Union Talks: Recent Episodes
Michelle Coleman
Former NASA astronaut Kathryn Sullivan was the first American woman to walk in space. She has been a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions as a geologist, and subsequently served as the Secretary of Commerce for Oceans & Atmosphere in the Obama administration.
Brendan Rodgers is a football coach and manager. A former footballer, his own professional career was cut short by a genetic knee condition at age 20, but he successfully transitioned to coaching, and then management. Known as an impactful manager, he led Swansea City to enter the Premier League for the first time, and helped Liverpool become runners-up in the league. He is currently at Leicester City, sitting at 3rd in the Premier League at time of writing.
Sam Allardyce is an English football manager and former professional player. Over the course of 21 years as a defender, he made over 500 league and cup appearances. As a manager, meanwhile, he has managed a range of high profile clubs, including Newcastle, West Ham, and Everton, and was briefly manager of the England national team, where he held a 100% win record.
Formerly the business development director for Cambridge Analytica, Brittany Kaiser was one of the employees who helped expose the company's misuse of Facebook data to influence the UK Brexit referendum and 2016 U.S. presidential election. She testified about her own involvement before the UK Parliament and Mueller Investigation, and has written two books about the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal. This year, she has released Cambridge Analytica materials relating to numerous other foreign elections.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy is one of the most recognisable faces in British journalism, having served as the presenter of Channel 4 News for 22 years. Known for his interrogating interview style, he has often put his interviewees on the spot, and has presented some of the most important events in recent history. He also presents the Channel 4 podcast, Ways to Change the World.
Conan O'Brien is an American comedian and television personality, best known for hosting his own eponymous late-night talk show, Conan. A former writer for SNL and The Simpsons, and a graduate of Harvard University, he is celebrated for his awkward, self-deprecating comedic style, and has over 25 years' experience as a late-night host.
Phelps-Roper was raised in the Westboro Baptist Church, a controversial American church known for its inflammatory rhetoric and homophobic beliefs. The daughter of the organisation's spokesperson, and granddaughter of its founder, she was one of the church's most prominent members before leaving the organisation in 2012 alongside her sister, Grace. No longer a practising Christian, she now works as an activist to overcome religious and political hatred and division.
Banks is widely regarded as one of the chief architects of Brexit, having donated more than £13 million to anti-EU organisations, including UKIP, as well as having funded and directed Leave.EU, the unofficial Leave campaign in the 2016 referendum. Following the referendum, Banks wrote The Bad Boys of Brexit, a book chronicling his role in the campaign's success. Recently, his political activities have come under legal scrutiny for possible connections with Russian authorities.
Ratcliffe is the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a British-Iranian who has been wrongly imprisoned by the government of Iran since 2016. Ratcliffe is an outspoken campaigner for his wife’s release, and the return of his four-year-old daughter, Gabriella, who is now being raised in Tehran. He notably launched a petition for Nazanin and Gabriella's return, in 2016, and began a hunger strike in June outside the Iranian Embassy in London. Most recently, Ratcliffe attended the UN General Assembly to advocate for his family's return.
Čech is one of the Premier League's most successful goalkeepers, winning the Golden Gloves a record-equalling four times. Playing with Chelsea and Arsenal, he won five FA Cups, four Premier League titles, and set a number of records for clean sheets. He is the Czech Republic's most capped player, and was part of the first Czech national team to qualify for the World Cup finals. Čech retired earlier this year.
Williamson is a professional cricketer who is currently the captain of the New Zealand One Day International team. He is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in the modern game, and was named Player of the Tournament in this year's Cricket World Cup, after leading New Zealand to the finals. In the same tournament, he became the highest-scoring captain in a single World Cup.
