The Eddie Mair Interview: Recent Episodes
BBC Radio 4
John Sipher spent 28 years with the US National Clandestine Service.
Mr Sipher spoke to Eddie Mair about his life undercover, why he's kept a brick from Osama Bin Laden's house, torture, and the Sergei Skripal poisoning.
Artificial intelligence is already a big part of our lives, whether or not we are aware of it, and it will only become more significant.
But could it ever help us with our most tender human emotions, like when we are grieving?
Eugenia Kuyda is a tech entrepreneur and when her friend Roman Mazurenko died suddenly, Eugenia used machine conversation to bring him back to life.
She told Eddie Mair about the app she created to do this called Replika, which describes itself as an artificial intelligence friend that's always there for you.
(Photo: Roman Mazurenko and Eugenia Kuyda Credit:Eugenia Kuyda)
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On New Year's Eve four young men were stabbed to death in separate incidents around London. It brought the total number of fatal knife attacks in the Capital to 80 in 2017.
Many of these incidents are due to gang rivalries.
Jermaine Lawlor was a member of a gang in East London. He was first arrested at the age of 11, but tells Eddie Mair that seeing "friends being murdered, made me think about my life".
Now 26, he's a youth worker and has set up a service to help those that remind him of his younger self.
(Photo:Jermaine Lawlor Credit: Jermaine Lawlor)
What would you like to happen if you become very ill or severely incapacitated? What can you do now to make sure your wishes, whatever they are will be respected should that time come?
Professor Jenny Kitzinger is from the Coma and Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre, Cardiff University which researches how best to ensure that incapacitated patients have their last wishes respected.
Jenny's sister Polly had a car crash in 2009 which has left her with devastating brain injuries. Her family knew she would not want life-prolonging treatment but as Jenny told Eddie Mair, "without an advance decision (document) we found that those views were not respected".
(Photo: Professor Jenny Kitzinger, Coma and Disorders of Consciousness Research Centre, Cardiff University. Credit: J Kitzinger)
Sebastian Balfour, a historian and Emeritus Professor of Contemporary Spanish Studies at the London School of Economics, was PM’s trusted guide to events in Catalonia before, during and after the disputed independence referendum.
In an extended interview, Professor Balfour talks to Eddie Mair not about his day job, but about his fascinating life including being rescued as a little boy from a Japanese internment camp and living in America in the1960's where he bought and sold antique cars.
(Photo: Historian Sebastian Balfour Credit: Sebastian Balfour)
Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is an increasingly popular destination for international sun-worshippers and shoppers.
Recently when Dubai has been in the news, it has not been for bargains or top tanning tips.
This week a young British expat, Asa Hutchinson, was said to be facing jail in Dubai after witnessing a fight.
There were more headlines about Jamie Harron, a 27-year-old Scot who was sentenced to three months in jail in Dubai for touching a man's hip. After spending three and a half months awaiting the outcome of the case, he was exonerated and able to return home.
But what is it like to be caught up in the criminal justice system in Dubai?
David Haigh is someone who knows. He is a lawyer and was a business executive. He says he is an innocent man who was wrongly imprisoned. He was arrested at the airport in Dubai on a trip to visit a former employer, GFH, about further work. But GFH - an investment bank based in Bahrain - had accused him of stealing money from them. And they strongly deny that the basis of his subsequent conviction was false.
David Haigh told PM about his arrival in Dubai.
(Photo: David Haigh Credit: David Haigh)
The treatment of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has led to worldwide condemnation, with the US threatening sanctions.
Bangladesh, which has taken in hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas who’ve fled their homeland, has now signed a deal to return them to Myanmar.
Nijam Uddin Mohammed is a Rohingya Muslim. He spent 18 years in a refugee camp in Bangladesh, but now lives in Bradford.
He tells Eddie Mair about fleeing Myanmar when he was a boy; and about his return to visit the camps he used to live in.
(Photo courtesy of Nijam Uddin Mohammed)
The magazine Gay Times has sacked its new editor over comments he made on social media in the past.
Josh Rivers was appointed last month. The first non white editor in Gay Times history.
But an investigation by Buzzfeed News found several tweets posted by Josh Rivers between 2010 and 2015 which it said would shock many people.
