Is the patriarchy also screwing over men too? Caitlin Moran thinks so. Twelve years on from the publication of her hit book ‘How to Be a Woman,’ the journalist and author turns her attention to men, and why she thinks the lack of an equivalent movement to feminism has left many young men and boys struggling. Ed and Geoff dig deep on the topic of modern masculinity, whether it can be inclusive of cardigan wearers, and how to tackle issues that predominantly affect men, such as addiction and suicide.

Guest

Caitlin Moran (@caitlinmoran)

More information

Caitlin’s book ‘What about men?’ Is out now and published by Ebury Press. Order a copy here.

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If you need some optimism about the future of Britain, a place that currently feels like it’s riven with political polarisation, prejudice and the aftermath of Brexit, Sunder Katwala is here to remind us that there is a way out of this. His proposal is that patriotism - if done well - could be the answer to many of the problems associated with the culture wars. Can emphasising identity actually overcome division?

Guest

Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future (@sundersays)

More information

How to Be a Patriot: Why love of country can end our very British culture war - Published by HarperNorth and out now.

Buy a copy here

Check out the work of British Future including their research on public attitudes to immigration, why events matter for social connection, reducing racial inequality and remembrance.

We love hearing from you. You can get in touch through our website, social media (@cheerfulpodcast), or email us at [email protected]

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Hello! Join Ed and Geoff as they go down to the woods today. And boy, are they sure of a big surprise. It turns out Britain only has 2.5% of the ancient woodland it once had! These hubs of biodiversity are hugely important for tackling the nature and climate crisis, but they're not in a good way. Nick Phillips from The Woodland Trust talks to us about why it’s not too late to save them. Fancy some forest bathing? Suzanne Simmons tells us why urban trees do so much for us in our everyday lives. And finally, Rebecca Wrigley speaks to us about rewilding and how woodlands and forests can regenerate all by themselves, all with a healthy amount of Lord of the Rings chat. 

Plus: It’s our final episode before our summer break. Is it wise for Ed to head to Reading Festival? Get in touch!

We'd love to hear from you over the summer with your ideas, feedback or experiences of forest bathing, get in touch via email ([email protected]) or via the website!

Guests

Nick Phillips, Principal Forestry Policy Advocate, Woodland Trust (@treepolicy / @WoodlandTrust)

Suzanne Simmons, Projects Director, Trees for Cities (@TreesforCities)

Rebecca Wrigley, CEO, Rewilding Britain (@RewildingB)

More information 

Learn more about the work of The Woodland Trust, Trees for Cities, and Rewilding Britain

Woodland trust information on ancient woodland

Visit Fingle Woods 

Costa Rica restoring its forests (Guardian)

How to start forest bathing

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Hello! Last year, around six million people went to a music festival in the UK. Long gone are the days of hippies at Woodstock or even jumping the fence at Glastonbury: festivals are everywhere, and they're big business. The upside is there’s really something for everyone. Perhaps, like Ed, your twenties were also dominated by phone calls from Gordon Brown. We’re here to convince you it’s time to get down to a nearby field, no matter your age, music taste or enthusiasm for fancy dress! We talk festival mythology with Chris Anderton, to Kate Osler about what it’s like to stage an independent festival and finally to Chiara Badiali about how going to a festival could be good for the climate.

Plus: A tale of woe - Geoff vs. Lime Bike

Guests

Kate Osler, Festival Director, El Dorado Festival (@eldoradofestival)

Chris Anderton, Associate Professor in Cultural Economy, Solent University (@SolentUni)

Chiara Badiali, Music Lead, Julie’s Bicycle (@JBgreenmusic / @JuliesBicycle)

More information

Check out the Association of Independent Festivals’ ‘First Festival Campaign’

El Dorado festival 2024

Learn more about Julie’s Bicycle including Music Declares Emergency and Vision 2025

How the cost of living crisis is affecting music festivals (Article, MixMag)

Glastonbury: Octopus energy builds wind turbine on-site (Article, thefestivals.uk)

Contact Reasons to be Cheerful via our website, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Let us know your episode ideas, your comments and feedback!

