My guest today has spent his life exposing the abuse of human rights in conflict zones throughout the world. From Yemen to Iraq, from Afghanistan to Syria with his multi award winning film company, Clover Films, Jamie Doran has investigated the facts and uncovered the truth on what’s really going on behind the mainstream media headlines.

I was fortunate to catch up with Jamie shortly after his return from Afghanistan in May. Although we focus much of our conversation on Afghanistan, Jamie also talks about his life as an investigative film producer.

Clover Films is recognised as a leading documentary production house, with over thirty prestigious awards won in the last decade alone. Its films and series, covering history, conflict, social injustice, human rights and the politics of sport, have been shown on over 50 channels across the globe. Their work has been honoured on two occasions by the United Nations for exposing the plight of exploited children in the Developing World, where laws have been changed to increase their protection as a result.

In our conversation we discuss;

• Jamie’s early career at the BBC working on current affairs including ‘Nationwide.’
• Living in Moscow and meeting Alexder Feklisov, the man famous for helping avert nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis
• Brief history of Afghanistan and its people
• Why the US and NATO went into Afghanistan in 2001
• How the current troop withdrawal has left the country in turmoil and disarray
• Going into Taliban territory and meeting the Taliban during the making of his latest film 
• The exit from Afghanistan and how the country is poised on the edge of civil war
• How the Chinese are moving financial power into the country in their search for minerals

Jamie’s links:

https://clover-films.com/

https://twitter.com/CloverFilmsUK/media

Undercurrent Stories links:

https://www.undercurrentstories.com/

https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/

https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

In today’s show I am joined by Darren Gregory. Darren is an amateur brewer with his own electric brewery named Red Barron Brewery.
In this episode Darren and I talk about our shared interest for brewing beer, swap tips and generally enthuse about our hobby. 
Cheers!

The conversation features;

• Learning how to brew
• Methods of brewing
• The amateur brewing community
• Water, Malt, Hops and Yeast
• Process

Darren's link;
https://redbarronbrewery.wordpress.com/

Brewing Resources mentioned in the episode;
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/
https://www.brewuk.co.uk/
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Home-Brew-Beer-Master-Brewing

Undercurrent Stories links:
https://www.undercurrentstories.com/
https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/
https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

Today on the show I am delighted to welcome Jan Irvin.

Jan is an independent researcher, author and lecturer and hosts the Logos Media Podcast.

Renowned for fact checking and using critical thinking to uncover the truth, Jan joins me to discuss the Trivium and Logical Fallacies. Both are concepts that go back to ancient times and are arguably more important than ever for use as tools in helping us to unravel fact from fiction in a world that appears to be experiencing an abundance of what we now call 'fake news.'

This conversation features;

• Why Jan believes that roughly 85% of what most people think and believe is false. 
• Critical thinking
• The Trivium method 
• Using Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric to help establish clarity of thought
• Importance of Primary Sources
• Identifying  Logical Fallacies, such as 'red herring, ' straw man' and 'ad hominum' 

Jan's links;
https://logosmedia.com/
https://twitter.com/LogosMedia01
http://www.triviumeducation.com/

 Undercurrent Stories links:
https://www.undercurrentstories.com/
https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/
https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

Based in Stamford, England,  Alex and Nuria tell the story of how they were inspired to grow some chilli plants during the first lockdown in the Spring of 2020.
 Producing some bottles of hot chilli sauce from the fruits of the plants and with positive feedback from their family and friends we hear how they were both encouraged to start selling their sauces. 
Fast forward to Spring 2021 and they now have their own company -  Chillifever!

In this episode we hear;

• How Alex and Nuria started Chillifever
• The history of chillis and when they were first used
• Where chillis originate from
• Health benefits
• How to grow chilli peppers
• How to make hot chilli sauce

Chillifever  links:
https://www.chillifever.com/
https://www.instagram.com/chillifever/
https://www.facebook.com/chilliFeverStamford/

 Undercurrent Stories links:

https://www.undercurrentstories.com/

https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/

https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

Today's show  features widely published and highly respected investigative journalist, Robin Jones.
Robin has written many books on on Britain’s railway history and is currently the editor of Heritage Railway Magazine.
In this episode Robin gives an excellent succinct account on the history of the British railways. 
We talk about the  campaign to save a threatened disused 19th century Victorian railway bridge in the town of Bourne, England known as Bridge 234 and we discuss why it is so important to preserve our railway heritage for future generations.

Robin's link;
https://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/

Undercurrent Stories link;
https://www.undercurrentstories.com/

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

In today’s show  I am delighted to be joined by Mick Burgoyne. Mick is one half of the folk/rock duo, Fresh Maggots, which also features Leigh Dolphin. 

Originally from Nuneaton in Warwickshire, England, the band's first self titled album was released in October 1971 on RCA records followed by a single. Playing the university circuit and clubs such as the famous  Marquee club in London, the band also did live sessions for Radio Luxembourg (Kid Jensen show) and BBC Radio One (Night Ride and the Johnny Walker show).  The duo split in 1976 but remained friends ever since.

