The Geographical Podcast
- Episodes
- 47
- Released
- monthly
- Latest episode
- Oct 21, 2026
About the podcast
Welcome to The Geographical Podcast, brought to you by Geographical Magazine, the official publication of the Royal Geographical Society. Geographical helps our readers navigate an ever-changing and complex world. Featuring talented and perceptive writers from across the globe, our rigorous and entertaining journalism helps you to keep a global perspective. In The Geographical Podcast, you can listen to excerpts from our monthly print magazine. Each month, we'll share a feature-length story as well as interviewing contributors about their travels and experiences writing for the magazine. Published since 1935, Geographical has a rich heritage in exploring our planet. We encourage you to join us and subscribe to the magazine today.Geographical website: http://geographical.co.uk/ Subscribe to the magazine: http://geographical.co.uk/magazine/subscribe
Episodes 47
The Aberfan Tribunal: a "coincidence" of geology
On 21st October 1966, a coal tip fell into the village of Aberfan, killing 144 people including 116 children.The National Coal Board blamed the disaster on an unknown spring and a “coincidence of a set of …
Show notes
On 21st October 1966, a coal tip fell into the village of Aberfan, killing 144 people including 116 children.
The National Coal Board blamed the disaster on an unknown spring and a “coincidence of a set of geological factors”. Here's what happened next.
Gaynor Madgwick's book is A Story of Survival, Love and Community in One of Britain's Worst Disasters.
Iain McLean's book is Aberfan: Government and Disasters.
On the Ground: Diary of a Whistleblower
For a decade, Rob Forrester has been the unnamed source in breaking news exposing the extent of the sewage crisis. This year, at the end of a Channel 4 docu-drama, ‘Dirty Business’, his identity was finally …
Show notes
For a decade, Rob Forrester has been the unnamed source in breaking news exposing the extent of the sewage crisis. This year, at the end of a Channel 4 docu-drama, ‘Dirty Business’, his identity was finally revealed.
I wanted to ask what it cost him. And if he could go back, would he do it again?
***
England is a world anomaly. Apart from Chile, it is the only country where water, a natural resource, is owned by private companies that turn a profit.
Since water was privatised in 1989, the labyrinthine network of pipes, pumping stations and reservoirs that make up the water and sewerage systems have been owned by companies, beholden to arguably even more complicated networks of global finance.
Between these companies and the rivers, stands the regulator - the Environment Agency. 21 years ago, Robert Forrester started work there as a frontline officer. It was a dream job, until he started to notice things were changing. He sounded the alarm.
In this episode we ask Rob Forrester how he fought illegal spills (and the broken regulation that allow them) with some spills of his own.
Follow host Laura Cole on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with a friend.
On the Ground: Cloudtown, the village at the heart of the AI gold rush
One day in Iver, a village on the data centre frontier.Just outside of London, the land around the village of Iver has become ripe territory for the data centre build-out. Of all the sites given the go ahead …
Show notes
One day in Iver, a village on the data centre frontier.
Just outside of London, the land around the village of Iver has become ripe territory for the data centre build-out. Of all the sites given the go ahead, one in particular became the subject of national debate.
Follow host Laura Cole on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with a friend.
On the Ground: The Vet and 100 mysterious deaths
It's 1963 in the village of Smarden and all around the vet, Douglas Good, the animals have started to behave erratically. They pace the ground, run away, or become overly thirsty. Then, they fall down …
Show notes
It's 1963 in the village of Smarden and all around the vet, Douglas Good, the animals have started to behave erratically. They pace the ground, run away, or become overly thirsty. Then, they fall down dead.
What he does next will make this story one of the strangest of the chemical age.
Read the research: Pesticides, pollution and the UK's silent spring, 1963–1964: Poison in the Garden of England by John Clark
The Chemical Empire by Sabine Clarke, the University of York
Follow host Laura Cole on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with a friend.
Introducing On the Ground: A new series from The Geographical Podcast
The first two episodes of On the Ground are available right now. Subscribe and listen on your favourite app.On the Ground is the new monthly podcast from Geographical, written and hosted by Laura Cole.In this …
Show notes
The first two episodes of On the Ground are available right now. Subscribe and listen on your favourite app.
On the Ground is the new monthly podcast from Geographical, written and hosted by Laura Cole.
In this series, Laura gets out from behind her desk and onto the ground, reporting from across the UK’s landscape and speaking to the people changing it. Expect the same rigorous, original reporting of Geographical, now brought to life in audio format.
