For the first episode we welcome Yassin Mohamud, a Green councillor for Lawrence Hill, the ward that includes Barton Hill, which as well as sitting within the controversion East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood scheme was the scene of the disastrous Barton House tower block evacuation in 2023. It's a busy, diverse inner-city area where there is always plenty to keep local politicians on their toes.

In the week this episode goes live Yassin will be sworn in as Bristol’s Lord Mayor – the first in our city to come from the Somali community. While it’s mostly a ceremonial role, he’s pledged to use to bring people back together and ensure everyone feels listened to.

We’re keen to hear more about how his background in community work and dealing with difficult issues might help him do that. We’ll also get into the importance of his identity, and how his new platform can help challenge anti-immigrant attitudes – which were amplified last year by Reform’s West of England mayoral candidate Arron Banks, who accused Bristol’s Somalis of being at the forefront of crime. Hope you enjoy, we'll be back again in two weeks.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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Of course the ‘manosphere’ of which Tate is part has broken massively into the wider consciousness recently. Last year the hard-hitting Netflix drama Adolescence went viral, followed just a few weeks ago by Louis Theroux’ documentary Inside the Manosphere. Many people – including Lewis – questioned whether that film should have done more to challenge the men making a fortune out of packaging idealised, unobtainable and sometimes toxic versions of masculinity on social media and podcasts.

People outside of that world – and especially parents of boys – can find it both terrifying and bewildering, in terms of its appeal.

So this week we’re seeking to get into why it’s so attractive and what its impact is. We’ll ask be exploring what Lewis – who has a book out, called Masculinity in Schools – believes a more positive vision of masculinity can look like.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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Over more than a decade EveryFamily, which started as a SureStart children's centre, has developed specialist services working with families where a parent is in prison – something Kerri, a mum herself, has been at the heart of. It leads on supporting families affected by parental offending across South Gloucestershire, Somerset and, via a contract with Avon and Somerset Police, Bristol.

So what is the impact on a child when their parent is jailed – something that’s been likened to a bereavement? What’s it like working with mums and dads to open up about their own feelings and relationships – and parenting – in the tough environment of a prison? And looking at the big picture, what needs to change in how we work with children and families, to give people the best chances in life?

Neil and Kerri get into all this and more, in this week’s Bristol Unpacked – hope you enjoy.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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Our guest is someone who speaks wisely both from a personal and professional perspective, on how trauma, passing through generations, can affect not just individuals but entire communities.

Heather Williams is CEO of Knowle West Park, and has spearheaded the organisation through a turbulent time in the south Bristol estate in the aftermath of the tragic murders of young boys Max Dixon and Mason Rist.

Coming from across the local postcode divide as a longtime Hartcliffe resident, Heather’s approach has been informed by her own 30-year personal journey to break the chains of abuse she experienced as a child. Bringing up her daughter as a young single mother, she became the first member of her family to go to university before moving into community work and then becoming the leader of a local organisation doing vital work around health in its widest sense.

In another essential episode, she and Neil get deep into questions of harm, healing, and how people can be empowered to lead their own communities and tell their own stories. Enjoy.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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In a freewheeling chat with Neil, Edson speaks about his personal experience of moving between worlds: working-class Bedford roots to academic institutions; Radio 4 to grassroots venues; poetry to dancefloors. Rather than “cutting himself off” from any part of his life, he describes identity as something we carry — and something that keeps evolving.

That applies not only to individuals but also Bristol, and to the wider UK as it wrestles with economic and political changes, the temptation of populism and questions over who we even are as a nation now. With our city vying to become UK City of Culture in 2029, Edson and Neil explore how culture can people can get out of their silos and find the things that unite us. It’s an epic chat that Neil admits he'd have happily carried on for another few hours – enjoy.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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That’s the situation that former longtime Bristol Bears lock Joe Joyce, who grew up on the north Bristol estate, has faced this year after it was announced he will return to play rugby in the West Country – for rivals Gloucester.

This week, Bristol Unpacked is taking one of its periodic forays into the world of sport as Neil – himself a former sports journalist – sits down with Joe to discuss his return from Connacht in Ireland, as he enters the autumn of his career.

What’s it like as a 32-year-old elite sportsperson to confront the fact that your playing days are numbered? What is Joe planning to do next? And how has rugby changed since he got his breakthrough – both in terms of its ties to the public school system and its famous association with hard drinking? Find out on the latest Unpacked – hope you enjoy.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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It’s an idea that’s been kicking around for decades. But with AI threatening people’s jobs and many arguing the benefits system is not fit for purpose, it’s seeing renewed interest and Bristol councillors passed a motion calling on the council to ask government for a trial here.
This would focus on people in the creative sector – an area that’s getting plenty of attention as Bristol bids to be the 2029 UK City of Culture.

This week, we’re speaking to the Green politician who put forward that motion, Ani Townsend who represents the Bristol Central ward and has worked for decades as a costume designer and milliner (hat maker).

So why does it makes sense to give people free money? Why can supporting the arts sector help address class inequalities? And with the Greens riding high in polls, is leader Zack Polanski’s brand of ‘eco-populism’ is what the left needs in the age of Reform?

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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This week we’re talking to Clare Moody, Avon & Somerset’s police and crime commissioner (PCC), who beat her Conservative predecessor Mark Shelford by 5,000 votes in 2024, albeit on a low turnout of 23%.

In November, as we were finalising the guest booking, policing minister Sarah Jones announced that the Starmer government would be scrapping PCCs, which were set up under the Tories in the 2010s, with a statement calling the role a "failed experiment". The Police Federation, which represents the rank and file, backed the move.

In this first Unpacked of 2026, Neil asks Moody about whether her job still matters, and what comes next, about the state of policing nationally and here in Bristol, and about what forces need to do to regain the trust of communities they serve. Enjoy.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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Much of this has been untouched for decades, and while it’s mostly current or former industrial land, it also sits next-door to some of the city’s poorest communities around Lawrence Hill and Barton Hill.

This week on Bristol Unpacked, we talk to the woman overseeing the massive project. Lyn Garner is chair of the Temple Quarter partnership, which brings together the city council, Homes England, Network Rail, and the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority.

