Ways To Change The World With Krishnan Guru-murthy

He is an actor who would be hard to typecast, but Eddie Marsan always plays the villain. “I think it has a lot to do with my upbringing”, he says, “there was a lot of violence, criminality and a lot of toxic masculinity.”  “I remember being afraid of white working class men. When you see Danny Dyer, Ray Winstone… they have an appeal to them, and I've never been able to do that. And it's because of my experience growing up within the white working class; there was always an element of fear.” Today on Ways to Change the World, Eddie Marsan joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss his chaotic upbringing, lessons in Buddhist teachings, and how actors from privileged backgrounds can find success despite being “mediocre”.  Produced by Imahn Robertson  Warning: This episode contains offensive language

“I don't think you can expect someone to change their life by putting them in a room and locking the door.” Michael Balogun might not believe that prison “helps” people to turn their life around, but it was undoubtedly his experience serving time that led him to where he is today - a star of the West End, currently appearing in a version of the Lehman Trilogy at the National Theatre.  But there’s more to Balogun than a zero to hero story; his is one of extraordinary resilience, the power of manifestation, and a chance encounter with someone who saw his potential that changed everything.  Michael Balogun joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Ways to Change the World to discuss how he turned his life around through acting, and why the power of your thoughts matter. Produced by: Imahn Robertson

“On the television, they were saying we were thieves, that we were raised with no morals”. Growing up Black in 1970s Britain, writer Gary Younge didn’t feel fully accepted - he didn’t even feel British. “Someone would go, “it’s cold today isn’t it, I bet it’s not like this where you come from,” and you’d be like, "I come from just down the road mate!” His latest book, Dispatches from the Diaspora, looks at a lifetime of writing about Black life, spanning a 30-year career, based in Britain and America, that goes from Mandela to Obama and from Stormzy to Black Lives Matter.   He joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Ways to Change the World to discuss significant events that have impacted the Black diaspora, his mother’s influence and what he can teach the next generation of journalists. Produced by: Imahn Robertson  

How can the government attract the country’s best minds to work for them? How do we know when a private sector contract is a good one? And what can we learn from NASA about business and efficiency?  Mariana Mazzucato is a professor of Economics at the University College London and an advisor to many governments. In her latest book, ‘The Big Con’, she looks at the relationship between the consulting industry and government, and the way business and governments are run, and plans executed.  She joins Krishnan Guru-Murthy on Ways to Change the World to discuss how economic theory can streamline everything from school lunches to handling a pandemic, and the link between knife crime and the economy.  Produced by Imahn Robertson and Ka Yee Mak  

“We're the only species who have worked out to blow up everything and kill everyone”. In his latest book, The Earth Transformed, Peter Frankopan takes on the entirety of the history of planet earth, and looks at how our lives have been shaped by environmental changes since the dawn of our planet, 4.5 billion years ago, until the present day. He tackles the transformation of the earth, teasing apart the connection between humans and climate, explaining how “we are the product of massive climate change in the past”, and looks ahead to crises anew.  In this episode of Ways to Change the World, Peter Frankopan sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss how humans have impacted the world, the existential threat posed by nuclear war and global superpowers, and what happens “when the music stops”.    Produced by: Imahn Robertson  

He’s the frontman of one of the most iconic bands of the 80s.  Four decades on, Simon Le Bon says that New Wave  legends Duran Duran are still going strong, making new music and announcing that they’re going on tour again.  In today’s episode of Ways to Change the World, Simon Le Bon sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss why the band doesn't make political statements, the state of the music industry, and the secret to Duran Duran’s longevity.  Produced by : Imahn Robertson  

Sebastian Payne is an author and the Director of centre-right think tank Onward, where he explores the bigger problems and challenges facing Britain today.  He recently left his post as Whitehall Editor of the Financial Times, where he spent years navigating the corridors of Parliament, detangling the latest scandals and finding out what politics really means for people up and down the country. His childhood, growing up in Gateshead, influenced him to write one of his books, ‘Broken Heartlands’, and he went on to write ‘The Fall of Boris Johnson’, charting the former PM’s final weeks in office.  In today’s Ways to Change the World, Sebastian Payne sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss Brexit, Boris, and what we can expect from the next general election.  Produced by Imahn Robertson.  

“I’m a nomadic person, I don’t want to stay in one place”. When Baaba writes his music, he takes inspiration from the places he visits. “When I started travelling, I came to London, I bought cassettes, I appreciated different people. And when I got a chance to meet them, we sat down and wrote songs”. But no matter how much Baaba has travelled, and to where, he always brings his music “back home to Podor, Senegal”.  Baaba has released his first solo album in seven years, ‘Being’, which is inspired by working on the soundtrack to Black Panther and the issues facing the world today, including climate change and desertification in African countries. In today’s Ways to Change the World, Baaba sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss the power of music and why we are all politicians in our own way when it comes to helping the world.  Produced by: Imahn Robertson and Alice Wagstaffe Music credits: Wakanda by Ludwig Göransson ft. Baaba Maal - Hollywood Records Yela by Baaba Maal - Island Records Ltd. There Will

“I was thinking about all my friends who launched a podcast and I thought, “if I had a podcast. I'd just talk to people about death. That's a terrible idea”.” When Cariad Lloyd’s father died of cancer when she was 15, she was angry, “for, probably, 10 years”. But later in life, she found herself wanting to share her experience of grief, and started the award-winning podcast Griefcast.  Cariad has now written a book, ‘You Are Not Alone’, which delves into her own experience of grief, and what she has learned from her hundreds of podcast guests. In today’s Ways to Change the World, Cariad sits down with Krishnan Guru-Murthy to discuss dying, death, grief, and what comes next.  Produced by Imahn Robertson