In 2017 they were contacted by a German music magazine for an interview as the original album is still very popular around the world having gained 'cult' status.  Following the interview the duo decided to start writing songs again. Their second studio album 'Waiting for the Sun' on 'Coventry Music Museum Records, produced and engineered by Nick Burns, was released on 31st October 2020 almost 50 years after the first!  

This is a great story of 2 young talented musicians entering the music industry unexpectedly in the heady days of the early 1970s! The story also has a happy ending!

 

Fresh Maggots links:
http://www.freshmaggots.co.uk

Undercurrent Stories links:

https://www.undercurrentstories.com/

https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/

https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

 In today’s show  I am delighted to be joined by Yumiko Jones. Originally from Fukuoka in the South of Japan, Yumiko came to the UK in 2001. 

After settling in Bristol, Yumiko felt that there was a need to bridge the gap between the Japanese people who lived in the city and the wider population who wanted to find out more about Japan. In 2008 she started the Bristol Japanese Cultural Society.

In our conversation we discuss Yumiko’s project and just some of the many cultural aspects of Japan including, minimalism, cuisine and  architecture. In Yumiko’s words it is more than just about sushi!

Yumiko’s links:

https://www.facebook.com/BristolJapaneseCulturalSociety/

https://instagram.com/bristoljapancultural

Japan House
https://www.japanhouselondon.uk/

Japan Centre
https://www.japancentre.com/en

Japanese Embassy
https://www.uk.emb-japan.go.jp/itprtop_en/index.html

Undercurrent Stories links:

https://www.undercurrentstories.com/

https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/

https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

Ever wondered how you can live a less materialistic lifestyle?

Our guest today is Paul Canham  a self confessed tree hugger, van dweller, tudor reenactor and brewer based in Suffolk.  Paul spent 30 years working at RAF Lakenheath  until he took early retirement to study sociology and psychology.

We hear how he set out on a quest to live a more non-materialistic lifestyle, leading to living a more fulfilling life and how his latest project to re-wild 1 acre of former farmland is helping attract wildlife back to a natural habitat.

Paul tells us about his brewery, Weird Sisters Brewery, which is one of the smallest registered breweries in the UK.

If you have ever thought about how to live a less materialistic lifestyle in the 21st century this episode is for you.

Paul’s links:

https://www.instagram.com/senunarewildingproject/

https://www.instagram.com/lukes.truck/

https://www.instagram.com/weird.sisters.brewery/

https://www.kentwell.co.uk/events

 https://www.greendragonmorris.com/about

Undercurrent Stories links:

https://www.undercurrentstories.com/

https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/

https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

Quint Starkie is an English musician originally from Accrington, Lancashire. After living and performing in Los Angeles in the 80's he now resides in Stockholm, Sweden. 

In our conversation we discuss how Quint’s passion for playing the guitar inspired him to move to Hollywood to study guitar with some of the world’s best musicians at the Guitar Institute of Technology. We hear how he played famous venues such as the Whisky-a-go-go and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas backing The Supremes.

After settling in Stockholm Quint tells us about his career writing and producing hundreds of jingles for commercials including some famous ones for McDonald’s, Toyota, Diners Club, Heineken and others.

After years of writing songs for other artists , in November 2016 he released his first solo album Ghost in My Heart, which has been very well received around the world. Overseen by executive producer Francis Dunnery, (It Bites, Robert Plant,Santana, Lauren Hill). The 14 songs on the album capture life growing up in a Northern town in the 70's/80's. 

He continues to play in his own band and prior to the pandemic opened for Francis Dunnery’s It Bites UK Tour. He is currently working on his next album due out later in the year.

Quint’s links:

http://www.quintstarkie.net/

https://www.facebook.com/superquintstarkie

https://www.instagram.com/quintstarkie/ 

Undercurrent Stories links:

https://www.undercurrentstories.com/

https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/

https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com

In this episode we hear from Heide Goody and Iain Grant who tell us all about their co- written Clovenhoof series of books in which Jeremy Clovenhoof is fired from Hell and sent to live in a flat in the suburbs of Birmingham. 

The story can be described as a mixture of contemporary fantasy, satire and comedy and having read the first book in the series I found it hilarious and was literally laughing out loud!

Heide and Iain also talk about how their collaborative writing process works both with Clovenhoof and their many other books.

The comedy continues in this enjoyable and delightful interview!

Heide and Iain’s  links:

http://www.pigeonparkpress.com/

https://twitter.com/Clovenhoofbooks

https://www.facebook.com/Clovenhoof-Books-285544508177333

 https://www.trusselltrust.org/

Undercurrent Stories links:

https://www.undercurrentstories.com/

https://www.instagram.com/undercurrentstories/

https://twitter.com/UndercurrentSt1

Question or comment? Send us a text message.

www.undercurrentstories.com