About Helen What makes a woman? How far do bodies set our gender? Immaculate Forms focuses on the history of the breasts, clitoris, hymen and womb. I've worked on the history of medicine and the body for many years, following a PhD thesis on ancient Greek concepts of menstruation. Since then, I've published on the reception of ancient medical ideas about the female body, menstruation and birth up to the nineteenth century. It still amazes me that ancient ideas about women survived for so long, despite changes elsewhere in how the body was understood. I've held research fellowships in Cambridge and Newcastle, worked for 8 years in Liverpool, and then for 14 years at the University of Reading. In 2011 I became Professor of Classical Studies at the Open University and I am now Professor Emerita there. I've been a visiting lecturer at Mount Allison University, University of Victoria BC, and University of Texas, as well as a Fellow at the Netherland Institute for Advanced Studies, and a Visiting Professor at the Peninsula Medical School, where I taught the history of dissection to medical students. 'Illuminating, thoughtful and scholarly' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Mind-blowing, fascinating stuff' BBC WOMAN'S HOUR 'Delightful, timely and critical' Cat Bohannon, author of Eve 'With unrivaled expertise and a wealth of classical and contemporary detail, the author weaves historical knowledge of medicine, anatomy, literature, art and religion into a narrative that surprises, informs, excites and frequently amuses' Adrian Thatcher, author of Vile Bodies Throughout history, religious scholars, medical men and - occasionally - women themselves, have moulded thought on what 'makes' a woman. She has been called the weaker sex, the fairer sex, the purer sex, among many other monikers. Often, she has been defined simply as 'Not A Man'. Today, we are more aware than ever of the complex relationship between our bodies and our identities. But contrary to what some may believe, what makes a woman is a question that has always been open-ended. Immaculate Forms examines all the ways in which medicine and religion have played a gate-keeping role over women's organs. It explores how the womb was seen as both the most miraculous organ in the body and as a sewer; uncovers breasts' legacies as maternal or sexual organs - or both; probes the mystery of the disappearing hymen, and asks, did the clitoris need to be discover

Eurosport Snooker commentator David Hendon has worked in the sport for many years, but during his spare time away from the box he has become an acclaimed playwright.

Cris Rogers is a Church of England minister, church planter, artist, maker, and Star Wars fan. Along with his wife Beki, Cris leads All Hallows Bow, a highly missional church in East London. He has a deep passion for discipleship and apprenticeship in the way of Jesus. Additionally, Cris hosts a weekly discipleship podcast called “Making Disciples with Cris Rogers,” and serves as the Chair of Spring Harvest. Through his ministry, research, and various platforms, Cris aims to shed light on the unique challenges and opportunities within working-class communities, while advocating for the development and empowerment of working-class church leaders who can effectively serve and lead these communities. Learn more of his work here https://urbanmission.uk/about/

Calvin Robinson is a British political commentator, policy advisor and campaigner who is a senior fellow at the research institute Policy Exchange. He is a regular contributor to The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail. As a commentator, Robinson regularly contributes to TalkRADIO and GB News

Clark Datchler is best known as singer/songwriter in the successful 1980s band Johnny Hates Jazz. His most famous songs with the band include the international hits ’Shattered Dreams’, ‘I Don’t Want To Be A Hero’, ‘Turn Back The Clock’ and ‘Heart Of Gold’. ‘Shattered Dreams’ reached #2 in the US and Japan, and went top 5 throughout the rest of the World. It has now been played 3.7 million times on US radio alone. The album ‘Turn Back The Clock’ entered the UK charts at #1 and went triple platinum. To this day, it is regarded as one of the seminal albums of the decade.

Shaharzad Akbar is currently the Chairperson for the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission.  She was previously Deputy on the National Security Council for Peace and Civilian Protection. 

Shaharzad also worked as Senior Advisor to the Afghan President on High Development Councils (August 2017-August 2018) coordinating the prioritization of development projects and programs for high level decision-making. Prior to this, Shaharzad was Country Director for Open Society Afghanistan (Sep 2014-July 2017).  