Although he tweeted a statement which described his messages as "horrible", "hateful" and "abhorrent" and expressed sorrow at causing any offence, the Gay Times sacked him.
He told Eddie Mair that the texts came from a place of "deep self-loathing that I've worked hard to overcome". He also said "this isn't about me it's about, beautiful, sensitive, valuable people who have been hurt by this and they need to heal - if I can help them do that, I'd love to but until then they have to do what they have to do to get through this."
(Photo: Josh Rivers Credit: Gay Times)
As we approach Armistice Day, followed by Remembrance Sunday, we talk to an American army veteran who is the host of a new podcast "Battle Scars", in which he interviews people who have been in war zones.
Born in Vietnam, Thom Tran moved to the US as an infant. He enlisted in the United States Army at 18 years old, before he had finished high school. He spent eight years in the army including 12 months in Iraq.
These days he is a musician, and a stand-up comic, but in his new podcast he uses his own history to help other former soldiers talk openly about their experiences on the front line.
Based in Los Angeles, he spoke to Eddie Mair after his early morning trip the gym.
(Photo: Thom Tran on stage Credit: Thom Tran)
Since 2008 Alan Power, head gardener at Stourhead in Wiltshire, has joined Radio 4's PM programme to tell us about the autumnal view.
This year, there was something extra to talk about.
(Photo: Stourhead. Credit: PA)
Steve Hewlett chronicled his experience with oesophageal cancer weekly on PM in 2016.
Steve believed that by using his journalistic skills to investigate and understand his own cancer, he would be doing some good for himself and perhaps for people listening to PM.
He was right on both counts.
Lisa Griffith wrote to the programme about her husband Paul. After hearing about the symptoms on PM, Paul went to the doctor and was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
(Photo: Paul Griffith. Credit: Lisa Griffith)
The film producer Harvey Weinstein has been accused of a string of sexual assaults after the New York Times reported previously undisclosed allegations against him stretching over nearly three decades. He has "unequivocally denied" any allegations of non-consensual sex.
Alison Owen is a film producer who has worked on a number of films with Mr Weinstein. Her credits as a producer include Elizabeth, Shaun of the Dead and Tulip Fever.
She told Eddie Mair about her experiences of Harvey Weinstein.
(Photo: Harvey Weinstein. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
Most people would probably not want to see what the firefighters who attended Grenfell Tower fire saw, or do what they did. All of the firefighters who were there received counselling after their shift had finished. Some are still having treatment, including the woman who is the London Fire Brigade Commissioner, Dany Cotton.
Clifford Thompson is a journalist at the BBC but his boyhood dream was to be a firefighter: a dream he realised when he was stationed in East London at the age of 18.
In this interview he reflects on his life as a firefighter, some of the big disasters he attended and how the support now offered to firefighters in dealing with traumatic events has changed.
(Photo: Clifford Thompson Credit: Clifford Thompson)
Eddie Mair hears one man's story of his asexuality - discovering he was asexual, telling friends and family, and negotiating relationships.
This podcast contains sexually explicit material.
(Photo: Ace of Hearts on top of playing cards Credit: Getty Images)
For a handful of people in the world, remembering things is not a problem.
They have a condition called HSAM or Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory, which means they can remember everything that has happened to them, often in great detail.
Very little is known about why some people have it, but Rebecca Sharrock from Australia is one of those helping researchers learn more about her condition.
(Photo: An illustration of the brain. Credit: Getty Images)
Abortion in the United States continues to spark fierce debate and cause division, ever since the Supreme Court made it legal in 1973 following the Roe v Wade case.
Individual states still have a lot of power to influence the availability of abortions and in almost every state there are campaigns and protests for and against.
In our two-part podcast we hear from people on either side of the debate.
For part one we heard from Dr Willie Parker, who provides abortion services in Georgia and Alabama.
In part two Eddie speaks to Esther Ripplinger, who campaigns against abortions in her home state of Washington, not least because of her own experience of having one.
(Photo: Esther Ripplinger. Credit: Esther Ripplinger)
Abortion in the United States continues to spark fierce debate and cause division, ever since the Supreme Court made it legal in 1973 following the Roe v Wade case.
