Stories of Men: Beneath the Surface

Mark was outside the door, his brother was locked in. The student apartment they were in was rat-infested and in complete disarray. All Mark’s brother had access to was 20 sausage rolls, a bottle of …

It was March 2020 and Brad had just received confirmation that his current business model had become unworkable. A lockdown had been ordered following the pandemic, and the vast quantities of money …

Jimmy was sitting in the waiting room thinking carefully about the decision he was about to announce. He had risen to a point of great success in his career, he was literally operating in the corrido…

*Content warning: This episode contains graphic details of suicide*

It was a perfect storm of events and emotions. Dan had recently lost his mother. He’d had a number of business ventures which had no…

Valerio grew up in a small Italian province. He enjoyed his life and was comfortable in his surroundings. It was something of a shock to the system, then, when his dad got a job in London while Valer…

It was a day as ordinary as any other. Luke was taking a leisurely stroll to the shops when he began to feel the strangest of sensations. He felt time beginning to slow down. He experienced a feeling…

“The Waffle Shop”, a podcast started by James, had been doing particularly well when he decided to throw his first ever live event. Everything was in place; however, as the beginning of the event app…

Matt was on his way to the fertility clinic in order to produce a sample for his wife’s IVF treatment. This would be the 7th time the couple had attempted the procedure and it would likely be the fin…

It was a beautiful summer’s day and Kevin was enjoying a boat trip along a picturesque canal with his girlfriend and her parents. His in-laws had arranged the trip as a way to celebrate their daughte…

There was nothing that Arjun loved more than a wedding celebration. It was an opportunity for him to sing and dance and dress in elegant clothing, while also spending time with people he knew and lov…

It was a beautiful autumnal morning and Andrew was thoroughly enjoying being at a Senior Golf Tour. During the event, a leaflet was handed to him concerning prostate cancer. He took it out of politen…

Kazeem had always had a strained relationship with his father. His dad abandoned him when he was a baby and Kazeem only ever had fleeting experiences of spending time with him as he was growing up. A…

As a queer man, Matt had always found the barbershop to be a particularly hyper-masculine space. He’d got on with everyone there, particularly the owner, but he had never felt comfortable enough to t…

David was exploring the world while scaling the heady heights of multi-sports journalism. In only his second “proper job” post-university, he found himself unexpectedly appointed editor of a new maga…

Mark had spent many years working as a traffic police officer. During this time, he had experienced countless tragic sights. His response to these had been to bottle up his feelings. This had led to …

Dale Pollitt was 17 years old and appeared to be going nowhere. He’d just dropped out of school and was working at KFC. Like so many teenagers on the estate in which he lived, he spent most of his s…

Steve seemed to have a charmed life. After graduating from university, he began travelling around Europe. He then found himself settling at a holiday resort and, in a few short years, went from being…

Sam was 27 years old and in the midst of embarking upon his American adventure. He had just arrived in New York and was meeting up with some friends he’d made online to help him stay awake and beat …

After spending some time as a couple, Rob and Jodie had been friends for over ten years. He had seen her go through health challenges in the past and always re-emerge to be there by his side. It was …

Nick Danziger is an award-winning photographer. He is also a filmmaker and travel writer. His adventures abroad began at a very young age.

Nick was 13 and living in Switzerland when he told his parent…