Podcast: Ruby Wax and Andy Puddicombe on mindfulness, plus Jim Murphy and Movember

The chances are that by now either you or someone you know well has begun to practise ‘mindfulness’ — a form of Buddhism lite, that focuses on meditation and ‘being in the now’. In the past year or so it’s gone from being an eccentric but harmless hobby practised by contemporary hippies to a new and wildly popular pseudo–religion; a religion tailor-made for the secular West. But separating meditation from faith is a dubious business, suggest Melanie McDonagh. In this week’s podcast, the comedian Ruby Wax, who has written a best-selling book about mindfulness and is now touring with Sane New World, and Andy Puddicombe, founder of the Headspace app, join Mary Wakefield to discuss the merits of mindfulness.

In the world of politics, Jim Murphy has just announced he will stand for the leadership of Scottish Labour. James Forsyth and Isabel Hardman join Mary to discuss why he may well be exactly what the party needs.

And finally, why do businesses, charities and even broadcasters all feel the need to appear wacky? In this week’s issue, Henry Jeffreys looks at why a number of corporations are behaving