Big Lives
18 clip(s) in playlist
The Beckhams: From World Cup Villain to Billionaire Power Couple
David and Victoria Beckham weren't always the untouchable power couple we know today. In 1998, David was public enemy number one after a red card cost England the World Cup. So how did the Beckhams go from national villains to a global billion-dollar brand? We break down the Beckham playbook: how …
1:06:06
From Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise
Sharing Malcolm Gladwell’s latest project, featuring our very own Kai Wright: a podcast called Reconstruction: The Unfinished Promise. Imagine a time when the United States was split in two. And then had to put itself back together. It was a time of chaos and sometimes violence as millions of p…
49:49
Sinéad O’Connor: The Story Behind the Icon and the Outrage
Sinéad O’Connor had one of the most unforgettable voices in music history and one of the most misunderstood lives. Kai and Emmanuel go beyond the "angry pop star" label and headlines to tell the real story of Sinéad O'Connor: the artist, the activist, and the icon who was right long before the worl…
48:34
Jesse Jackson and the Making of Modern Black Politics
This Juneteenth, in the wake of the Supreme Court’s seismic rulings on voting rights, Emmanuel and Kai talk about the legacy of one man: Jesse Jackson. We trace his journey from teenage activist to Martin Luther King Jr.’s inner circle to building a political movement that reshaped America. Along t…
1:30:46
Star Trek’s George Takei and the Courage to Come Out
Before the fame, there was incarceration. George Takei has lived an extraordinary life: from a childhood in Japanese American internment camps to a groundbreaking role on Star Trek, to a decades-long struggle with identity. This Pride Month, George Takei’s journey reminds us that coming out is not…
57:39
Kylie Minogue and the Power of Pop Without Apology
Pop princess, gay icon, global enigma. We unpack how Kyle Minogue, soap star with “manufactured” hits, became the ultimate symbol of joy for generations of fans. For Pride Month, celebrate the singer embraced by queer communities long before the mainstream caught up. From chart bangers to queer clu…
48:02Clean
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 glit…
52:22
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 i…
59:09
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 …
56:43
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 bluepri…
1:09:43Explicit