Bill Gates is co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. In 1975, Bill Gates founded Microsoft with Paul Allen and led the company to become the worldwide leader in business and personal software and services. In 2008, Bill transitioned to focus full-time on his foundation’s work to expand opportunity to the world’s most disadvantaged people. Along with co-chair Melinda Gates, he leads the foundation’s development of strategies and sets the overall direction of the organization. In 2010, Bill, Melinda, and Warren Buffett founded the Giving Pledge, an effort to encourage the wealthiest families and individuals to publicly commit more than half of their wealth to philanthropic causes and charitable organizations during their lifetime or in their will. In 2015, Bill created the Breakthrough Energy Coalition, a group of individuals and entities committed to clean energy innovation, followed by Breakthrough Energy Ventures in 2016, an investor-led fund focused on providing patient capital to support cutting-edge clean energy companies.
An American-born British actor, Wanamaker has been highly acclaimed, with her nine Olivier Award nominations, four Tony Award nominations, and multiple BAFTA nominations which are a testament to her talent on the stage and on screen. From Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone to Agatha Christie’s Poirot, she has amazed audiences far and wide on the big screen. Having worked extensively with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre, she is skilled in many styles of acting, and has recently been selected for the fourth consecutive year as the voiceover of the Olivier Awards, delighting theatre fanatics.
Robshaw was the captain of the English National Rugby Union team from 2012 to 2015 and led the team to 25 wins. His widely praised captaincy was seen as a key part of the team’s success. Robshaw is a two-time Aviva Premiership Player of the Year winner and is currently playing for Harlequin F.C.
Appointed in 2017 as the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, Cressida Dick is the first openly gay woman to hold what is considered to be the highest-ranking police officer position in the UK. Cressida graduated with an MPhil in Criminology from Cambridge with the highest grade in the year. She has been critical of the cuts to police funding and the risk this poses in tackling violent crimes. She has been a long-time advocate for an increase in the number of female police officers.
Theo Paphitis is an English-Cypriot retail magnate and entrepreneur famous for his time on BBC show Dragon’s Den. He is the owner of stationary chain Rymans, and sold lingerie brand La Senza for a reported £100 million. This leaves his estimated worth as £286 million, making him the 406th richest person in Britain as of the 2017 Sunday Times rich list.
A business executive and former chairman of Viglen, Powerleague, and ASCO, as well as being the former chief executive of Tottenham Hotspur, Claude Littner’s business acumen is known nationwide. He has become a household name, known as the hard-nosed and direct interviewer, and now aide to Lord Sugar, on the BBC show The Apprentice.
As the lead guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, Johnny Marr has been one of the most influential English musicians of a generation. Since the separation of the Smiths, Johnny Marr has been a member of the Pretenders and has more recently released his third studio album 'Call the Comet'.
Host of Radio 1 Breakfast, Greg James is an English radio DJ, television presenter, and author. He co-presents the primetime BBC One music show Sounds Like Friday Night, and his children’s book series, Kid Normal, was the biggest selling children’s debut of the year, with international release. His “Gregathlon” for Sport Relief helped raise over £1 million.
One of the most widely celebrated, award-winning actors and comedians of his generation, Nick Offerman is known best for his exemplary portrayal of the cold, staunchly libertarian Ron Swanson in 'Parks and Recreation'. He has received popular and critical acclaim for his work in stand up comedy through ‘American Ham’ as well as roles in The Founder, FX, and most recently, the reality TV show ‘Making It’.
Yanis Varoufakis is an economist, author, and politician who served as the Greek Minister of Finance in 2015. Since then, Varoufakis has launched the pan-European ‘Democracy in Europe Movement 2025’. In this talk, he will argue ‘the Euro has never been more problematic’.
Sir Jony's work and patents have played a pivotal role in shaping Apple's successes over the last two decades. Jony has led Apple's design team since 1996. He holds over 5,000 patents and has been recognized with numerous design awards, including the Design Museum London’s first Designer of the Year in 2003, the Design and Art Direction (D&AD) President’s Award in 2005 and the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum’s Product Design Award in 2007. Jony is Apple Inc.'s Chief Design Officer, reporting to CEO Tim Cook. He is a native of London, a graduate of Newcastle Polytechnic and holder of honorary doctorates from the Royal College of Art and Northumbria University as well as the Rhode Island School of Design.
