Changes with Annie Macmanus

Annie Macmanus

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DJ Annie Macmanus chats to artists, writers, musicians and a host of fascinating people about CHANGE. Each guest talks through the biggest changes they have overcome in childhood and adulthood, and how they effect change. The podcast explores how change punctuates our lives, how it can totally derail us and define who we are. How we confront it, react to it and how we try to activate change has never been more important than in this moment. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Annie announces a change for Changes

This week, Annie has some news. Changes is changing! Annie talks through how she has come to the decision to pause this podcast and shift the Changes conversation onto Substack.You can now find Changes with Annie Macmanus here:https://substack.com/home/post/p-126830574 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 21, 2024 • 11:28

DJ Fat Tony on why music is better than any drug and the moment of empathy that changed his life

DJ Fat Tony is one of the most iconic figures of London’s nightlife scene. Tony’s extraordinary four-decade career at the heart of music and clubbing has seen him spinning tracks for everyone from Madonna to Prince, but his rise to stardom was paired with a drug addiction that almost killed him. Tony’s 2022 Sunday Times bestselling memoir ‘I Don’t Take Requests’, is a shocking, honest yet also at times hilarious account of his life. It’s filled with wild stories about his past and heartbreaking

Oct 14, 2024 • 40:47

Irvine Welsh on toxic masculinity, addiction and softening with age

There are few writers more renowned for pushing the boundaries of modern fiction than Scottish literary icon and author of the 90s cult classic Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh.Irvine grew up as a working class boy in Edinburgh surrounded by drugs, crime, poverty and unemployment. It was this harsh environment and the people he grew up around that became the influence for the literary worlds he went on to create. After a tough start to life, including being arrested aged 8 and later dealing with a he

Oct 7, 2024 • 39:43

Clara Amfo on speaking her truth, overcoming shame and her favourite B word after Beyonce

Sometimes to move forward, you have to look back and in today’s episode Annie is joined by her dear friend Clara Amfo who opens up for the first time publicly about the life-altering event in her childhood that changed her forever. Broadcaster, pop culture aficionado and British ‘it girl’ Clara Amfo is an unstoppable force when it comes to British tv and radio. She has hosted many of the UK's biggest music and cultural moments, from Glastonbury to the BRIT Awards. But for Clara, living authentic

Sep 30, 2024 • 45:44

Amy Liptrot on The Outrun, her journey to sobriety and the healing power of nature

Bestselling author of ‘The Outrun,’ Amy Liptrot is proof that change is not only possible but life-saving. When Amy found herself in rehab for alcoholism aged 30, she left London behind and returned to her family’s farm on Orkney, a remote Island off the coast of Scotland. Overcoming addiction on an isolated island, Amy found solace in the wild landscapes that she’d grown up in. Her outstanding memoir ‘The Outrun’ is an account of these experiences and in 2016 the book was awarded the Wainwright

Sep 23, 2024 • 39:31

AJ Tracey on London’s streets and how music saved him from a culture of fear

AJ Tracey is one of the most influential artists in the UK music scene today but his life could have taken a very different direction had he not made some serious changes. AJ is known for his groundbreaking contributions to grime, drill and UK garage. Last year he celebrated 1 billion streams in the UK and was honoured with the Brits Billion Award. His triple platinum-selling hit Ladbroke Grove is an homage to his West London neighbourhood where he was raised by his single mum. For AJ, the reali

Sep 16, 2024 • 42:24

Michelle De Swarte on the currency of beauty, money and the void from ageing

Model turned comedian Michelle de Swarte’s life story has more twists and turns than most novels. A born and bred South Londoner, Michelle was scouted aged 19 and moved to New York to begin her modelling career working for the likes of Dolce and Gabbana and Versace. After two decades on the runway Michelle started doing stand up comedy and eventually moved back to London. Now making it as a successful writer and actor, Michelle is constantly evolving and redefining what it means to live life on

Sep 9, 2024 • 42:34

Bella Mackie on anxiety and OCD, marriage and hating wellness

Our first guest of the series is the phenomenally popular author Bella Mackie. Bella’s debut novel ‘How To Kill Your Family’ was a #1 Sunday Times Bestseller and lined the top 10 book charts for a staggering 47 weeks. It has just been announced that Netflix will adapt the book with Anya Taylor-Joy starring as Grace Bernard. Bella is back with a brand new novel ‘What a Way To Go’ which comes out on 12th September. It’s a story that indulges Bella’s fascination with slapstick murder and the mega r

Sep 2, 2024 • 56:31

Changes Focus: Bodies - CMAT, Marian Keyes, Afua Hirsch, Dr Jen Gunter

In this final Changes Focus of the series we are focusing on Bodies, one of the topics from our popular mini series earlier this year which seemed to resonate with so many of you. With that in mind we’ve pulled out some of the highlights. You’ll hear from the brilliant musician (and fellow Dubliner) CMAT, who gives her refreshing perspective on body image and being a female pop star. We’ve also got the fantastic writer Marian Keyes who talks about her journey with self acceptance and brings some

Aug 19, 2024 • 20:55

Changes Focus: Trans Lives - Chelsea Manning, Kae Tempest, Travis Alabanza, Shon Faye

This weeks episode of Changes Focus is a celebration of Trans lives. On this podcast we try to build empathy and connectedness through sharing people’s personal stories and the only way we can understand what it’s like to be a Trans person is by actually listening to those people who are living it every day. In this episode we’ve got Chelsea Manning, the former U.S. Army intelligence analyst and whistleblower, who discusses her journey of transitioning while in military prison, the incredible po

Aug 12, 2024 • 27:28

Changes Focus: Dealing with Grief - Cariad Lloyd, Grace Dent, Yebba, Jack Rooke

In this episode of Changes Focus we’re zooming in on a big change that we will probably all experience at some point - grief. Grief shapes us in different ways and hearing other people’s experiences of how they have coped with their loss can help in moving through our own. In this tender and insightful episode, Annie revisits conversations with Cariad Lloyd, comedian and creator of the podcast 'Griefcast', who shares her reflections on how therapy helped her with the grieving process after losin

Aug 5, 2024 • 24:14

Changes Focus: Changemakers - Rose Ayling-Ellis, Baroness Kidron, Nigel Bromage, Lady Unchained

Welcome to a new series of Changes Focus where we focus on a specific area of change and hear multiple perspectives from some of our incredible guests. In this episode the focus is on Changemakers - people who are working hard to drive meaningful, positive change in the world.In this powerful episode, Annie revisits her conversation with poet and advocate for prison reform Lady Unchained. She talks about her own experience within the criminal justice system and how this led her to work with othe

Jul 29, 2024 • 25:27

Matt Haig on finally returning to Ibiza, hope and new perspectives

Aged 24 in Ibiza, Matt Haig’s life changed forever when he had a breakdown. Now 49 he has returned to the island, facing his past head on, returning with a whole new perspective, more optimism, and now, a new book called ‘The Life Impossible’. Matt has sold over 9 million copies of his books worldwide, and they have been translated into 58 languages. His bestselling book ‘Reasons to Stay Alive’ has touched millions of lives and was game changing for many people with depression and anxiety.

Jul 22, 2024 • 36:21

Annie’s personal revelations on her birthday week

Hello folks, for this episode I took myself into the rave shed and reflected on the big changes that have taken place in my life over the last year. It’s my birthday week, as I’m a Cancer I am trying to extend it into a whole month. I love any excuse for a party so there will be one of those happening for sure, but I also love, more and more, an opportunity to reflect and remember the events of my life, partly because my memory is so shite that if I don’t make the effort to remember, things

Jul 15, 2024 • 36:51

Decca Aitkenhead on the life changing power of love

This conversation is astonishing. Prepare to be completely engrossed and moved beyond belief by the phenomenal Decca Aitkenhead. The Chief Interviewer at the Sunday Times, Decca talks so beautifully with a warmth and lightness that contrasts with what she has lived through. The love story between her and her late husband Tony is like nothing else you have ever heard before.Tragically, in 2014, Decca Aitkenhead’s husband Tony died while they were on holiday in Jamaica with their two young sons. A

Jul 8, 2024 • 59:16

Ruby Wax on not passing on ‘the baton of madness’ and the constant of change

From inside Ruby Wax’s bedroom, Annie gets up close and personal about Ruby’s life changes - from her troubled childhood and creating a comic persona as a result, feeling like a freak when she became a mother to those famous interviews on ‘When Ruby Wax Met,’ which changed how she was perceived. Ruby’s latest book and touring one-woman play, ‘I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was’ saw Ruby trying to find meaning by going on life changing journeys but it ended with her being in a ment

Jul 1, 2024 • 47:13

Jack Rooke on growing with grief, using real life for art and being braver

Jack Rooke is the recent BAFTA winning comic genius behind the incredible multi award winning sitcom Big Boys. Jack won his BAFTA for Best Comedy Writer after using his own life experience of losing his Dad, when Jack was 15, to write and narrate Big Boys. The show follows Jack leaving his mum to go to University where he navigates making new friends and exploring being gay, something he hasn’t told his mum yet. Big Boys was adapted from Jack’s debut show Good Grief and his second show Happy Hou

Jun 24, 2024 • 45:40

Aderonke Apata on leaving Nigeria to be a free gay woman

Imagine being forced to leave your country for being gay or face death. This Refugee Week, we welcome Aderonke Apata, a Nigerian refugee who had to leave Nigeria under threat of persecution for being in love with a woman. When she reached the UK, she embarked on a 13-year battle through the UK immigration system including periods of homelessness, detention and near deportation. She was also accused of lying about her sexuality. Her lover in Nigeria was sadly killed. Today, Aderonke has trained t

Jun 17, 2024 • 35:19

Vernon Kay on navigating show business, late puberty and keeping family grounded

Vernon Kay is one of the most recognised people on British TV and radio known for his infectious smile and warm Bolton accent. He first made his mark on Channel 4’s T4 in the early 2000s and has since hosted popular shows like All Star Family Fortunes and Comic Relief. In 2020 he appeared on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! He has been presenting shows on BBC radio since 2004, most recently taking over the coveted mid-morning radio show on BBC Radio 2, following in the footsteps of Ken Bruce

Jun 10, 2024 • 42:04

Miranda July on rethinking everything - marriage, sex and hormones

Miranda July’s staggering new novel ‘All Fours’ might just completely change the way you think about your life. Miranda is not one for sticking to the rules. An LA based artist, writer and award-winning filmmaker, she has been creating unapologetic, boundary pushing work since her involvement in the Riot Grrrl feminist movement of the 1990s, where she gained recognition for her zines and performance art. She has gone on to create across many mediums, including her breakthrough 2005 feature

Jun 3, 2024 • 38:51

Ahmed Alnaouq on the war in Palestine, family and the power of stories

On 22nd October 2023, Ahmed Alnaouq woke up to the unthinkable news that 21 members of his family had been killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza. Ahmed Alnaouq is a Palestinian journalist from Gaza and the co-founder of We Are Not Numbers - a non profit organisation that specialises in sharing Palestinian stories. In this episode, Ahmed shares his story. He explains how the war in Palestine didn’t begin last year, but has been ongoing throughout his entire life. He talks about family members wh

May 27, 2024 • 46:34

Sara Pascoe on self worth, detachment and reflecting on separated parents

Sara Pascoe has a magic ability to take life’s absurdities and turn them into comedy gold, but how does she approach change? Sara’s quick, intelligent wit has seen her competing on many of the UK’s most popular comedy panel shows such as QI and Taskmaster and she also hosts ‘The Great British Sewing Bee’. Not only is she one of the country’s foremost comedians, Sara is a bestselling author too, having written three books - ‘Animal’, ‘Sex Money Power’ and her debut novel ‘Weirdo’, which is o

