ScienceNatureSociety & CulturePlaces & Travel

A Life More Wild

Canopy & Stars

A Life More Wild takes you into the outdoors with fascinating people, to hear how nature shapes their work and lives. Go eagle spotting with Hamza Yassin, strolling on the beach with Jordan Stephens and walking in the woods with Charlotte Church. And hear remarkable stories, like the lady who flew over the Russian tundra to save endangered swans, the Londoners who turned birdwatching into a global movement and the last drystone waller in Wales.

Play

Open in

23 episodes
monthly
Avg 16 min
English

Episodes 23

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.

S6 · E7
Wednesday · 23 min
Charlie Cooper on detecting Roman grots, sleeping on his sister’s floor and the truth about Big Mandy
We go metal detecting with Charlie Cooper, co-creator of the TV series This Country, as he talks about the struggle to get the show made, his love of the place he grew up and how he’s addicted to being a detectorist, especially when he makes interesting finds during podcast recordings.
August 26 · 12 min
The Sounds of Summer in the South Downs
This year, as well as walks with interesting guests, we’re doing something a little different on A Life More Wild. Working with our charity partner Campaign for National Parks, we’re creating bonus episodes with seasonal soundscapes from some of the UK’s most precious green spaces. In this episode, we’re listening to the breeze in the grass and the trout in the streams of the South Downs National Park, in the company of Dr Rose O’Neill, an environmental scientist and CNP’s Cheif Executive.
S6 · E5
August 12 · 22 min
Matrescence author Lucy Jones on the deeply transformational nature of motherhood, the calm of a graveyard and what she learnt from studying slime moulds
We walk among the headstones of a cemetery with journalist and author of Matrescence, Lucy Jones, as she talks about the struggle to reconcile the societal ideal of a mother with her own experience, how her search for insight led to her book Matrescence and what she learnt by observing slime moulds and lichen. Lucy always knew that having kids would be a big shift, but when she did, she was shocked to find that not only had her life changed, something fundamental to her identity had changed as well. Her own experience was so at odds with society’s ideal picture of motherhood that she became fascinated by the science and sociology of what becoming a mother entailed. On a walk through her local cemetery, she examines what she learnt about parenting, how we could shape a world around care and what slime moulds have to teach us. A Life More Wild is an 18Sixty production, brought to you by Canopy & Stars. Production by Clarissa Maycock. Our theme music is by Billie Marten.
S6 · E4
July 15 · 24 min
Emily Chappell on winning the Transcontinental, crying with joy on the streets of Paris and learning how to enjoy non-extreme cycling
We go for a ride with endurance cyclist Emily Chappell, winner of the 2016 Transcontinental, rolling out from her new home in Kendall while she talks about couriering in London, finding joy in short rides and the female Tour de France role models she never knew she had
S6 · E3
June 10 · 22 min
Joycelyn Longdon on secret willow rooms and radical imagination
Activist, researcher and writer Joycelyn Longdon takes us along the river and into a secret willow room as she talks about how tech, environmentalism, music, art and community can all come together to tackle the biggest issues
May 21 · 10 min
The Sounds of Spring in Eryri National Park
This year, as well as walks with interesting guests, we’re doing something a little different on A Life More Wild. Working with our charity partner Campaign for National Parks, we’re creating bonus episodes with seasonal soundscapes from some of the UK’s most precious green spaces. We start with The Sounds of Spring in Eryri National Park. You’ll follow Rhys, a shepherd from Dolgellau, as he takes his flock out into the wind and rain of a fairly typical spring day in Wales.
S6 · E2
April 15 · 21 min
Barney Murray on the wibbly tightness, brutal conditions and surprisingly young demographic of drystone walling
Barney Murray, a professional drystone waller, takes us out to fix a gap as he discusses quitting academia, individual style, life-saving habitats and a new wave of wallers picking up the craft
S6 · E1
March 12 · 21 min
Jordan Stephens on fame, heartbreak, dogs and braving the weather
Jordan Stephens of Rizzle Kicks talks about the the danger of selling the myth of fame to young people, his own heartbreak, his dogs and starting out by dissing his teachers
S5 · E10
Dec 18, 2025 · 25 min
Tim Key on maybe being a ghost and definitely being a pigeon, but not knowing why
Poet and comedian Tim Key climbs Arthur’s Seat, reflecting on both good and bad years at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival, being ignored in favour of Mark Watson and his confusing role in Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey 17
Dec 4, 2025 · 7 min
Quick Strolls: Challenging Nature
Attempting the impossible in the great outdoors
Nov 20, 2025 · 5 min
Quick Strolls: Natural Design
Taking inspiration from nature in how we build
S5 · E9
Nov 6, 2025 · 22 min
Luke Adam Hawker on etching under a poncho in the rain
Artist Luke Adam Hawker talks about creating beautiful books and using ancient art techniques to capture the character of trees
Oct 15, 2025 · 6 min
Quick Strolls: Coping with Loss
Nature as a healing space
S5 · E8
Oct 1, 2025 · 22 min
Mark Diacono on grounding, growing and momentous soup
Food writer, grower and cook Mark Diacono talks about the weekly diary that reconnected him to nature and the soup that marked one life’s big moments
Sep 17, 2025 · 5 min
Quick Strolls: A Space for Everyone
Why we need everyone to connect with nature
S5 · E7
Sep 3, 2025 · 25 min
Lia Leendertz on the joy of watching the seasons change
Lia Leendertz, a writer on food, gardening and cooking, talks about learning to spot the changing of the seasons and how it helps her live in the moment
Aug 20, 2025 · 8 min
Quick Strolls: Creativity in Nature
Seasonality, evolution and inspiration
S5 · E6
Aug 6, 2025 · 23 min
Adrienne Adhami on navigating the perilous world of wellbeing
Wellbeing industry expert Adrienne Adhami on her own journey to a wider understanding of wellness and sorting the effective cures from the expensive placebos
Jul 23, 2025 · 5 min
Quick Strolls: Small Adventures
Getting outside doesn’t have to be extreme
S5 · E5
Jul 9, 2025 · 21 min
TJ Power on rebalancing your brain and going with your gut
Neuroscientist and founder of DOSE Lab, TJ Power, with some simple advice (some of it from Russell Crowe) on how to make your brain healthier and your life happier

Showing 1–20 of 23 episodes