David Moyes is one of Britain's best-known football managers. After an illustrious playing career, he has had spells managing Manchester United, Everton, Real Sociedad, and West Ham United.
After a career in the Navy, investment banking, and Hollywood, Mr Bannon co-founded Breitbart News in 2006. He became the chief executive of Donald Trump’s 2016 election campaign and subsequently served as White House Chief Strategist from the inauguration until August 2017. Since then, he has set up an organisation called The Movement, which is designed to promote right-wing economic nationalism in Europe ahead of the European Parliamentary Elections in 2019.
Dr. Peterson is a professor at the University of Toronto, a clinical psychologist and the author of the million-plus selling ’12 Rules for Life’, which has been a Number 1 bestseller in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, the Netherlands and Brazil. He rose to international prominence in 2016, after criticising the Canadian government’s enactment of Bill C-16.
Merchant is best known for his collaborations with Ricky Gervais and Karl Pilkington, as the co-writer and co-director of the popular British sitcom The Office (2001–2003), co-writer and co-star of Extras (2005–2007) and co-host of The Ricky Gervais Show in its radio, podcast, audiobook and television formats; the radio version won a bronze Sony Award. His varied endeavors have earned him three BAFTA Awards, four British Comedy Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.
George Miller is an Australian filmmaker, best known for his Mad Max franchise, with The Road Warrior and Fury Road being hailed as amongst the greatest action films of all time. Aside from the Mad Max films, Miller has been involved in a wide range of projects. These include the Academy Award-winning Babe and Happy Feet film series.
A Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto, Peterson has received considerable media coverage after publishing a series of videos criticising the Canadian government's move to enact Bill C-16, which made misgendering a form of hate speech. His recent bestselling book, 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos topped the Washington Post, WSJ and Reuters U.S bestsellers lists.
A prominent actor in Hollywood for the last few decades, Paul Giamatti currently plays Chuck Rhoades in the hit series Billions. Having starred in acclaimed films such as Straight Outta Compton, and the HBO mini-series John Adams, Giamatti's sophisticated performances have won him two Golden Globe Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
A staple of British comedy, Miller is a comedian, writer and director best known for his role in the BAFTA-winning Armstrong and Miller double act. Miller began his comedy career at Cambridge with the Footlights in 1989, collaborating with Andy Parsons and Sue Perkins. Subsequently he has starred in Death in Paradise, Primeval and is reprising his role as Angus Bough in Johnny English Strikes Again.
Jordan Ross Belfort is an American author, motivational speaker, and former stockbroker. In 1999, he pleaded guilty to fraud and related crimes in connection with stock-market manipulation and running a boiler room as part of a penny-stock scam. Belfort spent 22 months in prison as part of an agreement under which he gave testimony against numerous partners and subordinates in his fraud scheme. He published the memoir The Wolf of Wall Street, which was adapted into a film and released in 2013.
Andrew Scott is an Irish film, television, and stage actor. He plays Jim Moriarty in the BBC series Sherlock and recently played the lead in a production of Hamlet at the Harold Pinter Theatre directed by Robert Icke. Scott has received various awards including two Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre for his roles in A Girl in a Car with a Man at the Royal Court Theatre, along with his role in Cock, also at the Royal Court. He has also won two IFTA awards for his roles in the films Dead Bodies and The Stag, a British Academy Television Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Sherlock, a BIFA Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Pride, and two BBC Audio Drama Awards for his radio work.
An English long-distance runner, Paula Radcliffe is a three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2003, 2005), three-time New York Marathon Champion (2004, 2007, 2008) and 2002 Chicago Marathon winner. She has been the women marathon world record holder for 15 years (2002-present).