May 20, 2024 • 41:59

George the Poet on being a Black radical, music and the war on Blackness

George Mpanga, aka George the Poet, is a voice for change but, is it enough to just be a successful Black man in the war on Blackness? From his humble beginnings in North London with Ugandan parents, to graduating from Cambridge University as well as visiting Uganda, George knows a thing or two about the big changes that can shape your life’s direction.George is best known for his work as a spoken word artist, rapper and podcaster with the multi award-winning podcast ‘Have You Heard George’s Pod

May 13, 2024 • 48:59

Afua Hirsch on different cultural views on bodies - body hair, puberty, fertility and aging

Rounding off this miniseries on Bodies, the incredible journalist, broadcaster and bestselling author Afua Hirsch unpacks Eurocentric beauty standards and discusses unlearning some of the myths around women’s bodies. Why do western cultures think body hair is bad? How do non western cultures treat puberty and aging? Can we change how we view our bodies from our ancestors? Certainly, what we think we know about women's bodies is very narrow.Afua Hirsch is at the forefront of discussions about rac

May 6, 2024 • 46:30

Dr. Jen Gunter answers your questions on sex, periods and menopause

As part of our Bodies Mini Series, renowned gynaecologist Dr. Jen Gunter tackles your burning questions about your bodies as she and Annie delve deep into the complex world of women's health and the changes involved. Dr. Jen Gunter is the author of bestsellers "The Vagina Bible" and "The Menopause Manifesto," and is the ultimate authority on all things bodies. Her new book “Blood” mixes her trademark blend of expertise and accessibility, empowering readers to understand their bodies better than

Apr 29, 2024 • 51:39

CMAT on body image, fluctuating weight and Ozempic diets

To open a new mini series on Bodies we welcome boundary pushing musician, CMAT whose low cut, bum crack exposing dress created one of the most viral moments at the BRIT Awards this year. Her unapologetic attitude towards body image caused a storm on the internet attracting a wave of opinions.CMAT, real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson is a one in a million artist. She writes songs that are both hilarious and heartbreaking, and she is utterly captivating on stage. She’s a future superstar in the ma

Apr 22, 2024 • 50:22

Marian Keyes

Spring is here(!) and we begin our new season with global phenomenon Marian Keyes. Marian is one of Ireland’s most prolific and successful writers of all time with her books having sold over 35 million copies worldwide.Marian has won multiple awards and is an expert in honest storytelling. She writes characters you’ll love with imperfections you’ll recognise and her wisdom is felt in every story she tells. In this refreshing, funny and unfiltered conversation, Marian discusses her upbringin

Apr 15, 2024 • 43:32

Changes Focus: Parenting - Zadie Smith, Toddla T, Josh Widdicombe and Jen Brister

In this week’s Changes Focus we are zooming in on parenting. Whether you are a parent yourself or not, we have all been parented in some way and many of us spend time around people who are parents. We therefore all have experience of parenting and the huge effect it has on our lives. It is no surprise that many of our guests on Changes choose becoming a parent as the biggest change of their adult life. In this hilarious and heartwarming episode, author Zadie Smith gives her profound thought

Apr 8, 2024 • 24:16

Changes Focus: Education - Dolly Alderton, Louis Theroux, Idris Elba, Rosie Jones and Michael Sheen

Introducing Changes Focus! where we zoom in on one popular Changes theme and bring you multiple takes from different guests. In this episode the focus is Education. Our younger educational years can really define us, so much change and growth can happen. Many of our amazing guests have cited their school or university years as experiences that shaped their lives drastically. Their stories explore the highs and lows of education such as bullying, fitting in, integrating into new schools and

Apr 1, 2024 • 26:39

Gabby Logan

Viva la season finale! Where we welcome a total trailblazer and change maker, the iconic sports broadcast Gabby Logan. In her almost 30 year career, Gabby has been at the centre of phenomenal change in a predominantly male dominated industry. She has presented many of the country's biggest sporting events including the Olympics, the Commonwealth games, the World Cup and the 2022 Euros which changed the face of women's football in Britain when the Lionesses won. Gabby has paved the way for other

Mar 25, 2024 • 44:00

Katriona O'Sullivan

The day after St Patrick’s day, we welcome an astonishing Irish woman who epitomises change; Katriona O’Sullivan’s incredible no.1 bestselling memoir ‘Poor’ has dominated Irish bestseller lists for 10 months. The book documents her life - from living in poverty raised by parents who were heroin addicts, becoming pregnant and homeless at 15 to changing everything and completing a PHD at Trinity College in Dublin after a life changing encounter. Today Katriona is a psychologist and award winning l

Mar 18, 2024 • 54:39

Ken Loach

Ken Loach is one of the greatest film directors of all time and a true British icon. He is known for his powerful, socially engaged films including ‘I Daniel Blake’, which won him a BAFTA for outstanding British film. At 87 years old, Ken’s career spans nearly six decades and his long list of awards includes the first ever British Independent Film Award and the Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival, which he has won twice.His films shine a light on real human stories and the social injustices o

Mar 11, 2024 • 38:57

Deborah Frances White

On the week of International Women’s Day we speak to the Guilty Feminist herself, Deborah Frances White. Host of the hugely successful, award winning podcast ‘The Guilty Feminist’, Deborah is also a bestselling author, screenwriter and comedian. Growing up in Australia as part of a restrictive Jehova's Witness community, Deborah describes her teenage years as “being controlled by a male cult”. This experience steered her towards comedy and feminism and ultimately led her to establish the Gu

Mar 4, 2024 • 39:24

Anna Rowe

Fourteen months after starting a relationship online, Anna discovered that she was a victim of romance fraud. ‘Antony’ wasn’t in fact who he said he was. Now, Anna is using her story to fight for change and is considered an expert in this field. Catfishing, romance fraud and scams are more prevalent than ever. Last year alone the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau in the UK received 8,036 reports of romance fraud resulting in a loss of more than £92m. But how does this happen? How do you fi

Feb 26, 2024 • 53:03

Anthony Ray Hinton

Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years on death row for a murder he did not commit. There was no evidence against him, he was charged because he is black. During his time on death row, he made some unlikely friends and never lost hope. Anthony’s incredible story is one of unimaginable injustice but also of resilience and forgiveness. During his incarceration, Anthony watched 54 inmates walk to their deaths on the electric chair. The same death penalty that sentenced Anthony in Alabama

Feb 19, 2024 • 55:14

John Cooper Clarke

This Valentine’s week we’re celebrating romance with an unlikely agony uncle - the legendary punk poet, also known as the bard of Salford, John Cooper Clarke. A self-confessed romantic, John’s iconic love poem ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ has become one of the most popular poems to be performed at weddings in Britain and was famously used by the Arctic Monkeys in their song of the same name. John first began performing his poetry amidst the punk scene of the 1970s sharing stages with the Sex Pistols, the

Feb 12, 2024 • 26:48

Fern Brady

In 2020, Scottish comedian Fern Brady was diagnosed with autism. Her award-winning Sunday Times Bestselling book ‘Strong Female Character’ is an incredibly honest and hilarious account of Fern’s life as an autistic girl and woman. Fern regularly appears on comedy panel shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats and Taskmaster as well as touring her own shows all over the world. In this episode, she discusses her catholic upbringing in Scotland and when she realised that she was different to other people,

Feb 5, 2024 • 36:46

Kwesia (City Girl In Nature)

From Deptford to the Amazon - For the final episode in our Joy January mini-series we’re joined by a very inspiring guest. Kwesia, also known as City Girl in Nature, grew up on an estate in South East London and struggled with violence and trauma from an early age but after a life-changing expedition to the Amazon she connected with nature in a way that sparked joy and transformed her perspective on life. Kwesia is now the award-winning host of the birdwatching podcast ‘Get Birding’. Throug

Jan 29, 2024 • 38:50

Michael Rosen

How do you find joy in the aftermath of tragedy or immense adversity? Celebrated poet, author, professor and broadcaster, Michael Rosen has had to learn to do just that after his son passed away suddenly from meningitis aged 18. Michael himself also came close to losing his own life twice, the second time to Covid in 2020. Despite this, in 2023, he was awarded the prestigious PEN Pinter Prize for his ‘ability to address the most serious matters of life in a spirit of joy, humour, and hope.’&nbsp

Jan 22, 2024 • 45:27

Gretchen Rubin

What small changes can you make to your daily life to cultivate more joy? As we continue Joy Month, we welcome to Changes one of the most influential experts in Happiness globally, Gretchen Rubin. Gretchen is a bestselling author who has written six books on the topic of happiness (all of which have become New York Times Best Sellers), including the widely acclaimed ‘The Happiness Project’. She is host of the hit podcast “Happier with Gretchen”, has been interviewed by Oprah and has walked arm i

Jan 15, 2024 • 36:18

Femi Koleoso

Welcome to JOY January - a mini series! The aim is for you to finish these episodes with more joy to start your 2024. Who better to lead us than the most joy filled musician around - the incredibly talented bandleader and drummer of the award-winning jazz group Ezra Collective, Femi Koleoso. When Femi hits the drums, the world listens. He is on a mission to bring joy to all through music. His career has seen him play all across the world including with Gorillaz and Jorja Smith, and last year Ezr

Jan 8, 2024 • 44:21

Nish Kumar

As we get ready to bid farewell to 2023, it’s time to retrace the highs and lows of the year as we bring you our annual Changes End of Year Special! Annie is joined by comedian, tv presenter and co-host of the new political podcast Pod Save the UK, Nish Kumar. Together they dive into some of the year's biggest political, cultural and societal changes, offering their perspectives on the moments that defined 2023; a year of war and conflict, AI becoming more powerful (can it replace Nish?), Prince

Dec 11, 2023 • 42:09

Dr. Vivek Murthy

“Addressing loneliness is a public health issue as important as tobacco or obesity”.In a world that is more interconnected than ever via technology and social media, why do so many of us feel lonely? And how can we change that?Dr. Vivek Murthy, the 21st Surgeon General of the United States is the man putting loneliness at the top of the public health agenda. Nominated by Barack Obama and Joe Biden as ‘the Nation’s Doctor’, his ground-breaking work on the physical and mental impact of social disc

Dec 4, 2023 • 39:21

Caster Semenya

‘I am a woman but a different kind’. The double Olympic gold medalist and three time World Championship winner Caster Semenya has spent her entire adult life trying to change people’s minds on the definition of womanhood. One of the most recognisable intersex women in the world with a condition called DSD (differences in sex development), Caster’s has an elevated level of testosterone, which according to World Athletics, must be reduced by taking hormones in order for her to

Nov 27, 2023 • 41:58

Christiana Figueres

Can we alter the course of climate change? One woman who can answer with authority is the internationally recognised leader on global climate change, Christiana Figueres. An absolutely remarkable woman, Ms Figueres was formerly the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Demonstrating immense diplomacy, resilience and determination, she successfully orchestrated negotiations with 196 countries to reach the historical Paris Agreement of 2015. Now hugely d

Nov 20, 2023 • 40:42

Charlotte Church

Charlotte Church is full of surprises. An opera singer turned alt-pop star and political activist who’s now turned to nature and sound healing. Famous at 11 with a no 1 album in the classical charts at 12. She celebrated her 15th birthday at the Grammys, sang for the pope, the queen and presidents including at George Bush’s inauguration and even sat a GCSE exam at the White House. She has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. Her fame was stratospheric but she always remained true to her r

Nov 13, 2023 • 35:36

Safiya Sinclair

Born in Jamaica to a father who belonged to the 'strictest and most radical sect of Rastafari', Safiya Sinclair was made to wear dreadlocks and subjugated from a young age. She was forbidden from climbing trees, riding a bike, wearing trousers, and told her virtue was in her silence and submission. Rastas were ostracised in Jamaica and Safiya’s dreadlocks came to define her. In her isolation, Safiya’s only refuge was when her mum introduced her to literature and poetry, which changed t

Nov 6, 2023 • 41:04

Dolly Alderton

Described by Lena Dunham as ‘the bard of modern love’, Dolly Alderton is an award-winning author and journalist, as well as agony aunt for the Sunday Times with her phenomenally popular column Dear Dolly. Her books have all become Sunday Times Bestsellers and her brilliant memoir Everything I Know About Love was adapted into a TV series last year. Her other books include her first novel Ghosts, and Dear Dolly, a collection of her agony aunt columns. Now, she is back with a brand new novel Good M

Oct 30, 2023 • 43:06

Chelsea Manning

In 2010, aged 22, whilst on leave from deployment to Iraq, Chelsea Manning leaked half a million US military incident reports on Wikileaks. She had 12 hours before her flight back to Iraq and was relying on a wifi connection at Barnes and Nobles. Chelsea knew she’d lose her job but instead she was made an example of by the military and lost her anonymity and her freedom. Since then she has also changed her name and her gender, her identity being something she had questioned for many years.

