Better Known

By Ivan WiseSociety & Culture

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Typical duration
30 min
per episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Better Known episodes

November 08Elena Sukachova
Elena Sukachova discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Elena Sukachova is a Ukrainian writer and television host living in the United States. She arrived in America on her own with her three children and a dog, without knowing English and with no friends or relatives there.
Several years later, just when life seemed to be settling down, her family lost their home and lived on the streets. A year later, Elena founded her own media company and created two television projects, The Ask and We'll Show You, which air in New York and North Carolina.
Elena wrote Psychology of Speech in 2017, before the full-scale war in Ukraine, but has only now found the strength to return to the book. It is available at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HP6RLJK7
Everyday care for animals. I would love more attention to what caring for animals really involves: noticing their needs, discomfort, fear and changes as they age.
The lives of immigrants behind the label. People who have never emigrated may not realise what it means to rebuild a life, learn a language and navigate unfamiliar systems while supporting a family.
Paying attention to how we eat. We often eat out of habit or convenience without thinking about our choices. I would like more attention to preparing simple, varied meals and making thoughtful eating part of everyday life from childhood.
Making time for sunrise and a quiet morning. Going outside, noticing the sky grow lighter and spending a few moments without a phone or rushing.
People who help quietly, without cameras or recognition. Someone who translates a document, brings food, offers a ride or helps a newcomer find their feet can make an enormous difference.
The freedom to be a beginner at any age. Trying a new skill, learning a sport or starting a different career should not come with an age limit or embarrassment.
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30 min
November 01Youssef Rakha
Youssef Rakha discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Youssef Rakha is an Egyptian author working in Arabic and English. He is the author of The Book of the Sultan’s Seal; The Crocodiles; Paulo, which was longlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction and won a Sawiris Cultural Award; and The Dissenters, which was nominated for the Dublin Literary Award. His new book is Postmuslim, which is available at https://peninsulapress.co.uk/products/postmuslim
Beer in the Snooker Club (1964) by Waguih Ghali. Evidently the first Egyptian novel to be written in English, a massive early influence, and an occasion to revisit the normalization debate. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/dec/05/beer-in-snooker-club-ghali-review
The 1977 song Zahma by the legendary singer Ahmad Adaweya. Composed by the equally legendary Hany Shenouda and the unrecognized bard Hassan Abu Etman. A landmark song that massively influenced urban folk and pop music and, for me at least, defines the sound of Cairo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djqFU71juWM
The Mummy, aka The Night of Counting the Years (1969) by Shadi Abdel Salam. A one-of-a-kind film on which I wrote a whole monograph. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064703/
Samir Rafi’s 1949 painting Life’s Tragedy, and Cairo’s Surrealist/Marxist Art et Liberte movement (1938–1948). https://www.barjeelartfoundation.org/collection/lifes-tragedy-samir-rafi/
The Egyptian tradition of melodic Quran recitation as exemplified by the one-man opera known as Mustafa Ismail. One very short example of what he can do, from Surat Fatir: Verse 22. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/LvOH_D0CTI0
Egypt’s cultural Golden Age in the Life magazine-like photography of Farouk Ibrahim. https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/egypt/2023/03/21/farouk-ibrahim-the-most-famous-egyptian-photographer-youve-never-heard-of/
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29 min
October 25Jean Findlay
Jean Findlay discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Jean Findlay is the author of Chasing Lost Time – the Life of CK Scott Moncrieff, Soldier, Spy and Translator published in 2014 by Chatto and Windus, London, and by FSG, New York. The Queen's Lender was awarded the Hawthornden Fellowship 2018 and Lavigny International Writer’s Fellowship 2019. Her new book is The Bohemian Queen: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bohemian-Queen-Queens-Europe-2026/dp/1910895849.
The origin of the term Bohemian https://villagepreservation.org/2013/04/16/how-bohemians-got-their-name/
That Europe had a war that lasted Thirty years https://www.gresham.ac.uk/watch-now/30-years-war-1618-48-and-second-defenestration-prague
Sectarianism didn’t originate in Glasgow and Edinburgh https://fpc.org.uk/northern-ireland-still-a-deeply-divided-society/
There are 250 types of bumble bees www.bumblebeeconservation.org
People have been using fake news to slander and discredit public figures since the beginning of time https://theconversation.com/medieval-england-loved-rumours-conspiracies-and-fake-news-about-queens-227111
That Gregorian Chant hits a sound level that heals your body https://www.tfp.org/how-gregorian-chant-benefits-the-health-of-the-bodyand-soul/
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29 min
October 19Roie Oknin
Roie Oknin discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Roie Oknin is an author, multidisciplinary artist, and medical student. He is the author of Ramen, Existential Crises, his debut novel, which is available at https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Ramen-Existential-Crises-by-Oknin-Roie/9789655962765. Alongside his literary and artistic practice, he works as an ophthalmology researcher and holds a B.A. in Psychology and a B.Sc. in Neuroscience.
