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Intelligence Squared

The Futureverse: The Risk-Takers, with Simon Reeve and Christina Lamb

Intelligence Squared

Intelligence Squared

News Commentary, Arts, News, Society & Culture

4.21.2K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2023

⏱️ 43 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Not many of us can claim to have hunted with the Bushmen of the Kalahari; been detained for spying by the KGB; or smuggled ourselves over a border into an active war zone under the floorboards of an ambulance. Yet, for our latest guests on the Futureverse, this is all in a day’s work.  The Sunday Times’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Christina Lamb, who has been covering conflict around the globe for over three decades, does not regard herself as a risk taker, though. It was not an attraction to danger that led her to war reporting, but a surprise wedding invitation that landed on her desk in 1987. Similarly, as a teenager, the adventurer and broadcaster Simon Reeve, enjoyed the thrill of cycling down Acton High Street on his BMX, but did not imagine that he would spend his early professional life on the tail of neo-Nazi terrorists in Boston Spa. In this special episode of the Futureverse, Christina and Simon join Kamal Ahmed for a conversation about their attitudes to risk: what motivates them to take the risks that they do and how they calculate risk on the ground. It is a fascinating insight into what it means to put your life on the line in order to shine light on the darkest corners of the world. It also is a prescient reminder of Y TREE’s core principles: mitigate unnecessary risk – even Simon Reeve will not get in a car without a seat belt – and always set a personal risk level that feels right for you.      The Futureverse is brought to you by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Y TREE. The past is in your head. The future is in your hands. For more information visit y-tree.com/futureverse  — Thank you for supporting our mission to foster honest debate and compelling conversations! Visit intelligencesquared.com to explore all your benefits including ad-free podcasts, exclusive bonus content, early access and much more We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be.  Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to podcasts@intelligencesquared.com or Tweet us @intelligence2.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Sometimes in life, you gotta go big, and nowhere goes bigger than Dubai.

0:09.0

A city-sized playground in a vast desert, where the tallest building in the world dwarfs

0:14.2

super-sized superyots, and there's no end to high-end shops.

0:21.0

So go big, go bold, go beautiful, and fly to Dubai with Virgin Atlantic, book now.

0:30.0

Hello, I'm Ian Stirling, and I'm with one of McCain's farmers who grow their potatoes.

0:34.0

Hang on, these are odd-looking potatoes.

0:36.0

That's kale, Ian.

0:38.0

You do know you need potato to make chips, right?

0:41.0

Yes, but we don't just grow potatoes.

0:43.0

We actually rotate different crops to help keep the soil healthy.

0:46.0

So we eat McCain chips. I'm helping do some good.

0:49.0

Exactly, yeah. You're supporting the move to regenerative farming.

0:52.0

By the way, I do know the difference between kale and potatoes.

0:56.0

Of course you do.

0:58.0

McCain, let's all chip in.

1:00.0

I mean Stirling, and today I'm at a McCain potato field.

1:04.0

Being chased by a massive wasp!

1:06.0

It's just a lady bird, Ian.

1:08.0

Well, it had a real wasp, and her J.

1:10.0

Why are they here?

1:12.0

Well, we plant wildflowers to help encourage wildlife, like birds and insects.

1:16.0

So we eat McCain chips. I'm helping do some good.

...

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