Countercurrent: conversations with Professor Roger Kneebone

Rick Dove in conversation with Roger Kneebone

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Rick and I collaborated on Experimental Words, a project bringing together the perspectives of artists and scientists through the medium of poetry. In...

Ben Thomas in conversation with Roger Kneebone

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Thomas's description of his role as an independent financial adviser resonates with my experience as a clinician, and especially as a general prac...

Ben Griffiths in conversation with Roger Kneebone

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Griffiths has been the Aurora Orchestra's Principal double bass player since 2012. The orchestra is widely known for its electrifying performances...

Tilda Lewis in conversation with Roger Kneebone

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Tilda Lewis has a longstanding fascination with historical costume design and creation, having studied at Wimbledon College of Arts. Especially passio...

Alan Powers in conversation with Roger Kneebone

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Alan Powers has been fascinated by twentieth century architecture throughout his career. Alongside his work as an architectural historian and teacher ...

Edwina Ibbotson in conversation with Roger Kneebone

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Edwina Ibbotson is a couture milliner who studied in London, New York and Paris. She's known for combining striking designs with meticulous craftsmans...

Peter Morris in conversation with Roger Kneebone

17 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Morris is managing director of the London-based architectural practice AAHM (Alford, Hall, Monaghan, Morris). He and his partners design buildin...

Geoffrey Durham in conversation with Roger Kneebone

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Geoffrey Durham's career as a stage magician has been through many stages, from his early days in variety and his persona as The Great Soprendo, his l...

Logan Murray in conversation with Roger Kneebone

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Logan Murray is well known in the world of stand up comedy. We explore how Logan helps people 'bring their inner idiot out to play', finding aspects o...

Ian Shircore in conversation with Roger Kneebone

06 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ian Shircore combines a career writing books under his own name with his work as a ghost writer for others. After discussing his recent book about the...

Simon Mulligan in conversation with Roger Kneebone

22 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Equally at home with jazz, classical repertoire and works by contemporary composers, Simon Mulligan is one of the world's leading pianists. A gifted c...

Sally Frampton in conversation with Roger Kneebone

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Sally Frampton is a medical historian who focuses on developments in surgery. Her 2018 book Belly Rippers traces the development of abdominal surge...

Paul Craddock in conversation with Roger Kneebone

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Craddock's 2021 book Spare Parts: A Surprising History of Transplants brings together his interests in cultural history, writing and engagement. ...

Bill Beswick in conversation with Roger Kneebone

11 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bill Beswick has decades of experience as a top-level sports coach and pioneering sports psychologist. In this podcast we explore his approach to work...

Simon Akam in conversation with Roger Kneebone

27 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Akam is a British writer and journalist who studied journalism in New York before working all over West Africa as a freelance correspondent. He ...

Sarah Itam in conversation with Roger Kneebone

13 Sep 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Miss Sarah Itam is a consultant urological surgeon with a special interest in male and female reconstructive urology. She is passionate about communic...

Emily Kneebone in conversation with Roger Kneebone

30 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The classicist Dr Emily Kneebone talks to me about her recent book Oppian's Halieutica: Charting a Didactic Epic (published by Cambridge University Pr...

Alexandru Bolboaca in conversation with Roger Kneebone

16 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alexandru Bolboaca has developed the idea of software design and engineering as an instance of craftsmanship. In this conversation he describes the na...

Jeff Mills in conversation with Roger Kneebone

02 Aug 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jeff Mills served a four-year apprenticeship in the 1980s, learning every aspect of his trade through constant repetition. As he became more experienc...

Ronan Kavanagh in conversation with Roger Kneebone

19 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In addition to his career as a rheumatologist, Ronan is the medical director of dotMD, which he describes as 'a two day festival of curiosity for doct...

Teresa Cahill in conversation with Roger Kneebone

05 Jul 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From her early days as a Principal at the Royal Opera House, Teresa Cahill has sung all over the world and worked with leading opera companies and con...

David Hockings in conversation with Roger Kneebone

21 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

David Hockings is Head of Percussion at the Royal College of Music and Principal Percussionist with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He's much in demand as...

Marnie Chesterton in conversation with Roger Kneebone

07 Jun 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Marnie Chesterton is radio producer and presenter who works with scientists to explore listeners' questions about science. She is also passionate abou...

Martin Taylor in conversation with Roger Kneebone

31 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Martin is a solo jazz and finger style guitarist who has won countless awards and performed all over the world. He started his career at the age of th...

Stuart Greengrass in conversation with Roger Kneebone

17 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Stuart Greengrass is fascinated by the interplay between technology and professional practice. He worked across professional boundaries throughout his...