Colour words: The order in which languages develop basic colour words.
Honey process coffee: Despite the name, it has nothing to do with honey.
How we see colour: How we perceive millions of colours using signals from only three types of cone cells in our retina.
The prosecutor’s fallacy: How easily we confuse two probabilities that sound almost identical but mean very different things.
Evolution: Why it is not really the ladder, as we often imagine, but a branching process with no intended endpoint.
The stockings experiment: A social psychology experiment involving identical pairs of stockings, showing how little access we may have to the reasons behind some of our own decisions.
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29 min
October 11Kevin McManus
Kevin McManus discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Kevin McManus is an Irish writer and poet from Co. Leitrim whose work is rooted in place, memory, and the quiet emotional currents of everyday life. He has published several works of fiction and poetry, often focusing on crime fiction and the rural Irish landscape.
The Light at Evening is semi-autobiographical as it reflects experiences of his own over recent years: he works as a secondary school teacher, his wife is a cancer survivor and his father passed away in 2024. It is available at https://kevinmcmanusbooks.com/books/the-light-at-evening-kevin-mcmanus/B0GHZV418J.
The Irish Bouzouki. A distinctive instrument that has become an important part of the sound of Irish folk and traditional music, but one that remains surprisingly unfamiliar outside that world.
The Opening and Closing Lines of Irish Conversations. All those phrases that aren't really questions and don't require answers: "What's the craic?" "What's the story?", "How are you?" "How are things?" And the elaborate ritual of leaving: "Right so", "Sure look", "Anyway", "I'll let you go", and "We'll talk to you."
"Martha" by Tom Waits. A beautiful song from his 1973 album Closing Time, in which a man contacts a woman he loved many years earlier.
The Slow Set at an Eighties Disco. That moment when the DJ put on a few slow songs and the whole atmosphere of the disco changed. A largely vanished social ritual from the days before mobile phones, social media and dating apps.
The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973). A wonderfully understated crime film starring Robert Mitchum. Bleak, atmospheric and completely lacking in Hollywood glamour.
The Talk of the Town by Ardal O'Hanlon. Ardal O'Hanlon is known primarily as an actor and comedian, particularly from Father Ted, but his novel The Talk of the Town deserves considerably more attention.
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30 min
October 04Norman Lamb
Norman Lamb discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Sir Norman Lamb is the former Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk and a former Minister of State for Care and Support. Knighted in 2019 for services to mental health, he also chaired South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust from 2020 to 2025. His new book is Be More Human, which is available at https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/norman-lamb/be-more-human/9781805017752/.
Doing something for somebody else https://www.kcl.ac.uk/helping-others-create-change-professor-sir-sam-everington
The healing power of nature https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/woodland-restoration-at-whitewoods-offers-a-natural-health-service-to-the-community
Alternatives to locking people up https://www.livingwellsystems.uk/trieste
Ibrahim Maalouf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Maalouf
Rosie Phillips https://www.rosiephillipsart.com/
Shrinking https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/oct/16/shrinking-season-two-review-harrison-ford-comedy-apple-tv
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29 min
September 27Chris Wilkins
Chris Wilkins is a political consultant, strategist and writer and co-founder of global campaigns & advisory firm the Hanwell Group.
Beginning his career as a political advisor to the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe in Westminster, Chris went on to become the youngest Director of the renowned Conservative Research Department (CRD) in over 30 years. He later served in the government of David Cameron before becoming Downing Street Director of Strategy and Chief Speechwriter to Prime Minister Theresa May.
Chris sits on the Board of Centrepoint, the youth homelessness charity whose patron is the Prince of Wales.
The music of Martyn Joseph: I grew up listening to Martyn’s music and have seen him in concert many times. He’s been described as the ‘Welsh Springsteen’.
Centrepoint’s 2037 ambition: I sit on the Board of the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. It’s our ambition to end youth homelessness by 2037 - and we have a strategy to get there.
The virtues of a Rhodia pad and HB pencil: I love nothing more than a Rhodia writing pad and a good HB pencil. But the real point of this is that it’s a reminder to step away from the laptop, stop worrying about the email inbox and to take time to think.
The joy of making music: I grew up learning to play instruments and played in various county orchestras and jazz bands. Every child should be able to do this.
Maya Angelou quote: the great American poet Maya Angelou once wrote “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
A Six Nations game in Cardiff: there’s nothing better in life than Cardiff on international day. The Principality Stadium, which my father helped to build, is the best rugby stadium in the world
