Corinne Fowler has never been one to shy away from straight talking.

The Professor of Colonialism and Heritage at the University of Leicester made headlines for weeks back in 2020 after co-authoring a report for the National Trust on how the history and creation of many of our great houses are bound up with the history of slavery, conquest and colonialism. She was vilified in the right-wing press and accused by Nigel Farage of 'trashing our nation'.

Her response does her huge credit. Instead of launching in to stoke this battle in the culture wars any further, she embarked upon a new project which became her latest book, Our Island Stories. Embracing the spirit of 'show, don't tell' the book is structured around a series of walks in Britain, taken in the company of people whose lives have been shaped by the tales the route, and the places along it, have to tell. It's a book that has won enormous praise, being described in The Observer as a 'compassionate, measured account — which does not shy away from the inevitable controversy of its subject, but never embraces easy or pat answers — [which] offers an eloquent vision of how imperialism has come to define our green and pleasant land'.

We're delighted that Corinne joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to tell her story, and explain more about how so many of the tales of our island nation — and how it became the country it is today— have been hidden in plain sight for generations. It's an absolutely fascinating look at a side of Britain that has been all too often overlooked for so long, from the true source of wealth creation in 17th, 18th and 19th centuries to the places across the country that were far more diverse centuries ago than almost any of us realise.

Our Island Stories by Corinne Fowler is out now in paperback.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Professor Corinne Fowler

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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The adventurer, broadcaster, scientist and writer Steve Backshall has been a fixture on TV screens in Britain for nearly three decades — and we're absolutely thrilled that he joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast.

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Steve talks through some of the highlights of his amazing career, from coming face-to-face with tigers and great white sharks to discovering ancient ruins while diving in flooded cave systems. But as well as a globetrotting naturalist with a gift for overcoming his natural fears, he's also a natural raconteur who shares and why he's determined that his kids should have a wonderful childhood spent outdoors — just as he did.

Steve is now sharing his lifetime of adventures on a new podcast called That's Just Wild, which he presents alongside biologist Lizzie Daly and environmental journalist Sarah Roberts, with two episodes each week from wherever you get your podcasts.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Steve Backshall

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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

‘I thought, okay, well it worked for Lady Godiva, didn’t it? This whole naked stuff? So let me give that a try. I felt like it was the only option.’

Just as it worked for Lady Godiva, so it has for Hannah Bourne-Taylor, the campaigner, naturalist and writer who has spent years fighting for change to help Britain’s bird population — and particularly the swift.

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After spending years overseas in places where she was surrounded by birds and nature, Hannah was dismayed on her return to see how little is being done to help preserve wildlife — and particularly with regard to her favourite bird, the swift. And after deciding to do something about it, she launched the campaign which has now taken years of her life — and which, as she tells James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast, has seen her enjoy a blaze of publicity by marching up and down Whitehall without a stitch on, in a desperate, yet wildly successful, publicity stunt.

She tells James about the swift, their plight, and how the simple introduction of one or two ‘swift bricks’ added to each new build house could have an enormous impact at negligible cost, by providing safe nesting for birds whose former favourite spots have increasingly disappeared due to modern construction techniques.

Hannah also talks about her love of nature in general and the struggles she’s faced, from battling apathy and indifference to hastily adjusting a stick-on G-string in the House of Lords toilets. She also tells a tale from an earlier time in her life, when a tiny lost fledgling nested in her hair as it recuperated before rejoining its family.

It’s a fascinating glimpse in to the mind of a woman who is in equal measure strong, brave, eccentric and passionate. Once you’ve listened, we’d highly recommend Hannah’s books for more: her latest, Nature Needs You, about her battle to save the swift, and Fledgling, her story that rewrites ‘the conventional boundaries of the relationships people have with animals’.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Hannah Bourne-Taylor

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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

Poet, author, musician and Yorkshireman, Simon Armitage has been Britain's Poet Laureate since 2019 — so we're thrilled that he joined James Fisher on the latest edition of the Country Life Podcast.

From the surprising details of what he does — or, more accurately, doesn't — have to do as part of his role, to the primary school teacher who didn't even put his Christmas poem in his class's top six, Simon shares tales of his life, his work and his inspiration.

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Nature has always been a big part of the latter, and never more so than with his latest collection of poems, Dwell. The book was inspired by the time he has spent at the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall — a place where he'll be back on June 21st for the Heligan Homecoming Festival, which runs June 13-22 and features guests including Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Dawn French.

Simon also talks about how the world — and the world of art in particular — is being changed by technology... even if what AI can create so far has been limited to verse that is, in his phrase, 'reassuringly awful'.

That said, Simon also worries that 'it will only get better', something which could actually change how art is made.

'I wonder if it might throw art back on some of its high-end, traditional values that are quite difficult to imitate and replicate,' he adds.

