The Sacred

Chris Packham is a naturalist, nature photographer and TV Presenter best known for his 40 years of work in television on programmes such as CBBC's The Really Wild Show and the BBC's Springwatch. Chris spoke about his childhood, and the challenges of growing up with undiagnosed autism, the influence punk had, and has, on him, and experiences of religious diversity in the home. Find out more about C...

*Content Note* This episode briefly touches on early chapters of Clementine's life where she was sexually abused as a minor. Listener caution, especially if listening with young children around, is advised. Clementine Morrigan is a writer and podcaster known for her active challenging of cancel culture from a leftist perspective. After her own cancellation in 2020 she began the Fucking Cancelled p...

Greg Wise is an actor and film producer best known for his roles in Sense and Sensibility and The Crown. In 2018 he published Not That Kind Of Love, a memoir co-written with his sister Clare about the process of her dying and him taking care of her. He is also known for standing next to his wife, Emma Thompson on the red carpet. Greg spoke about his love for rock climbing and solitude in nature, t...

Elizabeth Oldfield is joined by producer Daniel Turner to answer questions sent in by listeners of the show. Thank you to Hannah Clifton, John Ablett, John Ranford, Jess Reid, AJ Bremner, Paul Mitchell, Marc Czerwinski, Anne Weinhold, Rishi Vaidya and Emily Rajeh for sending in your questions. Special thanks Leanne Sedin for writing and producing the song Gather which you can listen to here: https...

This series of The Sacred Elizabeth spoke with nine fascinating individuals about their core values, and how the messages, philosophies and experiences from their childhood shaped them into the people they are today. She spoke with Cole Arthur Riley, Thordis Elva, James Marriott, Tomiwa Owolade, Anne McElvoy, Tea Uglow, Iain McGilchrist and John Vervaeke. In this reflection episode, Elizabeth take...

John Vervaeke is professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto. He is also the host of the popular YouTube channel ( @johnvervaeke ) where he explores what he has coined the #meaningcrisis. John spoke about his upbringing in a fundamentalist Christian home and what he has learned from that experience after time in therapy, relationships and the nature of reality, and t...

Iain McGilchrist is a globally acclaimed psychiatrist and writer author of groundbreaking books ‘The Master And His Emissary’ and ‘The Matter With Things’. Iain spoke with Elizabeth about the varying exposures he had to religion in his childhood, how he went from being an English academic to psychiatry, and the effect left-hemispheric dominant thinking has had on our society. Find out more about I...

Tea Uglow is the former Creative Director for Google's Creative Labs in Sydney and one of Deloitte's #OUT50 LGBTI+ Leaders for 2018. They are also the author of the books 'A Curiosity of Doubts' and 'Loud and Proud: LGBTQ+ Speeches that Empower and Inspire'. Tea spoke about their childhood, prior to transitioning, and the difficulties of growing up during Margaret Thatcher's Section 28 legislation...

Anne McElvoy is a journalist and broadcaster, and host of the BBC Radio 4 series 'Across the Red Line'. Her career has seen her writing and presenting for numerous outlets including Politico, The Economist, The Spectator and The Evening Standard. Anne spoke about her childhood growing up going to a Catholic comprehensive school, her journey in the world of journalism, why she's increasingly concer...

Tomiwa Owolade is a journalist and critic, and writer of the highly acclaimed book 'This is Not America: Why Black Lives in Britain Matter'. Tomiwa spoke about his upbringing and moving from Nigeria to Britain as a boy, why we should approach racism differently in the UK to America, and why he doesn't like being seen solely through the lens of race. You can get a copy of This is Not America here:...

James Marriott is a columnist and book/podcast critic for The Times. His columns cross a variety of topics from culture to ideas and observations of our society. James spoke about his deep reverence for literature, the objectives of critics, and the role of nihilism in shaping who he is today. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/comment/2023/10/04/james-marriott-on-lite...

*EPISODE DISCLAIMER* This episode was recorded before brand allegations emerged. It feels very timely but also potentially a difficult time for us to be releasing it. In the end, we wanted to leave as is because Thordis and her story is about more than sexual violence, and because the topic of sexual violence itself is about more than one person and their story. But we're also very aware there are...

This episode takes place live at the Greenbelt Festival, and in it Elizabeth Oldfield speaks to writer, Cole Arthur Riley. Cole Arthur Riley is a writer and the creator of the very successful social media account, Black Liturgies - "a space where Black words of dignity, lament, rage, and rest, are curated and integrated with a liberating spirituality". She is also the author of the NYT bestseller,...

