Episodes
| Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Solution To Climate Change Inaction? | 20220804 | Sangita Myska continues her search for the world's brightest ideas that might make Britain better. Each week, we hear from a different innovator, trying to solve a different problem - and then stress test their idea with a panel of leading experts. Britons are facing political upheaval, economic shock and a cost of living crisis. Some environmentalists fear this has pushed a bigger, existential threat off the agenda - climate change. In this episode of Positive Thinking, could our innovator have a solution to help reinvigorate the climate debate? Sangita meets Anab Jain from Superflux, a creative studio that makes art installations and films that tackle big policy problems, especially climate change. Her aim is to give decision-makers and the public a visceral experience of what the future could be like if they don't act now - or the positive future we could have if they do. Can feeling' the future create meaningful action to solve the climate crisis? Our expert panel: Tom Burke, the chairman and founding director of the think tank E3G - Third Generation Environmentalism. Olivia Laing, writer, critic, former environmental activist and author of Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency. Per Espen Stoknes, psychologist, former Green Party MP in Norway, and author of What We Think About When We Try Not To Think About Global Warming. Producer: Eve Streeter A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4 Is 'feeling' the future the solution to climate change inaction? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| A Solution To Polarisation? | 20220908 | Daniel Lubetzky believes polarisation and tribalism are threatening our social fabric. Could his plan to 'activate the untapped power of moderates' counter the culture wars? The son of a Holocaust survivor, Daniel has watched with alarm as extreme, vocal minorities increasingly hijack national debates in the United States. But he believes there is a silent majority of people in the middle who are tired of the 'us versus them' mentality and want a different way forward. Could his plan to build a civic coalition of moderates via his Starts With Us movement, which aims to foster greater compassion and critical thinking, counter polarisation in society here in Britain? Joining Sangita Myska to stress test the idea are Salma Mousa, Assistant Professor of Political Science at Yale University; Dr Antonio Silva, Head of Social Cohesion at the Behavioural Insights Team; and Alison Goldsworthy, co-author of Poles Apart - Why People Turn Against Each Other and How to Bring Them Together. Producer: Eve Streeter A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4 Sangita Myska assesses a plan to counter the culture wars. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| A Solution to Political Short-Termism | 20210727 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators who may hold the key to improving the way we live.
In this episode Sangita asks whether a Future Generations Commissioner is the answer to thinking sustainably.
She meets Sophie Howe, the world's first Future Generations Commissioner. In Wales she has the power to `name and shame` public institutions that are not taking the long-term impact of policies into consideration.
We need to think more long-term to address the existential threats humanity faces. But is this the big idea that will break the cycle of political short-termism to safeguard the future?
Contributors include:
Dame Louise Casey, former Victims' Commissioner.
Roman Krznaric, public philosopher and author of The Good Ancestor.
Simon Caney, professor of political theory at the University of Warwick.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Is a Future Generations Commissioner the answer to thinking sustainably? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| All Under One Roof? | 20200101 | Meet Stephen Burke. He's a man on a mission. He's identified two big problems: the lack of affordable housing for young people and and a growing sense of isolation amongst older people. He says he's got one big idea that could solve both problems. His aim is to grow the idea from local project to UK wide solution.
Meet Stephen Burke. He's a man on a mission. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| An end to deepfakes? | 20220901 | Deepfakes and synthetic media are getting harder to detect and easier to make. And from porn to politics, the rise of deepfakes is making society less certain and more volatile - trust in what we see has been lost.
Sangita Myska speaks to Mounir Ibrahim from TruePic, the company that seeks to restore authenticity and verification to images and videos online. It has patented technology that captures exactly where, when, and how a picture was taken, as well as logging the pixel count and originality of an image, locking the data in a form that can't be tampered with. The idea is for websites and news organisations to use this technology to display verified images, without political bias.
But can technology untangle the complex web of misinformation on the one hand and human creativity on the other? And how does the extra information change how we use the internet in the future?
