Latest from Country Life in Podcast

Amelia joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast this week to tell her tale, and explain how she honed her skills — from interviewing world-renowned animal behaviourists, to simply understanding that sitting quietly among animals for a prolonged period can be enough to really begin to understand the messages that we, as constantly on-the-go humans, almost always miss, from the twitch of a horse's ear to the quiet stare of a cat.

It's a tale that is fascinating, inspiring and entertaining — and also a little sad, as in the case of one of Amelia's beloved pets who communicated with her as he reached the end of his life. Learning to listen to animals, it turns out, can mean hearing things that you won't always like.

Amelia's book about her experience, What Sheep Think about the Weather, is out on November 13 (Elliott & Thompson, £16.99), and is a fascinating read. You can find out more and order a copy here.

(Image credit: Amelia Thomas / Elliott & Thompson)

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Amelia Thomas

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

1,000 issues and counting: Editor-in-chief Mark Hedges on the Country Life Podcast

James Fisher — Tue, 28 Oct 2025 12:21:00 +0000

'For many, especially the staff at the time, I was a surprise choice to edit Country Life,' writes Mark Hedges in the Country Mouse column in the October 22, 2025 issue of Country Life.

'A natural scientist, who didn’t know his Ionic from his Doric column, hadn’t been to Cambridge, hadn’t read Jane Austen and, worst of all, had lots of ideas as to how to change the magazine.

'My only real qualification was that I knew a lot about the countryside — I adored it. I was determined that, through the pages of this national treasure, more people could share my Arcadian joy.'

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The choice proved inspired: since Mark took the helm, Country Life has enjoyed unprecedented success, selling more copies than at any time in its almost 130-year history.

To mark his achievement, and some of the many anecdotes from along the way, today we look back at the podcast Mark recorded with James Fisher two years ago — the first we ever recorded for the show.

It's still the most popular podcast episode we've published, and despite one or two rough edges in the production (we were still learning the craft at the time) we know it's a hugely-enjoyable listen.

We're planning to get Mark back in the Country Life studio soon, and it's a perfect stopgap until then — as are the words of the rest of his Country Mouse column.

'During the course of overseeing the past 1,000 issues, there have been many battles between the management and me. I fought for two reasons: you, my readers, and my staff. I was ferocious and the magazine thrived,' Mark adds.

'I am immensely proud of Country Life. It has outperformed every other magazine during this period and we have had a lot of fun along the way. It is a very different magazine from my first issue, there have been Royal guest editors, Shakespeare scoops, television series and hidden ladybirds on the front cover.

'It is more eclectic than ever before. Editing it has been the greatest education of my life — I now know my columns and my Austen. It is the hugest honour to edit this pillar of Britain.'

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Mark Hedges

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Stefan Pitman: Making great country houses cost less to heat than a suburban semi

Toby Keel — Tue, 21 Oct 2025 13:29:11 +0000

Ten years ago, Stefan Pitman set up SPASE Architects. Right from the start, he realised many of his clients were coming to him with one big problem: they might own beautiful old buildings, but they cost a fortune to run.

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'We have really close connections with our clients,' he tells James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast, 'and we talked about what is it like to actually have the responsibility and the upkeep of these old buildings? And that's when, certainly for a number of owners and clients, we very quickly realised that there is a vast cost to keeping these buildings in use, and comfortable, and many of them aren't comfortable because of that. And because of that they fall into a state where they begin to get damp, and then you get some timber decay, and it all starts to snowball a little bit.'

Fixing those problems became one of the firm's specialities, until one key project which made a huge impact: their work on Athelhampton, where they cut an annual energy bill that was well into six figures to between £0 and £500, saving more than 100 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Stefan Pitman, founder of SPASE (Image credit: SPASE)

We're delighted that Stefan was able to join James on the podcast to talk about that project — which won them a string of architecture awards — as well as how the landscape of preserving and insulating old buildings has changed in the last five years, and how the same principles can be applied to almost any building, 'from a two-bed terrace to Hampton Court'.

Find out more about SPASE Architects at their website.