On the Ground: A walk in the oldest forest on Earth
When scientists Neil Davies and Will McMahon stopped for lunch under the cliffs of west Somerset, they found something very unexpected. Their discovery supports a new paradigm about the world's oldest …
Show notes
When scientists Neil Davies and Will McMahon stopped for lunch under the cliffs of west Somerset, they found something very unexpected. Their discovery supports a new paradigm about the world's oldest engineers, and may even change your mind about deep time.
In this episode of On the Ground, host Laura Cole travels to the rugged coastline of South West England to walk the site of a groundbreaking geological revelation: the world’s oldest fossilised forest. She's joined by Neil Davies and Will McMahon, the researchers who quite literally stumbled upon history while sitting down for a sandwich.
Dating back an incredible 390 million years to the Devonian Period, this ancient ecosystem is four million years older than the previous record-holder in New York State. But this isn't just a story about old rocks. These strange fossils, known as Calamophyton, were Earth’s very first environmental engineers. Neil and Will explain how these primitive trees permanently altered how water and land interact, shaping the world's river systems and accelerating the expansion of life on land.Read the research: Earth’s earliest forest: fossilized trees and vegetation-induced sedimentary structures, co-authored by Neil Davies, Will McMahon, and Christopher Berry.
See what ancient Calamophyton looked like.
Follow host Laura Cole on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with a friend.
On the Ground: Planes, Bristol and the teachers from Canada
When Stephen Clarke, a prominent local councillor and leading climate activist in Bristol, called the expansion of Bristol Airport the biggest carbon decision for a generation, he knew the environmental stakes …
Show notes
When Stephen Clarke, a prominent local councillor and leading climate activist in Bristol, called the expansion of Bristol Airport the biggest carbon decision for a generation, he knew the environmental stakes were high. Then he found out who actually owned it.
In this episode of On the Ground, host Laura Cole reveals a story of a massive national oversight. It’s the story of a local planning battle over an airport that escalated into a national problem we are still struggling to resolve – who is counting aviation emissions? And who is watching a wave of airport expansion across the country?
She's joined by Clarke and members of the Bristol Airport Action Network (BAAN).
Read more about the UK's push for airport expansion and
Follow host Laura Cole on LinkedIn.
If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review and share it with a friend.
Introducing: On the Ground
This is On The Ground, a new podcast series from Geographical, written and hosted by Laura Cole. In this series, Laura will be getting out from behind her desk and on the ground, reporting from across the UK’s …
Show notes
This is On The Ground, a new podcast series from Geographical, written and hosted by Laura Cole. In this series, Laura will be getting out from behind her desk and on the ground, reporting from across the UK’s landscape – and speaking to the people changing it.
Coming up, we’ve got investigations into corporate wrongdoing, rural town halls holding the government to account, the human faces behind scientific breakthroughs, and even some true crime episodes.Subscribe to make sure you don't miss an episode.
Editor's Picks: The tourists restoring the Faroe Islands
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.This week, we’re in the Faroe Islands, where a unique new project is getting tourists to do the hard work of …
Show notes
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.
This week, we’re in the Faroe Islands, where a unique new project is getting tourists to do the hard work of maintaining the islands’ natural sites.Editor's Picks: A victory for nature
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.This week, journalists Marcello Rossi and Davide Mancini report from Spain, where an endangered salt lagoon …
Show notes
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.
This week, journalists Marcello Rossi and Davide Mancini report from Spain, where an endangered salt lagoon has been granted its own legal rights – similar to those of a person.
Editor's Picks: The return of the mala
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine and website.This week, we join writer and photographer Anthony Ham in Australia's Great Sandy Desert to meet a …
Show notes
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine and website.
This week, we join writer and photographer Anthony Ham in Australia's Great Sandy Desert to meet a once-extinct marsupial that's returned to the outback: the mala.
You can see Anthony's images of Australia's native wildlife in the link above.Editor's Picks: 'We suffer in silence'
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.This week, share Nick Danziger's work to document the devastating impact of sickle cell disease on local …
Show notes
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.
This week, share Nick Danziger's work to document the devastating impact of sickle cell disease on local communities who often struggle to access essential medical care. You can see Nick's images in the link above.
On Friday 13 August, we are hosting a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Nick, who is answering any questions readers might have about his latest project and his wider work. Want to know how photojournalists find their stories or what makes an award-winning photograph? Now is your chance to ask. Did you miss the AMA? You can still take a look through questions others have asked, and Nick's responses.Also in this episode, we hear how a local group in Tanzania is helping rural communities to secure rights to their ancestral lands.
Find the episode here, or wherever you usually listen to podcasts:
Editor's Picks: Stop the train
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.This week, we report on the campaign to save Mexico’s famous cenotes – natural sinkholes that form the second …
Show notes
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.
