University of Sheffield Player

Actor: Alison Fitzjohn
Theatre: Dead Earnest Theatre
Video: Sort of...Films
Funded By: @ukri.org & @whiteroseuc.bsky.social

Actor, Alison Fitzjohn on stage and smiling. There is text reading "A Weighty Issue" and sub text reading "This short film looks at the 'A Weighty Issue' project and performance. A one-woman theatre show exploring the ways in which weight stigma damages the health and wellbeing of those who experience it."

Weight stigma affects more than how we feel. It can harm our health and wellbeing.

A Weighty Issue is a short film about a powerful one-woman show that challenges how we think about weight.

Watch now: bit.ly/3J1Foqj

#WeightStigma

Why does austerity keep coming back?

In Crisis Point, Clara Mattei joins us to explain how austerity has shaped capitalist societies for over a century.

Listen now on The Player: bit.ly/45zUEU8

#Austerity #CrisisPoint #PoliticalEconomy

Are we in another world-changing moment for alcohol?

In this podcast, Phil Withington and Nick Groat explore how alcohol and society have changed over the last 60 years.

From lifestyle to craft drinks, what’s next?

🎧 bit.ly/478jfAy

#CraftAlcohol #History

Can cities keep up with Brain Computer Interfaces?

In the latest Urban Radar, Tom and Beth talk with Simon Marvin and Allan McCay about what happens when tech merges with the human mind.

Could cyborgs have rights in the city?

Listen now: bit.ly/4l9f9LY

#CyborgRights #UrbanFutures

We know the Arctic is melting. But in Antarctica, sea ice grew for decades.

Even broke records.

So what’s happening now? And why does it matter?

Watch our video to learn more: bit.ly/46AXoSl

#NationalMarineWeek #Antarctica #ClimateChange

Prof Matthew Watson joins @sperishefuni.bsky.social's podcast to ask: was the Long Depression truly a crisis?

From falling profits to class conflict, this period changed how we think about capitalism.

Listen now: bit.ly/3H4K4Lw
#EconomicHistory #PoliticalEconomy #ThePlayerSheffield

🌊 The ocean is full of voices - are we listening?

Whisper, Drifter, Trickster is a short film blending art and science to explore the effects of climate change on marine life.

Watch and reflect on what the sea is telling us: bit.ly/3UwjT3h

#NationalMarineWeek #OceanClimate

Discover how mass-produced beer and spirits connected to the rise of big business, industrialisation and political movements like Temperance.

Professor Phil Withington explores these links in episode 5 of 5 ½ Moments When Alcohol Shaped the World.

Listen now: bit.ly/3UuwmEF

What does self-care mean to you?

On International Self Care Day, explore The Power of Meditation and learn how simple meditation techniques can bring gratitude and peace with who you are now.

Watch now: bit.ly/3IHPzAh

#InternationalSelfCareDay #Meditation #SelfCare

How safe are our homes today? In Urban Radar, Jenny Preece looks at housing safety after Grenfell, plus trans rights, urban festivals, AI propaganda and more.

Listen here: bit.ly/45kKKWc

The remains of Sheffield Castle tell a story that’s long been buried.

Archaeologists have uncovered what lies beneath Castlegate. Now the city is asking: how can we build something new that remembers what came before?

Watch now: bit.ly/46SKyP8

#FestivalOfArchaeology #Castlegate #SheffieldCastle

What caused the 2008 financial crash? Why does it still matter today?

Dr Scott Lavery joins SPERI in Crisis Point to talk about how the crisis reshaped politics, the economy, and our everyday lives - and what might come next.

🎧 Listen here: bit.ly/3UiPw0a

Can regional power create real change?

@andyburnham.bsky.social and @metromayorsteve.bsky.social believe it can. In Urban Radar: Powering the North, they talk about their plan for a more equal Britain, recorded live at Sheffield’s Festival of Debate.

Listen now: bit.ly/3TJLGgo

It’s World Day for International Justice. Could you be the judge?

Try this interactive video game based on real research by Dr Angela Sorsby. Learn about sentencing through play and find out how your decisions measure up.