Sangita is joined by an expert panel to consider the legal, social and technological consequences of Truepic's innovation. On the panel are Kelsey Farish, a lawyer who specialises in media, privacy and technology matters, Sam Gregory, the Director of Programs, Strategy and Innovation at the charity Witness, and Nina Schick, author of the book Deepfakes and an ethical adviser.
Producer: Leonie Thomas
Can a digital watermark help safeguard the truth online? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Boomtown for Rats | 20200102 | Climate change has led to a rise in flooding. But it's not just about soggy sofas and insurance claims. The recent flooding in South Yorkshire has driven rats into homes, and rats, if unchecked, can lead to fire, damage to property and disease.
It's not just an environmental problem but a socio-economic one too. A reduction in waste collection and increase in fly tipping has led to a surge in infestations the length and breadth of Britain.
Rats and humans have lived side by side for millennia. Wherever we go, rats follow. But the fall-out can be devastating.
New Zealand is pioneering an ambitious - some say unrealistically utopian- plan to eradicate all mammal predators by 2050. As a starting point they have created Zealandia, a 225 hectare urban sanctuary outside Wellington, to which many of New Zealand's endangered species have been relocated. Zealandia is a zone without rats, stoats and possums.
But it's just the beginning. Within three decades, if the plan succeeds, every rat on the island will be dead. Predator Free 2050 has been a rallying call for conservationists and citizens inspired by a future vision which draws on New Zealand's past. Until the 13th century New Zealand had no predator mammals.
Rats have already been removed from Canna and the Shiant Islands, off the North West coast of Scotland and from Lundy island in the Bristol Channel but could they be eradicated in more densely populated areas on mainland Britain? If you've ever been overrun by rats, you might be hoping the answer is yes.
Presenter Krupa Padhy sits down with three speakers to solution proof the idea of a rat-free Britain.
Produced by Kate Bissell and Caitlin Smith
Photo credit: Vandy Pollard
CORRECTION: Contrary to the statement in this programme, rats do, in fact, have bladders.
Climate change is creating a boom town for rats. How should we tackle it? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Can An Avatar Cure Loneliness? | 20220818 | According to a recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation, as many as one in four UK adults admit they feel lonely either some or all of the time. Sangita Myska asks if one solution be a chatbot. Our innovator Eugenia Kuyda thinks so. Originally from Russia, she is the founder and CEO of Replika, a company that is building Artificial Intelligence to help people feel better. Loneliness has a significant affect not only on mental health, but also on physical health. In fact, studies show that it can take years off a lifespan. Kuyda started Replika to cope with grief and loneliness herself. After the tragic death of a close friend, she fed thousands of their text message exchanges into an AI model to recreate him virtually. The therapeutic effect that she felt in grief was mirrored by others when she made the chatbot public. Users began to share personal and emotional information with this new companion, and now Replika has 20 million users in the English-speaking world. Kuyda claims that the happiness and wellbeing of its users is central to her business model. But what are the risks to vulnerable people? Are we ready to place our care in the hands of an algorithm? Contributors include: Louis Stupple-Harris, a researcher on emerging technologies at Nesta, an innovation agency for social good
Lina Mookerjee, a psychotherapist based in Carlisle Verena Rieser, Professor of Artificial Intelligence at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh and co-founder of the conversational AI company ALANA. Producer: Dom Byrne A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4 Could a virtual friend solve Britain's loneliness epidemic? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Can Gm Trees Capture Our Carbon? | 20220825 | Sangita Myska speaks to the co-founder of Living Carbon, Patrick Mellor, who helped develop the world's first GM trees specifically designed to capture more carbon from the atmosphere. The biotechnology they have developed improves photosynthesis in poplar trees, allowing them to grow faster and also resist decomposition for longer. Living Carbon hopes to use these trees to power the level of carbon draw down needed to maintain an optimal level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. But are faster growing trees the evolutionary hack we've been looking for? Sangita discusses the science and possible consequences with a panel of experts, including Dr Amanda Cavanagh, Plant Geneticist at the University of Essex, Kevin Martin, Head of Trees at Kew, and Dr Ricarda Steinbrecher, Co-Founder of Econexus. Producer: Leonie Thomas A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4 Are genetically modified trees the secret to capturing our planet's excess carbon? