The People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast

If you’re listening to this podcast, you've officially run out of things to do with your life.

Now we’ve got your attention, here’s the first of two listener questions, your co-hosts Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt, whose known for his willingness to challenge mainstream perspectives, and William Mankelow who always tries to anchor the discussion with thoughtful reflections, that blend aesthetics with reality. But most of the time,...

There is quite a bit to unpack in this, the latest episode of The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast. Where conversations serve as springboards for deeper discussions that weave through nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice, all with the starting point of a question sent in by a listener. 

In today’s episode your co-hosts discuss two such questions, the first coming from ...

 Stuart and William don't see the listener questions before they press record. They don't really have guests. They explore these topics cold without preparation. Not trying to be the go-to experts as they feel there are enough out there already, they see themselves as the go-to guys who are willing to explore things cold.

Scott, Arisaig, Scotland - “What are your biggest challenges personally in 2025, and what are the bigges...

 You the listeners send in questions to talk about. Your co-hosts Stuart and William, try and spin it round to the environment in some way. Neither see the questions before they press record. No preparation, they try and hopefully, a little bit like you, approach this stuff cold.

Scott, Arisaig, Scotland - “Rewilding, a significant contemporary movement, entails the restoration and enhancement of local, regional, and international f...

“You often talk about the talks you give. Is your style accidental, evolving and planned?”

This is the first of two listener questions your co-hosts Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt and William Mankelow discuss in this episode of The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast. This question was sent in by Unity in Paddock Wood, Kent, England.

From Unity’s question, Stuart and William discuss how, though their talks are planned, wi...

Floss from Gimli, Manitoba, Canada set the first of two listener questions in today’s episode  

“Do either of you feel you have guardian angels?”

Stuart and William come at Floss’s question in two very unique ways, which reflects how different they are from each other.

William refuses to believe in literal guardian angels, as he feels you need to believe in actual angels. He does however acknowledge how the presence of important peopl...

Scott, a listener from Arisaig, Scotland sets today's first question  - “We have rebranded tourism, to backpacking, walking, cycling, mountaineering and exploring etc, so as to get an authentic experience of a place. Though in getting that authentic experience, often we turn a blind eye and we see places how we want to, not how they really are. In ways that fit our own narrative, maybe overly romantic? Maybe that's why when...

“I  heard someone on TV say they didn’t think Essex had wildlife, until someone said wildlife is everywhere. What is the world coming to?” That's the question left by listener James, in Ecclefechan, Scotland for your co-hosts Stuart and William to delve into. 

Wildlife? More Like Wild Conspiracies! Join William and Stuart as they dissect the absurdities of British wildlife with all the enthusiasm of a damp Saturday in Colchester...

“I’ve heard youngsters say in the olden days we never had mobiles, and how did we survive? This worries me. Ok youngsters are tech savvy, but they perhaps lack the ability to adapt quickly if tech fails them?”

This is the first of the two listener questions sent in for Stuart and William to discuss in today’s episode, this particular question came from Wayne in Bangor, Maine, USA.

Off the back of Wayne’s question, William recounts hi...

On this podcast there aren’t necessarily debates, more often they are off the cuff conversations. You, the listeners, set the questions that your, co-hosts don’t see until they start recording. 

This episode is not an exception to that as there’s talk about Stuart’s recent appearance on the ProGRESS Podcast, and a thought-provoking reflection questioning whether humanity’s progress is driven by rare geniuses, while the rest of us cl...

This episode was recorded in Stuart’s garden, so expect in the background,  people shouting, horns, sirens, Harley’s revving, all sorts. If you’re struggling to filter out the background noise and not focus in on the question, that's something you need to practice, because when your co-hosts are out having a conversation in this garden space, they don't even notice the background sounds very often. So that's the thing, ...

Floss, in Gimli, Manitoba, Canada is the listener who set the first question today - “What are your objectives, personally and with your work?”

William aspires to live a fulfilling life by practicing kindness, spending time with loved ones, and embracing diverse experiences. Both personally and professionally, he seeks growth through challenges and stepping out of his comfort zone.

Stuart, on the other hand, values enjoying life'...

The first question that Stuart and William wade into in today’s episode, comes from Ray in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, USA - “None of us are getting out of this alive. We’re all heading in the same direction. Don’t you think there's something profound in that?”

Right off the bat, William agrees with Ray, that none of us are getting out of this alive. He goes on to make the point that we like to avoid the subject of our own mortality...

On this podcast, the questions are set by you, the listeners. Even though the questions are often detached from the environment, we always try and bring back the discussion to it in some way.

In today’s episode, Stuart and William, your co-hosts, chew the fat over two intriguing questions, the first of which comes from Bartek in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England - “I have not asked any question since 2020 I don’t think, but always list...

This podcast is  not really a debate. It's more of a conversation. Listeners send in questions for discussion and we’ve got up to 50 questions still to get through. Some aren’t about the countryside or the environment, but co-hosts Stuart and William try and bring them beck to the environment in some way, with the actions they come up with. 

Ched, sets the first question from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti - “Who or what is the world'...

Debs, in Didcot, Oxfordshire, England is the listener who sets the first question for discussion -  “You often say we are part of nature and not separate from it. To that end, with balance, it's ok for humans to alter land. So restoring it back to how it was before man even walked the Earth may be a red herring. I’ve heard you say when we are trying to look after a section of land, are we aiming to turn it into what it was, wha...

Before we get into the meat and bones of this episode, an announcement. This podcast will be ending in 2030 and by our calculations, if we carry on the same rate of listens for the next five years, we’ll reach 800,000 in total. So dear listener, here is where you come in. Share this podcast with 5 of your friends today and help us reach the 1 million listen mark before we bring this podcast to a close. Simples!

Now on with the show,...

Welcome to The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast, where your co-hosts Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt  and William Mankelow discuss questions sent in by listeners. 

In today’s episode both questions come from the country of Scotland, with Teasag in Moffat posing the following - “How do we know what any word means?”

Stuart begins the discussion around Teasag’s question by challenging categorical thinking, emphasizing the ...

Brenda, from Northumberland, England, sets your two co-hosts the first of today's listeners' questions - “Some people feel meteorites seeded Earth with chemicals and substances that helped the soup of life evolve. Could DNA have been seeded too? Some feel other life forms have been sending meteors to seed our planet and direct the course of our evolution too. Should we rule anything out as much of science is based on hunche...