Bonnie Greer at the British Museum

Gemma Cairney hosts The Leisure Society with Gemma Cairney, a space where the usual interview format is gently set aside. Instead of focusing on career highlights or latest projects, conversations drift toward the quiet corners of a guest's life-the activities and passions that fill their time away from the spotlight. Produced by BBC Radio 6 Music, this podcast offers a series of warm, revealing chats with a wide range of cultural figures, from musicians and artists to writers and thinkers. You'll hear about forgotten hobbies, cherished collections, and the simple, often quirky loves that sustain them. It’s in these details-the model trains, the birdwatching, the obsessive book collecting-that a different portrait emerges, one of the person behind the public persona. Each episode feels like an invitation to pull up a chair and listen in on a conversation between friends, discovering the shared human need for play and curiosity. Tuning into this podcast provides a refreshing pause, a reminder that what we do for pure joy often tells the most interesting story of all.