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Can Mass Trespass Help Reconnect Britons With Nature? | 20220811 | Could wider access to Britain's countryside bring us closer to nature and in turn bring increased social and environmental benefits? Sangita Myska meets Guy Shrubsole, author of Who Owns England and founder of Right to Roam - a campaign to improve access to privately held land. According to Shrubsole, in Britain (excluding Scotland) we are excluded from 92 per cent of the land and 97 per cent of its waterways. Yet the Covid lockdowns highlighted how much we crave green spaces and how many of us do not have the privilege of easy access to nature. In 1932, the Kinder Scout mass trespass in Derbyshire ultimately led to the establishment of our national parks in mainly upland areas - including the Peak District, the Lake District and Snowdonia. Public rights of way were further enshrined in law in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. Mass trespassing, Shrubsole argues, could once again be a meaningful way of connecting with the British landscape and put pressure on the government to improve the Right to Roam to include woodlands and rivers. Is he right? Contributors include: Lady Victoria Vyvyan, deputy president of Country Land and Business Association, and herself owner and manager of a 1,000-acre estate in Cornwall. Maxwell Ayamba, journalist and academic, champion of countryside access for minority communities, based in Sheffield near the Peak District. Professor Rich Mitchell, of the University of Glasgow, who researches the health impacts of green spaces. Producer: Dom Byrne A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4 Could wider access to the countryside bring social and environmental benefits to Britons? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Can We Make Road Deaths A Thing Of The Past? | 20210810 | Sangita Myska meets Dr Matts-ŀke Belin, a pioneer of the Vision Zero road safety project that aims to eradicate all traffic fatalities. The ground breaking Vision Zero policy was first put into place in the 1990s. By this time, Sweden was already the world leader in road safety, but it wanted to go further. In the 25 years since Vision Zero rolled out, fatalities have dropped from 7 to 2 per 100,000 - or 250 deaths per year. At the heart of the policy is the idea of removing human error from the cause of crashes. This means that road designers, car manufacturers, policy-makers - all the players in a planned transport system - share the responsibility for road fatalities. Could Vision Zero eliminate the deaths of an estimated 1,700 people in UK traffic collisions every year? Contributors include: Dr Matts-ŀke Belin, Director of the Swedish Transport Administration. Stuart Reid, Head of Insights and Development at Transport for London and the lead on TfL's Vision Zero action plan. Mary Williams, CEO of the road safety charity Brake, which campaigns for safer roads and supports people bereaved by road deaths. Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research at the Institute of Advanced Motorists or IAM RoadSmart, a road safety and driver education charity. Producer: Dom Byrne A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4 Sangita Myska meets Matts-\u00c5ke Belin who has a vision to eliminate traffic fatalities. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Citizens' Assemblies | 20220405 | This week Sangita talks to writer, historian and democratic innovator David Van Reybrouck, who spearheaded the first permanent citizens' assembly in the world in the tiny region of German-speaking East Belgium. His Peoples' Senate, whose participants are selected randomly by lot, is carefully stitched into the fabric of government. So what lessons might the East Belgian model offer to countries like Britain which are suffering from 'democratic fatigue syndrome' - where politicians are widely perceived as 'out of touch' with the people? Sangita discusses the permanent citizens' assembly model with a panel of experts: Sarah Castell, Chief Executive Officer of Involve, a think tank which works to increase public participation in politics; Justine Greening, former Secretary of State for Transport, Education and International Development under two Conservative Prime Ministers; and Simon Woolley, founder of Operation Black Vote, cross-bench peer, and Principal of Homerton College, Cambridge. Producer: Eliane Glaser Sangita Myska asks if citizens assemblies are the way to strengthen democracy in Britain. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Closing the Attainment Gap | 20200714 | Sangita Myska takes a deep dive into some of the biggest problems facing Britain today - and meets the people whose big ideas might solve them.
How tearing up the school calendar could help kids fulfill their true potential. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Curing Our Productivity Problem | 20200630 | Sangita Myska takes a deep dive into some of the biggest problems facing Britain today - and meets the people whose big ideas might solve them.