An award-winning American actor, comedian, writer, and producer, Key has starred in the sketch series Key and Peele and co-starred in the comedy series Playing House. Key has also worked with the Young Storytellers Foundation as an actor for their annual fundraiser.
One of the best known political consultants in America and star of Netflix documentary Get Me Roger Stone, Roger Stone served as a senior advisor to Donald Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. Prior to this, he worked for Presidents Nixon, Reagan, George H. W. Bush and dozens of other candidates since the 1970’s. He went on to co-found the infamous firm of Black, Manafort & Stone. Roger Stone is a former National Chairman of the Young Republicans and author of controversial attack ads and media strategies on opposing candidates. A New York Times best-selling author, Mr. Stone is no stranger to controversy and dark-arts campaign tactics.
Having been an actor on television, film and stage for almost 30 years, Alec Baldwin is one of the most well-known figures in the industry. His role as Jack Donaghy in sitcom 30 Rock saw him become the male performer with the most Screen Actors' Guild Awards. He has received worldwide attention for his portrayal of Donald Trump in Saturday Night Live, and is currently filming his role in the latest Mission: Impossible film.
An acclaimed film director, screenwriter and producer, Baz Luhrmann is best known for the Academy Award-winning Moulin Rouge!, his adaptation and modernisation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, starring Leionardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes, and the epic romantic film, Australia, which is the second-highest grossing Australian film of all time. Luhrmann grew up in rural Australia, a locale that has influenced his filmmaking.
The reigning Formula One World Champion, and one of the most consistent performers on the Formula One stage for the past decade, Nico Rosberg is known for his aggressive driving style which makes him stand out from his racing peers. He has driven for both Williams and the highly competitive Mercedes team, and has achieved an outstanding 23 wins. Since his retirement, he remains one of the most celebrated names in racing history.
Scaramucci worked at Goldman Sachs' investment banking, equities, and private wealth management divisions between 1989 and 1996. After leaving Goldman Sachs, he founded Oscar Capital Management, and in 2005, he founded the investment firm SkyBridge Capital. On July 21, 2017, Scaramucci was appointed White House Communications Director. Days into the job, Scaramucci provoked controversy after an expletive-laden interview with The New Yorker's Ryan Lizza, in which he made obscene and strongly derogatory statements about several members of the Trump administration. Ten days after the announcement of his appointment, he was fired by President Donald Trump, on the recommendation of the new White House Chief of Staff, General John F. Kelly.
A controversial figure in British politics, Lord Archer has had an enigmatic career. As an author, he has sold over 330m copies worldwide and as a politician he has been made a life peer and deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Yet he is one of the few peers to serve time in prison, during which he wrote a three-volume memoir entitled A Prison Diary.
Creator and star of The Office and Extras, Ricky Gervais has won three Golden Globes, two Primetime Emmys and seven BAFTAs. The Office is the most successful British comedy of all time, shown in more than 90 countries with seven remakes. Gervais has returned to stand-up comedy for the first time in seven years, touring his new show Humanity worldwide.
Judge Judy is an American lawyer, former judge, television personality, producer, and author. Since 1996, Sheindlin has presided over her own successful Daytime Emmy Award–winning reality courtroom series, Judge Judy.
Eddie Jones is an Australian professional rugby union coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the England national rugby union team. He has previously coached the Australian national team during the 2003 Rugby World Cup and also coached the Japanese national team for three years leading up to the 2015 Rugby World Cup.
Piers Morgan is currently Editor-at-Large of the US section of MailOnline, the most viewed English newspaper website in the world, and a presenter of breakfast show Good Morning Britain and Piers Morgan’s Life Stories.
After a 17-year footballing career, Tony Pulis took his first management role as Harry Redknapp’s assistant at Bournemouth. His pragmatic style proved most successful at Stoke City, which he guided into the Premier League in the 2007-08 season, and then into their first FA Cup final in the 2010-11 season. He is the current manager of West Bromwich Albion.
