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ESA Astronaut Tim Peake joins us to discuss the wonderful new Pixar film Lightyear. Ben Wheatley reports back from the Leicester Square Premiere at Cineworld...which he shared with Taika Waitiki and Chris Evans among others. Tim Peake speaks to Ben Wheatley for The Cosmic Shed podcast "While spending years attempting to return home, marooned Space Ranger Buzz Lightyear encounters an army of ruthless robots commanded by Zurg who are attempting to steal his fuel source." Lightyear is in cinemas from July 17th in the UK and we recommend you find yourself a screening as soon as you can but feel free to listen to this episode of The Cosmic Shed podcast before you do as it is spoiler free. show notes The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Mary Anning Rocks was born when 11 year old, fossil mad, Evie Swire asked her mother, ‘Why isn’t there a statue to Mary mummy?’ Well now there is. Crowds flock to see the unveiling of the Mary Anning Statue in Lyme Regis We're big fans of Mary Anning Rocks here at The Cosmic Shed so when they invited us to the unveiling of the statue of Mary Anning in Lyme Regis we jumped at the chance. Dr Hannah Little reports back from the event for The Cosmic Shed. show notes You can support Mary Anning Rocks here You can listen to our episode with Kate Winslet and Anya from Mary Anning Rocks here The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Ilan Eshkeri's Space Station Earth with Tim Peake comes to the Royal Albert Hall on May 15th 2022. Ilan joins our Andrew to talk about this stunning new live event which promises to take audiences on a film and audio journey to see Earth and Space through the eyes of astronauts on the International Space Station. Tim Peake joins Ilan Eshkeri for Space Station Earth in May 2022 As well as talking about Space Station Earth, Ilan and Andrew discuss Ilan's other work which includes winning a BAFTA for his narrative score for Ghost of Tsushima, scoring films like Stardust and Still Alice and his most recent work for the BBC Natural History Unit, A Perfect Planet. Award winning composer Ilan Eshkeri  Sit back, relax (once you've got your tickets) and listen as Ilan Eshkeri comes to The Cosmic Shed podcast. show notes Ilan Eshkeri has a website here Space Station Earth has a website here You can view the trailer here The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

The Cosmic Shed has hosted some fairly big names over the years from Tim Peake and Nichelle Nichols to Benedict Cumberbatch and Alice Roberts but right now, the shed is housing a litter of hedgehogs. Those hedgehogs have been filmed for BBC's Winter Watch by Dr. Jack Richardson and Jack joins Andrew to talk all about how he took that lovely footage of them. Dr Jack Richardson on set You'll also hear about how the shed became home for these wonderful little hedgehogs and hear from the woman who almost single-handedly made it possible; Claudia Bonney. Tufty - one of the Hedgehogs currently residing under The Cosmic Shed. Prickles down, relax and listen now. show notes Claudia Bonney is a contemporary artist and hedgehog lover. Dr Jack Richardson has a vimeo account where you can see more of his work. You can see some of the trail cam footage of the hedgehogs here Andrew is a Lecturer at UWE Bristol The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

In this episode, recorded at Bristol Con 2021, our Hannah chats to a host of wonderful science fiction authors. We'll let you listen to find out exactly who. It feels more like a Bristol Con that way - you're never quite sure who you'll bump into. Hannah at Bristol Con 2021 One thing we will tell you though is that you'll hear from Arthur C. Clarke award-winning author Adrian Tchaikovsky. Download and listen now. show notes The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Robin Ince is quite well known for something called The Infinite Monkey Cage and something else called The Cosmic Shambles. As such, we were rather delighted to welcome him to The Cosmic Shed. Robin joins Hannah and Steve to talk about his new book The Importance of Being Interested. Robin Ince and Hannah in Bookhaus for The Cosmic Shed This episode of The Cosmic Shed podcast was recorded at Bookhaus, an independent bookshop in Bristol. Robin was in conversation with our Hannah. The book is a delight and so too is this conversation. Download and listen now. show notes You can buy Robin's book here You can get tickets to Robin's next variety show here Hannah is a Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at UWE Bristol Bookhaus is an independent bookshop in Bristol The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Rosie Miles is truly the Girl of the Wild and her first book tells some of the stories of the last 10 years of her life working with wild animals in Africa. We read of encounters with snakes, big cats, elephants and so much more in this riveting book and Rosie joins Andrew for this episode of The Cosmic Shed. Rosie Miles (Girl of the Wild) @safari_smiles on Instagram Rosie and Andrew met several years ago when Rosie was studying science communication at UWE Bristol and the book is just the latest in Rosie's adventures. In this episode, you will hear about a potential second book which we all believe needs to become a reality... Rosie and colleagues hard at work @safari_smiles on Instagram You can buy the book here and, while you wait for it to arrive, you can listen to this spoiler free episode of The Cosmic Shed. show notes Buy Girl of the Wild: Misadventures in the African Bush here Apply to study Science Communication at UWE Bristol here  The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Jim Al-Khalili returns to The Cosmic Shed to talk about his new series which launches today on Magellan TV. Big topics in the new series from Jim Al-Khalili Jim is the Distinguished Chair of Theoretical Physics at the University of Surrey, broadcaster, novelist and Vice-President of Humanists, UK. He's also making his third appearance on The Cosmic Shed as he joins Andrew to talk about the new series and all things life and physics. Jim Al-Khalili and Andrew at Cheltenham Science Festival Download to your favourite podcast app and listen now. Then pop over to Magellan TV and watch the new series from Jim. show notes Jim Al-Khalili featured in our Jurassic World episode back in 2015 Andrew met Jim at Cheltenham Science Festival to talk Sun Fall Get your copy of Sun Fall by Jim Al-Khalili here Magellan TV is a streaming service for documentaries The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Sherryl Vint is Professor of Science Fiction Media Studies at University of California, Riverside and the author of Bodies of Tomorrow, Animal Alterity, and Science Fiction- A Guide for the Perplexed. Don't worry. You don't have to be perplexed to enjoy it. Professor Vint joins Andrew to talk all things science fiction in this episode of The Cosmic Shed podcast. Professor Vint's books explore science fiction from some fascinating angles Download to your favourite podcast app and listen now. show notes The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Samantha Baines joins Andrew for this episode of The Cosmic Shed and has a new book out called The Night the Moon Went Out. She's also an award-winning comedian, actress, broadcaster, hearing aid wearer and the author of Harriet Versus the Galaxy. As an actress, Samantha has appeared in Netflix’s The Crown, Call the Midwife, Silent Witness or Magic Mike Live (directed by Channing Tatum).  Samantha Baines and her books with a spacey theme You can also hear Samantha on BBC Radio London, BBC Radio Kent, Virgin Radio, hosting Q and A's at the BFI or hosting her award nominated podcast The Divorce Social. In this episode of The Cosmic Shed, Samantha and Andrew discuss a host of things including The Crown (does anyone know if Prince Andrew appears in it?), Sound of Metal starring Riz Ahmed and, of course, The Night The Moon Went Out which you can buy here. show notes Samantha and Andrew are also on the Physics World Stories podcast You can hear our episode with Marina Sirtis here The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast  

