Beneath the surface of Britain’s rivers, a very different story is unfolding. In this episode, James Wallace shares what’s really happening to the UK’s waterways, from sewage pollution and agricultural runoff to water scarcity and collapsing ecosystems. We explore what healthy rivers should actually look like, where regulation is failing, and why public awareness alone is no longer enough. This is a conversation about stewardship, accountability, and the growing fight to protect the water systems that sustain all of us.

Matthew Hayes, better known as Fish Shop Matt, has spent most of his life around aquariums. In this episode, we explore why aquariums are far more than decoration. Matt talks about building living systems, choosing the right species, understanding water chemistry, and why fish behaviour often reveals when something is wrong before anything else does. We also discuss the calm aquariums can bring, the responsibility of caring for contained ecosystems, and what small tanks can teach us about the wider natural world.

Beneath the surface, water behaves very differently. In this episode, Stuart Sutcliffe shares what it’s really like to work inside it. From commercial diving operations to subsea infrastructure, we explore how water moves, how it creates risk, and why experience matters when conditions change fast. This is a conversation about pressure, safety, and responsibility in an environment most of us will never see.

In the final part of this conversation, David Bracey moves from fountain systems and public space into a bigger question: how do we work with water responsibly? We discuss conservation, sustainability, rainwater, the hidden cost of filtration, and why the industry needs to rethink how it uses and values water. David reflects on public water play, cultural attitudes to water, and what decades of working with it has taught him about restraint, respect, and long-term thinking.

David Bracey, Managing Director and co-founder of The Fountain Workshop Ltd, shares how he found his way into the fountain industry and why working with water became a lifelong pursuit. In this first part, we explore how fountains shape public space, why people are instinctively drawn to water, and what separates features that simply look good from systems that work over time. David explains the hidden complexity behind successful fountains, from flow and circulation to planning, durability, and the unpredictable behaviour of water in the real world.

Chris Johnson, owner of Living Waters Fly Fishing in the hill country of Texas, has spent his life on the water. In this first part of our conversation, we explore his early memories, the influence of family and community, and how years of observation shaped his understanding of healthy water systems. Chris shares what a good day on the water really means, how fish behaviour reveals subtle environmental signals, and why respect for ecosystems begins long before regulation. This is a conversation about instinct, patience, and learning to read a living system.

Seventy one percent of our planet is covered by water.

But water shapes far more than geography.

It shapes our cities, our livelihoods, and the places we care about. Yet most of the decisions that shape water are made far from the water itself.

71% is a conversation-led podcast exploring how water influences the systems, environments, and responsibilities that define our world.

Through thoughtful discussions with people who live and work alongside water, the series examines stewardship, innovation, design, risk, and long-term thinking.

Water shapes our world. The question is how we choose to respond.