The Sherborne is another of SPASE's projects.Brett Charles for SPASE

Brett Charles for SPASE

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Stefan Pitman

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

The lives, wild parties and country houses of the Guinness family: Adrian Tinniswood on the Country Life Podcast

Toby Keel — Tue, 14 Oct 2025 12:48:21 +0000

'When they came to me and said, "do you want to do a book on the Guinness houses?" I leapt at the chance. Because, I've got to tell you, they have some astonishing houses. I mean, some really amazing places.'

So says Adrian Tinniswood, who — like the Guinness family houses — is also amazing and astonishing.

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He's a historian and writer who has enjoyed a fifty-year career writing books about the greatest houses in Britain which manage to be simultaneously scholarly, fascinating and wildly entertaining. Adrian's new book, The Houses of Guinness (Scala, £34), is out at the beginning of November, tying in nicely with the new Netflix series about the Guinness family.

'I don't know if you've seen it, James,' Adrian tells the podcast host, James Fisher. 'It's fascinating. There's very little truth in it, but it's a fascinating piece of TV.'

Adrian tells James about how his early studies in literature fell away as he began his career, first with a temporary job working at Sudbury Hall, and then when he read Mark Girouard's Life in the English Country House. 'Still, 50 years later, that book is a bible for me,' Adrian says. 'That just changed the game as far as country houses were concerned.'

Adrian goes on to talk through his work, his favourite places and some of the most extraordinary tales of the Guinness family's houses and the colourful characters who inhabited them. He takes us through the early days of cunning business decisions, the wild success of the stout that bears the family name and the philanthropy which ushered them into the corridors of power, right through to the wild parties where the later generations of Guinness heirs rubbed shoulders with The Beatles and the Rolling Stones. It's a wonderful episode, and we hope you enjoy it.

The Houses of Guinness by Adrian Tinniswood is out in November (Scala, £34).

(Image credit: Adrian Tinniswood / Scala)

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Adrian Tinniswood

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Amanda Owen: The Yorkshire Shepherdess on farming, life, and having tea with her sheep

Toby Keel — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 14:19:33 +0000

Growing up in the cityscape of Huddersfield, Amanda Owen was inspired by tales of farming life, from the adventures of James Herriot to the classic Hill Shepherd by John Forder, painting a picture of fell farming that became all she wanted to do.

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The bad days, though, can be bleak, and when 'you're life's work is disappearing before your eyes' there are days when 'you wish you'd never started farming at all,' James tells the Country Life Podcast this week.

It's an utterly fascinating look at the life of a farmer in modern Britain — full of joy and wonder, the beauty of nature and the satisfaction of working organically, with the land, yet also realistic, honest and at times heart-wrenching.

Fast forward to the 2020s and Amanda has become one of the best-known farmers in the country, starting with her Instagram account — where she has over half a million followers as @yorkshireshepherdess — and progressing on to television documentaries and more.

While doing all this she has somehow found the time (and energy) to have nine children, keep the farm thriving, write a children's book about farming life, and appear on the Country Life Podcast with James Fisher.

(Image credit: Amanda Owen )

Amanda talks to James about her life, her inspiration, her philosophy and what she'd change if she ruled the countryside for a day — and also tells the tale of her new book, Christmas Tales from the Farm, which is out now (Penguin, RRP £14.99).

(Image credit: Penguin)

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Amanda Owen

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

James Robinson: A fifth-generation farmer on the ups and downs of 'the most glorious job in the world'

Toby Keel — Tue, 30 Sep 2025 13:41:31 +0000

'It's often the most glorious job in the world,' says James Robinson, a farmer in Cumbria whose family have been working the same piece of land since the 19th century.

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Honesty like this — and especially when it comes to facing up to the mental health challenges of being a farmer in Britain in the 21st century — have seen James grow a following online as he works the land with his father and son. And he's now working with the World Wildflife Fund's Prescription for Nature campaign, to help share his story to help others.

It's a wonderful episode of the podcast, and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

You can find out more about A Prescription For Nature at wwf.org.uk/prescription-for-nature. James is also chair of the Nature Friendly Farming Network.