Watch and play: bit.ly/44N2XKF

What can the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis tell us about capitalism and global crashes?

Jomo Kwame Sundaram speaks to Chris Saltmarsh and Dillon Wamsley about the role of the IMF, how it hit Asia, and how it connects to 2008.

Listen now on The Player: bit.ly/3TACefp

How does the brain talk to the ears? Can bacteria help grow better crops?

From melting ice to underground fungi, these short talks from @sheffielduni.bsky.social researchers at this year's @pintofscience.uk events are now online.

Watch them all on The Player: bit.ly/4lrPIWY

#PintOfScience

What do spirits like gin and rum have to do with global history?

In this episode, we explore how alcohol moved across empires, shaped economies, and influenced lives.

Listen now on The Player: bit.ly/4eCtzm4

Pulmonary hypertension once meant a short life.

In this podcast, discover how Sheffield’s doctors and engineers helped change that. Their work in the 1800s led to treatments that save lives today.

🎧 Listen here: bit.ly/3GBGdFl

#MedicalHistory #Sheffield #PulmonaryHypertension

Think you know what happened in the 1970s?

Professor Colin Hay joins @sperishefuni.bsky.social's Crisis Point podcast to rethink stagflation, trade unions, and Thatcherism. What was really going on - and what does it mean for us now?

🎧 Listen now: bit.ly/3Tth6ri

#Stagflation #EconomicHistory

🍺 Why did medieval brewers turn to hops?

This podcast episode explores how hops helped change beer, boost trade and shape early capitalism.

🎧 Listen to “5 ½ Moments When Alcohol Shaped the World” now on The Player: bit.ly/4lFFjGH

#BeerHistory #MedievalEurope #HistoryPodcast

A new film shares how people living with young-onset dementia use music in daily life.

It breaks down stereotypes and puts their voices at the centre.

🎬 Watch now: bit.ly/4eyk1J0

#YoungOnsetDementia #MusicAndMemory #SheffieldResearch

Was the Great Depression a unique event or part of a cycle of crisis in capitalism?

Gareth Dale joins SPERI's Crisis Point podcast to dig into what really happened in the 1930s and why it still matters today.

🎧 Listen here: bit.ly/4kiMBPO

#GreatDepression #HistoryPodcast #CapitalismInCrisis

🍇 Wine played a much bigger role than you might think in the ancient world.

In this episode of 5 ½ Moments When Alcohol Shaped the World, Dr Nick Groat explores how wine was central to daily life and political power in Greece and Rome.

Listen here: bit.ly/4nt8uPa

Is crisis the new normal, or just part of the system?

In Crisis Point, researchers from @sperishefuni.bsky.social look at how capitalism and crisis are linked. They explain what crisis means in political economy and why it’s key to understanding today’s world.

🎧 Listen now: bit.ly/45Ep7Rv

Can a city of steel save hearts?

Explore how Sheffield engineers and doctors joined forces to treat valve disease after the war - and how their creative thinking still saves lives today.

🎧 Listen to the full story: bit.ly/4en4NGD

#HeartHealth #MedicalHistory #SheffieldResearch

Climate ReAssemblies shows how people in South Yorkshire kept the conversation going. Working with researchers, they imagined new ways to shape climate policy together.

Watch the short video: bit.ly/4kVOO4P

🍷 What do archaeology and ancient plants tell us about alcohol?

Dr Nick Groat uncovers when humans first started drinking - and why it mattered.

Listen here: bit.ly/3T0H0m3

#HistoryOfAlcohol

🏳️‍🌈 Pride is about being seen, heard and respected. This June, explore our Pride Month series full of LGBTQ research, lived experiences and powerful stories

Click here to explore: bit.ly/3ZH1kwp

#PrideMonth #PrideMonth2025

What does sanctuary in education really look like?

For Refugee Week, we’re sharing work by our researchers exploring the trauma and resilience of people seeking sanctuary. See how universities can become places of access, welcome and protection.

Watch the series here: bit.ly/4e78Arj

#RefugeeWeek