Oct 23, 2023 • 44:55

Sara Cox

Our guest this week is the beloved Bolton broadcaster Sara Cox! Currently BBC Radio 2's drive time host , Sara started out as a model before turning to TV. In the 90s she was on Channel 4 presenting the Girlie Show. She went on to work on Channel 5, presented MTV Hot and became a regular on the hugely popular programme The Big Breakfast. Sara was in her early twenties, incredibly beautiful, effortless funny and deliciously northern. An irresistible booking for Radio 1, who p

Oct 16, 2023 • 40:12

Casey Armstrong

Casey Armstrong defied the odds of many young care leavers but her experience with foster care came at a huge personal cost. Entering foster care at fourteen after a turbulent upbringing, Casey didn’t realise the clock was ticking before she would be forced to leave her stable foster home. Due to something called the Care Cliff, Casey was expected to be independent at eighteen. The relationships and support she knew suddenly ended and her life fell apart. Now, 5 years later Casey is at Universit

Oct 9, 2023 • 37:32

Idris Elba

We give you global superstar Idris Elba. Idris is an award-winning actor, a film director, a producer, a DJ and rapper, entrepreneur, podcaster, UN goodwill ambassador, kickboxer, the list goes on. Suffice to say this is a man who is comfortable with change. Or is he?In this conversation Idris zooms in on the big changes in his life, being sickly as a child, moving schools, discovering acting, becoming a father, starting therapy, and the bigger changes in his professional life, namely the SAG-AF

Oct 2, 2023 • 39:40

Lorraine Candy

Lorraine Candy does not mess around when it comes to midlife and the menopause. In this impassioned episode, her heartfelt desire for sharing information about both, including HRT and how society views women’s pain, is palpable. Lorraine is the former Editor in Chief of Elle, Cosmopolitan and the Sunday Times Style, now co-host of the podcast ‘Postcards from Midlife’ and author of ‘What’s Wrong With Me: 101 Things Midlife Women Need To Know’. Midlife is often a huge period of

Sep 25, 2023 • 35:47

Amanda Knox

“I am the girl accused of murder”. Amanda Knox is an exoneree, a writer, activist and podcaster. In 2007, when she was 20, Amanda was studying abroad in Italy when her roommate, British student Meredith Kercher, was raped and murdered. Meredith was 21 years old. Amanda was arrested and vilified by the press. She spent the following 8 years either on trial or in prison, for a crime she didn’t commit. Here, Amanda talks about how her life has changed, including surviving prison with a 26-year

Sep 18, 2023 • 43:36

Josie Long and Toddla T

The number of adults receiving an ADHD diagnosis has skyrocketed in recent years. In one of the most popular episodes ever of Changes, Annie’s husband Tom Bell (AKA music producer Toddla T) shared his experience of being diagnosed with ADHD. Eighteen months on the couple get back together to see what’s changed for him (and them) since. However, this time, to get a female perspective on ADHD, Annie and T are also later joined by multi-award-winning comedian, writer, podcaster, and film-maker, Jos

Sep 11, 2023 • 49:58

Zadie Smith

We are starting series 10 with a bang. Described as the “voice of the 21st Century” by the Sunday Times, the multi award winning author Zadie Smith is back with a brand new novel, ‘The Fraud’. Zadie's first historical novel, the book is inspired by a legal trial dividing Victorian Britain looking at truth and fiction, Jamaica and Britain. It’s a great excuse to get Zadie back on Changes to talk about her biggest life changes and the changes she'd like to see. Zadie Smith became famous and h

Sep 4, 2023 • 52:18

Leah Williamson

Women’s football is more popular than ever. One key player leading the change is England captain Leah Williamson. Her mum had to pretend to be a boy to play football and Leah had to play on a boys' team as a young girl. Yet, a year ago today, Leah captained the Lionesses to victory in the UEFA Women's Euros 2022 and again, this year, in the Finalissima against Brazil. The team's success has changed the landscape of women’s football. This year, as the World Cup gets underway, Leah has had to chan

Jul 31, 2023 • 46:16

Angela Hartnett

Angela Hartnett has become one of the most high-profile women in the restaurant world. Now, as well as running her many restaurants, she has turned her hand to podcasting as the co-host of the Waitrose podcast ‘Dish’ with Nick Grimshaw. Having first studied history, Angela went on to work for Gordon Ramsey for 17 years, despite many of her male colleagues thinking she would last a week or two at most, something she discusses here. She got her first Michelin star at The Connaught in London in 200

Jul 24, 2023 • 39:20

Louise Kennedy

This is one of our favourite episodes. An Irish writer, Louise Kennedy is funny boned and great craic, with a remarkable life story to tell. Louise grew up in Belfast before moving when her family's pub was targeted with bombs twice. A chef for 30 years, Louise was dragged along reluctantly by a friend to a writing group and her life changed. Inspired by her own experiences in Northern Ireland, Louise’s debut novel ‘Trespasses’ is a love story between a protestant and a catholic set in a s

Jul 17, 2023 • 29:02

Will Young

Will Young has dealt with huge changes both in his personal and professional life. The original Pop Idol winner turned writer and actor has had eight albums, four of which went to number one, won two brit awards and a Laurence Olivier nomination for his performance in Cabaret in the West End. He is currently starring in the one man play Song From Far Away at Hampstead Theatre in London and hosts his own podcast 'The Wellbeing Lab’ which discusses mental health and wellbeing. He's also written fi

Jul 10, 2023 • 37:01

Zoë Colville - The Chief Shepherdess

Zoë Colville has gone from high end hairdresser in London to shepherdess on a farm in Kent. She’s also changed from a vegetarian to a farmer learning about death and going to abattoirs, an experience which surprised her. Far from being your typical farmer, with her trademark long curly red hair and gold hoop earrings as well as her humour and honesty, she has challenged people’s views of farmers and their relationship with the animals. In turn, despite many personal hurdles, she has found h

Jul 3, 2023 • 42:55

Shiva Mahbobi

“Change is equal to hope”. Shiva Mahbobi has never lost hope for change in Iran. At the age of 12, living in Iran, Shiva was arrested for campaigning for women’s rights. At just 16 she was imprisoned and tortured for over 3 years. Over 25 years later, in 2022, huge protests were sparked in Iran and around the world after it was reported that a 22 year old Iranian woman, Mahsa Amini, died after being beaten by police for allegedly violating Iran’s strict rules by not wearing a hijab. Women in Ira

Jun 26, 2023 • 45:24

Josh Widdicombe

“If I’d done this three years ago, I’d have been getting through it without revealing anything”. Josh Widdicombe is a changed man. The hilarious podcast Parenting Hell, which Josh co-hosts with fellow comedian Rob Beckett, has become a sensation. It’s changed him as well as the conversation around men being parents. Described as an “ace observationist” by the Guardian, Josh is also known for being a star of Channel 4’s The Last Leg and this year has released a brand-new Sky Max series Hold

Jun 19, 2023 • 43:29

Laura Bates

Laura Bates has dedicated her life to addressing gender inequality. She is the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project and a Sunday Times Bestselling author. Laura has released five books including Girl Up, Misogynation, Men Who Hate Women and her most recent book, Fix the System, Not the Women. She works closely with politicians, businesses, schools, police forces and organisations from the Council of Europe to the United Nations to tackle gender inequality. Here, Laura talks to Annie about

Jun 12, 2023 • 51:05

Louis Theroux

Louis Theroux tells stories about what it is to be human. His unique documentaries explore the darker corners of the human condition, from cults and porn to eating disorders and dementia. After being given a break on Michael Moore’s TV Nation in America, Louis began his long career at the BBC with the BAFTA winning Louis Theroux’s Weird Weekends and When Louis Met…, which included that much discussed Jimmy Saville episode. Louis’ trademark informal and non-judgmental style has led to a

Jun 5, 2023 • 1:05:08

Emma Gannon

How do you change your relationship with success? Writer and podcaster Emma Gannon has written a new book called ‘The Success Myth’ which, for one, has changed how Annie looks at her life. After experiencing burn out, Emma has become even more passionate about debunking the traditional ideas of success. Emma is a Sunday Times bestselling author with five books to date, including The Multi-Hyphen Method, Sabotage, Disconnected and her novel Olive. In 2018, she was selected in the Forbe

May 29, 2023 • 46:21

Rosie Jones

Rosie Jones is an unstoppable force. Describing herself as a triple threat - disabled, gay and female, she is changing the world. A stand up comic, children’s author, TV writer and actor with cerebral palsy - Rosie challenges perceptions of people with disabilities (and people from Yorkshire). She has appeared on countless TV shows including 8 out of 10 cats, Would I Lie to You?, The Last Leg and Live at the Apollo. Her Channel 4 travel show Trip Hazard is BAFTA nominated. She has also written f

May 22, 2023 • 1:04:53

Annie Macmanus

With the release of ‘The Mess We’re In’, the tables are turning and, for the first time on Changes, your host Annie Macmanus is the interviewee. Annie’s new novel, which is out now, is laced into her own life experience and changes. It’s a coming-of-age story with themes about moving from Ireland to London. So, the interviewer had to be someone who can relate, someone who is Irish, a fellow Dubliner who also currently lives in London; enter one of Ireland's best, a former guest on Changes, the w

May 15, 2023 • 1:04:13

Dr. Nicole LePera - the Holistic Psychologist

Can you change yourself and heal from your past? Dr LePera believes so. With 6.6 million followers on Instagram, she has become the leading voice in psychological self-healing. Her accessible advice has been deemed life changing by many. Dr LePera’s first book How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Yourself was an international bestseller recently followed by her new book How To Meet Yourself: the Workbook for Self Discovery. After qualifying as a clini

May 8, 2023 • 53:00

Kae Tempest

Coming out as non-binary publicly, in their own words, has been “the beginning of a happiness I’ve never known, not since childhood”. Kae Tempest is a poet, a writer, a lyricist, a performer and a recording artist. They have published 3 plays, a novel, a book-length essay, 7 books of poetry including their latest ‘Divisible by Itself and One’ and released 5 albums, two of which received nominations for the Mercury Prize (‘Everybody Down’ and ‘Let Them Eat Chaos’). They’ve also received two Ivor

May 1, 2023 • 46:58

Francis Bourgeois

From unknown train fan to viral trainspotting sensation, Francis Bourgeois has changed the face of what it is to be a trainspotter. His heartwarming and contagious videos of his euphoric reaction to spotting trains have made millions of people happy. He is now the world's most famous trainspotter with over 2.8 million followers on Tik Tok, more than 60 million likes and 1.6 million followers on instagram. Many celebs are fans too, with Joe Jonas and Thierry Henry joining Francis trainspotting an

Apr 24, 2023 • 39:50

Fearne Cotton

This week we bring you a conversation that has been on the cards for a long time! A TV and radio presenter turned businesswoman with her ever expanding brand of Happy Place, Fearne Cotton has both experienced and enabled big change in her life. One significant change for Fearne was making the decision to leave her job presenting one of the biggest shows on BBC Radio 1 after 10 years. Fearne and Annie were colleagues, and as part of this episode, they finally get a chance to revisit their time at

