Kevin McManus discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Kevin McManus is an Irish writer and poet from Co. Leitrim whose work is rooted in place, memory, and the quiet emotional currents of everyday life. He has published several works of fiction and poetry, often focusing on crime fiction and the rural Irish landscape.

The Light at Evening is semi-autobiographical as it reflects experiences of his own over recent years: he works as a secondary school teacher, his wife is a cancer survivor and his father passed away in 2024. It is available at https://kevinmcmanusbooks.com/books/the-light-at-evening-kevin-mcmanus/B0GHZV418J.

1. The Irish Bouzouki. A distinctive instrument that has become an important part of the sound of Irish folk and traditional music, but one that remains surprisingly unfamiliar outside that world.
2. The Opening and Closing Lines of Irish Conversations. All those phrases that aren't really questions and don't require answers: "What's the craic?" "What's the story?", "How are you?" "How are things?" And the elaborate ritual of leaving: "Right so", "Sure look", "Anyway", "I'll let you go", and "We'll talk to you."
3. "Martha" by Tom Waits. A beautiful song from his 1973 album Closing Time, in which a man contacts a woman he loved many years earlier.
4. The Slow Set at an Eighties Disco. That moment when the DJ put on a few slow songs and the whole atmosphere of the disco changed. A largely vanished social ritual from the days before mobile phones, social media and dating apps.
5. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973). A wonderfully understated crime film starring Robert Mitchum. Bleak, atmospheric and completely lacking in Hollywood glamour.
6. The Talk of the Town by Ardal O'Hanlon. Ardal O'Hanlon is known primarily as an actor and comedian, particularly from Father Ted, but his novel The Talk of the Town deserves considerably more attention.

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Norman Lamb discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Sir Norman Lamb is the former Liberal Democrat MP for North Norfolk and a former Minister of State for Care and Support. Knighted in 2019 for services to mental health, he also chaired South London and Maudsley Foundation Trust from 2020 to 2025. His new book is Be More Human, which is available at https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/norman-lamb/be-more-human/9781805017752/.

1. Doing something for somebody else https://www.kcl.ac.uk/helping-others-create-change-professor-sir-sam-everington
2. The healing power of nature https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/woodland-restoration-at-whitewoods-offers-a-natural-health-service-to-the-community
3. Alternatives to locking people up https://www.livingwellsystems.uk/trieste
4. Ibrahim Maalouf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibrahim_Maalouf
5. Rosie Phillips https://www.rosiephillipsart.com/
6. Shrinking https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2024/oct/16/shrinking-season-two-review-harrison-ford-comedy-apple-tv

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Chris Wilkins is a political consultant, strategist and writer and co-founder of global campaigns & advisory firm the Hanwell Group.

Beginning his career as a political advisor to the Rt Hon Ann Widdecombe in Westminster, Chris went on to become the youngest Director of the renowned Conservative Research Department (CRD) in over 30 years. He later served in the government of David Cameron before becoming Downing Street Director of Strategy and Chief Speechwriter to Prime Minister Theresa May.

Chris sits on the Board of Centrepoint, the youth homelessness charity whose patron is the Prince of Wales.

1. The music of Martyn Joseph: I grew up listening to Martyn’s music and have seen him in concert many times. He’s been described as the ‘Welsh Springsteen’.
2. Centrepoint’s 2037 ambition: I sit on the Board of the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint. It’s our ambition to end youth homelessness by 2037 - and we have a strategy to get there.
3. The virtues of a Rhodia pad and HB pencil: I love nothing more than a Rhodia writing pad and a good HB pencil. But the real point of this is that it’s a reminder to step away from the laptop, stop worrying about the email inbox and to take time to think.
4. The joy of making music: I grew up learning to play instruments and played in various county orchestras and jazz bands. Every child should be able to do this.
5. Maya Angelou quote: the great American poet Maya Angelou once wrote “people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”.
6. A Six Nations game in Cardiff: there’s nothing better in life than Cardiff on international day. The Principality Stadium, which my father helped to build, is the best rugby stadium in the world

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Actor Joseph Millson discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Joseph Millson has been a busy and well known actor for over thirty years, an associate artist of the Royal Shakespeare company, he has won many awards for his work on stage and screen. His film and TV work includes Casino Royale, The Last Kingdom, Holby City, Banished, The Sarah Jane adventures, Peak Practice and many, many more. He has a masters degree in screenwriting and has written many films as well as for television.

His first feature film as writer/director 'Signs Of Life' won rave reviews and was released digitally and in cinemas across the world. The film won best feature film at the Berlin Indie Film Festival and the London Independent Film festival. Joseph’s memoir 'Work And Other Four Letter Words' was a number one best seller on Amazon, it was shortlisted for the 2021 Theatre Book Prize and received five star reviews in the national press and from renowned writers such as Irvine Welsh and Russell T Davies.

His new novella Miller Rose Roberts is available at https://dl.bookfunnel.com/gn9pyjqy4t.