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Hello! This week the ninth Women’s World Cup is kicking off down under and there's hopes it could be the most popular ever. But it’s been far from a smooth ride for the women’s game in England, contending with deep-seated misogyny, a 50 year ban and a school system that has long excluded girls from playing football in PE lessons. We speak to ‘sports royalty’ Baroness Sue Campbell about her life-long mission to change the lives of women and girls through sport and to journalist Suzy Wrack about the history of the game. Finally, we go to Ceylon Hickman, who tells us about the incredible power of football to address social, educational and gender inequality and about the potential legacy of the Lionesses. Will they bring it home this summer?

Plus: in a RTBC first, Ed troubles Geoff with some bawdy riddles…

Guests

Baroness Sue Campbell, Director of Women’s Football, the FA (@theFA)

Suzanne Wrack, Football writer for The Guardian and author of A Woman’s Game (@SuzyWrack)

Ceylon Hickman, Head of Brand, Football Beyond Borders (@ceylonandi / @FBeyondBorders)

More information

Karen Carney's review into the future of women's football (published last week)

Read the FA's Women and Girls Football Strategy 2020-24

Read more of Suzy's work at the Guardian and listen to Women's Football Weekly

Buy a copy of her book A Woman's Game: The Rise, Fall, and Rise Again of Women’s Football

Other great podcasts include the Athletic Women's Football podcast 

Find out more about Football Beyond Borders' work in schools

Donate to their crowdfunder to ensure a generation of teenage girls aren't left behind

Get a copy of the 'Inspiring a Generation' report by FBB

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Hello! Do you ever glance at your phone to check an email then look up to discover that two hours have gone by? In a world where information is abundant, our attention is hot property. What exactly do we know about how our attention is drawn and held by the environment and technology around us? We talk to Professor Polly Dalton who researches the psychology of attentional capture and to tech ethicist James Williams about why the issue of the attention economy cuts deep. Does it have the potential to change the course of our lives and restrict our freedom? We try to break free from the shackles of Silicon Valley with Tom Hodgkinson, editor of The Idler, who tells us about his strategy to resist the demands on our attention and time without even having to resort to a brick phone.

Plus: Ed’s in denial about his National Portrait Gallery debut…

Guests

James Williams, technology ethicist at the Oxford Internet Institute and the author of Stand Out of Our Light: Freedom and Resistance in the Attention Economy (@WilliamsJames_)

Polly Dalton, professor of cognitive psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London (@PollyDalton)

Tom Hodgkinson, editor of the Idler magazine and author of How to Be Idle (@idler)

More information

Buy or read a copy of James’ book (open access) here

Watch a video of James talking about the attention economy (Youtube)

Subscribe to the Idler or purchase Tom’s book How to be Idle

Is modern life ruining our powers of concentration? (The Guardian, 2023)

Ed mentions The Shallows by Nicholas Carr

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Hello! As you lounged peacefully by a pool or sipped a drink with a little umbrella in it, have you ever wondered what a more *adventurous* summer holiday might look like? Let Ed and Geoff inspire you for your next cycling tour with this episode - Lycra optional! But is it really that easy to jump on your bike and take a trip? We hear from someone who’s made a career of it with world-record holder Mark Beaumont. Recognising that most of us are not up for ultra endurance, we find out what some of the more realistic options are with Jill Warren from the European Cyclists’ Federation. Finally we hear from two self-proclaimed former cycling novices, Abi Melton and Lea Cooper, who tell us about the highs and lows of their first cycling tour, and why it’s never wise to bring a ukulele with you…

Plus: Is Ed really the best-dressed politician? Let us know!