A post shared by James Robinson (@jrfromstrickley)
A photo posted by on

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: James Robinson

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Flying helicopters, rampaging elephants and painting Ronnie Wood: Hannah Shergold on the Country Life Podcast

Toby Keel — Tue, 23 Sep 2025 11:31:00 +0000

Hannah Shergold is nothing if not proof that following your instincts really can take you anywhere.

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Today, she's one of the best-known artists in Britain, a painter and sculptor who has sold countless works, and raised over £350,000 for charity while doing it.

Yet 20 years ago she was at Cambridge University and on course to become a vet, and a few years after that she was flying military helicopters on rescue missions on the other side of the world.

With her latest show in London just a few days away, we're delighted that Hannah found time to join James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about her journey through life, her art, how she has raised vast sums for charities including Tusk and Help for Heroes — and how she ended up painting a portrait of Rolling Stones superstar Ronnie Wood.

Hannah's 2025 Collection will launch at Mall Galleries in September. The evening Preview event will see a guest appearance from Ronnie Wood, and will see Hannah's portrait of the Rolling Stones legend auctioned for Tusk.

Find out more about Hannah at hannahshergold.com, and you can register for her Mall Galleries show here.

Courtesy of Hannah Shergold

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Hannah Shergold

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Five years, 10,400 miles and a boatload of stories: Mark Ashley-Miller on the Country Life Podcast

Toby Keel — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 11:26:00 +0000

In 2018, Mark Ashley-Miller bought a boat. There's nothing unusual in that, but there is in what happened next: he decided to sail around the coasts of Britain and Ireland, visiting every single harbour in the British Isles.

And unlike most people who have such pipe dreams, he actually did it.

The journey is now over, and we're delighted that Mark joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about his five years at sea, the 9,000 nautical miles (almost 10,400 'normal' miles) he's sailed, and the 300+ harbourmasters he visited in the course of his epic trip.

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As well as talking through the inspiration for his voyage, Mark talks about his favourite places on the route, the most hospitable harbourmasters, those who were rather frostier... and the one who immediately threw Mark and his crew the keys 'to go exploring' the local area before cracking open the Irish whiskey for a night of revelry.

Mark Ashley-Miller on board his 34ft boat, Good Dog.Mark Ashley-Miller

Mark Ashley-Miller

Mark has written a book about his experiences, which is available to order now with all proceeds going to The Seafarers' Charity. You can find out more about Mark and his journey at his website or see his Instagram page.

Mark's book is available to order now. (Image credit: Mark Ashley-Miller)

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Mark Ashley-Miller

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Jules Perowne: Where to go in 2026, hotel disasters and podcasting with Richard E. Grant

Toby Keel — Tue, 09 Sep 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Jules Perowne — CEO and founder of Perowne International — is one of the most respected voices in the luxury travel industry.

She works as a consultant and PR guru for some of the most famous hotels in the world, including Gleneagles, Claridges and dozens more around the globe.

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Now, she's also becoming a podcaster alongside the actor Richard E. Grant, presenting the newly-launched Hotels with History show. It's a podcast which looks at some of the most storied places to stay, telling tales of war, celebrity scandals, legendary parties and shocking moments that turned buildings into landmarks.

We're delighted that she joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast to talk about Hotels with History, the world of top-end travel, the places which should be on your list for travel in 2026 and even a few of her pet peeves — including the horrors of 'a bathroom designed by a man'.

You can listen to Hotels with History wherever you get your podcasts, and find out more about Jules's work by following her on Instagram.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher
Guest: Jules Perowne
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

White-tailed eagles: From 'the greatest wildlife crime imaginable' to Nature's most wonderful comeback story

Toby Keel — Tue, 02 Sep 2025 11:32:00 +0000

For most of the last 2,000 years, the white-tailed eagle — or sea eagle — was one of the most common birds of prey in Britain.

That all ended in horrendous fashion from the late 18th century onwards. Shooting, poisoning, egg collection, a mania for taxidermy and more combined to see this majestic creature — affectionately dubbed the 'flying barn door — hunted to extinction in Britain. The last bird is thought to have been killed in 1918.

