The monthly series hosted by Symphony Co. founder Seth Pinnock explores culture, faith, sexuality, identity and the stories that shape us
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Billy Porter joins Seth Pinnock for the opening episode of This Is Our Story.
A piece of my story is yours. And a piece of your story is mine.
Tuesday, 20 October 2026: This Is Our Story, a new podcast hosted by cultural leader and Symphony Co. founder Seth Pinnock, launches Tuesday 20 October 2026 with Emmy, Grammy and three-time Tony Award-winning performer Billy Porter as its inaugural guest.
Created by UK charity Symphony Co. and produced by In Details Studios, the conversation-led series brings together voices from across culture and public life to explore the experiences, relationships, beliefs and turning points that shape who we are.
In the opening episode, Porter speaks candidly about growing up in the Pentecostal church, navigating bullying and adversity, and the role of the creative arts in his survival and transformation. He reflects on faith, sexuality, identity, healing, forgiveness and the pursuit of authenticity, exploring the experiences that have shaped his journey towards living openly and on his own terms. Porter says:
“Forgiveness is for me, it’s not for the other person. It’s for me so that I can move forward personally and spiritually… It’s not forgive and forget. It’s forgive and move forward.”
Porter's appearance as the podcast’s debut guest is particularly significant for Pinnock, whose own journey intersects with many of the themes explored in the conversation. Through the episode, the pair reflect on the importance of finding community during life’s defining moments, and how the people we encounter can help us navigate adversity, find connection and shape the course of our lives.
“Billy was the right person to open this series because his life holds the tension between extraordinary public achievement and the private work of surviving, healing and becoming whole,” Pinnock says.
“What emerged was a deeply honest conversation about faith, shame, creativity, forgiveness and the daily choice to move forward.”
Across its first season, This Is Our Story will also feature David and Carrie Grant, Africa Brooke and Leroy Logan, alongside other voices from across culture, faith, business and public life, with each guest bringing their own perspective and lived experience to the conversation.
The series will explore identity and authenticity, faith and belief, love and relationships, and the state of Black Britain, alongside conversations about creativity, sexuality, entrepreneurship, healing, community and personal transformation.
At the heart of This Is Our Story is a simple idea: no story exists in isolation. Our lives are shaped by the people we meet, the experiences we share, the beliefs we inherit and question, and the moments that change us. By drawing connections between personal stories and collective experience, the podcast looks beyond where somebody has arrived to understand what — and who — helped them get there.
For Pinnock, the series also offers a different way of telling his own story. Rather than presenting his life as a standalone narrative, This Is Our Story unfolds through conversations with people who have shaped his perspective, alongside voices whose lived experience and expertise illuminate the experiences and questions that have shaped different chapters of his life.
"I wanted to create a space for honest storytelling, reflection and growth — somewhere people can hold complexity, see themselves in someone else's journey and leave with a wider sense of what healing, purpose and community might look like. Because no story exists in isolation. Our lives overlap, and we shape one another."
New episodes of This Is Our Story will be released monthly from Tuesday 20 October 2026, with the first season continuing through to May 2027. The series will be available on YouTube, Spotify and major podcast platforms.
ABOUT SETH PINNOCK
Seth Pinnock is the Founder and Director of Symphony Co. His work centres on creating programmes, platforms and experiences that bring people together through culture, community and conversation. Through This Is Our Story, Pinnock brings that work into a long-form format, inviting guests into candid conversations about the experiences and ideas that shape individual and collective life.
ABOUT SYMPHONY CO.
Symphony Co. is a registered charity working across three core pillars: Arts, Academics and Advocacy. Through its programmes, experiences and platforms, Symphony Co. creates opportunities for people and communities to learn, create, connect and engage with the cultural and social questions shaping their lives.
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