Catriona Silvey is an author whose new book Meet Me in Another Life has been optioned for a new film starring Gal Gadot...even before the book came out... Catriona joins Dr. Hannah Little for this episode of The Cosmic Shed. Gal (left) will produce and star in the film of the novel by Catriona's (right)  Meet Me in Another Life is a story of love and connection in every possible form that will captivate fans of Stuart Turton, Claire North, and Audrey Niffenegger. Gal Gadot says it is "Beautifully explored and deeply complex". The book is released on July 8th 2021. You can get it here but you can listen to Catriona right now on this episode. Download to your favourite podcast app or simply press play. show notes Dr Hannah Little is a Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at UWE Bristol Catriona Silvey has a website here The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Kate Winslet plays legendary fossil hunter Mary Anning in Ammonite, the new film (in cinemas now) from Francis Lee, the director of God's Own Country. For this episode, Kate Winslet makes her debut on The Cosmic Shed podcast and we are also joined by Anya Pearson of Mary Anning Rocks. Kate Winslet tells us about working with Saoirse Ronan in Ammonite Mary Anning Rocks is the hugely successful campaign to get a statue of Mary Anning in Lyme Regis, where she made her name finding all those wonderful fossils. It was started by Evie Swire three years ago and Evie's mum Anya joins us to discuss the film and tell us all about the wonderful campaign. Evie and Anya from Mary Anning Rocks Download to your favourite podcast app or simply press play. show notes You can support Mary Anning Rocks here Anya mentions this film about Mary Anning by Natasha Mattocks The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

We're joined by Andy Weir to talk about his latest, and quite possibly greatest (so far) novel Project Hail Mary. One lone astronaut holds the future of humanity in his hands. If you've read it, you know what happens next. Either way, download and listen now to this interview with, friend of The Cosmic Shed podcast, Andy Weir. Andy Weir, Andrew, Ti and Steve chat about Project Hail Mary There are some spoilers later in the episode so do feel free to read the book first. You won't regret it and you can buy it from all good book shops including here. show notes Project Hail Mary is published by Penguin Random House You can listen to our live event with Andy Weir here You can listen to our episode on the Martian (book) here You can listen to our episode on the Martian (film) here The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

May the Fourth be with you. It's Star Wars Day and we have something of a special guest for you today. You'll have to listen to find out who it is. This episode is all about Chaos Walking, the new film starring Daisy Ridley, who you may know as Rey from Star Wars. We've got a surprise guest for you this May 4th... Andrew, Steve, Tushna and Russell are joined by Hannah Little, a senior lecturer at UWE Bristol with a PhD in linguistics. In the film, everyone can hear all the men's thoughts and conversation in the podcast swiftly moves to discuss the science behind such ideas. Ti also pops in to tell us about the chaos of making Chaos Walking. What is the dog thinking? The film also stars Spiderman himself, Tom Holland, and is based on the books by Patrick Ness. Download and listen now and find out who that surprise guest is this May 4th... show notes You can find out more about Neuralink here You can find out more about how people think here The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast  

