George Colwey
Listen: People Just Do Something – investigative journalist Sian Norris on going undercover with the many men of Reform
As a well-known left-leaning journalist, how does one turn up at a Reform rally and go undercover without being outed? This week, Sian Norris breaks that down for Isaac and Priyanka, as well as discussing the party’s rise and the far right’s wider attack on reproductive rights.
Listen: Bristol Unpacked with David Jubb of Citizens in Power – can citizens’ assemblies relight our democratic fires?
Neil sits down with David Jubb to talk citizens' assemblies: how do they work, why are they a better way of doing politics, and what's the new one he's helping run here in the West of England all about?
Listen: People Just Do Something – Isaac meets the Great Baldini at Cribbs Causeway’s Tesla Takedown
Who are the people taking part in the global Tesla Takedown at the local dealership for Elon Musk's cars, in Cribbs Causeway. And do they have an effective protest strategy? Isaac hits the road to try to find out.
Listen: Bristol Unpacked with the BBC’s Pete Simson on the WECA mayoral election, making politics interesting and why snacks matter
Neil talks to Pete Simson, BBC Politics West editor, about the race to become the new mayor of the West of England Combined Authority and whether an upset in the 2025 election is likely after Arron Banks' entry.
Listen: People Just Do Something, with Palestinian activist Iyad Burnat on the power of nonviolent resistance in the face of genocide
In the first episode of a new season, Isaac talks to Iyad Burnat, head of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall, about the decades he’s spent peacefully resisting Israeli occupation in the West Bank.
Listen: Bristol Unpacked with photographer Colin Moody on documenting the city, and the threats to its nightlife
In the first of a new season of Unpacked, Neil talks to Colin about his new book collaboration with Jasmine Ketibuah-Foley, celebrating Bristol's nightlife – and the challenges venues face in the post-Covid era.
Listen: The Debrief – Medact, the doctors fighting for Barton House residents
In February, doctors from health justice charity Medact presented a hard-hitting report to Bristol City Council about how the Barton House tower block evacuation had harmed residents' physical and mental health. Priyanka Raval hears more from the group's Dr Amelia Cussans.
Listen: Bristol Unpacked from the archive, with Green co-leader Carla Denyer on taking on Labour and tackling lazy views of her party
In our second raid on the Unpacked vaults, from 2021, Carla and Neil discuss overturning Green Party stereotypes, aiming for a kinder local politics and conquering the left-wing territory being vacated by Labour.
Listen: Bristol Unpacked from the archive, with the city’s comedy legend Jayde Adams on loss, laughter and local voices
Delving into the Unpacked vaults, Jayde and Neil discuss the politics of comedy, the power of grief, and the dearth of Bristolian accents in the media and on TV in this episode from 2022.
Listen: Bristol Unpacked with barrister Lucy Reed, on opening the secretive family courts to scrutiny
The family courts, which make orders for children to be taken into care, have long been a hidden world, but that's now changing. Neil talks to barrister and transparency campaigner Lucy about why this matters, and how the system needs to change.
Listen: People Just Do Something, with Joshua Dávila on putting the blockchain into use for the left
How do cryptocurrencies work? Why does the right love them so much? And how can blockchain technologies be used for more positive social purposes – or even authentically left-wing ones? Join Priyanka and Isaac to find out…
Listen: Bristol Unpacked, with former Lord Mayor Paul Goggin on homelessness, mental health and the struggle for south Bristol votes
'It's been eventful', says Paul Goggin, of a life that has featured both rough sleeping and local politics. He joins Neil Maggs to talk housing, faith, and whether Labour should fear Reform in wards like Hartcliffe and Withywood.
