Timeless Tales From Remarkable Lives

As we prepare for the launch of the third series of our podcast, we invite you to join us in revisiting some of the most captivating dialogues between our guests and host Catherine Fairweather from the initial two series. From the thought-provoking reflections of trailblazing dynamo Tina Brown to the intimate musings of Sir Tom Stoppard, join us as we uncover profound insights and timeless tales from remarkable lives.

1. Tina Brown

Tina Brown is the trailblazing dynamo and former editor of Tatler, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker and famous for bringing the heady mix of the high low to magazine content. Her latest book on the Royals, the Palace Papers was revelatory and brilliantly researched but even she couldn't predict the seismic changes in the past year, the death of the Queen, the coronation and fresh mudslinging from some familiar members of the family. On the eve of her launch of the Truth Tellers Summit in Investigative Journalism, Tina joins host Catherine Fairweather to muse over the trajectory of a stellar career that isn’t over yet.

2. Sir Tom Stoppard

Sir Tom Stoppard's award-winning body of work includes the screenplay for Shakespeare In Love and the plays Arcadia and The Real Thing. His latest work, Leopoldstadt (which has been described as perhaps his most personal play) is set in the Jewish community of early 20th-century Vienna. It won the Olivier Award for Best New Play after its successful run in the West End and is currently playing on Broadway. Tom Stoppard talks with Catherine Fairweather about his childhood, his writing process, the benefits of getting older and the tick-tock of the universe.

3. Paulene Stone

We were also thrilled to welcome Paulene Stone, the face of the sixties and more recently, an Auriens resident, to the second series. David Bailey's iconic photograph of Paulene kneeling down to kiss a squirrel in the park, which helped launch both their careers hangs in her new bathroom at Auriens Chelsea. Married four times, widowed twice, a single mother at 23 years old and the tragic loss of two of her three adult children, her life is the stuff of novels. Paulene muses over the perils of leaving school without a vocation, finding her feet as a supermodel and the joys of finding new friends at Auriens.

4. Don McCullin

For the past 50 years, Don has proved himself a photojournalist without equal, whether documenting the poverty of London’s East End, or the horrors of wars in Africa, Asia or the Middle East. Simultaneously he has proved an adroit artist capable of beautifully arranged still lifes, soulful portraits and moving landscapes. He also happens to be Catherine's husband which allows her to ask questions she has never yet asked him - about his reputation as a hard-bitten war photographer, his thirst to learn about new cultures, retirement and their very first meeting.

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