Undercurrent Stories Podcast: History, Music, Science & much more.

Prof. Jamie Woodward (University of Manchester) on how microplastics get from your washing machine to local rivers  and how his research on Manchester's waterways ended up shaping UK water policy. We cover the sewage scandal, water company spin, and what actually needs to change.

In this episode:

• What actually counts as a "microplastic" (and why the name is misleading)
• How microplastics get from your washing machine to the ri...

Have you ever felt like there is a dormant, creative part of you just waiting to get out? Something you buried years, or even decades ago because life got in the way? Careers, family commitments, the daily grind, all very important but it’s so easy to push our real passions to the back burner while we go about our everyday life.

Sometimes, though, life makes the big decisions for us.

My guest today spent decades in a demanding ...

Stuart Ward grew up on a council estate in Exeter, England, obsessed with pirate radio, chart positions, and — oddly — record labels. That obsession, plus a teenage belief that Sweden had cracked the code on a fairer society, eventually carried him across the North Sea, first as a chartered accountant, then as one of Swedish television and radio's most recognisable voices for decades.

Stuart hosted Night Flight Scandinav...

It's the early 1940s. The world's biggest movie stars could have sat the war out in comfort — instead, they walked off film sets, traded tuxedos and evening gowns for uniforms, and went to fight.

This conversation features British Army veteran, Olympic discus thrower, and author Bill Tancred to explore the extraordinary true stories behind the actors who lived the wars they later portrayed on screen. From Jimmy Stewart flying ...

What's really behind the stone walls of a sleepy English village? 

In this live walking-tour episode, I'm joined by local historian Adrian Gombault, author of the book 'Belmesthorpe: Then and Now' for a stroll through the English village of Belmesthorpe.

We uncover Viking place names, a vanished railway, a rare 18th-century dovecote, a forgotten riot, and a surprising Cold War-era scandal, all within a village of barely 130 peop...

Trillions of invisible organisms produce every other breath you take — and almost no one talks about them. This week, that changes.

Bob is joined once again by Vincent Doumeizel — UN food and ocean advisor, food innovation expert, and author of The Power of Plankton — for a deep dive into the most overlooked organisms on the planet. Vincent explains how plankton produce half the world's oxygen despite making u...

What happens when a parent leaves not just their family, but the entire world they once knew?

In this episode, I talk with author and memoirist Lily Dunn about her powerful memoir Sins of My Father. When Lily was six years old, her father abandoned the family to join a spiritual movement that would shape the course of both his life and hers. We discuss the lasting effects of childhood abandonment, the allure of cults and alternative...

What do you do when life suddenly changes direction?

In this episode I'm joined by author and former production editor David Hermakowski. David talks about resilience, reinvention, and finding purpose after unexpected challenges. Following a major health scare and brain surgery, David faced questions about identity, recovery, and what comes next.

We explore major life changes as a new beginning, the importance of mindset and meaning,...

What happens when the life you've built no longer fits?

In this episode we hear from author, journalist, and book coach Carolyn Flynn to discuss her memoir Boundless and the unexpected opportunities that can emerge during life's biggest transitions.

As a single mother preparing to send her twins off to college while facing uncertainty in her journalism career, Carolyn found herself confronting a question many people face but few disc...

Animal welfare expert Laura Foster joins host Bob Wells to reveal the hidden realities behind dog rescue, rehoming and responsible pet ownership in the UK.

If you've ever adopted a rescue dog, worried about your pet's behaviour, or wondered what really goes on inside animal welfare organisations like Dogs Trust and the RSPCA this episode is for you.

Laura Foster is a senior animal welfare professional and behaviour specialist at Dogs...

In this episode we meet pioneering wolf biologist and author Diane Boyd who talks  about her extraordinary four decades studying wolves in the remote wilderness of Montana near Glacier National Park.

In the 1970s she was the only female biologist in the United States researching and radio-collaring wild wolves. With her two dogs for company she faced the rigours of the Montana winter in an isolated cabin without running water o...

Most of us like to think our decisions are grounded in facts. Whether it’s in medicine, business, or everyday life, we assume the “best” option rises to the top through clear evidence.

But for most of history — and even today — that hasn’t really been the case.

In this episode, I talk with science journalist Helen Pearson, author of Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works, about the sur...

In this re-released episode of Undercurrent Stories, we revisit our powerful conversation with Rita Gigante — author, healer, psychic, and daughter of the infamous mafia boss Vincent “The Chin” Gigante.

Rita shares her extraordinary journey growing up in the shadow of one of New York’s most feared crime families, the trauma and secrets she carried from childhood, and how those experiences led her toward a lif...

Imagine sitting down at a gig in Stockholm, striking up a conversation with the person next to you, and realising you’re talking to a man who didn't just witness music history—he helped package and sell it. From the tactile era of vinyl to the invisible world of streaming, he’s seen it all.

Today’s episode is a special one. It’s the result of a chance meeting at a Quint Starkie gig with a man named Sven...

🔥 Episode Summary

World War II is often told through a European lens—but across Asia, a parallel history unfolded that claimed tens of millions of lives.

In this episode, Jenny Chan shares how her grandmother’s story led her to uncover overlooked WWII atrocities, digitise over a million archival documents, and preserve survivor accounts before they disappear. We explore why this history remains largely untold—and w...

What is the paranormal—really?

Author and speaker Neil Nixon joins the show to explore ghosts, UFOs, and the limits of human understanding. From eerie encounters to cutting-edge theories about consciousness, this episode challenges what we think we know about reality.

💬 Memorable Quote

“We’re not smart enough yet to ask the right questions.” 

📚 About Neil Nixon

Neil Nixon is a writ...

How do you tell the story of 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history in a way that’s engaging and easy to understand?

In this episode, I talk with Jamie Woodward, Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Manchester about his book A Little History of the Earth. Jamie explains how scientists piece together the planet’s deep past—from the formation of the universe to the shifting of continents, the age ...

Why do so many breakthroughs happen by accident—and can we create the conditions for them?

In this episode of the Undercurrent Stories Podcast, Bob Wells speaks with innovation expert and author Paul Sloane about his book The Art of Unexpected Solutions.

They explore creativity, innovation, lateral thinking, and problem solving, and how mistakes and unexpected events have led to some of the world’s most important discover...