David Haye is a British professional boxer who has held world titles in two weight classes. He is the first British boxer to reach the final of the World Amateur Boxing Championships, where he won a silver medal in 2001. As a professional he became the first British boxer to become a unified cruiserweight world champion in 2008, winning three out of the four major world titles, as well as The Ring magazine and lineal titles. He then moved up to heavyweight and became the WBA champion in 2009 after defeating Nikolai Valuev, who had a world record 11 inches and 7 stone advantage on Haye. Along with Evander Holyfield, Haye is one of only two boxers to have unified the cruiserweight world titles and become a world heavyweight champion.
Mark Cuban is an American businessman and investor. He is the owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, co-owner of 2929 Entertainment and chairman of AXS TV. He is also one of the main "shark" investors on the ABC reality television series, Shark Tank.
Acclaimed writer and producer, Steven Moffat has won five BAFTA Awards, four Hugo Awards, and an Emmy award. Along with Russell T. Davies, he is responsible for scripting the Doctor Who series revival, with credits including such iconic episodes as ‘Blink’ and ‘Silence in the Library’. He became lead writer on the show in 2010 following Davies’ departure. In the same year he created Sherlock with Mark Gatiss, the third series of which became the UK’s most watched drama series since 2001.
Having managed some of the biggest stars in football, including Diego Maradona, Jon Smith is one of the most influential agents in the world. He is credited with football’s huge commercial success, pioneering product placement in the game as well as the England team brand. He is also responsible for bringing the Premier League to 180 countries, one fifth of the world's population.
Campbell is a British journalist, broadcaster, political aide and author, best known for his work as Tony Blair's spokesman and campaign director, followed by Downing Street Press Secretary for Blair. He then became Director of Communications and spokesman for the Labour Party. He resigned in August 2003 during the Hutton Inquiry into the death of David Kelly.
He continues to act as a consultant strategist and as an ambassador for Time To Change and other mental health charities. He is an adviser to the People's Vote campaign, demanding a public vote on the final Brexit deal.
Having been nominated for Best Actor at the Golden Globe Awards for his portrayal of Michael Schofield in Prison Break, Wentworth Miller is one of the most iconic American television actors. He has become an outspoken advocate of gay rights and increased mental health awareness, often speaking about his own experiences with depression.
A former soldier, actor, and musician, Jerry Springer is an American TV presenter whose eponymous tabloid talk show has been running since 1991. He has since achieved record ratings, and has become a household name all over the world, with the chant “Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!” becoming something of a cultural phenomenon. He also hosted America’s Got Talent for two seasons and was Mayor of Cincinnati in the late 1970s.
Having won two BRIT Awards, two MTV Video Music Awards, two Ivor Novello Awards, as well as receiving five Grammy Award nominations, James Blunt is a singer-songwriter who has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. He rose to prominence in 2004 with the release of his debut album, Back to Bedlam, which became the best-selling album of the 2000s in the UK. He previously served as a reconnaissance officer in Kosovo under NATO, and actively supports Médecins Sans Frontières and Help For Heroes.
Sir John Major is a British Conservative Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 to 1997. He was Foreign Secretary and Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Thatcher Government and was the Member of Parliament for Huntingdon from 1979 to 2001.
Marco Pierre White is a British chef, celebrity, restaurateur and television personality. He is noted for his contributions to contemporary British cuisine. White has been dubbed the first celebrity chef, and the enfant terrible of the UK restaurant scene. He was called the godfather of modern cooking by Australian MasterChef (Season 4, Episode 53). White was, at the time, the youngest chef ever to have been awarded three Michelin stars. He has trained chefs including Gordon Ramsay, Curtis Stone and Shannon Bennett.