So what impact will the Temple Quarter have on the lives of people in the city? What is it going to do for Bristol’s big issues – like housing, jobs, education and transport? And with the plans going big on words like equity and inclusivity, how can these kinds of schemes bring on board and deliver for the people most affected by them?

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Media outlets have lots to learn when it comes to rebuilding trust with the communities they serve, including young people. As does the criminal justice system, and the institutions there to protect children.

The language we use to describe issues like these is important. In this episode, we explore how newspapers frame incidents of serious youth violence, and the damaging impact of sensationalising stories.

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It meant that children as young as 10 were now deemed capable of committing crime – before then it was 14. Since this shift, England and Wales to this day has one of the lowest ages of criminal responsibility in the world. 

In this episode we challenge the thinking that some children are simply ‘just evil’, and that horrific acts of violence aren’t the symptom of a wide and complex web of social problems that underpin them. 

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The age of criminal responsibility in England and Wales – it’s one of the lowest in the world. It’s before a child has even left primary school. But the pipeline to prison can start way before the age of 10, and way before a child has done anything criminal.

What pushes them in that direction? And how do we stop serious youth violence if the root causes of it aren’t addressed?

Episode 1: ‘Hurt People Hurt People drops on 20 November.

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But it’s loathed by others who believe people should be able to hang on to what they have, whether that’s earned or inherited.

This week we’re joined by Frances Howe, co-founder of local collective Bristol Redistro, which rather than a top-down tax asks people who have more money than they need to voluntarily chuck some of it into a pot.

This is divided up by a panel of locals and given to grassroots organisations. Its most recent funding round helped groups in Knowle West, St Paul’s, Hengrove and Hartcliffe as well as others serving marginalised communities across the city.

How does this work, and what difference does it make? Why is it different from giving to charity? And with the cost of living biting, why should people be giving up their wealth in the first place? We get into these questions, and more on this latest episode of Unpacked.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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From growing up in a Lawrence Weston council flat to representing his home turf as an MP, and since September assuming a new role as Keir Starmer’s chief secretary, Jones’ story is rooted in Bristol. In this week’s episode he talks to Neil about that journey and how his early experiences shaped his politics.

But Jones’ recent promotion comes as Labour faces plummeting public support in the face of policy flip-flops, challenges from Reform and, from some sections of the electorate, from the Greens and Lib Dems. He’s said his role is to “fix government delivery, help improve communications and help change the country”.

What does Jones make of Labour’s gloomy polling figures and the missteps that have fuelled them? How can the government connect with the public – and why is he turning to YouTube in an attempt to reach younger voters? Tune into the first episode of a new Unpacked season to find out.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom - fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

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In May, Helen won the election and has since been settling into her new role. We've brought her back on the show to get the inside scoop on her first few months in office. What has she accomplished, and what challenges has she faced? We unpack what it's really like to be the WECA Mayor.

Helen has often described herself as an empathetic and caring leader, a stark contrast to her predecessor, Dan Norris, who was known for his disagreements with local leaders. We explore her plans for building better relationships with local bigwigs and improving morale within the WECA office. What does she think she can realistically achieve during her four-year term?

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom - fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom - fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

The cast:
Thomas Beddoes
Humphrey Davy
Samuel Taylor Coleridge
James Watt

People Just Do Something (PJDS) is the podcast for people who want to change the world. It is for those who act, instead of waiting for others. It is for those who understand the impact of local change. If you’ve found this episode, then you’re not far from action.

From The Bristol Cable's award-winning newsroom, hosts Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval, along with producer George Colwey, bring you relaxing and possibly enraging conversations with activists, organisers, and change-makers tackling everything from local Bristol struggles to global movements.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom—fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Bristol Muslim Cultural Society Director, Rizwan Ahmed, joined Neil to debunk common misconceptions about Islam, and to talk through his mission to strengthen inter-faith community ties through education. Rizwan gives us an insight into the normalcy of life as a British Muslim and answers some of those burning questions many non-Muslims might have: What are the foundations of the faith? What is the deal with Sharia Law? And perhaps most importantly; how can you spot a British Muslim in Mecca?

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom - fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

This episode comes from our last live show where we had international super comrade, professor Jodi Dean, blessing us with a discussion focussed on Communism in the modern age. As an outwardly left wing academic residing in the U.S.A, Jodi is often at the sharp end of the discourse, and she eloquently describes the importance of building a solidarity movement in tough times. Jodi is clearly wedded to the old guard of revolutionary thought, and this chat dives into some of the sticky stuff in framing those ideas for a contemporary audience. Questions like; is Comrade a cringe word? [obviously it is but Jodi and Isaac don’t think so.. c’est la vie].

People Just Do Something (PJDS) is the podcast for people who want to change the world. It is for those who act, instead of waiting for others. It is for those who understand the impact of local change. If you’ve found this episode, then you’re not far from action.

From The Bristol Cable's award-winning newsroom, hosts Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval, along with producer George Colwey, bring you relaxing and possibly enraging conversations with activists, organisers, and change-makers tackling everything from local Bristol struggles to global movements.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom—fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Kirsty is the Climate Action Manager at Heart of BS13, and is a co-author of The Just Transition Declaration which is all about ensuring climate policies are fair for everyone especially those most negatively impacted. This is particularly relevant in Bristol, where controversies like the Clean Air Zone and East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood have sparked debate topics we’ve covered on Unpacked before.

Hartcliffe has just received £20 million as part of a national government scheme to support communities in driving change. The goal? To ensure ‘left behind’ areas are ‘no longer ignored’ in the government’s own words. Hartcliffe is one of only two areas in our region (the other being Swindon) to secure this funding.

So, what does this mean? How should the money be used? What matters most locally? And how can residents shape these decisions?

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom - fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

The Dark Arts substack
Hakluyt

People Just Do Something (PJDS) is the podcast for people who want to change the world. It is for those who act, instead of waiting for others. It is for those who understand the impact of local change. If you’ve found this episode, then you’re not far from action.

