THE RED BULLETIN

SMALL STEPS , GIANT STRIDES

“Life is a constant adaptation – you can do what you want, but in a different way” Ben Tansley

The human spinal cord, just 13mm thick and protected by the backbone, contains a billion nerve cells, transmitting vital signals between the brain and body. When it’s damaged, the results are devastating and, until recently, considered largely irreversible. But revolutionary science has shown remarkable recovery in patients. We speak to three people with severe spinal cord injuries about how this research is transforming lives and could one day deliver a cure

The whole interview in the magazine

Slippery ride

Skateboarder Felipe Marin’s ride takes on cartoonish proportions in this awesome artwork by Colombian photographer David Jaramillo Ramírez and graphic designer Camilo Bustamante. “I came up with the idea of showing how the athlete’s strength could defeat their own fears,” says Ramírez. “In this image, the illustrated part represents the fears pursuing the athlete as he performs his passion.” davidjaraphoto.com

O captain, my captain

How revisiting a character from the future made one of the world’s most iconic actors reflect on the present

It’s rare in life to get the chance to go back and have another go at our most important moments. For most of us, life goes on and our early endeavours are left behind. Last year, however, acclaimed actor Sir Patrick Stewart was given the opportunity to revisit his own past life and career, as he reprised one of his most celebrated roles, Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise, in the Amazon Prime series Star Trek: Picard.

The 79-year-old actor tells The Red Bulletin how it feels to reprise this iconic character after 18 years away, and also to return to such a hopeful show in the new alien landscape of 2020…

The whole story in the magazine

Test of character

A year ago, the British cricket star needed a change-up in his life. A year can be a long time…

Carrying the expectations of a nation is an onerous responsibility. Some shrink at the prospect; others carve their name into folklore. Cricketer Ben Stokes’ intention at the start of 2019 was neither. When The Red Bulletin caught up with him last April (for our Summer issue cover story) during his spell with the Rajasthan Royals in India, the flamehaired all-rounder merely wanted to remind everyone what he could do on the field of play, following his highly publicised behaviour off it. Less than a year later, Stokes has delivered England a World Cup triumph, played one of the greatest Test innings of all time, and been named BBC Sports Personality of the Year and, the day after this interview, ICC Men’s Cricketer of the Year. He’s something approaching a national treasure. Not that Stokes would like the description. “What we want to do on the field is just inspire kids to pick up a bat and a ball,” he says, understatedly. He couldn’t have done more to achieve that.

The whole interview in the magazine

Dive into Malta

Discover the hidden depths of this stunning, historic Mediterranean island nation, by day and by night, both on land and beneath the sea…

Find more stories in the magazine #beyondtheordinary