BBC Sounds, music radio podcasts.

Hello for the next few Sundays, newscast is experimenting with, as we called them in the trade,

long form interviews, or what you and I would call a big long chat

with somebody interesting. Today's episode is with Lord Bird, John Bird, who in

1991 set up the big issue which is still being sold by homeless people on the streets of the UK today

and in 2015 he was made a so-called people's peer in other words he was selected from interesting people to get a seat in the House of Lords.

And he is an interesting person.

A very colourful backstory that involves stints in prison and growing up in poverty and poverty is kind of what he's

made his life's mission and for years and years he's been trying to convince governments

of all sorts of different political stripes that they should set up a big anti-poverty

initiative because he feels that is the biggest challenge facing the country and that's

how you could change people's lives. So that is what you will hear and a whole lot more in this

episode of Lord Bird on newscast.

Newscast.

Newscast.

Newsscast from the BBC.

Lord Bird, hello. Hello. How do you feel about being called Lord, first of all?

I have no problem with it because it surprisingly in the political field that I have to

work in if I was just John Byrd then people wouldn't kind of talk to you.

And even though most people have reservations about the House of Lords,

they know that there are certain people in the House of Lords who are quite useful

socially.

...