From The Bristol Cable's award-winning newsroom, hosts Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins and Priyanka Raval, along with producer George Colwey, bring you relaxing and possibly enraging conversations with activists, organisers, and change-makers tackling everything from local Bristol struggles to global movements.

The Bristol Cable is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom—fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.

Support independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.

Bristol Northern Soul on Headfirst

Levanna McLean

Kalpna founded 91 Ways – an organisation using the power of food to connect Bristol's 91 language communities. She also set up the Be Onboard initiative which aims to diversify boardrooms, making them representative of the communities they serve. She's been a boss at the BBC and a board member for University of the West of England.
 

Oh and Isaac talks about his camping trip where he almost climbed into a pyre in a yard outside a church where they speak in tongues??

They unpack some key local issues from the past year, including the controversial East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood Scheme and budget constraints impacting public services, also the rising wave of right wing populism and how that might impact Dyer's stomping ground in South Bristol in the years ahead.

Join us as we look into the moment to moment experience of going undercover, how to do it and what it feels like. Featuring badly thought out acronyms, UFO conspiracies and a number of moral dilemmas, Sian takes an extremely considered approach to understanding the people involved in this movement and what makes them tick.

Politics West

"The belief in one's rights is more important than anything else. If I am confident about my rights, nothing will make me despair...When you resist an Israeli soldier by peaceful means, their weapons become irrelevant." - Iyad Burnat

Iyad Burnat is a Palestinian activist involved in non-violent resistance against the Israeli occupation in the West Bank. He is the head of the Bil'in Popular Committee against the Wall, which has led weekly demonstrations since 2005 against the Israeli West Bank barrier. He is also head of Friends of Freedom and Justice in Bil’in, a pro-Palestinian organisation with the stated aims of building a "wide network of people from all over the globe who support Freedom and Justice for all". In this interview, he shares his personal experiences, including the confiscation of his village's land, the destruction of olive trees, and the regular demonstrations he and his community have organised. He is joined by Laura, a British organiser campaigning for Palestinian rights.

Colin is no stranger to documenting Bristol’s characters; his previous photography books have brought the streets of Montpelier and Gloucester Road to life. Now, he’s turned his lens to the nightlife, working for the past five years (yes, even through lockdown) alongside Jasmine Yaba Ketibuah-foley.

Neil chats with Colin about his new book, the decline of nightlife across the UK, and why clubs are closing left and right. Is it the cost of living? Post-pandemic struggles? And what about the rave scene—is it still the cultural force it once was?

Plus, should a man of Colin’s age really be out until 4 AM taking photos? Shouldn’t he be at home with a cup of cocoa? Tune in for a brilliant conversation about art, nightlife, and the soul of after-hours Bristol.

Barton house one year on
Medact's report

Original Copy - October 2021:

Carla Denyer, an elected councillor in the city, has just won the leadership of the Greens alongside Adrian Ramsay. With Labour shifting to the right, and concern about the climate crisis starting to become mainstream, Denyer thinks this is the moment for Greens, in the UK and beyond. But can they get out of their pigeon-hole and reach a wide range of society? Will internal divisions rock the party like they have others? And what does this all mean for Bristol? Join Neil for an in depth interview on Carla's background, politics and plans.

An audio excerpt of a council meeting is used courtesy of Bristol City Council.

Sean's article: Filton 18: ‘The more you oppress people, the more they will rise’
Petition: Stop the use of counter-terrorism powers against pro-Palestine activists

More on the topic:
Inside Bristol's 'murder factory'
The Cable's Palestine coverage

"As the slap reverberates around the world we talk all things comedy with Jayde Adams - who went from working in Asda Bedminster to her own Amazon Prime Special. She just starred in a new BBC documentary following her move back to Bristol. Going deep about how the death of her sister made her so driven, are there red lines in comedy, and what it is like coming home."

Mystery button

Lucy's blog Pink Tape
Family Court Information

Bristol Apartheid Free Zone website

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On August 24, 2022, he disabled petrol pumps at an Esso garage near the M25. He was found guilty of Criminal Damage in October 2024 and appeared before Judge Mills at Chelmsford Crown Court on January 7 of this year.

Dr. Hart has already been fined in civil court for this action, as the Thurrock Esso petrol station is subject to a private injunction. He has also been referred for a disciplinary hearing by the General Medical Council (GMC) and will face a tribunal. In the past 12 months, the GMC has suspended two doctors from the medical register following convictions for non-violent climate protests. Dr. Hart now faces penalties in three separate proceedings for the same incident.

Before sentencing Dr Hart said:
“Right now, the greatest health threat to all of us is the unfolding climate catastrophe. It is the greatest health threat we have ever faced. All healthcare workers have a responsibility to protect the health of their patients. If we do not stand up to the oil and gas executives who are wreaking havoc on our climate and the politicians who enable them, if we do not end the burning of fossil fuels, then we will have failed as a profession and the health systems that we have developed over centuries will collapse. I will continue to fight against the death sentence of fossil fuels for as long as I have strength in me. I have no greater duty as a doctor at this moment in history.”

Original copy:
Just Stop Oil protestors have been disrupting business as usual since April 2022. A Daily Mail article called them “a deranged criminal eco-terrorist cult”. But who are the people behind the headlines? Neil sits down with Dr Patrick Hart, a local GP who has been putting his career and liberty on the line through direct action protests, including the smashing and spray painting of a petrol station. Dr Hart believes we have run out of time for purely legal ways of pulling the world back from what the UN has called “the brink of climate catastrophe”. But are these tactics effective? Are protestors losing public sympathy? Does that matter? Listen in for a conversation far and away from the soundbites of Good Morning Britain

Josh's book, Blockchain Radicals
Bread Chain Cooperative

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Requires Improvement Podcast

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Burned out and disillusioned by their experience of working in mainstream charities for women who have survived sexual violence, Megan and Bryony took some time out before deciding they could do better. So they set up SLEEC (Survivors Leading Essential Education & Change), a radical support organisation that seeks to change the system and dismantle the roots of male violence. How does that all work then? And why the hell can so few men express how it feels to be male? Your hosts, Priyanka Raval and a squirming Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins, dive into some uncomfortable questions.

