The Goldster Inside Story Podcast

India Be Damned is an epic thriller set during the last days of Britain’s colonial rule of India and the first dreadful, blood-ridden months of independence. The author is legendary foreign correspondent, Peter Popham, who has turned his forensic journalist’s eye to fiction in a work that both vividly entertains while prompting us to think more closely about Britain’s role in India’s modern history.  Coming out seventy-five years after those events, it illuminates how the panicked slicing of India into three territories of Pakistan, India and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) made war in the subcontinent inevitable. War after war that continues today. “How we Brits love India!” says Popham. “We couldn’t get enough of it. Then in 1947 we did the mother of all bunks.” As the independence deadline approaches Britain plays a wild card, appointing world-famous war-hero Lord Mountbatten the last Viceroy. “Dickie” and his socialist wife Edwina imbue the end of empire with their celebrated panache, and for foreign journalists and freedom fighters alike, it’s a dazzling show. But when Mountbatten decides to rush the process to its conclusion, he damns India to a baptism of blood. This fictional account tells how long-held certainties are shattered within a group of Indians in those first murderous months of independence. To watch the recording of this episode please click here

Widowland and Queen High are a publishing phenomenon and among the most critically-acclaimed novels of recent years. Widowland, set in 1953, has been described as the most important feminist novel for decades and tells of an alternate history where instead of Nazi defeat, there has been a Grand Alliance between Great Britain and Germany. The much-awaited sequel is Queen High, set in 1955. President Eisenhower is about to make a state visit and a paranoid Queen Wallis Simpson summons fearless, plucky protagonist Rose Ransom to Buckingham Palace for a briefing. Queen High has already been listed as Book of the Year for the Guardian, Telegraph and Financial Times. The author C. J. Carey is a pseudonym for the real-life best-selling novelist Jane Thynne who among her many works is creator of the gripping Clara Vine series. An attractive young Anglo-German actress arrives in 1930s Berlin to find herself in world of rising Nazism, terrifying secrets and torn loyalties and love. Jane the widow of the late Philip Kerr the creator of the hugely successful Bernie Gunther series of the same Nazi era, now being developed for television by Tom Hanks. In this very special Goldster Inside Story, Humphrey Hawksley will be in conversation with Jane Thynne live at the Riverstone Theatre on the banks of the River Thames in London. Hear what happened the night Tom Hanks came to dinner, how Jane creates plots, character and her alternative history and much, much more. To watch the recording of this episode please click here

Monique Roffey is a writer, lecturer,  professor of contemporary fiction and founding member of Writers Rebel which combats climate change.  Born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, Monique has had life-long links to the Caribbean region and has set four of her six novels there. Her latest The Mermaid of Black Conch won the 2020 Costa Book of the Year Award with a myriad of praises from her peers. Set on an imaginary Caribbean island, Monique unfolds a tantalising tale in a mythical love story between a fisherman and a mermaid. “Sensuous, beguiling,” says The Sunday Times. “Roffey's tale convincingly transplants a mythical creature into a modern setting .” Monique teaches creative writing both in Port of Spain and at Manchester Metropolitan University. She describes herself as something of a magical realist. Writers Rebel, which she helped found, is an associated group to the highly effective and disruptive Extinction Rebellion. She is a leading literary voice on climate change and against the continuing use of fossil fuels.  “For half a century scientists have warned about global heating,” she has written, “and for half a century they have been largely ignored, in large part because the fossil fuel lobby has pumped vast sums of money into stories calling climate science into question.”    Join Monique Roffey with Humphrey Hawksley for Goldster Inside Story at to discuss writing, global warming and love on a magical imaginary Caribbean island. To watch the recording of this episode please click here