Robert Saxton in conversation with Roger Kneebone

03 May 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Saxton is a distinguished composer and professor of composition who has worked with many of the world's leading musicians. In this podcast we e...

Izzy Mant in conversation with Roger Kneebone

26 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Izzy Mant, screenwriter and comedian, is a BAFTA-winning producer of scripted comedy for television. She has directed theatre, live comedy and radio, ...

Jonathan Burrows in conversation with Roger Kneebone

19 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jonathan Burrows trained as a dancer with the Royal Ballet before forming his own group and developing his career as a choreographer. He collaborates ...

David Dolan in conversation with Roger Kneebone

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

David Dolan is a concert pianist, teacher and researcher who has spent much of his career reintegrating classical improvisation into his performances....

Sam Gallivan in conversation with Roger Kneebone

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Gallivan is a consultant-level hand surgeon who is fascinated by ideas of narrative and cross-disciplinary exploration. In August 2020 she was fea...

David Dobson in conversation with Roger Kneebone

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

As an academic, David Dobson performs high-pressure experiments on deep Earth rocks and minerals. He's also a passionate climber, mountaineer and expe...

Susan Standring in conversation with Roger Kneebone

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Alongside her many research and academic commitments, Susan Standring has been the editor-in-chief of Gray's Anatomy for twenty years and will be step...

Jeanie Finlay in conversation with Roger Kneebone

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jeanie Finlay is an artist and documentary film maker. Her 8 films include Seahorse, Orion: The Man Who Would Be King, and Game of Thrones: The Last W...

Michele Clapton in conversation with Roger Kneebone

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Michele Clapton has a stellar career as a costume designer, winning many awards for her creative work in film and television. Her designs for Game of ...

Mark Wilson in conversation with Roger Kneebone

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Wilson specialises in treating patients with brain injuries and is an expert in pre-hospital care. He's worked in extreme environments all over t...

Antony Gormley in conversation with Roger Kneebone

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Antony Gormley RA is a well-known British sculptor who tries to 'identify the space of art as a place of becoming in which new behaviours, thought...

Dave Gibbons in conversation with Roger Kneebone

25 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Dave Gibbons is best known for the iconic Watchmen, which he wrote with Alan Moore and John Higgins. His recent book How Comics Work, written with Tim...

Eleanor Crook in conversation with Roger Kneebone

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Eleanor Crook trained in sculpture at Central Saint Martin's and the Royal Academy Schools. She is widely known for her wax sculptures inspired by hum...

Justin Margovan in conversation with Roger Kneebone

30 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Justin Margovan has been providing his technical expertise for my Countercurrent podcasts since the series started in August 2014. In this podcast we ...

Dan Saleh in conversation with Roger Kneebone

16 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Mr Dan Saleh, a consultant in Newcastle, is an expert in reconstruction after complex cancer surgery. In this conversation we start by discussing the ...

Hannah Peel in conversation with Roger Kneebone

02 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Hannah Peel has a distinguished career as a musician. As a composer and performer she works with a wide variety of styles and approaches. Her latest s...

Chau-Jean Lin in conversation with Roger Kneebone

19 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chau-Jean Lin's company Marulin is all about tea. Chau-Jean's family has been growing oolong tea in Taiwan for five generations. She herself trained a...

Sheridan Tongue in conversation with Roger Kneebone

05 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Sheridan Tongue is a composer, performer and songwriter, well known for composing music for programmes including Silent Witness and the recent BBC Nor...

Brian Lobel in conversation with Roger Kneebone

21 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Brian Lobel is Professor of Theatre and Performance at Rose Bruford College. His personal experience of cancer when he was 20 has shaped his career as...

Ollie Howell in conversation with Roger Kneebone

07 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ollie Howell is a jazz performer and composer whose career crosses many disciplinary boundaries. As a music student specialising in jazz drumming, Oll...

Luke Blair in conversation with Roger Kneebone

24 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Luke Blair began his career as a newspaper journalist for the Reading Chronicle. He then became a lobby journalist and political correspondent before ...

Andy McKillop in conversation with Roger Kneebone

17 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Andy McKillop was an editor and publisher for many years, becoming Publishing Director at Random House and reading up to 40 books every week. In 2003 ...

Roger Neighbour in conversation with Roger Kneebone

10 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Roger Neighbour is well known to GPs as the author of The Inner Consultation and The Inner Apprentice, two books which had a powerful influence over R...

Howard Williams in conversation with Roger Kneebone

27 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Howard Williams is a distinguished musician who has conducted many leading orchestras in the UK and across the world, including the English National O...

Will Liddell in conversation with Roger Kneebone

13 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Will Liddell studied zoology at university before working on cotton pests in South America. He then changed direction, studied medicine, and eventuall...

