Toby Spence is an award-winning tenor, who has played the lead roles across the world in every major opera theatre from The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden to The Met in New York to La Scala in Milan. A frequent performer at The Proms and on acclaimed recordings, he has also brought classical music to popular audiences through shows like The Rob and Romesh Show.

In this episode, Toby shares his journey to becoming one of the most sought-after tenors of his generation, his battle with thyroid cancer and the remarkable process of relearning to sing after surgery. Humble, witty and candid, this is a rich, touching and inspiring conversation.

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Toby the Tenor

Toby’s performance of Britten’s ‘Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings’

Prince Albert Gruss an der Bruder

Toby Spence as Captain Vere in Billy Budd

Steve Hilton is a British and American political commentator. He was David Cameron’s Senior Advisor when he was Prime Minister. He is an entrepreneur, a best-selling author, a podcaster and he hosts his own television show on Fox News. With all his political experience he is considering the role of Republican candidate for governor of the state of California in 2026.

Having made his mark on both sides of the Atlantic, Steve talks about how he went from the son of Hungarian immigrants to leading construction projects at the tender age of 16 to David Cameron’s Senior Advisor to the Republican hopeful for governor of the state of California. It is a story that encompasses different occupations, nationalities and continents.

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The Steve Hilton Show


Restoring the Californian Dream Golden Together

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Brent Hoberman, the visionary co-founder of Lastminute.com and Made.com, is a true force in the world of entrepreneurship. From building multi-million- dollar businesses to founding the renowned Founders Forum, Brent is now a key player in supporting the next wave of innovators. He’s an advisor to governments on tech, a board member tackling issues from cyberbullying to education and a relentless advocate for startups.

In this lively and insightful conversation, Brent opens up about his journey through the highs and lows of the dot-com boom, the lessons he’s learned, and the unique challenges of being a pioneer in the digital age. Packed with energy, hilarious anecdotes and reflections, this episode offers invaluable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and a rare glimpse into the mind of a serial innovator.

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode includes discussions around sexual abuse and violence.

David Tait is a rock star many times over.

-WORK: He is CEO of The World Gold Council having run trading desks at Goldman Sachs, UBS, Credit Suisse and Bluecrest Capital.

-CHARITY: He has single handedly raised £7.5m for the NSPCC for whom he is a speaker, ambassador and trustee.

-ADVENTURE: He has successfully summitted Everest 5 times and is the only person to have summitted from the North and descended via the South (starting in Tibet and ending up in Nepal).

-CHILDHOOD: He has achieved all the above having been sexually abused as a child by grandfather's brother, his father and others. For many years David kept this abuse a secret which nearly cost him his life. His tragic and deeply compelling story is portrayed in the movie Sulphur & White.

All the above is discussed in our conversation.

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David’s Website

The World Gold Council

NSPCC

Donate to the NSPCC (If you'd like to donate specifically to The Lighthouse, please say when you donate)

Sulphur & White trailer

Guy Chambers is a rock star in every sense of the title. He is one of the most successful and prolific musicians, songwriters and producers in the UK. He has more than 50 gold and platinum albums to his credit. He has worked with a variety of top artists, ranging from Mark Ronson and The Wanted to Katie Melua and Beverley Knight. He has also composed the music for films, musicals and even an opera.

His best known and long-standing collaboration is with Robbie Williams, with whom he wrote some of the biggest hits of the 1990s and 2000s including ‘Angels’, ‘Rock DJ’, ‘Feel’, ‘Millenium’ and ‘Let Me Entertain You’. In this conversation Guy talks about some of his present and past collaborations, how he wrote the song that changed everything for him and Robbie and what life was like under the spotlight of fame’s adulation and scrutiny. Full of wisdom, reflection, humility and candour, my conversation with Guy will fascinate and entertain!

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Guy’s Website

Andy Coulson was editor of The News of the World and was Downing Street Director of Communications for David Cameron after he became Prime Minister in 2010. He founded and now runs Coulson Partners giving strategic advice to global CEOs, entrepreneurs and philanthropists on crisis avoidance and management, on seizing opportunities and on how to drive smart, long-term decision making.

He also founded and hosts the brilliant “Crisis What Crisis?” podcast, talking to guests who have endured the worst of life’s experiences and who share their wisdom on how to survive and thrive. In partnership with the Ministry of Justice, his podcast has just been made available to thousands of inmates across UK prisons. These podcasts will inform, inspire and provide hope in what are often empty, wasted, despair-filled days. Andy understands crisis well when, 10 years ago, he himself was convicted of conspiracy to intercept voicemails and spent time in prison at HMP Belmarsh and Hollesley Bay.

In this conversation, Andy describes the highs and lows of his journey and how he has dealt with both successes and crises. Andy is very open, honest and has much wisdom to share.

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Coulson Partners

Listen to Andy's podcast: Crisis What Crisis?

James Krishna Floyd is an award winning actor, a screen writer and director. He has been described as a young Robert de Niro and his versatility is displayed in the extraordinary breadth and variety of roles he has played to date. His film Unicorns which he wrote and co-directed came out last week (July 5th). It’s not only entertaining but also important, brave, ground-breaking and deeply human.

In this conversation James talks about how he prepares for the roles he plays and the scripts he writes; he lived in amongst East London gangs for six months, he found an Egyptian refugee on which to base his character in The Swimmers and he immersed himself in the Gaysian scene for Unicorns. Packed with interest, thoughtful insights, humility and empathy, I was struck by this hugely talented man and profound thinker.

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Unicorns Trailer

Tim Sullivan is a screenwriter, film and TV director and author. He wrote and directed 'Jack and Sarah' with Richard E. Grant, Judi Dench and Ian McKellan. He directed 'The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes', 'Thatcher The Final Days', the last 90 minute episode of 'Cold Feet' and 'Coronation Street'. His scripts include 'Letters to Juliet' with Amanda Seyfried and Vanessa Redgrave. He co-wrote 'A Handful of Dust', 'Where Angels Fear to Tread' and more recently 'My Little Pony: A New Generation' which shot to the number one movie slot worldwide on Netflix in its first week of release.

He is now the author of a series of crime novels which are gripping, clever and twisty, yet also touching and funny, featuring a brilliant detective DS George Cross who has Autism Spectrum Disorder. It has been hailed as the best detective series since Sherlock Holmes. His latest novel in the series, 'The Teacher', is out in paperback on Thursday.

Tim discusses the joys and woes of writing for Hollywood, his writing process, advice for aspiring writers and the surprising way he plots his novels. My conversation with Tim is out today!

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Tim’s Website

Buy ‘The Teacher’