Paul Unwin talks survivor's guilt, Casualty, grief, fear, drumming, Steely Dan, EMDR, Arthur Miller, mental health—not regret.
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Description
Survivor’s guilt, smash-hit TV, and a lifelong refusal to live with regret.
Writer, director, and Casualty co-creator Paul Unwin has spent his career telling other people’s stories, but this time, he’s sharing his own. He opens up about the trauma that shaped him at 19, the therapy that helped him heal, and why he refuses to let fear or regret define his life. His ethos is “Don’t live with regret, don’t live with fear”.
From working with Arthur Miller to running the Bristol Old Vic, Paul has done it all. He discusses his latest West End play, The Enfield Haunting, and his powerful new work, The Promise, about the birth of the NHS. But beyond the stage and screen, he reflects on grief, EMDR therapy, his love for drumming and Steely Dan, and the one best friend who has never let him down—his dog (but don’t call it a pet).
A compelling, moving, and unexpectedly funny conversation about life, loss, and why looking back is never the answer.
Life Jackets
Lifejackets in this podcast refer to the personal tools and rituals that keep us afloat in the waves of life. Whether it’s a film, tv show, music, a favourite book, a crossword puzzle, or the steady presence of a dog, these are the things that keep us afloat. Everyone needs their own lifejackets—small but essential things that help us stay sane in an insane world.
- Films – The Conformist
- TV – Hill Street Blues
- Music – Oh, where to start; Blood on the Tracks, Grateful Dead Live Europe 72, Leonard Cohen, Keith Jarrett, Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs
- Pets/Best Friends – Not my pet or my best friend but I will have to say KATE
- Gardening – Oh God no
- Hobbies – Drumming (pretty good), photography
- Exercise – All I can do. Ski, cycle, walk (knees not brilliant)