Mo Gilligan: Beginning, Middle & End

This week, Mo Gilligan is joined by BAFTA Award-winning actor Malachi Kirby for a powerful conversation about craft, courage, and carving your own lane.Growing up in Battersea, Malachi found acting through local drama classes before becoming part of a generation-defining wave of British talent. From portraying Kunta Kinte in Roots, to his BAFTA-winning performance in Steve McQueen’s Small Axe, to Black Mirror and now series two of A Thousand Blows on Disney+, Malachi reflects on the roles that shaped him — and the ones he turned down.They talk about introversion, identity, trusting instinct over hype, navigating pressure after awards, and why movement — creatively and personally — has been central to Malachi’s life. Honest, reflective, and deeply grounded, this episode is about longevity over noise, truth over performance, and building something that lasts.

This week, Mo Gilligan sits down with one of the UK’s most exciting and thoughtful actors, Hammed Animashaun.From growing up in East London to finding his voice through performance, Hamed reflects on his journey from youth theatre to Shakespeare, blockbuster fantasy (The Wheel of Time), and his BAFTA-nominated role as the unforgettable K in BBC’s Black Ops.They talk about discipline, identity, creative patience, and why not every success story needs a Hollywood relocation. Hamed opens up about the realities of stage vs screen, the pressure of awards season, the long waits between jobs, and the importance of staying grounded while navigating success.

David Larbi joins Mo Gilligan on the Beginning, Middle & End podcast for a warm, honest conversation about creativity, purpose, and finding happiness in everyday life. David opens up about his upbringing, early love for music and football, and how writing became a way to understand himself and the world around him. He reflects on growing up with big expectations, navigating university, and learning to trust his creative instincts — even when the path didn’t look traditional or secure.As the conversation unfolds, Mo and David dive into the realities of chasing a creative life: rejection, money pressures, vulnerability, and the emotional weight of being seen. David speaks candidly about writing Frequently Happy, the impact it’s had on readers around the world, and the responsibility that comes with sharing your inner world so openly. Thoughtful, funny, and deeply human, this episode is a reminder that happiness isn’t something you arrive at — it’s something you practise, moment by moment.

In this powerful and hilarious episode, Mo Gilligan sits down with one of the original architects of Black British comedy — the incomparable Rudi Lickwood. From his early days as an Eddie Murphy lookalike to becoming a razor-sharp social commentator who reshaped the narrative of Black British identity on stage, Rudi shares 38 years’ worth of stories, wisdom, and war wounds.Rudi opens up about navigating hostile classrooms, systemic biases, and rebuilding himself to become a headliner across the UK. He breaks down the birth of the Black comedy circuit and the ongoing fight with gatekeepers who shaped (and limited) British TV.Mo and Rudi go deep on craft, legacy, timing, audience psychology, and the power of standing on each other’s shoulders. From military tours in Afghanistan to the peak Jongleurs era, this is a masterclass in comedy, survival, culture, and purpose.A thoughtful, funny, and essential conversation with a true OG.

On this episode of Beginning, Middle, End, Mo Gilligan sits down with one of the UK’s most dynamic tech leaders — Dean Forbes — a man who went from growing up on a South London estate, juggling responsibility at home and dreams of playing professional football, to leading companies through multi-billion euro exits and championing social mobility at scale.Mo and Dean dive deep into the resilience, humour, and hustle that shaped Dean’s journey, unpacking how those early experiences fuelled his rise from telesales to the boardroom, and why he’s now using his platform to empower the next generation through the Forbes Family Group. It’s a powerful, inspiring conversation about identity, ambition, and breaking ceilings — all delivered with the honesty, vulnerability and laughs you’d expect when these two worlds collide.Companies mentioned in this episode: Forbes Vodafone Motorola Oracle HSBC Morgan Stanley Google Crystal Palace ACLT Partners Group Andy Warhol Basquiat Jamiroquai