Apr 17, 2023 • 51:53

Changes Revisited: Joe Lycett and Mark Ronson

This Easter Monday we give you comedian Joe Lycett and producer Mark Ronson. Joe Lycett has got a reputation for cleverly using comedy to bring our attention to issues he believes need addressing. He calls out people who exploit or capitalise off marginalised people and, in the process, makes us question things. His show ‘More, More, More, How Do you Lycett? How Do you Lycett?’ brilliantly highlighted LGBTQ issues. It’s a masterpiece. In this revisited episode Annie asks Joe when he re

Apr 10, 2023 • 28:53

Changes Revisited: Joanne McNally and Susan Herdman

This week we are revisiting Irish comedian Joanne McNally and Lottery winner Susan Herdman. One of the most popular guests ever on Changes, Joanne McNally is currently touring her acclaimed show The Prosecco Express. She is also the co-host of the hugely successful podcast ‘My Therapist Ghosted Me’ with her friend Vogue Williams. Here, we revisit her talking about the end of her struggles with bulimia and move into comedy in her 30s. Susan Herdman’s life changed when she won almost £1

Apr 3, 2023 • 27:48

Norman Cook

Norman Cook has been a fixture as superstar DJ Fat Boy Slim since the 90s. He started his musical career as part of the band the Housemartins but it was Fat Boy Slim that changed his life. In 1998, his second album "You've Come Along Way Baby" went to number 1, featuring the now classic dance tracks "Praise You”, "Right Here Right Now” and “Rockafeller Skank”. His legendary party Big Beach Boutique II, took place on Brighton beach 20 years ago and made the history books as the biggest outdoor pa

Mar 27, 2023 • 48:23

Sarah Gwonyoma

This is a story about intense love, immeasurable loss and incredible strength. Behind the happy positive personality that is Sarah Gwonyoma, founder of @WhatSarahReadNext (a platform that she uses to review books and interview authors), is a woman who has been through unbelievable changes. After meeting Tim, Sarah moved to the other side of the world to be with him. It’s a beautiful film-like story but sadly, in 2017, Sarah’s world was turned upside down when both her brother and husband died un

Mar 20, 2023 • 51:41

Jake Shears

Jake Shears is the opposite of a fun sponge, he’s the life and soul of every party, a positive force. Jake is the frontman of Scissor Sisters, a band which made a huge impression on pop and club culture; their debut album was the biggest album in the UK in 2004. Jake and Scissor Sisters came up in the gay scene of New York and with their fun loving, extravagant performances, the band were instrumental in paving the way for other mainstream queer artists. Now a solo artist, Jake has written for a

Mar 13, 2023 • 48:11

Jen Brister

Jen Brister calls herself the ‘other mother’, the non-biological one, a gay comedian raising twin boys with her partner Chloe. She draws on this in her comedy with millions of views on instagram of her hilarious observations about mothers and their relationships with their children. Jen is currently touring her show The Optimist described by the Guardian as “expertly calibrated crabbiness”, “no one rages against the world better”. Jen is a regular on UK TV having performed on Live at the Ap

Mar 6, 2023 • 46:12

Sophie Morgan

At the age of 18, just about to start her adult life, Sophie Morgan was in a car crash which instantly paralysed her from the chest down. She was told she would never walk again. Since that day, rather than let her disability defeat her, Sophie has used it as nothing but motivation and is now one of the first, and only, female disabled television hosts in the world as well as an award-winning disability advocate.Sophie has presented at the Paralympics in London, Rio and Tokyo, led ground-breakin

Feb 27, 2023 • 50:03

Samantha Morton

This week we welcome double Oscar nominated, golden globe and BAFTA winning actor Samantha Morton. She is one of the finest actors of her generation, acting since the early 90s, in Hollywood, independent movies and TV. You may know Samantha from the films Emma and Jane Eyre, Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report with Tom Cruise, Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown, Elizabeth the Golden Age and the TV series Harlots and The Walking Dead. This year, she stars in The Whale alongside Brendan Fraser, who is

Feb 20, 2023 • 45:50

Ana Kirova

Have you ever been curious about changing things up in your love life? Or changing the way you view romantic partnerships? Would you consider an open relationship? What about jealousy? Ana Kirova is the CEO of the progressive dating app Feeld for open minded couples and singles to look for potential partners. In 2022, she featured in Forbes 30 under 30 list for technology and ELLE Magazine described her as “the woman taking responsibility for bringing a new era of radical sexual honesty to the m

Feb 13, 2023 • 40:00

Trevor Nelson

Trevor Nelson is a legendary broadcaster. He changed the world of radio and what was played, becoming a figurehead of R&B and black music. He has had a phenomenally successful career broadcasting for 35 years. The list of people he has interviewed is hard to rival - Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Janet Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Jay Z, Kanye, P Diddy, Muhammed Ali. It goes on. Trevor started on Kiss, when it was a pirate station, before joining Radio 1 in 1996 hosting the first ever nati

Feb 6, 2023 • 54:11

Edith Eva Eger

How do you live after surviving the holocaust? This is a story of hope and determination against all odds. Edith Eva Eger is a holocaust survivor. Her parents were killed in Auschwitz. She got out and dedicated her life to helping others with PTSD by becoming a psychologist. Once a ballerina and part of the Hungarian Olympic gymnastics team, Edith was sent to Auschwitz with her sister and parents when she was 16. After being separated from her parents, she was made to dance for Josef Mengele kno

Jan 30, 2023 • 39:22

Jayde Adams

Is there anything Jayde Adams can’t do? Acting, comedy, cooking, hosting, dancing, all things she’s had huge success in. After her sister died of a brain tumour, Jayde has done her proud; she co-hosted the BAFTA nominated series Snackmasters and Crazy Delicious with Heston Blumenthal, starred in the BAFTA winning series Alma’s Not Normal, made an Amazon prime stand up special called Serious Black Jumper sharing her views on the Kardashians and celebrity life, and performed on Strictly Come Danci

Jan 23, 2023 • 1:01:21

Jennette McCurdy

Last year, America’s Nickelodeon child star Jennette McCurdy released her memoir ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ and it exploded, becoming a number one New York Times Best Seller. Hugely famous in the US starring in ‘iCarly’ and alongside Ariana Grande in ‘Sam and Cat’, no one would have guessed that behind the all smiles, successful glitz of child fame, Jennette was being unbearably controlled by her mother who was obsessed with Jennette becoming famous. In the book, which is full of dark humour, J

Jan 16, 2023 • 51:36

Changes Revisited: Toddla T and Danila Khomutovsky

This week we are revisiting Annie sitting down with her husband Tom (known as producer Toddla T) to talk about his adult diagnosis of ADHD and speaking to Danila Khomutovsky, a Ukrainian man as he sheltered in Ukraine immediately after Russia invaded.T and Annie had been together 13 years when this conversation was recorded and spoke openly about how T's ADHD impacts their relationship and family life. Danila Khomutovsky, a voice artist and co-founder of a Ukrainian radio station, woke up i

Jan 9, 2023 • 25:38

Changes Revisited: Robyn and Hassan Akkad

For the first week of 2023, when you might be thinking about changing some things in your life, big or small, we are revisiting two very different guests who could change your view of things personally and in the world. One, a pop star sensation from Sweden and another a teacher, a filmmaker and an activist who is also a Syrian refugee who experienced crossing the sea to Greece in a rubber Dingy. Robyn is a hugely loved sad banger connoisseur and to get to speak to her about her life and th

Jan 2, 2023 • 26:31

Changes Revisited: Caitlin Moran and Orla Doherty

Oceans and Porn - this boxing day we have a unique and intriguing offering for you courtesy of highlights from Orla Doherty and Caitlin Moran. Orla Doherty is a TV producer and environmentalist making change through deep sea filming. Orla produced ‘the Deep’ episode and the finale of Blue Planet II with David Attenborough. We revisit her Changes episode as she describes in precise detail the magic of diving and filming in the deep ocean. It’s as if you are there. A perfect escape. &nbs

Dec 26, 2022 • 24:22

Changes Revisited: Nick Grimshaw and Prue Leith

Over the festive period we are revisiting some previous Changes episodes. This week we look back at highlights from presenter and now author Nick Grimshaw and Bake Off’s Prue Leith. Both episodes discuss changing as we get older, which as we end another year, seems appropriate. Nick Grimshaw was the host of BBC Radio 1’s breakfast show, something he had dreamed of forever but in this conversation he and Annie had just left Radio 1 after many years and talked about the big change, moving on

Dec 19, 2022 • 26:35

Self Esteem

It’s that time of year again, an end of year special! Who better to join Annie to look back at the madness and events of 2022 than Rebecca Taylor aka, Self Esteem; a popstar who not only speaks her mind and does not hold back (yes, this is no exception), but has also had a phenomenal year and seen her career change irrevocably after releasing her album Prioritise Pleasure. There’s been Brit and NME nominations, a Mercury Prize nomination, which she will never forget, not least because the Queen

Dec 12, 2022 • 58:56

Baroness Beeban Kidron

Prepare to be amazed by Beeban Kidron, a woman who took on the tech giants and won, making urgent, life impacting changes to digital regulation and the online experiences of children and young people. As a member of the House of Lords, Beeban pushed through the world’s first ever Design Code into law in the UK, radically changing how social media treats children. Beeban is also a film and documentary director, her credits including ‘Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason’, the 3 time BAFTA winning ad

Dec 5, 2022 • 51:03

Sasha Goodman

In support of World Aids Day on 1st December, Annie spoke to Sasha who was born with HIV but only found out about her hidden diagnosis when she was 16 after going to A&E with an injury. She had spent most of her childhood in hospitals but wasn’t told why. Sasha is part of the first cohort of babies to survive with HIV and has struggled with treatments for most of her life. After she found out about her diagnosis, she faced a lot of stigma. Now in her 30’s, she has had 3 children and liv

Nov 28, 2022 • 43:09

Goldie

Goldie is a music legend; a producer and DJ, graffiti artist and actor, instantly recognisable for wearing gold grills on his teeth. In the 90’s he became a pioneer of jungle and drum and bass music in the UK and launched the now legendary music label Metalheadz with DJ duo Kemistry & Storm. He released his ground breaking album Timeless in 1995, which went on to sell 250,000 copies. He dated Björk and Naomi Campbell. His success was immense and his impact and influence hasn’t stopped since.

Nov 21, 2022 • 43:42

Cariad Lloyd

How and why should we change the conversation around death and grief? Cariad Lloyd is an award winning actor and comedian but she might be best known for starting a much needed public conversation around grief. In 2016, Cariad launched her multi award winning podcast, Griefcast - a podcast that examines the human experience of grief and death but with comedians, so it’s cheerier than it sounds. Having lost her Dad as a teenager, Cariad made it her mission to help anyone dealing with grief. With

Nov 14, 2022 • 46:56

Patrick Cox

Patrick Cox was the most sought after shoe designer of the 90s, now he is a toad facilitator in Ibiza. When it comes to changes, you can’t get much more extreme. Patrick (otherwise known as Party Pat thanks to Janet Jackson) is the creator of the Wannabe, a modern style loafer, wanted and worn by everyone in the Brit Pop era. Every pop star you can think of had them - George Michael, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, the list is endless. The queues to get a pair were huge and at the peak frenzy, as ma

Nov 7, 2022 • 56:35

Tembi Locke

This week’s episode is a story of love and how love can change your life. It’s a story about marriage, family, health and grief but at its core is love. Love at all costs. Tembi Locke is an actress and an author and now the co-writer and executive producer behind the new Netflix’s series, ‘From Scratch’, based on Tembi’s beautiful and heartbreaking life story which she wrote about in her New York Times best-selling memoir. ‘From Scratch’ has been adapted and produced by Reece Witherspoon a

Oct 31, 2022 • 40:42

Gabor Mate

Can you heal yourself from trauma and change the course of your health? Gabor Mate believes you can. Gabor is a physician and an internationally renowned bestselling author and addiction expert in huge demand to speak about his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. Gabor teaches that as human beings we are creatures of our environment and that our bodies are inseparable from our psychology and social relationships. His new book The Myt

