The Pieces with Bimini

Parson James is a singer-songwriter from South Carolina who has become one of music’s most distinctive and authentic voices.

Born Ashton Parson in a town of 5,000 people, he created an iconic visual identity — a high fashion cowboy priest aesthetic complete with cross earrings and boots — that reflects his unique blend of Southern roots, queer spirituality and artistic rebellion. His music has passed over a billion streams (including a collaboration with the producer Kygo) and he has a new single "Love Right Here" with Emeli Sande, out now.

On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Parson James dive into the formative moment that shaped his entire life and how it gave him a feeling of "rightness" that has guided him ever since.

They discuss growing up in a hostile environment where Parson learned to mould himself to make everyone around him feel safe, and the journey of finally protecting himself by moving to New York at 17.

Parson also shares the vulnerability of coming out to his mom, the magic of working underage at burlesque venues, meeting Lady Gaga and the miraculous chain of events that followed - including stories from his time on American Idol and his performance at the Nobel Peace Prize concert.

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Hannah Reilly is an Australian writer, director, performer and creative force who has built a career on unflinching storytelling and the transformative power of art.

From her early work in comedy to writing and performing her own original theatrical work, Hannah has carved out a space where she can explore the messy, uncomfortable, deeply human truths that make us who we are.

Her critically acclaimed play ROLEPLAY marks a bold shift from comedy into drama, proving that Hannah is unafraid to make an audience sit in uncomfortable silence if that's what the story demands.

On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Hannah dive into the formative moment that sparked everything and made her want to capture the kind of storytelling that transforms you.

They discuss the journey from performing comedy to writing drama, the challenge of making an audience uncomfortable, and why she had to learn that silence isn't failure, it's the correct response to tragedy.

The conversation touches on keeping parts of your life private in an age of constant oversharing, how the permanence of the internet holds people accountable for opinions they had ten years ago, and the double standard of cancel culture when world leaders get away with everything.

Hannah also shares the brutal honesty of making ROLEPLAY and creating a character (Danny) who desperately seeks power and attention because she's really looking for love.

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Peter Caulfield is an actor, singer and passionate activist who has become the leading voice fighting for legal ownership of our own voices.

Best known for his work with Russell T Davies on the ground-breaking series Queer as Folk, Cucumber and Tiptoe, Peter uses his platform to speak truth to power about the issues that matter most — from Palestinian solidarity to the unchecked dangers of artificial intelligence.

Beyond the screen, Peter is the face of "Save Our Voices Now", a campaign demanding statutory rights for every UK citizen to have legal ownership over their own voice before AI cloning decimates careers, steals identities, and fundamentally erases what makes us human.

On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Peter dive into the impact of Russell T Davies' storytelling, Peter's continuous campaigning and how a single word "Now" can create real change.

They also talk about Peter's urgent new mission: stopping AI voice cloning before it's too late. They unpack the terrifying reality that voices are data being harvested from social media, algorithms are being piloted in warfare, and that tech billionaires are openly admitting AI will "probably destroy the planet, but create amazing software" in the meantime.

Peter tackles surveillance capitalism, the humanisation of AI as dangerously misleading, and why this isn't just an actor's issue - it affects every teenager on TikTok and Snapchat who are unknowingly giving their voice away.

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Nicky Spence is a Scottish tenor, opera singer and performer who has brought accessibility, authenticity and pure joy to one of the world's most elite art forms.

From performing at the BBC Proms to international opera houses, Nicky has built a career on refusing to be confined by traditional operatic moulds. As a vocal athlete who can fill ginormous spaces without a microphone and a gay Scottish man who has turned his "unconventional" appearance into his greatest asset, Nicky represents a revolution in how we think about who gets to be an opera singer.

On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Nicky dive into the formative moment that changed everything. They discuss his training for ten years - only to discover that he had to become the person he actually was, instead of who he had been told to be, to reach new career heights.

The conversation touches on opera as drag - the wigs, costumes, makeup and bold presentation - and why he gets to play the really interesting, repugnant characters rather than sappy Prince's because he doesn't fit the traditional mould.

Nicky passionately advocates for funding the arts, accessibility in opera, and why creating barriers to opportunity means missing undiscovered incredible gifts. They also discuss the stark difference between France's annual funding for opera versus the UK's constant defunding, and why art should be a human experience of communion, not an exclusive elite event.

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Ebs Burnough is best known the former White House Senior Advisor to First Lady Michelle Obama - but, having achieved so much, his career defies categorisation.

He's a filmmaker, writer, producer and communications executive with nearly two decades of leadership in politics and public policy. From working at the White House with President and Mrs. Obama, to serving as Chair of Sundance Film Festival, and directing projects that celebrate queer cultural icons like Dusty Springfield, Ebs has refused the false choice between academia and creativity.

A Black gay man with relentless drive and a gift for seeing the full dimensions of any challenge, Ebs approaches every mountain as an opportunity to grow, learn and create lasting impact.

On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Ebs dive into the formative moment that shaped his entire worldview, turning trauma into his greatest teacher and his commitment to never letting fear stop him from occupying space.

