The Big Smoke Variety Show

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we explore philosophy, freedom, and the peculiar ways we find meaning — from the quiet depths of the soil to the bustling banks of the River Thames.

First, Kevin is joined by Professor Edward Harcourt, Academic Director of The Royal Institute of Philosophy, celebrating its centenary year. Together they ask: what is philosophy, really? How can it help us think, question, and live bet...

This week, we wander through London’s haunted past, uncover the humanity behind history’s ghost stories, and rediscover how kindness, comedy, and curiosity connect us all. From spectral legends to small acts of light in the dark, this episode celebrates the strange and the sincere in equal measure.

First, Kevin is joined by historian and author Dr Maddy Pelling — host of After Dark — for a wal...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we walk through the fog of fear, meet courage on the street corners of London, and follow the rivers that carry us home.

First up, Kevin sits down with historian and author Robert Peckham to ask what it really means to live with fear. From the “dizziness of freedom” to the way algorithms mirror our anxieties, Robert explores how fear shapes everything from politics to art—and why it...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we roll the dice under the Harvest Moon, sail the seven seas with wacky shipmates, and curl up with stories that feel like home.

First up, Kevin sits down with author Caroline Taggart to explore the timeless pastime of board games. From Monopoly meltdowns to horse-racing favourites lost to history, Caroline reveals why games aren’t just entertainment—they’re anthropology, philosophy...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we move between silence and sound, ruins and renewal, stars in the sky and treasures in the mud.

First up, our Pub Quiz heads to the true north strong and free for “Maple Leaf or Make Believe: Pizza Edition”. From syrup-soaked slices to bears with strong topping opinions, can you spot the real Canadian headline?

Then Kevin sits down with legendary theatre-maker Wendy Gorling to expl...

This week’s Silly Season episode is bold, rich, and possibly a bit risky. Back in the Comedy Café Mark Silcox takes the spotlight with tales of his latest obsession: gold trading. Kate Sharp and Alex Farrow join in as we debate financial wisdom, summer side-hustles, and whether pursuing security is ever truly secure. It’s a silly, spirited, and slightly speculative conversation about where your mind goes when your sunhat’s on and y...

Welcome to another Big Smoke Silly Season! This week in our Comedy Café, we stroll into deeper waters. Alex Farrow takes centre stage in a thoughtful chat about the meaning of summer, the philosopher’s mindset, and the timeless role of the fool in society. Joined by Kate Sharp and Mark Silcox, we riff on Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and how some people can make anything a fish!

In Parish Notices, our Summer Correspondent Morgan encour...

This week’s Big Smoke mini-episode is like a perfectly pulled cortado for your ears — short, sharp, and slightly sweaty. Stand-up comedians Kate Sharp, Alex Farrow, and Mark Silcox return for a slightly damp but deeply funny session at the Comedy Café, focused around Kate’s caffeine habits, medication mishaps, and the sweaty truths of summer. From towelling methodology to microphone hygiene, it’s a gloriously soggy ode to showing u...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show — and to our Summer Silly Season! While the team takes a well-earned break until September, we’re serving up mini-episodes to help you make the most of summer, starting with Jump In! This bite-sized audio macchiato features some of London’s funniest stand-up comedians — Kate Sharp, Alex Farrow, and Mark Silcox — who pop into the Comedy Café for iced coffees, heatwave hacks, and a guessing game ...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we’re taking to the skies — and far beyond — with a celebration of whimsical, surprising, and deeply human modes of travel.

First up, we pop to our local, where the ceiling’s low but our questions are sky-high. This week’s Pub Quiz? A History of Basket Cases.

Then, Kevin meets legendary hot air balloon pilot Robin Batchelor to explore the history, his daring exploits, and the sheer ...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we’re celebrating Pride from every angle—through folklore, resistance, and the hidden treasures history leaves behind.

First, Kevin sits down with Sunday Times bestselling author Sacha Coward to explore Queer as Folklore—a book that traces the hidden queer history in myths, monsters, and stories we’ve told for centuries. From the otherworldly deep sea in The Little Mermaid, to the f...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we’re tracing lines—political, personal, and poetic—as we examine how borders, behaviours, and the body shape our place in the world.

First, Kevin speaks with political journalist and bestselling author Jonn Elledge, whose book A History of the World in 47 Borders explores how the lines drawn through history continue to define our present. From colonial maps to the Canada–US border,...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! This week’s episode is a little different. We’re turning inward and asking—as King Lear put it—“Who is it that can tell me who I am?” It’s time for a bit of productive navel-gazing.

So today, the mic turns around. Our assistant producer, Adam Wright, puts host Kevin Bennett in the hot seat as we explore the origins of this delightful circus we call The Big Smoke. From childhood curiosities to ...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we’re packing our bags and setting off on a whirlwind journey — from London to Malawi to Canada… and then… a mystery location?!

First up, we’re joined by travel writer, photographer and community chronicler Helena Smith, whose work with Lonely Planet, Rough Guides and Bradt Guides has taken her from London’s lesser-known footpaths to the sun-drenched hills of rural Malawi. With Hele...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! This week, we’re digging through the layers of history, ritual, and relics to uncover the surprising ways we make meaning and find home.

First up, we’re joined by Dr. Andrew Irving, Director of the Groningen Centre for Religion and Heritage, who takes us on a journey through the sacred and the forgotten. From medieval manuscripts to the relics we toss aside, he shares how ancient rituals shape...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! This episode tips its hat to the dramatic and the delightfully ridiculous—from lost boys and duels at dawn to Shakespearean skulls and Victorian umbrella stands.

We kick things off with Stump the Room, where we dare you to unravel a set of stage-worthy questions spanning Hook, Hamilton, and Hamlet. From blink-and-you-miss-it cameos to the real-life rulebook behind duels, this quiz blends pop c...

Today’s episode really leans into the “variety” part of our podcast's name. From Canadian headlines to ancient Roman bone dice, it’s a buffet of the bizarre, the beautiful, and the quietly profound.

First up, it’s back to the Great White North for another round of Maple Leaf, or Make Believe?—the quiz that challenges you to separate true Canadian news stories from sweet, syrupy fakes. One of these headlines is legit. The rest? Pure...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show! In today’s episode, we step into the ring… or rather, the opera house. And trust us, by the end, you’ll see they might just be the same thing.

First up, we kick things off with a Looney Tunes twist in Stump the Room: Bugs Bunny Meets Opera Edition. Can you tell your Wagnerian heroines from your Saturday morning demons?

Then, our host Kevin Bennett is joined by Thomas Guthrie - opera director, ...