The Marvyn Harrison Podcast

Two days' notice. One email. "Are you available on the 15th at 7:30am to talk to Liz Kendall about some work she's doing." That's how this started.What followed was a morning inside Downing Street watching Keir Starmer announce a ban on social media for every child under 16 in the country — backed by a consultation of 116,000 responses, where 83% of parents said the risks outweigh the benefits and 90% backed a minimum age of 16.In this episode: the announcement itself, the room reaction (the applause said more than the press release did), my exchange with Starmer on Big Tech, Trump, and whether this ban is about his legacy or his leadership week, and then the interview I actually went there for — sitting down with Technology Secretary Liz Kendall to ask about Roblox, parents who are already maxed out, and a question that doesn't get asked enough in rooms like that: what this means for racism online in our community.I'll tell you straight — one of those answers didn't go far enough for me, and I say so.Then we get into the FAQs doing the rounds in every parenting group: is this digital ID by the back door, what's happening with VPNs, why doesn't this cover Roblox, what about dumbphones, and what's the actual timeline.This isn't a press release read back to you. This is what it actually looked like from inside the room.Timestamps: 00:00 — How this access happened 03:10 — Inside Downing Street: the room, the access, the other journalists 07:40 — Starmer's announcement and the room's reaction 12:20 — Starmer takes questions: Big Tech, Trump, the G7, his leadership week 18:00 — Why this ban, not just regulation 22:15 — Liz Kendall: what success looks like 24:50 — Roblox, gaming platforms, and stranger contact 27:30 — Parents who are already stretched thin 30:00 — The question on race and racism online 33:00 — Marvyn's honest take on that answer 36:00 — FAQs: digital ID, VPNs, dumbphones, timeline 42:00 — Final thoughtsSubscribe: https://www.youtube.com/@MarvynHarrison Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvynharrisonpodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marvyn_harrison LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/marvynharrison

Marvyn Harrison is joined by Paige Lewin and Brandeis for the most chaotic, most fun, most opinionated food game show in podcast history. No earnest deep dives today, just diaspora food debates, Caribbean heritage on the line, and Marvyn as the sole judge, jury and point-giver. They go in on: the 30-minute meal that will win over your partner's parents, the Nigeria vs Ghana jollof rice war, the most overrated diaspora dish, hangover food rankings, interracial dating gateway foods, the perfect Caribbean Christmas dinner, and the restaurant you need to take a first date. Funny, warm, and deeply Caribbean this one's for anyone who grew up eating Saturday soup, argues about rice and peas vs jollof, and knows exactly what grandma's cooking sounds like.🎙 Marvyn Harrison Podcast — out every Wednesday 📻 Acast: https://shows.acast.com/dope-black-dads-podcast 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discoverwithmarvyn/ 🌐 marvynharrison.co.uk #BlackBritishPodcast #DiasporaFood #JollofRiceDebate #CaribbeanFood #MarvynHarrison #BlackPodcast #FoodDebate #BlackWomen

The crisis: 948,000 young people aged 16–24 in the UK — 1 in 8 — are not in education, employment, or training. In the US, it's worse. Youth labour force participation has been collapsing since 2000. That's 25 years of failure.The experiment: The UK government is running a £45 million test across 8 regions to find out what actually works. The answer isn't obvious — Switzerland gets 90% of young people certified and employed; Singapore's scholarship model hits 50% participation with strong outcomes. The UK is nowhere near either.The stakes: This isn't a temporary blip. Labour force participation has structurally failed a generation. The £45 million is a bet that it's not too late.

BBC investigative reporter Jacqui Wakefield spent a year inside the global manosphere — travelling to Kenya and Mexico to track how Western influencer culture is radicalising young men at scale. She shares what she found in the data when young men handed over their full social media histories, what happened when she confronted influencer Andrew Kibe on camera, and why it's women who ultimately pay the price for content that targets male vulnerability. A necessary conversation for every parent.Episode Summary Jacqui breaks down how the manosphere has gone from niche forums to mainstream culture, how algorithms pipeline boys from gym content to misogyny within weeks, and what parents need to understand about the financial machinery behind these influencers. She also speaks honestly about what a year embedded in these spaces does to you as a woman — and why female reporters in this space see something male reporters don't.

