This image features the logo and title for Bristol Unpacked, a podcast presented by The Bristol Cable. It includes stylized illustrations of host Neil Maggs and this week's guest, Dr Edson Burton, in yellow circles against a grey abstract background.
Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Neil Maggs

As Bristol vies to be 2029 UK City of Culture, Neil sits down with, writer, performer and historian Edson to ask what culture means in the city and the UK, and whether we can find a common understanding to unite around

Latest stories

Surveillance isn’t safeguarding: Think Family and the fight for transparency

Bristol City Council says its mass data gathering tool is designed to protect, not profile the 55,000 families it monitors. But is it pushing school children into the criminal justice system?

Reader survey: Help us report on the safety of energy drinks

Have you or someone you know experienced a health issue after consuming energy drinks? We want to hear from you

Bristol Patriots ‘unity March’ is a sham. We need to come out to oppose it

The far-right group’s latest demo claims to be about ‘religious unity’ but excludes Muslims. Bristol won’t fall for that

How to interfere with jury trials, and lose

A jury refused to convict six Palestine Action activists who smashed up an Israeli weapons factory in Bristol, overcoming a government-led smear campaign and arms lobby pressure

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Joe Joyce talking rugby, resilience and making a controversial return to the West Country

Neil sits down with the 'King of Southmead' to discuss social media beef after his recent signing for Gloucester, class and culture in rugby, and how it feels to face the end of a sporting career

‘Find your people, find your space’: Lawi Anywar on Bristol’s arts scene

The Bristol-based multi-instrumentalist discusses mental health, masculinity and the challenges of thriving in a precarious creative sector

We've Got Your Boy

We've Got Your Boy

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A new investigative podcast series on school exclusions, child imprisonment, and the roots of serious youth violence.

We've Got Your Boy

We’ve Got Your Boy: Episode 5, The Streets Don’t Love You

Reports

We’ve Got Your Boy: Episode 4, Ain’t No One’s Friend

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Edition 42

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The Big Story

Hurt people, hurt people: The hidden lives of children behind bars

At 10 years old, England and Wales has one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in the world. Here we offer a glimpse into child incarceration, the school to prison pipeline and stalling youth justice system reforms. Starting here, on the outskirts of Bristol...

Play, a risky business: A tour of Bristol’s Adventure Playgrounds

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Uncovering injustice and wrongdoing

A year ago, Bristol showed up to resist racist, anti-migrant hatred. But the fight’s not over

Bristolians have been reflecting on the days of defiance in August last year. Who should we thank, who is to blame? And as the far right prepares to return to our streets this weekend, how do we build on the resistance?

Filton 18: ‘The more you oppress people, the more they will rise’

The British state is treating Palestine Action activists who targeted an Elbit Systems Israeli arms facility on the outskirts of Bristol like terrorists – subjecting them to repressive sanctions in jail as they await trial.

Enduring trauma, and a struggle for justice: one year on from the Barton House high-rise evacuation

On 14 November 2023 an east Bristol tower block was evacuated over fears it could collapse, making national news. A year on, residents tell the Cable about the disruption to their lives, the ongoing impact on their wellbeing and their children's – and how a community has been left traumatised.

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From audio investigations to People Just Do Something, listen to deep-dives into local issues and recordings of live events.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Green councillor Ani Townsend on art, inequality and the case for a universal basic income

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with police and crime commissioner Clare Moody on fixing force culture, and the government axing her role

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Temple Quarter chair Lyn Garner – can regeneration be inclusive?

Listen: Bristol Unpacked – taking wealth redistribution into your own hands, with Bristol Redistro’s Frances Howe

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Explained: What do council funding reforms mean for Bristol?

After austerity hollowed out council budgets, the new government is changing how local authorities are funded, so is there light at the end of the tunnel for Bristol?

Watch: How Section 60 contributes to rifts between police and the communities they serve

Youth workers, community leaders and the founder of a police monitoring group explain the damaging and traumatising impact of controversial 'suspicionless' search powers in Bristol.

VIDEO: Chief constable challenged on ‘anti-racist policing’ progress and stop and search reform

It’s been a year since Avon and Somerset’s chief constable Sarah Crew admitted her service was institutionally racist, but what is she actually doing about it?