This series of The Sacred Elizabeth spoke with nine fascinating individuals about their core values, and how the messages, philosophies and experiences from their childhood shaped them into the people they are today. She spoke with Abi Morgan, Dougald Hine, Audrey Assad, Patrick Deneen, Inaya Folarin Iman, Wes Streeting MP, Martin Shaw, Felix Marquardt and Satish Kumar. In this reflection episode,...

This episode takes place live at The Realisation Festival, and in it Elizabeth Oldfield speaks to activist, Satish Kumar. Satish Kumar is a peace activist and formerly Jain monk who has spent his life promoting sustainability, spirituality and nonviolence to audiences and communities across the globe. He is also the Editor Emeritus of the Resurgence & Ecologist Magazine. Satish spoke about his upb...

Martin Shaw is a mythologist and author of the award-winning, Branch from a Lightning Tree. Felix Marquardt has worn many hats over his career from author to entrepreneur to French rap producer. He is also the co-founder of Black Elephant - an experiential social network based on vulnerability. They spoke about their respective religious conversations to Orthodox Christianity and Islam, the power...

Wes Streeting is the the Labour MP for Ilford North, and was elected in 2015. Since being elected he has been appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. He is also the author of the soon-to-be-released memoir 'One Boy, Two Bills and a Fry Up'. Wes spoke about his childhood growing up in a council flat and the figures that raised him, his journey with his faith and sexuality, a...

Inaya Folarin Iman is a political commentator and former GB News presenter. Her written work has appeared in the The Telegraph, Politics Home, UnHerd, Spiked and The Daily Mail. She is also the director and founder of the Equiano Project, which is as "a debate, discussion and ideas forum" that "focuses on race, culture and politics". Inaya spoke about her childhood which involved moving many times...

Patrick Deneen a professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame and author of multiple books including the upcoming 'Regime Change: Toward a Postliberal Future'. Patrick spoke about his childhood and the relationships built by a 'front porch' community culture, why liberalism has failed, and what a postliberal future looks like. Read the full transcript here: https://www.theosthink...

Audrey Assad is an American-Syrian singer-songwriter who since the start of her career has released 6 studio albums and 4 EPs. She is also the author of the blog 'The Violet Fields' which explores topics such as consciousness and creativity. Audrey spoke about her childhood growing up in a fundamentalist Christian community and subsequent conversion to Catholicism, her career as a musician and the...

Dougald Hine is a social thinker, writer and speaker. After an early career as a BBC journalist, he co-founded organisations including the Dark Mountain Project and a school called HOME. He is most recently the author of the book 'At Work in the Ruins'. Dougald spoke about his childhood growing up in the United Reformed Church, his decision to leave the BBC, and how to respond to the 'end of the w...

Abi Morgan is a screenwriter and playwright with a career spanning 25 years in TV, Film and Theatre. She is the creator of films such as 'The Iron Lady', TV shows such as 'The Hour', and is most recently the author of the very successful book, 'This is Not a Pity Memoir'. She spoke about her journey into writing, how stories give us a sense of self, and how she makes any kind of meaning out of the...

This video is of a live recording of The Sacred podcast on 19 April 2023 at the UnHerd Cafe. Elizabeth Oldfield was joined by Oliver Burkeman. Oliver is a British author and journalist, formerly writing the weekly column This Column Will Change Your Life for The Guardian newspaper, and is one of the leading voices on productivity, mortality and the power of limits. He has published multiple books...

**Upcoming Sacred Live on April 19** Join Elizabeth Oldfield and Oliver Burkeman on April 19 for a live recording of The Sacred with a time for Q&A. Get your tickets today using the promo code SACREDLIVE2023: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sacred-live-feat-elizabeth-oldfield-and-oliver-burkeman-tickets-565116999157 Elizabeth Oldfield reflects on Series 6 of The Sacred. This series she spoke to Nic...

**Upcoming Sacred Live on April 19** Join Elizabeth Oldfield and Oliver Burkeman on April 19 for a live recording of The Sacred with a time for Q&A. Get your tickets today using the promo code SACREDLIVE2023: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sacred-live-feat-elizabeth-oldfield-and-oliver-burkeman-tickets-565116999157 Kate Bowler is a three-time New York Times bestselling author, and Associate Profes...