Erma Hermens in conversation with Roger Kneebone

28 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Erma Hermans combines academic knowledge with practical skill. Trained as a painting conservator and holding a doctorate in art history, Erma is also ...

David Roach in conversation with Roger Kneebone

15 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

David Roach started his career by training to become a professional footballer. Injuries compelled him to change direction and he became a personal tr...

Tabitha Tuckett in conversation with Roger Kneebone

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Tabitha Tuckett's career has moved across poetry, Classics and Renaissance literature. She has been an editor at the Oxford English Dictionary. As a m...

Darren McHugh in conversation with Roger Kneebone

18 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Darren McHugh started his career as an actor and playwright before changing direction and joining the world of fine dining. He has been at The Ledbury...

Averil Mansfield in conversation with Roger Kneebone

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Averil Mansfield's career was in vascular surgery. A consultant surgeon at St Mary's Hospital in London, in 1993 she became the first female professor...

George Waddell in conversation with Roger Kneebone

20 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

A pianist by training, George Waddell's many interests include the evaluation of performance and the role of technologies in music education. Brought ...

Sara Rankin in conversation with Roger Kneebone

06 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Sara Rankin is a leading scientist in the field of stem cell and leukocyte research. Throughout her career she has crossed disciplinary boun...

Merlin Strangeway in conversation with Roger Kneebone

23 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast we discuss Merlin's work as an medical illustrator, exploring her fascination with narrative and the need to make sense of people's st...

Terry Clark in conversation with Roger Kneebone

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After training as a professional flautist in Canada, Terry Clark changed direction and entered the field of performance science. His doctorate explori...

Nicholas Cooper in conversation with Roger Kneebone

23 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nicholas Cooper is well known for his books The Opulent eye: Late Victorian and Edwardian Taste in Interior Design and  Houses of the Gentry 1480-168...

Joshua Byrne in conversation with Roger Kneebone

09 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Joshua Byrne designs and creates men's jackets and suits. Starting from scratch with each garment he makes Joshua begins by identifying the needs of h...

Stephen Birkill in conversation with Roger Kneebone

27 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Stephen Birkill's career began as an engineer in the BBC transmissions section. In the following decades he made numerous technical advances in his fi...

Anthony Luvera in conversation with Roger Kneebone

13 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this podcast we discuss Anthony's work as a socially engaged artist who works extensively with people who have experienced homelessness. Through hi...

Dame Emma Kirkby in conversation with Roger Kneebone

25 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Emma Kirkby is a distinguished soprano, well known for her pioneering performances and recordings of Renaissance and Baroque music. In this conversati...

Fulceri Bruni Roccia in conversation with Roger Kneebone

16 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fulceri Bruni Roccia's career and interests cross many disciplinary boundaries. From his long experience in the world of banking he became Visiting Pr...

Paul Smith in conversation with Roger Kneebone

02 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Smith has been singing since he was a child. In 2005 he co-founded VOCES8, now one of the worlds leading vocal ensembles, with his brother Barnab...

Lewis Macleod in conversation with Roger Kneebone

18 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Lewis Macleod is one the UK's leading voice actors. Well known for his wide-ranging roles, from Start Wars to Postman Pat, Lewis is a regular on BBC R...

Alison Joseph in conversation with Roger Kneebone

11 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Alison Joseph is the author of the Sister Agnes series of crime novels featuring a detective nun. In this podcast we discuss how Alison's background a...

Simon Callaghan in conversation with Roger Kneebone

28 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Simon Callaghan is an international concert pianist who performs and records all over the world. In this conversation we discuss the nature of perform...

Theresa Hickey in conversation with Roger Kneebone

21 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Theresa Hickey is a leading theatrical agent with a large stable of actors. In this podcast we discuss the relationship of care between agent and acto...

Dimitri Bellos in conversation with Roger Kneebone

14 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Dimitri Bellos has been Restaurant Manager at The Fat Duck for over five years. In this podcast he describes his philosophy of service in this 3 Miche...

Ben Marks in conversation with Roger Kneebone

05 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Ben Marks trained as a conservator and restorer of historical pianos, working with Lucy Coad in the West Country. Now he is responsible for seventeen ...

John Acland in conversation with Roger Kneebone

30 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

When John Acland retired he was managing director of Williamson's Diamond Mine Ltd in Tanzania, having turned it from being a failed mine into a highl...

Petur Jonasson in conversation with Roger Kneebone

23 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Petur is Head of Classical Guitar at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. He studied classical guitar in Mexico and Spain. He is a performer of contempora...

Sir Nicholas Serota in conversation with Roger Kneebone

15 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Nicholas Serota's studies moved from economics to art history before he became Director of the Whitechapel Gallery in London. He was appointed Directo...