In this special hybrid PPG, Humphrey Hawksley will be joined by his fellow presenter – and very distant cousin! – Lucinda Hawksley. He’ll be interviewing Lucinda about the difficulties she faced when researching her biography, The Mystery of Princess Louise (Vintage Books). As an art historian, Lucinda was interested in Princess Louise as a sculptor and part of the Aesthetic art world of late 19th-century London, but it soon became apparent that this was going to be a very different research journey from that of her two previous biographies (of the artists Lizzie Siddal and Kate Perugini). Many months after applying to research at the Royal Archives, Lucinda finally received a response stating “Princess Louise’s files are closed to researchers”. She soon discovered that many other avenues had also been closed off. She persevered – meaning her 3-year book deadline had to stretch into 6 years – and became truly fascinated by the woman she discovered behind the royal façade. Humphrey will also be talking to Lucinda about what it is like to research and write about her great great great grandfather Charles Dickens – and what surprises can ensue when writing about members of one’s own family. To watch the recording of this episode please click here 

Robin Dreeke is a people person. He knows how to judge, win over, recruit and build relationships that are less transactional and more collaborative. For many years he worked for America’s Federal Bureau of Investigation, better known as the FBI and became head of its elite Behavioral Analysis Program, a  Counterintelligence Division tasked with uncovering threats within the United States. He has combined law enforcement systems with his own techniques to build a tool-kit for networking and communication that show you how to win the day whether you are in a corporate board meeting or untangling thorny issues on the committee of the village flower show. His books include Sizing People Up, The Code of Trust and It’s Not All About Me which lays out ten steps for building quick rapport with anyone. He will tell us about his understanding of human nature.  Robin Dreeke will tell of the moment of crisis when he had no idea how long-standing colleagues around him would react. Would they run, hide, help?  And how people kept much of themselves private, hiding steely courage until they really needed to show it. Or the opposite.  Each of us has a myriad of relationships and, in conversation with Humphrey Hawksley,  Robin Dreeke will show how he uses his FBI experience to help predict and adjust to other people’s behavior and give us all an essential course in how best to get out there, meet people, socialize and – what the Americans call – network. To watch the recording of this episodeplease click here  

Goldster Inside Story is thrilled to welcome back former American naval interrogator Lena Sisco with her new book Honest Answers: Interview and Negotiation Skills to Get the Truth.  No matter the conversation, whether with friends, family, the community or colleagues, cementing trust, detecting honesty and persuading others, to be honest are some of the most valuable skills you can possess. Goldster is passionate about coaxing people to interact and socialise, thus contributing to their healthy living.  It is important not to feel unheard and to have the confidence to ask questions and for yourself to be an engaging conversationalist. Lena honed her skills within the hard, high-stakes military environment during the War on Terror. She now transfers them to our everyday lives and offers a five-step program on human interaction. In any situation, when you gain someone’s trust, you can get the truth. Lena teaches how to create an environment of trust; control the signals that you might be inadvertently sending to others on confidence, high-handedness, friendliness and so on; use the right words in a disagreement in order to create a win-win situation. By learning some of this, you can stay in control of the conversations you have and your relationship with others. To watch the recording of this episode then please click here

Goldster Inside Story gives you a story of love, spies and parenting with a rare double-act interview and a ground-breaking book for frazzled families — License to Parent: How My Career as a Spy Helped Me Raise Resourceful, Self-Sufficient Kids. Christina and Ryan Hillsberg both spied for America’s Central Intelligence Agency before Christina turned her skills to becoming a stay-at-home-mom sharing fresh, ingenious and fascinating secrets on child-rearing, and putting an insightful and entertaining spin on some of the most challenging years of our lives.  In conversation with Humphrey Hawksley, the Hillsbergs will explain their CIA day jobs. As a covert operative, Ryan recruited spies and stole secrets around the world, collecting crucial information on terrorism, security and the many threats to our everyday lives. Christine did similar work, often in Africa, while also writing analytical assessments for the President and senior policy makers. How exactly do those skills – torn straight from the scenes of an action-packed spy movie – transfer to the hum drum day-to-day world of good parenting. The aim, say the Hillsbergs, is to raise children who are confident, reassured and know how to stay safe. And, we will learn, James Bond, was an absolutely terrible spy.  “If  a spy has to pull out his gun or someone is chasing him, he’s done something very wrong!” And don’t even get her started on the Bond girls!  To watch the recording of this episode then please click here