Oct 24, 2022 • 54:20

Sophie Willan

Sophie Willan is fabulous; an actor, comedian and writer from Bolton, whose sitcom ‘Alma’s Not Normal’ earned her two BAFTAs. Her writing manages to be both fearless in tackling serious themes, and incredibly funny. You only have to watch Sophie’s reaction to winning her first BAFTA and acceptance speech for the second to realise how hilarious Sophie is and just how much her success means. Growing up Sophie was looked after by her Grandma and spent time in the care system due to her mother

Oct 17, 2022 • 45:36

Anne Marie Duff

‘You never quite know the ripple effect you have when you’re telling a tale’. Anne Marie Duff is a storyteller at heart. She is currently starring as Grace, a wife in an abusive relationship in Sharon Horgan’s phenomenal dark comedy, Bad Sisters which is being talked about everywhere. She’s an award-winning actress known for her BAFTA nominated roles in Shameless, The Virgin Queen and Nowhere Boy. She’s also starred on Broadway and at the National Theatre playing women like Lady Macbet

Oct 10, 2022 • 46:46

Sam Smith

Sam Smith is back and on fire. They’re releasing new music and being completely themselves, knowing exactly who they are. Sam’s achieved monumental success - four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. In 2019, Sam came out as non binary and today, their music is more popular than ever with their current single Unholy instantly becoming the number 1 trending song in the world. Having known Sam for many years, Annie, along with the rest of the world, has watch

Oct 4, 2022 • 41:06

Shon Faye

This week on Changes, we welcome Shon Faye journalist and author of The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice, the biggest selling book on this topic in Britain and a Sunday Times Bestseller. Shon also hosts the podcast Call Me Mother which features conversations with LGBTQ+ trailblazers about what it means to be queer today. Shon’s book has been described as both urgent and important and something which everyone should read. It presents the facts about trans people in Britain today uncover

Sep 26, 2022 • 57:27

Professor Brian Cox

How can knowing more about the Universe change your life? Professor Brian Cox has the answer. A Former rock star turned physicist who has gone from playing keys in the band D:Ream, which had a UK No. 1 hit with "Things Can Only Get Better", to becoming everyone’s favourite physicist selling out arenas around the world with his fascinating shows about the Universe. Brian has previously been compared to David Attenborough in the science world having presented numerous documentaries for the BB

Sep 19, 2022 • 38:53

Robbie Williams

It’s fair to say Robbie Williams knows a thing or two about change - catapulted from Stoke On Trent to superstar fame as a teenager in Take That before becoming one of the best selling artists of all time, a spotlight which came with relentless scrutiny and pressures. Robbie has achieved 13 number one UK albums, a record 18 Brit Awards and sold 80 million records worldwide. Today, he is a husband and father to four children, makes his own art which was showcased at Sotheby’s in London and has ju

Sep 12, 2022 • 54:00

Joanne McNally

Get ready for a South Dublin takeover! Annie is joined by the Irish comedian Joanne McNally, who, as well as hosting the phenomenally successful podcast ‘My Therapist Ghosted Me’ with her friend Vogue Williams, has sold out 60 nights at the Vicar Street venue in Dublin with her stand up show The Prosecco Express (that’s 63,000 tickets for that venue alone), played 4 sold out shows at the Palladium in London and recently sold out the Apollo with extra dates added. As the

Sep 5, 2022 • 44:58

Changes Revisited: Billie Piper and Bexy Cameron

This week we are revisiting actress and director Billie Piper and Bexy Cameron who was born into a cult called the Children of God.Billie Piper has been famous since she was 14, first a popstar then an award winning actress often playing complicated female characters, starring in Doctor Who, Secret Diary of A Call Girl, Collateral, I Hate Suzie, Yerma (for which she won 6 best actress awards) and, in 2021, Rare Beasts, which she wrote and directed. On Changes, Billie opened up about her life, re

Aug 28, 2022 • 30:48

Changes Revisited: Davina McCall and Billy Porter

Looking back at some stand out episodes, this week we revisit Davina McCall and Billy Porter. National treasure and TV legend Davina McCall has become a voice for women going through menopause raising awareness and understanding. She has also been through a lot in her life, here talking about being left with her Granny as a child and her subsequent fear of abandonment which she unintentionally came to face as an adult with a hypnotist. She also spoke so openly about her experience and knowl

Aug 22, 2022 • 31:03

Changes Revisited: Jhemar Jonas and Zadie Smith

This week we revisit highlights from two impactful episodes, the incredible author Zadie Smith and Jhemar Jonas who’s brother Michael was fatally stabbed to death.Since the night of his brother’s death, when Jhemar was 16, Jhemar has been trying to change the world advocating for youth-led solutions to violence and knife crime. He has mentored students and provided consultancy for City Hall, the Metropolitan police and Google about youth culture and violence prevention. He’s also a rapper who go

Aug 15, 2022 • 35:30

Katherine May

In August 2015 author Katherine May set out to walk the 630-mile south west coast path. Setting her feet down on the rugged and difficult path by the sea answers long standing questions. What followed was the journey of self discovery documented in her book The Electricity of Every Living Thing which has just been adapted into an immersive Audible Original drama. This week, we invited Katherine to talk about the physical and psychological journey that she undertook in the Electricity of Eve

Aug 8, 2022 • 40:54

Changes Revisited: Romesh Ranganathan and Katie Price

This week we are revisiting highlights from two very prominent people in British Media - Romesh Ranganathan and Katie Price.Romesh is one of the UK’s most successful comedians but as you will hear in this conversation he experienced seismic changes in his life before he became famous. His whole world was turned upside down as a child when within the space of six months, his house was repossessed, he changed schools, his mum found out his dad was having an affair and his dad went to prison! Here

Aug 1, 2022 • 39:15

Dr Gwen Adshead

Why do people commit violent crimes? Do we all have the capacity to be evil? And is it possible to change the mind of a murderer? This week on Changes, we speak to one of Britain’s leading forensic psychiatrists Dr Gwen Adshead, co-author of the Sunday Times Bestseller The Devil You Know: Encounters in Forensic Psychiatry. Dr Adshead has spent over thirty years providing therapy inside secure hospitals and prisons like Broadmoor working with violent offenders who have committed te

Jul 25, 2022 • 55:04

Denise Gough

Denise Gough is a double Olivier Award winning actress having blown away critics in the plays People, Places and Things and Angels in America, but before seeing her name in lights, Denise was a homeless drug addict begging on Shaftesbury Avenue. This is her account of her remarkable story of change, from a small town in Ireland to being one of the most in demand actresses today. That success includes starring alongside Keira Knightly in Collette, giving a phenomenally powerful performance i

Jul 18, 2022 • 50:49

Big Zuu

Big Zuu is changing the face of television. From growing up on the Mozart Estate in West London to winning two BAFTAs for Big Zuu's Big Eats, delivering a powerful acceptance speech, he is a shining example of what people can achieve given the chance. Big Zuu’s mum arrived in the UK from Sierra Leone when she was pregnant. Since then, together, they have navigated changing circumstances, with Big Zuu studying to be a youth worker before becoming a rapper/grime MC and now huge TV personality and

Jul 11, 2022 • 51:45

Lady Unchained

At the age of 20, Lady Unchained went to prison. She didn’t believe she was the type of person who would ever do that. She went to church, was about to launch her own business and had no former convictions, but one day everything changed. She spent eleven months behind bars and five months tagged. Inside, she faced systemic racism and had to adapt to survive. It changed her, and leaving prison, she realised she was facing an uphill battle in changing people’s perceptions. Here, she shares her gr

Jul 4, 2022 • 51:02

Grace Dent

This is a conversation about class, identity, ambition and grief. It's Grace Dent stripped back. Grace is a broadcaster, columnist, author, award winning food critic and now host of the brilliant podcast Comfort Eating. But she is also just a woman from humble working-class beginnings who grew up in Carlisle in the north of England and grafted and adapted to get to where she is today. Despite now living a glittering media life in London, appearing on MasterChef, dining in some of the best restau

Jun 27, 2022 • 55:30

Emily Eavis

It’s been 3 years but finally Glastonbury will be back in all its magnificent glory this week. The biggest festival in the world. A festival like no other. To get excited, co-organiser Emily Eavis made a visit to Annie’s rave shed to talk about all things change; personal change and changes at the festival which turned 50 in 2020! This year back on Worthy Farm in Somerset, the family and 200,000 revellers will finally be able to properly celebrate. Emily grew up on Worthy Farm so has witne

Jun 20, 2022 • 50:06

Róisín Murphy

This week, ahead of Glastonbury, we welcome to Changes the incredible powerhouse that is Irish singer Róisín Murphy! Former frontwoman of Moloko and a solo artist with five solo albums to her name, nominations for the Mercury Music Prize, the Brit Awards and the Ivor Novello Awards and an icon in the world of fashion, with incredibly extravagant stage outfits and wild performances to match. She’s the queen of electronic music. Bold, unafraid and uniquely herself. No one exists like Róisín Murphy

Jun 13, 2022 • 48:41

Ella Vaday

The first ever live guest for Changes!! Ella Vaday is the drag persona of Nick Collier and self-proclaimed “drag beast from Dagenham East” who dominated the UK’s third series of Drag Race UK, almost winning. In this special episode recorded in front of a live audience at the London Podcast Show, Nick explains how despite appearances he hasn’t always been so confident in his identity. As a young boy Nick went through numerous challenging changes in quick succession and was always in den

Jun 6, 2022 • 55:05

Kate Weinberg

Long Covid is something which has changed many people’s lives, Kate Weinberg is one of them. According to the Office for National Statistics 1.3 million people in the UK were experiencing Long Covid symptoms as of 2 January 2022. Of those people more than four in 10 (so 42 per cent) were experiencing Long Covid symptoms more than a year after their first suspected infection. But what is it? How does it impact people? And most importantly, how do people get better? Kate Weinberg is an author

May 30, 2022 • 54:49

Roddy Doyle

Roddy Doyle is a cultural beacon of Ireland and an absolute joy to listen to. In this episode the renowned novelist speaks to Annie about art, identity, growing older and a changing Ireland. Roddy won the Booker Prize in 1993 for his seminal novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, and is the author of eleven acclaimed novels including The Commitments, The Snapper,The Van and Smile. Roddy grew up in Dublin in the 60s and talks in this episode about his really uncomfortable experience of attending a Christia

May 23, 2022 • 45:55

Joe Lycett

Joe Lycett is one of Britain's most loved comedians affecting change through his comedy in the most brilliant and beautiful ways. Not one to shy away from the bigger issues at play, Joe invites people to think, and actively questions about the systems we live in. After the death of his friend who died in lockdown, a change which has had a huge impact on Joe’s life, his mockery of the official inquiry into party gate by tweeting a fake Sue Grey report made headlines. Even the Government was conce

May 16, 2022 • 52:26

David Harewood

This week it is Mental Health Awareness Week so to talk through his own journey, specifically his experience with psychosis, is actor, director and now author, David Harewood, best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in Homeland.From Birmingham, born to parents from Barbados, David has had huge success on stage, in TV and in Hollywood. Yet, in his recent memoir ‘Maybe I Don’t Belong Here’, David details the racial abuse he suffered as a black British boy and man grow

May 9, 2022 • 51:53

Rose Ayling Ellis

This week is Deaf Awareness Week, so we welcome Eastenders actor and 2021 Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling Ellis to Changes, our first deaf guest. Rose has been deaf since birth and is a British Sign Language user, recently backing the campaign to make it a recognised language in England. This year, Rose received the Visionary Honours Award for Inspirational Person of the Year whilst her appearance on Strictly last year has significantly helped in changing people’s perceptions of

May 2, 2022 • 39:25

Changes Revisited: Kelis and Dr Larch Maxey

Changes Revisited is a chance to revisit some of our most compelling and entertaining episodes from the archives. This week we look back at highlights from two very different episodes and two very different people - Kelis and Dr Larch Maxey (a climate activist).Kelis, the multi-platinum, Grammy nominated artist, fashion icon, entrepreneur, mother, and now Cordon Bleu chef and farm owner, talks about these changes in her life including going from city life to tending to animals. She also shares h