Gareth Southgate joins Marvyn Harrison for a rare and honest conversation about the crisis facing young men and boys in Britain today — and what we actually do about it. In this episode, Gareth discusses his new BBC One documentary Gareth Southgate: Changing the Game for Young Men (airing 8th June, 9pm, BBC One & iPlayer), why he felt compelled to make it after his Dimbleby Lecture, what a good man actually looks like in 2025, and how we reach the men already left behind.They also play a game — building the blueprint of a man using real figures and real traits. Muhammad Ali features. So does a grandfather polishing his shoes.This is not a manosphere conversation. This is the one underneath it.

In this follow-up conversation from South by Southwest, Marvin Harrison sits down with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to address the influence of the "manosphere" on young men and boys. Mayor Khan discusses the urgent need to hold big tech companies accountable for algorithms that prioritize engagement through negativity and misogyny. He outlines a dual approach to the issue: calling for stricter regulation via the Online Safety Act and Ofcom, while simultaneously investing in offline support systems, including £30 million for youth clubs and targeted initiatives to guide young men toward positive influences.Key Discussion PointsThe "Outrage Economy": An exploration of how social media platforms monetize toxic content and misogyny by incentivizing engagement through outrage. The Case for Regulation: Mayor Khan compares the current state of social media to the tobacco industry, arguing that if platforms do not voluntarily change their algorithms, regulators must intervene to protect children. Empowering Offline Alternatives: Discussion of the "Ignore the Noise, Trust the Voice" campaign and the importance of funding youth work as a necessary "proxy" for support systems. Call to Action: A reflection on collective responsibility, emphasizing that while policy and funding are vital, individual contributions—whether through local youth groups, sports, or mentorship—are essential to shifting the culture.

This week, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan delivered a landmark speech at SXSW London, warning that manosphere influence online risks creating a lost generation of young men. In this solo episode, Marvyn breaks down what the Mayor actually announced, what the research tells us, and why the real intervention isn't a government policy, it's the conversation you have with the boy in front of you.Covered in this episode: UCL research showing 56% of videos served to teen-resembling accounts within five days were misogynistic. A £1 million VRU package for London's boys. The N.O.I.S.E. guide. Why bans without belonging don't work. And why 85% of Londoners believe boys don't have enough positive role models.Resources mentioned: GLA Campaign, london.gov.uk/ignore-the-noise Parent Conversation Guide — london.gov.uk/ignore-the-noise/trusted-adults/conversation-guide

Başak Erten is a creative strategist, radio and brand consultant, and founder of The Art of Audacity — a cultural platform for women in creative industries, as featured in Forbes. She's spent over eight years producing content across the BBC, Sony Music Entertainment, and branded work for Vanity Fair, Bloomberg, and Nike.In this episode she brings three sharp takes on where culture, media, and consumer behaviour are heading — and why the old rules no longer apply.She argues that audiences have moved past passive consumption and are demanding participation; that the era of aspirational, polished living is collapsing under its own weight; and that the third space — not the boardroom, not the bar — is now where the most meaningful professional and personal relationships are being built.Honest, direct, and occasionally incendiary.

Marvyn Harrison and Kojo go back. Two decades of parallel paths, community builders, event makers, fathers, who were never quite in the same room long enough to have the real conversation. Until now.In this episode, they cover everything. The g:hop era. The Sunday Show years, Ed Sheeran performing there eight times, Drake, Jay Cole, Wretch 32, Nicki Minaj, Omarion, Boys II Men. How the show grew from a Clerkenwell warehouse to Leicester Square to 2,000 at Proud. The unspoken tension between Sunday Show and Kojo's Funhouse that both men address for the first time. The people who tried to put them against each other. And why they wasted years not collaborating because of it.Then it gets personal.Marvyn on being in South Africa and genuinely believing his children didn't need him. The phone call from his mum that changed everything. The men in LA who told him being absent was just "the grind." Why he flew home and rebuilt his life around his kids. Why men's happiness is structurally treated as an oxymoron, and what it costs us when we accept that. And what it actually looks like to build a life where your no is powerful and your presence is enough.This is two brothers. One conversation. Twenty years in the making.🎧 Listen & Subscribe: Acast: https://shows.acast.com/discover-with-marvyn-harrison Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-marvyn-harrison-podcast/id1531924169 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0vgJd0NT9uEUYYON5k2RDf YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DiscoverWithMarvyn📲 Follow Marvyn: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discoverwithmarvyn Dope Black Dads: https://www.instagram.com/dopeblackdads TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@marvyn_harrison X: https://x.com/Marvyn_Harrison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marvynharrison Substack: https://marvynharrison.substack.com Website: https://marvynharrison.co.uk