Individual states still have a lot of power to influence the availability of abortions and in almost every state there are campaigns and protests for and against.
In our two-part podcast we hear from people on either side of the debate.
For part one we speak to Dr Willie Parker, who was raised in a fundamentalist Christian family in Alabama. He now exclusively provides abortion services to women in his home state and neighbouring Georgia, both of which have more restrictive laws on abortion.
(Photo: Dr Willie Parker. Credit: Getty Images)
For 16 years, David Drew and Neil Carmichael have campaigned against each other to be MP for Stroud.
The constituency in Gloucestershire is known as a bell-weather because it often goes the same way as the national result.
In 1997 David won for Labour, and Tony Blair moved into No.10. The next general election in 2001 saw Neil enter the race but David held on, as did the Labour government. The same happened in 2005. Then in 2010 Neil beat David and the Conservatives formed a coalition government with the Lib Dems. Neil's second success in 2015 was mirrored by the Conservatives, but in 2017 David Drew retook the parliamentary seat.
Eddie Mair speaks to the pair about what it is like going up against the same person for so many years.
(Photo: David Drew (l) and Neil Carmichael (r). Credit: BBC)
For six months on PM, we heard from Steve Hewlett every Monday as he chronicled his experience of oesophageal cancer. In his very first conversation, last September, he introduced us to the "cold cap".
Many listeners told us they also experienced the "cold cap", but they're not available in every part of the UK.
"Cold caps" or "scalp cooling" can prevent or lessen hair loss which occurs during chemotherapy.
Claire McQuillan is having chemotherapy for a second time. She tells Eddie Mair she can’t have "cold cap" treatment in Northern Ireland.
The Health and Social Care Board (HSCNI) there says the evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of the caps is not sufficient for them to be routinely commissioned.
(Photo courtesy of the McQuillan family)
This week in our podcast, Eddie Mair speaks to Henry Hendron.
He was very much a rising star, a barrister in London with some high profile clients and media coverage to go with it. He represented the Conservative MP Nigel Evans when he was cleared of rape in 2014. Some people thought Henry Hendron himself had a bright political future.
But things changed for him in 2015 when his 18-year-old boyfriend Miguel Jimenez died after taking chemsex drugs.
Mr Hendron was arrested and admitted possessing the drugs that killed his boyfriend. The Bar Standards Board suspended him from practicing, but in May said he could return to the bar after three years.
Details of organisations offering information and support with addiction are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 0800 155 947.
(Photo: Miguel Jimenez (l) and Henry Hendron (r). Credit: Henry Hendron)
In 2011 it was revealed that a number of police officers who were working undercover among environmental activists in the 1990s had sexual relationships with some of the people they were investigating.
"Jessica", had a relationship with an undercover police officer in the 90s. She only found out this year the full details of what really happened.
(Photo: The shadow of a man. Credit: Getty Images)
For six months on PM, Steve Hewlett chronicled his experience of living with oesophageal cancer.
Sadly in February 2017 Steve died. His sons Freddie, Billy and Bertie join Eddie Mair to talk about a scholarship created in their father's name, the impact Steve's conversations with PM had, and moving forward.
(Photo: Freddie and Billy. Credit: BBC)
The hours and days after the Manchester Arena attack were especially long for some families.
They were wondering whether their loved ones were dead or alive. Some appealed on radio and TV for any information.
A mother who understands what they were going through is Sarah Jenkins. She has been campaigning to improve the way such information is handled, after her own experience of waiting to find out about her daughter Emily. The 24 year old was among those killed in London on July 7, 2005. She was travelling on the southbound Piccadilly line train from Kings Cross when the bomb went off 500 yards into her journey.
A man has revealed how he slept in the same room as his wife's body for six days after she died.
Wendy Davison, 50, died at home in Derby last month after a 10-year battle with cervical cancer.
Russell Davison, who has been left "heartbroken", said he did not want her body to go to a mortuary and he wanted to challenge attitudes towards dying.
Mr Davison explains to Eddie Mair his family's unusual perspective on death.
(Image:Wendy and Russell Davison. Credit: Paul Clark)
Pianist Antimo Magnotta was performing on-board the Costa Concordia cruise ship when it ran aground off the coast of Italy on 13 January 2012.