Gregg Hurwitz is the New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Orphan X series  — Evan Smoak is a man with a dangerous past who has skills, resources, and a personal mission to help those with nowhere else to turn. Gregg has also published poetry, academic, political, and cultural articles, screenplays and is a bestselling comic book writer. In short, Gregg is a non-stop creative machine and even helped write the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. He has a reputation for dogged research leading to action-packed adventures, including sneaking onto demolition ranges with Navy SEALS, swimming with sharks, and going undercover into mind control cults. Even his recreational pursuits seem bigger than life: wrestling with his Rhodesian ridgebacks, doing hot yoga, and drinking bourbon. He is also a political activist, working hard to lessen the current polarization in politics and culture. To that end, he's produced several hundred commercials which have had more than a hundred million views on digital and television platforms and won multiple American Advertising Awards. His editorial pieces have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, The Huffington Post, and others.  All of that said, Gregg describes his day-to-day life as hum drum. “I wake up, have coffee, go into my office, and write all day.”  His new Orphan X thriller The Last Orphan is out in February 2023.  Live at Riverstone Cinema, Fulham at 12pm on February 9th 2023. To watch the original video click here

Animal-lover Gillian Carrick is the author health guides for pets which includes tips for their healthy ageing.  Gillian’s early career took her far away from her passion. With a degree in politics, she became a researcher in the House of Commons and a feature writer on the House magazine. She then moved to BBC Radio with stints as a producer/presenter of travel programmes for Radio Four and Five Live, before heading off to be a television producer. Gillian’s first books were Hidden Suffolk and The Essential Guide to Arthritis.  She was then commissioned to write a series of animal-health guides, including: My Dog Has Arthritis but lives life to the full; My Cat Has Arthritis but lives to the full and My Dog Has Epilepsy but lives life to the full – clearly there’s a theme developing here.  Gillian spends as much time as she can in the company of gorgeous dogs and cats, not necessarily her own. She describes herself as a pert-butler of sorts and has learned a very important lesson: Our four-legged friends are definitely our masters.  Her latest project is to explore the idea of releasing our ‘inner cat’. What exactly is that? 

What do Erotica and Sherlock Holmes have in common?  Find out in Goldster’s amazing end of year Inside Story with the legendary Maxim Jakubowski, the mastermind of The Mammoth Book of Erotica, the creator of The Return of Sherlock Holmes, the compiler of numerous anthologies and currently chair of the Crime Writers’ Association with its Red Herrings magazine and array of Dagger awards. And that is far from all in Maxim Jakubowski’s incredible career. For many years he was a top book publishing editor dealing with titles by authors as diverse as William Golding, Peter Ustinov and Sophie Grigson.  He also owned the Murder One Bookshop for twenty years, ran the Crime Scene film and literary festival, edited Sex in the City, has been a columnist for Time Out and the Guardian and next year will be the executive producer on the TV series Factory based on the novels of his late friend Derek Raymond.  To watch the original recording, click here 

Professor Sir Muir Gray is reframing the public conversation about getting old.  He is the co-author of two hilarious but insightful books aptly named Sod 60 and Sod 70, both subtitled, The Guide to Living Well. .  His other books include Midlife: Look Younger, Live Longer, Feel Better, Antidote to Ageing and  Sod Sitting, Get Moving!: Getting Active in Your 60s, 70s and Beyond.  No spring chicken himself, Sir Muir identified elements of the ageing process way back in 1985 when, as a younger man, he wrote his perceptive book Prevention of Disease in Old Age. Whether dealing with dementia, apathy or physical frailty, Sir Muir’s initial prescription is good diet, mental stimulation and exercise. This is also the mantra underpinning everything Goldster stands for. How is it, Sir Muir asks, that we know ‘old’ sixty-year-olds and ‘spritely’ 80-year-olds?  He has a Seventies Manifesto as a Call to Arms. Become more active, mentally and physically, get more involved; help other people more and you will succeed in gaining better health. And get ‘attitude’ which means, not only are you positive, but also you know what you want and people shouldn’t mess with you. Sir Muir guarantees to bring us a fun and challenging Goldster Inside Story. Question him, comment on his thoughts, share your own experiences with Sir Muir Gray and your Goldster host Humphrey Hawksley at noon on 22nd December. To watch the video of this recording please click here

