The Third Half

On The Turntable: Ian McNabb — Rock Never Dies This month's Musician of the Month is Ian McNabb, best known as the voice behind The Icicle Works. Scott sits down with Ian to talk about his new solo album, 65, and the honesty that's gone into making it. Ian opens up about why he still has to "blow his own trumpet" to sell records without a label behind him, the vanishing art of sequencing a proper album in the streaming era, and why he built 65 to reward a listener who comes back to it again and again. There's real depth here too: Ian talks candidly about losing his mother, becoming her full-time carer through COVID, and how that grief reshaped what he wants from music now.

Historian. Educationalist. Former Master of Wellington College. Biographer of Prime Ministers. Sir Anthony Seldon joins Scott Hamilton on The Third Half for a wide-ranging conversation on what's actually broken in Britain today, and what might fix it. From the state of the nation and the churn of recent governments, to why he believes Britain's education system was built for a century that no longer exists, Anthony makes the case for three unspoken conversations the country needs to have: education, community, and purpose. He unpacks the Ubuntu philosophy behind Action for Happiness (which he co-founded 15 years ago), why he believes the loneliest people are often the richest and most powerful, and why the arts, not just STEM, are essential to a functioning society and our mental health. Along the way: AI in education, the case for national service, why he'd cast himself as King Lear, and a rapid-fire round covering Brie vs. Stilton, Shakespeare vs. Burns, and the one historical figure he's hoping doesn't show up to dinner. In this episode: Why Britain feels stuck, and where the optimism has to come from The three conversations Britain isn't having: education, community, purpose Ubuntu, Action for Happiness, and the difference between pleasure and happiness AI, national service, and what genuinely excites him about young people today Why the arts matter more than ever, and the cost of losing them Rapid fire: Beatles or Stones, tea or coffee, Churchill or Attlee, Lear, and more About The Third Half The Third Half is a podcast and Substack exploring People · Planet · Progress, conversations with entrepreneurs, leaders, and thinkers shaping the world around us. Hosted by Scott Hamilton. 🔗 Read more at thethirdhalf.uk 🎧 Subscribe for new episodes every week #TheThirdHalf #AnthonySeldon #Leadership #Education #Wellbeing #Podcast

She wanted to fly fighter jets. Her eyesight said no. So she went and joined the organisation that builds them instead. Scott Hamilton sits down with Tina Wilson, Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel for BAE Systems International Business, working across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Asia Pacific for a conversation about being shaped by challenge, leading through ambiguity, and the courage it takes to make decisions that affect people's lives, not just budgets. Tina's path wasn't planned: rejected from RAF cadets over her eyesight, a stint as a trainee army officer, then a career in international finance and oil & gas before a chance job ad, featuring a Tornado fighter jet — led her to BAE Systems. In this episode, Tina opens up about being held back a year at school and how it shaped a lifelong drive to never fail again; setting up business operations in a war zone in Ukraine; the real weight of deciding who gets evacuated during the Middle East tensions; why she defines herself as "a business leader who happens to be a lawyer"; trusting gut instinct as a data point, not a feeling; and why she took up guitar lessons alongside three-year-olds to remind herself what it feels like to be a beginner again. 🎧 Listen to the full conversation and subscribe for more at thethirdhalf.uk The Third Half — People · Planet · Progress. Conversations with the people who continue to challenge, create, and inspire. #TheThirdHalf #Blueprint #TinaWilson #BAESystems #Leadership #WomenInLeadership #Podcast

matt full episodeMatt Knight got called an eco-terrorist on social media. His crime: planting trees.Matt is co-founder of Freely Fruity, a Berkshire charity that started with three mates, a pub, and one of them saying "there needs to be more fruit trees" for the hundredth time. They nearly became the "Banksy of the tree world," sneaking out at night to plant trees — until they found out that's technically a crime too.In this conversation, Matt opens up about:How Freely Fruity went from a pub idea to a fully-fledged charity with zero staff overheadsBuilding community orchards and feeding food banks across Reading and WokinghamLaunching Fruit Trees for Schools in 40 schools across Manchester and LiverpoolThe new community tree nursery specialising in fruit treesA first-look announcement: an app that converts footsteps into tree plantingWhy bespoke corporate ESG partnerships beat generic offset schemesThe plan to make Freely Fruity sustainable without relying on grantsThis isn't just a charity story. It's about community, stubbornness, and what happens when people just get on with making their own corner of the world better.🌱 Get involved with Freely Fruity:Instagram: instagram.com/freelyfruityukFacebook: facebook.com/freelyfruityukLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/freely-fruityTikTok: @freelyfruity🌍 More from The Third Half: www.thethirdhalf.uk#FreelyFruity #TreePlanting #Sustainability #ESG #TheThirdHalf #CommunityOrchard #MattKnight #Blueprint #Charity

