FestCast by Cheltenham Festivals

They are an almost-impossible test of the human body and spirit, yet ultramarathons are more popular than ever. BBC Radio 2 sports presenter Vassos Alexander, who wrote Running Up That Hill and completed the legendary Dragon's Back mountain race. Ben Smith, who ran 401 marathons in 401 days and wrote a book... named 401 and BBC News presenter Sophie Raworth, who completed the Marathon des Sables, all attest to the transformative power of endurance running.

We're living in a transformative time of isolation and social distancing, but one where we're reminded of the importance of staying fit and healthy every day. We've all seen the home workout routine's on social media, some of us will have joined the likes of Joe Wicks in their morning exercises. But what is it that drives us to exercise when the chips are down?

This week, hundreds of thousands of neatly dressed, optimistic racegoers will descend on Cheltenham for the highlight of the National Hunt Calendar. For a few minutes on Friday, as Jockey and Horse tackle the 22 fences of The Gold Cup, all eyes will be on the course. But what happens in the months and even years in the lead up? The prospect of saddling a winner fuels the fire of every National Hunt trainer. Five-time champion trainer Nicky Henderson and author of The Jumping Game Henrietta Knight, trainer of Best Mate - who won three consecutive Gold Cups – reveal to Alice Plunkett what it takes to train a jumps winner.

BBC Radio 4's Today programme has been broadcasting world-changing stories for sixty years. From war, rebellion and political transformation, to significant changes in culture, society and the scientific world, it is the sound of history being made, live on air. In conversation with Hannah MacInnes, the current and former Today presenters Nick Robinson and Ed Stourton chart the extraordinary history of the programme and how it tries to make sense of the world. They also discuss how all too often, not least today with controversies over equal pay and political boycotts, they don't just report the story, they become the story.

In this episode of FestCast, we speak to the Cheltenham Jazz Festival team David Gaydon (Head of Programming), Tony Dudley-Evans (Programme Advisor) and Becky Woodcock (Producer of ...around town and Jerwood Jazz Encounters) to talk:

- 2020 line-up - Henry Westons Big Top headliners - The Parabola Arts Centre programme - ...around town - Jerwood Jazz Encounters and more!

Enjoy!

Tickets for the 2020 Cheltenham Jazz Festival go on sale to Members on Weds 26 Feb at 10am. General booking opens Weds 4 March. More info at cheltenhamfestivals.com/jazz2020

Produced by Barleyfield Records

Music by Nick Brown, follow Nick on Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/njbrownmusic

Are you good at reading maps… or reading emotions? Would you choose Barbie… or Action Man? On a daily basis we face deeply ingrained beliefs that your sex determines your skills and preferences. What does this constant gendering mean for our behaviour? And how does it impact our decision making? Neuroscientist Gina Rippon - who wrote The Gendered Brain - unpacks the stereotypes that we're bombarded with from birth, shattering the myths and showing us a future beyond binary.

When things go wrong, we don't often find it in us to laugh. Christina Patterson, author of The Art Of Not Falling Apart, joins Aaron Gillies (a.k.a Twitter's @technicallyron), comedian and author of How To Survive The End Of The World When It's In Your Own Head talk about how to embrace life as an adventure, as well as giving some practical tips for surviving and thriving when life seems to be falling apart.

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In 1998, J.K. Rowling appeared at Cheltenham with her book about a certain boy wizard in a modest 160 seat venue. 14 years later, and this time filling 2,300 seats, we welcomed her back to discuss her first novel for adults, The Casual Vacancy, moving on from Harry Potter, her favourite characters and much more.

Please enjoy this podcast from the 2012 festival with kind permission from Mark Hutchinson Management.

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The anti-Brexit campaigner Gina Miller (Rise) has endured racist and sexist abuse as well as physical threats. Yet she continues to live according to her conviction that we must stand tall and lead the way if we truly believe in something. Editor-in-chief at Elle UK Farrah Storr (The Discomfort Zone) has proved that nothing in life is an insurmountable challenge and offers clear and inspiring advice about overcoming fear and realising our potential.

A special thanks to Little, Brown and Canongate for this podcast.

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Arundhati Roy shot to fame when her stunning debut novel The God of Small Things won the Man Booker Prize in 1997, and she has become equally famous for her campaigns in India on behalf of the underprivileged and dispossessed. In this 2002 appearance at the Festival, Arundhati Roy discussed her book The Algebra of Infinite Justice and her life and writing.

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Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney is widely recognised as one of the major poets of the 20th-century and was described by Richard Lowell as 'the most important Irish poet since Yeats'. In this special recording at the 1988 Cheltenham Literature Festival, Seamus Heaney discussed the influence T.S. Eliot had on his writing in his Cheltenham Lecture 'Learning From Eliot'. Chaired by Alan Hancox.

A special thanks to Faber & Faber for this podcast, the great publishing house is celebrating their 90th anniversary this year, visit faber.co.uk for more information.

Tickets for the 2019 programme are on sale: cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature

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