Wodcast

Who really wrote the dictionary? And what happens to a word when the last person who speaks it is gone? We open season two with Sarah Ogilvie, Professor of Language and Lexicography at the University of Oxford, former editor on the Oxford English Dictionary and author of The Dictionary People. Sarah gave our season one guests their word of the season, human, so we begin with her reflections on their answers. She also explains why she chose that word for this moment: to ask what makes us human now that a machine is learning to talk. Her word of the day is Throughleeves Vita Sackville-West’s family word for small, intense joys. Think of the first cold glass of water when you’re parched, waking to snow, or a ball struck clean on the sweet spot. From there we get into family words, the private vocabulary that turns a household into a world of its own. Then we go down into the basement of Oxford University Press. Two million handwritten slips are stored there, and in one box Sarah found James Murray’s…

For our Season One bonus episode, we return to the question at the heart of so many of our conversations: what can a single word reveal about the way we live, the way we relate to one another, and the world we share? This season, we’ve explored where words come from, what they carry, and how their meanings shift through the people who use them. Now, thanks to Sarah Ogilvie, Professor of Language and Lexicography at the University of Oxford, we have our word of the season: Human. We invited each of our Season One guests to offer their own definition. What follows is a collection of reflections that move between science and feeling, instinct and free will, individual experience and our shared existence. For some, being human is to care for others as much as we care for ourselves. For others, it is to feel the full range of our emotions, to connect through language, or to recognise that we are part of a delicate ecosystem rather than separate from it. We explore the relationship between human and humane, the…

What if words can never mean exactly what we want them to mean? Stephen Fry has spent a lifetime exploring language: writing it, performing it, studying its history, and delighting in its strange contradictions. In this final episode of Season One, we sit down with Stephen to explore what words can and perhaps cannot do. We begin with “happy”, a word Stephen traces back to hap, meaning chance or what happens. From there, the conversation opens into a much bigger question: if language is metaphorical, and words can never map perfectly onto the things they describe, how do we ever understand one another? Stephen argues that “there isn't a pure word for anything” and that we couldn't find “absolute words for absolute things.” We move through etymology, translation and the peculiarities of English; the relationship between language and thought; and the way AI is forcing us to reconsider how our own minds process ideas and language. Stephen reflects on anagnorisis, the moment of recognition or discovery in a…

Today, Wodcast sits down with Sir Tim Rice one of the world's most celebrated lyricists and one of only a small number of people to have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony, for a wide-ranging conversation about words, songwriting, storytelling and the strange alchemy of turning language into something that lasts. From Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita and Chess to The Lion King and Aladdin, Tim has written some of the most recognisable lyrics of the last half-century. But this conversation is less about the hits themselves and more about what happens inside the words: how a lyric comes together, why a title can change everything, and why sometimes the smallest rhyme can make a song feel complete. Tim shares the story behind “Hakuna Matata”, including the lost verse that never made it into The Lion King, and explains how a phrase from a Swahili dictionary became one of the most recognisable expressions in popular culture. He reflects on the difference between writing for a character and writing from your own…

What does freedom really mean when you have spent part of life without it? Today, the Wodcast sits down with Waad Al-Kateab journalist, filmmaker and activist for a deeply personal conversation about freedom, home, family, language, community and the power of imagining a different future. Waad grew up in Syria under the Assad regime and began documenting life in Aleppo during the Syrian revolution. Her extraordinary archive became For Sama, the acclaimed documentary that brought the realities of war, motherhood, love and survival to audiences around the world. In this conversation, she reflects on what happens when the words we use to describe our lives, freedom, home, refugee, family, become lived experiences rather than abstract ideas. Together, they explore the richness of Arabic, and how difficult it can be to translate not just words but entire experiences between languages. Waad speaks about being displaced from her home, finding family and community in unexpected places, and the complicated…

What if surrender isn't the opposite of creation, but part of it? Today, the Wodcast sits down with musician and songwriter Nick Mulvey for a wide-ranging conversation about words, music, faith, creativity and the things that can only be felt beyond language. Nick arrives with the word “yield” a word that can mean both to produce and to surrender. From this apparent contradiction, the conversation opens into a deeper exploration of creativity, control and what happens when we stop trying to do everything ourselves. Nick reflects on the role surrender has played in his own life, and why he believes some of the best things that have happened to him have come through yielding. The conversation moves into faith, masculinity, the sacred feminine and Nick's evolving relationship with Christianity and the natural world. He reflects on the process of integrating seemingly opposing forces, and on how his understanding of God, Earth, fatherhood and masculinity has changed over time. They also explore the limits of…

