The 286 Project

Andy West is a writer and author who teaches philosophy in prisons. His book, The Life Inside: A Memoir of Prison, Family and Learning to be Free, is a memoir in which he discusses the lessons he has taught in prison and growing up with family members who have been incarcerated. We discussed the importance of philosophy, his experience of growing up with family members who spent time in prison, wh...

Over the last few months, assisted dying has been a hot topic of conversation in the UK news media. The ethics and practicalities have been extensively debated.  Kevin Yuill is emeritus professor of history at the University of Sunderland and CEO of Humanists Against Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia (HAASE). He has written about and discussed this topic on many occasions, including at this year&apo...

In August 1930, Max Baer fought Frankie Campbell in a boxing fight that ended in tragedy, with Campbell losing his life due to injuries sustained during the fight. Baer was charged with manslaughter, yet was eventually acquitted of all charges.  Writer Catherine Johnson has written the book 'Then The World Moved On', which goes into depth about this fight and challenges the narrative bef...

What does being tough mean? Is it more than physical strength?  Is it sorely innate or can we develop toughness? Olympic weightlifting coach Greg Everett has written a book called Tough: Building True Mental, Physical & Emotional Toughness for Success & Fulfillment. I spoke to him about why he decided to write a book about toughness, where toughness comes from and what the difference is be...

Baggage Claim is a content creator and film & culture critic.  We discussed whether the term 'woke' is overrated, what has happened at Disney, the feminisation of men and patronisation of women in modern culture and society at large and what happened to all the good screenwriters in Hollywood. Baggage Claim's YouTube channel: https://m.youtube.com/@BaggageClaim/videos Find The 2...

In 2012, while in Somalia to research a book on privacy, journalist Michael Scott Moore was abducted by a gang of local pirates and kept in captivity for 977 days. Soon after, the pirates demanded a ransom of 20 million dollars for his release.  We talked about his time in captivity, discussions he had with the pirates, talking to other hostages and his eventful release. On a lighter note, we also...

Kara Goucher grew up with dreams of running in the Olympics. Invited to join the Nike Oregon project, it felt like the opportunity to compete and win a medal at the Games would be realised. She competed at the Olympics, World Championships and some of the best marathons in the world.  Then it turned horribly wrong.  She has a new book that details precisely what happened. We discussed that as well...

Mirin Fader is a senior staff writer for The Ringer, writing long-form, human-interest sports features. She’s the New York Times best-selling author of the book, Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA Champion, about Giannis Antetokounmpo and his youngest brother, Alex Antetokounmpo. Her current book is another biography, this time on Hakeem Olajuwon. We discussed his upbringing, what brought him...

Dr Donna Lyon runs a support group in Melbourne to help women who suffered from abuse when they were a child. The support group is called Left Write Hook and uses boxing and writing as a way to help women overcome the complex trauma they are going through.  The group is now the subject of a new documentary which was shown at the Melbourne International Film Festival. I discussed with Donna how the...

Forensic science has been around for many centuries. With each decade that passes, forensics techniques used to identify perpetrators of crime become ever more sophisticated. This has also been reflected in the number of crime dramas on television and film that use forensics as an anchor for the rest of the story. I spoke to Jo Ward, who is a crime scene investigator, whose work in the field has b...

There are people currently under Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP). These are a form of indeterminate sentence introduced which took effect from 2005 and abolished in 2012.  Despite their abolishment, there are people still in prison due to IPPs.  I spoke to Bernadette Emerson, whose partner is under IPP about his future and how IPPs affect her and their family.  Find The 286 Project on Soc...

Niamh McAnally is an author, keynote & corporate speaker. Two years ago, her book Flares Up: A Story Bigger Than The Atlantic, about two men who rowed 3,000 miles across the Atlantic, was published by Pitch.  She has recently released her autobiography Following Sunshine. I spoke to Niamh about her life in detail. We discussed growing up around film sets, teaching actors how to row and the num...