Before this, she was partner and chief operating officer with QARA Consulting, a firm owned and run by young Afghans in Kabul which she co-founded in 2010, an analyst for the Free and Fair Elections Foundation, and a journalist for BBC Afghanistan. Born in Jawzjan, Afghanistan, Shaharzad lived for a few years as a refugee in Pakistan during the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.  

She completed an MPhil at Oxford University as a Weidenfeld scholar in 2011 (the first Afghan women to do postgraduate studies at Oxford) after she obtained her BA (cum laude) in anthropology from Smith College in the U.S. Shaharzad’s writing has appeared in international and Afghan media including Washington Post, Newsweek and Al Jazeera, CNN, and academic journals.

Nathan Moore is the face of popular Boy Bands Brother Beyond and Worlds Apart. He continues to perform across Europe and in this interview we take a look at his career past and present. Nathan is a complete gentleman and it is hoped you enjoy the interview.

Dimitrios Konstantopoulos  is a retired Greek professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper. He is currently the goalkeeping coach for EFL League Two side Hartlepool United.

After playing amateur football with Iraklis Ampelokipi, Konstantopoulos signed his first professional contract with Kalamata in 1996; he would go on to make 12 appearances in six years for the club, with a spell at Egaleo yielding three further appearances between 2001 and 2002. He moved to Portuguese side Farense after this, before joining Hartlepool United in October 2003. After making 117 league appearances for Hartlepool, Konstantopoulos opted to switch to Coventry City in 2007. However, he was unable to hold down a first team place, and, after loan spells with Nottingham Forest, Swansea City (twice) and Cardiff City between 2008 and 2009, Konstantopoulos was released in 2010 having made 31 league appearances for Coventry. He returned to Greece, spending a successful season with Kerkyra before switching to AEK Athens for the next two seasons. Following AEK's relegation, he was released at the end of his contract, and joined Middlesbrough in August 2013.

Internationally, Konstantopoulos made nine appearances for the Greek under-21 side, and made his full international début for Greece in 2011; this remains his only senior cap.

Jonathan Higgs is an English singer, songwriter, filmmaker, director and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the frontman of the art rock band Everything Everything, with whom he has released five studio albums and five EPs. He is noted for having an unusually wide vocal range, particularly his use of falsetto. In this discussion we look at his musical influences, how the creative process with the band works out, and looking to the future.

As a criminal justice reporter for the Houston Chronicle, Keri Blakinger has a special interest in covering the conditions of prisoners — in part because she spent nearly two years locked up in county and state correctional facilities herself.

Blakinger, who grew up in Lancaster, Pa., was a competitive figure skater, but when her skating partner left her when she was 17, things began to unravel.

Here what happened in this insightful interview about addiction and recovery.

Richard Tice  is a British businessman and politician who has been Leader of Reform UK since 6 March 2021. Enjoy this topical conversation exploring Richard's thoughts and opinions on a wide range of subjects.

Carl Vernon suffered for 15 years from debilitating anxiety. He is now a bestselling author, motivational speaker and entrepreneur, following his personal transformation. He shares his experiences on the God Cast  which has led him to enjoy a huge social media following. Well worth a watch for those contemplating mental health and personal well being.

Please share.

Born in St Anne’s, Nottingham in 1956. Now lives in Brighton with his wife, the screenwriter Angela Pell, and their son, Johnny. He is a writer, poet and TV and Film producer and founder of the Manchester Poetry Festival (now the Literature festival) and co-founder of the Nottingham Poetry Festival.

In June 2017 he was honoured with a special BAFTA for services to Television.

He co-wrote and script edited every episode of the multi-award winning Mrs Merton show and the spin off series Mrs Merton and Malcolm. He also co-created and co-wrote the first series of The Royle Family.

With Steve Coogan he co-wrote the BAFTA winning Paul and Pauline Calf Video Diaries, Coogan’s Run, Tony Ferrino, Doctor Terrible and all three of Steve’s live tours and the film The Parole Officer.

Setting up Baby Cow Productions Ltd in 1999 Henry Executive Produced all, and script edited many of the shows of its seventeen and a half year output during his tenure as MD.