What lies in the silence between who we have learned to be and who we are becoming? Today, the Wodcast sits down with Remi Olajoyegbe, founder, female empowerment coach, business leader, co-founder of Medicine Festival and founder of the Isumataq Collective, for a deeply personal conversation about success, transformation, grief and what it means to live and lead from a place of wholeness. Having built a highly successful career in investment banking, Remi reflects on what she calls “the void of success”: reaching the milestones, ticking the boxes and receiving the external validation, while still experiencing a deeper yearning for something more. What happens when the language of success we've inherited no longer reflects the life we want to live? Together, they explore Remi's extraordinary relationship with words, from growing up between Assamese and Nigerian cultures and learning to understand “the weight of the unspoken,” to the words that have accompanied profound periods of loss, grief and…

What does it take to become Frequently Happy? Today, the Wodcast sits down with David Larbi, poet, bestselling author of Frequently Happy, and one of the UK's most thoughtful voices on joy, creativity and emotional wellbeing, for a deeply reflective conversation about poetry, presence and the courage it takes to live authentically. Together they explore why happiness begins with contentment, the relationship between creativity and self-discovery, and how words can help us better understand our emotional landscape. Along the way, they discuss burnout, boundaries, the importance of silence in a noisy world, and why doubt may be one of the most underrated qualities we possess. Drawing on his own journey as a writer and creator, David reflects on what it means to create from a place of honesty rather than performance, why "if I haven't processed it, I'm not posting it," and how learning to embrace the ordinary moments of life might be the truest path to becoming frequently happy. This episode is an invitation to…

What happens when language becomes more powerful than evidence? Today, the Wodcast sits down with Professor David Nutt, one of the world's leading neuropsychopharmacologist, psychiatrists and consciousness researchers, for a thought-provoking exploration of language, consciousness and the extraordinary power of words to shape how we think, feel and act. Together they discuss the origins of the word psychedelic, why MDMA was originally called empathy, how language has influenced public perception and policy, and what happens when words become more powerful than evidence. Along the way, they explore consciousness, curiosity, the role of myth and symbolism, and the profound relationship between science, storytelling and the human experience. Drawing on decades of pioneering research into the brain, consciousness and psychedelic medicine, Professor Nutt reflects on the importance of questioning inherited narratives, remaining open to new evidence, and approaching some of society's most controversial…

What if romance wasn't just about falling in love? In this conversation of the Wodcast, musician, songwriter and poet Hak Baker joins Benjamin Aston and Mabel Evans for a wide-ranging exploration of romance, brotherhood, community and the courage it takes to change. Together they discuss the forgotten meaning of romance, why transformation is rarely a solitary act, and the idea of slaying the dragon within - the lifelong battle to confront our fears, ego and destructive patterns. Through stories of growing up in East London, finding his voice through music, and building communities rooted in care, Hak reflects on how real change begins not only within ourselves, but in the people who walk alongside us. In a world that often celebrates independence above all else, Hak offers a different vision: one where friendship, creativity and shared responsibility become the foundations for a more hopeful future. This episode is an invitation to rediscover romance, not as an ideal, but as a way of living, creating and…

What happens when faith and doubt learn to dance together? In this opening conversation of the Wodcast, bestselling novelist Elif Shafak joins Benjamin Aston and Mabel Evans for a wide-ranging exploration of language, love, storytelling and the search for wisdom in a noisy world. Together they discuss the ancient meanings hidden inside words, why different cultures understand love in different ways, the forgotten goddess of writing, the importance of oral storytelling, and what Elif calls "inner democracy" the practice of making space for the many voices within ourselves. Drawing on her novels, her spiritual curiosity, and her lifelong relationship with stories, Elif reflects on the tension between certainty and wonder, information and wisdom, roots and belonging, and why slowing down may be one of the most radical acts of our time. This episode is an invitation to listen more deeply: to language, to each other, and to the stories that shape who we become. ───── Topics include: • Faith and doubt • The many…

In Season One of the Wodcast, we sit down with novelist Elif Shafak, musician Hak Baker, Professor David Nutt, writer David Larbi, founder and coach Remi Olayjoyegbe, musician Nick Mulvey, filmmaker Waad Al-Kateab, lyricist Tim Rice, and writer, actor, and broadcaster Stephen Fry. Across nine conversations, we explore the words that have shaped their lives, the language that has influenced their thinking, and the stories they carry with them.

Welcome to the Wodcast where every word carries a world inside it. The Wodcast is a podcast exploring the words that shape our lives, cultures, relationships, and imagination. Hosted by Benjamin Aston and Mabel Evans, each episode unfolds into conversations, stories, ideas, and perspectives from writers, thinkers, artists, and cultural voices. From love and belonging to courage, grief, joy, identity, and everything in between, the Wodcast invites you to slow down and look more closely at the language that shapes how we see ourselves and one another.