Mary Martin , about her life, her process, and the story behind Wall Construction, one of the most iconic works in the University of Stirling Art Collection. We talk about: Whether Mary ever visited the University during the commission How Mary approached abstraction, simplicity, and the idea that “the work should expla...

Send us Fan Mail  In the heart of Dunning stands St Serf’s Church, its tower dating back to the 1200s. But the stories it carries go much further: a local legend of a saint and a dragon, and a sandstone cross carved more than 1,200 years ago. In this short walk we explore how myth and history overlap, from St Serf’s victory over the beast to the Dupplin Cross and its royal inscription.  Support th...

Send us Fan Mail What can a first impression reveal about an artwork that rewards slow looking?  Sometimes the simplest response opens the most interesting door. In this episode, I speak with Ally Wallace , an artist known for his observational drawings, animations, and explorations of everyday structures. His response to Mary Martin’s Wall Construction begins with instinct rather than theory, and...

Send us Fan Mail What do we uncover when we look beyond the clean lines of an artwork and into the thinking that shaped it?  Mary Martin’s work often appears minimal, but its foundations are anything but simple. In this episode, I speak with Sam Gathercole, Senior Lecturer in Contextual and Theoretical Studies at London College of Communication, whose knowledge of British constructivism provides a...

Send us Fan Mail What does it mean for an artwork to stay relevant long after the moment it was created?  Some pieces remain fixed in time; others continue to shift as new artists encounter them. In this conversation, I speak with Toby Paterson, an award-winning visual artist from Glasgow, whose work draws deeply from architecture, modernism, and the visual structures of the built environment. His...

Send us Fan Mail What makes an artwork stick with you long after you first see it?  For me, that artwork is Wall Construction by Mary Martin, tucked away in the Crush Hall at the University of Stirling. This episode is a personal journey through that piece,  from the quiet anchor it became during my own student days, to the surprising family connection I later discovered between Mary Martin and my...

Send us Fan Mail This week, Ryan and I sit down with Stuart, diagnosed with ADHD just six weeks ago, in his 60s.  What follows is an open, honest, and sometimes raw conversation about what led him to seek a diagnosis later in life, how it’s changed the way he sees his past, and what life looks like now. Alongside the laughs and the darker moments, we talk about masking, relationships, identity, an...

Send us Fan Mail High above Dunning lies Dun knock, a hill that once held a powerful Iron Age fort. Built with stone, earth, and timber, it was home to people who lived, cooked, and worked here more than two thousand years ago.  Today, the ramparts are gone, but the land still carries their story of power, community, and survival. Take a short walk to hear what the earth remembers.  Support the sh...

Send us Fan Mail Two thousand years ago, Dunning looked very different.  In Kincladie Wood, the faint dips and ditches are all that remain of a vast Roman camp.  Archaeologists say it could have held an entire marching army, thousands of soldiers who left their mark and moved on.  In this short walk, we explore what’s still visible, what’s been uncovered, and why this quiet wood remembers more tha...

Send us Fan Mail This bonus episode features the full interview with writer Geoff Holder , recorded for my recent Maggie Wall podcast. In this conversation, Geoff shares insights into Scotland’s witch trials, theories about the Maggie Wall monument, and the enduring mystery that has fascinated visitors to Dunning for centuries. If you haven’t yet, listen to the full Maggie Wall dramatised document...

Send us Fan Mail In the heart of Dunning, Scotland, stands a rough stone monument that has puzzled visitors for centuries. Painted across its face are the words: “Maggie Wall was burned here in 1657 as a witch.” But who was Maggie Wall? Why is she remembered when the names of women truly executed in Dunning have been forgotten? This dramatised documentary blends historical fact with artistic licen...

Send us Fan Mail Join me on 13th September, for a brand new experimental 6-part series, Let’s WALK About, voted for by YOU, the listeners. In this series, I’ll be taking you on walks, starting in Dunning, Scotland. Exploring stories and reflections that surface along the way, expect atmosphere, history, and honesty as I try something different from my usual one-on-one interviews. This trailer give...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Nicky and Ryan dive into the wonderfully strange talents we all have but could never (or should never) put on a CV. From oddly specific life skills to completely useless party tricks, we explore why these quirks matter more than you think. We also tackle a round of our quick-fire “This or That” game, revealing way too much about ourselves in the process. Expect la...

Send us Fan Mail Broken Systems, Real Lives Adult Social Care. Access to Work. Postcode lotteries. Endless paperwork. Delayed support. It’s the reality for too many disabled people in the UK. In this episode, I speak with Luis , a fierce disability advocate and founder of Unstoppable Living . Drawing on his own experiences, Luis shares what it’s like to navigate these broken systems, and what it w...

Send us Fan Mail In this transatlantic episode of Let’s Talk About , I’m joined by Zack Borodkin   Disability rights advocate, community outreach coordinator, and all-around powerhouse based in New York. We explore what dating while disabled looks like in the U.S., how cultural and policy differences shape experiences, and why Zach thinks some dating apps have become too commercialised.  From the...