Highlights of the Baby Cow output during this time include

Philomena, I Believe in Miracles, Gavin and Stacey, Moone Boy, Uncle, Marion and Geoff, Nighty Night, The Mighty Boosh, Red Dwarf, Hunderby, Camping and Alan Partridge,

Nigel is a versatile journalist and broacaster with 30 years experience across TV, radio and online. He both produces and presents for BBC World Service news and is one of the UK's top football commentators regularly describing the Premier League on talkSPORT and Premier League Productions, presenting UEFA Champions League coverage across the globe and top women's football across the world on Atalanta Football. Nigel has covered six FIFA World Cups and three Women's World Cups. He was also part of the BBC commentary team for the 2012 and 2016 Olympics. Nigel is an experienced and engaging voiceover artist and event presenter and has a role to play behind the scenes as a media trainer and crisis management mentor and can offer bespoke infrastructure advice to keep your company on track.

ABOUT JEFFREY

Now published in 97 countries and more than 33 languages, Jeffrey Archer is firmly established as one of the world’s bestselling authors, with international sales passing 275 million copies. He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (nineteen times), short stories (four times) and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). We talk politics, books, prison, faith and more.

Brand new and fabulous 'God Cast' Interview with former Bellowhead front man Jon Boden,

who is about to go on tour with his musician partner John Spiers. 

Winston White  is an English former footballer who made over 530 league appearances with 13 different clubs in a 17-year career in the Football League. Winston was a cult figure at Turf Moor and he played 104 times for the club between 1988-1991. In this interview we take a trip down memory lane, at some of the ups and downs of life as a professional footballer and we listen to Winston tell his his view around the ongoing matter of racism in football.

Kerry Ellis has fast become recognised as the leading lady of West End musicals from her starring roles in London and on Broadway. She has also achieved chart-topping success as a recording artist signed to Universal Decca with her debut album Anthems.  Kerry made her first professional stage appearance in 1998 and went on to make her West End debut in the 2001 revival of My Fair Lady as an understudy for the role of Eliza Doolittle. In 2002, she landed the role of Meat in the original London cast of We Will Rock You and has subsequently played lead roles in musicals Les Misérables, Wicked (in the West End and on Broadway), Oliver! and Cats as well as appearing in national tours and concert productions of musicals like Miss Saigon, Chess, The War of the Worlds and RENT. Ellis, who has received several awards and nominations for her performances, has become recognised as the First Lady of West End musicals. She has also worked sporadically in film and television.  After meeting Queen guitarist Brian May in 2002, Ellis expanded her repertoire as a solo artist. She has released four studio albums Anthems (2010), which reached number 15 on the UK Albums Chart, the self-titled Kerry Ellis (2014), Golden Days (2017) and Feels Like Home (2020) as well as an extended play Wicked in Rock (2008) and a live album Acoustic by Candlelight (2013). Ellis also appears as a featured artist on several other albums. Ellis has performed in concerts across the world in addition to headlining solo concert tours like Anthems: The Tour and The Born Free Tour.  In addition to her musical work, Ellis involves herself in charity work for the Born Free Foundation with May and is the patron of several arts organisations. In 2019, Ellis received an honorary fellowship from the University of Suffolk

Chris Difford is a rare breed. As a member of one of London’s best-loved bands, the Squeeze co-founder has made a lasting contribution to English music with hits such as ‘Cool For Cats’, ‘Up The Junction’, ‘Labelled With Love’, ‘Hourglass’ and ‘Tempted’.

Despite the fact that Chris has helped soundtrack so many fans’ lives since his first release in 1977, the passion for innovation and love of playing still drives him to carry on writing rather than sit back and admire his handywork. Chris recently celebrated his 60th birthday and for 41 of those years he has been writing with Glenn Tilbrook, very much the Odd Couple. When Squeeze take a break from the road, Glenn and Chris have been touring their ‘At Odds Couple Tour’.

An absolute joy and privilege to interview legendary singer/songwriter Chris Difford from Squeeze.  A really interesting discussion on matters of music and faith and much more. I do hope you enjoy this conversation with Chris.

