How I Found My Voice

By Intelligence Squared

Society & Culture Arts Literature

What's How I Found My Voice about?

'How I Found My Voice' explores the journeys behind some of our biggest cultural icons. What shaped their artistic, personal and political voices? Hosted by Samira Ahmed, other guests include Rose McGowan, Adam Buxton, Philip Pullman and Benjamin Zephaniah.

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Phil Collins

04.09.2021

Samira Ahmed speaks to the journalist and former chief speechwriter to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Philip Collins. They speak about his life and career, from growing up in a household that strongly supported Margaret Thatcher to becoming a supporter of ...

How I Found My Voice episodes:

04.09.2021 Phil Collins Samira Ahmed speaks to the journalist and former chief speechwriter to Prime Minister Tony Blair, Philip Collins. They speak about his life and career, from growing up in a household that strongly supported Margaret Thatcher to becoming a supporter of ...
03.31.2021 Tayari Jones Samira Ahmed speaks to the novelist and author of An American Marriage, Tayari Jones. They speak about her life and career from growing up in Atlanta and taking a stand on ethical issues as a child to developing her voice ...
03.24.2021 Gloria Estefan Samira Ahmed speaks to the internationally acclaimed singer and superstar Gloria Estefan. They speak about her life and career, from fleeing Cuba as a young child when it fell under Castro’s control to narrowly escaping death in a bus accident ...
03.17.2021 Margaret Atwood Samira Ahmed speaks to the acclaimed author of The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments Margaret Atwood. They speak about her life and career, from her experiences as a young schoolgirl in Canada and her prolific writing career of novels and ...
03.08.2021 BONUS: International Women's Day Special with Margaret Atwood, Bernardine Evaristo, Rose McGowan and more For International Women's Day we bring to you a special bonus episode of our award-winning podcast, How I Found My Voice presented by the BBC journalist Samira Ahmed. This episode features clips from some of our favourite female interviewees including ...
03.03.2021 Priyanka Chopra Jonas Samira Ahmed speaks to the actor Priyanka Chopra. They speak about her life and career, from growing up in a military family and developing her love for performance to gaining fame through winning Miss World and her career in Bollywood ...
02.24.2021 Anthony Horowitz Samira Ahmed speaks to the writer Anthony Horowitz, known for his bestselling novels including Sherlock Holmes, James Bond and the young adult Alex Rider series, as well as his screenwriting contributions to hit TV shows such as Foyle's War, Agatha ...
02.17.2021 Kate Winslet Samira Ahmed speaks to the Oscar-winning actor and Hollywood star Kate Winslet. She speaks about her life and career, from discovering her love of acting in childhood and becoming a Hollywood sensation in Titanic to never-before-told stories of her and ...
02.10.2021 Meera Syal Samira Ahmed speaks to the actor, comedian and writer Meera Syal. They speak about her life and career from growing up in a Punjabi household to pioneering comedy with Asian actors on the BBC through hit shows such as Goodness ...
02.03.2021 David Lammy Samira Ahmed speaks to the outspoken Labour politician and MP for Tottenham, David Lammy. He is currently the Shadow Lord Chancellor and Shadow Secretary of State for Justice. In this episode he reflects on his life and career, from winning ...
01.27.2021 Paloma Faith Samira Ahmed speaks to the one of the biggest names in British music, the BRIT Award-winning singer, songwriter and actor, Paloma Faith. They discuss her life and career, from how she found her unique voice as a performer to where ...
01.20.2021 Yotam Ottolenghi Samira Ahmed speaks to the chef Yotam Ottolenghi, who has arguably done more than any other food writer in recent times to change the way we cook and eat. In 2014 the American food magazine Bon Appétit wrote that he ...
01.13.2021 Elizabeth Day Samira Ahmed speaks to the journalist and author Elizabeth Day, who she dubs the 'failure guru'. They speak about her life and career, from growing up in Northern Ireland during The Troubles to learning from failed dates and coming up ...
11.25.2020 John McDonnell MP Samira Ahmed speaks to the Labour MP John McDonnell who until recently was former Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership. A lifelong socialist and elder statesman of the Left, he reflects on his early childhood aspirations of ...
11.18.2020 Graham Norton Samira Ahmed speaks to one of the biggest names in British entertainment - the television and radio presenter Graham Norton. They discuss his life and career, from growing up as a young gay man in County Cork, Ireland, to living ...
06.16.2020 A message from Samira Ahmed Samira Ahmed records a special message for How I Found My Voice listeners, with an update on how the podcast has won an award and of Season 3 which is coming up. To watch and take part in exclusive live ...
01.13.2020 Deborah Frances-White In the last episode of this season Samira Ahmed speaks to Deborah Frances-White, stand-up comedian and host of The Guilty Feminist podcast. Deborah speaks to Samira about her journey from being an adopted child to joining the Jehovah's Witnesses as ...
01.06.2020 Fatima Bhutto Samira Ahmed speaks to the author Fatima Bhutto about the power of writing fiction, growing up in one of Pakistan’s most famous political dynasties and why she blames her aunt, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, for the death of her ...
12.30.2019 Paul J. Franklin Samira Ahmed speaks to the Oscar-winning visual effects director Paul J. Franklin whose works span from Interstellar and Inception to the Harry Potter and Batman movie franchises. They speak about what led him from his childhood in rural Cheshire to ...
12.23.2019 Bernardine Evaristo Samira Ahmed speaks to this year's Booker Prize winner, author Bernardine Evaristo. She speaks to Samira about how she found her voice, from growing up in South-East London and setting up the UK's first black women's theatre group to the ...
