The Convex Conversation

British actor Peter Wight tells Helen about filming the upcoming BBC drama The Reckoning, based on the life of disgraced entertainer Jimmy Savile. He also chats about working with Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage on Cyrano which is out at cinemas now.   Peter, who has graced our screens & performed on stage for five decades, shares stories of working with legendary film director Mike Leigh; bru...

Fredi Nwaka’s latest film, On the Other Foot, about a white racist cabbie who find himself stuck in a black body for 72 hours is comedic as well as thought-provoking.    Fredi looks back on growing up as the only black child in the seaside town of Deal in Kent; reflects on his time in a notorious London gang and explains how he draws on his experiences to mentor young offenders & gang members to h...

Simson Uri-Khob is CEO of Save the Rhino Trust Namibia & this year’s winner of Prince William's Tusk Lifetime Award for Conservation in Africa.   He explains why he’s dedicated his life to protecting the world’s last free-roaming black rhino population in the desert from poachers & preserving their habitat with the vital help of local communities and leading conservation charity Tusk.   Simson als...

Annie Auerbach explains how learning to flex in our work & home lives, being rebellious & reinventing the rules, helps to create a smarter, happier life.   Annie is the co-founder of trends & cultural insights agency Starling and an expert in the future of work.   Her book on living & working on our own terms was written before the pandemic & has been critically acclaimed by the FT, Sunday Times S...

Born in the UK to American parents, Jared Blumenfeld is one of America’s most innovative environmental leaders. He attended COP26 in Glasgow & gives us his take on what was achieved at the UN’s climate change summit as well as talking about the progress being made in California & the extreme weather America’s largest state is experiencing.   Jared believes we’ve gone beyond the precipice with clim...

Sabine knew at the age of 15 she wanted to design jewellery & work for herself. She shares fascinating stories of making a bracelet for Morgan Freeman for the Oscars; a golden corset for Angelina Jolie for the Maleficent 2 red carpet & reflects on precious time she spent with former South African President Nelson Mandela.   Sabine explains how she helped women in Botswana make a living, teaching t...

This year’s Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year & Royal Marines Veteran Mark Ormrod tells Helen how his life was devastated in a split second in the early hours of Christmas Eve 2007. He stepped on & triggered an improvised explosive device on routine foot patrol in Afghanistan. He was just 24 & lost both legs & his right arm.   Mark has raised more than £600,000 to help other veterans & a fil...

Dr Hannah French takes Helen on a musical journey through her life as a baroque flautist, studying and tutoring at the Royal Academy of Music. She talks about her passion for Bach & the pleasure she gets helping audiences unlock the fascinating secret stories classical music holds.    Hannah has Ehlers Danlos syndrome – a genetic collagen deficiency which means she dislocates easily. She explains...

Air Vice-Marshal Harv Smyth gives a fascinating insight into his job as as Britain’s first ever Director Space for the Ministry of Defence, responsible for building & delivering a national space programme for the UK. A fast-jet pilot of 20 years & former leader of the combat arm of the Royal Air Force, AVM Smyth reveals he’s currently concentrating on low earth orbit, operating 63 miles above our...

As Britain prepares to host the United Nations Climate Change Conference COP26, meteorologist Clare Nasir talks about the deep learning and research going on at the Met Office where she works by some of the biggest brains in climate science. Clare says the science behind climate change has been known for decades and points out that this autumn the Nobel Prize for Physics went to two scientists for...

Helen free-falls at 125mph from 15,000 feet for an exhilarating sense of life as a member of The Tigers Army Parachute Display Team, in the capable hands of their leader, Sgt Frank Millerick.   Frank has done more than 3,000 jumps and talks about his passion for instructing hundreds of soldiers, watching them go from zero to hero, and seeing that light bulb moment. He talks openly about the challe...

As we mark World Mental Health Day, Dan Keeley shares his battles with his own mental health in the hope his journey can help others who may feel too afraid to speak up.   Dan, who describes being bi-polar as both a blessing & a burden, talks about his extreme adventures including running unsupported from Rome to Home – 1,250 miles in 65 days – to raise awareness. His sights are now set on Mont Bl...

Mark Fallon spent 27 years as an NCIS special agent and was the US Deputy Assistant Director for Counterterrorism. He’s been undercover in some of the darkest corners of the world - with drug lords in Thailand buying heroin, capturing poachers in the Kenyan Bush and spent time questioning prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. Mark says the most frightening thing of his entire career was a decision made by...

