Batting the Breeze

Thank you for looking in on our podcast where we share stories, invite others to share stories and sometimes just talk for the hell of it. Stories might be amusing, inspirational or stir the emotions. Often they relate to specific historical events and always try to be informative and thought-provoking.

So, if you are curious about the world, why not take a few minutes out of your hectic schedule and join us batting the breeze.

Recent Newsletters

(published 2 weeks in arrears on website - to receive your live weekly newsletter, click here)

Rumble int he Jungle The Lady with the Lamp that ignited a nursing revolution The Lady with the Lamp that ignited a nursing revolution
27th October 2024
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee
20th October 2024
The Lady with the Lamp that ignited a nursing revolution
13th October 2024
In praise of beards - from milky manes to Lincoln’s whiskers

 

Recent Episodes

May 30, 2024

48. Alex's Wish for Duchenne

Your son has a life expectancy in the 20’s. What are you going to do about it? Today’s guest is the embodiment of triumph over adversity, as are her family. Emma Hallam’s life is marked by extraordinary resilience in the fac…
May 9, 2024

47. Hurricane Michael and the Compassionate Captain

If I suggested that you spend nine months away from home and family and sail 32,000 miles around the world the hard way around (ie against prevailing winds and currents), what would you say? And suppose I then told you that …
April 18, 2024

46. The Khmer Rouge, Mr Clever and Me

In 1993, Chris Moon MBE was taken prisoner while clearing landmines in Cambodia by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge, the most feared and brutal regime in the country's history. No Western prisoner had ever survived. Chris managed to k…
Feb. 29, 2024

45. The Good, the Bad and the TV Anchor

If you ever seriously considered a career as a TV Anchor, you had better listen to this episode first. Elizabeth Pearson Garr has been there. After growing up at Stanford and studying at Harvard, she ventured out to the wil…
Feb. 15, 2024

44. Inhuman Trafficking

WARNING: Today’s episode contains adult themes, specifically sex trafficking and human trafficking, so please take that into account. Amanda Blackwood is a gem. She’s fun. She’s full of life. She’s also a survivor of human …
Jan. 31, 2024

43. Twenty-two Black Arrows

In 1958, Sir Patrick Hine was part of a team of elite RAF pilots, the Black Arrows, who broke the world record for an aerobatic display manoeuvre that has never been equalled - and might never be. The Black Arrows performed…
Jan. 18, 2024

42. Battling the Breeze in the 2003 America's Cup

The America's Cup - the pinnacle of professional sailing and one of the oldest and most prestigious trophies in international sport. The 2003 America's Cup: 10 teams, 1 winner. What was it like to be a competitor in one of t…
Jan. 4, 2024

41. Grounded by an Autobiographic Memory

Do you pride yourself on your infallible memory? Well think again. Memories about ourselves and the events of our lives are nurtured by our Autobiographic Memory and, shockingly, it turns out that it is unreliable by design.…
Dec. 21, 2023

40. Our Blue Planet Up Close and Personal

Documentaries such as Blue Planet and The Great Reef have brought new wonder and awareness into our living rooms. Former Royal Navy underwater bomb disposal expert turned submarine pilot Mark Taylor now explores the planet's…
Dec. 7, 2023

39. Operation Clinker

In October 1988, the Hong Kong police executed Operation Clinker and achieved the largest ever drug haul in Hong Kong history. Bill Renwick was undercover with the team of four who heroically overcame two of the drug syndic…