Apr 25, 2022 • 40:30

Grace Spence Green

It's difficult not to divide Grace Spence Green's story into a before and after. The event that splits the two is one of the most dramatic instances of change that you can possible imagine: in 2018, Grace, then a 22 year-old medical student, was walking through a London shopping centre when a man jumped from a balcony, three storeys above, and landed on her. When she awoke, seven minutes later, surrounded by people, she realised she couldn't feel her legs. So began a painful process of coming to

Apr 18, 2022 • 32:56

Douglas Stuart

Douglas Stuart is the 2020 Booker Prize winning author. His story is one of survival, perseverance and defying people’s expectations. Douglas’ incredible debut novel Shuggie Bain was inspired by his upbringing in Glasgow, a time when he describes himself as a young queer son of a single mother struggling with addiction and poverty. Following his mother’s death, Douglas fended for himself and remarkably went on to study fashion at the Royal College of art in London where he was rec

Apr 11, 2022 • 48:54

Mark Ronson

Mark Ronson is one of the most celebrated and successful music producers around. Oscar, Golden Globes, Grammys, you name it he’s been awarded it for his services to era defining pop music. He’s made records with Amy Winehouse, Adele, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Queens Of The Stone Age, Bruno Mars, and the list goes on and on. Annie has interviewed Mark Ronson countless times in her career, but this was a different flex of interview, where they were able to zoom out on his whole journey, a

Apr 4, 2022 • 44:16

Scarlett Moffatt

This week we bring you a conversation with TV legend Scarlett Moffatt. Gogglebox legend, I’m A Celeb winner, Podcaster and now documentarian. Scarlett joined me to talk through her biggest changes, from road accidents to bell's palsy to bullying to TV stardom, to extreme celebrity to how she eventually found her way back to herself. Scarlett experienced brutal changes in her childhood and surreal and extreme changes in adulthood but none of them have held her back thank god. Talking to Scar

Mar 28, 2022 • 43:23

Danila Khomutovsky

Danila Khomutovsky is a 38 year old Ukrainian man. He is a husband and a father to a 7 year old son, a voice artist, co-founder of the radio station Aristocrats and has lived in Kyiv for the last 10 years. On 24th February 2022, his life and the lives of millions was upended when Russia invaded Ukraine. Despite peace talk efforts, Russian artillery and warplanes are continuing to pound cities and towns across Ukraine. More than three million people have now fled Ukraine sin

Mar 21, 2022 • 48:31

Emma Dabiri

For the vast majority of the Irish Diaspora, St Patrick's Day offers a regularly scheduled opportunity to get in touch with all of those warm, fuzzy notions of Ireland and home. But what if your relationship to home is a little bit more complicated? Emma Dabiri is the best-selling author of Don't Touch My Hair and What White People Can Do Next – two monumentally important discussions about race that have offered vital nuance and context at a time where more and more people have become engaged wi

Mar 14, 2022 • 45:31

Kerri Douglas

For International Women's Day tomorrow, we wanted to highlight women who experience homelessness. The average age of death for women sleeping rough or in emergency accommodation is four years lower than a man at just 41 years old. Women are at much greater risk of physical and sexual violence, and more likely to be struggling with complex trauma, mental health issues, physical health, domestic abuse and/or substance misuse and some are permanently separated from their children. These traum

Mar 7, 2022 • 48:21

BONUS EPISODE: The Blessed Madonna

In this special bonus episode of Changes, Annie talks about nightclubs with The Blessed Madonna - their history, their cultural significance and their tenuous future after Covid restrictions ravaged the industry in the last two years. Through statistics, lived experience and passion for what night-clubs can do to and for a person, Marea and Annie explore exactly why clubs matter.We couldn’t think of a better person to speak with than Marea; with years of DJing experience at some of the most

Mar 3, 2022 • 47:54

Melanie C

What entity better captured the spirit, energy, and atmosphere of the '90s than the Spice Girls? From the outside, it was a fairytale: five girls, all utterly relatable and recognisable, were plucked from obscurity and turned into the world's biggest popstars. Melanie Chisholm was one of those girls, but we didn't know her by that name. To us, she was Mel C, or Sporty Spice – and all these years later, she's still figuring out where one identity ends and the other begins. The Spice Girls, in its

Feb 28, 2022 • 46:02

BONUS EPISODE: Rachel Ama

In recent years, there has been a huge change in eating habits, with many of us choosing to eat more plant-based foods. Even some of the biggest fast-food chains in the world are now offering plant-based alternatives and nearly 1 in 3 Brits drink plant-based milk alternatives. In this bonus episode of Changes, sponsored by Oatly, we explore this transition with the help of vegan chef Rachel Ama. We discuss why it’s happening now, the trends and the myths,

Feb 25, 2022 • 34:08

Lemn Sissay (OBE)

Can you imagine not knowing anything about your family, being rejected by the one you thought you knew and, at 17, finding out your real name and that your mother did in fact want you? In honour of Care Day, the world's largest celebration of the successes and achievements of children and young people with experience of care, which took place on Friday, we welcome to Changes, the hugely celebrated poet, writer and phenomenal human, Lemn Sissay. A man who was stolen from his mother, rejected by h

Feb 21, 2022 • 49:47

Toddla T

We bring you a very unique episode this week, where Annie speaks to her husband Tom (a music producer who goes by the name Toddla T). It’s an incredibly insightful and generous conversation about being diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, becoming sober and how they have both navigated those changes together. ‘Four years after meeting Tom at Fabric nightclub, we had a baby together. We had another kid just under four years later. We’ve been together for 13 years in all. We’ve both had to grow u

Feb 14, 2022 • 53:53

Damon Albarn

Damon Albarn is a man whose whole creative ethos is based on change. His career spans over three decades now, with thirty albums released. His band Blur have released 8 studio albums, with Park Life released in 1994 the same year that Oasis released Definitely Maybe. It defined an era, making Blur synonymous with the 90s and the term Britpop. As co-founder of Gorillaz with Jamie Hewlett he has sold over 25 million records worldwide. He is prolific collaborator, forming various bands, like T

Feb 7, 2022 • 40:29

Elizabeth Day

Changes is back for a new year and kicking off with an emotional and inspirational conversation with award winning journalist, broadcaster and author Elizabeth Day.From the outside Elizabeth Day’s career has been an indisputable success story, a double first in history at Cambridge, a British Press Award for Young Journalist of the Year in 2004, endless writing credits and five novels. But it’s her podcast How To Fail and her memoir How To Fail: Everything I’ve Ever Learned From Things Goin

Jan 31, 2022 • 51:10

End of Year Special with Lolly Adefope

Changes is back for one last lap of 2021. It's been a year of high hopes, broken promises, and, in amongst it all, some fairly profound changes (end of Trump! Vaccine! Billionaires flying to space in rockets!). To help us make sense of it all, we've invited the excellent comic and actor, Lolly Adefope onto the show for a bit of a debrief on the year that was. Lolly's been busy charming audiences on both sides of the Atlantic for the last few years – with roles in Ghosts, This Time with Alan Part

Dec 27, 2021 • 41:47

Davina McCall

Series finale time, and we're not just talking "a" change, we're talking THE change – with a bona fide national treasure, no less. Davina McCall is part of the fabric and texture of day to day life in the UK. As a TV presenter she has been a warm, generous, and deeply empathetic fixture on our televisions since the dawn of Big Brother at the beginning of the millennium. The path she'd taken to that point was pretty bumpy, and you'll hear her talk a little bit about that in this conversation, but

Dec 7, 2021 • 49:36

Prue Leith

Prue Leith is a living legend, and one of the most joyous conversationalists we've ever hosted on Changes. It's difficult to know where to start with the life that Prue has led. Most will know her as one of the judges of The Great British Bake Off, but you can pretty easily get dizzy reading her CV – novels, cook books, michelin star winning restaurants, catering companies, cookery schools – etc ad infinitum. Prue believes that life should be punctuated by plenty of little revolutions, and she's

Nov 29, 2021 • 39:22

Billy Porter

Billy Porter is a man at the peak of his powers. Emmy, check. Tony, check. Grammy, check. Critically acclaimed memoir, first directorial film, major label recording contract; check, check, check. With a CV that reads like that, you'd be forgiven for assuming that Billy Porter has never had any trouble finding recognition for his creative powers. But the truth is, the man you see before you today, strolling up and down red carpets in a staggering ballgowns, is the product of so much change, traum

Nov 22, 2021 • 36:57

Emily Ratajkowski

Emily Ratajkowski has made an unbelievably successful life by commodifying her body. She'd be the first person to tell you that. And for the first part of her career, she felt very comfortable with that reality. On all of her shoots, she believed herself to be strong, capable, and in control. But somewhere along the line, something changed, and Emily began questioning the truth of her out look. She started looking back at the situations she'd been placed into as a young model, and finding new de

Nov 15, 2021 • 46:18

Bexy Cameron

When you discover that your entire world is based upon a lie, how do you begin to pick up the pieces and move ahead? Bexy Cameron spent the first part of her life convinced that the apocalypse was coming, and that she'd be dead by the age of 15. That's because she was brought up, alongside her 11 siblings, in a cult called the Children of God. No school, no TV, no contact with the outside world; all she knew was what the cult's mysterious and dangerous leader told them. The details of what Bexy

Nov 8, 2021 • 1:00:58

Nick Grimshaw

When your entire life has been about working towards one goal, what happens when you've reached it? For Nick Grimshaw – that goal was becoming a presenter on BBC Radio 1, and specifically, hosting its famous breakfast show. It's a dream that came true for him in 2012. But now, like Annie, he has decided to leave Radio 1, and set off in pursuit of a new adventure – the specifics of which remain pleasantly undecided in his mind. For both Annie and her old pal, Grimmy, it's been a year of big chang

Nov 1, 2021 • 58:21

Caroline Criado Perez

Are we making progress in the war against gender inequality? If anyone should know, it's Caroline Criado Perez. A couple of years ago, she released Invisible Women: Exposing Gender Bias in a World Designed for Men. It was a book, founded upon an enormous amount of research, that made explicit something known instinctively by many: the world we move in was not created with women in mind, and that the repercussions of that oversight are too many to count, ranging in impact from minor annoyance to

Oct 27, 2021 • 49:27

Lisa Nealan

How can a stutter or a stammer change the way you move through the world? If you speak fluently, you've likely never given it a great deal of thought, but talk to Lisa Nealan and you'll start to understand the ways a speech impairment might dominate your day-to-day existence. That was the case with Lisa for years. At the age of eight, she suffered an accident that left her speech permanently changed, and she subsequently built her entire life around her stutter, avoiding any and all situations t

Oct 18, 2021 • 45:40

Perez Hilton

Perez Hilton is not a popular man. He'd be the first one to tell you that, by his own estimation, 80% of people hate him. That's because he pioneered a certain type of celebrity gossip blog – the kind that trades in secrets, scandal and shame – and he was rewarded handsomely for it. To the outside world, he seemed perfectly comfortable playing the villain, but if Perez is to be believed, something was amiss the entire time. These days, Perez Hilton says he has changed a great deal, even though h

Oct 11, 2021 • 41:38

Jimmy Carr

When Jimmy Carr was 25 years old, his life looked very different. He was a marketing exec at an oil company, a practicing Catholic, a virgin. And he was sad. In order to change that. He asked himself one question: "What do I want?" He soon discovered that knowing the answer to that question was half the battle. In this conversation, you'll hear exactly how Jimmy Carr turned a quarter-life crisis into an astonishingly successful career in comedy – and why he'd recommend a similar degree of upheav

Oct 4, 2021 • 46:16

Hassan Akkad

What's it like to say goodbye to your family, your friends, your entire life – and head out into the unknown, never to return? As the Migrant Crisis continues to displace hundreds of thousands of people around the world each year, and as Priti Patel weighs up policies to deter those who wish to seek asylum in the UK, Annie zeroes in on the human experience at the centre of something too often reduced to statistics and rhetoric. Hassan Akkad has lived the world-upending change of seeking asylum.