SLEEC's upcoming men's course
Apply/donate to The Resilience Fund

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Oud

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Bristol says NO to section 60 petition

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In this event, we hear from Stop the War coalition members Lujane Hamzah and Sharifah Rahman alongside trade union organiser Matthew Hollinshead and journalist Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins in a talk about their campaign to set up apartheid-free zones in Bristol in response to the ongoing conflict in Palestine.

In St Paul's during the 1980s, there was a campaign against Apartheid South Africa, including a boycott on goods from South Africa in local shops. So what can be learnt from this historical example of local resistance against a foreign state?

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In this event organised by housing charity Shelter, Conservative, Green and Lib Dem general election candidates for the Bristol Central seat – plus a Labour councillor, standing in for their MP Thangam Debbonaire – face a grilling from representatives of the city’s housing charities as polling day approaches.

Their questions, on important issues such as rent controls, legal aid and the state of Bristol’s emergency housing, come as the city’s acute housing crisis continues unabated. Neil Maggs, presenter of the Cable’s Bristol Unpacked podcast, is your host.

Head to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.

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Many will be doing so in newly mapped constituencies, which have been affected by boundary changes. These changes could have a real impact on the elections’ outcome.

Today our Area in Focus is North East Somerset and Hanham, which takes half of the abolished Kingswood constituency and half of the existing North Somerset seat – held since 2010 by Jacob Rees-Mogg, a divisive figure both locally and nationally.

Rees Mogg has long been a national figurehead for a certain brand of Conservative politics. Onlookers are waiting to see if Labour’s candidate, West of England metro mayor Dan Norris can snatch back the seat he lost 14 years ago.

If so, it could provide a moment to rival Michael Portillo’s loss to Stephen Twigg back in 1997, the last time Labour defeated a sitting Tory government. Beyond that, what happens here on 4 July could underscore the capacity of Nigel Farage’s Reform party to do serious damage to the Conservatives by splitting the right-wing vote.

With polls showing that many Conservatives in previously safe area are vulnerable to losing their seats, will Jacob Rees-Mogg be a goner? And what will the impact of changing areas like Keynsham, and new additions to the constituency like Hanham, on this likelihood?

To try to find answers to these questions, Cable reporters Mary Holditch and Alex Turner have been travelling around the area, speaking to voters and candidates about what they think will happen here on election day. Join them for this election special edition of our Area in Focus podcast.

Head to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.

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Throughout this series, you’ll hear from a range of voices, including Cable journalists, talking on topics with a focus on political organising.

For this talk titled Who are the terrorists Transformed volunteer Ben Smoke sat down with Narzanin Massoumi and Samir Seddougui to discuss the counter-terrorism narrative, and how activists should react to it.

Head to www.thebristolcable.org/join to become a member, and subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.

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Throughout this series, you’ll hear from a range of voices, including Cable journalists, talking on topics with a focus on political organising.

For this talk titled Spycops, Transformed volunteer Claire Muscat sat down with self professed “anarchist bloke from newport” Tom Fowler to discuss his ongoing activism in relation to the infiltration of several activist groups by undercover police officers spanning decades.

Subscribe to The Bristol Cable on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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In this event, cable journalist Priyanka Raval sat down with Owen Jones to discuss the general election, why he quit the Labour party, Carol Vorderman, the crisis in Palestine and what he thinks makes Bristol so unique.

Subscribe to The Bristol Cable on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Join drug researcher, neuropharmacologist, and chairman of Drug Science David Nutt in discussing what a new approach to drugs could mean for our city, families, and community.

David Nutt was joined by author and ex-undercover cop Neil Woods, CEO of Transform Drugs, Shoba Ram, and Bristol Cable’s Matty Edwards chaired the discussion.

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The dental practice closure made local headlines. But seven months later it was all over the national news – as it reopened under new management, with hundreds of people queueing round the block to get an NHS registration. Footage of the queues starkly illustrated the dire state of dentistry in the UK.

In this episode of our Area in Focus podcast, we talk to the remarkable group of campaigners who fought for the surgery to reopen – and succeeded, meaning local people could have a community dentist again. How did they manage it? And does the story hold lessons for other campaigners – and for the public bodies and private companies who hold the power in healthcare?

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The Greens had been expected to come out as the largest party, as eight years of Labour rule under mayor Marvin Rees came to an end – and with it the city's mayoral system of governance. But their surging support proved to be even stronger than expected, prompting emotional and jubilant scenes at election counts in Easton and Brislington on Friday evening (3 May).

Now that the dust has settled after a sometimes bad-tempered campaign, Cable journalists Matty Edwards and Priyanka Raval recap what it was like covering the local election results, and unpick what it all means for the city.

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Subscribe to The Bristol Cable on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Neil Maggs asks him about his record as the city's housing chief, why he thinks the Greens aren't up to the task of being in power and Labour's plans for building new homes, campaigning for rent controls and bringing buses back into public ownership.

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Back in autumn 2023, Bristol City Council was being scrutinised over its performance answering freedom of information (FOI) requests, by the independent regulator responsible for looking after citizens’ information rights. We made the issue our cover story, for our October print edition.

At the end of August, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) had issued a notice telling the council it needed to do better at answering the requests. These basically give anyone the right to ask questions of the public bodies that have a bearing on our lives. We’re talking central government departments, the NHS, educational institutions – and of course, the local authorities who are in charge of many mundane – and not so mundane – parts of our day-to-day existence.It had been on the Cable’s radar for a while that Bristol sometimes seemed slower – and on occasion less helpful – at answering FOI requests than some of its peers.

And it wasn’t just reporters noticing this – some of the city’s more active residents had also previously posed tough questions as to why requests weren’t getting adequate responses. In 2021, the deputy mayor Craig Cheney had admitted a systemic problem. So it seemed natural for us to look more deeply into why it hadn’t been fixed after two years.

Six months on, the city is looking at political change as elections loom. So it seemed a good time to revisit this topic.

Why is it so important that local government is as transparent as possible – and will it become more so after May? What’s the point of FOI anyway? And do we actually know whether the council has improved its performance?

