Radical with Amol Rajan

The UK is one of the world’s largest consumers of ultra-processed foods, so Wahaca restaurants founder Thomasina Miers thinks the government should cut the taxes of businesses that serve healthy alternatives.
In fact, she challenges the idea that ultra‑processed products should be called ‘food’ at all.
From social canteens that teach people to cook simple meals to zero percent business rates for greengrocers, the MasterChef winner tells Amol how she would reform Britain’s food system.
And she warns that the hospitality sector is facing a “bloodbath” after Chancellor Rachel Reeves increased employer national insurance contributions.
A government spokesperson said: “We're backing hospitality with a £4.3bn support package to limit business rate bill rises, alongside capping Corporation Tax at 25%, cutting red tape and investing £1.5 billion to create 50,000 more apprentices and foundation apprenticeships.”
“The fair and necessary decisions we made at this Budget and the last mean we can deliver on the country’s priorities – cutting waiting lists, cutting debt and borrowing and cutting the cost of living.”
TIMECODES
(00:03:35) Why Thomasina believes ultra‑processed food shouldn’t be considered “real” food
(00:08:27) The role of supermarkets
(00:17:14) School meals
(00:21:37) The state of the UK hospitality sector
(00:31:24) Why every high street needs a greengrocer
(00:35:38) Cutting VAT for restaurants
(00:39:37) Valuing well‑grown, high‑quality produce
(00:41:45) Weight‑loss drugs
(00:44:02) Tackling food waste
(00:48:08) Amol’s reflections
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* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Mike Regaard. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Founder of the tech driven social enterprise Zero Gravity, Joe Seddon answers your radical questions about boosting social mobility in the UK and helping talented young people from low opportunity areas realise their potential.

Amol and Joe explore how volunteering can become a powerful engine for skill building, discuss the rise in youth unemployment, and unpack Joe’s prediction that the next 15 years could bring a “blue collar rebellion” as AI reshapes white collar work.

GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.

Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by James Piper. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Joe Seddon, founder of Zero Gravity, thinks “geography is destiny in the UK” which is why he has built a tech platform to do something about it.
In this week’s episode, Amol and Joe dig into the barriers facing young people across the country, from stalled social mobility to uneven access to opportunity.
Growing up in a single‑parent household in Morley, West Yorkshire, he went on to study at the University of Oxford, but he thinks those opportunities are still too rare for people from a similar background. That’s why his platform connects people from low-opportunity areas with top universities and employers.
But Joe argues that there needs to be “radical transparency” in how university degrees are advertised so people know the value of the course they’re applying to.
And in a blunt message to ambitious people from disadvantaged backgrounds, he admits that the economic reality means that “you should think seriously about leaving your hometown.”
TIMECODES
(00:03:46) Social mobility in the UK
(00:11:24) The impact of AI on social mobility
(00:16:49) Can government policy improve social mobility?
(00:18:14) The broken social contract for Gen Z
(00:21:00) Student loan repayments
(00:27:24) Are too many people going to university?
(00:30:49) Joe’s RADICAL ideas
(00:36:19) Joe’s journey from West Yorkshire to Oxford University
(00:40:37) Accent bias
(00:46:55) Why “geography is destiny” in the UK
(00:54:36) What is Zero Gravity?
(01:36:44) Amol’s reflections
GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by James Piper. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Tech entrepreneur and founder of tailoring and repair company SOJO Josephine Philips answers your questions on fast fashion, manufacturing and scaling the repair economy.
She also discusses how big retailers are beginning to invest in repairs, the craft of making a garment and why we need to invest more in manufacturing clothing in the UK.
GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Mike Regaard. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

The fashion industry is the world’s second‑largest contributor to carbon emissions, surpassed only by agriculture. With such a significant impact on the climate, the question is: what can we actually do about it? Tech entrepreneur and founder of SOJO, Josephine Philips, wants you to stop throwing clothes away and think about what you’re buying.
In her conversation with Amol, they explore the wider issues tied to fast fashion, including exploitative labour practices, overflowing landfills, and the relentless pace of production.
They also look at the rise of second‑hand shopping, from charity shops to online resale platforms, and how this shift is reshaping consumer habits. She says legislation can play a major role in holding large companies accountable for their product life cycle and Josephine shares practical, everyday steps we can all take to reduce our impact on the environment.
TIMECODES
(00:02:17) What is SOJO?
(00:06:22) How the fashion industry impacts people and communities globally
(00:11:03) Corporate responsibility and legislation
(00:13:38) The environmental impact of the fashion industry
(00:21:45) Josephine’s RADICAL solutions
(00:23:38) The growth of second-hand fashion
(00:26:55) Learning to repair our clothes instead of throwing them away
(00:32:20) The downside of overconsumption
(00:35:30) Affordability in sustainable fashion
(00:38:38) Practical advice to help you consume less
(00:50:41) Learning from past generations
(00:54:24) Amol’s Reflections
GET IN TOUCH

* WhatsApp: 0330 123 9480
* Email: [email protected]

Episodes of Radical with Amol Rajan are released every Thursday and you can also watch them on BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m002f1d0/radical-with-amol-rajan

Amol Rajan is a presenter of the Today programme on BBC Radio 4. He is also the host of University Challenge on BBC One. Before that, Amol was media editor at the BBC and editor at The Independent.
Radical with Amol Rajan is a Today Podcast. It was made by Lewis Vickers with Anna Budd. Digital production was by Gabriel Purcell-Davis. Technical production was by Mike Regaard. The editor is Sam Bonham. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.