Mark Hamill is best known for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars trilogy, a role he reprised in 2015 in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. As part of the biggest film franchise of all time, he has developed a cult following over the years. In addition to his acting career, he is an award-winning voice actor and comic book writer, having voiced The Joker in various Batman video games and having written The Black Pearl miniseries in 1996.
Described by President Obama as his ‘mind-reader’, Jon Favreau was hired as Obama's speechwriter shortly after his election to the US Senate in 2004, and subsequently appointed Director of Speechwriting following Obama's presidential election. Favreau was the chief writer of Obama's inauguration speech, resulting in TIME magazine naming him one of the '100 Most Influential People in the World'. Having left the White House in 2013, he is currently pursuing a career in screenwriting and private sector consulting.
Presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today Programme and former Political Editor for the BBC, Nick Robinson is well knownfor his unique style of questioning. The confrontational and provocative approach of his interviews with such political figures as George W. Bush has caused a stir. He was the President of the Oxford University Conservative Association in 1985.
A legend of cinema and television, Joss Whedon co-wrote Toy Story, as well as writing and directing The Avengers and its sequel, Avengers: Age of Ultron. He also created Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and is outspoken against systemic sexism in the entertainment industry.
Rio Gavin Ferdinand is an English former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. He played 81 times for the England national football team between 1997 and 2011, and was a member of three FIFA World Cup squads. He is regarded by many to be one of England's greatest ever players and he is one of the most decorated English footballers of all time.
Mark Daniel Ronson is an English musician, DJ, singer, and record producer. Although his debut album Here Comes the Fuzz failed to make an impact on the charts, his second album Version reached number two in the UK Album chart and included three UK top 10 singles. This success won him a Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist in 2008. His third studio album, Record Collection, was released on 27 September 2010, peaking at number two in the UK.
Yanis Varoufakis is an academic economist who was a member of the Greek parliament between January and September 2015. He represented the ruling Syriza party and held the position of Minister of Finance for seven months.
William "Bill" Maher, Jr. is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, media critic, and television host. As a television host, he is well known for the HBO political talk show Real Time with Bill Maher (2003–present). Maher previously hosted a similar late-night show called Politically Incorrect, originally on Comedy Central and later on ABC. Maher is known for his sarcastic attitude, political satire and sociopolitical commentary. He targets many topics including religion, politics, bureaucracies, political correctness, and the mass media.
Morgan is the editorial director of First News, a national newspaper for children published in the UK. He began hosting Piers Morgan Live on CNN on 17 January 2011. The show replaced Larry King Live in the 9:00 pm timeslot following King's retirement. Piers Morgan Live was cancelled by CNN in February 2014 and aired its final broadcast on March 28, 2014. Morgan is a former judge on America's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent, and a winner of Celebrity Apprentice. In the UK, Morgan worked as a writer and editor for several British tabloids, including The Sun, News of the World and the Daily Mirror. In November 2012, he was heavily criticised in the official findings of the Leveson Inquiry, when Lord Leveson stated that comments made in Morgan's testimony about phone hacking were "utterly unpersuasive" and "clearly prove ... that he was aware that it was taking place in the press as a whole and that he was sufficiently unembarrassed by what was criminal behaviour that he was prepared to joke about it".
Jack Dorsey is an American web developer and businessman widely known as a co-founder of Twitter, and as the founder and CEO of Square, a mobile payments company.
Morgan Freeman is an American actor, film director, and narrator. Freeman has received Academy Award nominations for his performances in Street Smart, Driving Miss Daisy, The Shawshank Redemption and Invictus, and won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2005 for Million Dollar Baby. He has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Freeman has appeared in many other box office hits, including Unforgiven, Glory, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Seven, Deep Impact, The Sum of All Fears, Bruce Almighty, Along Came a Spider, The Dark Knight Trilogy, March of the Penguins, The Lego Movie and Lucy. He is known for his distinctively smooth, deep voice. He got his first break as part of the cast of The Electric Company.