Join Alex Turner, who wrote the FOI cover story, in conversation with Debrief presenter Priyanka Raval getting into these questions and others. And with those local elections fast approaching, be sure to look out for our in-depth interviews with senior figures from all the main parties, as part of our long-running Bristol Unpacked podcast series.

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In just a few weeks, Bristol will wave goodbye to its mayor Marvin Rees – and to the system of governance that he has represented.Instead of one person being directly elected to lead the city, as has been the case since 2012, the council will be run as a ‘committee system’.

Groups of councillors will be responsible for decision-making in different areas, with supporters arguing that this will increase the level of scrutiny and democracy.

But how will this work in practice? Has the new model been given the resources to make sure it will succeed? And with Bristol’s past use of the committee system not always having been popular, could the city be replacing a model criticised for being too centralised with one that instead creates democratic gridlock – meaning nothing gets done?

Seeking to answer these questions, Isaac Kneebone-Hopkins, a freelance writer and organiser of the Bristol Transformed festival, spoke to councillors involved in the city’s transition process. Freedom of information requests sent by Isaac also raised questions about how much Bristol has invested in the process compared with a similar-sized city that’s also undergone recent political change and embraced a committee system – Sheffield.

The Steel City’s governance changes do not exactly mirror Bristol’s, but Isaac’s research – reported in the Cable’s most recent print edition – suggests Bristol could still learn some valuable lessons from its northern peer if it wants to make a success of the new system.

With voting cards arriving in postboxes across Bristol – and the Cable about to kick off its local election coverage in earnest – now is the perfect time to be thinking about how the city will operate after the ballot on 2 May.

Join Isaac, in conversation with the Cable’s Priyanka Raval, for a fascinating chat about what could change for the better – or worse – under the committee system.

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The council has so far not pursued these plans. But in light of the Barton House tower block evacuation in November 2023, the condition of Bristol’s social housing and the ways in which public bodies communicate with residents have remained big issues in the city.

The We Can Make project profiled in this piece works with local residents in Knowle West to create new social housing in large gardens and other underused spaces on estates. While it has only worked on a small scale so far, the scheme has set an example in terms of how people can be involved at every step of changes to their area, rather than just through tick-box consultations.

We Can Make has attracted interest both from central government and from other councils looking to replicate it as part of efforts to tackle spiralling housing waiting lists. Back in Bristol – where 20,000 households are now waiting for social housing – it was announced in February that the scheme will now be expanded across the south of the city.

This longread podcast formed part of the Cable’s year-long Future of Cities journalism series, which ended in autumn 2023. The project looked in depth at how Bristol and other similar cities are trying to tackle some of our most difficult problems, around housing, transport, the environment and sustainability.

Subscribe to The Bristol Cable on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your audio.

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Priyanka Raval discusses the inside story of her recent investigation into racism in health services, and what it says about the state of the NHS, with Cable colleague Matty Edwards

It was 23 June 2023 when the Cable journalist Priyanka Raval received a tip-off from a source asking to discuss institutional racism at a local NHS trust.

That very day, an internal report published by the same organisation – University Hospitals Bristol and Weston UHBW) NHS Trust – sounded a warning on the same subject. “The feeling from some staff is that more work needs to be done around communicating and engaging… to demonstrate that the Trust is taking issues [around racism, discrimination and microaggressions] seriously,” it said.

This followed on from two inspections by the Care Quality Commission, in 2021 and 2022, which also raised concerns.Priyanka, whose aunt faced racism during 40 years working as a nurse in the NHS, says she would have “expected better” in 2023. But her months-long investigation uncovered a series of depressingly similar accounts from current and former UHBW staff, detailing issues with bullying, people of being colour being passed over for promotion – and in some instances being subjected to direct racial slurs.

Much of the behaviour people experienced was far more subtle than this, but the pervasive impression was of staff from Black and other ethnic minority communities being treated differently from white colleagues.

With bitter irony, many of the interviewees had been employed from overseas in a bid to tackle the acute crisis in recruitment and retention that the health service is currently going through. They alleged that despite being made aware of problems, the UHBW trust had done far too little to address them – in part because of a lack of diversity in key areas such as HR. Not much appears to have changed in the meantime.

In the latest episode of our new podcast strand – The Debrief – going behind the scenes of our big stories, Priyanka and fellow Cable journalist Matty Edwards discuss how the UHBW investigation came together, its impact, and why the issues it exposed point to the need for structural reform of the NHS. (edited) 

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Knife crime is a national issue that’s as complex as it is devastating, and it doesn’t exist in isolation. It’s set in a wider social context where housing, school exclusion, unemployment, mental health, and government cuts can be issues at play.

As part of Together for Change, a city-wide campaign with community leaders, campaigners, and the city’s media, the Cable will explore the social issues that underpin the knife epidemic in the city. We will amplify the voices of those most deeply affected, bringing communities, and authorities together to build a local effort to make a difference, building a task force, and lobbying the government for change.

In our latest Debrief podcast, reporters Priyanka Raval and Sean Morrison discuss why we’re joining the campaign, and why it’s so urgent.

As we were recording on Wednesday, news broke of another serious incident in St Paul's. A 30-year-old man was stabbed to death on Tuesday night, police later confirmed, launching their fourth murder investigation in East Bristol since June last year. 

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The Cable has been investigating claims of institutional racism at the trust, after 10 whistleblowers came forward to share their stories, including seven who have now left as a result.

Bullying, facing racial slurs, being passed over for promotion and blamed for mistakes – these are just some of the experiences sources say they’ve faced in recent years.

We reveal how complaints went unheard, despite promises from management to tackle the issue. Meanwhile regulatory body the CQC has promised to investigate the issue and hold the trust accountable. But six months on, sources are giving up hope the CQC will make good on its promise.

All names have been changed to protect their identities.

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The date of the action is significant – it marked the anniversary of the Nakba, Arabic for ‘catastrophe’, when the mass displacement of Palestinians began in 1948.The seven Palestine Action activists used sledgehammers to break into the Elbit Systems building, before barricading themselves inside, where they caused damage to the facility to the tune of thousands of pounds.