Dr Tony Saner in conversation with Roger Kneebone

02 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Tony Saner's first degree was from South Africa's only veterinary school. He practised as a vet, then took up a Rhodes Scholarship to study cardiac ph...

Johan Esterhuizen in conversation with Roger Kneebone

19 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Johan Esterhuizen studied drama in South Africa before spending time in the United Kingdom. After returning to Cape Town he was involved in experiment...

Pete Atkin in conversation with Roger Kneebone

05 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Pete Atkin's collaboration with Clive James led to six ground-breaking LPs in the 1970s, starting with Beware of the Beautiful Stranger. Narrowly avoi...

Sam Cooper in conversation with Roger Kneebone

22 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Cooper writes speeches for leading figures in the Corporation of London and other institutions. Building on his understanding of language and meta...

Ruth Morgan in conversation with Roger Kneebone

08 Jul 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Ruth Morgan began her academic career studying geography. After a doctorate in forensic geoscience she became fascinated by forensic science...

Flora Smyth-Zahra in conversation with Roger Kneebone

24 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Flora Smyth-Zahra trained as a dentist and has a special interest in periodontology. In this podcast we explore the nature of clinical care, whether i...

David Owen in conversation with Roger Kneebone

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

David Owen QC has developed parallel careers as a barrister (now specialising in mediation and arbitration for complex business disputes) and a magici...

Professor Thomas Schlich in conversation with Roger Kneebone

26 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Thomas Schlich's career spans clinical medicine and the history of medicine. In this conversation we explore similarities and differences between thes...

Fabrice Ringuet in conversation with Roger Kneebone

17 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Fabrice Ringuet has been a hair stylist for 35 years. Initially trained in France, he has made his career in the UK, first as a stylist and then as a ...

Richard Jones in conversation with Roger Kneebone

06 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Richard Jones is one of the UK's most well-known directors of theatre and opera. His productions have been staged all over the world and he has a repu...

Bridget Bailey in conversation with Roger Kneebone

29 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Bridget Bailey is a leading textile artist and designer who co-founded the Bailey Tomlin brand, creating and producing millinery for major labels. In ...

Phil Wilson in conversation with Roger Kneebone

15 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this conversation the distinguished medical artist Phil Wilson and I explore how expertise in illustration allows medical artists to convey the ess...

Jeremy Herbert in conversation with Roger Kneebone

08 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jeremy Herbert's career has taken many unexpected swerves. He is fascinated by the aesthetics and the practicalities of design, both in theatre and ou...

Jane Dorner in conversation with Roger Kneebone

01 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Jane Dorner's first career was in publishing. From art editor for Longman's and then as fiction reader for Penguin. After thirty years she fell in lov...

Mr Chris Peters in conversation with Roger Kneebone

25 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

In this conversation Chris Peters and I discuss the fast-moving world of robot-assisted surgery and explore new developments that are changing how sur...

Professor Roberto di Napoli in conversation with Roger Kneebone

18 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Roberto di Napoli graduated in modern languages and linguistics in Italy before developing a career in education which has taken him to many instituti...

Heather Mayfield in conversation with Roger Kneebone

11 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Heather Mayfield joined the London Science Museum in 1979 as a museum assistant. By the time she left in 2014 she was its Deputy Director. In this pod...

Professor David Nott in conversation with Roger Kneebone

04 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

David Nott trained as a trauma surgeon and has worked in war-torn areas all over the world. At the same time he trained as an airline pilot, gaining h...

Phil Bayman in conversation with Roger Kneebone

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Phil Bayman is a combat pilot and instructor with over 4,500 flying hours experience. Alongside an active career flying combat missions in Hawks and T...

James Peto in conversation with Roger Kneebone

11 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

James Peto's interests range from art history and contemporary design to the creation of ground-breaking exhibitions at the Wellcome Trust. Our discus...

Angela Barrett in conversation with Roger Kneebone

28 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Angela Barrett is one of the UK's leading illustrators of children's books. Her much-loved works include Beauty and the Beast, Snow White, The Emperor...

Alan Spivey in conversation with Roger Kneebone

14 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Professor Alan Spivey designs and creates biologically important molecules. In this conversation we discuss the differences between 'following a recip...

Derek Frampton in conversation with Roger Kneebone

01 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

A taxidermist for over 45 years, Derek Frampton is one of the leading experts in his field. His work is in many museums and scientific collections, an...

Sir Terence English in conversation with Roger Kneebone

24 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sir Terence English carried out the UK's first successful heart transplant in 1979 and established the transplant programme at Papworth Hospital which...

Rebecca Salter in conversation with Roger Kneebone

24 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The artist Rebecca Salter RA was elected Keeper of the Royal Academy in 2017. In this podcast we discuss her fascination with drawing, her time as a L...