This week, we report on the campaign to save Mexico’s famous cenotes – natural sinkholes that form the second longest underwater cave system in the world, as well as the country’s largest and most important freshwater aquifer – from the construction of the Maya Train.
Also in this episode, we hear how from a researcher who has discovered evidence of giant viruses in Greenland, and what they could mean for the melting ice sheet.
Find the episode here, or wherever you usually listen to podcasts:
Editor's Picks: Conservation is working
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.This week, we hear how – worldwide – nature conservation is working. Also in this episode, we visit an …
Show notes
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.
This week, we hear how – worldwide – nature conservation is working.
Also in this episode, we visit an unusual British sports stadium in the Cotswolds, home to a unique version of the Olympic games. This story is part of our Discovering Britain series, which explores Britain's landscapes through a collection of walks compiled by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). Discover our latest walk here, or take a look through some of the other walks in the collection.
Editor's Picks: A new threat to the UK's fishing industry
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.This week, we investigate the impact of new visa regulations on the UK’s fishing industry. With support from …
Show notes
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.
This week, we investigate the impact of new visa regulations on the UK’s fishing industry. With support from Journalismfund Europe, investigative journalists Christine Ro, Laura Cole, Aliya Bashir and Imran Muzaffar report on a situation that some in the industry fear could threaten the future of fishing in the UK.
Also in this episode, we hear how protecting just 1.2 per cent of the Earth could save thousands of endangered species from extinction.
Find the episode here, or wherever you usually listen to podcasts:
Editor's Picks: The meaning of mountains
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.This week, we head into the mountains with Dawn Hollis, a historian at St Andrews University, whose research …
Show notes
In this episode of The Geographical Podcast, we read out articles from our print magazine or website.
This week, we head into the mountains with Dawn Hollis, a historian at St Andrews University, whose research focuses on the history of mountains and mountain-climbing. For many hillwalkers and mountaineers, mountains are something to be conquered – but it hasn’t always been this way. As famous peaks such as Everest become increasingly, and dangerously, crowded, Hollis wonders whether there are better ways to appreciate our highlands.
Also in this episode, we hear how the Iberian lynx, once one of the world’s rarest cats, has made such a remarkable recovery that it’s no longer considered endangered, and we find out what it's like to live and work in some of the world's most inhospitable environments.
Editor's Picks: The fight for the Amazon
This week, we head into the Ecuadorian Amazon, where Indigenous leader and environmental activist Nemonte Nenquimo has spent the last decade fighting to protect her ancestral territory, the forest ecosystem and …
Show notes
This week, we head into the Ecuadorian Amazon, where Indigenous leader and environmental activist Nemonte Nenquimo has spent the last decade fighting to protect her ancestral territory, the forest ecosystem and her way of life, from encroaching oil companies.
We also hear from Andrew Brookes, a geographer at King’s College London and a regular contributor to Geographical on why the increasingly common comparisons between the space race and the global environmental crisis are misleading and counter-productive.
You can buy a copy of Nenquimo's new memoir, We Will Not Be Saved, which tells her story of hope and resistance in the Amazon rainforest.Interview: Saving the African manatee with Aristide Kamla
In this bonus episode, we interview recent Whitley Award winner Aristide Kamla and hear all about his work, conserving Cameroon's marine wildlife
Editor's Picks: Saving Ecuador's last condors
This week, a trip to the Ecuadorian Andes where Mark Stratton visits a project aiming to save the country's last wild condors. Plus, an ancient Egyptian mystery and writer Alec Ash's decision to ditch …
Show notes
This week, a trip to the Ecuadorian Andes where Mark Stratton visits a project aiming to save the country's last wild condors. Plus, an ancient Egyptian mystery and writer Alec Ash's decision to ditch the rat race in China and move to the beautiful rural town of Dali.
Editor's Picks: A fairer future for South Africa's rooibos farmers
This week, we dive into the science of shipwrecks and find out what they can reveal about our changing oceans; board an icebreaker en route to Antarctica; and visit the rooibos plantations in South …
Show notes
This week, we dive into the science of shipwrecks and find out what they can reveal about our changing oceans; board an icebreaker en route to Antarctica; and visit the rooibos plantations in South Africa's Cederberg Mountains, where Indigenous farmers are finally getting a fairer deal for their increasingly popular crop.