Elbit has nine sites in the UK, with Bristol its main operational facility. The activists say that shutting down the site – which is owned by a local council – is key to ending Britain’s “complicity” in what they and international human rights groups describe as Israel’s “apartheid regime”.

The group were arrested, charged with criminal damage and burglary, and stood trial at Bristol Crown Court a few weeks ago. We covered the trial, which you can hear about in more detail on our previous podcast – Inside Bristol's 'murder factory'.

Since then, the 'Bristol seven'/'Elbit seven' have been found guilty and will be sentenced on 22 March. The maximum sentence for burglary and criminal damage is 10 years in prison.

In this podcast – a new format for the Cable, the Debrief – reporter Priyanka Raval and Sean Morrison discuss the verdict and the trial as a whole, in the context of the state’s clampdown on protesters since the Colston statue topplers were cleared.

Subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.

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The Bristol-South Gloucestershire border town’s voters will at this year’s general election find themselves going to the polls in one of four new constituencies – with their current one set to disappear altogether under boundary changes being made to the political map of the UK.

The area’s local MP, Tory minister Chris Skidmore, has also disappeared – he stepped down over the government’s climate plan – triggering a by-election in the constituency where the winner will hold their seat for only a matter of months before it is erased. You might ask: who would fight for a prize that will be so short lived, or even, who would bother voting?

Some Kingswood residents aren’t too enthusiastic about February 15’s vote, nor fans of the boundary changes that will follow shortly after. They say that tampering with the political map, as well as a lack of investment by South Gloucestershire Council in the high street and local services, is an existential threat to his home town’s identity.

This is Area in Focus, a new podcast by the Bristol Cable, where we get out and about to talk to people about the big issues shaping our city. Subscribe to the Cable where you get your podcasts to get weekly episodes, from on-the-ground reporting to investigations and live events.

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Content warning: contains graphic descriptions of war and violence

Salma Hajjar is a young trainee solicitor who spent her childhood up to age eight in Gaza, where decades of oppression and violence have been succeeded by a return to the horrors of all-out war.

In the latest episode of Bristol Unpacked, the last of the current run, Salma offers a devastating personal perspective on the war – which has taken the lives of some of her loved ones – and on the “dystopian” experience of living under occupation. She reflects on happier memories of the beauty of Gaza – its beaches, its food and its community – and on the pain and loss of being separated from home, and the desire to return one day. 

Salma, who has now lived in Bristol for five years, also discusses her love for the city, the solidarity she has found, including from Jewish friends, and the value of activism in changing public opinions – and holding politicians’ feet to the fire.

With the International Court of Justice recently demanding measures to reduce the suffering inflicted on Palestinian civilians – and continuing to weigh a genocide case brought against Israel by South Africa – pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza is continuing to mount. 

But under what conditions can such a deal take place? Do the court’s actions go far enough? And are there any grounds for longer-term optimism around an end to Israeli-Palestinian conflict and progress towards a two-state solution?

Join Salma and Neil Maggs for a sometimes harrowing but always thought-provoking finale to the winter season of Bristol Unpacked – and with elections on the horizon, be sure to stay tuned for the team’s next moves during the spring.

Subscribe to The Bristol Cable on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your audio.

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Gary Younge is a renowned, award-winning journalist, author and broadcaster, and now a professor of sociology at the University of Manchester.

In the latest episode of our new Cable Live podcast strand – where we sit down with writers, academics and activists from across the UK, putting the Cable’s work in the national conversation – Gary delivers a fascinating speech reflecting on racism, journalism and power.

Gary takes us back to his working-class childhood in Stevenage, the youngest of three children raised by his Barbadian mother, his path into journalism after winning a bursary from the Guardian, and how his experiences have shaped his work.

“I entered journalism with a healthy contempt, embedded from childhood, for the dominant narrative,” he recalls. “I grew up assuming the official count of everything was at best suspect and most likely a downright lie – in part because I was being lied about constantly, who I was, where I was from, why I was here.”

What then does it mean for the journalism industry that many top jobs are still filled not with people who have grown up with such a “gimlet-eyed” worldview but instead have shared class and educational privilege with those likely to be running the country? How do journalists’ backgrounds influence their perspectives and what is reported on – and what needs to change?

Join Gary for a powerful and personal exploration of these questions and many others, in the most recent recording of the Cable’s ongoing speaker series. This podcast also contains edited highlights of the Q&A session that followed.

The talk took place at the Station in central Bristol where the Cable also has its office, and was hosted by our events coordinator Gigi El-Halaby.

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Stavit Sinai opens her phone to find she’s been added to a group on encrypted messaging app Signal.

The 38-year-old, a philosophy teacher at a community college in Berlin, has been asked to take part in a direct-action protest at the Bristol headquarters of Elbit Systems UK, an arms company that ships weapons to Israel.

Among the names of those added to the group chat, she recognises her comrade Ronnie Barkan, who, like her, has been campaigning for years against the actions of the Israeli state: its decades-long oppression of the Palestinian people.

The pair are dissident Israeli citizens with personal stories of the devastation of the Israeli forces’ operations in Gaza. Elbit, the group’s target as part of a campaign run by Palestine Action, helps develop technologies for drones, tanks and other weapons used by the Israeli military.

Elbit is Israel’s largest arms manufacturer, with nine sites in the UK. Bristol is its main operational facility, and the activists say that shutting it down is key to ending Britain’s “complicity” in what they and international human rights groups describe as Israel’s “apartheid regime”.

It was an action that landed Ronnie, Stavit, and their five co-defendants in the dock at Bristol Crown Court, where they are currently standing trial accused of burglary and criminal damage.

But while it’s the protesters standing trial, at the heart of the evidence is the history, tragedy and devastation of the Israel-Palestine conflict, and how what happens inside the Bristol facility plays a role in the death and destruction ordered by the Israeli state.

This is Bristol’s ‘Murder Factory’, part of our Cable Longreads audio series. Subscribe to The Bristol Cable wherever you get your podcasts.

