Leading podcasts unite for 'be hope' takeover

Some of the most influential podcasts from the UK and beyond are teaming up to launch a ‘Be Hope’ Podcast Takeover – a powerful week of conversations designed to cut through the noise, spotlight stories of real progress and remind the world that change is possible.

The takeover coincides with the UN General Assembly in New York, where world leaders will gather to confront today’s defining challenges. The meeting is crucial as 2025 marks the final five-year push to achieve the Global Goals – 17 goals agreed by all world leaders to end poverty, reduce inequality and tackle climate change by 2030.

For the first time, non-profit Project Everyone – an organisation co-founded by Filmmaker and Comic Relief Organiser Richard Curtis – will bring together podcasts as part of the collective Global Goals ‘Be Hope’ movement, harnessing hosts’ connections with millions of listeners to inspire hope and action. From 17 September to 25 September, over ten podcasts will bring the ‘Be Hope’ message to life in their episodes – whether that’s through interviews with leaders, activists and experts, questions from high-profile figures or conversations about holding hope – even when the challenges look impossible:

• The Rest Is Politics: Leading with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart: With special guest England Rugby Captain Maro Itoje
• The Rest is Politics US with Katty Kay and Anthony Scaramucci: Reflecting on what gives them hope in these challenging times and areas of progress and innovation that can still drive the world forward
• Electoral Dysfunction with Beth Rigby, Harriet Harman and Ruth Davidson: Harriet Harman, UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls will reflect on her week at the UN. How far have we come with gender equality? And what progress do we need to make?
• Pod Save the UK with Nish Kumar and Coco Khan: With special guest Josie Fernandez Marelli, CEO and Co-Founder of Choose Love
• Rosebud with Gyles Brandreth: With special guest author Jung Chang
• Pod Save the World with Tommy Vietor and Ben Rhodes: With special guest Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs
• Outrage and Optimism with Christiana Figueres, Tom Rivett-Carnac and Paul Dickinson and special co-host Sophia Li: With special guests Adam Met, musician and climate activist, and Peter Neronha, Rhode Island’s 74th Attorney General
• Cities 1.5: A hopeful look at how cities can put economist Herman Daly’s ideas into practice to create a climate-safe, healthier more prosperous future for all
• How To Change The World: A History and Future of Innovation: Exploring how humanity can build new systems to overcome the growing challenges of the 21st century
• The Week Junior Show: With special guest Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia
• Political Currency with Ed Balls and George Osborne: With questions submitted by Comic Relief Co-Founder Richard Curtis, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and Seyi Akiwowo, Advisor on Tech & Democracy
• The Rest Is Money with Robert Peston and Steph McGovern: With special guest Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark

Leading podcast platform Spotify have shared their support for the initiative, spotlighting episodes involved on its homepage.

These conversations will cover huge global issues, trying to unlock solutions that can only ever come from hope – hope to resolve conflict, hope to drive change, hope to end inequality.

Alastair Campbell, The Rest Is Politics Co-Host, said: “Last week a listener wrote to me saying she needed more hope and less despair from our podcast. I suppose she was reacting to the many hours we’ve spent discussing reasons for despair – Gaza, Russia-Ukraine, the climate crisis, the rise of the far right, and more. But she is right: amid the darkness we must always search for hope.

History has shown that even in the bleakest times, the world keeps turning, producing great people, movements and cultures. Every time I visit a school, I feel hope. Young people seem to understand the scale of the challenges we face, and they know we need fresh energy and ideas to fix them.

This is the first time I’ve come together with other podcast hosts from around the world to Be Hope – and I can’t think of a more important reason to do it. The Global Goals remain the best plan we have to end poverty, fight inequality, and tackle climate change. This is the moment to find pockets of hope and use them as momentum.

To talk about it all, we’ve chosen to interview a symbol of hope: Maro Itoje. A black man in a white man’s world, he has risen to captain England and the British and Irish Lions rugby teams. A proud Brit who has never forgotten his Nigerian roots, Maro sees great hope in Africa where others might only see war, conflict, and despair.”

Christiana Figueres, Outrage and Optimist Host and former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said:"Too often, climate narratives lean towards despair. And while the threats we face are real, a constant focus on alarmist news can paralyse rather than mobilise. It misses the point: we need to lift up the voices, innovations, and movements that show progress is not only possible, but already happening. This week, I’m proud to stand alongside fellow podcasts to turn up the volume on hope, and to remind the world that we are far from powerless in the face of challenge."

Kate Garvey, Co-Founder of Project Everyone, said: "For the first time, leading podcasts are coming together for hope – harnessing their powerful connection with millions of listeners to inspire action. With 2025 marking the final five-year push for the Global Goals, it’s never been more important to spotlight progress and remind the world that change is possible.”