He wrote Pinball in 1974 in a bedsit in London with no money, no work, and a broken relationship. 50 years later Paul Weller covered it. Morrissey was a fan. So was Noel Gallagher. But Brian Protheroe is not living in the past. In his 80s he has released 4 albums in 4 years. In this conversation Brian opens up about: Writing Pinball as a diary entry in a London bedsit with nothing to his name How Paul Weller, Morrissey and Noel Gallagher all discovered the song Why he has a song on the go at all times just to stay sane His new album Still Walking and why ageing has made him more honest Meeting Paul Simon on the London folk club circuit in the 60s Listening to Sergeant Pepper on repeat in a hot summer and how it changed everything Writing Mad Dog as a political response he simply could not hold back Why he plays Mozart and Chopin every morning before anything else What he hopes people feel when the music stops This is a conversation about creativity, longevity, belonging and what it means to keep going. Find Still Walking. More from The Third Half: www.thethirdhalf.uk

Tanishq Jain family recycles decommissioned ships for a living. He grew up walking through engine rooms and captain's quarters. So when he spotted a massive flaw in how sustainability data was being measured at the London Stock Exchange, he quit after 6 months and built something to fix it. In this conversation, Tanishq Jain — founder of Dash, an AI Chief Sustainability Officer for businesses, opens up about: Growing up in a circular economy family business before knowing what it meant Spotting a fundamental flaw in how ESG funds were being rated at the London Stock Exchange Tanishq Jain he left a cushy corporate job with no runway and no customers The brutal reality of startup life in 2025 — existential questions, market timing, and investor pressure Why the sustainability tech market is actually less crowded now than two years ago How he balances using AI while running a sustainability business What young founders completely misunderstand about leadership Why "disruption" is now a dirty word — and what customers actually want This isn't just a startup story. It's about purpose, pressure, and building something that actually means something. 🌍 More from The Third Half: www.thethirdhalf.uk #Dash #ESG #Sustainability #AIStartup #TheThirdHalf #TanishqJain #ClimateTech #StartupFounder

She came to London for a master's degree. She needed a visa to stay. So she pitched a wild idea — turn food waste into kimchi — and accidentally started an award-winning business. In this conversation on the third half, Rebecca Ghim opens up about: Why she started a business just to get a visa — and never expected it to work Growing up in Korea, leaving at 15, and building an empire as an immigrant How her grandmother's zero-waste cooking became the foundation of a brand Rescuing 300kg of vegetable waste in a single night from one supplier The brutal tension between staying true to her values and scaling a business Why she's never spent a single penny on marketing Kimchi tiramisu — and why Italians should probably look away This isn't just a food story. It's about identity, culture, anger, and building something that actually means something.

🥬 Find The Ferm: theferm.net

📱 Instagram: @the.ferm.london 🌍 More from The Third Half: www.thethirdhalf.uk #TheFirm #Kimchi #FoodWaste #Sustainability #TheThirdHalf #FoodEntrepreneur #ZeroWaste

He wore a high-vis jacket cycling to the office by day and wrote music by night. 25 years later, Bruce Soord is selling out tours worldwide without chasing a record deal.

In this conversation, Bruce opens up about: - Writing his solo album Ghosts in the Park alone in hotel rooms on tour - How losing his father to dementia shaped every lyric on the record - The moment his mum — non-verbal for years — suddenly spoke his sister's name - Why stopping chasing success is what made him successful - The difference between writing songs at 25 vs writing them now - What it really feels like to headline shows 25 years after starting from nothing This isn't an interview. It's a proper conversation about music, grief, memory, and what it means to build something real over a lifetime.

🎵 Find Bruce & Ghosts in the Park: brucesoord.com

🌍 More from The Third Half: www.thethirdhalf.uk #ThePineappleThief #BruceSoord #GhostsInThePark #TheThirdHalf #musicpodcast

Three jocks on a Friday afternoon. What could possibly go wrong?

That was my genuine warning at the top of this one — and I meant it. Gillian Docherty is Chief Commercial Officer at the University of Strathclyde, Chair of CodeBase, and former CEO of The Data Lab. But what really drew me to this conversation is the story underneath all of that. Twenty-two years at IBM. A recruiter who refused to hang up the phone. A CV written over a weekend for the first time in two decades. And a decision — no package, a four-year-old at home — to walk away and build something from scratch.

In this conversation, Michelle talks about how her eight-year-old son managed to ground her after what she called a crap day, and in doing so, articulated what financial services is actually for better than most boardrooms ever manage. She walks us through how she got into her career - economics degree, bars and clubs in London, a break that came through a personal recommendation rather than any recruitment agent - and then into the real substance of what good digital banking actually looks like today.