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Fast forward a century and they are now one of the great success stories of nature. Starting with four chicks brought to RAF Kinloss in June 1975, a 50-year effort led by the RSPB but supported by a string of other organisations has seen populations restored from the Highlands to West Sussex. The RSPB have celebrated this milestone with the making of a film, Return, which tells the full story, and we're delighted that two of the — conservationist Dave Sexton and musician Alice Boyd — joined the Country Life Podcast to talk to James Fisher about how it all came together.

It's a wonderful, inspiring story which shows just what can be done by committed experts, backed by long-term thinking, and is a must-watch for anyone with even a passing interest in wildlife and nature. As of August 29 it's now available to watch on the RSPB's YouTube channel.

You can find out more on the RSPB website — rspb.org.uk — about white-tailed eagles themselves, the making of the film and Alice's hauntingly beautiful music which captures the beauty and majesty of these great creatures.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher
Guests: Dave Sexton and Alice Boyd
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

If there's no fish, there's no fishing, with Robin Philpott

James Fisher — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 13:19:51 +0000

If you are a person who lives in the UK, and you like standing in, or nearby, rivers, there’s a good chance you will have heard of Farlows.

It is one of the great outdoors companies of the UK, a place for all fishermen and women to obsess over rods and reels while they tell themselves that they would catch way more fish if they could just buy a bit more gear.

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We were joined on the podcast this week by Robin Philpott, group CEO of Farlows and Sportfish, to talk about the business, fishing and the state of our waterways, because while the newspapers have only been covering the pollution crisis for the past few years, the people on the rivers of this country have been sounding the alarm for a decade.

When you think about it, who better to keep an eye on our rivers than the people who spend their time standing on or nearby them? Falling catch numbers, murky water and low levels have been plaguing this most ancient sport for a long time, and if there’s one thing an angler has in spades, it is patience when it comes to making a fuss.

Robin was more than forthcoming about the work that Farlows and other fishing businesses are doing to raise the alarm and help protect our rivers, from investing in more sustainable business practices to creating Sportfish Rivers Month, a grassroots campaign that saw anglers spending the month of July cleaning and improving the health of our rivers. After all, if there’s no fish, there’s no fishing.
It was a fascinating chat with a business leader in a sector very close to Country Life’s (and this host’s) heart. We hope you’ll enjoy listening.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher
Guest: Robin Philpott
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

What the hedge can tell us about the countryside, with Richard Negus

James Fisher — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 11:08:30 +0000

Hedges are fascinating because they are like buildings. They are pretty much everywhere in rural England, Scotland and Wales, and yet do we ever really stop and think about what they are and what they do?

One man who thinks a lot about what they are and what they do is Richard Negus, a professional hedgelayer and writer from Suffolk. His recent book, Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside aims to shine a light on these great green structures that define and demarcate our green and pleasant land.

Not only are they important for nature, Richard says, they can also tell us much about the history of rural England from Enclosure all the way to the agricultural policies of the post Second World War era.

As well as laying hedges with his trusty billhook and chainsaw, Richard's work also sees him meet plenty of unusual but crucial conservationists that work in East Anglia, and his hands-on approach gives him a perspective on rural affairs that might be considered 'different' to those making policy in Westminster. The countryside is an idiosyncratic place, but Richard tries his best to explain why things are the way they are.

(Image credit: Richard Negus)

He's also a podcaster himself, so if you enjoyed this episode, check out the CountrySlide podcast, and you can read his articles on Scribehound, The Critic, Country Life and elsewhere. But first, listen to this engaging and entertaining chat.

Ken Follett on Stonehenge, building cathedrals, and the glaring flaw in Shakespeare's greatest soliloquy

James Fisher — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:58:50 +0000

Ken Follett is a man who doesn’t really need much introduction, but introduce him I will anyway.

Thirty-eight books written. 197 million copies sold in 80 countries and in 40 languages. Very popular across the world — and even in China and Brazil, according to the man himself.

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You would think that might be enough to retire on, but Ken is not interested in retirement. Rather he would like to talk about his latest book Circle of Days, which is about the building of Stonehenge and is out on September 23 (but is very much available to pre-order now).

Ken has long been the master of historical fiction, with his bestseller Pillars of the Earth adoring most bookshelves up and down the country. He joins the podcast to discuss his writing process, and how he combines his painstaking research with fiction to create his much-loved tales.

