Great Exchanges is a collaboration between Portobello Radio, and Imperial College London. This series brings together scientists and community voices, to explore the ideas that shape our everyday lives. Ahead of the Great Exhibition Road Festival, on June 6th and 7th 2026

In this episode, we turn our attention to the joy and benefits of playing music together — and why making music collectively can have such a powerful impact on connection, trust and wellbeing.

Joining today’s conversation is Professor Ian Cross from the University of Cambridge, whose research explores the social and cognitive aspects of people making music together. We’re also joined by Dr Haroun Shah, director of Nostalgia Steelband, Europe’s oldest steel orchestra. He is appearing on the Joy of Playing Music Together panel at the Festival. Together, our guests explore how what happens when people come into time with one another, and how shared rhythm, synchrony and collective participation can build social bonds, create belonging and sustain cultural heritage.

Great Exchanges is a collaboration between Portobello Radio, and Imperial College London. This series brings together scientists and community voices, to explore the ideas that shape our everyday lives, ahead of the Great Exhibition Road Festival on 6th & 7th June 2026.

In this episode, we turn our attention to loneliness — a growing public health concern that affects people across all stages of life, often quietly and unseen. Joining the conversation is Dr Austen El‑Osta, Director of Imperial College London’s Self‑Care Academic Research Unit. Austen helps us explore why loneliness matters, how it differs from social isolation, and why social connection is increasingly recognised as fundamental to both mental and physical health. He also discusses his teams’ contribution to the Great Exhibition Road Festival in June where he his Self Care Research unit colleagues are collaborating with the Zen Project’s Zen bus – an actual bus that has been re-kitted out for wellbeing reflection and discussions on self care.

We’re also joined for this podcast by Mindy from Maxilla Men’s Shed in North Kensington, a community‑led space where men and women come together to share skills, build friendships and find a sense of purpose. Based at Maxilla Studios under the Westway, the Shed offers a powerful example of how local initiatives can challenge loneliness through connection, routine and belonging. Together, our guests explore how research and grassroots action can complement each other — from community spaces like the Men’s Shed to Festival projects focused on self‑care and wellbeing — offering practical insights into how we might feel more connected in our own lives.

• (00:00:02) - Introducing Great Exchanges
• (00:00:44) - Understanding the causes of loneliness
• (00:01:58) - The Men's Shed
• (00:03:29) - The growing problem of loneliness in the UK
• (00:13:29) - How to talk about mental health in men
• (00:18:04) - The role of mental health in the UK
• (00:21:46) - The importance of friends for mental health
• (00:22:32) - The social prescription for older people
• (00:29:18) - Mental health 7 pillars of self-care
• (00:32:58) - Loneliness tips for older people

Great Exchanges is a collaboration between Portobello Radio and Imperial College London. We bring together research scientists and members of the community to discuss topics that feature in the 2026 Great Exhibition Road Festival on June 6th and 7th.

In this latest episode, we turn our attention to a pivotal moment in London’s history: the Great Exhibition of 1851. This year’s Festival marks the 175th anniversary of the largest public event the city had ever seen, and on the anniversary of the day it first opened to more than six million visitors, we step back inside the Crystal Palace — home to over 100,000 objects celebrating industry, technology and empire. Joining the conversation is Dr Jennifer Wallis, historian of science and medicine at Imperial College London. We’re also joined by Alair Ayeni from down the road in White City, one of the Festival’s 2026 Young Producers helping to re‑examine the Exhibition’s legacy through a contemporary, decolonising lens.

https://www.greatexhibitionroadfestival.co.uk/

• (00:00:00) - Great Exhibition
• (00:02:14) - The Great Exhibition of Industry
• (00:06:21) - Young Producers at the
• (00:09:43) - Experiencing the Exhibition
• (00:11:23) - The Great Exhibition
• (00:12:07) - The Great Exhibition
• (00:16:52) - The Great Exhibition of 1851
• (00:18:43) - Exploring the Exhibition
• (00:20:12) - The Great Exhibition
• (00:23:24) - The Great Exhibition: Analysis
• (00:25:09) - The Great Exhibition and its contemporary
• (00:29:43) - The Great Exhibition