Samira Ahmed speaks to poet and activist Benjamin Zephaniah. From racist attacks and police brutality to receiving a letter from Bob Marley telling him that Britain needs him, Zephaniah talks about the moments that shaped and inspired his voice.
How I Found My Voice is an Intelligence Squared podcast that explores how some of the world's greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling - and unique - communicators. To hear the rest of the series search How I Found My Voice wherever you get your podcasts.
In this episode was originally recorded in April 2019 and was produced by Farah Jassat
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Benjamin Zephaniah

How I Found My Voice is the podcast that explores how some of the world’s greatest artists and thinkers became such compelling – and unique – communicators. This Intelligence Squared podcast goes behind the celebrity persona to understand their journeys and inspirations – from writing a childhood diary to first performing on stage or finding the courage to speak up. Hosted by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed, guests include Graham Norton, Margaret Atwood, Katherine Ryan, Michael Palin, Gloria Estefan, David Lammy and Bernardine Evaristo. The series producer is Farah Jassat.

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Samira Ahmed is joined by Friends star David Schwimmer and comedy writer Nick Mohammed. David Schwimmer is one of the most recognisable faces on television. His iconic role as Ross Geller in all 236 episodes of Friends has made him TV royalty. And beyond the global cultural impact of Friends, Schwimmer is a seasoned stage actor and has gone on to direct the hit comedy Run Fatboy Run and gain critical acclaim as Robert Kardashian in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. For his latest project, Schwimmer crossed the pond to collaborate with the British writer, comedian and actor Nick Mohammed. Together they star in the workplace comedy sitcom Intelligence, created by Mohammed, which chronicles a disastrously humorous partnership between a pompous NSA agent (Schwimmer) and an inept GCHQ computer analyst (Mohammed). In this conversation they join Samira Ahmed to talk about what shaped them and how they found their voices.
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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 
Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. 
And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared.
Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 
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David Schwimmer & Nick Mohammed

Samira Ahmed speaks to award-winning comedian Russell Kane. They speak about his life and career, growing up in Essex, his break into comedy at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe, and his relationship with class and identity as a comedian. The recording for this episode took place in April 2021.
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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 
Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. 
And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared.
Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 
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Russell Kane

Samira Ahmed speaks to best-selling author Kate Mosse. Together they discuss her life and career, the success of her historical fiction novels - including Labyrinth which won Best Read of the Year at the 2006 British Book Awards - and her contribution to the recognition of female writers. The recording for this episode took place in February 2021.
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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 
Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. 
And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared.
Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 
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Kate Mosse

Samira Ahmed speaks to model and actress Emily Ratajkowski. Together they discuss her rise to fame after appearing in the music video for the controversial song ‘Blurred Lines’, as well as the fraught relationship between feminism, capitalism, and exploitation.
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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 
Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. 
And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared.
Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 
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Emily Ratajkowski

Samira Ahmed speaks to Academy Award-nominated actor Jude Law. They speak about his life and career, skipping school to go to the cinema in London as a teenager, his foray into acting, and the wide range of characters he’s covered in his career, from Dr. John Watson to the Pope.
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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 
Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2. 
And if you’d like to support our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations, as well as ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more, become a supporter of Intelligence Squared.
Just visit intelligencesquared.com/membership to find out more. 
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Benjamin Zephaniah

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