Editor's Picks: The brain and climate change, and tracking the elusive snow leopard
This week, we travel to the high peaks of Ladakh in northern India to track one of the most elusive and charismatic animals in the world - the snow leopard. Plus, a bizarre proposal in Malaysia and the …
Show notes
This week, we travel to the high peaks of Ladakh in northern India to track one of the most elusive and charismatic animals in the world - the snow leopard. Plus, a bizarre proposal in Malaysia and the terrifying, underreported, impacts of climate change on brain health.
Editor's Picks: Hunting the world's largest flower
In this episode, Andrew Brooks of King's College London explains why using historical comparisons when contemplating African hospitals is lazy and misleading; we hear some good news from the world of …
Show notes
In this episode, Andrew Brooks of King's College London explains why using historical comparisons when contemplating African hospitals is lazy and misleading; we hear some good news from the world of conservation; and Bryony Cottam charts the adventures of botanist Chris Thorogood and his hunt for rafflesia, the world's largest and smelliest flower.
Editor's Picks: Why tourists are returning to Iraq
In this weekly edition of the Geographical podcast, we read out three articles from the magazine or website.In this episode, we hear how climate change is impacting the world's northernmost rivers; we …
Show notes
In this weekly edition of the Geographical podcast, we read out three articles from the magazine or website.
In this episode, we hear how climate change is impacting the world's northernmost rivers; we learn about traditional Indigenous fire practices; and we meet the founder of a new group helping travellers connect with ordinary people in Iraq.
Editor's Picks BONUS: Tommy Trenchard on writing about clubfoot
In this bonus episode of The Geographical Podcast: Editor's Picks, associate editor Katie Burton speaks to Tommy Trenchard about his article on treating clubfoot.
Editor's Picks: Treating clubfoot in Zimbabwe
In this weekly edition of the Geographical podcast we read out three articles from the magazine or website.
Desertification: a Growing Threat
In this month's podcast, we visit some of the driest parts of the world, where ecosystems and the communities that depend on them face a growing threat: desertification. Human activity and our warming …
Show notes
In this month's podcast, we visit some of the driest parts of the world, where ecosystems and the communities that depend on them face a growing threat: desertification. Human activity and our warming climate are driving changes in these regions, but some scientists are working on solutions to help restore degraded landscapes.
Life in Syria today
This month we return to a country that no longer dominates headlines, but where the reality of war, and its impacts, are still very much felt. Syrian infrastructure, and its economy, have been devastated by the …
Show notes
This month we return to a country that no longer dominates headlines, but where the reality of war, and its impacts, are still very much felt.
Syrian infrastructure, and its economy, have been devastated by the conflict that began in 2011. Though ISIS has now been largely defeated, and the Assad regime has regained control of much of the country, the conflict still continues and life in Syria is still extremely tough.
In the first half of the podcast, we listen to an article from the August issue of Geographical magazine in which Nick Redmayne returns to the country for the first time in 10 years. Nick travels from Aleppo to Palmyra, Homs and Damascus, recording the sights and sounds of a country struggling to forget its past and to move towards a better future.
In the second half of the podcast, we speak to Dr Rim Turkmani, a research fellow and director of the Syria conflict research programme at the London School of Economics, to find out more about the situation in Syria today, and the reality of life there out of the headlines.
The long-read is read by Nick Redmayne.
Debating rewilding and a conservation success in Rwanda
In this month's podcast we take a closer look at the complex and often controversial concept of rewilding, considering the many challenges of reintroducing lost species back to a land they once called …
Show notes
In this month's podcast we take a closer look at the complex and often controversial concept of rewilding, considering the many challenges of reintroducing lost species back to a land they once called home, especially when that land has changed beyond all recognition.
How small-scale fishing communities have to fight to survive
This month we take a trip to Cameroon, where a policy to help small-scale fishers is under severe strain. And we talk to Maarten Bavinck, a professor at the University of Amsterdam to find out why so many …
Show notes
This month we take a trip to Cameroon, where a policy to help small-scale fishers is under severe strain. And we talk to Maarten Bavinck, a professor at the University of Amsterdam to find out why so many small-scale fishing communities are under threat worldwide.
Cashmere crisis: Working towards more sustainable production in India, Mongolia and China
Cashmere is produced in cold regions of India, China and Mongolia, among other places. It is produced from the very fine fibres of hardy goats, looked after by herders. But as we discover in this month's …
Show notes
Cashmere is produced in cold regions of India, China and Mongolia, among other places. It is produced from the very fine fibres of hardy goats, looked after by herders. But as we discover in this month's podcast, increased demand for cashmere has led to herds of goats greatly increasing, with environmental problems fast to follow.
These are the latest 40 of 47 episodes. You’ll find older episodes in the podcast’s feed.
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