We also chat about cathedrals, the revival of Notre Dame, whether he’s played his own video game, a fictional dinner with Shakespeare, and his favourite place in the UK (the answer to which might just surprise you).

(Image credit: Quercus)

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher
Guest: Ken Follett
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

The finest wines available to humanity, and how to buy them, with Beth Pearce

James Fisher — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 13:33:00 +0000

You would be forgiven that a trip to space might be one of the hardest things that a human being could do. But, it might actually be becoming a Master of Wine (MW). After all, more people have been to space than there are MWs.

One such master of the grape is Beth Pearce, the head of buying at Flint Wines, who took some time from her very busy schedule of finding, trying and signing off on some of the world’s finest wines to join the Country Life podcast.

She was incredibly gracious in talking to me, a self-confessed wine idiot, about her career in the industry. From working at Majestic, to passing her exams to become an MW (who knew there were so many essays involved? Not me), to her work at Flint, buying some of the finest terroir-driven drops the world over and putting them on tables at the finest restaurants, hotels and private collections in the country.

It’s amazing to hear just how much effort and skill is required in not only producing wines, but tasting them, pairing them, and presenting them. Thankfully, Beth absolutely knows her stuff, and not only gives us a peek behind the scenes of the wine-buying world, but also offers us some take-home advice on what we can do to drink better wine, as well as get ahead of the cThe finest wines available to humanity, and how to buy them, with Beth Pearceurve.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Beth Pearce

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Levison Wood: Trekking the Nile, near-death experiences and why nothing beats a cup of tea and a piece of toast

James Fisher — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 11:13:51 +0000

'There was a time when I couldn't walk down the King's Road without being mobbed,' chuckles Levison Wood. This is no brag, though: it's said with the bemusement of a man who was catapulted to fame after his plan to trek the length of the River Nile made him into an unlikely celebrity alongside today's crop of modern explorers.

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We're delighted that Levison joined James Fisher on the Country Life Podcast this week, to talk about how his early life roaming Staffordshire morphed — via a stint in the Paras regiment — into a career trekking the world, from the jungles of South America to the freezing mountains of the Himalayas.

His books and documentaries — one of which became the most-watched factual TV programme in Britain in 2015 — have made him a hugely well-recognised face, and he tells the tale of how his thirst for adventure, and his fascination with connecting with people around the world, brought him to where he is today.

That fascination with people also underlies his latest book, The Great Tree Story. He happily admits that he's no botanist, and couldn't tell one species of tree from another: instead, this is a tale of how the lives of people have intertwined with the trees around them for millennia. Take the yew trees that dot churchyards around Britain, for example: they weren't planted after the ancient churches were built; instead, the churches were built at the sacred spots where the oldest trees stood proud.

It's a fascinating listen; you can find out more about The Great Tree Story here.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Levison Wood

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Bruce Hodgson: Artichoke's founder on catflaps, carpentry and the future of crafts

James Fisher — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 13:00:00 +0000

What do catflaps and some of the finest carpentry in the land have in common? Bruce Hodgson, that’s what.

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The man who founded Artichoke is our guest on the Country Life Podcast this week, talking us through the history of the brand, as well as his own personal journey as a craftsman, and what the future holds for heritage crafts.

Bruce’s journey to Artichoke wasn’t what we’d call traditional. After ‘being asked to leave’ school, and a brief stint in the army, he returned to the thing that made him happy as a child. But it wasn’t straight into the Country Life Top 100 for him — he spent 15 years working as a carpenter before Artichoke became synonymous with elegance, timelessness and quality.

I'm jealous of him, in a way. I always loved working with my hands and making things when I was at school, but it was always a subject that was treated as a hobby, rather than a career. We as a nation have a rich history of building beautiful things, although in recent years it would be hard to tell...

(Image credit: Artichoke)

So while Bruce may have set up Artichoke to make beautiful things, he’s not done yet. Not satisfied with creating one of the country’s most well-respected interiors companies, he’s determined to put making and craftsmanship back into the spotlight.