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31 min
September 20Joseph Millson
Actor Joseph Millson discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Joseph Millson has been a busy and well known actor for over thirty years, an associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare company, he has won many awards for his work on stage and screen. His film and TV work includes Casino Royale, The Last Kingdom, Holby City, Banished, The Sarah Jane adventures, Peak Practice and many, many more. He has a masters degree in screenwriting and has written many films as well as for television.
His first feature film as writer/director 'Signs Of Life' won rave reviews and was released digitally and in cinemas across the world. The film won best feature film at the Berlin Indie Film Festival and the London Independent Film festival.
Joseph’s memoir 'Work And Other Four Letter Words' was a number one best seller on Amazon, it was shortlisted for the 2021 Theatre Book Prize and received five star reviews in the national press and from renowned writers such as Irvine Welsh and Russell T Davies.
His new novella Miller Rose Roberts is available at https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gn9pyjqy4t.
The music of Peter James Millson, most of his albums were signed to reveal records, extraordinarily beautiful stuff. Try the album called ’the accidental’ as a gateway album. https://peterjamesmillson.bandcamp.com/
TV show, Babylon Berlin. Holy moly, I’m obsessed, it’s just brilliant! A prestige German TV series that ought to be better known here, do not even slightly worry about the subtitles it’s amazing. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/apr/10/lifes-no-cabaret-why-gritty-weimar-noir-babylon-berlin-is-wholly-compelling-tv
The RSPB centre in Sandy, Bedfordshire, known as The Lodge. Extraordinarily beautiful place, really, and only 45 minutes from london by train or just off A1 by car. https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/the-lodge
The Seven Days of Peter Crumb, book by Jonny Glynn. LOVE this little known dark comedy thriller novel. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/2226570.The_Seven_Days_of_Peter_Crumb
Album Somehow it’s growing by Lilli Fichtner https://open.spotify.com/album/5kNnp8pKBfcqHnxtji8iNQ
Signs of Life: feature film. A beautiful film about grief and kindness. I might have been part of making it but honestly it’s a gem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enZuJmULTVU
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30 min
September 13Rob Temple
Rob Temple discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Rob Temple is a journalist and creator of Very British Problems. His @SoVeryBritish Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts have more than 5.6 million combined followers. He’s the consultant on the official Channel 4 Very British Problems series, producer of the Very British Problems Live Show, and a columnist for the Telegraph. His new book is A Very British Midlife.
Korean concept of Jeong https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=198727
Personal space, especially in the supermarket https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/ndownloader/files/41507847/1
Up to Me by Bob Dylan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9KXxqmKQB0
Stamford https://stamfordnotebooks.co.uk/pages/about-stamford
Moisturiser https://bulldogskincare.com/blogs/news/the-benefits-of-moisturising
Jacket potato https://www.facebook.com/soverybritish/posts/jacket-potato-with-cheese-and-beans-for-tea-couldnt-be-happier-with-that/943907967555363/
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32 min
September 06Molly Mahon
Printmaker Molly Mahon discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Molly Mahon is a distinguished British printmaker and textile designer renowned for her vibrant and original block prints. Offering a range of uplifting collections, each rooted in Molly’s passion for the traditional and transformative craft of block printing, designs merge classic techniques with a fresh, modern aesthetic that feels timeless and joyful. Drawing inspiration from nature and her surroundings in the Sussex countryside, collections of fabrics, wallpapers and homewares are infused with a sense of homeliness that enriches and enlivens interiors. She has written a book ‘House of Print: A modern printer’s take ono design, colour and pattern’ which was printed in 2020 and this year is the 10th anniversary of the brand.
The Anokhi Museum, Jaipur – A tiny museum that celebrates the enduring beauty of hand block printing and changed the course of my creative life.
East Sussex – A county where creativity and nature exist side by side, from Charleston to Ashdown Forest, inspiring artists, writers and makers.
The White Umbrella by Brian Sewell – A gentle fable about kindness, compassion and the extraordinary journeys that begin with a single act of care.
Imperfections are the Luxury – The tiny variations in something made by hand are no longer flaws; they're what make an object unique, authentic and worth treasuring and more and more extinct!
The Craftspeople Behind Beautiful Things – The remarkable makers behind the objects we treasure deserve far greater recognition - is this too connected to the one above?
Florals and Stripes Belong Together – One of decorating's happiest marriages, proving that the most timeless interiors are built on contrast, confidence and a love of pattern.
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31 min

About Better Known

From the publisher's feed

Each week, a guest makes a series of recommendations of things which they think should be better known. Our recommendations include interesting people, places, objects, stories, experiences and ideas…