Working to live, not living to work Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Ending Hiring Discrimination | 20200728 | Sangita Myska takes a deep dive into some of the biggest problems facing Britain today - and meets the people whose big ideas might solve them. This week, as a political sea change shines fresh light on the prejudice black Britons can face when applying for jobs, it's a chance to look at ways to address hiring discrimination. And the UK has a high profile petri dish - the world of professional football, which has long failed to appoint black coaches, managers and executives in proportions to match the players who have proved themselves on the pitch. Looking at two ideas that aim to change that - a new push to recruit black owners to buy football clubs, and an equality charter that hopes to change the cultures of clubs and national bodies - Sangita explores the obstacles to bringing equality into the top levels of football and asks if, with the right innovation, football could become a positive example for other industries. Presenter: Sangita Myska Producers: Tara Holmes and Robert Nicholson Executive Producer: David Prest A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4 Sangita Myska sets out to find the world's brightest ideas that could make Britain better. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Ending Poverty | 20210310 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators with big solutions to some of our most intractable problems.
Michael Tubbs believes the key to tackling poverty could be as simple as giving people money when they need it, with no strings attached.
He road tested his guaranteed income scheme while he was mayor of Stockton California, and now forty two other US Mayors are planning similar pilots.
But can the answer to poverty really be that straightforward?
Contributors include:
Emma, a participant in Covid Realities, a Nuffield Foundation funded project that's tracking how people on low incomes are faring in the pandemic.
Producer: Ellie Bury
Could ending poverty be as simple as giving people money with no strings attached? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Equitable Leadership | 20210803 | Sangita Myska meets Baljeet Sandhu MBE, who believes knowledge equity' can make policy-making more progressive.
Baljeet was working as a high-profile human rights lawyer when she saw a fundamental flaw in the leadership of most elite organisations - those in charge often have no experience of the problems they're trying to solve and so are slow to find effective solutions.
She went on to become the pioneer of the Lived Experience Movement in the UK, and founder and CEO of the Centre for Knowledge Equity - an idea she believes can dismantle inequality at its roots by bringing together people with lived, learned and practice experience to solve the challenges of our time.
Is redefining expertise and placing a true value on the lived experience a good way to think out of the box about the complex problems we face? Are we stifling human ingenuity by limiting decision-making powers to so few?
Contributors include:
Tracey Herrington, manager of Thrive Teeside, a community-led anti-poverty charity that campaigns to put lived experience at the heart of policy-making.
Lord David Willetts, president of the Resolution Foundation and former Minister for Universities and Science.
Michele Wucker, strategist and author of The Gray Rhino and You Are What You Risk: The New Art and Science of Navigating an Uncertain World.
Producer: Eve Streeter
Can the idea of 'knowledge equity\u2019 make policy-making more progressive? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Escaping Street Gangs | 20200707 | Sangita Myska takes a deep dive into some of the biggest problems facing Britain today - and meets the people whose big ideas might solve them.
How can we help a teenager escape a street gang, forever? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Future Proofing Our Schools | 20210324 | In this episode, Sangita Myska asks whether a school dubbed the 'school with no rules' is what our children need to be ready for the 21st century?
The 'Agora' school in the Netherlands has torn up the rule book to help its kids face the challenges of the future. Rob Houben, is the manager of the school and the closest thing it has to a headmaster. Sangita speaks to him about running a school with no classrooms, no teachers and no formal class time, and takes his idea to a panel of experts to see whether it could work here in the UK.
Contributors:
Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Can a school with no teachers or classes provide a model for the future? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| How do we end fuel poverty? | 20210824 | Are local solar energy projects the solution to reducing household bills? Sangita Myska meets Afsheen Rashid MBE, co-founder of the community energy project, Repowering, and chair of Community Energy England.
According to the government's top advisers, `This is a key moment for the 3.2 million households suffering from fuel poverty` in England. In a new report, they argue now is the time to act if we want to stop around 15% of UK households being plunged into poverty because they're struggling to heat and light their homes.
