The Big Smoke Variety Show

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week we stroll the hard streets of South London, tracing the world that shaped one of the greatest entertainers of all time, and the music halls that lit up Victorian London. Along the way we celebrate the city’s living performers too, from Underground buskers to a little magical mischief on our own audio stage. 

Kevin is joined by curator and author Dr Jacqueline Riding to explore the wo...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we step into the ‘undiscovered country’ — and explore the one subject we so often avoid: death. But rather than dwelling in darkness, this episode asks a more vital question: what can mortality teach us about how to live?

Kevin is joined by social historian and bereavement counsellor Dr Molly Conisbee, author of No Ordinary Deaths: A People’s History of Mortality. Together they expl...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

Tonight, we look up. But also down, and within! This episode is all about the stars — not just what they are, but what they’ve meant to us across time. From ancient myths and shared human stories to cutting-edge space science, Starspotting explores how looking skyward can reconnect us to something far greater than ourselves.

We begin our mission with planetary scientist, space educator, and Sa...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

Tonight, we explore music, movement, and a little misfiring magic — three very different ways humans try to make sense of the world.

We begin with music, and a deceptively simple question: what, actually, is it? Kevin is joined by director, writer and composer Bill Barclay to discuss What Music Is, a project that draws together music, neuroscience and astrophysics. From the ancient idea of the...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show Christmas Special, recorded live beneath the West End at The Phoenix Arts Club.

Tonight, we gather for an old-fashioned festive tradition: ghost stories at Christmas, games played in good company, and the sense of connection that comes from gathering together at the darkest time of the year.

We begin with Charles Dickens, and a lesser-known seasonal tale from The Pickwick Papers: The Story of ...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we slip into the strange, funny and quietly revealing world of anthropomorphism — the very human habit of seeing minds, motives and meaning everywhere we look.

First, Kevin pulls up a chair with scientist and bestselling author Justin Gregg, whose book Humanish explores why we dress up our dogs, get too attached to inanimate objects, and sometimes find ourselves arguing with ChatGPT...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

We’re slipping a little audio chocolate into your advent calendar: the true origin of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, plus a reading of the original 1939 story that made him a star. A festive treat from The Big Smoke family to start the holiday season.

This piece was created by our host Kevin Bennett and is starring actors Adam Cunis and Hollie Hales. It warmed the hearts of the audience at ou...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we raise a glass to Britain’s most beloved institution — the pub — and explore how these living rooms of London connect history, community and creativity in ways as rich as any museum or gallery.

First, our guests pull up a stool: its pub historian Charo Havermans and artist Lydia Wood. Together they explore how pubs began in the hands of women, why they became vital community “thir...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we explore philosophy, freedom, and the peculiar ways we find meaning — from the quiet depths of the soil to the bustling banks of the River Thames.

First, Kevin is joined by Professor Edward Harcourt, Academic Director of The Royal Institute of Philosophy, celebrating its centenary year. Together they ask: what is philosophy, really? How can it help us think, question, and live bet...

This week, we wander through London’s haunted past, uncover the humanity behind history’s ghost stories, and rediscover how kindness, comedy, and curiosity connect us all. From spectral legends to small acts of light in the dark, this episode celebrates the strange and the sincere in equal measure.

First, Kevin is joined by historian and author Dr Maddy Pelling — host of After Dark — for a wal...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we walk through the fog of fear, meet courage on the street corners of London, and follow the rivers that carry us home.

First up, Kevin sits down with historian and author Robert Peckham to ask what it really means to live with fear. From the “dizziness of freedom” to the way algorithms mirror our anxieties, Robert explores how fear shapes everything from politics to art—and why it...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we roll the dice under the Harvest Moon, sail the seven seas with wacky shipmates, and curl up with stories that feel like home.

First up, Kevin sits down with author Caroline Taggart to explore the timeless pastime of board games. From Monopoly meltdowns to horse-racing favourites lost to history, Caroline reveals why games aren’t just entertainment—they’re anthropology, philosophy...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we move between silence and sound, ruins and renewal, stars in the sky and treasures in the mud.

First up, our Pub Quiz heads to the true north strong and free for “Maple Leaf or Make Believe: Pizza Edition”. From syrup-soaked slices to bears with strong topping opinions, can you spot the real Canadian headline?

Then Kevin sits down with legendary theatre-maker Wendy Gorling to expl...

This week’s Silly Season episode is bold, rich, and possibly a bit risky. Back in the Comedy Café Mark Silcox takes the spotlight with tales of his latest obsession: gold trading. Kate Sharp and Alex Farrow join in as we debate financial wisdom, summer side-hustles, and whether pursuing security is ever truly secure. It’s a silly, spirited, and slightly speculative conversation about where your mind goes when your sunhat’s on and y...

Welcome to another Big Smoke Silly Season! This week in our Comedy Café, we stroll into deeper waters. Alex Farrow takes centre stage in a thoughtful chat about the meaning of summer, the philosopher’s mindset, and the timeless role of the fool in society. Joined by Kate Sharp and Mark Silcox, we riff on Shakespeare, Oscar Wilde, and how some people can make anything a fish!

In Parish Notices, our Summer Correspondent Morgan encour...

This week’s Big Smoke mini-episode is like a perfectly pulled cortado for your ears — short, sharp, and slightly sweaty. Stand-up comedians Kate Sharp, Alex Farrow, and Mark Silcox return for a slightly damp but deeply funny session at the Comedy Café, focused around Kate’s caffeine habits, medication mishaps, and the sweaty truths of summer. From towelling methodology to microphone hygiene, it’s a gloriously soggy ode to showing u...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show — and to our Summer Silly Season! While the team takes a well-earned break until September, we’re serving up mini-episodes to help you make the most of summer, starting with Jump In! This bite-sized audio macchiato features some of London’s funniest stand-up comedians — Kate Sharp, Alex Farrow, and Mark Silcox — who pop into the Comedy Café for iced coffees, heatwave hacks, and a guessing game ...

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we’re taking to the skies — and far beyond — with a celebration of whimsical, surprising, and deeply human modes of travel.

First up, we pop to our local, where the ceiling’s low but our questions are sky-high. This week’s Pub Quiz? A History of Basket Cases.

Then, Kevin meets legendary hot air balloon pilot Robin Batchelor to explore the history, his daring exploits, and the sheer ...