 Godcast with Vinnie Colaiuta. Vinnie is one of the great drummers of our time, played extensively with Sting, Frank Zappa and Joni Mitchell. We talk 'Brits',' God' 'Drums' and much more. A must for music lovers everywhere. Learn more of the great musician at www.vinniecolaiuta.com

Ian Collins is a British radio and television presenter and journalist and author.

Collins became a presenter on Invicta FM in Kent. He joined the newly launched Talk Radio UK in 1995, which later became Talk Sport. He presented the Overnight show, Ian Collins and the Creatures of the Night from 1995 to 2002, then the Late-Night Weekend Show, Ian Collins: Unbranded from 2002 to 2004, replacing Tommy Boyd. Collins replaced Paul Hawksbee and Andy Jacobs on the afternoon show from for a short time at the start of the Iraq War in 2003. In 2004, he replaced Mike Dickin on the mid morning show, including a spell co-hosting the show with Mike Parry. From May 2006, Collins moved on to host The Ultimate Late Show, which he both wrote and produced along with Alan Hyde. He then moved to the late night slot in 2008 after James Whale left the station. Collins also presented The Incredibly Early Breakfast Show.

In February 2012, he presented his first show on LBC. He left LBC in September 2018.

Between November 2018 and June 2020, Ian was a joint presenter of BBC Radio Kent's Breakfast Show The Wake Up Call with Anna Cookson. He replaced John Warnett who moved to the Drive Time Show.

During 2019, Ian returned as a stand in host on talkRADIO's weekday 13.00-16.00 show. and became permanent during the summer of 2020.

Jonathan is a wonderfully talented singer and pianist, capable of singing an extraordinarily broad range of styles. He started his professional singing career as an opera singer, performing to great acclaim around the world. However, he loved singing and playing such a broad range of songs that he gradually grew his own One Man Show alongside the opera and in recent years the solo shows have become his sole way of performing - a regular 50 dates in a year was not unusual. Accompanying himself on piano or guitar, he also used his comedic talents to keep people enthralled, inspired and highly entertained.

Over the years, I've been told I have a story to tell. A few conversations have occurred about potential with publishers, and agents but those who know me well, will know my struggles with writing and self confidence. However some people have inspired me to have a go and so, as with 'The God Cast, I am doing it my way to prevent disappointment and set backs. So I have written the first chapter of my autobiography which is available on my God Cast pages. It is also available as an audio podcast. If it is well received I will write the second chapter and if not, well.....

So if it is of interest, please listen, and please leave feedback. The book should it ever be published is entitled, '36 Consecutive Wednesday's' and the story behind that will only be revealed in Chapter 2.

Thanks,

Alex

Michael "Hoggy" Hogben  is an English auctioneer, antiques dealer, Author and TV personality who has appeared in the BBC series Bargain Hunt, ITV's Dickinson's Real Deal, and his own series Auction Man.

Out Now on The God Cast Michael Hogben - Michael appears frequently on antiques shows ITV 's Real Deal and  BBC's Bargain Hunt and is reputable art dealer and Art agent for Vic Reeves. It's a lovely & interesting discussion about his career his celebrity friend and his faith.. https://youtu.be/MufeZ9FYGWk Please kindly share x

This God Cast is dedicated to working class vocations in The Church of England. Joining Fr Alex on The God Cast are Lee Finnegan (ordinand) Rev Mich Delves Rev Chris Krawiec Rev Suze Osmond.

Dene Michael is delightfully colourful lead singer of Black Lace and has enjoyed a fantastic career, singing hit records such as Agadoo and Superman all across Europe for many years. This interview is a wonderful trip down memory lane from the origins of Black Lace to the present day. Dene's autobiography 'Still Pushing Pineapples' is out soon.

Damon is a man of many talents, he is currently a writer for Britain's favourite soap Coronation Street but is also a former record producer, and music artist. In the 1990's he had hart success with his Dance floor filler 'I Wanna Give You Devotion'. In this interview we learn about Damon growing up in South Wales, his love of music and what it's like to write for the huge TV show, 'Corrie'.

Alexander O'Neal (born November 15, 1953) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from Natchez, Mississippi.