He talks to Eddie Mair about his start in music and how his life changed after the disaster which killed 32 people.
(Photo: Antimo Magnotta. Credit: BBC)
Olympic gold medalist, Dominique Moceanu, and professional acrobat Jennifer Bricker grew up with separate families before finding out they were biological sisters.
Speaking to them both, Eddie Mair heard of the struggles Jennifer went through to contact Dominique "it was a 4 year journey...but meeting my biological family consumed every bit of my life."
Dominique spoke about the shock and joy she experienced when she discovered she had a sister.
(Photo montage: Jennifer Bricker (L) doing a handstand and Dominique Moceanu (R) competing in the 1996 Olympic Games
Credit: Jennifer Bricker, image courtesy of Baker Publishing Group; Dominique Moceanu, Getty Images)
Dianne was diagnosed with dementia at 47 years old.
She talks to Eddie Mair about her journey from noticing changes in her memory, to her involvement in the Brent Peer Support project.
(Photo: Dianne. Credit: Peer Support)
Throughout his campaign to be President Donald Trump promised to build a wall between the United States and Mexico. Upon taking office he vowed to keep the promise.
Someone who knows from personal experience what it's like to patrol that southern border is Mark Napier, who is the Sheriff of Pima County in Arizona.
As he explained to Eddie Mair one of the biggest challenges he and his team face is the topography of the area and the very hot climate. "Every year 150 bodies are recovered in the desert of people who have tried to come across the border, but have died because of the environmental conditions".
Dr Naureen Starling is a Consultant Medical Oncologist at The Royal Marsden hospital in London, specialising in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers.
She is better known to listeners as Steve Hewlett's doctor.
She explained to Eddie Mair that one thing she has learnt whilst treating Steve was that clear communication was vital. "I think it's often good for me and my colleagues just to step back and think actually am I communicating this clearly in a way the patient can understand."
In the middle of September last year, Steve Hewlett, the presenter of Radio Four's The Media Show was diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. He thought it might be of interest to PM listeners to detail his treatment on air.
Sadly Steve has died.
Here is our tribute to Steve Hewlett, a collection of moments from the times he generously spent talking to us about his illness.
The death of a family member is one of the most traumatic things a person can experience. For Steve Johnson, his brother Scott's death almost 30 years ago is still a source of pain.
Scott Johnson was outwardly happy, about to finish a PhD and he was in a long term relationship. Police said his death was suicide.
But now, thanks to Steve, doubt has been cast on not only what the police said but what they did in response to Scott's death, and many others.
(Photo: Steve Johnson and his brother Scott (right). Courtesy of Steve Johnson)
In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment.
Steve has had to continue his stay in the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, so Eddie Mair went to visit him again.
Last week, he told us how some of his options were no longer there. No more drugs trials, no more chemo: his liver was in a state that would not allow any of that.
During their conversation this week, Steve told Eddie about the options for palliative care and what living every day as if it's your last, means to him.
In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment.
Steve has had to continue his stay in the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, so Eddie Mair went to visit him again. During their conversation, Steve told Eddie that his consultant had said his liver would not be able to handle any more treatments and that the outlook in the long term was not good. On a happier note, he and his partner Rachel decided to get married.
In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment.
This week Steve had to stay in London's Royal Marsden Hospital, so Eddie Mair went to visit him.
During their conversation, Steve told Eddie that because his liver is "misbehaving", and they are unsure if the new drug is working, he could end up with his "liver being so damaged it's no longer capable of dealing with any further treatment". Despite that, he's decided to continue with the drugs trial.
In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment.
In this podcast he tells Eddie Mair what happened when he heard that he had finally been accepted on the drugs trial, "as soon as I put the phone down, all I could do was cry, I was so overwhelmed by it."
In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment.
In this podcast he tells Carolyn Quinn about the stress of waiting to start a clinical trial with an immunotherapy drug that was denied to AA Gill.
In 2016 Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his treatment.
In this podcast he tells Carolyn Quinn about how a setback - which resulted in him being kept in hospital for 2 days - may put his place on a drugs trial in jeopardy.
Editor of the anti-fascist magazine Searchlight, Gerry Gable, has been working against far-right groups for decades.
