Spare a Thought
Welcome to Spare a Thought. The podcast for curious minds, exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins. Join host Tom Spare for conversations that go to unexpected places, from Welsh culture and Japanese architecture, to media ownership and paternity leave. Whether you're on the morning commute, taking a Sunday stroll or looking for a lunchtime listen, take time out of your day to Spare a Thought.
Episodes
Join host Tom Spare for an episode of milestones. The 70th edition of the podcast, 2 years since Spare a Thought launched, featuring the first ever interview conducted for the show.
Tom focuses on the Iris Prize LGBTQ+ film festival. The Iris Prize is the world's largest short film prize. 2026 marks the Iris Prize's 20th birthday. He gives an overview of the festival's opening night and then shares his interview with Iris Festival ...
This autumn close to three million students will be descending on universities across the UK. Tom Spare is joined by Leo Cartman who has just started her first year at University of Portsmouth studying journalism.
Leo asks questions to Tom who draws on his own time as an undergraduate at the University of Kent, a decade working in higher education, and his return to study a master's at Cardiff Univer...
This episode is based on a workshop Tom delivered in July 2026 for the Be the Change Media Network.
Drawing on over 100 episodes of Spare a Thought and The Political Dispatch, Tom explores what makes a story worth telling and how to tell it responsibly. He gives the example of thr...
With the school holidays in full swing, Tom reviews the biggest blockbuster of the summer, Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
The world has forgotten that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, including all the people he cares for most. Parker works round the clock to fight off New York's criminals. Isolated and heartbroken, Parker begins to develop worrying symptoms that force him to seek out old allies and new.
For the first ever in-person recording of Spare a Thought, Tom sits down with Harriette Wight a Breathing Coach and Menstruality Mentor who's on a mission to change the way women understand their menstrual cycles.
This episode was recorded on 16th July 2026 with an audience as part of the Be the Change Media tour. The event was organised by CEO of the Be the Change Media Network, Lily Mott, and hosted at the Cathays Community Centr...
Tom started this podcast in October 2024, believing it would remain online only — but this month, that changes.
On 16th July, Tom will be holding his first ever live podcast recording, as part of the Be the Change Media Academy's Digital Storytelling Workshop roadshow. He'll be joined by Lily M...
Spare a Thought is the podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins.
About the episode
CONTENT WARNING: This episode makes reference to suicide and attempted suicide
To celebrate Windrush Day (22nd June), Tom is joined by Leonora Cartman to explore the history, the legacy, and the deeply moving human stories of the Windrush generation.
Leo details the post-war labor shortages that prompted th...
Spare a Thought is the podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins.
About this episode
To celebrate Refugee week (15th - 21st June), Tom brings together voices from three previous episodes of the show.
Rosa Brown of the Welsh Refugee Council reflects on Wales's Nation of Sanctuary approach and the small daily acts that make welcome real.
Dr Samantha James, an NHS doctor who volunteered...
Spare a Thought, the podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins.
About this episode
Tom interviews Chris Brian, Rhiannon White, Bianca Ali and Taylor Edmonds about the making of Demand the Imp...
Spare a Thought, the podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins.
About this episode
Tom interviews Steven Renderos, Executive Director of MediaJustice, a US based racial justice organisation that advances the media and technology rights of people of colour. They discuss MediaJustice's report Media Capture: Who Controls the Story Controls the Future, exploring how a small group of tech...
In this episode, Tom reviews Olivia Dean's live show at the Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 14th May 2026. Featuring excerpts and clips recorded on the night, Tom reflects on Dean's extraordinary rise from the Brit School to record breaking artist, and on a concert that was, in his words, joyous and healing.
The episode explores Dean's music, her message of love, heritage and community.
All clips were recorded at the Royal A...
In this episode, Tom is joined by writer and creative facilitator Taylor Edmonds to explore the therapeutic power of words and the inspiration behind her creative company, Writing for Joy.
Taylor shares her journey from anonymous Tumblr poet to academic creative writer, and how moving from her hometown of Barry, Wales, to England unexpectedly sharpened her sense of Welsh identity. She discusses working with individuals navigating i...
There isn't a full episode this week as Tom is taking a break, however now is the change for you to catch-up on some previous episodes.
In this edtion of Spare a Thought, you'll hear clips from the following episodes:
- Tadao Ando: to Create is to Live - Tom is joined by his friend Bee, together they explore the extraordinary life of Japan's self taught architect who started his career as a boxer. Listen here
- The Waters that R...
In this episode, Tom is joined by multidisciplinary designer and architecture graduate Bee Yogasivam to explore the life and legacy of Tadao Ando, one of Japan's most celebrated architects.
This episode is released during Golden Week, one of Japan's three busiest holiday s...
Spare a Thought returns with a refreshed format. The podcast for curious minds exploring creativity, culture and stories from the margins.
In this episode, Tom explores the recently published essay anthology The Waters that Raised Us, a powerful collection of unique stories, histories and imagined futures for the waters of Wales. Tom is joined by some of the books' authors. Taylor Edmonds, who is both contributor and editor, as wel...
In this episode, Tom turns his attention to the student loan system in the UK, asking whether it is fit for purpose. You'll hear from six Plan 2 graduates: Josh, Tom, Emily, Alex, Brie and Bee, who share their experiences of a debt that keeps growing. Tom also speaks with Ollie from Rethink Repayment, a campaign pushing the UK government to fundamentally reform the system.
Tom draws on a decade working in Higher Education, his own ...
There is no episode of Spare a Thought this week, but I do need your help.
I am currently developing an in-depth feature regarding the necessity of a fairer student loan repayment system in the United Kingdom. In collaboration with Rethink Repayment, this upcoming episode aims to highlight the financial realities faced by those under the Plan 2 repayment structure.
Call for Cas...In this episode, Tom sits down with filmmaker Dan Freeman to ask the question: Was King Arthur Welsh? Dan is currently in production on Excalibur, an epic fantasy film set in Wales, centred on King Arthur and his knights.
Tom and Dan explore the origins of the King Arthur myth and its relevance today, the innovative funding model behind the film, and how listeners can follow the production as it develops.
In today's episode, Tom and Ben Kitchener step back from modern policy and into the history that still shapes the Welsh language today. This is Part 2 of 2.
From the Blue Books to the Welsh Not, this episode explores the policies that explicitly tried to stigmatise Welsh a...
In today's episode, Tom tries something different. Instead of a guest interview, this is the first in a series of short essays, just Tom, in his own words, reflecting on issues that matter.
This episode marks Long Covid Awareness Day 2026. Six years after lockdown began, an estimated two million people in the UK are still living with Long Covid, and most of us have moved on as if the pandemic is over. Tom argues it isn't.
Drawing o...
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