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The best podcasts to learn about class.

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Who am I?

I've been making audio stuff for years, first music, then music radio, speech based radio and now podcasts. I come from a small council estate in the south east of England, and the place I grew up plays a huge part in the work I make now. Growing up on a council estate has had a big impact on my life. I went to the 'school that died of poverty*', left that school with very little to show, and things are still really bad for kids growing up in the same area, over 30 years later. Class is such a tricky subject for many, which is one of the reasons I'm so interested in it. *Search The Guardian Newspaper for this article to find out more.

My Show

What is my podcast about and/or how does it relate to the playlist topic you chose?

My podcast is about educational inequality in the UK, told through stories from one family, a daughter and her three brothers. We follow their lives through the education system, hearing about their different experiences and the impact they have had on the rest of their lives. The family are working class, and live on the same council estate I grew up on. You'll hear in the podcast so much about class and how much it impacts every aspect of life in the UK, but especially education.

What is my podcast playlist about?

I wanted to create a playlist that went beyond education and class. I also wanted to create a list of podcasts made by and for people from working class backgrounds. I'm not sure if I've succeeded at that, but I've had a good try, and I hope you enjoy exploring these stories as much as I have. If I have struggled to find work it's because the creative worlds are dominated by people from more advantaged backgrounds. I'd like to focus my attention on making sure more people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are able to make creative work and be responsible for telling their own stories.

The podcasts I picked and why

1. The Proper Class Podcast

Why this podcast?

Such a brilliant celebration of the working class, or 'working class hero's as Hannah and Laura call them.

The Proper Class Podcast

The Proper Class Podcast

Laura Checkley & Hannah Chissick

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Working class and queer actor Laura Checkley (King Gary, Screw) and working class theatre director Hannah Chissick (Treason, Little Wars) discuss and celebrate all things working class. Each episode they are joined by a different guest who grew up working class. They talk about their journey and rise to where they are now, celebrating their success and hopefully inspiring a few along the way. Guests include: comedians, actors, sports stars, poets, and more - fondly remembering their roots and what they have gained from being working class.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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2. Working Class History

Why this podcast?

If you want to know about the real history of the world beyond the stories focused on the kings, queens and presidents, this is a good place to start. Such a brilliant collection of well researched stories.

Working Class History

Working Class History

Working Class History

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History isn't made by kings and politicians, it's made by all of us. This podcast is about how we, together, have fought for a better world.
Become a paid subscriber, support our work and listen ad-free with early access and exclusive bonus episodes at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/working-class-history--5711490/support.

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3. Beyond the nepo baby: the deep drivers of social mobility

Why this podcast?

Good exploration of concept of social mobility (which I think doesn't exist). Always good to hear about advantage and what that means to equality.

Hello! Nepo-babies are a new-fangled term but the issue of social mobility goes much deeper...in this episode Ed and Geoff explore why the same kind of people often seem to make it to the top. Why does your starting point in life still strongly determine where you’ll end up? We find out why it matters and if there’s anything we can do to change it. We’re speaking to social mobility tsar Alan Milburn, social entrepreneur Joe Seddon who helps state school pupils get into top Universities and to comedian Josie Long about how to open up the creative industries to more people.


Plus: Can Geoff persuade Ed to woo Justine with a ChatGPT Valentine's poem?


Guests

Alan Milburn, Chair, Social Mobility Foundation (@alanmilburn1958 & @SocialMobilityF)

Joe Seddon, Founder & CEO, Zero Gravity (@whatjoedid & @zerogravity)

Josie Long, Comedian & Co-Founder, Arts Emergency (@JosieLong & @artsemergency)


More info

Read the New York Magazine article on nepo babies in Hollywood

Read Vice's article about why American nepo babies have nothing on the British

Learn more about the Social Mobility Foundation and apply to their Aspiring Professionals Programme

Sign up to Zero Gravity as a sixth form student to get mentoring, or as a university student to become a mentor

Read Zero Gravity's Gap Zero Report on the network advantage

Learn more about Arts Emergency, get support as a young person, donate or become a mentor



Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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02/13/23 • 51 min

1 Listener

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4. Darren McGarvey's Common People

Why this podcast?

I love pretty much everything Darren does. We are really lucky to have him as a guest on our show speaking about education.

Darren McGarvey's Common People
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A Podcast by Darren McGarvey


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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5. Polly Toynbee on her new book An Uneasy Inheritance: My Family and Other Radicals

Why this podcast?

I found it refreshing to hear someone from such a privileged background speaking about their advantage. We'll be working with Polly on a future episode of Class Divide later in 2023.

As a self confessed “silver spooner” who enjoyed a privileged upbringing Polly Toynbee talks to Nuala McGovern about her committed left wing "rabble rouser" ancestors and her own life long battle with the injustices of the British class system.

In our series about narcissistic mothers we've heard a lot from daughters. Yesterday, a listener we are calling Bethany told her story. Her relationship with her daughter had been strained for a long time. In January she received a book in the post about how to spot and deal with a narcissistic mother, some passages were highlighted , and a letter. Today she picks up the story and explained how she felt as she opened the book and read the passages pointed out by her daughter. How does it feel to be labelled a narcissist and how can you move forward from there?

Last month we looked at the experience of caring with authors Emily Kenway and Lynne Tillman. So many of you got in touch including academic Dinah Roe, a Reader in nineteeth-century literature, who with poet Sarah Hesketh, managing editor of Modern Poetry In Translation, have been running a series of free online workshops, inspired by Christina Rossetti's writing, designed specifically for people with caring responsibilities. Dinah and Sarah join Nuala in the studio.

Presenter: Nuala McGovern Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant

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06/07/23 • 57 min

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