As he told Eddie Mair six weeks before his son was born he received a parcel at home. It turned out to be a letter bomb. Whilst he was waiting for the bomb squad to arrive he says "I just kept my hand on the thing because I thought if I lifted it, something might be released and it might go off."
In 2005, Roger Bacon's son Matthew was one of the many British service personnel killed whilst serving in Iraq. Jason Clasby worked with Matthew and was sitting next to him when he died. As they told Eddie Mair, despite meeting briefly at the Chilcott inquiry, the two men had never sat down to talk about what happened, until now, ten years after Matthew's death. In the second part of this interview, they discuss how they deal with day to day life.
The first part of this interview was posted as a podcast on 2 January 2017.
(Photo: British troops patrolling in Basra, Iraq Credit: Getty Images)
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast he talks about being taken ill and arriving in A&E "just before the New Year's Eve deluge" where he was given the all clear at about 1.30 in the morning. Unable to get a cab, he made his way home by tube, something which, he says, will not please his consultant.
(Photo: Steve Hewlett Credit: BBC )
In 2005, Roger Bacon's son Matthew was one of the many British service personnel killed whilst serving in Iraq.
Jason Clasby worked with Matthew and was sitting next to him when he died.
As they told Eddie Mair, despite meeting briefly at the Chilcott inquiry, the two men had never sat down to talk about what happened, until now, ten years after Matthew's death.
(Photo: British troops patrolling in Basra, Iraq Credit: Getty Images)
As President Obama prepares to leave office, people are reflecting on the fact that his promise to close Guantanamo Bay within a year of taking power never came to pass.
Dr Elspeth Cameron Ritchie is a former Army colonel and psychiatrist, she was sent to Guantanamo Bay in 2002 after a spate of suicide attempts by detainees.
She told presenter Eddie Mair that in its early years, Guantanamo posed no ethical issues for medics.
(Photo: A camp entrance at Guantanamo Bay. Credit: Reuters)
A peace deal which ended half a century of armed conflict was signed between the Colombian government and the rebel group, the FARC in 2016. One man who played a role in helping bring about the ceasefire is Jose Miguel Sokoloff. He's not a politician or a military expert, but an expert in advertising. In this second part of an interview he explained to Radio 4's PM programme, it was his unusual campaign that helped demobilize the FARC rebels. Part One of this interview 'How ads persuaded guerillas to lay down arms' was broadcast on 23 December 2016 and is available as a podcast.
(Photo: Xmas lights on trees Credit: Getty images)
In 2017 it will be 10 years since the death of Peter Connolly (Baby P), a 17-month-old who was found dead at home in north London.
A serious case review that investigated what social workers, the police and GPs did, found "the practice of the majority, both individually and collectively... was incompetent", and his death "could have been prevented".
Sharon Shoesmith was the head of Haringey children’s services at the time of Peter's death. She was sacked in December 2008 by the then children’s secretary Ed Balls, but claimed she had been unfairly dismissed and the Court of Appeal ruled in her favour in 2011.
Ms Shoesmith has since written a book, Learning from Baby P, based on a PhD she has completed. She spoke to Eddie Mair about the book and her experiences of being public enemy number one.
(Photo: Sharon Shoesmith. Credit: Getty Images/AFP)
For the latest Eddie Mair podcast we hear from a man who has personally worked to bring healthcare to many hundreds of thousands of Americans who have no health insurance.
Stan Brock founded Remote Area Medical (RAM) in 1985. He told Eddie Mair his story.
(Photo: Stan Brock. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)
A peace deal which ended half a century of armed conflict was signed between the Colombian Government and the rebel group, the FARC in 2016.
One man who played a role in helping bring about the ceasefire is Jose Miguel Sokoloff.
He's not a politician or a military expert, but an expert in advertising. As he explained to Radio 4's PM programme, it was his unusual campaign that helped demobilize the FARC rebels.
(Photo: Xmas lights on trees Credit: Getty images)
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast he talks about the delight of being offered a place on a new drugs trial and how people are continually telling him that because he has been so open about his illness, "it has enabled them either to talk about it, or to understand why relatives or friends they may have lost, did not."
In May 2016, residents of Fort McMurray in Canada were evacuated due to a raging wildfire.