Irvin Muchnick is an independent journalist and author who specializes in sports muckraking. He has written for Sports Illustrated, People, The Washington Monthly, and the Sunday magazines of the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, among many other major publications.  We talked about his new book UNDERWATER: The Greed-Soaked Tale of Sexual Abuse in USA Swimming and Around the Globe, which i...

Diane Foster is an award-winning American actress-singer-dancer-producer based in Los Angeles.  She directed and starred in the horror film Easter Bloody Easter, which was released earlier this year, and produced and starred in the film IOWA, released in 2005 and part of the official selection at the Tribeca Film Festival.  In 2018, Diane founded her own production company Wally Bird Productions. ...

Pablo Escobar's criminal activities and subsequent passing have given him a mythical status that his crimes should not have. During his time as the world's most notorious drug lord, he saw himself as a Robin Hood figure, building facilities such as homes and football pitches in the downtrodden areas of Medellin. It was in the construction of the latter that Escobar's influence went...

Emma Hardy is a mother who decided to homeschool after discovering what they had been taught.  Alongside this, she is also taking the gym she attended to court. The reasons for this are in her crowdfunder, which is linked below.  Emma's crowdfunder: https://democracythree.org/help-emma-sue-david-lloyd Find The 286 Project on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/the286project  About The 286 Project...

Timandra Harkness is a writer and presenter. She has presented many programmes for BBC Radio about technology and how it interacts with society.  She has written a new book called Technology is Not the Problem, arguing that the problem is not algorithms, but the need to create technology to feed our desires. We discussed how the advancement of technology has affected us as a society, as individual...

Dave Haslam is a DJ, writer and journalist who has recently written books on an array of people such as Courtney Love, Haring, Sylvia Plath and Pablo Picasso.  We discussed Manchester's culture renaissance, Grace Jones spending time in a Stockport studio and Courtney Love's short stay in Liverpool.  On a sidenote, it would really be appreciated if you could subscribe to the channel, as t...

The knockout. A sudden and concussive end to a sporting contest that is unique to combat sports.  No single action in sport can turn the path of the contest so suddenly in the losing person's favour, than a punch that causes unconsciousness in their opponent.  Boxing commentator Andy Clarke has written a book about its effects. We discuss the two fights between Carl Froch and George Groves, R...

Why do a high percentage of African Caribbean people between the ages of 50 and 60 own their home? Why are British Nigerians doing so well academically? What can young black people in the UK learn from the success stories of black people years before? Tony Sewell has been a teacher and journalist. His charity Generating Genius has helped hundreds of young black people into STEM in business and aca...

Birth rates are declining, ageing populations around the world are increasing and currently, this shows no signs of stopping.  One of the world's pre-eminent demographers', Dr Paul Morland has written extensively on this subject, including three books and for various publications.  We discuss the reasons behind population decline, whether immigration policies can make a difference in a c...

In his new book Death of a Boxer, Pete Carvill explores the psychology of those who choose to fight and what draws them towards this most dangerous of pursuits.  We discuss the story of Mike Towell, why people choose to box and what boxing does for them. On a sidenote, it would really be appreciated if you could subscribe to the channel, as the more the channel grows, the more it can be developed....

This episode features our first returning guest, George TheTinMen.  With nuance and articulate discussion, we discuss many issues concerning men - from whether men's mental health is taken seriously, to men having their own spaces and how men are treated in family court.  On a sidenote, it would really be appreciated if you could subscribe to the channel, as the more the channel grows, the mo...

Neil Davenport is a sociology teacher and critic who has recently written a letter of liberty for the Academy of Ideas in the UK, defending pubs and the pub trade.  I spoke to him about how the purpose of pubs has historically been more than just serving alcoholic beverages - from plotting working-class political movements to becoming a stage for artistic performances and hosting essential meeting...

From Somebody Up There Likes Me to Rocky series to Raging Bull, cinema has long been fascinated with boxing - both the boxers themselves and the characters that make up the sport. I spoke to writer and author David Curcio about his latest book Race, Crime and Culture in Boxing Films, which looks at a selection of boxing films over the last century. We discuss his favourite films and how the way ci...