Sep 27, 2021 • 46:40

Yebba

What does it feel like to stand on the brink of a total, all-encompassing change? Abbey Smith, who releases music as Yebba, would be a good person to ask. After collaborating with Ed Sheeran, Stormzy, Sam Smith, and Drake – and being touted as a 'once in a generation' voice – she is now releasing her long-awaited debut album, and it's poised to make her a superstar. That's about as dramatic a change as life can throw at you, but Yebba is used to upheaval. Five years ago, just as her singing care

Sep 20, 2021 • 43:52

Steve McQueen

Very few artists win the Turner Prize. Very few filmmakers win an Oscar. Only one person has won both. That person is Sir Steve McQueen, the acclaimed director of Hunger, Shame, 12 Years a Slave, and Widows. With each film, Steve McQueen expanded the scope of his fierce, unflinching gaze – from Irish republicanism, to the Slave Trade in the Deep South – but for his most recent project, he turned that gaze inwards, to the world that he knows most intimately. Small Axe is a love letter to his pare

Sep 13, 2021 • 43:17

Changes Series 4 – Coming Soon

Annie Macmanus returns with another crop of fascinating guests, from all walks of life, for conversation about the changes that define us.Changes, series four – launching September 13th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 10, 2021 • 1:00

Ciaran Thapar (The Mother Mother Mini-Series)

It’s the final part of the Mother Mother Mini-Series, and it’s a big one. Ciaran Thapar has written an explosive, game-changing study of youth violence in London: Cut Short. It’s based on his years of experience as a youth worker in the borough of Lambeth, where he has helped bridge the divide between distinct communities that share the same streets but live entirely parallel experiences. In that work, Ciaran has observed the realities of endemic poverty, racism, and knife crime that plague youn

Jun 28, 2021 • 51:29

Nikesh Shukla (The Mother Mother Mini-Series)

Part three of the Mother Mother Mini-Series is all about living with grief – something Nikesh Shukla gets to terms with in his memoir, Brown Baby. Nikesh has written novels for adults and children, and he curated the acclaimed essay collection, The Good Immigrant, but this is the first time he’s delved so deep into his own life for material. It’s a gorgeous, vulnerable book, about the dual experience of becoming a father and losing a mother, and the ways those two events became tangled up in Nik

Jun 21, 2021 • 44:15

Sophie Heawood (The Mother Mother Mini-Series)

In the second part of the Mother Mother Mini-Series, Annie speaks to journalist, and now best-selling author, Sophie Heawood about her memoir, The Hungover Games. It’s an outrageously funny book about something that didn’t feel particularly funny at the time: Sophie was in her mid-30s, living in LA, covering showbiz for the UK press, and quite happily swerving most of the responsibilities that come with adulthood. Then, a doctor told her she’d never conceive a child – at which point she immediat

Jun 14, 2021 • 40:12

Francisco Garcia (The Mother Mother Mini-Series)

For the first part of the Mother Mother Mini-Series, Annie speaks to Francisco Garcia about the Missing Persons Crisis. When he was seven years old, Francisco's father walked out of his life, and entered into the messy hinterland of the missing. Now, as a journalist, Francisco has become fascinated with the wide spectrum of experience that gets bundled into the term 'missing person', and he takes that fascination, as well as his own curiosity about what became of his father, as the basis for his

Jun 7, 2021 • 43:31

Introducing the Mother Mother Mini-Series

To mark the release of Annie's debut novel, Mother Mother, Changes returns with a special mini-series. Four conversations. Four authors. A whole heap of change.Launching June 7th. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 4, 2021 • 2:20

Shaun Attwood (Ex Stockbroker / Drug Smuggler)

We end the series with a wild and raucous cautionary tale of change. Shaun Attwood’s life is something you would expect to see in a film. He grew up in a small northern town and went on to become a stockbroker millionaire in Arizona. He then became a kingpin in drug smuggling, bringing up to £4 million of ecstasy into America. Eventually this lifestyle caught up with him and led to a SWAT team knocking his door down in 2002. He faced a 200 year sentence and after a legal battle and serving two y

Apr 12, 2021 • 54:34

Dr Steven Taylor (The Psychology of Pandemics)

In 2020, the world changed in ways none of us could ever have imagined. Dr Steven Taylor is the author of The Psychology of Pandemics, the first-ever comprehensive analysis of this subject which he published before Covid 19 broke out. Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has so far resulted in over 2.7 million deaths worldwide, with over 126,500 deaths in the UK alone. As the vaccination program beds in and the rules start to fall away, Annie wanted to bring you a conversation that could act as

Apr 5, 2021 • 48:20

Katie Price

Get ready because this week’s guest is best selling author, glamour model and TV personality, Katie Price and there’s no holds barred! Katie has experienced huge changes in her life (she has six autobiographies to show for it), not least was her recent stay at the Priory, which she explains has transformed her. Ever since she first appeared in the Sun in 1996, Katie’s life has constantly been in the press. She’s appeared on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here where she met Peter Andre who she the

Mar 29, 2021 • 43:57

Shaun King

Shaun King is a civil rights activist for the 21st Century. Previously named in Time magazine's top 25 most influential people on the internet, Shaun uses his vast social media following to advocate for justice and fundraise for the families of victims' of police brutality and discrimination. He posts videos and information about racially motivated crimes to help find the perpetrators. He’s headed social media campaigns which led to the identification and arrest of the men responsible for the as

Mar 22, 2021 • 49:17

Billie Piper

Billie Piper has changed from teen pop star to award winning actress starring in Doctor Who, Secret Diary of A Call Girl, Collateral, I Hate Suzie and now releasing her debut self written and directed film Rare Beasts. She has been BAFTA nominated and won six Best Actress awards including an Olivier Award for her performance in the play Yerma. It’s safe to say Billie is drawn to portraying very real female characters not shying away from the complications of being a woman today but instead embra

Mar 15, 2021 • 46:21

Ariel Bruce (Tracing Expert)

On International Women’s Day meet Ariel Bruce, a phenomenal woman who profoundly changes people’s lives by tracing missing family. Described as the Agatha Christie of the adoption world, Ariel works on ITV’s Long Lost Family and specialises in finding people affected by adoption, using her unique skills as a social worker and her background in care to reunite families all over the world. Born in London, Ariel’s parents were Jewish refugees and at the age of 12, she was placed into care and

Mar 8, 2021 • 46:40

Candice Carty-Williams

Candice Carty-Williams is a writer and author of the award winning Sunday Times bestselling novel Queenie, which changed the game in publishing! Candice has transitioned from first working in publishing to becoming both the first black person and first black woman to win "Book of the Year" at the British Book Awards in 2020. In this raw, open and fascinating conversation you will hear just how strong Candice is and the numerous changes she has navigated - an unsettled childhood, experiencing los

Mar 1, 2021 • 54:32

Introducing… Ian Wright’s Everyday People

Today we want to let you know about a new show that we’re loving. It’s called Ian Wright’s Everyday People, where each week Wrighty meets someone with an incredible story of bravery, resilience or transformation. He gets to the heart of how they’ve changed the world for the better and why they do the things they do.There's Major Chris Brannigan, a doting father-of-three who took on an impossible 700 mile barefoot walk, raising funds to create a pioneering treatment for his daughter, diagnos

Feb 23, 2021 • 7:36

Travis Alabanza

Travis Alabanza is a performer, writer and theatre maker who identifies as black, trans feminine and gender non-conforming. They are the youngest person to be awarded a residency at The Tate, the first black trans person to sell out a show at Southbank Centre and have had work featured at the V&A, Roundhouse and, most recently, the Bush Theatre with their play ‘Overflow’. As one of the most prominent emerging trans voices in the arts and beyond, Travis talks to Annie about their journey with

Feb 22, 2021 • 55:32

Dr Larch Maxey (HS2 Activist)

Since 27th January, in the heart of London, nine activists, who call themselves HS2 Rebellion, have been trying to affect change by occupying a network of tunnels which they dug under Euston station. Larch Maxey is one of them. They are protesting against HS2, the High speed rail project planning to connect London to Birmingham up to Manchester and Leeds, a project which will lead to faster travel and better links between the north and south. It is estimated to cost over £100 billion. The activi

Feb 18, 2021 • 53:41

Bez

Bez is a legendary figure of the Manchester music scene - the wild maraca playing dance man of Happy Mondays and a member of Black Grape, he has since traded the party days to lead a healthy lifestyle and become an unlikely fitness instructor with his You Tube classes "Get Buzzin’ with Bez”. A multi faceted man, Bez won Celebrity Big Brother in 2005, previously stood as a candidate in the UK General Election running on a platform of "free energy, free food and free anything" and has explored com

Feb 15, 2021 • 40:54

Kelis

Warning! This episode will make you want to buy a farm in the middle of nowhere! Kelis is a queen of change - a multi-platinum, Grammy nominated artist, born in NYC, she signed to her first record deal when she was 17 years old. Her remarkable voice and groundbreaking songs like Caught Out There, Milkshake, Millionaire catapulted her to fame, which peaked in 2005 when she married the rapper Nas. They divorced five years later soon after the birth of her son Knight. Midway through her career Keli

Feb 8, 2021 • 56:51

This City - new series!

Strictly sensation and Radio 1 buddy Clara Amfo is hijacking the feed to give you a sneak peek at her new series of This City, which explores the best city in the world (London) through some very special guests...Discover past episodes and get new ones as they drop when you subscribe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 18, 2020 • 16:35

Michael Sheen

From growing up in Wales, attending RADA in London and becoming a Hollywood film star living an LA life, to refocusing on activism and developing community projects in his home town of Port Talbot, Michael Sheen has changed a lot over the years. Here Michael talks about all these changes - his early childhood memories of moving around and feeling displaced, his first ever heartbreak, having a bruised ego and crisis of confidence in drama school, struggling with the move to LA, his relations

Nov 9, 2020 • 48:32

Denise (On Body Dysmorphic Disorder)

2% of the population suffer from Body Dysmorphic disorder. This week’s guest, Denise, hated her nose so much that she eventually had surgery to alter it. Following the surgery, her mental health deteriorated and she was sectioned and diagnosed with Body Dysmorphic Disorder. BDD is characterised by someone having a preoccupation with perceived flaws in their physical appearance, which are unnoticeable to others. People don’t want to leave the house, or see other people at all. It took 15 yea

Nov 2, 2020 • 42:42

Alison Lapper (MBE)

Alison Lapper is a celebrated artist, best known for being the subject of a very famous piece of art, a Marc Quinn sculpture which caused uproar at the time depicting her ‘limbless body’, no arms and very short legs, heavily pregnant with her son Parys. The statute rested on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar square and proved quite the subversive neighbour to the other male war heroes depicted on the other plinths. Parys was born able bodied and healthy and his arrival was the beginning of nea

Oct 26, 2020 • 59:45

Captain Tammie Jo Shults

Tammie Jo was told ‘girls don’t fly’ before defying the odds to become one of the first female pilots in the US Navy, going on to save 148 lives when she landed a plane after an engine exploded cracking a window, and sucking one passenger half way out. In this gripping conversation, Tammie Jo tells Annie about the many doors slammed in her face by the army and the navy and how with her dogged persistence and self belief, she eventually triumphed as a fighter pilot and went on to be a trailb

Oct 19, 2020 • 48:15

Nigel Bromage (Former Far-Right Extremist)

Do you believe people with extremist views can change? Our guest this week is Nigel Bromage, who spent decades in dangerous far right organisations such as the National Front, British Movement and Combat 18. In this unique and revealing conversation, Nigel tells Annie how he was groomed into the National Front as a teenager, when he was at his most vulnerable after his Mother’s death, and how after over 20 years in the far-right, he finally managed to escape. Since then he has worked tirelessly

