The playwright on the political and economic upheavals that turned Labour strongholds into Brexit and Reform seats – and why she refuses to flatten those stories into slogans.

The generation-defining South African architect on architecture’s politics, the lessons in traditional building, and speaking up when it’s easier not to.

The Britsh artist on class wars, cuddling aardvarks and the long overdue democratisation of the arts.

The British filmmaker on AI’s creep into cinema and the quiet rebellion back to lo-fi.

The mathematician, writer, broadcaster on why we need an education system that stops forcing a choice between logic and imagination.

The UK singer-songwriter on childhood, family, prayer, and the practices that have helped him find his way back to music and to himself. 

The Nigerian British award winning poet on poetry as a way to reclaim language, connect with heritage, and ask questions that don’t need neat answers.

The award-winning novelist on water scarcity, vanishing democracies, and why she believes stories are one of the last defences against numbness.

The British comedian on fatherhood, mental health, male identity and the appeal of figures like Andrew Tate.

The Shaolin Master on ego, attention spans, and why real strength has as much to do with sensitivity as it does with discipline.

The Gruffalo illustrator and best-selling author on drawing animals, protecting childhood, and staying politically engaged through art.

The novelist, poet, and former HBO executive on on childhood freedom, ecological unease, digital distractions, and the power of trees to put us in our place.