Jo Durrant's Beautiful Universe

About Jo Durrant's Beautiful Universe

Jo Durrant celebrates and explores arts and science as part of our culture. Winner of the 2021 Sir Arthur Clarke Award: Space Achievement - Media, broadcast & written.

Publisher

Joanna Durrant

Category

arts · science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

29 Sept 2020

Latest episode

21 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 306 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   21 Oct 2026

   Ep 301 Dr Meganne Christian Astronaut Training 2

   In episode 301 Jo welcomes back Dr Meganne Christian, who is an ESA Reserve Astronaut, and also Mission Manager for in Space Manufacturing at Satellite Applications Catapult. She talks about this new role and her recent astronaut training, including space law and another parabolic flight. Jo also visits the Holst Victorian House in Cheltenham to add an item into her virtual museum, which is from an exhibition relating to Gustav Holst's brother who was a famous Hollywood actor. Presented, produced & edited by Jo Durrant. Music licensed from Purple Planet. Jo's website: https://jodurrant.co.uk/

2. 

   7 Oct 2026

   Ep 300: The Three Hundredth Edition

   It's the three hundredth edition of the award-winning arts & science podcast and also the six year anniversary. In this feature length extended episode Jo welcomes back a host of guests and discusses a range of subjects including space, science fiction, theatre, history, illustration, plants, the weather, museums, sensory science and much more. Guests featured in order of appearance: Dallas Campbell, Isabel Thomas, Dr Jamie Gallagher, Stefan Gates, Briony Hudson, Prof Adam Hart, Dr Emma Yhnell, Dee Atkins-Greig, Jeff Downes & Graham O'Dwyer, Dr Nicola Tallis, Gareth Russell, Annie Garthwaite, Prof Barry Smith, Faith Douglas, Corey Brotherson & Paul Scott and James Mayhew. Presented, produced & edited by Jo Durrant. Music licensed from Purple Planet. Jo's website: https://jodurrant.co.uk/

3. 

   29 Sept 2026

   Ep 299 Live at Gloucester History Festival with Prof Janina Ramirez & Andrew Armstrong

   Jo presents a special edition of the podcast, recorded for the first time on stage in front of a live audience - at the 2026 Gloucester History Festival. Her special guests are Professor Janina Ramirez, who is an author, broadcaster and academic, and is the Lifetime President of the Festival, along with Andrew Armstrong, who is the City Archaeologist for Gloucester. They share their passion for their subjects and do some myth busting along the way. Plus Jo learns a bit of the history of Blackfriars Priory, home to the festival; and shares some highlights of other historians who have previously been on the podcast. Presented, produced & edited by Jo Durrant. Music licensed from Purple Planet. Jo's website: https://jodurrant.co.uk/

Inside a recent episode

Ep 63 Dr Andrew Steele

Published 15 Dec 2021 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And explain this isn't about just living longer. It's not going to be living longer in the frail stage of life. It's about increasing the health span, not just the lifespan of people. And understanding that this is just an extension effectively in modern medicine. This isn't some sort of kooky sci -fi. And I really think that things have been undermined by the existence of sci -fi portrayals of, you know, a lot of people immediately think of immortality. You get a lot of journalists who want to ask me, are we going to live forever and when are we going to be immortal? This isn't something I'm particularly interested in. […]

Who has been a guest on Jo Durrant's Beautiful Universe

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Rebecca Styles
• Dr Chris Laoutaris
• Tim Peake
• Paul Anthony Jones
• Faith Douglas

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Spotify

3.7 / 5

3 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 64 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

97

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

76

Contact Jo Durrant's Beautiful Universe

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Questions about Jo Durrant's Beautiful Universe