And it's not just those on low incomes who struggle. Recent news that energy bills will rise for millions of households, as the regulator Ofgem raises the price cap, has made finding cheaper sources of energy that will meet the government's net zero carbon emissions target by 2050 even more urgent.
So, are community energy projects the solution?
Contributors include:
Greg Jackson, CEO of Octopus Energy.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Sangita Myska asks if local energy projects are the solution to reducing household bills. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| How to Stop Men Hurting Women | 20210303 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators who think they hold the key to improving the way we live.
Jackson Katz believes abuse perpetrated by men against women can be prevented and ended, forever.
His idea starts with upending how we see the problem, `Violence against women is in fact a men's issue. The very act of calling rape or domestic violence a women's issue, shifts the focus of accountability and responsibility off of men and puts it onto women - which I consider a subtle form of victim blaming.`
His solution involves the bystander approach, where men make misogynist beliefs completely unacceptable.
To stress test Jackson's idea, Sangita is joined by a panel of experts: David Gadd, Professor of Criminology at the University of Manchester, Dr Olumide Adisa, Head of Centre for Abuse Research at the University of Suffolk and Chloe Bustin, Senior Advisor at the Behavioural Insights Team
Producer: Sarah Bowen
Sangita Myska meets Jackson Katz, an innovator bidding to change the world. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Improving outcomes for children in care | 20210331 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators with big solutions to some of our most intractable problems.
Emmanuel Akpan Inwang was teaching in a Birmingham state school when he became aware of the worrying statistics about how looked after children fare in the world. He became convinced that a model of children's home used in Germany and Denmark, with family life and education at its heart, held the key to improving things in the UK.
After years of research and fundraising his first home is opening in South London later this year and he's planning to open more.
But has he got the right focus and is this model right for the UK?
Contributors include:
Anne Longfield, who has just completed her six year tenure as Children's Commissioner for England
Mark Kerr, CEO of The Centre for Outcomes of Care, a research charity that focuses on improving outcomes for children and families. He also oversees practice at two Children's Homes
Elaine Hamilton, Service Manager for Nether Johnstone House - a children's home in Scotland, and trustee of the Social Pedagogy Professional Association
Producer: Ellie Bury
Is a model of children's home used in Germany and Denmark the key to improving outcomes? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Is Thinking About Divorce the Secret to a Happy Marriage? | 20210720 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators with big solutions to our most intractable problems.
In this episode, Sangita meets Harvard law professor Jeannie Suk Gersen who believes pre-marriage mediation is the key to a lasting relationship.
If you want to understand what makes a marriage work, says Jeannie, you should think about how a marriage ends. Divorce makes the rules of marriage explicit, and understanding those rules can help us build better relationships from the beginning.
But is it possible to predict future tensions and sidestep them in this way? Sangita puts Jeannie's idea to a panel of experts to see if it's a model for marriage that could work for British couples.
Contributors include:
Producer: Eve Streeter
Jeannie Suk Gersen who claims pre-marriage mediation is the key to a lasting relationship. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Keeping humans relevant at work | 20210317 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators with big solutions to some of our most intractable problems.
The World Economic Forum says the workforce is automating faster than expected, displacing a predicted 85 million jobs in the next five years. Tech entrepreneur Charles Towers Clark believes that taking power away from bosses and giving it to employees is the key to humans surviving in the workplace of the future.
He did it in his own company and now he thinks all companies need to do it as a matter of urgency.
But is this the key to keeping humans relevant at work?
Contributors include:
Daniel Susskind, a Fellow in Economics at Oxford University and author of A World Without Work
Julian Birkinshaw, Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at London Business School
Leena Nair, Chief Human Resources Officer and member of the Leadership Executive at Unilever
Producer: Ellie Bury
Is transferring power from bosses to employees the key to protecting jobs from automation? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Keeping Whitney out of jail | 20191230 | Jo Fidgen explores how we can stop women from going back into prison. There are around 4,000 women behind bars in England and Wales. They make up 5% of the total prison population. And yet their incarceration has an outsized impact on society. In the first of a new series, Jo Fidgen goes with a young woman who has been in and out of the criminal justice system to try to find out how different approaches could change things. They look at the kinds of local, community-based responses that are changing lives across the UK, as well as a more radical approach that calls into question assumptions about women and crime.