'The art that will really be in trouble is sort of avant-gardism and experimentation which — dare I say it? Yes,I do — is quite easily imitated.

Charming, funny, self-deprecating, Simon was a wonderful guest — enjoy the show.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Simon Armitage

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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

Amid the birdsong, the snores of a dog, and the purrs of a cat, sits Poppy Okotcha. The horticulturist and author joined the Country Life Podcast this week to discuss all things gardening and, specifically, its restorative effects on not only nature but people.

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A former model, Poppy walked away from the world of fashion to 'return to the earth'. From humble beginnings growing ginger in a houseboat in London, now she lives in rural Devon, growing regeneratively and organically. But it's not just plants, but people, that the garden improves. After spending 30 minutes talking to her, it's difficult not to believe her.

Her book A Wilder Way: How Gardens Grow Us is a compelling look at her life in gardens, and she's also giving a talk at the Cheltenham Science Festival, which runs from June 3–8. If this podcast is anything to go by, it's one you can't afford to miss.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Poppy Okotcha

Producer and editor: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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

The Chelsea Flower Show is one of the high points of the summer: a celebration of plants, gardens and creativity, as well as an unbeatable opportunity to rub shoulders with those who share the passion for making the most of this gorgeous time of year in England.

This year, Country Life has its own presence at the show, at stand PW210, and we're thrilled to be part of this incomparable event. We'll be reporting from SW3 throughout the week, and you can see all our Chelsea 2025 stories right here, where we have been (and will continue) to share all the best photographs, stories and more from the show.

To kick things off on the opening day, we are delighted that Country Life's gardens editor Tiffany Daneff was able to record a podcast at the show itself, speaking to Country Life's Toby Keel. Tiffany is a veteran of the show, having been literally dozens of times in her career, and has been talking to many of the garden designers whose work is on display in the grounds of the Royal Hospital Chelsea.

She talks through the things not to miss at this year's show, from the best of the show gardens to the cleverest ideas from among the smaller gardens tucked away in the corners, and she also gives a rundown of the finest flowers from inside the Great Pavilion, all while telling the stories and sharing the insights about behind how the show comes together.

And yes, Tiffany also shares her very favourite plant from this year's show, one which she'd just seen before we started recording — so much so that she didn't yet have a note of the name. As promised in the recording, we've added the name here: it's called Ranunculus acris 'Citrinus'.

Episode credits

Host: Toby Keel

Guest: Tiffany Daneff

Producer and editor: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Back next week: James Fisher

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When it comes to England’s environment and our landscape, few people in the country are as important as Tony Juniper. Since 2019, he has been the chairman of Natural England, the public body for ensuring that the country’s natural environment is protected and enhanced. Not a small job, as we are sure you’ll agree.

He is also a recognised authority on parrots. More on that later.

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As well as managing Natural England, Tony is a prolific public speaker and author. Om Saturday May 17th, 2025, he’ll be at London’s newest literary festival, Fleet Street Quarter Festival of Words, in conversation with former leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett, to discuss their books Just Earth and Change Everything, respectively. Tickets are available here.

We spoke to Tony about Just Earth, and it was enlightening to hear his words on how climate degradation is as much a social issue as it is an environmental one. So much has been said about the changing climate, that it was fascinating to talk to someone with so much experience in the sector, and someone who has witnessed so much decline in his own lifetime, as well as someone who has experience and success in putting things right. Experience that he has shared with a wide variety of people and organisations, from Friends of the Earth to The King himself — a man he refers to as 'one of the most influential environmentalists of all time'.

We also talk about parrots. Tony worked at BirdLife international and is a formally trained zoologist and conservationist. His book, Spix’s Macaw: The Race to Save the World’s Rarest Bird is a classic; so much so that it was adapted in part to create the animated film Rio.

It’s a fascinating chat, and it was a real privilege to get the chance to speak to him.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Tony Juniper

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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

Most people have friends who text them about going to the pub. If you're Louis D. Hall, you've got friends who'll text you about crossing a mountain range, sailing the Atlantic or coming face to face with remote tribes.

All in a normal day (or week's) work for Louis. Most recently, he's trekked on horseback from Italy to Cape Finisterre in Spain, in a journey that spanned more than 100 days. He wrote about it in his book, In Green: Two Horses, Two Strangers, A Journey to the End of the Land, which is out now in all good bookshops.

We're absolutely delighted that Louis joined James Fisher on the Country Life podcast to talk about all these adventures and more. From his upbringing in rural Scotland, he's spend years covering the world and ending up following some of the least-travelled worlds that the planet has to offer.

Suffice to say, it's absolutely fascinating.

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To find out more, Louis's latest book In Green: Two Horses, Two Strangers, a Journey to the End of the Land is out now.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Louis D. Hall

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

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