Big Breakfast

Stephen Hammersley, from Pilgrim Friends Society, speaks to Max about finding renewed spiritual purpose after retirement, how we navigate difficult conversations about moving into a care home, and what he believes Jesus would challenge in today’s care homes. Plus, Stephen talks about his unexpected early career as a mathematician.

This week on Big Breakfast, Max and Lydia talked about… everything. Well - sort of. Joel Wallington, CEO of the Everything Network, joined the show to unpack what it could look like to follow in the footsteps of great Christians from generations past and bring kingdom-shaped renewal into every corner of culture.

Do you struggle to get your idea off the ground? Entrepreneur Dan Maudhub, founder of the Wonderful Summit, joins Max to talk about why the best businesspeople are great delegators, what healthy God-driven ambition looks like, and the “operations managers” of the Bible. Plus, he shares what it means to be an Angel Investor.

Have you heard of the Epic Gospel musical 'Love Beyond'? If you haven't, listen up! Richard Haley is the co-writer and co-producer of the musical and he joined Max and Lydia to share his own journey of faith, what it's like working with big West End stars and why musicals are a great way of communicating the Gospel.

Last Sunday was International Women's Day and so this week on Big Breakfast, Max and Lydia sat down with Toyosi Bello, founder of 'For the Christian Girlie', to chat about Jesus' radical example of female empowerment, not feeling feminine enough and stopping the urge to compare ourselves.

Is family worship something your church truly celebrates, or just a warm-up for ‘proper’ worship? Becky Drake, co-founder of Worship for Everyone with her husband Nick, joins Lydia & Max to talk all-age worship and their latest track The Pilgrim Way. She shares how they handle creative disagreements, why actions in worship aren’t just for kids, and whether there’s any friendly rivalry with other songwriting couples like Keith and Kristyn Getty.

Sasha Gerry, founder of Table Ministries, joins us to explore how we can be more like Jesus around the dinner table — from better conversation starters to going beyond the usual church lunch fare of quiche, crisps, and hummus!

Comedian and writer Paul Kerensa joined Max to chat about how humour differs around the UK, why cathedrals aren't the best comedy clubs and his latest book 'Fantastically Faithful Trailblazers Who Gave Their All for God'.

You may be familiar with Simon Ward as the presenter of Premier's Worship at Home, but did you know he spent more than 35 years in the fashion industry? He sat down with Max to talk about being like Jesus in a world of catwalks, fast fashion, and skinny models.

What would Jesus be like on a first date? Would He be cool, calm and collected? Would He overshare? Would He split the bill? There's nothing in the Bible about Jesus being in a romantic relationship, but there are certainly ways we can be more Christ-like in our dating lives. Delphine Chui, writer, speaker, content creator and host of Delphine Discusses on YouTube and Instagram joined Max and Lydia to unpack this.

Be honest — do you actually look forward to Lent? Or has it become more of an arduous challenge than a meaningful season of growing closer to God? Daniel Jones, Chief Purpose Officer at Stewardship, joined Lydia & Max to chat about how we can take Lent beyond ourselves and into the community around us — with 40 acts of generosity (that won’t break the bank!).

Phil Wall MBE is a speaker, leader and coach who founded We See Hope, a charity dedicated to lifting children out of extreme poverty in Sub-Saharan Africa, over 25 year ago. Max and Lydia had a chat with Phil about his early career as a Riot Squad policeman in London, the '10 10 Challenge' that took over the major Christian festivals in the early 2000s and why leaders always fail if boosting their ego is the goal.

If Jesus walked into a rehab centre or an AA meeting, who would He speak to first? Would He be compassionate or challenging? Ricky McAddock, CEO of addiction support charity Street Connect, joined Max and Lydia to share his incredible testimony of transformation and to unpack how we can be 'Just Like Jesus' when walking with people battling addiction.

Emma and Ruth from Psalms & Stretches get Big Breakfast moving with a Biblical-level workout. They chat with Max & Lydia about rethinking the word “flesh”, letting go of physical comparison, and using our bodies to memorise scripture.

Would you find Jesus protesting with a placard in your local town or city? Max and Lydia sat down with Pat Gaffney, former General Secretary of Pax Christi - the International Catholic Movement for Peace - to chat about the effectiveness of protests, whether Jesus would get confrontational, and what it's like getting arrested on a march...