Whether it’s little steps, such as re-framing woodworking away from being just ‘a hobby’ and to be taken more seriously as a career, to larger projects such as the Inspiring Makers conference, apprenticeships, work experience and the Artichoke School of Furniture, it’s clear that in Bruce, making has a fine champion.

(Image credit: Artichoke)

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Bruce Hodgson

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

The truth about P.G. Wodehouse: Robert Daws on playing England's greatest comic writer

Toby Keel — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:00:00 +0000

Anyone who loves PG Wodehouse knows Jeeves and Wooster, Blandings Castle and the Oldest Member golf stories.

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But what of the man himself? His early life as a sensation on Broadway? His extraordinary seven-days-a-week work ethic? The truth about his attempts to flee the Nazis, scuppered by an unreliable car, before he was interned and pressured into making wartime broadcasts for the German regime? His later life in the US, and his sadness at never returning to the UK — even to collect his eventual knighthood?

These are some of the things that fuelled a conversation a decade ago between Robert Daws and Stephen Fry, which set Daws off on a road that will lead him to the stage at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh this summer, playing the role of P.G. Wodehouse in a one-man show, Wodehouse in Wonderland.

'Stephen mentioned that very few people know anything about P.G. Wodehouse the writer,' he said. 'They might know about the scandal around him in the Second World War, but apart from that, not really anything. And we thought there should be something.'

That led to Daws speaking to William Humble, a friend, collaborator, screenwriter and playwright who happened to have been working on an unproduced screenplay about Wodehouse. The play Wodehouse in Wonderland was ready within weeks, went on tour a couple of years ago, and is now back on stage at the Edinburgh festival to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Wodehouse's death.

We're delighted that Robert was able to join us on the Country Life Podcast to talk about Wodehouse's life and career, from his little-known start as a writer of smash-hit shows on Broadway — he was a huge success before he wrote a single word about Jeeves and Wooster — through to his final years living in the US.

Wodehouse in Wonderland is at Tabard in London from July 20-22 and at The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh from July 30 to August 25, 2025.

Episode credits

Host, editor and producer: Toby Keel

Guest: Robert Daws

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Back next week: James Fisher

Marcus Janssen: The man behind Schöffel on Chelsea Lifejackets, bagging a 'MacNab' and recognising the best of the British countryside

James Fisher — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:00:00 +0000

'We still see people out wearing colours which we know for a fact we haven't produced in 15 or 20 years,' chuckles Marcus Janssen, head of Schöffel, as he speaks about the company's gilets — the 'Chelsea Lifejackets' — to James Fisher on this week's edition of the Country Life Podcast.

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.

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(Image credit: Future / Getty Images)

Marcus took over at Schöffel after a career as a countryside journalist, stepping in to a role as head of a family-owned business which has been going for well over two centuries.

His love of the British countryside shines through as he talks to James about how a South African journalist ended up running a much-loved countryside brand whose roots are in Germany — and many of whose customers wear their gilets as much in the streets of SW3 as they do in the fields of Scotland or Gloucestershire.

Marcus also talks about the recently-inaugurated Schöffel Countryside Awards, run in partnership with the GWCT.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Marcus Janssen

Editor and Producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Special thanks: Adam Wilbourn

Corinne Fowler: Exploring the hidden history of the British countryside, one walk at a time

Toby Keel — Tue, 24 Jun 2025 11:07:42 +0000

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

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(Image credit: Future / Getty Images)

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

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.

(Image credit: Penguin)

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.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Professor Corinne Fowler

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Steve Backshall on sharks, quicksand, and getting his fingertips eaten by piranhas

Toby Keel — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 15:00:00 +0000

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.

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.

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(Image credit: Future / Getty Images)

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.

Steve Backshall (right) with co-presenters Lizzie Daly (left) and Sarah Roberts (centre) (Image credit: Steve Backshall, Lizzie Daly and Sarah Roberts)

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Steve Backshall

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Hannah Bourne-Taylor: Saving swifts, naked protests and the bird that nested in my hair

James Fisher — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 11:00:00 +0000

‘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.

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.

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(Image credit: Future / Getty Images)

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.