O'Neal came to prominence in the mid-1980s as a solo artist, with eleven Top 40 singles on the US R&B chart, three of which also reached the Top 40 on the US pop chart. However, he enjoyed more mainstream success in the UK, achieving fourteen Top 40 singles on the UK Singles Chart between 1985 and 1996, along with three top five albums on the UK Albums Chart.

His solo singles, sometimes dealing with lost love, include "If You Were Here Tonight", "Fake", "Criticize", "The Lovers", "(What Can I Say) To Make You Love Me", "All True Man", "Love Makes No Sense" and "In the Middle". He is also known for duets with Tabu labelmate Cherrelle such as "Saturday Love" and "Never Knew Love Like This". AllMusic described O'Neal as having a "tough voice [that] has the same grain and range as that of Otis Redding.

Christine Murray  known professionally as Crissy Rock, is an English award-winning actress, stand-up comedian, and best-selling author, most notable for her role as Maggie Conlan in the 1994 film Ladybird, Ladybird, and as Janey York in Benidorm whom she played from 2007, until 2011 when she was axed from the show, although she returned in Episode 6 of Series 5 for a cameo role, and then again for two episodes of Series 7 in 2015.

She appeared in I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! 2011. In December 2012, she appeared on Celebrity Come Dine With Me. For her performance in Ladybird, Ladybird, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.

MATT Woodcock packed the pews and halved the average age of the congregation at his city centre church. Which is not bad going for someone who was thrown out of the Scouts and got caught fighting in Sunday school. Never one to choose the conventional path, Reverend ‘Woody’ Woodcock certainly believes in ploughing his own furrow – and that includes welcoming everyone into his church, whether they are actually religious or not.

Multi-platinum selling artist Kenny Thomas had a hugely successful solo career in the 1990s, releasing eight UK Top forty singles and two UK Top Ten Albums. The English soul singer is now the lead singer of the band Living in a Box. In this interview he talks to Fr Alex about his career in the music industry, his new autobiography which is out later this year. he also talks about his faith, his outlook on life and coping with his daughters diagnosis of a life threatening illness.

Robert Joseph Walker (born 13 March 1975 in Oxford, Oxfordshire) is a British sports commentator, television presenter and freelance reporter, who has covered sports including tennis, snooker, darts, boxing, football, sailing and athletics for the BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Setanta Sports and the IAAF.

Rick Witter is the lead singer of 90's indie band Shed Seven. It was a pleasure to interview him and learn more about his career and life in on the mot popular bands of the 90's.

Duncan Norvelle will be well know to many people as a hilarious and much loved stand up comedian who enjoyed huge success in the 80's and 90's before being struck by a serious stroke that had left him disabled and debellated by the occurrence. He continues to keep his sense of humour with a determination to get back on the stage as soon as possible. 

John Martin McDonnell is a British politician who served as Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2015 to 2020. A member of the Labour Party, he has been Member of Parliament for Hayes and Harlington since 1997.

Gordon Birtwistle (born 6 September 1943) is a British Liberal Democrat politician and former MP. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Burnley, England, from May 2010 to May 2015. He was Parliamentary Private Secretary to Danny Alexander, Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2010 to 2012.From 2013, he was Government Apprenticeship Ambassador to Business

Enjoy this Brand New interview with former Claret, Paul Weller who talks about his career at Turf Moor, his battles with illness, and the his new book, 'Not Such a Bad Life: Burnley, Gazza, Wrighty, Waddle and Me' which is raising funds for The Gary Parkinson Trust.

Samantha Giles  is an English actress and author. She is known for portraying the role of Bernice Blackstock in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale. She has also portrayed Sally Boothe in the ITV drama series Where the Heart Is and Valerie Holden in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks. She departed from Emmerdale in 2019 to focus on other creative projects, such as writing her debut novel, Rosemary and the Witches of Pendle Hill, released in 2020. In April 2021, it was confirmed that she would be returning to Emmerdale.

Enjoy this interview as we learn about Samantha's affiliation to 'Wicca' which she has practiced for over ten years.

