The Convex Conversation

  Endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh describes the harsh dangers & absolute beauty of swimming in a glacial river under the ice sheet in Antarctica in just his Speedos to highlight the devastating effects of climate change.   Lewis explains how all of our futures will be determined by the polar regions which are melting at a frightening rate. He continues to push himself to the absolute limit to encoura...

Camille talks about the challenges & joys of transforming the Docklands wasteland of the early nineties into a stunning city within a city.   She also shares her love of art which she’s brought to the Canary Wharf estate; discusses the importance of women at senior levels; talks about the drive & determination she believes she got from her father & laughs about her well-known dislike of holidays! ...

  Neil gives a fascinating insight into what it's like flying advanced trauma medics to the scene of critical incidents including stabbings, shootings & road accidents in the capital.  London has one of the world's most complex & crowded airspaces and the aim is to take the hospital to the roadside to deliver life-saving care for patients like Yair & Victoria who we hear from in this week's Convex...

  Former Communard, vicar of Finedon, co-presenter of BBC's Saturday Live, musician, writer & Twitter lover Richard Coles shares stories from his youth, his days as an accidental pop star & life as a vicar.    Richard also talks about coping with grief after the unexpected loss of the love of his life and reveals he’s "standing up & facing forward".                   

  Dee shares remarkable stories from her six circumnavigations of the globe. She earned a place in the record books & an MBE for being the first woman to go solo the ‘wrong’ way, against prevailing winds & currents, inspired by Sir Chay Blyth.    Dee talks frankly about life alone in some of the most hostile waters & conditions; learning to live with herself 24/7; the beauty & power of nature; dev...

  Ben shares his extraordinary business journey. He started out selling sandwiches & opened his first café more than 20 years ago with his brother Hugo, hence the name ‘Benugo’.   He talks to Helen about the ups & downs of growing his business into a £100-million-pound empire, the challenges of being in some of Britain’s most prestigious museums & galleries including the V&A, & the importance of B...

    Helen chats with former UK Special Forces operative Ollie Ollerton from Channel Four's reality show SAS : Who Dares Wins. Ollie talks frankly about the battles he's been determined to overcome, including a vicious & traumatic attack when he was a young boy & shares how he uses his own extreme personal & military experiences to help others turn their lives around through his organisation, Break...

  Helen chats to Gethin Jones about his time on Celebrity MasterChef 2020 including his surprise departure at the final stages.   Gethin also talks about presenting on The One Show & Radio 2, his Blue Peter audition & the autism foundation he’s set up inspired by his nephew. And he attempts to teach Helen some Welsh!   

  Presenter & journalist Penny Smith chats about her career in live broadcasting, her passion for opera & theatre, and shares the five things she can’t live without!   She also reveals the terrifying moment she found herself on the wrong end of a submachine gun and feared her time was up.   

  Helen meets refugee Eid Aljazairli & hears about his extraordinary escape from war torn Syria at the hands of smugglers & the moment he feared he would drown at sea when the small wooden boat he was in collapsed. Despite being a non-swimmer when he left his family in Damascus, Eid is now training for Tokyo 2021 where he hopes to compete as a swimmer for the Olympic Refugee Team & is a financial...

One of Britain’s favourite actors Amanda Redman chats to Helen about how the devastating burns accident she had as a child inspired her to come up with a new plotline for ITV drama The Good Karma Hospital; reminisces about happy times on the set of New Tricks with Dennis Waterman, Alun Armstrong & James Bolam & shares her passion for her drama school.   

  Gyles shares with Helen everything from his friendships with Dame Judi Dench and Mrs Thatcher to his relationship with the Royal family.   He keeps his synapses supple by reciting poetry & talks about the podcast series he does with Countdown’s etymologist Susie Dent on their shared passion for words.  

    Greg Jenner, of Horrible Histories & You’re Dead to Me, shares how his childhood interest in toy knights & Tony Robinson’s sitcom Maid Marian and her Merry Men may have contributed to him becoming a public historian.   We explore the history of celebrity, discuss why comedy & history work so well together, and find out about Greg’s mission to inspire those who don’t think history is their thin...

  Barnardo’s CEO Javed Khan talks about the devastating effect COVID has had on Britain’s vulnerable youngsters & the crippling drop in funds now faced by Britain’s leading children’s charity as a result of lockdown.   He warns the current children’s mental health crisis could become a catastrophe; shares his thoughts on #BlackLivesMatter & his personal experiences of racism growing up in the seve...

C4 Countdown’s Susie Dent reveals how a shy lexicologist from Oxford first ended up on our screens more than 25 years ago. She confesses to a fascination for the hot topic of swearing, shares her favourite & least favourite words and reveals the fun behind Eight of Ten Cats & recording her new podcast, Something Rhymes with Purple, with Gyles Brandreth in her kitchen.

Sir Chris Bonington has lived life on the edge. In The Convex Conversation, he talks to Helen Fospero about the draw of the beauty of the mountains, his desire to push himself to the limit on expeditions and the attraction to the risks involved.    Chris describes his emotional ascent to the summit of Everest; takes us on a journey to the north face of the Eiger and gives an insight into the shy y...

  Entrepreneur Anna Jones tells us why she quit her job as CEO of a top publishing house to set up a members’ club aimed at championing women in business, networking and developing their careers.   A chance meeting at a party led to the formation of AllBright in the UK and in the States.    The name was inspired by former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who famously said: “There is a spec...

Music legend Bob Harris joins us from his studio ‘Under The Apple Tree’.   He reminisces about happy times with John Lennon in New York, being on tour with Queen in Vegas, and friendships with Robert Plant, Marc Bolan, Sir Elton John & Sir Alex Ferguson.    He also reveals how doctors saved his distinctive voice, loved by millions, during life-saving treatment for an aortic tear.   And Whispering...

Blind entrepreneur and TV presenter Amar Latif talks about his life and how blindness has helped him see the world.    Amar’s passion for travel has taken him to more than 100 countries. He’s clocked up half a million miles including trekking through inhospitable jungles & shark infested waters in Nicaragua, and reaching the summit of North Africa’s highest peak, Mount Toubkal.    He set up the wo...

Convex CEO & Chairman Stephen Catlin gives a personal insight into his life as an insurance underwriter & entrepreneur.  He shares stories from his childhood; his youth in the seventies; becoming a ‘scratch boy’ for Lloyd’s of London despite his mum’s misgivings about his suitability for an office job; his passion for the great outdoors, and his excitement at starting all over again with a blank s...

When Claire Lomas was paralysed in a riding accident, she remembers thinking in her darkest days how dull life would be. In our Convex Conversation she reveals how wrong she was. Claire talks about the extraordinary challenges she’s taken on, not least of them becoming a mum against the odds. She’s raised more than three quarters of a million pounds for spinal research, including for The Nicholls’...

In our debut Convex Conversation, Perty reveals the challenges of being Red One; the extraordinary trust that exists between the pilots & engineers; a close shave on frontline duties in Afghanistan and why The Queen has a photo of him in her handbag!  I hope you enjoy our podcast – we'd love you to share Red One’s story with friends and family.         -