The chief of Fort McMurray's fire department, Darby Allen talked to presenter Eddie Mair about the evacuation.
He said "It ate me up, I couldn't sleep even if I wanted to" due to worrying about getting everyone out of danger.
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast he discusses AA Gill's last column which is about his views on cancer treatment and the NHS. Steve is joined by the Chief Executive of NICE Sir Andrew Dillon and GPs Dr Rosemary Leonard and Dr Jeanette Dickson.
Journalist Lucy Pasha-Robinson suffered with endometriosis, a disease where cells like those in the womb appear elsewhere in a woman's body. It can cause severe pain, and in some cases infertility.
As part of her treatment Lucy was given injections to cause her - temporarily - to go through the menopause. She tells Eddie Mair how that felt at the age of just 25.
(Photo: Lucy Pasha-Robinson. Credit: Lucy Pasha-Robinson)
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast he talks about his consultant restricting him to one type of drug "to see how his body reacts". Also about the invitation to his local rugby club Christmas lunch, where he was unexpectedly asked to do a speech and discovered "there are not that many jokes about cancer".
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast he talks about the fantastic feeling he had when he hosted an evening reflecting on his career, and how amazed he's been at hearing from over 4,000 listeners following his appearance on PM.
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast he discusses the benefits of talking openly to the media about his condition.
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast he talks about the importance of drinking fluids and how, with hindsight, he realises "that ever since the radio therapy started, I haven't been eating and drinking enough".
He says it's now a critical time and he hopes that on his next visit to the hospital, his condition will have "sufficiently improved, so that I can have the chemo".
After suffering years of bullying at school and online, Lucy Alexander's son Felix killed himself earlier this year.
Ben Smith ran 401 marathons in as many days, raising awareness for LGBT and anti-bullying charities after he suffered bullying at school for his sexuality.
They discuss their experiences of bullying with Eddie Mair.
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast Steve talks about visiting the "business class" area of the hospital, otherwise known as the private patients unit, to take a new cancer drug. He also shares his experience of wearing a "Paxman", a new machine for the cold cap, which gave him "a worse headache than (Jeremy) Paxman ever managed".
(Photo: Steve Hewlett Credit: BBC)
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast, he talks about the option of using "his son's inheritance" and paying around £12,000 for a new drug to treat the cancer.
Almost 30 years ago, a book was published entitled The Art of the Deal.
On the cover a large photo of Donald Trump. His surname was in large letters and underneath, as you'd expect, details of the authors: Donald J Trump with Tony Schwartz.
The Art of the Deal was on the New York Times bestseller list for 48 weeks and many commentators say it was instrumental in helping propel Donald Trump from being famous in New York, to being famous across America.
Those commentators include Tony Schwartz - that other name on the front page of the book.
As he tells PM in an exclusive radio interview he regrets ever writing the book and insists that Donald Trump never wrote a word.
Earlier this year Steve Hewlett, presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show, was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us over the last few weeks about his approach to treatment.
In this podcast, he talks about having radiotherapy.
The attempt by Iraqi Government and Kurdish forces to oust so-called Islamic State from Mosul goes on.
Meanwhile IS has unleashed a counter-attack in the north of Iraq in and around the city of Kirkuk.
Watching with interest from the UK is a man who knows the conflict first hand. He uses the nom-de-guerre Macer Gifford (not his real name) and has been to Syria to try to take on IS in a number of ways. He's 30-years-old and was moved to do something when he saw what IS was doing.
For the past few weeks Steve Hewlett, the presenter of Radio 4's The Media Show has been talking about his health.
Earlier this year Steve was diagnosed as having cancer of the oesophagus, and has been telling us about his research into the illness, his approach to treatment and going through chemotherapy.
In order to hear how the family have been dealing with Steve's illness, he and his three sons Bertie, Billy and Fred joined Eddie in the studio.
Does it make a difference to patients how they are told bad news by doctors?
A recent interview with Radio 4 's Steve Hewlett about being diagnosed with cancer prompted a doctor in Liverpool to share his experience of giving bad news to patients.
Gareth Jones, a respiratory consultant at the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, says "the day you get told you have cancer is one of the most important days of your life, and if that is handled badly, it can really influence how the course of the next few months goes."