Seaspiracy is, sadly, not about Seas Piracy but about an alleged conspiracy in the fisheries sector which is trying to conceal the damage done to our oceans by fisheries. It's available on Netflix and is a film by Ali Tabrizi, following on from Cowspiracy. Conspirasea? Andrew is joined in "the shed" by Marine Cusa, Natalie Dyer, Emma Brisdion and Russell Arnott to discuss the film, the science of the film and the film making practices employed. Just how much can we trust it? Andrew, Marine, Natalie, Emma and Russell. Scientists involved in the protection of our oceans, even those interviewed for the film have spoken out against the film's accuracy.  Prof Christina Hicks speaking out on Twitter Marine has dived even deeper into the science in her two part YouTube review of Seaspiracy which we urge you all to watch here but, before you do, download and listen to this episode of The Cosmic Shed podcast. Marine Cusa's review is excellent and on YouTube. show notes You can follow Marine, Natalie, Emma and Russell on Twitter. Marine is speaking in her own capacity and her opinions do not necessarily reflect that of her employers. The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast The Marine Conservation Society provide a useful document on fish to avoid

ESA are looking for new astronauts and you can apply. Dr Jennifer Ngo-Anh is Team Leader in the Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration at the European Space Agency and joins Andrew for this episode of The Cosmic Shed. Jennifer Ngo-Anh tells us about the science done in Space Jennifer, a medical doctor with a PhD in neuroscience, joined ESA in 2006, and tells Andrew what ESA are looking for in the new astronaut candidates and what the new space faring recruits will have to look forward to...including ESA's plans to return people to the Moon. ESA's missions for robots and humans in the near future Jennifer and Andrew discuss the Lunar Gateway, a space station planned to go in orbit around the Moon, which the successful candidates for this round of astronaut recruitment may well find themselves on one day. Strap in and download this episode of The Cosmic Shed. show notes You can apply to become one of the new crop of astronauts here Image credits ESA/NASA and pictured is Luca Parmitano The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Jon Boden has won 11 BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. His new album Last Mile Home, from Hudson Records, is the final instalment in his trilogy of concept albums set in a post-climate change future. You might also know him as the lead singer and arranger of the legendary folk band Bellowhead. He joins Andrew for this special episode of The Cosmic Shed podcast.  Jon Boden, in his Potting Shed, talking to Andrew of The Cosmic Shed Jon's trilogy of post-apocalyptic albums began with Songs from the Floodplain in 2009, followed by Afterglow in 2017 and, this month, Last Mile Home. You can get your own copies of them here. Jon and Andrew talk about science in folk music, the process of songwriting, quite how you make a concept album that is actually really brilliant and a whole lot more besides. Download and listen now. show notes Jon Boden's Last Mile Home is available from Hudson Records The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

S.B. Divya is a Hugo nominated science fiction author, an A.I. engineer and an editor of Escapepod. She joins Andrew for this episode of The Cosmic Shed. Machinehood builds upon S.B. Divya's love of science fiction and experience and knowledge of Artificial Intelligence from her extensive experience as an engineer in the field. Download and listen to S.B.Divya on The Cosmic Shed. show notes Machinehood is from Saga Press The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

George Clooney's The Midnight Sky, currently showing on Netflix, comes to The Cosmic Shed podcast. We're joined by legendary production designer Jim Bissell to discuss his work on The Midnight Sky. You might know his work from E.T.  Jim Bissell, Production Designer of The Midnight Sky and our Steve Our Steve got a teensy bit excited about the engineering in the film and we've indulged him big time in this episode. Happily, he's the kind of guy you want to indulge and he's come up with something rather special. Not only does he bring you an interview with Jim Bissell, who designed the spacecraft (the Aether) in The Midnight Sky, but he got in touch with Professor Ben Hicks of the Design and Manufacturing Futures Lab at the University of Bristol. Steve and Prof Ben hatch a plan to work out the engineering of the Aether if it were a real life space craft...You can see a video of what Prof Ben and colleagues came up with on our Twitter account here Prof Ben Hicks found that the optimum design for the booms is actually straight hollow tubes as in this image: The Aether - could it really work? Prof Ben Hicks worked it out Meanwhile, in "the shed" opinions are mixed but all found something to love in The Midnight Sky. Download and listen now. show notes The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast

Abigail Harrison is also known as Astronaut Abby. Since the age of 13,  her eyes have firmly set on the red planet. Abby is an aspiring astronaut who dreams of becoming the first astronaut to set foot on Mars and the co-founder of the international non-profit organization The Mars Generation.  Abby joins Andrew for this episode of The Cosmic Shed podcast. Abby Harrison is aiming to be the first person to set foot on Mars Dream Big! How to Reach for Your Stars is Abby's first book and it "provides helpful advice and practical tips to help readers on the path toward finding, reaching for, and achieving their goals." Abby's book is out this month. It turns out Abby is a bit of a science fiction fan too. Obviously, Andrew and Abby chatted about that and we find out which book and film she'll be taking with her when she sets off for Mars. Download and listen now. show notes The Cosmic Shed is part of the Stimulus Network You can subscribe to The Cosmic Shed podcast