Palestine Action activists are on trial for smashing into an Elbit factory that ships weapons technologies to Israel. But at the heart of this case is the history and tragedy of Israel’s operations in Gaza, and how Bristol’s facility plays a role in the death and destruction.

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Ruth Pitter has been a stalwart of Bristol’s voluntary sector for decades – and in January 2024 was awarded an MBE as part of the New Year’s honours list for ‘services to equality, charity and community’ in the city.

This has included work with Voscur, the umbrella organisation that supports Bristol’s voluntary sector, and SARI, which battles racism and provides support for people who have faced hate crimes. She has also been a pioneer in the local community arts space, co-founding two unique theatre companies – Breathing Fire and Black Women Let Loose – for women of African and Caribbean heritage.

Ruth’s career has spanned a period during which councils have faced massive cuts, with community organisations expanding and competing to fill the resulting gaping holes in services – and often bringing innovation to how things have done. What is the role of the voluntary sector these days? Is it right that things have to be this way in the UK? Do countries like Germany, where the state still takes care of things, offer a better model?

What has been the impact of Ruth’s theatre companies among communities who are much less likely to feel represented in the audience – or the productions – of mainstream Bristol theatres such as the Old Vic? 

And as a daughter of the Windrush generation who has spent her life fighting for fairness, does Ruth feel conflicted about accepting an honour that is inextricably linked to empire? 

Lock in with Neil and Ruth as they chew over these questions and many more, in the latest unmissable episode of Bristol Unpacked.

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She also hosted the critically acclaimed LGBTQ+ history podcast, Call Me Mother. Shon is currently working on her second book, has been a co-presenter on Novara Media’s news programme and writes an advice column at US Vogue.

In the latest episode of our new Cable Live podcast strand – where we sit down with writers, academics and activists from across the UK, putting the Cable’s work in the national conversation – Shon is in conversation with Bristol-based comedian June Tuesday.

As part of the Cable's ongoing speaker series, Shon and June talk trans liberation, mental health and diversity in journalism during a wide-ranging and always thought-provoking conversation.

In this episode we have also included highlights of the Q&A session that followed Shon's talk, which further illuminates a number of the issues discussed on the night.

The event was recorded live at Bristol's Strange Brew on Wednesday 6 December 2023.

Don't miss the next event in the series as Gary Younge – renowned author and broadcaster, and a professor of sociology at the University of Manchester in England – discusses his journalism career and how his lived experiences of racism have impacted this

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Thirty years ago, BSE was spreading across the UK while the government insisted beef was safe. Neil asks Lucy, producer of The Cows are Mad podcast, about the scandal – and how conspiracy theories have thrived as trust in the establishment has nosedived.

Over the past few years, BBC podcast producer Lucy Proctor has built a reputation for shining a much broader and more searching beam into the world of conspiracy theories than most other mainstream journalists.

Last year, her 10-part series The Cows Are Mad looked back more than 30 years to the BSE scandal, which sent shockwaves through Britain's meat industry. It re-examined how the UK government repeated the line that beef was safe, with those questioning the mantra dismissed as cranks. 

Since 1996, 177 people have gone on to die from the human form of 'mad cow disease'. But the truth of its origins remains a mystery, leaving theories to fill the vacuum.

The intervening 30 years have seen public trust in the establishment nosedive, both here and across the Atlantic. Competing narratives, misinformation and politicians' lies over a more recent public health crisis, Covid, have only fuelled the process. As Lucy and her colleague Gabriel Gatehouse explored in their 2022 podcast The Coming Storm, which looked at the QAnon movement in the States, it’s becoming increasingly difficult even to agree on what’s real any more.

So how did we get here? What has been the impact of mainstream media skirting round difficult issues, failing to report important stories properly and reducing people with ‘fringe’ views to caricatures? How have canny operators exploited information gaps and deployed social media to supercharge the spread of conspiracy theories? And is there any way back for trust in the powers that be?

Join Lucy and Neil as they chew over these weighty questions and, getting back to mad cow disease, discuss whether Bristol was ground zero for the epidemic. It’s almost certainly lashing down as you read this, so find somewhere dry and cosy and settle in for the first Unpacked of 2024…

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Hidden Corner was a popular cafe and bookshop in Portland Square, St Pauls. So when its owners were turfed out, its doors bolted shut with heavy chains by the building’s landlord – millionaire businessman Thomas Flight, now notorious for the dodgy ways he dealt with his tenants – there was an uproar.

But what happened in the days before the eviction of Aaron Onoura and Sophia Khan, the couple who ran the cafe, and the extent of the illegal practices their landlord deployed against his various tenants – this remained a mystery, confined largely to rumours. Those directly involved remained tight lipped.

It’s taken two years and two criminal trials for the truth to come out – two years of working to expose a man who took advantage of often young, first time renters; a man who hid behind fake names and addresses to deceive them, and who bullied and threatened them into paying unreasonable fees and fines.

Flight relied on a veil of secrecy that made it extremely difficult, if not impossible, for his tenants to make complaints, or seek help with their unreturned deposits.But in January 2023, his “web of deceit” unravelled in court, as he pleaded guilty to several charges of trading standards offences.

And a week before Aaron and Sophia were locked out of their cafe – punches were thrown, noses were broken and their landlord was knocked unconscious – his forehead pouring with blood. The landlord told police that he and his husband had been the victims of a savage and unprovoked attack at the hands of Aaron and his dad, who both faced trial for assault in October. But considering Flight’s reputation for deception – would you believe him? 

This is the full, bloody story behind the closure of Hidden Corner cafe, and the dodgy dealings of the man who shut it down.

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As Bristol City Council slashes spending on venues including arthouse cinema Watershed, Neil asks its boss Clare why funding the arts matters, and whether the sector's reputation as catering mainly to the well-heeled is justified. 

Over the past year Clare Reddington, the chief executive of Bristol's flagship arthouse cinema Watershed, has not been shy about fighting her corner in the midst of a tough financial environment.

Back in the summer Clare, who has been at the venue for 20 years and in charge for four, sounded a warning that indie cinemas' business model was under threat from soaring inflation and the big streaming operators gobbling their market share. This month she blasted Bristol City Council bosses for lacking a "clear cultural strategy" after they cut funding from Watershed as well as other renowned arts centres including the Old Vic theatre.

