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 “music of the spheres” to planetary orbits and harmonic relationships, the conversation explores why music exists in every culture, why it can feel deeply right in a chaotic world, and how listening — especially to live music — is the brain-spa we all need.

When the bells ring out across The Big Smoke, we head to our local village hall to check out what's pinned to the Parish Noticeboard. Today, we turn our attention to Parkrun. From its beginnings in Bushy Park to its sprint across the globe, we explore how a free, weekly 5K became a quiet cultural phenomenon.

And finally, as the fog rolls back in, we head back to our audio-stage where two apprentice magicians arrive from the Xander Eldrick Institute to complete their final examination. The Strange Brothers attempt to perform spectacular illusions on an audio-only podcast, with predictably strange results. What follows is a brand new comedy segment for 2026, where a bit of editing and imagination result in some real magic.

So listen closely, fire up those neural networks, and join us once again in The Big Smoke.

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Links

🎵 Learn more about Bill Barclay and ‘What Music Is’

🏃🏻‍♂️ Learn more about Park Run

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Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(01:54) Bill Barclay Interview

(46:31) Parish Notices: Park Run

(54:13) The Strange Brothers

(01:04:05) Outro

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Credits

Hosted & Executive Produced by Kevin Bennett

Produced & Edited by Alex Graham

Original music by Giles Terera

Music arranged and played by Joseph Atkins

Trappist – 1 audio clip by Shawn Feeney

Parish Notices written by Adam Wright

The Strange Brothers written and performed by Jamie Sandersfield and Matthew Nicholson