The conversation touches on being raised with the understanding that "much has been given to you, so how do you give back?", the confidence to never experience imposter syndrome while still being absolutely terrified, and the refusal to be confined to a single career path.

They also discuss his current work directing the Dusty Springfield film, launching Tea and Vodka podcast, and his upcoming projects at Sundance.

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You might know Ella Morgan from her TV work (as the first transgender bride on Married At First Sight, or from Celebs Go Dating), her work as a model or as a campaigner.

A trailblazer in her own right, Ella has built a career on visibility, authenticity and unflinching honesty about what it means to be trans and queer in the public eye. Beyond the glamour and the accolades, Ella is a fierce advocate for trans rights and community liberation: someone who refuses to debate her existence, refuses to dim her light, and refuses to accept a world that demands she apologize for taking up space.

On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Ella dive into the vulnerable reality of navigating online hate while maintaining mental health.

They discuss how trolls feel manageable when you're in a good place mentally, but one small comment can devastate you when you're struggling. The conversation tackles the toxic discourse around trans rights, the algorithm that feeds hate, and why Ella will never debate her experience with people who don't understand what it's like to be trans.

Ella talks about her dad's role in keeping her grounded and finding power not just in the people around her, but in herself.

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Jocelyn Si is the singer of Walt Disco, a Scottish band making bold, unapologetic pop music grounded in authenticity and joy. With her bandmates, Jocelyn has crafted an album that explores the messy, beautiful experience of becoming yourself.

Beyond her music, Jocelyn is a thoughtful artist who refuses to be reduced to a single narrative: she's a musician first, a trans woman second, and someone determined to show the world that transition is filled with euphoria, not just struggle.

On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Jocelyn dive into the formative moment that shaped her entire life, finally living authentically after years of hiding and the journey through her transition.

The conversation tackles the narrative gap: why media only covers trans stories through trauma and suffering when the lived reality is often euphoria and affirmation. They touch on being a musician who happens to be trans rather than a trans musician defined only by her identity and how transitioning in her late 20s feels like starting fresh.

Jocelyn also shares the unexpected gift of making friends in her late 20s, navigating major life phases at any age and where she finds her power...

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He's the visionary behind some of the UK's most iconic queer spaces, the co-founder of Sink The Pink (the birthplace of Bimini) and the architect of Mighty Hoopla. Glyn Fussell joins Bimini for this episode of The Pieces.

More than a festival organiser, Glynn is a cultural curator who has built a career on creating places where queer people can celebrate, belong and be unapologetically themselves.

Beyond the dancefloors and glitter, Glyn is also executive producer of the theatrical adaptation of It's A Sin, working alongside Russell T Davies and the Pet Shop Boys, and founder of the Pink Noise Foundation - an organisation dedicated to supporting grassroots Pride events across the UK that are under threat from right-wing political pressure.

On this episode of The Pieces, recorded live at Soho House, Bimini and Glyn dive into the importance of Eurovision on Glyn's queer awakening, why pop culture became pure escapism for queer people forced to wait in the wings and how that obsession with spectacle shaped everything he's built.

The conversation touches on the disappearing landscape of grassroots Pride events, why the Pink Noise Foundation exists and they explore his executive producer work on It's a Sin, where theatre becomes a vehicle for queer history and education.

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In this urgent solo episode of The Pieces, Bimini confronts a tactic as old as divide-and-conquer itself: The Wedge.

The night after London Pride - when over 35,000 people marched through the streets in celebration alongside prams, children, and grandparents in tutus - three broadcasts on GB News in two weeks equated Pride with paedophilia, smeared the entire LGBTQ+ community, and branded LGBT teachers as groomers of children.

But this episode isn't really about them. It's about gay men - sometimes older, sometimes people you looked up to - who in recent years have started saying "I support gay rights, obviously, but this trans has gone too far. Drop the tea and we'll be fine."

It's about the dangerous myth that throwing trans people under the bus will buy acceptance from the mainstream. Bimini deconstructs this lie with surgical precision, showing that when they smeared Pride, they smeared all of us. There was no asterisk. There was no exemption clause for gay men who cooperate.

Drawing on history's most infamous collaborators, Bimini makes clear: the promise of being "the exception" has never been kept. Divide and conquer only works if there are volunteers inside the walls willing to open the gate. But this summer proved something different. When those three broadcasts aired, over 9,058 people filed formal complaints to Ofcom — the most in the channel's history — refusing to accept The Wedge. From gay men to straight mothers to allies, the community showed up.

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Liam Rondi is an activist living in the south of France who has become an unexpected champion of accountability in mainstream media.

With a Substack dedicated to exposing journalistic failures and media bias, Liam has built a following around unflinching critiques of how British television weaponises rhetoric against marginalised communities.

After years of witnessing homophobia and transphobia become normalised on breakfast television, Liam decided to do something radical: he created a complaint generator, mobilised a community, and broke the Ofcom record for complaints against a single broadcast segment.

On this episode of The Pieces, Bimini and Liam dive into the formative moment that politicised him and how he was inspired by transphobia on TV to attempt to create accountability.

They talk about the pattern of demonisation of LGBTQ+ people in the media, the reality that transphobia opens the gates to homophobia, why collective action matters and how teamwork breaks records.

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