As Britain prepares to host the United Nation's Climate Change Conference COP 26, the CEO of NGO Plastic Oceans International talks to Helen about the catastrophic situation the world is in and the serious threat to our ecosystems.  More than 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced every year. 10 million tonnes end up in our oceans with only 10 per cent recycled. Julie explains if we don't chan...

West End actors Ed Currie & Andy Coxon met in 2015 rehearsing for a punishing schedule of live performances of Beautfiful: The Carole King Musical in London. In the mele & drama of performing an intensely physical show under hot lights & high pressured conditions, theatre-life inspired them to create a natural deodorant balm which not only solved a problem for their fellow actors (!) but has been...

Dr Hilary has been broadcasting on breakfast shows like ITV's Good Morning Britain & Lorraine for more than 30 years, keeping his finger literally on the pulse of the nation!  Never has he faced a more “fascinating & professionally challenging” time than throughout the pandemic. Hilary talks about the responsibilities which come with being a TV doctor; how he helped people in one of the most remot...

TV presenter Anneka Rice talks about her latest project - performing stand-up comedy for BBC Radio 4 in which she goes in search of her missing Madame Tussauds waxwork head! It's 30 years since Challenge Anneka drew TV audiences in their millions. Annie reveals she's still involved with most of the show's 60 projects, including the Romanian orphanages she drew the world's attention to. Anneka also...

  Astronomer Mark Thompson DSc is preparing to deliver a 140-hour marathon lecture – a first in terms of studying extreme sleep deprivation & an attempt which will hopefully break a Guinness world record. A familiar face from BBC1’s The One Show & Stargazing Live, Mark will be scientifically monitored as he lectures on deep space, our solar system, black holes, the fact all our body atoms were cre...

Downton Abbey, Cold Mountain, Batman & Outlander are just some of the dramas & films food stylist Lisa Heathcote has worked on, cooking up screen dishes & banquets for stars like Nicole Kidman, Dawn French, Hugh Bonneville & Dame Maggie Smith. She's currently letting her imagination run wild on the set of the new series of Bridgerton for Netflix. Lisa worked on Downton from episode one & shares be...

Jon Allen was originally discovered by Mark Knopfler gigging in a small club in Shepherd’s Bush in 2006 which led to him touring in the UK & Europe with Dire Straits.   Jon plays alongside artists like Seal, Dionne Warwick & Damien Rice. He’s had more than 5 million downloads on Spotify, is back on the road performing tracks from his new studio album 'Meanwhile' & laughs about how the whisky-soake...

George Bye, founder & CEO of Bye Aerospace in Colorado, has created the eFlyer – stunning & innovative all-electric aircraft designed for two, four & eight passengers which will revolutionise the skies. A pilot himself, George tells Helen how sustainable electric flying will not only eliminate CO2 and noise, it will significantly reduce costs, making the thrill of aviation accessible to many more...

Singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor reveals how feeling paralysed by a lack of creativity & inspiration during lockdown, and "with no manual for how to do this", her musician husband Richard came up with the idea for her much-loved kitchen discos.  Sophie tells Helen how her podcast series Spinning Plates featuring inspirational mums has been one of the best projects she's taken on; talks about writing her...

  The Princess of Wales believed young people have the power to change the world. Alex Holmes talks about Diana’s legacy and how the only charity set up in her memory is continuing her work.   Alex suffered severe racial bullying as a young boy and, thanks to his award-winning efforts, there are now more than 35,000 Anti-Bullying Ambassadors in the UK & Europe. Alex sits on the board of the Gates...

  Jay Flynn shares with Helen how his idea to host a virtual pub quiz for his mates in lockdown took off overnight & led to more than 180,000 households across Britain uniting.   Jay has broken a world record for the number of participants; is a regular on Zoe Ball’s Radio 2 breakfast show & has been joined on the quiz by Stephen Fry, Jonathan Ross & other celebrities. He’s also raised more than a...

  Karen Gibson MBE tells Helen how life for The Kingdom Choir changed after 2 billion people watched them perform at Harry & Meghan’s wedding.     The unexpected call on the 87 bus & stunning performance at St George’s Chapel, Windsor, has led to tours of the US, Australia & UK; appearances at The Hollywood Bowl, Royal Albert Hall, Invictus Games, a recording deal with Sony & to singing with legen...