Steve Hewlett, a well known voice on Radio 4, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus earlier this year.
He talks about a set back in his treatment, and the next phase of his cancer journey.
For details of organisations offering information and support for people with cancer see related links
Neil Woods has strong views on how drugs like heroin, cocaine and ecstasy are treated by the law. He speaks as someone who for 14 years worked as an undercover police officer, bringing drugs lords to justice. He put himself in danger repeatedly, and ended up with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now he's left the force and campaigns for a radical change in drugs laws.
He's written a book: Good Cop Bad War.
Ben Smith was bullied at school for years for being gay, and at the age of 18 he tried to take his own life.
Now at the age of 34 he's doing something to raise awareness of the damage done by bullying. He's gone out for a run to help his charities, Kidscape and Stonewall.
He's run 401 marathons in 401 days and just completed his final marathon in his home city of Bristol.
Steve Hewlett, a well known voice on Radio 4, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus earlier this year.
He talks about his experience with getting the right treatment.
Details of organisations offering information and support with cancer are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 08000 560 190.
For further information on Macmillan visit: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/
(Photo: Steve Hewlett in his cold cap)
Steve Hewlett, a well known voice on Radio 4, was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus earlier this year.
He talks about his experience, from diagnosis to treatment.
Details of organisations offering information and support with cancer are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline, or you can call for free, at any time to hear recorded information on 08000 560 190.
For further information on Macmillan visit: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/
Information on oesophageal cancer: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/information-and-support/oesophageal-gullet-cancer
Good patient experience: http://www.macmillan.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/evidence/cancer-story-is-changing/cancer-patient-experience.html
(Photo: Steve Hewlett in his cold cap)
Carolyn Quinn speaks to Angie Emrys-Jones whose 9-year-old son, Ted, has Downs syndrome.
She tells Carolyn that not all people with Downs syndrome are endlessly happy and loving like the stereotype would suggest.
Angie and a group of other parents in Cornwall have produced a childrens' book to help break down the myths around those with down syndrome, and to promote inclusion in schools. Their book is being given to all 30,000 children starting school in Cornwall in the next four years.
Archers' fans have been gripped by the trial of Helen Titchener for the attempted murder of her husband.
It's a fictional case - but what happens in real life? How should the law treat women who strike out against abusive husbands?
Kiranjit Ahluwalia was jailed in 1989 for killing her violent husband. After a retrial her life sentence was quashed.
She was given a conviction of manslaughter due to diminished responsibility. This was based on new psychiatric evidence which showed that the abuse had contributed to her long standing depression.
Kiranjit spoke to Carolyn Quinn about her husband, her trial, and life before marriage. Some of the details are rather disturbing.
As the migrant crisis continues we look back at the parallels with the late 1970s and one of the great migrations by the sea when around 800,000 Vietnamese refugees fled the communist takeover of their country.
Diep Quan was nine in 1978 when her family joined more than 300 others on a perilous sea journey on a defective boat.
If a scottish cargo ship had not spotted their last desperate flare and embarked on a remarkable rescue, all on board would have drowned.
Graeme Anderson was the 17-year-old cadet on board the MV Wellpark who saw the flare.
How do you stop people joining radical terrorist groups? The UK government offers an intensive one-to-one mentoring programme, called Channel, to challenge violent views.
Anjum Khan is a Muslim and a therapist and sits in a room getting to know the people at the heart of the Channel programme.
Eddie Mair first spoke to David Nott in 2013. His regular job is at three hospitals in London but for the past 20 years during his holiday time, he has headed to some of the world's bleakest trouble spots where he carries out operations on injured people, on behalf of a number of charities. Most recently he has been working in Syria.
His interview was warmly received by listeners, so we spoke to him again, a year later, to hear about his most recent experiences of Syria.
This conversation between Eddie Mair and David Nott was first broadcast in December 2014.
Dr Samer Attar is an orthopaedic surgeon. He lives and works in Chicago, but takes time away from his day job to use his skills to help the people of Syria.
He's worked in the city of Aleppo several times. He's just back from his most recent visit.
