On Desperately Seeking Wisdom this week, we’re doing something we haven’t done before – speaking to a guest who has already been on the podcast, the comedian Matt Forde.

We recorded Matt's first chat on the series less than a year ago and when we did Matt was about to get married. But soon after the happy day, he was diagnosed with cancer - a spine tumour that required major surgery towards the end of 2023.

A few months on, Matt wanted to share how he coped with his cancer and the agonising pain. This is part two of our chat and we discuss why Matt thinks he's always had an optimistic mindset and how that helped him during his illness. We also look ahead to a year of politcal turmoil in the UK and US.

This episode is produced by Red Bicycle.