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PODCAST

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast

The People"s Countryside

This podcast"s for anyone wanting to explore the big issues, stretching your thinking in relatable ways. Well known personalities, Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt and photographer William Mankelow, who aren"t experts, but have opinions, authentic views and no scripts. Join them on meandering conversations about nature, philosophy, climate, the human condition, sustainability, and social justice. Sometimes joined by guests, or discussing listener questions between themselves. Always full of fun

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All Episodes

00:08:24

Balanced, Apparently

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/10/04

This is The People's Countryside Environmental Debate podcast. Listeners send us questions we haven't seen before. Instead of consulting experts, we simply apply curiosity, questionable confidence, and the reckless belief that difficult conversations are worth having.Saoirse, from Drogheda, Republic of Ireland asks - "Who’d want to be a police man or woman? One minute they are accused of being pro-white and anti black etc. With recent events they are now accused in the UK of being anti

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00:09:12

Division Needs Understanding

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/09/27

Listeners send us questions sight unseen. Like Freddie Mercury handed a mystery lyric sheet seconds before Live Aid, we somehow have to make it work, then steer it towards the environment.Saoirse, from Drogheda, Republic of Ireland sent in todays first listener question - "Over the last few days, violent protests have occurred in Belfast. Some say whipped up by far right agitators looking for trouble, and galvanized by social media and online channels, and leaders using language to incite

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00:12:04

Heatwave Lifestyle

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/09/20

The UK’s repeated heatwaves are often talked about without much acknowledgement of the wider context of global warming. Even mentioning global warming in weather forecasts can cause some people to switch off, seeing it as unnecessary interference or “nanny state” messaging.Lifestyle also plays a big part in environmental behaviour, and our everyday habits can hold us back from making changes that would benefit the environment.These are two of the themes your cohosts, Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt and

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00:08:36

Challenging Environmentalism

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/09/13

One of the biggest challenges facing 16 to 26 year olds today is navigating an aspirational culture shaped by endless scrolling on YouTube and TikTok, where fame and financial abundance can look easily attainable. Environmentalism can also slip into an “us and them” mindset, especially when business people end up being seen as the enemy.These are two of the themes your cohosts, Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt and William Mankelow, explore in this episode of The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate

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00:13:59

Moonshots Cheaper Than Trains, New Leaders Pending

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/09/06

If you're looking for world-leading experts, you've taken a wrong turn somewhere. This is the People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast, where the questions are fresh and the opinions are under construction.Jimmy, from Little Waldingfield, Suffolk, England asks - “I’ve heard getting people to the moon and back recently cost 80 billion, yet the delayed by 15 years HS2 thats only going as far as Birmingham, and slower speeds could cost in excess of 100 billion. Are we finishing HS2

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00:10:08

Consistency Wins, Unless You're Enhanced

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/08/30

This is the People's Countryside Environmental Debate podcast. We open your questions live, debate the issues, and turn the conversation into practical environmental action where possible.Ronny, from Kentucky, USA has sent in today's initial question for us to explore - “Do we take consistency and reliable routes for granted?”Do people really want consistency, or are they always searching for change? Stuart and William explore routines, adaptability, political instability, and the tension

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00:17:19

Election Stupid

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/08/23

You, the listeners, send in questions that we don’t see before we press record. We then try to have a conversation around them, explore different perspectives, and hopefully come to some conclusions.Today, we’ve got two listeners who have sent in questions for the first time.The first of our newbies is Harry, Stank, Cumbria, England - “So, what did you make of the UK local elections last week?”Stuart believes the shift towards Reform and the Greens is more a reflection of how people vote between

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00:17:27

Environmental Entitlement

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/08/16

Many are about the environment, but plenty are not. Whatever the topic, we always try to find an environmental angle and, more importantly, come up with practical actions.We are of course talking about the questions that you, the listener, send in for us to discuss, chew over, ponder etc. We do not see them until we press record. We come to each one completely cold.The first question for this episode comes from Shazad, Great Bricett, Suffolk, England - “What steps must the pharmaceutical industry

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00:12:27

Building Green Morals

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/08/09

As always, we haven't seen these questions in advance. This means every answer is a thrilling mixture of expertise, improvisation and quiet panic. If a question isn't obviously about the environment, we attempt to connect the dots with the confidence of someone assembling flatpack furniture without the instructions.Geographically, we're also all over the place. We were in Northern Ireland, then New York, and now we're in Suffolk. It's less a podcast and more a budget

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00:13:01

The Reality of Murmurations

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/08/02

This is the podcast where you, the listeners, send us your questions, and we, the hosts, discuss them together. We don’t see the questions until we hit record though.Clodagh, from Larne, County Antrim, Northern Ireland asks - “What lessons, if any, can humans gain and learn from observing the forces that drive bird murmurations, clouds of birds like Starlings coming into roost, or wading birds on mud flats?”Stuart believes humans naturally collide and overlap, physically and in conversation. Unlike

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00:07:12

Agreement Is Optional

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/07/26

Welcome to The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast, where we receive all kinds of listener questions. Some are challenging, some are straightforward, some are about the environment, and some are not. We never see them before we press record, but we always try to bring each conversation back to an environmental perspective.The first question for this episode comes from Paul in Lleweni, Wales - “Do we have any signs of a sustainability policy, plan, and quantifiable results forming, that

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00:08:58

Why Me, Why Now?

