Big Lives cover art

Big Lives

Big Lives

By: Pushkin Industries and BBC Studios
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Every legend has a twist. From pop culture icons to music and comedy greats, award-winning journalists Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi dig into the BBC archive to unpick the story behind the icons who shape our culture.

Each week on Big Lives, Kai and Emmanuel take an iconic figure — from musical trailblazers like David Bowie, Amy Winehouse and Tina Turner to stars of the screen like Richard Pryor, Meg Ryan and Jane Fonda — and dissect their lives. Join them as they see these icons in a new light, uncover deep cuts from the BBC's archive, and learn how each legend set the stage for our contemporary cultural landscape.

After all, you can't understand today's culture until you understand the icons who built it. Smart, curious, and full of heart.

Listen ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up on the Big Lives show page on Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus. Subscribe to BBC on Apple Podcasts and on BBC.com.

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Episodes
  • Meg Ryan and the Golden Age of Rom‑Coms

    Meg Ryan and the Golden Age of Rom‑Coms
    May 25 2026

    What happened to the golden age of Rom-Coms? Emmanuel and Kai tell the story of the Rom-Com boom via the career of its biggest star, Meg Ryan. From When Harry Met Sally, to one of the more infamous talk show appearances of all time, we unpack Meg Ryan’s appeal, and what we actually want from love in the movies.

    Additional archive: When Harry Met Sally, Castle Rock Entertainment, 1989; Burger King commercial, Burger King Company LLC, 1982

    Connect with the team!

    • Follow our hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi
    • Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
    • Follow BBC Podcasts on YouTube and Instagram

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
  • Little Richard: The Architect of Rock and Roll

    Little Richard: The Architect of Rock and Roll
    May 18 2026

    He screamed, shimmered and rewrote popular music and then disappeared from the throne he built. This episode reveals Little Richard’s unstoppable rise, painful erasure, and lifelong battle between the divine and the profane. A vivid, funny and heartbreaking meditation on race, queerness, faith and why rock and roll history still gets its origin story wrong.

    Additional archive: Tutti Frutti by Little Richard, Speciality, 1957

    Connect with the team!

    • Follow our hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi
    • Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
    • Follow BBC Podcasts on YouTube and Instagram

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    56 mins
  • Muhammad Ali: Boxing, Fame and The Trap

    Muhammad Ali: Boxing, Fame and The Trap
    May 11 2026

    What happens when a black icon refuses to make white audiences comfortable? This episode traces Muhammad Ali’s BBC interviews—full of swagger and wit, fury and fallout—to reveal how he reshaped media, protest and public speech. Along the way: Vietnam, the Nation of Islam, Joe Frazier, and a blueprint every outspoken Black celebrity still wrestles with today.

    Additional archive: When We Were Kings, PolyGram Film Productions, 1996

    Connect with the team!

    • Follow our hosts Kai Wright and Emmanuel Dzotsi
    • Follow Pushkin on Instagram, LinkedIn or X
    • Follow BBC Podcasts on YouTube and Instagram

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 10 mins
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