Neil Maggs

Bristol Unpacked podcast cover featuring two people in circular frames on a dark background with yellow accents and 'The Bristol Cable' logo.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Neil Maggs

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.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Amanda Sharman on leading the charge for boat-dwellers’ rights

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Samira Musse on community power, how to consult with people, and giving kids confidence lessons

Promotional graphic for 'Bristol Unpacked' with two circular photos of people featuring on a podcast.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Neil Maggs

Listen: Bristol Unpacked, with councillor Barry Parsons on Green power in City Hall, and improving relations with council tenants

What's behind Bristol's Green surge? How does it feel to be finally leading the city council? And does the party have any new ideas on the housing crisis? Join Neil Maggs as we get stuck into a brand-new season of Bristol Unpacked…

Podcasts

Cable Live – Bristol Central candidates face tough questions on housing at Shelter hustings

Local Elections 2024

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Emma Edwards on making local politics less toxic, and whether the Greens are ready for power

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Tory leader Mark Weston on how the council has waged ‘war on motorists’ and wasted millions

The councillor of nearly 20 years discusses the Tories' miserable national polling, the millions of pounds of public money wasted by the council, and the cultural divides between Bristol's inner city and suburbs.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Jos Clark on ‘bloody rude’ Marvin, looming Labour thrashing and Lib Dem comeback

The experienced local councillor, who is a strong critic of Marvin Rees and the mayoral system, talks libraries, Bristol's failing bus services and her prediction that Labour will take a kicking after eight years in power.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Labour’s Tom Renhard on building new homes, his fast rise to party leader and why the Greens aren’t ready for power

Labour will be trying to hold onto power after eight years of running the city. Local leader Tom Renhard says the Greens, Labour's main competition, won't be able to step up and make big decisions.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Salma Najjar on experiencing the Gaza war as a Palestinian in the UK

Salma, a lawyer who spent her childhood in Gaza, shares the 'dystopian' experience of life under occupation and knowing your family are in a war zone, as well as discussing happier memories and pro-Palestinian activism in the UK.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with Ruth Pitter on the role of the charity sector, pioneering Black theatre and her recent MBE

Neil chats to Ruth, a daughter of the Windrush generation, on her decades of work with Bristol's voluntary and community groups, how that's changed as public services have been cut – and whether she feels conflicted about receiving an honour associated with empire.

Listen: Bristol Unpacked with BBC journalist Lucy Proctor on mad cows, Covid and conspiracy theories

Thirty years ago, BSE was spreading across the UK while the government insisted beef was safe. Neil asks Lucy, producer of The Cows are Mad podcast, about the scandal – and how conspiracy theories have thrived as trust in the establishment has nosedived.