Undercurrent Stories

 In today’s show  I am delighted to be joined by Yumiko Jones. Originally from Fukuoka in the South of Japan, Yumiko came to the UK in 2001.  After settling in Bristol, Yumiko felt that there was a need to bridge the gap between the Japanese people who lived in the city and the wider population who wanted to find out more about Japan. In 2008 she started the Bristol Japanese Cultural Society. In o...

Ever wondered how you can live a less materialistic lifestyle? Our guest today is Paul Canham  a self confessed tree hugger, van dweller, tudor reenactor and brewer based in Suffolk.  Paul spent 30 years working at RAF Lakenheath  until he took early retirement to study sociology and psychology. We hear how he set out on a quest to live a more non-materialistic lifestyle, leading to living a more...

Quint Starkie is an English musician originally from Accrington, Lancashire. After living and performing in Los Angeles in the 80's he now resides in Stockholm, Sweden.  In our conversation we discuss how Quint’s passion for playing the guitar inspired him to move to Hollywood to study guitar with some of the world’s best musicians at the Guitar Institute of Technology. We hear how he played...

In this episode we hear from Heide Goody and Iain Grant who tell us all about their co- written Clovenhoof series of books in which Jeremy Clovenhoof is fired from Hell and sent to live in a flat in the suburbs of Birmingham.  The story can be described as a mixture of contemporary fantasy, satire and comedy and having read the first book in the series I found it hilarious and was literally laughi...

At some point in their lives many people have thought about writing a book. This desire is sadly often thwarted due to fears about time, commitment, and the technical aspects of editing and publishing. My guest today has faced all these challenges and tells us how by breaking the writing process into steps, it is possible to both enjoy the creativity of writing and produce a book that is publishab...

Ever heard of Sea Buckthorn or Sea Berries? Well neither had my guest today, Seth Pascoe, until he discovered this fruit and it’s amazing health properties while trekking in the Himalayas. Seth tells us about how a chance encounter with Sea Buckthorn and its use for combating the effects of altitude sickness led him on a journey to discover more about the  health benefits of this little known berr...

Today’s show features Emma Inch. Emma is a multi award winning beer writer and presenter. Known for her work in the UK and overseas, in 2018  Emma received  the prestigious Beer Writer of the year award. As well as hosting her own podcast, (one of my favourite shows!), Emma  has acted as a Taste Judge for the prestigious World Beer Awards . We talk about the recent renaissance of beer, food pairin...

Today’s show features Alex Hobby. With over 150 interviews from people all around the world, Alex can perhaps best be described as a curator of hobbies. In his show, Time For Your Hobby, he provides people with an opportunity to take the stage and share their hobby with listeners. Subjects range from cooking, keeping fit, archery, dancing, deejaying and many many others.  We also talk about some v...

In this episode we celebrate the music of Thin Lizzy! Having just released his new book, Thin Lizzy, Every Album, Every Song I am delighted to be joined by Graeme Stroud. Graeme is a musician and writer and has written on websites and blogs on a number of subjects, both musical and non-musical, for several years. He has also performed interviews and written feature articles, gig reviews and album...

My guest today left his hometown in rural Lincolnshire, England to join the police service in London at the age of nineteen. Serving as a police officer in several units, he had his eyes opened to the highs and lows that come with serving as a constable. Suffering a stroke at the age of twenty-seven, he turned to historic action novels to help settle his mind and aid his recovery. After his recove...

In Great Britain when we think of Bonfire Night on 5th November, we tend to just think of Guy Fawkes however, my guest today explains how Guy Fawkes was just one of a group of conspirators led by Robert Catesby, the mastermind behind the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605.  My guest is historian, Bill Cunningham and in this episode we talk about the circumstances that inspired and le...

When it comes to getting into shape there's a huge assortment of advice, programmes, diets etc. to choose from which can leave us feeling bewildered and confused. Also it's very easy to put off starting an exercise regime with excuses such as you don't have time, you don't have any equipment etc. etc. My guest today, cuts through all this resistance and tells  us how by making...

