Planet Hope

Bertie Gregory has spent much of his life bringing people closer to the natural world. From a childhood passion for photographing animals to filming some of the planet’s most extraordinary creatures, he has built a career telling stories from nature’s frontline. In this special episode, recorded to mark World Environment Day, the BAFTA and Emmy-winning filmmaker joins Tom Whipple to talk about his life behind the camera and what it has taught him about our changing planet – and why the stories we tell about it matter more than ever.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Bertie Gregory, Wildlife filmmaker, 2025 Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year and Rolex Testimonee

Host: Tom Whipple, science writer and special correspondent, The Times

Producer: Ethan Sills

Executive producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.  

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Andreia Pawel is co-founder of the Orange River-Karoo Conservation Area, one of the world’s most ambitious rewilding projects. Spanning more than a million hectares in Namibia, and with the support of the Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative, it aims to restore lost ecosystems, reintroduce species and work with local Nama communities to build a new model for conservation. She tells Adam Vaughan how, with bold ambitions, we can breathe new life into the natural world.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Andreia Pawel, Conservationist and co-founder of Orange River-Karoo Conservation Area.

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Explorer and Rolex Perpetual Planet Initiative partner Steve Boyes has spent decades navigating Africa’s wild rivers. He tells Adam Vaughan how illness and resilience has reshaped his outlook and why protecting rivers, landscapes and communities has become his life’s mission.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Steve Boyes, Conservationist and National Geographic Explorer

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In Lausanne, Switzerland, neuroscientist and Rolex Awards Laureate Grégoire Courtine and neurosurgeon Jocelyne Bloch have pioneered a “digital bridge” that translates brain signals into spinal stimulation, giving people with paralysis new ways to regain movement. They tell Tom Whipple about the science behind the technology, the patients leading the way and their hopes for the future of movement recovery after paralysis.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: 

• Grégoire Courtine, Neuroscientist and co-founder of NeuroRestore.   
• Jocelyne Bloch, Neurosurgeon and co-founder of NeuroRestore. 
• Suzanne Edwards, Patient at NeuroRestore. 

Host: Tom Whipple, Science Writer, The Times.

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over a billion people live with preventable vision loss. Eye surgeon and Rolex Awards Laureate Andrew Bastawrous has created a smartphone app that is transforming eyecare, facilitating sight restoration for millions and changing lives. He tells Tom Whipple, how glasses – a 700-year-old invention – have transformed his own life, and why he’s determined no one should lose their sight for lack of access.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Andrew Bastawrous, eye surgeon and founder of Peek Vision

Host: Tom Whipple, science writer, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marine scientist Ben Fitzpatrick is fighting to protect the Ningaloo Coast and Exmouth Gulf – one of Earth’s last wild marine frontiers, home to whale sharks, dugongs, manta rays and vibrant coral reefs. Speaking with Adam Vaughan, he reflects on growing up in Western Australia and why safeguarding this rare ocean wilderness matters for future generations.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Ben Fitzpatrick, Marine Scientist and Mission Blue Hope Spot Champion

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Legendary oceanographer Sylvia Earle has spent decades exploring the blue heart of our planet. From leading the first all-female aquanaut team to founding Mission Blue, she has dived deeper and stayed longer in the ocean than almost anyone alive. As she celebrates her 90th birthday, Rolex Testimonee, Sylvia reflects with Adam Vaughan on her extraordinary career, the changes she’s witnessed, and why she still believes in a future full of 'Hope Spots'.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Sylvia Earle, Marine Biologist, Oceanographer and Rolex Testimonee

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

High in the Arctic, beneath Greenland’s ancient ice, lie caves that hold clues to our planet’s past and its future. Climate researcher and Rolex Awards Laureate Gina Moseley leads daring expeditions into these hidden worlds to uncover how our climate has changed over hundreds of thousands of years. She tells Adam Vaughan why exploring these caves matters to us all.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative. 

Guest: Gina Moseley, climate researcher and Rolex Awards Laureate

Host: Adam Vaughan, environment editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the remote Himalayan valley of Humla, Rinzin Phunjok Lama is protecting endangered species like the snow leopard and wild yak. Using Buddhist principles, local knowledge, and community-led conservation, he is tackling climate change in one of the world’s harshest landscapes. He tells Adam Vaughan why saving one Himalayan valley matters to the world.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative.

Guest: Rinzin Phunjok Lama, Conservation Biologist and Rolex Award Laureate.

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Deep in the Amazon, the mysterious pink river dolphins are under threat from pollution, mining, and habitat loss. Marine biologist Fernando Trujillo, known locally as Omacha, has dedicated more than 30 years to protecting them. From satellite-tagging dolphins to training fishermen and lobbying governments, he tells Adam Vaughan what it takes to safeguard one of the most biodiverse regions on Earth.

Planet Hope is brought to you in paid partnership with Rolex and its Perpetual Planet Initiative.

Guest: Fernando Trujillo, Founder of the Omacha Foundation and Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year 2024

Host: Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor, The Times

Series Producer: Priyanka Deladia

Sound Designer: David Crackles

This podcast is advertiser funded.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.