LL Cool J: The Corny King of Hip Hop

David Bowie’s Ziggy Stardust: Performance, Persona, Revolution

Ziggy Stardust didn’t just land - he detonated. We rewind to David Bowie’s 1972 Top of the Pops breakthrough and unpack the paradox at its core: a “meaningless” persona that transformed culture. Was Ziggy a liberation engine, a postmodern performance, or just a bored kid’s rebellion dressed in glitter? This Pride Month, we revisit the gender-bending, rule-breaking persona that helped a generation imagine new ways to be. Connect with the team!  * Follow our hosts Kai Wright [https://www.instagram.com/kai_wright/] and Emmanuel Dzotsi [https://www.instagram.com/newsmanual_/reels/] * Follow Pushkin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all] or X [https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en]  * Follow BBC Podcasts on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bbcpodcasts] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bbcpodcasts/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Meg Ryan and the Golden Age of Rom‑Coms

What happened to the golden age of Rom-Coms? Emmanuel and Kai tell the story of the Rom-Com boom via the career of its biggest star, Meg Ryan. From When Harry Met Sally, to one of the more infamous talk show appearances of all time, we unpack Meg Ryan’s appeal, and what we actually want from love in the movies. Additional archive: When Harry Met Sally, Castle Rock Entertainment, 1989; Burger King commercial, Burger King Company LLC, 1982 Connect with the team!  * Follow our hosts Kai Wright [https://www.instagram.com/kai_wright/] and Emmanuel Dzotsi [https://www.instagram.com/newsmanual_/reels/] * Follow Pushkin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all] or X [https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en]  * Follow BBC Podcasts on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bbcpodcasts] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bbcpodcasts/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Little Richard: The Architect of Rock and Roll

He screamed, shimmered and rewrote popular music and then disappeared from the throne he built. This episode reveals Little Richard’s unstoppable rise, painful erasure, and lifelong battle between the divine and the profane. A vivid, funny and heartbreaking meditation on race, queerness, faith and why rock and roll history still gets its origin story wrong. Additional archive: Tutti Frutti by Little Richard, Speciality, 1957 Connect with the team!  * Follow our hosts Kai Wright [https://www.instagram.com/kai_wright/] and Emmanuel Dzotsi [https://www.instagram.com/newsmanual_/reels/] * Follow Pushkin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all] or X [https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en]  * Follow BBC Podcasts on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bbcpodcasts] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bbcpodcasts/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Muhammad Ali: Boxing, Fame and The Trap

What happens when a black icon refuses to make white audiences comfortable? This episode traces Muhammad Ali’s BBC interviews—full of swagger and wit, fury and fallout—to reveal how he reshaped media, protest and public speech. Along the way: Vietnam, the Nation of Islam, Joe Frazier, and a blueprint every outspoken Black celebrity still wrestles with today. Additional archive: When We Were Kings, PolyGram Film Productions, 1996  Connect with the team!  * Follow our hosts Kai Wright [https://www.instagram.com/kai_wright/] and Emmanuel Dzotsi [https://www.instagram.com/newsmanual_/reels/] * Follow Pushkin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all] or X [https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en]  * Follow BBC Podcasts on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bbcpodcasts] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bbcpodcasts/]  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Liza Minnelli: Surviving the Spotlight

Born into a spotlight she never asked for, Liza Minnelli didn’t only survive her inheritance—she made it into her own art. Using BBC archive, iconic performances, and her complicated bond with her mother Judy Garland, we reveal why her vulnerability is her superpower. From Broadway to Hollywood, nepo baby discourse to Cabaret breakout, we explore her raw emotional magnetism, impossible childhood, legendary resilience, and that indefinable spark you can’t look away from. Additional archive: New York, New York (Original Motion Picture Score), United Artists Records, 1977  Judy Garland and Liza Minnelli, Live At The London Palladium, Capitol Records, 1965  Connect with the team!  * Follow our hosts Kai Wright [https://www.instagram.com/kai_wright/] and Emmanuel Dzotsi [https://www.instagram.com/newsmanual_/reels/] * Follow Pushkin on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/pushkinpods/], LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/pushkin-industries/posts/?feedView=all] or X [https://x.com/pushkinpods?lang=en]  * Follow BBC Podcasts on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@bbcpodcasts] and Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/bbcpodcasts/]  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.