In April 2015 a car bomb went off in Baghdad. At least ten people were killed. Karim Wasfi conductor of the Iraqi National Symphony Orchestra walked to the scene of the explosion, and amidst the carnage set up a wooden chair, sat down, and began to play the cello.
Anita Lasker-Wallfisch also plays the cello. In 1943 Anita was sent to Auschwitz. She survived because she played the instrument.
39 holiday makers were killed when a gunman from so called Islamic State opened fire on a beach in Sousse, Tunisia, in June 2015.
Olivia Leathley is a head chef from Manchester and was in the hotel with her boyfriend Mike.
Will Pooley is a British nurse who became infected with Ebola in Sierra Leone, received treatment back in the UK and then went back to Sierra Leone. Eddie spoke to Will Pooley whilst he was still in Africa, and managed to put him in touch with his parents, Jackie and Robin, who came into a studio in the UK, just before Christmas that year.
Geoffrey Harris overcame years of stress and anxiety to make a bus journey from his home in Neath to Swansea. It was on Leap Day in 2012, when hundreds of PM listeners did something different for a day.
Among the people listening that day in 2012 was Claire Parrish, who hadn't touched her artwork for 20 years.
Phyllis Whitsell was adopted as a child, and was never told her mother's name, only that she had died of tuberculosis.
Phyllis eventually became a nurse and discovered that her mother was alive and an alcoholic. She spent the following nine years caring for her mum as she descended into mental decline. But, as she reveals to Eddie, Phyllis never told her mother that she was her daughter until it was too late.
Renee Rabinowitz is 81 years old, Jewish, a retired lawyer and holocaust survivor. She was asked to move seats on a flight from New York to Tel Aviv, but wasn't getting offered an upgrade. Eddie finds out what happened.
Imagine fencing blind against a sighted opponent. That's what Ruth Tolkien does. She spoke to Eddie Mair about wielding blades, archery, and being the great granddaughter of JRR Tolkien, the author of Lord of the Rings.
Scientists worry that if they don't find a cure to anti biotic resistant superbugs then we're in trouble. Some estimates say these diseases could be deadlier than cancer, so the fight is on to find a cure. Eddie Mair speaks to two scientists who have discovered a one thousand year old remedy for eye infections which could hold the key to beating the superbugs.
Nick Yarris spent twenty two years in solitary confinement before his name was cleared with the help of DNA evidence. He spoke to Eddie Mair about prison brutality and how he got his life back.
On 1st January 2002, 13 year old Alicia Kozakiewicz left her family home and "simply vanished". The man who took her had spent months befriending her as she sat at home on her family computer.
He imprisoned her, raped her and beat her.
But Alicia survived, and now she works to raise awareness about the risks of the internet.
Alicia spoke to Eddie Mair about her childhood before New Year's Day 2002, how she was befriended by a man online, how he abducted and imprisoned her, and her work on internet safety since being freed.
For details of organisations which can offer advice and support if you or someone you know has been the victim of grooming or any form of sexual abuse, go online to bbc.co.uk/actionnline or call the BBC Action Line to hear recorded information on 0800 077 077. Lines are open 24 hours and calls are free from landlines and mobiles.
In 2012, we heard from Geoffrey Harris, one of several listeners who took a leap for PM. He explained that eight years previously he had been hit depression and panic attacks - leading him to retire early.
With help from his family, he had slowly made small steps forward and inspired by the PM project - Take a Leap on Leap Day - he set himself the challenge of catching the bus from his home town of Neath to Swansea - something which had previously brought on panic attacks.
Four years on, Geoffrey took a leap again this time getting the train to Cardiff. His aim was to visit his favourite record shop that he hadn't been able to get to in years.
He got to Cardiff, with some help of a stranger, but the journey to the record shop was beyond him.
The story would have ended there except the record shop contacted PM to invite Geoffrey to go along whenever he felt up to it.
Eddie went with him and his son Ian.
Joan Martin had been qualified as a doctor for just one year when she led the team treating the casualties at Queen Elizabeth Hospital for Children.
Like many involved in the disaster, she was told to never speak of what happened that night as the British government, fearful of damaging public morale, attempted a cover up.
At the age of 100 she spoke to Eddie Mair.
(Image: Dr Joan Martin Credit: Evelyn Teichmann/Stairway Memorial Trust)