Thanks for coming by. My name is Cole and I ask questions, write words down and tell stories for a living. Sometimes I say things out loud on the radio. Whether I’m working as an interviewer, journalist, author or broadcaster, it’s all about trying to connect with people, exploring together what it means to be human. Those are the themes of my forthcoming book Everything Is Extraordinary (Hodder), a set of true short stories about encounters with remarkable women and men. I also work as a one-to-one coach and bespoke interviewer, helping each new collaborator to understand and reflect on their own story and share it effectively with others. If any of this resonates with you I would love to hear about it, so do please have a look around and get in touch.
Professionally, I’m honoured to have been named Interviewer of the Year at the Press Awards for my work with the Mail on Sunday, having also written for The Guardian, The Times and Financial Times, The Telegraph and Newsweek and served as Executive Editor of the Independent on Sunday.
My BBC Radio 4 series The Boy Who Gave His Heart Away told the story of a modern medical miracle and won Audio Moment of the Year at the Arias, the radio industry Oscars, as well as Best Writing at the New York Festival. I’m co-host of the popular social history series Wedding Detectives and appear regularly on the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2, giving a Pause for Thought.
Hungry For Home (Viking Penguin) was shortlisted for the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize for first book in any genre, alongside Zadie Smith’s White Teeth. The next book will be number seven and you can get a sneak preview of some of the stories by listening to the podcast Can We Talk?
Personally, I’m proud to have been born a working class East Ender and grateful to be the father of four splendid adult humans. I live on the South Coast, where I sing with a band called The Light Keepers and spend as much time as possible staring out to sea.
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- Find out more
- Can We Talk? My new short story podcast about encounters with remarkable people
- Interviews with the famous, the infamous and the extraordinary
- Listen to my programmes for BBC Radio 4
- Read the Light Keeper novel
- Hear the music that goes with it
- Check out one of the four non-fiction books
- Investigate the journalism
- Come to The Edge of England with our podcast
- Join the conversation in my journal