Leo Scullion (born 10 April 1958) is a professional snooker referee from Glasgow, Scotland, who has been officiating on the main tour since 1999. His first senior match was in the 1999 Challenge Tour, and he officiated his first televised match in the 2001 Regal Scottish Masters, a tie between Stephen Lee and Patrick Wallace.

Scullion started to become a Snooker personality in the 2000s and eventually officiated his first final in 2011, at the China Open. He then took charge of another two finals the following year, at the World Open and the UK Championship respectively.[2] He officiated his first World Championship final in 2019.

Michael is an Anglican cleric, an author and a columnist. He also hosted a nightly television and radio show for 15 years, for which he won numerous awards.  He’s a columnist for The Toronto Star, and a frequent contributor to the Globe and Mail, NOW magazine, TVOntario, The Walrus, Macleans, The Critic, and several other Canadian and British publications.  He is the best-selling author of sixteen books, including biographies of G.K. Chesterton, H.G. Wells, Arthur Conan Doyle, J.R.R. Tolkien, and C.S. Lewis. He has contributed to the Dictionary of National Biography and several other anthologies and is published in many countries and in more than a dozen languages.

Trevor McGregor Steven (born 21 September 1963) is an English former footballer. He became known as a member of the successful Everton side of the 1980s, went on to be an important part of the Rangers 9-in-a-row side and won 36 international caps for England.

Billy Pearce is a Yorkshire comedian that has made people laugh for years and years. He got his lucky break on 'NEW FACES' 12 years after auditioning for 'Opportunity Knocks'. Listen to his story hear and if you enjoy it, you can find more like this just by Googling 'The God Cast'.

A profoundly moving and honest interview with ex Spurs, Liverpool & England footballer Paul Stewart. Paul talks exclusively about the loss of his beloved wife Bev. He describes how child abuse took away the meaning out of winning trophies and his battles with drug and gambling addiction. Please share, his experiences might help someone.

Bill Neely - The God Cast Interview.

Bill was chief global correspondent for NBC news and spent 25 years at ITN. He has reported on some the worlds biggest news items. Syria, Gulf Wars, Palestine & Israel, The Berlin Wall, Mandela's death, World Trade centre, OJ Simpson trial and loads more.

A deeply informative interview on world issues. It was a privilege to interview Bill, please share x

Jamie Hoyland is an English former footballer who made more than 400 appearances in the Football League and Premier League playing in midfield in the 1980s and 1990s. He then turned to coaching. He was assistant manager at Rochdale in 2002 and more recently academy manager at Sheffield United. His father Tommy Hoyland had also played for Sheffield United from 1949 to 1961.  He now works for Everton FC as a scout.

Jonathan Antoine is probably best know for his wonderful singing voice which was brought to prominence via Britain's Got Talent. He is an absolute gentleman and is now enjoying a highly successful career in the Music industry. It is hoped you all enjoy this interview. much love, Fr Alex x

Martin Saunders leads the Satellites festival alongside his role as Deputy Chief Executive of Youthscape He joined YS in 2013 because he is passionate about seeing young people connect with faith. For the last few years he has focussed on resourcing youth leaders through innovative resources and events, but now his work has broadened into developing a brand new summer event for teenagers which launched in August 2022. Before moving to Youthscape he was Editor of Youthwork magazine, and he carried on writing: you can find several of his books on the Youthscape store.

Chris Hughes is a highly successful hypnotist, he is known for attempting to set a world record for the biggest online hypnosis event. The Social trance live event was exclusively for users of Facebook and Twitter and attracted over 1,000,000 listeners from over 130 countries. This interview offers a fascinating into the world of hypnosis and Chris is frank ans honest about what it is and what it isn't. A must listen for anyone curious about hypnosis.

Pippa Crerar is the political editor of the Daily Mirror. She was previously Deputy Political Editor at The Guardian. Enjoy this highly topical discussion on politics, the church, Boris' curtains and the future of the Labour Party.

Lou Macari played over 400 times for Manchester United and over 100 times for Celtic. He now runs a homeless shelter in Stoke on Trent and homes 45 people. In this interview we talk about his career, plus his exceptional work supporting the homeless people of Stoke on Trent.