On the Rack

On The Rack this week I have thought leader, educator, and consultant, Lee Jasper. He was an advisor in government to five consecutive Home Secretaries up until 2010, the Senior Political Advisor to former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone for eight years (2000-2008) and is the co-founder of Operation Black Vote. He is a veteran racial justice campaigner and strategist who I first met fourteen years...

You can subscribe to On the Rack via Spotify , Apple Podcasts and YouTube . Alex Hitchcock is a New York based, London born, leading voice on the saxophone and distinctive improviser on the international stage. He has been described by The Guardian as a ‘virtuoso’ saxophonist, and his innovative collaborations have confirmed his growing reputation as an instigator and catalyst for captivating musi...

It's the first Chat S**t Get Banged of 2025 and I was delighted to invite Gareth Dennis on the show! Gareth is the author of How Railways Will Fix the Future , published by Repeater Books. In a review of the book, Steve Dawe writing for West England Bylines said, Gareth Dennis uses current, historical, and global contexts to chart how the railways can assist in the climate emergency and social jus...

Yung Yusuf is a Palestinian-English rapper making music to fuel a revolution. His lyrics are marked by a deep exploration of fear, identity, and vulnerability, while his animated wordplay and unique energy keep listeners on their toes. I wrote about Yung Yusuf back in September, in my most read newsletter to date ' KNEECAPPED ’ Friday night I met Lowkey's son. He isn't his son of course, too close...

Listen to episode four on any platform here . In 2018 I was also lucky enough to see see  playwright Daniel York Loh’s #Forgotten 遗 忘  . It was well crafted. Intelligent. Necessary. In fact to envision and then produce a story with the sweeping width and breadth of #Forgotten 遗忘 takes massive brain power and tenacity. The Stage introduced their rave review thus, ‘Daniel York Loh’s study of the...

This week I sat down with Dr. Seth Alexander Thévoz, a political, cultural and social historian of 19th and 20th century Europe and empires, specialising in the history of private members’ clubs, and the history of corruption. He's also an award winning investigative journalist. Catch up with all episodes here . We intended to meet at the British Film Institute in St Stephen's Street, as I was a f...

UPDATED 12/09/24 Welcome to the newly launched Chat S**t. Get Banged podcast! This time round it's just me, myself and eye. Over the next few weeks I'll be interviewing some interesting people, some of who whom you will know, such as Patrick Vernon,who runs his own social enterprise promoting the history of diverse communities, as founder of Every Generation and the "100 Great Black Britons" campa...

These were the tweets that prompted me to ask author and broadcaster Matt Potter if I could interview him. Also because I think Carole Cadwalladr was wrong in her viral tweets calling Ukraine/Russia the first great information war or second, as then she corrects herself within the same tweet and says the one in 2014 was first. I didn’t know much before interviewing Matt but I did know she was wron...

Every year, people all over the world hold noise demos outside prisons on New Year's Eve to remind those inside that they are not forgotten. Bring instruments, pots & pans, and anything else that makes noise to Brixton prison, NYE, 6pm! via Prisoner Solidarity Network @psn_ldn This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit...

Bola Mosuro interviews Samantha Asumadu from Media Diversified . about the UK governments plans to pass the Nationality and Borders Bill 'Under a new draft clause added to the government’s Nationality and Borders Bill, which was proposed by Home Secretary Priti Patel, people in the United Kingdom could be stripped of their citizenship without warning. The bill also aims to rule as inadmissible asy...

Sam iinterview actor Stephan James on Barry Jenkins' radical empathy, James Baldwin, black love stories and British slang! Sam and Ava will be back in a new studio and with fantastic new guests in April! IF BEALE STREET COULD is out in UK cinemas on 8th Feb 'Like James Baldwin’s Best Work, If Beale Street Could Talk Contains Multitudes Barry Jenkins’s follow-up to Moonlight, starring KiKi Layne an...

Marc Thompson, strategic lead health improvement at the Terrence Higgins Trust, co-founder of Team Prepster and co-editor of Black Out UK joins Sam and Ava for an interview about sexual health, HIV and stigma in black communities. MUSIC Little Simz - Offence Jay Z - Lucifer Inspiration Information SPONSOR WAX PRINT FILM is the story of one fabric and how it came to symbolise a continent, it’s peop...

Editor in Chief of Media Diversified joins Sam and Ava for an episode dedicated to the legend, Whitney Houston! Tracks WHITNEY HOUSTON I Will Always Love You - it's Not Right But It's OK One Moment In Time My Name is Not Susan Saving All My Love Poison - Bel Biv Devoe Correct - MNEK Roni - Bobby Brown This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access...

This week's guess is investigative journalist Mark Watts! Topics covered by Ava, Sam and Mark include:The freedom of information act which Tony Blair said was his "biggest mistake", Britain's culture of secrecy and the Official Secrets Act + billionaire registered sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein and the difference between FOI in UK and USA. Our usual #HereandFabulous and #GetintheBin segment feature...

SPECIAL GUEST Journalist Assed Baig is a war correspondent and reporter. His stories have gained international coverage and millions of views worldwide. He has worked in Syria, Central African Republic, Myanmar and Libya. Currently working as an international correspondent in London for TRT world. He has previously worked as a reporter for Channel 4 News and the BBC. www.assedbaig.com Twitter: @As...