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/07/19

In this podcast, you the listeners send in questions, that we do not see before recording. We then try to connect them back to the environment in some way. Today, we also have two listeners who are sending in questions for the first time.The first of which comes from Mary in Brassington, Derbyshire, England - “What’s the best decision you’ve ever made in your life?Off the back of Mary’s debut question William feels that the best decisions in his life have come from choosing which relationships to

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00:14:17

Who Shapes You While You Podcast

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/07/12

Two new listeners send in this week’s questions, one from Wales, one from Derbyshire. We haven’t seen them before recording, and as always we’ll pull each one back to an environmental angle. They may be short questions, but they could take us somewhere much bigger. Val, from Galtegfa, Wales asks - “How long does it take to grow an audience? I ask as I’m looking to set a podcast up”.Stuart and William break down what really matters when starting and sustaining a podcast to, knowing your purpose,

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00:15:29

Migration Stories Reveal Our Selective Self‑Perception

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/07/05

Two surprise listener questions. One take. Real talk about how it all ties back to the environment, and what you can do next. Ray, is back from Sauk Centre, Minnesota, USA asking our first question - “How are you guys? How do you keep going as podcasters? Are you looking to make guest appearances on other podcasts etc?”Stuart and William make a podcast that runs on habit, curiosity, and whatever real life throws at them. Every couple of weeks they sit down to record two episodes, keeping things

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00:21:08

Crowded Rock Reality

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/06/28

In these charades we call episodes, we tackle two listener questions. We never see them, or very rarely see them, before we press record, so you hear our answers completely cold.Some subjects we know a fair bit about, and we are honest about that. Others come from our own life experience. But sometimes we are presented with a question, and simply have to go with it, seeing what emerges from the conversation, and our thoughts.Our first listener question arrives from Estefania in Jalisco, Mexico - “Do

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00:10:20

Answering the Answers

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/06/21

Thanks very much for joining us for this episode of The People's Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast. If we had our time again, we might choose a shorter title, because it has to be one of the longest podcast titles in the world!We answer two questions in every episode, sent in by you, the listeners. We try not to see them before we press record. That is intentional. Where possible, we go in cold.Bronwen from Atlanta, Georgia, USA then asks the first question for this episode - “Is nature

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00:15:37

Freedom Found Somewhere Inside Life’s Limitations

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/06/14

Welcome to The People’s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast, now apparently featuring an unexpected Yorkshire spin-off series judging by last time.Each episode, we answer two listener questions that we have not seen beforehand, because preparation is for people with structure and emotional stability.It’s also our first recording session in about a month, after quite a lot of life happening in the meantime, so there’s a slightly confused ‘first day back after the holidays’ energy today.We’d

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00:12:16

Environmentalism Between Idealism and Practical...

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/06/07

Welcome back to the podcast, episode… honestly, we’ve lost count at this point. Somewhere between ‘quite a few’ and ‘deeply concerning.’William and Stuart begin by debating exactly how many episodes they’ve recorded, before immediately deciding the numbers don’t matter anyway. Which, of course, leads naturally into the observation that some people suddenly become extremely interested in statistics the moment they’re being criticised.William pauses dramatically, as though about to name names… before

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00:12:33

Space For Creators

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/05/31

As of this episode, we’ve only six listener questions left, so do send one in today. Though now we’ve mentioned it we’re braced for a tsunami of filth, or at least a tsunami of questions, we’re happy to discuss anything you care, or dare, to throw our way.The first of two listener questions for today’s episode comes from Ray in Newmilns, Scotland - “I’ve been thinking about human evolution in space, but closer to home than you think. Recently a group of astronauts came home early as one was ill, but

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00:08:07

Make Meditation A Mindset

The People"s Countryside Environmental Debate Podcast ·

2026/05/24

In this podcast, you, the listeners, send in the questions for us to discuss. We don’t see them before we press record, and we don't prepare. We encounter them cold, much like most of the big issues in life which arrive without warning. There are plenty of experts out there. What interests us is the freedom to explore our first thoughts openly and honestly in the moment.The questions are only read once that big red recording button has been pressed, so what follows is shaped by our lived

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