Producer: Ant Adeane
Jo Fidgen explores how we can stop women from going back into prison. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Levelling the Playing Field | 20220419 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators with big solutions to some of our most intractable problems.
Existing inequalities have been exacerbated by the pandemic, so how can we level the playing field so that all children have an equal chance? According to Professor Darrick Hamilton, the answer is Baby Bonds, a means tested lump sum of up to $60,000 which all children are entitled to when they reach adulthood.
In the US the idea is gaining traction and some states are exploring implementing their own versions of Baby Bonds. But could the idea make a difference here?
Our expert panel:
Dr Zubaida Haque, Executive Director of The Equality Trust
Producer: Ellie Bury
Is a means tested pot of money on turning 18 the answer to levelling the playing field? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Making Planning Work for Everyone | 20220503 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators with big solutions to some of our most intractable problems.
The government has pledged to build 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s to ease the country's housing crisis and increase home ownership, but that target is not being met. According to some experts the problem is that the system isn't equipped to deal with the amount of local opposition proposed developments generate. But what if there was a way to build consensus so that everyone felt their opinion was being heard?
Architect and game designer Ekim Tan believes the key could be in game play - bringing all the stakeholders together to play games involving design, policy and budgets. Her method has been tried in cities all over the world, could it work here?
Our expert panel:
David Rudlin, urbanist, master planner and Principle at Urbed design and research consultancy
Producer: Ellie Bury
Does gaming hold the key to resolving the planning bottleneck? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| On-demand buses | 20220426 | Sangita Myska asks if on-demand buses offer a passenger-friendly, cost-effective solution to isolation and transport poverty in rural Britain
Long: Powered by apps and algorithms from tech companies such as Via and Padam Mobility, on-demand buses are being piloted in rural areas across the UK.
For local authorities they promise a cost-effective means of tackling rural isolation, boosting rural economies and reducing the number of cars on the roads. And for passengers, on-demand buses should mean more flexibility than traditional bus timetables and routes as well as a greener and cheaper way to travel.
But will technology that works well in city centres and suburbs prove effective across much bigger rural areas, where journey times are longer and, traditionally, the car is king ?
Sangita Myska talks to innovator Chris Snyder at tech transit company Via as well as Niki Park of Norfolk County Council, Justin Ward, Head of Policy at the Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation and Alex Shapland-Howes, CEO of Tandem.
Producer: Julia Johnson
Sangita Myska meets key innovators on a mission to change our world for the better. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Searching for Lasting Happiness | 20210224 | Sangita Myska goes in search of the innovators who think they hold the key to improving the way we live.
Contributors include:
You can find out more about Mo Gawdat by searching for the 'Slo Mo' podcast.
Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Meet the innovators bidding to change our world. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Social Revolution | 20220510 | We are increasingly shaped by digital technology that shortens our attention span and pits us against one another. Our innovator Tristan Harris has been described as `the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience`. He campaigns for a healthier balance between online and offline life and is on a mission to show us all how to achieve it.
Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Sangita Myska meets key innovators on a mission to change our world for the better. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Tackling Food Waste | 20200103 | Broadcaster and journalist Fi Glover and digital advisor Gemma Milne examine some of the UK's biggest problems and consult a jury of end users to determine the best solution for all.
In this edition, the team are on the hunt for a radical solution to the UK's problem of large scale supermarket food waste. Britain throws out over 10 million tonnes of food each year - which is more than enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall over 100 times.
Three advocates present their plans directly to our panel of consumers who rigorously interrogate them and ultimately decide on the solution they believe will have the greatest impact.
Under consideration are a proposal to remove `use by` and `sell by` dates on products in order to change consumer habits, food recycling through `no waste` shops on every high street and `gleaning` on farms, and an algorithmic tech solution that introduces dynamic pricing to the retailer's shelves.
Fi and Gemma work with the panel to judge each solution, and together they have to reach a consensus on the best way forward.