Oct 12, 2020 • 49:20

Beth Ditto

Beth Ditto went from growing up in the conservative south of the USA to being the punk front woman of Gossip and posing nude on the cover of NME. She is a queer icon and a feminist who promoted body positivity long before it was cool. With her usual hilarity and frankness, Beth Ditto speaks to Annie about her unconventional childhood in a huge family and living with her Aunt in her teens, a relationship which shaped Beth and influenced her passion for feminism. She opens up about how at 15

Oct 6, 2020 • 40:15

BONUS EPISODE: Orla Doherty (Blue Planet II Producer)

Surprise! In this special episode on change, our planet and sustainability, award winning producer for Blue Planet II, Orla Doherty, shares her incredibly unique perspective on our oceans. Orla made huge changes in her life to get to where she is today - her love for the ocean came later in life at the age of 30 when she learnt to scuba dive, but when she fell, she fell hard!! She went on to quit her job in London as a TV producer and spent 10 years on a boat exploring coral reefs. After returni

Oct 2, 2020 • 51:03

Bernardine Evaristo

In this wonderfully compelling conversation, The Booker Prize winning author opens up to Annie about her childhood, going to the Youth Theatre, losing herself in a toxic relationship with another woman and her hopes for the future of society. As the first black woman to win the Booker Prize, Bernardine Evaristo is, rightly so, unashamedly basking in the huge success of her ninth novel ‘Girl, Woman, Other’. In this episode, Bernardine takes Annie through her journey with writing and speaks a

Sep 28, 2020 • 48:24

Susan Herdman (Lottery Winner)

Have you ever wondered what actually happens when you win the lottery? How you deal with the reality of this overwhelming amount of money? Susan Herdman won the lottery in 2010, on a 14 million to one chance. In this episode she tells us about her life before and after the win, the strange heightened night when she knew that she had won but it was unconfirmed by the lottery, and where she went and did karaoke with the winning ticket tucked in her bra (every woman knows of course that this is the

Sep 21, 2020 • 44:38

Romesh Ranganathan

As a child within the space of six months, Romesh Ranganathan’s house was repossessed, he changed schools, his mum found out his dad was having an affair and his dad went to prison! Later in life, Romesh changed careers from being a maths teacher to a comedian, something he almost gave up following his Dad’s death. Since then Romesh has become a BAFTA winner and one of the most successful comedians in the UK. In this interview Romesh talks openly about all these changes with his usual cynical wi

Sep 14, 2020 • 53:51

Zadie Smith

During early lockdown, in response to these extraordinary times, the bestselling, award winning author Zadie Smith wrote six personal, powerful and reflective essays exploring ideas and questions around our new reality. In this honest conversation, Zadie talks with Annie about the change the world has seen through her own personal experience in both New York and back in her home city of London and the differences between them. She reflects on what we notice about ourselves and our relationship b

Sep 7, 2020 • 45:52

Sinéad Gleeson

From a childhood spent caring for her mother, to her own struggles with “wonky hips” and leukaemia, Sinéad has had a unique take on the way our health shapes our perspective of life and love.In this discussion with Annie, the bestselling author talks about illness, the body, and how women are treated by male doctors.Follow Sinéad: @sineadgleeson on twitterRead her new collection of essays, Constellations Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info

Jul 13, 2020 • 38:23

Paddy

Patrick Burke has seen a lot of change. In this roller coaster of an interview with Annie, we hear the moments that led Paddy into a life on the streets... and the moment that brought him back from the brink.Warning: this episode discusses substance abuse and violencePaddy supports the work of Shelter. We should too. Support their work at this most difficult of times. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 5, 2020 • 52:46

Jon Ronson

The bestselling author joins Annie to talk through the biggest changes in his life - from the bullying that defined his childhood, to his escape to London and how that shaped his world. Jon Ronson has had an uncanny knack of predicting some big cultural shifts, from the online mob to the way the porn industry has changed all our lives. Annie delves into his past to discover how he does it.Follow @jonronson on Twitter, and binge-listen to The Butterfly Effect and The Last

Jun 29, 2020 • 40:23

Sinéad Burke

Since her very first day in primary school, Sinéad understood the power of education and how it can challenge the status quo and to give agency and opportunity to the most vulnerable.Across her career so far she has visited schools, workplaces, government agencies and the White House to enact change... which all started after she was asked to do a TED Talk about disability and design. Annie finds out how these two moments - the first day at school and that defining talk - has impacted

Jun 22, 2020 • 56:42

Marvin Rees

The Mayor of Bristol has been in the national conversation this week, as Black Lives Matter protests addressed the issue of statues honouring slavers in our major cities.In this extended conversation with Annie, he discusses the changes that brought him into politics, his love of multicultural Bristol, and why his words have been some warmly received by everyone that wants equality now.Follow Marvin: @MarvinJRees on TwitterExpand your knowledge with some of these, inspired by our

Jun 15, 2020 • 57:24

Clover Stroud

Clover Stroud has made her colourful family life in the country the subject of her two best selling books. She has five children and is fearlessness in her writing about the darker sides of motherhood. For more than one reason, Clover has had to navigate an abundance of traumatic change in her life and is truly inspirational in the way she talks about over coming them. Content warning: suicideYou can follow @clover.stroud on instagram. Her most recent book, ' My Wild and Sleepless

Jun 8, 2020 • 56:28

Waad Al-Kateab

Waad has documented her life on camera in war torn Aleppo, Syria. While conflict, violence, death and cruelty raged around her, she fell in love, got married and had a baby daughter.Her film, ‘For Sama’, is a love letter from a young mother to her daughter - and in this conversation with Annie, she reveals the moments of change in her eventful life, capturing stories of loss, laughter, sacrifice and survival.You can follow @waadalkateab on twitter and instagram - and watch For Sama, for fre

Jun 1, 2020 • 42:41

Candice Brathwaite

When Candice became a mother, she found that, flicking through Instagram, she didn't see many people that looked like her. So where were all the black mothers?This revelation set Candice on a course that has seen her lighting a path for others, as well as making a few enemies along the way.In this interview with Annie, the founder of Make Motherhood Diverse discusses her stories of change.Follow Candice: @CandiceBrathwaite on Instagram. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information

May 25, 2020 • 59:27

Jhemar Jonas

When Jhemar was 16, his brother Michael was stabbed to death. Since that night, he has been trying to change the world through lobbying campaigns and his own entrepreneurship. In this woozy, late night chat with Annie, he discusses that night and its impact on his life, of those around him, and what needs to change, right now.You can read about Jhemar's story of change here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/stories-45683971 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

May 18, 2020 • 44:10

Robyn

From travelling around Sweden with her theatrical family, to walking away from the safety of the record labels, Robyn has never been one to stand still.Recording from her sun-dappled window seat in Stockholm, the chart-topping singer tells Annie about the two changes that have had the biggest impact on her life... and why psychoanalysis is like magic mushrooms.Go discover Robyn's exceptional back catalogue including Robyn (2005) and Body Talk (2010) and follow her @robynkonichiwa Hosted on

May 11, 2020 • 44:07

Caitlin Moran (clean version)

This episode has been bleeped and can be heard with the kids around. Please note it contains references to self-harm.Homeschooled from the age of 11, the eldest of 8 kids, Caitlin Moran wrote the bestselling 'How To Be A Woman' and recently wrote the screenplay of the similarly bestselling book 'How To Build A Girl'. In this pre-lockdown discussion with Annie, the Times columnist discusses her two biggest changes in her life - including growing up without that formal education, her regret a

May 4, 2020 • 1:07:23

Caitlin Moran

Homeschooled from the age of 11, the eldest of 8 kids, Caitlin Moran wrote the bestselling 'How To Be A Woman' and recently wrote the screenplay of the similarly bestselling book 'How To Build A Girl'. In this pre-lockdown discussion with Annie, the Times columnist discusses her two biggest changes in her life - including growing up without that formal education, her regret at how she acted as a young music journalist, pornography and how mucking about will save us all.How To Build A Girl s

May 4, 2020 • 1:18:04

Introducing Changes With Annie Mac

A brand new series for these times of massive change - and DJ Annie Mac is here to tell you more... New episodes from Monday - stay subscribed to this feed to get it as soon as it drops! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 1, 2020 • 2:00

Rylan Clark-Neal

The TV presenter and former X Factor star joins Annie in her Rave Shed to talk about humour, childhood and craving fame. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dec 4, 2019 • 46:51

Alice Levine

My Dad Wrote A Porno made Alice Levine an international star, making people laugh week after week. But does she think of herself as funny - or as a comedian? Annie brings Alice into the Rave Shed to discuss the rollercoaster of being labelled 'a funny woman.' Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 25, 2019 • 54:04

Dr. Rupy

How does food affect your wellbeing? GP Dr Rupy founded The Doctors' Kitchen, a place to improve your health through food. In this chat with Annie, they discuss how we need to fix our love of animals, so they don't end up on our plate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 18, 2019 • 55:19

Jess Phillips MP

The outspoken MP has only been in parliament since 2015, but has made a big impact in that short time as a campaigner for social justice... and a reminder that not all politicians belong to 'the ruling class.'This episode is part of 'Finding Annie', a special series of podcasts discussing life's biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 11, 2019 • 52:05

Suzanne Moore

There's no textbook for growing older, but Suzanne Moore's columns for the Guardian have been a comfort to Annie, revealing a world where the process of aging is a blessing not a curse.This episode is part of 'Finding Annie,' a special series of podcasts looking at the big themes of life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Nov 4, 2019 • 45:14

Zane Lowe

When Annie was the 'new girl' at Radio 1, still learning the ropes, Zane Lowe would be the one to look up to. When he wasn't asleep in the studio with a newspaper over his head. In this catch-up with Zane, they talk about those early days, the power of live radio, and the beautiful chaos that he orchestrated for the nation.This episode is part of 'Finding Annie.' a series of special podcasts recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden and featuring deeply personal and hilarious discuss

Oct 28, 2019 • 1:04:26

Amanda Lepore

The model and former Club Kid speaks to Annie about The Divine Feminine, in this fascinating and fun chat about her life as an activist and artist.This episode is part of the special series 'Finding Annie.' Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, these are deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 20, 2019 • 41:07

The Fame Game With Sharon Horgan

Broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac returns with series 2 of her podcast Finding Annie. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 13, 2019 • 49:54

Parenting With Jessie Ware

Broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac returns with series 2 of her podcast Finding Annie. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oct 6, 2019 • 45:25

Fashion Darling! With Henry Holland

Broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac returns with series 2 of her podcast Finding Annie. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sep 29, 2019 • 44:14

Ah Jaysus! Irishness With Imelda May

A new podcast from broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac where she tackles her terrible memory problem by enlisting the help of her family and friends to explore the forgotten parts of her life. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 14, 2019 • 27:54

DJing: The Agony And The Ecstasy With Tiga

A new podcast from broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac where she tackles her terrible memory problem by enlisting the help of her family and friends to explore the forgotten parts of her life. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jul 7, 2019 • 28:26

Modern Love! With Molly King And Mary Ni Lochlainn

A new podcast from broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac where she tackles her terrible memory problem by enlisting the help of her family and friends to explore the forgotten parts of her life. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 30, 2019 • 29:04

Hair Stories With Clara Amfo And Zezi Ifore

A new podcast from broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac where she tackles her terrible memory problem by enlisting the help of her family and friends to explore the forgotten parts of her life. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 23, 2019 • 32:45

Night Night! Sleeptalking With Nick Grimshaw

A new podcast from broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac where she tackles her terrible memory problem by enlisting the help of her family and friends to explore the forgotten parts of her life. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 16, 2019 • 25:08

Let’s Talk About Childbirth! With Sara Cox

A new podcast from broadcaster and DJ Annie Mac where she tackles her terrible memory problem by enlisting the help of her family and friends to explore the forgotten parts of her life. Recorded in the ‘rave shed’ at the end of her garden, expect deeply personal and hilarious discussions on life’s biggest themes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jun 9, 2019 • 32:55