2020 has been an extraordinary year. To add to the coronavirus, the world has been reckoning with the pandemic of racism, sparked by the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police. A global protest has followed, the scourge of racism discussed in the media and open forum. In the US federal leaders have acknowledged calls to scale back a militarised police. In the UK, statues have fallen and colonial scandals called out. But are we doing enough toward a truly progressive future?  A vocal...

As the UK backs into another lockdown scenario, we've been asked to work from home again. Are there opportunities to be found in changing our work patterns en masse?  It's slow going, but the conversation around shared parenting and the stereotypical two weeks off then back to work for dad is evolving in recent years.  And the potential is clear - family cohesion, workplace equality, mental health, children's access to loving parents. This week we meet Ian Dinwiddy - who mentors stressed...

All night crew! - dreamscape special coming your way... This one's a repost of a conversation I had with my son Samuel a few moons back. It felt quite apt as we talked about his dreams and nightmares -  and of course this current pandemic life has felt like a waking nightmare at times.  Plus lockdown sleeps have taken on a psychedelic tint for many of us - https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/lockdown-coronavirus-dreams-vivid-strange-sleep-emotional-state-a9486206.html But world...

Summer holiday season is here and it's been scorching in the UK. And despite the pandemic (perhaps because of it?) British beaches have been packed. With half an eye on our suntan and the other half mindful of staying safe in the water, this week we're playing a story from Cornishman Malcolm Jones, retired lifeguard, lifetime surfer, father of three. We first published this a couple of years back before Fatherhood relaunched in lockdown, so pull up a deckchair and relax with the sounds of...

This week we're joined by a father and son duo - Artyom and Andrew Liss.  It's fascinating to hear two generations discuss their relationship (amicably of course) while sitting side by side, even more so when you factor in life's twists and turns. Artyom was born and raised in Soviet-era Ukraine, effectively losing his father to illness while still a young man. Then his job in Moscow kept him away from Andrew, now 17, for long periods in his early years.  We talk parents, parenting,...

Regular listeners will know we've an archive of episodes in the 'before time' - prior to relaunching since the pandemic and lockdown.  Our goal since has been to bring stories of value to look toward a better future for our kids. In that spirit, we've dusted off a recording from April 2019, joining Extinction Rebellion as they took control of Waterloo Bridge for a week of persistent protest against the climate crisis. With parents and kids alike, we discuss how the next generation's voice...

On the second leg of our lockdown world tour (TM) we're driving our sleds to Tromso, Norway - and the Artic Circle. We're here to meet Rasmus Gyltnes, Instagram's @arcticdad. It was a post of Rasmus holding his baby daughter high in the air, surrounded by the icy expanse of Norway, which caught our attention - especially as we're stuck in suburban Essex... We talk about connection to our natural surroundings, and how to raise future generations to co-exist with nature, looking after one...

Lockdown has forced us all inside and us podcasters into remote recording mode. So to flip the script and recognise an opportunity, we're embarking on a VoIP-powered Fatherhood World Tour. It's only right to start in America, where the death of George Floyd after brutal treatment at the hands of the police has sparked global outrage and a demand for a better, more equal world, led by the Black Lives Matter movement.  Activism and community organisations play a crucial role in US civic life...

Schools have been shut in the UK (for all bar key workers and those in need) since lockdown took effect in March. And one of the many disruptions of coronavirus has been to turn the majority of parents into home educators. And it sure ain't easy...  So Fatherhood has reached out to the home education community to hear some of the tips and potential benefits. We hear from Sara Heard - chef, storyteller and educator - on what a typical day looks like with her primary-age son. And Dawn...

Sit back with the calming bedside manner of Dr Jay Achar - infectious diseases expert, epidemiologist and veteran of Medicines Sans Frontieres' work during the ebola outbreak in West Africa. Fatherhood speaks to Jay from his home in Sweden (where the gov't decision not to enforce full lockdown measures has caused heated debate) to hear how unity and a healthy dose of realism are vital in tackling an epidemic. In the episode we hear why Dr Achar feels humankind's propensity for inertia gets...

For episode two on the comeback trail, and the first in a series of remote conversations during lockdown, Fatherhood welcomes psychotherapist and relationship coach Jo Nicholl. Coronavirus has forced the world to adjust to a scary new reality, placing huge stress on all of us through fear of illness and worries for our future. It's those closest to us that can feel that stress, while relationship issues can be worsened with the proximity of social isolation. Jo Nicholl has twenty five years...

After a stroll in the wilderness Fatherhood is back! And though of course we're in isolation, we wanted to reach out a digital hand to connect with fathers and families. Dads - drawers full of batteries, awkward jokes and bad dancing, who are these grumpy knitwearers? The podcasts aims to help dads connect emotionally to the experience of fatherhood, and challenge some stereotypes along the way with interviews and stories exploring modern masculinity, parental roles and the impact of the...