This episode features award winning author, Daniel C Lorti. With an Air Force background and as an international arms broker and aerospace engineer specialising in sensors, weapons and intelligence, Daniel was also Chief Radar Engineer for the Northrop Grumman Corporation as well as serving on President Clinton's 20 member committee for Trade and Industry in Northern Ireland. Daniel tells us...

"Break a leg," "Doolally," "Hocus Pocus," "Blighty," "Paying through the Nose," "Cock and Bull Stories," etc. etc.... Most of use sayings everyday, but do we know how they originated and evolved? This episode features special guest Jill Collinge. Jill takes us on an historical journey explaining how these and many other sayings originated...

This episode is the second part of our conversation with Reuben Archer, rock musician, author and artist and in this episode we hear all about Reuben’s rock music career right through from  Lautrec, Lionheart and Stampede, as well as his more recent work as a solo artist. We then talk about Reuben’s return to the sphere of fine arts with his water colour painting and we hear how  after the publica...

In today’s show, which is the first part of two episodes, I am delighted to welcome Reuben Archer, rock musician, author, a self proclaimed petrolhead, former editor of Fast Car magazine and artist/painter. Reuben is the former frontman of the famous early 1980’s NWOBHM band Stampede and then after a gap of 20 years he has continued to write and record albums through to the present day. He has jus...

A specialist in the history of the early Tudors, Tony is best known for his Tudor Trilogy. His other international best-sellers include Mary - Tudor Princess, Brandon - Tudor Knight and Katherine - Tudor Duchess. In our conversation Tony gives us an overview and insight into the Tudor period and we uncover some fascinating, lesser known stories which include escapes through tunnels in Pembrokeshir...

James is a music producer, composer, arranger and keyboard player with a career spanning 4 decades. With his current single 'Yes' receiving rave reviews his smooth jazz and soul music is on the playlists of hundreds of international radio stations including the BBC and Jazz FM. He is known as the UK’s no.1 indie Smooth Jazz artist.  James tells us about his early years playing  and touri...

Described by Jamie Cullum as 'an extraordinary musician' Remi is a guitarist from the UK whose unique style draws inspiration from artists such as Django Reinhardt, Jimi Hendrix, Wes Montgomery, Peter Green and Led Zeppelin. Some of his notable performances include the Montreal Jazz Festival, Buckingham Palace, BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall with Jamie Cullum (televised on BBC 4) and...

Adam Croft ,international bestselling crime fiction & thriller author, talks about his new book, What Lies Beneath, (out 28th July 2020), the first in a new crime series set in the idyllic county of Rutland. In this wide ranging conversation, Adam provides an insight into what life is like as an author, gives some great tips on writing for budding authors and discusses his podcast, "Partn...

In today’s show we welcome back historian, Bill Cunningham and we discuss the Georgian period in British history. A period that lasted 120 years, which we attempt to cover, bite size, in just over half an hour! If your knowledge of the Georgians is limited, perhaps you conjure up images of Jane Austen novels, characters like Mr Darcy or towns such as Bath or Royal Leamington Spa, this show is defi...

In today’s show we hear from Amanda Jenkins who has had a lifelong passion for the protection of wildlife and biodiversity. As well as hearing about the work of the Wildlife Trust here in the UK, Amanda explains how each of us can play our part in helping to restore the natural environment. In 2019 a State of Nature report was published by a coalition of 70 wildlife organisations and government co...

The story of how an Englishman visited India and discovered how his lifelong love and talent for art could help change and improve the lives of young people living on the streets of Kolkata. My guest today is Steve Carroll, artist, author and teacher.  In today’s show Steve tells us about what life is like for people, especially for children on the streets of Kolkata where poverty, drugs and organ...

Garry Williams discusses how after a career as a professional soccer player and headteacher, his lifelong love of soul has led him to become one of the world’s leading presenters of soul music. His weekly radio shows regularly receive up to 100,000 listeners all over the world. As well as playing old soul favourites, a large proportion of the show features the very best of today’s contemporary ind...

In this episode I join Adrian Riley, renowned local walking enthusiast and rambler, for a 6 mile early morning walk on the public footpaths in the South Lincolnshire countryside around the village of Baston. Adrian explains his fascination for public footpaths and how he has constructed a number of circular walks which he shares on his blog, for both local people and other walkers to enjoy.  Adria...