12.16.2019 Richard Osman Samira Ahmed speaks to comedian and Pointless quiz show presenter Richard Osman. They speak about his love of lists, developing hit TV shows and the power of terrestrial TV in an age of Netflix. How I Found My Voice is ...
12.09.2019 Jon Snow Samira Ahmed speaks to the Channel 4 News presenter and journalist Jon Snow about growing up in the 1950s, leading student protests against apartheid South Africa and being approached by MI5 to be a spy. How I Found My Voice ...
12.02.2019 Gina Miller Samira Ahmed speaks to the Gina Miller, the businesswoman and campaigner most famous for bringing two legal cases regarding Brexist against the government and winning. How I Found My Voice is an Intelligence Squared podcast that explores how some of ...
11.25.2019 Richard Branson Samira Ahmed speaks to business mogul Sir Richard Branson about becoming a serial entrepreneur developing the Virgin brand, signing some of the biggest names in music and the next frontiers of space travel. How I Found My Voice is an ...
11.18.2019 Chris Wylie Samira Ahmed speaks to the Cambridge Analytica whistleblower, Chris Wylie. He speaks to Samira about data micro-targeting, leaking documents that led to the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal and the part he played in developing technologies that can help shape election ...
11.11.2019 Naomi Klein Samira Ahmed speaks to the journalist, social activist and New York Times best-selling author Naomi Klein. She speaks to Samira about growing up in a politically active family, being at the forefront of protest movements, the case for a Green ...
11.04.2019 Jess Phillips Samira Ahmed speaks to the Labour Party politician and MP for Birmingham Yardley, Jess Phillips. She speaks to Samira about holding truth to power, her gift for swearing and women pushing back. How I Found My Voice is an Intelligence ...
10.28.2019 Michael Palin Samira Ahmed speaks to the actor, writer and comedian Michael Palin. Part of the legendary Monty Python comedy group, Palin has helped shape British comedy on our TV screens. From growing up with a father who stuttered to finding his ...
10.22.2019 Season 2 TRAILER: launching 28 October Season 2 of How I Found My Voice is nearly here! Launching on 28th October, Samira Ahmed is joined by a range of new guests including actor Michael Palin, businessman Richard Branson, climate activist Naomi Klein, journalist Jon Snow, Pakistani ...
06.03.2019 Lyse Doucet Samira Ahmed speaks to the BBC's Chief International Correspondent Lyse Doucet. Renowned as a foreign correspondent in some of the toughest war zones in the past thirty years, Doucet speaks about the moments that shaped her voice from growing up ...
05.31.2019 Bonus: Lang Leav Samira Ahmed speaks to poet Lang Leav in this short bonus episode of the podcast. From posting her poetry on Tumblr to becoming an Instagram sensation, Leav speaks about how modern poetry uses social media platforms and reflects on the ...
05.27.2019 Samuel West Samira Ahmed speaks to the actor Samuel West. West speaks about the moments that shaped and inspired his voice from growing up in a household of actors with famous parents and wanting to be accepted into the 'family business' to ...
05.20.2019 Sayeeda Warsi Samira Ahmed speaks to the Conservative politician Baroness Sayeeda Warsi. Warsi speaks about the moments that shaped and inspired her voice from growing up in a working-class family in Yorkshire to becoming the first Muslim politician to serve in a ...
05.13.2019 Tracey Emin Guest host Razia Iqbal speaks to contemporary artist Tracey Emin. Emin talks about the moments that shaped and inspired her voice, including her family's sudden poverty, her sexual encounters with older men as a teenage girl, and her emergence as ...
05.06.2019 David Baddiel Samira Ahmed speaks to award-winning comedian, author, screenwriter and director David Baddiel. They discuss the moments that shaped and inspired David's voice – from his time in the Cambridge Footlights to being part of the first comedy act to sell-out ...
04.29.2019 Elif Shafak Samira Ahmed speaks to bestselling Turkish novelist Elif Shafak. From keeping a childhood diary and learning different languages to being taken to court on charges of 'insulting Turkishness' through the words of her fictional characters, Shafak talks about the moments ...
04.21.2019 Benjamin Zephaniah 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 ...
04.15.2019 Adam Buxton Samira Ahmed speaks to one of Britain's most popular podcasters - Adam Buxton. From experimenting with early video recorders to his David Bowie impressions and comedic use of Star Wars figurines on national television, Buxton talks about the moments that ...
04.08.2019 Mark Millar Samira Ahmed speaks to the best-selling comic-writer Mark Miller, most famous for creating and inspiring the Hollywood blockbusters Kingsman, Kick-Ass and Civil War. From growing up in a small Scottish town to discovering Superman as a child and pursuing a ...
04.01.2019 Philip Pullman Samira Ahmed speaks to the best-selling author Sir Philip Pullman, most famous for the acclaimed His Dark Materials fantasy trilogy. From reading Rudyard Kipling as a child to discovering the power of poetry and how to be a storyteller as ...
03.25.2019 Katherine Ryan Samira Ahmed speaks to comedian Katherine Ryan. From working at Hooters and her first stand-up gigs to watching TV with her mum, they discuss the moments that inspired Katherine to find her voice and, in her own words, be a ...
03.18.2019 Rose McGowan Samira Ahmed speaks to Hollywood actor and activist Rose McGowan who was one of the first to speak out against Harvey Weinstein. From growing up in a religious cult in Italy to becoming a TV and film star and speaking ...
02.28.2019 TRAILER: How I Found My Voice - launching 18th March 2019 'How I Found My Voice' is Intelligence Squared's podcast exploring the journeys behind some of our biggest cultural icons. What shaped their artistic, personal and political voices? Hosted by Samira Ahmed, other guests include Rose McGowan, Adam Buxton, Philip Pullman ...