Showing results by author "Holly Newson" in All Categories

Why is it that some indiscretions made by MPs make the front page while others don't? Do you ever wonder whether journalists and politicians are close, friends even? And how on earth is this country run when our political system is such a mess? In Haven't You Heard?, Marie Le Conte looks at the role of gossip and whispers play in all areas of politics - how they affect MPs and their advisors, the press who cover them and the civil servants in the middle of everything.

After Michelle Thomas suffered her first major depressive episode in 2013, she searched online for any information available on how to 'fix' herself. There was nothing. Nothing that wasn't dry as the Sahara desert. It was uncomfortably...depressing. And so, My Sh*t Therapist was born! In this interview, we spoke about her first experience of major depressive disorder; her fears, worries and ultimately positive experience of medication; and the other mental health books out there worth a listen.

Joining us at Audible Studios is David Nicholls, the best-selling and award-winning author of One Day, Us, Starter for Ten, and his latest release Sweet Sorrow. Sweet Sorrow tells the coming of age story of Charlie, a pretty average kid who meets a girl called Fran. Things at home aren’t great for Charlie, so he would like to spend the summer anywhere but there. A theatre company would have been pretty low down his list, but Fran is there, so why not give it a go?

Joining us in the Audible Studios to discuss her eighth novel, The Crow Garden, is talented and acclaimed horror writer Alison Littlewood. Born and raised in Yorkshire, Alison is the author of Richard and Judy best seller A Cold Season; its sequel, A Cold Silence; and the dark Victorian mystery The Hidden People.

Ian Sainsbury joins us in the Audible Studios to chat about his The World Walker series and latest release, the fourth book in the series, The Unnamed Way. He tells how he feels about his characters, what it was like to write for a ventriloquist act and the exciting new series coming in the future.

Sheila Chandra joins us in the Audible Studios to chat about her audiobooks Organizing for Creative People and Banish Clutter Forever. Conventional productivity advice found in the soft business section often does not work for creative people. Sheila set out to change this. She chats to us about how creativity and mess don't have to be synonymous, how she keeps her house super tidy, and how she made organisation her career.

Known for his deadpan humour and sarcasm, Jack Dee is a regular on our screens and airwaves. After his first ever stand-up, Jack Dee was encouraged to tour the circuit, and after winning the Best Stage Newcomer awards in 1991, Dee began to grace our screens with The Jack Dee Show. Since then, Dee has performed sell-out stand-up shows, written and starred in sitcoms such as Lead Balloon and hosted shows such as I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue and Have I Got News for You.

Fearne Cotton is a familiar voice on our radios, becoming the first regular female presenter of the Radio 1 Chart Show, which she hosted alongside Reggie Yates. She has since presented her own Radio 1 show and on Radio 2. Cotton began her own podcast in 2018, titled Happy Place, following the success of her best-selling book, Happy. The podcast shares advice from experts on how to find joy in the everyday and unlock inner happiness.

Tyce, born and raised in Edinburgh, attended Oxford University to study English literature. She then completed a law conversion course at City University, going on to work as a criminal barrister for almost 10 years. After having difficulties juggling childcare for her young children alongside her demanding work life, Tyce decided to leave her job as a barrister. Tyce's desire to write was growing stronger as time passed, and with a manuscript or two on the go, she applied for an MA in creative writing at the University of East Anglia.

Joining us at Audible Studios is British journalist and author Sarah Sands. She has recently written and narrated the introduction to the book Today: A History of Our World Through 60 Years of Conversations & Controversies, which is what we talk to her about in this interview, as well as what her job involves as Today editor, the words of caution that were given to her when she started the job and the sort of feedback (read ‘polite complaints') that get written in to the show.

Joining us at Audible Studios is British-Irish television and radio presenter Dermot O'Leary. Recently, O'Leary has published the third in his children's books series Toto the Ninja Cat and the Superstar Catastrophe as well as beginning a podcast for Audible Originals, called People Just People, in which he interviews guests he admires to find out how they got to where they are in life.

The book follows Andrew, who sees the everyday the consequences of loneliness as part of his job. When no next of kin can be found, Andrew is the council worker who attends the funerals of those who had no-one at the end. He has told people about his wife and kids, the perfect family life back home, so he doesn't need to worry about being alone.... But in truth, his family are a white lie and this might make things complicated.

My Life with Murderers is Wilson's account of his career, from being the youngest prison governor in the UK to gaining his professorship at Birmingham City University. His book is a study of the dark capabilities of human nature. In this interview, we spoke about the wide continuum of people that make up ‘murderers’, the decline of the prison systems and what sort of conversations he’s had with serial killers.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Jon Parkin, affectionately termed ‘The Beast’ by his many fans and known for indulging in full English breakfasts before training sessions. Parkin has proved his goal-scoring abilities over the years and has played for 14 different clubs in the Football League. We spoke about his memoir, Feed the Beast, his football career and plans for the future, his cheeky pranks and the personal struggles he’s faced.

Lumsden has 30 plus years of acting experience as well as a talent for playing musical instruments, composing and scriptwriting. He now turns his experience as a scriptwriter to novels. In The Six Loves of Billy Binns, listeners will follow 117-year-old Billy Binns as he relives his past loves, with the audiobook narrated by Richard Lumsden himself. In this interview Richard talks about giving up music to write, needing to be a bit older to find Billy’s view of love, and how he adds emotion to the story.

Competing on both track and road, Geraint Thomas rides for the Team Sky, Wales and Great Britain. Winner of three World Championships, two Olympic gold medals and one Tour de France, Thomas has now published his new book, The Tour According to G. His book takes us on a personal ride through every stage of the race, and the querulous experience of life as a pro cyclist. The Tour According to G goes to depths we haven’t heard before in a book about cycling: the personalities who shaped his ride, such as Wiggins and Hoy; the cycling etiquette we didn’t know existed; and the ins and outs of Team Sky.

Well-known as Pete in Gavin & Stacey, Adrian Scarborough is also known for his roles in The History Boys and The King’s Speech as well as his accomplished theatre career. Adrian talks to us about his role as the cruel Dennis in The Darkwater Bride, tells us what Pete in Gavin & Stacey has in common with Shakespeare’s Richard III and remembers his voice-over training back in drama school.

Author of the best-selling Inspector McLean series and the Ballad of Sir Benfro series, James Oswald is back with a brand-new book, No Time to Cry, published in July 2018. James Oswald talks to us about what inspired his new lead character, playing detective while he’s writing and how eye-opening it was to write a female protagonist.

Joining us in the Audible studios to talk about her new book, Turned On: The Sex Robot Story, is British computer scientist and senior lecturer in the department of computing at Goldsmiths University Kate Devlin. Kate Devlin is best known for her work on human sexuality and robotics and is also the founder of the UK’s first ever sex tech hackathon and cochair of the annual Love and Sex with Robots convention. Her book Turned On: The Sex Robot Story was published in 2018.

Joining us in the Audible Studios to talk about her latest book, Wilde About the Girl, is vlogger, blogger, author and YouTube personality Louise Pentland. An internet personality with over 2.5 million subscribers to her YouTube channel, Louise Pentland is a popular ‘mummy blogger’, author and fashion designer whose second novel, Wilde About the Girl, the sequel to Wilde Like Me, published in 2018.