Hannah Bourne-Taylor during one of her naked protests trying to save the swift. (Image credit: Alamy)

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

Simon Armitage: 'I've tried getting AI to write poems —and they've all been reassuringly awful'

Toby Keel — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 13:00:00 +0000

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.

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(Image credit: Future / Getty Images)

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.

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.

Simon Armitage's Dwell is out now (Faber & Faber, £10). The Heligan Homecoming Festival runs from June 13-22, 2025.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Simon Armitage

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Poppy Okotcha: The model-turned-gardener who swapped the catwalk for the vegetable patch

James Fisher — Tue, 27 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000

It is easy to think of gardening as a one-way process. The gardener buys the plants, or the seeds, and grows the flowers, fruits and vegetables. These living things are helpless, dependent on our watchful eye, for life. But what if it went both ways?

What if those plants we tend to also look after us? If we take greater care of them, the food we eat, then surely they are also looking after us too. And more than just food, is the practice of gardening itself not also great for the mind? Gardening less as a chore, and more as a form of therapy, both mental and physical.

(Image credit: Poppy Okotcha)

When nature is working as it should, it is anything but silent. 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.

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

Monty Don's dog, The King's new rose and the 'perfect' garden: What not to miss at the Chelsea Flower Show 2025

Toby Keel — Tue, 20 May 2025 08:57:51 +0000

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.

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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 were 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'.

To celebrate Country Life's return to the Chelsea Flower Show, we're offering up to 40% off subscriptions to Country Life Magazine. It's our best offer ever; available until June 30, 2025.

Episode credits

Host: Toby Keel

Guest: Tiffany Daneff

Producer and editor: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Back next week: James Fisher

Crossing the Alps on horseback and gap years in Mongolia, with Louis D Hall

Toby Keel — Tue, 06 May 2025 11:00:00 +0000

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 in Mongolia.

This is 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.

The route from Siena to Cape Finisterre (Image credit: Louis D Hall)

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 spent years covering the world and ending up following some of the least-travelled worlds that the planet has to offer.

And he’s also the founder of the Big Hoof charity, an organisation that supports charities with a focus on mental health, wellbeing and child welfare. Organising treks that have spanned more than 6,000km in five different countries, it does great work in not only raising money, but making horseriding and trekking more open and accessible.

Suffice to say, Louis lives quite the fascinating life. I would highly recommend listening in 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.

You can find out more about The Big Hoof here

(Image credit: Louis D Hall)

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: Louis D. Hall

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

George Monbiot: 'Farmers need stability and security... Instead, they're contending with chaos'

Toby Keel — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 13:04:18 +0000

For four four decades, George Monbiot has been one of Britain's strongest voices speaking out on the environment.

After starting his career with the BBC, Monbiot is now best known for his books and his weekly column in The Guardian, winning a reputation as a tireless and passionate advocate for the natural world, as well as making plenty of enemies along the way.

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He joins James Fisher on this week's episode of the Country Life Podcast to talk about farming, development, nature and neoliberalism. Covering a huge amount of ground — from developers and corporations pushing their agenda on government, to how flawed farming practices have created monoculture deserts across huge swatches of Britain — it's a fascinating listen.

You may not always agree with him, but his commitment to making the world a better place is fierce and unwavering. His passion isn't just directed towards the environment, but also society as a whole — something explored in his recent book on neoloberalism, The Invisible Doctrine, which he recently spoke about at the Cambridge Literary Festival.

You can find out more about George and his work at monbiot.com.

Episode credits

Host: James Fisher

Guest: George Monbiot

Editor and producer: Toby Keel

Music: JuliusH via Pixabay

Vintage tractors and memories of summers past, with Oliver Godfrey

James Fisher — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 13:30:00 +0000

Everyone has their passions. I, for example, enjoy collecting football shirts. Other people like stamps. Some people like vintage tractors. Oliver Godfrey, from Cheffins, is very good at auctioning them. It is important to understand people and their passions.

So we asked Oliver to join the Country Life Podcast, to talk us through the slightly niche world of vintage tractor buying, selling and collecting. He is the best man to ask. Not only is he a man of the countryside, who has a burning passion for all things tractor, his work at Cheffins recently saw him handle the largest sale of vintage tractors in Europe.