All hail global climate strike day! Fatherhood is here with a one-off #podstrike episode in support of the climate strike of September 20.  And it feels fitting for a parent-ish show to follow the mighty footsteps of what looks to be a new generation of global leaders, keeping climate activism on the agenda.  It’s a true crisis, and it’s kinda all our fault. So let’s get together and make amends. The podstrike is happening across podland, and is a neat way of collectively raising...

As my son bumbles through early school years I'm often super proud - reading, writing, the ability to work out division, navigate society(!). Then alternately there are pangs of frustration when I hear they've been sat at desks writing all morning, cramming for 'quizzes' as they're euphemistically called at his school. So mindful that we're privileged to have a widely available, free and functioning education system - though arguably shorn of creativity, and certainly dangerously at risk of...

Unless you've been under the proverbial rock for a quarter of a century, you know the deal with climate change. Yet nothing's really been done. We're still burning up fossil fuels, cutting down trees, spraying chemicals on crops, decimating biodiversity and sleepwalking toward environmental crisis. What are we gonna do about it? Are we going to act now for future generatiions? Are they going to be the ones to save the planet? There's been a ray of light this week with a global protest...

Happy New Year! In the spirit of rebirth and hope, Fatherhood brings a new Stories episode featuring father, stepfather, believer and gospel singer Leon Robinson. Leon has overcome so much in his life, had so many experiences. They have brought him to a life of worship and now, an album of gospel songs - Born to Worship. In this episode we find out what led Leon to this place of spirituality. He describes growing up as the son of Jamaican immigrants to Britain - his father's work ethic...

Join the Fatherhood family on a sonic journey into the night... As winter draws the dark earlier and earlier, we light the fire and get cosy for a bedtime story. Each night, at Fatherhood towers, we tuck our son in bed; read the same story; hit the nightlight - and it's off to sleepytown. Yet I always pause at the door, wondering: what's he thinking about in that space, curled up on his own in bed? What goes through our little ones' minds in the darkness? We often hear yelps and cries in...

Andrez Harriott is a man with a mission - to support young people from disadvantaged communities, those threatened or swept up by crime, to give them opportunities to turn their life around. Well known thanks to his profile with multi-million selling British RnB group Damage, Andrez used a hiatus in his music career to work in youth justice, setting up The Liminality Group (TLG) in 2011 to mentor London's vulnerable youngsters and find a way into work for many in the youth offending system. ...

Eighteen months ago Jamie Madge and his wife Sarah welcomed daughter Olivia into the world. Fun-loving, gregarious, kind: all agreed Jamie was made to be dad. But all was not rosy – despite the newborn cuddles, the Facebook likes from hundreds of friends, Jamie couldn’t shake sadness. In the new episode Jamie discusses his struggles with depression after Olivia’s birth and how he found happiness in fatherhood thanks to supportive family and friends and by reaching out for clinical help. An...

Summer's out for school... Back to school for the Fatherhood family this week, but we're not giving up on summer, no way.  In this episode of the podcast we go back to the beach in North Cornwall, and hear the story of retired lifeguard and father of three Malcolm Jones. In this Fatherhood Stories special, we hear direct from Malcolm about his life as one of the earliest Cornish lifeguards, when you got a few quid an hour from the council and had to swim out with a heavy line to reel...

Shared parental leave - it's been a hot topic in the past few months. The government introduced a new scheme in 2015, allowing parents to split a year off. Yet this year they admitted just 2% of eligible dads were taking part. In this episode I meet one of them - Londoner Dan Southern, who's just finished a three month stint doing the daily childcare with his now one yr-old Freddy. We met for tea and rice crackers to watch a spot of Sarah & Duck to discuss the benefits of taking time...

It's with great pleasure we present the story of Johan Bavman, award-winning Swedish photographer and the pappa behind the lens of the Swedish Dads photoseries. Forty-five beautifully framed, naturalistic shots document friends and dads from his hometown of Malmo, each engaged in all the grit and glory of day-to-day childcare duties. It's been viewed at exhibitions in more than 30 countries, and gone viral 'n all that to boot. In Sweden parents have the enviable opportunity to take shared...

It’s been a while – but I’ve been fairly busy – setting up my audio production co https://fairly.media/, launching Kerb Life for street food major lasers KERB (www.kerbfood.com/podcast/), recording new shows for this podcast, and of course, parenting. But as the dad show has been a little while getting back up and running I wanted to make sure there’s some good vibes for fathers looking for a connection, and 2018 will bring a wide range of points of view and strides to focus on some...

We're back! It's nearly the damn end of a crazy summer! There's been a fair bit going on since our last chat with MP Will Quince all the way back in April. Elections, holidays, parenting. All sounds a bit long, right? But I'm happy to say Fatherhood podcast is back - and for continuity from our last political guest, I wanted to talk to a heavy hitter with perhaps a different viewpoint. So I'm delighted to have been able to spend an hour talking Fatherhood with journalist Dorian Lynskey. ...