What If People Find Out? with James Barr & Kalvin Ryder

She's a writer, essayist and author of a cult classic whose work has appeared everywhere from the New York Times to Vogue. This week on What If People Find Out, James Barr and Kalvin Ryder close out the first series of the podcast with Chloe Caldwell. Best known for her seminal book Women — a raw, intimate account of her first queer relationship — Chloe has spent her career writing her life in rea...

On this episode of What If People Find Out, there's no guest — just James Barr and Kalvin Ryder settling in for a lighter, laugh-out-loud episode. Fresh from his run at Soho Theatre and a trip to Australia with his one-man show, James is back in the studio — and we're wasting no time diving into what's been on their minds. Inspired by their recent conversation with Lady Diana Whitmore, James & Kal...

He's a singer, performer and one of the first openly gay artists in a mainstream UK boy band. This week on What If People Find Out, Kalvin Ryder is joined by his dear friend and former artist Jaymi Hensley. As one quarter of the boy band Union J, Jaymi rose to fame on The X Factor, helping the band build a devoted fanbase, land multiple Top 10 singles and sell out arenas. But behind the hits and t...

She's a mother, activist and one of the most important voices in the fight for trans rights in the UK. On this episode of What If People Find Out, James Barr and Kalvin Ryder are joined by the remarkable Susie Green. When Susie's child Jackie told her at just four years old that she was a girl, Susie had no roadmap, no community and almost no information to draw on. What followed were years of cho...

On this episode of What If People Find Out, it's all about community, confidence and finding your calling as James Barr and Kalvin Ryder are joined by Andy Lee — OnlyFans star, documentary subject and author of the memoir Smelly Kid. Andy's story begins in the poverty-stricken flats of inner-city Dublin, where he was the eldest of six children raised by a young mother battling violent partners and...

On this episode of What If People Find Out, there's no guest — just James Barr and Kalvin Ryder, sitting down together for a candid, unfiltered catch-up. Since launching the podcast, both hosts have found themselves unexpectedly moved by the stories they've been telling. From Emma-Jean Thackray's episode on grief to James's own revelations about surviving domestic violence, the conversations have...

She's a powerhouse vocalist, Eurovision icon and one of Finland's most beloved stars. This week on What If People Find Out, James Barr and Kalvin Ryder are joined by the fearless Saara Aalto. Long before the UK fell in love with her on The X Factor, Saara was already a household name in Finland — a chart-topping, angelic-voiced singer building a career one song at a time. But beneath the wholesome...

She's a therapist, educator and guardian of one of the most visionary legacies in the history of psychology. This week on What If People Find Out, James Barr and Kalvin Ryder are joined by Lady Diana Whitmore. As the final student of Roberto Assagioli — the Italian psychiatrist who stood shoulder to shoulder with Freud and Jung and founded the transformative discipline of psychosynthesis — Lady Di...

He's an author, acclaimed chef and a Great British Bake Off winner. This week on What If People Find Out, James Barr and Kalvin Ryder are joined by the brilliant John Whaite. The world fell in love with John Whaite when he won The Great British Bake Off in 2012 in front of an audience of 4.4M people - and he's since built a remarkable career spanning cookbooks, television presenting and his celebr...

He’s usually the one asking the questions — but on this episode What If People Find Out, the spotlight turns inward as Kalvin Ryder interviews his co-host, James Barr. Outside of this podcast, you might know James from his work on national radio (as one of the hosts of the HITS Radio Breakfast Show), his fearless LGBTQ+ advocacy or his unfiltered takes on pop culture and politics. But behind the q...

She’s a multi-instrumentalist, producer and one of the most boundary-pushing voices in British jazz. This week on What If People Find Out, James Barr and Kalvin Ryder are joined by Emma-Jean Thackray. Known for blending jazz, funk, soul and psychedelia into a sound entirely her own, Emma-Jean has carved out a fiercely independent path in the music industry — writing, producing and performing her w...

She’s a chart-topping singer, radio host and powerhouse performer. This week on What If People Find Out, James Barr and Kalvin Ryder are joined by the unstoppable Fleur East. The world was introduced to Fleur East on The X Factor, where her explosive performances propelled her to the live finals and into the public eye. Since then, she’s built a dynamic career spanning music, television and broadc...

She’s a Countess, a cabaret icon and one of reality TV’s most resilient stars. On our first episode of What If People Find Out, James Barr and Kalvin Ryder are joined by the one and only Countess Luann de Lesseps. Best known for her years on The Real Housewives of New York City, Luann has lived much of her life in the public eye – from fairytale romance and high society to heartbreak, scandal and...

What If People Find Out? is a podcast about rejecting those secret, supposedly shameful parts of ourselves, and living in your own truth. Comedian James Barr and music executive-turned-therapist Kalvin Ryder are joined by guests from across arts and culture, to share the part of themselves that they have kept hidden... until now. Each conversation, filled with laughter and reflection, teaches us a...