Snowcast

Hannah is a Professor of Mathematics at University College London. She is an expert in algorithms, who studies the patterns in human behaviour – particularly in an urban setting. Hannah is also a brilliant communicator, who shares her passion for maths - in books, podcasts, radio, television, and public talks. Her hit shows include The Curious Cases of Rutherford and Fry, on Radio 4. While recent...

The comedian and writer Phil Wang was born in Stoke-on-Trent and spent his childhood in Malaysian Borneo, before moving to Bath at the age of 16.  Phil successfully combined engineering with comedy at Cambridge University. He won the Chortle Student Comedy Award in his second year, a Comedy Central Award the following year, and became President of Footlights in his final year. By this point,...

When not playing Lady Danbury, in the huge Netflix series Bridgerton, Adjoa is a renowned stage actor. Celebrated for her performances with the Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre, and The Globe. Where, in 2019, she played Richard II, in the UK's first all-women-of-colour production. Adjoa has now turned her attention to Shakespeare’s Richard III. She directs and takes the lead role, i...

Alastair Campbell started out in journalism and became Political Editor of the Mirror, before entering the political fray and helping return Labour to power, with a landslide victory in 1997. He remains a prolific writer who’s found his voice - and lots of listeners - as a podcaster. Disagreeing agreeably with co-host Rory Stewart, on The Rest Is Politics. His latest book is titled But What Can I...

Dr Rachel Clarke is a palliative care doctor, and best-selling author. Who spent a decade, working as a journalist, before deciding to change careers. She took her science A-Levels, studied in the evening and started at medical school, just before her 30th birthday. When the time came to specialise, Rachel chose palliative care because she was drawn to the challenge of helping patients approach th...

Richard Curtis is an award-winning writer and director, who spends a great deal of his time trying to change the world. He's best-known for his work with Comic Relief but Richard campaigns on many issues. In 2020 he launched Make My Money Matter to raise awareness that our money is a major contributor - but also a solution - to the climate crisis. The decision-makers need to step up, yes. But...

Doreen was born in Clarendon, in Jamaica, and moved to London in 1962. She worked as a bank clerk before marrying and settling happily into family life. But on the 22nd April 1993 her eldest child Stephen was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack. Though five suspects were quickly identified to police, it took nearly twenty years for only two men to be sentenced for murder. A year after these co...

As fans around the world follow the fourth and final season of Succession, we seized the chance to spend time with the brilliant actor Brian Cox. This award-winning series has captured the public imagination with its witty and scathing take on dysfunctional one percenters. The news from creator Jesse Armstrong that Succession was ending upset many but, while Brian loved his time on the show, he fo...

When she was 16, Mikaela Loach decided to go vegan, boycott fast fashion and start a blog. She learned more about the climate crisis, became involved in the movement, and began to communicate her passion to others. Mikaela’s Instagram following grew and, in 2020, she featured in the Woman’s Hour Power List, in recognition for her work, bringing environmental issues to young audiences. She has now...

This week's guest is the award-winning journalist and sociology professor Gary Younge. From Mandela’s election campaign, to Obama’s presidency, Gary’s had a ringside seat, for some of the biggest stories of the last 30 years. And his latest book - Dispatches from the Diaspora - is a career-spanning collection of articles about race, racism, and Black life.  In this conversation, Gary reflects...

This week's guest is the witty and politically astute writer and director Armando Iannucci. After a week dominated by headlines about the government's immigration policy, Gary Lineker, the BBC and impartiality, he and Jon talk about the broadcasting and political landscape. As well as The Thick of It, Armando's mock epic poem about the pandemic, and what he's working on next. Related links: Armand...

This week's Snowcast has a preview of Jon's new book, The State Of Us, which shares a few of the things he's learned about politics, humanity and the world.  The first chapter takes Jon back to North Kensington in June 2017, watching a tragedy unfold in real time. The seeds of this book were sown while he stared up at Grenfell Tower and learned more about failures, and inequality, in the rich...

Robert Harris started out in journalism, became political editor of The Observer, and had a ringside seat for the rise of New Labour. But, after striking gold with Fatherland, Robert launched a second career as a novelist and never looked back. Robert’s latest best-seller - Act Of Oblivion - is set in a country that’s divided after the English Civil War. It’s a fictionalised account of the greates...

Munya Chawawa is a British-Zimbabwean satirist, who rose to fame with his DIY video sketches. He and Jon first met in 2017 - when Munya snuck into the ITN building - to interview him about Stormzy’s debut album. That memorable encounter became Munya’s first ever viral video. And he’s since amassed millions of followers, with his witty takes on politics, culture and the royal family. As Munya prepa...

Sophie Scott is a Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL and an award-winning lecturer, whose TED talk, Why We Laugh, has been watched over 5 million times. Her new book, The Brain, features ten enjoyable essays which cover how brains have evolved over time, their composition and chemistry, and how they interact with the world around us. Sophie loves brains and hers is full of mind-blowing fac...

Our first guest on Snowcast is Jon Ronson. A brilliant writer, who made his name interviewing people on the fringes of society. Extremists, conspiracy theorists, those who’ve been publicly shamed and - more recently - individuals whose stories are intertwined with the culture wars of the present day. Jon describes himself as a humanist journalist. He’s curious, empathetic and, at his happiest, whe...

Welcome to Snowcast - a new weekly podcast from the journalist Jon Snow - launching Tuesday 7th February. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.