“I didn't write this book to be hugely sellable, hugely commercial - I wrote it because it’s a story that I felt needed to be told.” Jyoti Patel’s debut novel, ‘The Things That We Lost’ is the story of a British Gujarati mother and son discovering how they fit into the world and learning how to balance the Gujarati and British sides of their identities.  The book earnt Jyoti the Merky Books New Writers Prize 2021, a competition launched by Stormzy and Penguin House UK to discover unpublished and underrepresented writers.  In this episode, Jyoti joins Krishnan to talk about feeling othered, why her book is written in the voice of a young man, and how to ask someone the question, “where are you from?”  Produced by: Imahn Robertson

Frances O’Grady stepped down as the General Secretary of British Trades Union Congress at the end of 2022. She was the first woman to hold the post in TUC’s 154-year history.   She is now a Labour peer in the House of Lords where she is committed to abolishing the unelected chamber.   She joins Krishnan to talk about the history of the trade union movement, why she thinks workers are going on strike and what the government should be doing to support them and support for single parents.   Produced by : Imahn Robertson

Rick Rubin is the legendary music producer who founded Def Jam records, one of the most important hip hop labels of the 80s.    He has won nine Grammy awards and worked with some of the biggest artists of our time, to name but a few: Jay Z, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, The Strokes, Adele, Run DMZ and Slayer.   He joins Krishnan to talk about his incredible career, as well as the launch of his new book ‘The Creative Act’.      Produced by: Joe Lord Jones and Nina Hodgson   Music Credits:   Superrappin’ - Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, and The Furious Five Label: Enjoy Records  Producer – Bobby Robinson   It's Yours - T La Rock Artists: Jazzy Jay and T La Rock  Label: Def Jam Recordings  Producer Rick Rubin   Feel the Heartbeat - Treacherous Three  Label: Enjoy Records Producer – Bobby Robinson        The Big Beat - Label: Capitol Records Producer – Eddy Offord    The Adults Are Talking - The Strokes Label: RCA AND Cult Records Producer – Rick Rubin   Angel of Death Slayer  Label: Geffen Records – Def Jam Recordi

ChatbotGPT is a new artificial intelligence programme designed to simulate human conversation and tackle complex questions. It's made by Open AI foundation, a tech-startup co-founded by Elon Musk, and it draws on text taken from a variety of sources on the internet and its creators say it has learned how to answer academic questions, and even sometimes admits when it's wrong. We've done an interview by putting questions to the chatbot, and then generating a voice for it using different software. We asked the Chatbot GPT whether fears about A.I. threatening the human race are well-founded.

Nouriel Roubini is an economist, a professor in New York, a global economic consultant and an author who, amongst many distinguishing things, was one of those who foresaw the 2008 credit crunch and financial crisis.  His latest work is called ‘Megathreats’, and it details 10 trends that make it more likely than not that we are heading for a global economic crash of stagnant growth, debt crises and high inflation that will cause decades of dystopian suffering and injustice. No wonder they call him Dr. Doom.  In this episode, Nouriel joins Krishnan to talk about climate change, job-displacing artificial intelligence and our future.    Produced by: Imahn Robertson

George Takei is an actor, activist and author, best known for his role of Lieutenant Sulu in Star Trek.    Imprisoned as a child in the United States for being of Japanese origin, he campaigns for gay and immigrant rights. He brings his award-winning broadway musical ‘Allegiance’ to London, which is inspired by his own memories of growing up in a Japanese internment camp.  George joins Krishnan to tell his extraordinary story, from childhood to stardom and his mission to raise awareness about his life. Produced by: Imahn Robertson

Rosie Holt has become famous on Twitter, where she  reinvented herself via satirical videos; A conversative MP and right-wing activist who many mistake for being real.    In this episode Rosie joins Krishnan to discuss life as a social media sensation, women in media and why we should laugh at things that make us angry.    Produced by: Imahn Robertson

Clint Dyer is an actor, writer and director who has turned his pain into power. That power has resulted in numerous ‘firsts’, the first Black British artist to have performed, written and directed a full-scale production at the National Theatre and the first Black man to direct a Shakespeare tragedy at a major British venue. In this episode, Clint joins Krishnan to discuss theatrical traditions, his vision to articulate the Black experience and his new history-making production of Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello.  Warning: this podcast contains references to racist language Produced by : Imahn Robertson

Julian Lennon is a singer-songwriter, who rose to fame for the Beatles song Hey Jude, which was written after his parents John and Cynthia Lennon separated. In this episode, Julian joins Krishnan to speak about his seventh album Jude, emotion in songwriting, dealing with depression and the importance of relearning his old material. While Julian has received platinum success for his music, he has also pursued other endeavours. The multi-faceted singer-songwriter discusses his work as a photographer, filmmaker, author and his foundation called The White Feather Foundation.  Produced by Ka Yee Mak

Rob Delaney is a comedian, actor and writer, best known for co-creating the British sitcom Catastrophe, which won him a Bafta for comedy writing.     But during the height of his success, he learnt that his son, Henry, was dying of a brain tumour. He’s written a book about it in which he grapples with the fragility of life, the mysteries of death, and the question of purpose for those left behind.   In this episode, Rob joins Krishnan to talk about his new book, ‘A Heart That Works’ and why he felt it was important to tell his family’s story.   Produced by : Imahn Robertson and Nina Hodgson Photo Credit: Southbank Centre

Orhan Pamuk is a renowned Turkish Nobel Prize winning author. He is one of Turkey’s most acclaimed writers and has been openly critical of laws which curtail freedom of expression, particularly those which make it illegal to criticise Turkish President Recep Erdogan. He joins Krishnan to talk about his new book, ‘Nights of Plague’, why he believes pandemics fuel authoritarianism and how he became an author. Produced by : Joe Lord-Jones