Send us Fan Mail

In this experimental episode, I walk with William Shakespeare — or at least, a version of him shaped through artificial intelligence — exploring creativity, storytelling, and what it means to give voice to someone long gone.

Unable to find a human companion for this walk, I turned to AI — asking it to take on the character of Shakespeare as if we were walking together through the countryside, speaking freely, off the cuff.

What followed was…imperfect.

At times, the voice feels close. At others, it drifts — too polished, too certain, unmistakably artificial. And yet, within that tension, something else begins to take shape: a conversation not just with “Shakespeare,” but with the idea of authorship itself.

We talk about writing what you don’t know, reshaping existing stories, imagination versus lived experience, and whether creativity is ever truly original. There are questions about his life, his influences, his relationships — and even the attempt to create something new in the moment.

And at the end, there is a small intervention.

A brand new sonnet, generated during the walk, read not by AI — but by a human voice.

It’s worth staying for.

This is not a perfect illusion.
It’s an exploration.

Season Two of the story pilgrim walks with people — and here, perhaps, with something that only resembles one.

buen camino, and keep listening.

Send us Fan Mail

Trainee counsellor, actor and curly associate Lucy Hill joins me for a walk on Southwick Hill to talk about therapy training, personal growth, identity, and navigating life through challenge and change.

In this episode, Lucy reflects on her journey towards becoming a therapist — the realities of counselling training, the emotional weight of working with others, and how difficult life events during that process can either shake you or strengthen you. She speaks openly about building a “toolkit” — not just professionally, but personally — and how those tools are shaped through lived experience.

We also talk about her earlier ambitions as an actor, achieving that goal, and the complicated feeling of no longer wanting it in the same way. Questions of identity, imposter syndrome, and what it means to let go of one path while stepping into another run quietly through the conversation.

Family plays a strong role too — the positive influence of her parents, alongside an awareness of how other relationships and projections can shape, or sometimes distort, the direction of your life.

Set against the backdrop of Brighton — the place she calls home — this is a walk about self-awareness, resilience, and the ongoing process of becoming.

Season Two of the story pilgrim walks with people — their inner lives, their turning points, and the tools they gather along the way.

buen camino, and keep listening.

Send us Fan Mail

Writer, mentor, and creative writing teacher Gary Mepsted joins me for a conversation in his garden to talk about writing craft, storytelling, observation, and a life shaped by instinct rather than plan.

Expelled from school early on, Gary’s path into writing was anything but straightforward. Later gaining a Master’s in English, he has spent decades teaching others, though he avoids calling it a “career.” For Gary, life has been a series of unplanned turns, each one met with a willingness to respond rather than control.

We talk about writing beyond your own life, stepping into other worlds, and the influence of writers such as Graham Swift and Maggie O'Farrell, alongside a line he once heard on the radio that has stayed with him ever since:

“As a novelist, I see myself in a kind of ornithological role…I note down what they do, but I can in no way influence their behaviour.”

That idea, observing without interfering, runs quietly through everything Gary does.

We also talk about ego in the creative arts, the role of mentorship, and why he finds more satisfaction in helping others find their voice than chasing recognition himself.

And there are stories, including his Uncle George, a larger-than-life character moving between worlds: chauffeur, joke writer, psychic, and something of a prototype for a certain South London spirit. A man who, in Gary’s words, understood him more than anyone else.

This is a walk about patience, perspective, and the craft of paying attention.

Season Two of the story pilgrim walks with people, their philosophies, their turning points, and the quieter forces that shape them.

buen camino, and keep listening.