Join Humphrey Hawksley to hear Leonid Volkov’s story in his own words and ask him how he thinks he can create a new Russia.  Born into Soviet Jewish intelligentsia, leading Russian opposition figure, Leonid Volkov, is now in exile in Lithuania. Through lawyers, he liaises with his jailed friend Alexei Navalny who is serving nine years in a maximum-security Russian prison. Both became Internet bloggers with massive followings, Leonid was Navalny’s chief-of-staff for his Moscow mayoral campaign in 2013 and his presidential campaign against Vladimir Putin in 2018. From exile and prison, the two friends and others are preparing for Putin’s fall and the creation of a modern, more peaceful Russia.    “I do strongly believe that one day Russia will become a free and democratic country, a part of European family, where it belongs by its whole culture and history,” he says.    In a rare and very special Goldster Purpose, Passion and Grit, Leonid will tell Humphrey Hawksley about his childhood at a time when Russia was warming toward the West. His parents are in academia in western Russia.  Leonid will recount how he used the Internet to muster political support in the tens of millions, then how the iron fist of Russian state smashed down arresting Alexei Navalny and forcing him into exile. It is an incredible story, not yet ended, of how one man musters the purpose, passion, grit and courage to keep struggling for what he believes in.  

Dr Parag Khanna is a bestselling author of books that explain where our world is heading and why. Parag, who has been named by Esquire magazine as one of the 75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century, will be talking to Humphrey about his latest book Move: The Forces Uprooting Us. It’s a thought-provoking eye-opener that cuts through the clutter and predicts what lies ahead for our children and grandchildren. In short, as climate change tips toward full-blown crisis, economies collapse, governments destabilize, and technology disrupts, we’re entering a new age of mass migrations – one that will scatter both the dispossessed and the well-off. Which areas will people abandon and where will they resettle? Which countries will accept or reject them? As today’s world population, which includes four billion restless youths, votes with its feet, what map of human geography will emerge? Parag is a total man of the world. He was born in India and grew up in the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America and Germany. He earned his doctorate at the London School of Economics and his degree at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., which is where his love of maps and the changing world really took root. His previous books include How to Run the World (2011), Connectography (2016), and The Future is Asian (2019). Join Humphrey with Parag at 12.00 UK time on November 18th for a fascinating insight into our future. To watch the recording of the show click here

Join Humphrey Hawksley with Maggy Piggot on this uplifting Goldster Inside Story Maggy Pigott is the vice-chair of Open Age, Life’s Just Begun and has published the critically-acclaimed How to Age Joyfully,  Eight Steps to a Happier, Fuller Life. Dame Judi Dench commends the book to everyone of all ages and Giles Brandreth describes it as ‘full of wit, wisdom – and hope’.  Here are Maggy’s nub thoughts.  We’re living longer – let’s live better!  Getting older should be something to enjoy and celebrate. And it can be. Research shows that we can make a big difference to how well we age. From staying active to connecting with others, Maggy shares the secrets to ageing well in eight steps, to help keep you healthy and happy. Each step has easy-to-follow tips, alongside inspiring words both ancient and modern… and more! The guidance includes keeping physically active, eating well, having purpose and being positive.  There are stunning quotes such as from Theodore Roosevelt – ‘Old age is like everything else… to make a success of it, you’ve got to start young’ to Mahatma Gandhi ‘The future depends on what you do today.’   Maggy also cites peer group leaders such as Sir David Attenborough travelling the world making natural history films in his nineties Dame Judi Dench and David Hockney both still working in their eighties, and of course Her Majesty the Queen. Whether you choose to follow some of the advice or all, this is the perfect guide for living a more fulfilled, healthy and joyful life. To watch the filming of the recording, please click here