Subscribe to this feed for all your favourite Podcasts from The Bristol Cable published weekly.
- People Just Do Something
- Bristol Unpacked
- The Debrief
- Area In Focus
Unpacked – Tiah-Mai Ayton, Kingswood's rising boxing star
We wrap up the Unpacked summer season with a chat that’s punchy in more ways than one as Neil sits down with Kingswood’s rising boxing star Tiah-Mai Ayton.
The 19-year-old started out kickboxing aged six and has been beaten just three times in any of the disciplines she’s tried since. She’s enjoyed a meteoric ascent since entering the boxing ring at 13, and took a gold medal at the 2024 World Boxing Under-19 Championships.
Tiah turned pro just over a year ago on a long-term deal with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, winning six straight fights and has her sights set on becoming undisputed world champion.
So what lies behind that success? In this episode – the last before we take a break for summer – we talk to Tiah about her journey to the big time.
We get into family life, the sacrifices young athletes have to make while their mates are out partying, the benefits martial arts can bring to girls, and to kids struggling at school – and of course the growth of women’s boxing and her ongoing part in that.
Whether you’re already a fan of the sport or not, we recommend you wrap your ears around this one. Enjoy and have a great summer, we’ll see you in September.
The Bristol Cable (https://thebristolcable.org/) is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.
Support (https://thebristolcable.org/join/?joinbutton=headerclick) independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.
6 Jul 2026
Unpacked – From grassroots football to the World Cup with Liam Smith
In the hours before this episode hit the streaming platforms, England beat Mexico in a famous 3-2 victory at the Estadio Azteca, keeping their World Cup dreams alive and setting up a meeting with Norway – fresh from knocking out Brazil – in the last eight of the competition.
Yes, this week we’re all about the football, in conversation with Liam Smith, who coaches a group of players every bit as culturally diverse as today's England squad, at grassroots level here in Bristol.
He’s head of football development at Bristol Central (https://www.bristolcentralfc.com/) youth football club, based at City Academy in Redfield – and is a man on a mission to empower young people to enjoy and express themselves through the sport.
How can community clubs hold tight to that ethos in an increasingly competitive youth football environment – where only 0.5% go on to make it through the academy system to become pros? What are the qualities that help those players succeed? What does the diversity of the kids he coaches – and of the elite national players – say about the country we live in now? And does he really believe England can win this thing?
The Bristol Cable (https://thebristolcable.org/) is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.
Support (https://thebristolcable.org/join/?joinbutton=headerclick) independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.
22 Jun 2026
Unpacked – Talk Club’s Gavin Thorpe: moving the dial on men’s mental health
Talk Club, set up in a Bristol pub seven years ago, offers a space for men to get together and discuss their mental health. That’s something too few of us still do, as shown by the horrible statistic that in the UK, a man dies by suicide roughly every 90 minutes – the length of a football match.
With this episode recorded during Men’s Health Week, and with the World Cup bringing many men together in a highly emotional state, it seemed an appropriate time to sit down with Gavin Thorpe, one of Talk Club’s two founders.
The clubs have rapidly expanded, to 150 branches across the country. But with suicide still the biggest killer of UK men under 50, the need to talk remains urgent. Why are we men so reluctant to open up about what’s getting us down? Are Talk Club’s activities moving the needle? And do young men – far more in touch with emotions than their grandads – offer hope?
Content warning – this episode, as you might have guessed, contains discussions of suicide and mental ill health. But it’s a great chat, and by no means all doom and gloom – hope you enjoy.
The Bristol Cable (https://thebristolcable.org/) is Bristol's community-owned cooperative newsroom – fiercely independent journalism that puts people before profit. Since 2014, we've been holding power to account through investigative reporting, community campaigns, and democratic media ownership. Because when journalism serves the community, not shareholders, real change becomes possible.
Support (https://thebristolcable.org/join/?joinbutton=headerclick) independent journalism and help us bring more vital conversations to Bristol: become a Bristol Cable member.
Who has been a guest on The Bristol Cable
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Professor Jodi Dean
Kirsty Tait
Ethan Shone
Neil
Annie McGann
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
84,211
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Spotify
5.0 / 5
12 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 73 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
88
Social presence
0
YouTube
76
Engagement
68
Contact The Bristol Cable
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of The Bristol Cable?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