1. The music of Peter James Millson, most of his albums were signed to reveal records, extraordinarily beautiful stuff. Try the album called ’the accidental’ as a gateway album. https://peterjamesmillson.bandcamp.com/
2. TV show, Babylon Berlin. Holy moly, I’m obsessed, it’s just brilliant! A prestige German TV series that ought to be better known here, do not even slightly worry about the subtitles it’s amazing. https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/apr/10/lifes-no-cabaret-why-gritty-weimar-noir-babylon-berlin-is-wholly-compelling-tv
3. The RSPB centre in Sandy, Bedfordshire, known as The Lodge. Extraordinarily beautiful place, really, and only 45 minutes from london by train or just off A1 by car. https://www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/the-lodge
4. The Seven Days of Peter Crumb, book by Jonny Glynn. LOVE this little known dark comedy thriller novel. https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/2226570.The_Seven_Days_of_Peter_Crumb
5. Album Somehow it’s growing by Lilli Fichtner https://open.spotify.com/album/5kNnp8pKBfcqHnxtji8iNQ
6. Signs of Life: feature film. A beautiful film about grief and kindness. I might have been part of making it but honestly it’s a gem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enZuJmULTVU

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Rob Temple discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Rob Temple is a journalist and creator of Very British Problems. His @SoVeryBritish Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts have more than 5.6 million combined followers. He’s the consultant on the official Channel 4 Very British Problems series, producer of the Very British Problems Live Show, and a columnist for the Telegraph. His new book is A Very British Midlife.

1. Korean concept of Jeong https://www.korea.net/NewsFocus/HonoraryReporters/view?articleId=198727
2. Personal space, especially in the supermarket https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/ndownloader/files/41507847/1
3. Up to Me by Bob Dylan https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9KXxqmKQB0
4. Stamford https://stamfordnotebooks.co.uk/pages/about-stamford
5. Moisturiser https://bulldogskincare.com/blogs/news/the-benefits-of-moisturising
6. Jacket potato https://www.facebook.com/soverybritish/posts/jacket-potato-with-cheese-and-beans-for-tea-couldnt-be-happier-with-that/943907967555363/

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Printmaker Molly Mahon discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Molly Mahon is a distinguished British printmaker and textile designer renowned for her vibrant and original block prints. Offering a range of uplifting collections, each rooted in Molly’s passion for the traditional and transformative craft of block printing, designs merge classic techniques with a fresh, modern aesthetic that feels timeless and joyful. Drawing inspiration from nature and her surroundings in the Sussex countryside, collections of fabrics, wallpapers and homewares are infused with a sense of homeliness that enriches and enlivens interiors. She has written a book ‘House of Print: A modern printer’s take ono design, colour and pattern’ which was printed in 2020 and this year is the 10th anniversary of the brand.

1. The Anokhi Museum, Jaipur – A tiny museum that celebrates the enduring beauty of hand block printing and changed the course of my creative life.
2. East Sussex – A county where creativity and nature exist side by side, from Charleston to Ashdown Forest, inspiring artists, writers and makers.
3. The White Umbrella by Brian Sewell – A gentle fable about kindness, compassion and the extraordinary journeys that begin with a single act of care.
4. Imperfections are the Luxury – The tiny variations in something made by hand are no longer flaws; they're what make an object unique, authentic and worth treasuring and more and more extinct!
5. The Craftspeople Behind Beautiful Things – The remarkable makers behind the objects we treasure deserve far greater recognition - is this too connected to the one above?
6. Florals and Stripes Belong Together – One of decorating's happiest marriages, proving that the most timeless interiors are built on contrast, confidence and a love of pattern.

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Anna Heyward discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.

Anna Heyward is a former editorial staffer of The New Yorker. She is a graduate student in animal behaviour and welfare science at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine and is working as a dog trainer. Her writing has also been published by the New York Times, New York Times Book Review, T Magazine, Paris Review, and Vogue, among others. She was a 2018 Ravitch Fellow at the CUNY School of Journalism. Anna lives in New York but is often in London and Melbourne, where she was born. Based on her New Yorker story Bad Dog https://www.newyorker.com/culture/personal-history/bad-dog, her new book is called Living with Freddie and is available at https://www.virago.co.uk/titles/anna-heyward/living-with-freddie/9780349016528/

1. Pain in companion animals

2. You don’t need to punish your dog

3. Non-existence of pack theory in dogs

4. The lack of regulation in animal training

5. Welcoming snakes and spiders into our homes

6. The benefits of embracing a “messy” garden

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Minette Batters was the first woman to be elected President of the National Farmers’ Union in 113years. She worked with four Prime Ministers - three of them in one year - and six Defra Secretaries of State. She stood down from the post in February 2024.

In 2020 she led the NFU on one of the most successful campaigns ever seen, bringing together a coalition of chefs, including Jamie Oliver, farmers, environmentalists, consumer groups and animal welfare experts - resulting in over one million people signing the NFU food standards petition. Minette also co-founded ‘Ladies in Beef’ and the Great British Beef Week.

She’s an ambassador for Farm Africa and a passionate advocate and fundraiser for the Junior Diabetic Research Foundation. She’s run in four marathons, raising over £100,000 for charity. In 2021 Minette was made a Deputy Lieutenant to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, and in July 2024 she was made a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords.

1. Curriculum based learning of food production https://www.farminguk.com/news/children-have-huge-lack-of-food-and-farming-knowledge-nfu-says_48601.html

2. Learning to cook and the importance of good nutrition https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/jun/18/minette-batters-we-need-a-success-story-for-wild-spaces-but-also-for-farmers-and-food

3. Nature and the natural environment https://www.countrylife.co.uk/comment-opinion/minette-batters-the-peppering-project-is-a-blueprint-for-delivering-food-and-nature-security-across-the-country-in-a-way-that-rewilding-on-its-own-never-will-270118

4. Exercise and sport https://impactreport.womeninsport.org/

5. Politics https://www.farmersguardian.com/news/4176394/last-press-conference-nfu-president-minette-batters

6. Value of the rural economy https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/the-rural-economy/

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