With the cash-strapped local authority struggling to keep crucial services such as social care afloat, is this simply entitled moaning from a venue – and sector – seen by some as catering mainly to well-heeled cinephiles still able to afford £6 pints alongside their culture fix? Or does that viewpoint itself represent a bad case of inverted snobbery by suggesting that only the middle classes enjoy a bit of high art?

Why does it matter that the arts get funded, even while public services are getting sliced left, right and centre? Is the picture in Bristol really bleaker than in other provincial cities? And do the market pressures facing the wider cinema industry – which have seen big operators closing their doors here recently – present an opportunity for canny independents to grow their business and boost their inclusivity?

As 2023 draws to a close, join Neil and Clare for a wide-ranging chat over these issues in the final Bristol Unpacked of the year. We'll be returning right after the Christmas break for the rest of the season, so stay tuned.

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On 17 November Wesley, ACORN's communications officer, was involved in an altercation with security guards at the Holiday Inn in Bristol city centre. Residents of the Barton House tower block evacuated that week have been temporarily housed in the hotel – in conditions many have complained are far from suitable for families. 

A recording heard at the start of this week's episode captures Wesley trying to speak to Bristol's mayor, Marvin Rees, during the incident, which he claims ended with him being assaulted by those security staff. The exchange, in which Wesley calls Rees a "villain" of the situation, marks the latest downward spiral in relations between the mayor – and the council more widely – and ACORN activists.

Over recent weeks the union has been calling out the council over its handling of the high-rise evacuation. People were moved out very suddenly over fears the structure is unsafe – and ACORN is calling for an independent inquiry into what happened. It's also been taking the council to task over proposals to reduce council tax relief for the poorest households – which have now been scrapped.

Things weren't always so oppositional. So what has turned them so sour? What exactly does ACORN believe the council has done wrong in its handling of the tower block emergency? Does the union really speak for the wider Barton Hill community? And does Wesley – as a communications man – see any way back to friendlier ties between ACORN and the powers that be?

Join Neil Maggs for another engrossing chat as he puts these questions, and many others, to Wesley.

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She’s a regular on TV and radio, and writes about society, politics and culture for publications including gal-dem, the New York Times, the Guardian and the I.

In this episode of our new Cable Live podcast series – where we sit down with writers, academics and activists from across the UK, putting our work in the national conversation – Moya is talking to Bristol Cable reporter Priyanka Raval.

In a fascinating chat recorded live on 13 October at Hamilton House on Stokes Croft as part of the Cable’s ongoing speaker series, Moya and Priyanka are discussing the future of campaign journalism.

Hear Moya recount her journey into journalism after growing up in rural Herefordshire, reveal why working at the BBC was the worst experience of her life – and reflect on why new models of media offer hope for the future.

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In the first episode of our new Cable Live podcast strand – where we sit down with writers, academics and activists from across the UK, putting the Cable’s work in the national conversation – he is in conversation with Ruth Day, a Bristol-based housing activist and campaigner.

As part of the Cable's ongoing speaker series, Peter is talking to Ruth about the failings that led up to the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June 2017 in which 72 people lost their lives, the wider housing crisis – and what the future might look like.

The discussion took place on Friday 3 November, just days before Bristol City Council suddenly and chaotically evacuated one of the city's high-rises over fears it was structurally unsafe. About 400 people who were living in that block – Barton House, in Barton Hill – have been left temporarily homeless as a result, turning their lives upside down.

Within this talk, Pete explores how we got here: how social housing and building safety were neglected over decades in the UK – leading to a crisis in affordability, and pushing people into unacceptable and sometimes dangerous housing conditions.

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Eight years ago, filmmaker Aodh Breathnach was stabbed multiple times during a night out on Stokes Croft, and rushed in a taxi to the Bristol Royal Infirmary.

Aodh was lucky. He recovered from injuries to his head and body within a few weeks and tried to put the attack out of his mind, deleting photos from his phone and throwing away the clothes he had been wearing.

But the mental scars the stabbing inflicted proved far more resistant to healing, leaving him with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): night terrors, panic attacks and an ever-present feeling of fear.

The aftermath of trauma led Aodh into therapy and, several years later, to make a documentary based on his experience – and that of other people who have been victims of knife crime, which have been tragically common in Bristol and other cities. 

As part of the process, Aodh went as far as meeting his attacker to explore the impact of restorative justice. Can this technique, in which the survivors, their families and perpetrators of crime open up channels of communication, begin to repair the terrible harm that violent incidents cause? What support is out there to help people move on from the impact of PTSD? And how does it feel for someone accustomed to documenting others' personal experiences to turn the camera back on themselves?

In a fascinating first episode of a brand-new series of Bristol Unpacked, join Neil Maggs in a conversation with Aodh exploring these issues and discussing his thought-provoking film, Scars: Surviving a Stabbing.

Aodh Breathnach’s documentary, Scars: Surviving a Stabbing, is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.

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Similar schemes have been brought in up and down the country, but they have also sparked a backlash as part of a so-called ‘war on motorists’, a narrative now being stoked by the Tory government.

But back on the streets of Bristol, residents are divided. While some people are strongly in favour of making the area less dominated by cars, others are worried about the impact on their daily lives, especially those who have no choice but to drive. After months of consultation and criticism, tweaks have been made and the year-long trial of the liveable neighbourhood scheme is set to come into force early next year.

We’ve been reporting on the East Bristol Liveable Neighbourhood for many months. The plan may be just about restricting traffic in one area of Bristol. But it also throws up important questions about how a city can get its residents to drive less, when public transport options are patchy at best.

Why are people so emotionally attached to their cars? And how can we make changes that benefit the climate in as fair a way as possible, when people are already struggling?

This is Area in Focus, a new podcast by the Bristol Cable, where we get out and about to talk to people about the big issues shaping our city. Subscribe to the Cable where you get your podcasts to get weekly episodes, from on-the-ground reporting to investigations and live events.

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