Young Again

Kirsty Young asks the writer and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell what advice he would give his younger self.

Gladwell's writing, in books such as The Tipping Point and Outliers, successfully distil complex ideas for a mass audience, and he has worked as a staff writer for The New Yorker. His podcasts include Revisionist History, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood. Gladwell recalls his childhood in a largely Mennonite community in rural Canada, reflects on the shared culture of his English father and Jamaican mother, and shares his joy at becoming a parent later in life.

A BBC Studios Audio production.

Kirsty Young asks the author Irvine Welsh what advice he would give his younger self.

Welsh became a literary sensation when his first novel, Trainspotting, was published in 1993. The film adaptation that followed made him a star. But before that he'd gone from being a punk in London to a turn into administrative work for his local council, via a brush with heroin addiction. He looks back at his childhood in Edinburgh, his parents' romance and a first arrest at just eight years old.

A BBC Studios Audio production.

Kirsty Young asks the activist and writer Gloria Steinem what advice she would give her younger self.

Through the last seven decades, Steinem has been a singular voice and influential thinker for the causes of feminism and equality in the USA. She discusses her breakthrough as a young journalist going undercover as a Playboy Bunny, founding the hugely successful feminist magazine Ms., and her personal stake in the fight for the legalisation of abortion. She also reflects on her unconventional childhood with a father who never wore a hat or had a job and a mother whom she became a carer of at a young age.

A BBC Studios Audio production.

Kirsty Young asks comedian and actor Miranda Hart what advice she would give her younger self.

A decade ago Hart was starring in her own hit BBC sitcom, Miranda, and selling out stadium tours. But then she suffered a collapse and was forced into a career break. She discusses how years of low level illness built up to a major health crisis, and how an overdue diagnosis and writing her new book helped on her journey back towards fitness. She also reveals the perils of fame, the joy of playing the same venue as Beyoncé, and why her book had an unexpected happy ending.

A BBC Studios Audio production.

Kirsty Young asks physician Gabor Maté what advice he would give his younger self.

Maté was born to Jewish parents in terrible circumstances in Hungary in 1943. His grandparents were killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp, his father was in forced labour and his mother was suffering from jaundice. He reveals how his own understanding of the long-term affects of childhood trauma connects to this personal history. He also discusses his work with drug addicts and his relationship with his wife and children.

A BBC Studios Audio production.

Kirsty Young asks actor Minnie Driver what advice she would give her younger self.

Driver has fashioned a 30-year career in the entertainment industry since becoming a Hollywood star in movies including Circle of Friends and Grosse Pointe Blank. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Good Will Hunting, and she revisits that famous Oscar night with Kirsty. Driver also discusses her unconventional childhood, being left to fend for herself in Miami as an 11 year old, sexism and misogyny in the film industry, and the teacher who inspired her.

A BBC Studios Audio production.

Kirsty Young asks fascinating people what advice they would give their younger self.

Kirsty Young talks to the author Philip Pullman about what he’s learned from his life so far. Pullman is the acclaimed novelist behind global bestsellers like His Dark Materials. He recounts the story of his own childhood, how he still contemplates the mystery of his father’s death, and why he owes his literary success to hard work.

If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves.

Producer: Sam Peach

A BBC Audio Production

Kirsty Young talks to the pop star Melanie Brown about what she’s learned from her life so far.

Mel B is the girl from Leeds who became a global superstar with the Spice Girls. Glamour, fortune, drugs, violence, redemption and healing, her life has an air of make believe - except, of course, she has actually lived it.

If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves.

Producer: Laura Northedge

A BBC Audio Production

Kirsty Young talks to the former spin doctor Alastair Campbell about what he’s learned from his life so far. From the bagpipes to New Labour, geopolitics to Burnley FC, Alastair Campbell is passionate about his interests and deeply tribal in his allegiances. But does he ever allow these passions to cloud his judgement? Having been a key figure in Tony Blair’s government and now the co-host of a hit podcast, Alastair explores how events in his childhood have shaped his outlook on the world and whether he regrets any of the tough decisions he has taken.

If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves.

Producer: Laura Northedge

A BBC Audio Production