Guests

Mark Beaumont, long-distance cyclist and current world-record holder for the fastest cycle around the world (@MrMarkBeaumont)

Jill Warren, CEO, European Cyclists’ Federation (@JillWarrenECF)

Abi Melton and Lea Cooper, Authors of Gears for Queers (Insta: @gearsforqueers)

More information

Check out Mark's website, his Komoot and watch videos of some of his records: the North Coast 500 and cycling round the world in 80 days (GCN Channel, Youtube)

A video of Mark on his penny farthing

Mark mentioned British Cycling's Breeze Initiative for women

Get some inspiration for your next holiday on the EuroVelo website

A bikepacking / cycle touring kit list from Tom's Bike Trip and bike costs from the Gears for Queers blog

Abi and Lea's website, including some pictures of their very first tour

Buy a copy of Gears for Queers

Abi and Lea mention the Warm Showers website

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Hello! This week’s topic has all the ingredients of a great blockbuster: a tale of the underdog standing up to powerful big business, people fighting for their livelihoods, and ensuring the robots don’t take over the world…but this isn’t fiction, it’s real life. The Hollywood writers’ strike has been going on for almost two months now, as the writers of some of our favourite shows have taken to the picket lines in the name of fair pay, better conditions and regulation on AI. We speak to Lisa Holdsworth about what the Writers Guild of America (WGA) is asking for, to WGA members and screenwriters Simon Beaufoy and Alice Nutter, and to Gavin Mueller about how AI could devalue the work of writers.

Plus: It's sports day season...how's Geoff going to navigate his parental duties this year?

Guests

Lisa Holdsworth, TV and Theatre Writer and Chair of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (@WorksWithWords / @TheWritersGuild)

Simon Beaufoy and Alice Nutter, Screenwriters and Members of the Writers Guild of America (@alicenut1)

Gavin Mueller, Assistant Professor of New Media and Digital Culture at The University of Amsterdam and author of Breaking Things at Work (@gavinmuellerphd)

More information

Learn about the WGA's strike action and what they're asking for including how to support writers

Find out about the Writers' Guild of Great Britain (WGGB)

BBC News: The Full Monty's striking writers picket Sheffield premier of Disney+ reboot

Order Gavin's book Breaking Things at Work

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Hello! The nature crisis affects everyone, and so the British people should have a say in how we solve it. But is our current system ready for it? Step forward: the People’s Plan for Nature, a huge national conversation about the future of nature. Thousands of people got involved, which led to the UK's first citizens’ assembly on nature set up by the RSPB, WWF-UK and the National Trust. We talk to Helen Meech and Jon Alexander about how they made it happen, and to Graham Roberts about what it was like to take part. 

Plus: Inspired by his time at the RSC, is Ed ready for an immersive theatre experience?

Guests

Helen Meech, Head of Movement Building, RSPB (@HelenMeech / @NaturesVoice)

Jon Alexander, Co-Founder, New Citizenship Project (@jonjalex / @NewCitProj)

Graham Roberts, Participant, People’s Assembly for Nature

More info

Read the final report of the People’s Plan for Nature including the 26 calls for action

Watch Wild Isles - David Attenborough's latest documentary for the BBC

Learn more about the RAPID Democracy framework

Listen to RTBC's previous episode on Sortition and the Climate Citizens' Assembly

Learn more about the organisations leading the People's Plan For Nature: RSPB; WWF-UK and National Trust

Jon spoke about Canada's Mass Democratic Action Funds

Read Jon's book Citizens: Why the key to fixing everything is all of us

Jon mentioned g0v (gov-zero), read about it here

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Hello! Can you believe it? Six years on, and we’ve made it to our 300th episode. Today we're joined by someone who's also familiar with the funny tricks of time: David Tennant. The former AND current Doctor joins us, live at the RSC, to talk about reprising the role in the 60th anniversary of Doctor Who, his rituals prior to performing, and why he was lying in a foetal position before his first performance of Hamlet. Things also get a bit emosh - stay tuned!

Plus: It’s all high jinx backstage, as someone forgets Ed and Geoff’s names…

More information

Check out the RSC and upcoming performances

Find out about David’s role in Doctor Who's 60th anniversary 

Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse

New here? Check out our back catalogue - there’s 299 episodes!

Contact Reasons to be Cheerful via our website, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Let us know your episode ideas, your comments and feedback! 

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