Produced by Anishka Sharma and Sasha Edye-Lindner
A team of end users stress-test three radical solution to the problem of food waste. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| Tackling Food Waste | 20200103 | 20200105 (R4) | Broadcaster and journalist Fi Glover and digital advisor Gemma Milne examine some of the UK's biggest problems and consult a jury of end users to determine the best solution for all.
In this edition, the team are on the hunt for a radical solution to the UK's problem of large scale supermarket food waste. Britain throws out over 10 million tonnes of food each year - which is more than enough to fill the Royal Albert Hall over 100 times.
Three advocates present their plans directly to our panel of consumers who rigorously interrogate them and ultimately decide on the solution they believe will have the greatest impact.
Under consideration are a proposal to remove `use by` and `sell by` dates on products in order to change consumer habits, food recycling through `no waste` shops on every high street and `gleaning` on farms, and an algorithmic tech solution that introduces dynamic pricing to the retailer's shelves.
Fi and Gemma work with the panel to judge each solution, and together they have to reach a consensus on the best way forward.
Produced by Anishka Sharma and Sasha Edye-Lindner
A team of end users stress-test three radical solution to the problem of food waste. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. |
| The Case for Polyamory | 20220412 | For many Millennials and much of Gen Z, polyamory is becoming more common. With all of us living longer than ever, Sangita Myska asks: is polyamory an alternative relationship model fit for the 21st Century?
There's even an app for it. Ana Kirova, CEO of Feeld, is using tech to help challenge the idea that we should follow the formula we've all been taught: meet one person, settle down and live happily ever after.
Our expert panel:
Producer: Sarah Shebbeare
Could polyamory be the way of the future? Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| The Employment Conundrum | 20200721 | Sangita Myska takes a deep dive into some of the biggest problems facing Britain today - and meets the people whose big ideas might solve them.
This week, as Britain stares down the barrel of a historic unemployment crisis, it's time to figure out how to make work work.
From Germany, there's an old idea that's worked for centuries - but never been tried here - that brings the heavy hand of the state and a sense of communal sacrifice to bear in staving off layoffs.
But are we thinking about this all wrong? Sangita also explores the possibility that what we need to be more worried about is how mass unemployment creates a labour market that exploits workers and pays poverty wages - something a new generation of tech savvy collectives have a plan to prevent.
Presenter: Sangita Myska
A Whistledown production for BBC Radio 4
Sangita Myska sets out to find the world's brightest ideas that could make Britain better. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| The New Seaside | 20191231 | The Victorian splendour of many of Britain's coastal towns has long faded. Many of them rank among our most economically deprived communities. The Southend-born writer Farrah Jarral talks to people who believe in a brighter future by the seaside, including an entrepreneur with a vision for the Wirral. Is he our New Victorian?
Farrah Jarral goes in search of a brighter future for Britain\u2019s neglected seaside towns. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. | |
| What\u2019s the best job to do good? | 20210817 | Sangita Myska meets Ben Todd, founder of the ethical careers service 80,000 Hours, who helps people find jobs that are effective in addressing global issues.
By and large, conversations about how we choose to do what we do often focus around our passions, earnings and striking a work-life balance. But, are they the right considerations?
If we want to make a positive difference in the world, Ben Todd believes we should consider the estimated 80,000 hours of our lives we spend working. His service identifies neglected areas of global problems, creates individual career plans for recent graduates, who they call readers', and finds them job opportunities as well as setting them up with mentors.
So, given global disparities in health and wealth as well as the existential threats facing humanity - such as another pandemic or climate change - should there be an ethical imperative that governs how we choose to spend our working lives?
Contributors include:
Sanjay Joshi, who gave up a job in the City to set up the non-profit charity-rating organisation SoGive.
Alex Edmans, Professor of Finance at London Business School, and author of Growing the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit.
Sarah Ellis, co-founder of AmazingIf careers agency, and co-author of The Squiggly Career.
Producer: Dom Byrne
Sangita Myska meets Ben Todd the founder of an ethical careers service. Big ideas that might solve some of the biggest problems facing Britain today. |