Sarah Ewing

Richard Hammond describes how he has learned to enjoy unstructured weekends after decades of freelance media work that made every day feel like a working day. He explains his routines of early rising, exercise, running, cooking elaborate meals for family and friends, spending time outdoors and taking cars or motorcycles out. Following his father’s death, hosting his mother has become especially meaningful. Although he continues to work on DriveTribe, The Smallest Cog and television projects, Hammond says he is increasingly focused on health, domesticity and allowing work not to consume his life.

Mary Portas discusses the childhood bereavement and homelessness that shaped her resilience, her decision to leave Harvey Nichols and establish her own agency, and her career in retail, television and fundraising. She argues that creative vision and social purpose are essential to successful businesses, criticizes government failures over the decline of British high streets, and supports giving local communities greater control. Portas also condemns hostile customer-service cultures and warns that voting for Nigel Farage and right-wing politics will not improve society.

Richard Armitage discusses his childhood love of books, his decision to leave musical theatre for classical acting, and his career in television, film, audiobooks and thriller writing. He describes playing Thorin Oakenshield in The Hobbit as a career highlight, explains his fascination with morally conflicted villains, and reflects on losing his parents, self-criticism and a fear of water. He says ageing on screen is difficult for men as well as women, criticizes selfishness and the erosion of trust in news and social media, and warns that AI-generated faces and voices could threaten authenticity in the creative arts.