Union Chapel, a late-19th-century Gothic church, functions as a working congregational space, the base for a homelessness charity and, by night, a live-entertainment venue. But last Thursday, it played host to a live recording of the comedy podcast, The Guilty Feminist, with special guest Green Party leader Zack Polanski.
Walking in, I was immediately greeted by a Vote Green kiosk and an all-encompassing buzz in the room. The kiosk declared, “We’re all family. We’re everywhere.” I was among the first to arrive, but within minutes the church pews were filled to the brim.
Three chairs sat centre stage beneath an imposing stained-glass window. The stage was dimly lit with a dark pink stage light.
As the show began, the room darkened completely and a spotlight swept across the guests, one by one. Deborah Frances-White, author of The Guilty Feminist and podcast host, was introduced first, setting the tone with her trademark opener, “I’m a feminist, but…” before welcoming her guest co-host for the night, transgender author, actress, and screenwriter, Juno Dawson.
The light shines on Polanski who is – unsurprisingly, given his recent upswing in popularity – met with roaring applause. He offers his contribution: “I’m a Feminist, but I’ve only slept with men … so far.”
Newly elected Green MP Hannah Spencer is last in the line-up and shares her confession on video. She said: “I’m a Feminist, but not on bin day.”
Frances-White opened the night with a sharp monologue merging humour with politics. She spoke about the rise of Reform and Nigel Farage’s habit of pushing blame onto Trans communities, despite official government statistics showing the UK’s trans population sits at just 0.5%. Half-joking, she added: “This means that for every 100 people, half a person is trans.”
She shifted to the long-running debate around drug decriminalisation, arguing that decriminalising drugs should be treated seriously. She said, plainly: “Our leaders and our media know this to be true.”
The pink backlight shifted to Green as a homage to the star of the show, but Polanski wasn’t the only guest. The night unfolded with musicians, activists, and a stand-up comic.
Singing Resistance London took the stage, promoting their Big Sing on 26 March as part of the Together Alliance March against the Far Right.
They invited the audience to join in as they performed Bob’s Bullets, written by a choir member and inspired by Bob Marley’s words at the 1976 Smile Jamaica concert after he’d been shot: “The people who are trying to make this world worse aren’t taking a day off. How can I?”
A wave of applause and stomping feet made its way through the room as Polanski made his way onto the stage. He opened by recalling his last appearance at Union Chapel, where his work with Theatre of the Oppressed invited the audience to rehearse ways of speaking out against injustice.
Regarding Polanski’s past, Frances-White raised the question on everyone’s mind at the feminist event: what led him to use hypnotherapy to enlarge a woman’s breasts?
In 2013, The Sun published a story detailing the use of hypnotherapy to increase breast size, and Polanski was the hypnotherapist in question. He appreciated the opportunity to explain himself and owned up to his mistake, stating: “This does not represent me.”
As the night went on, it became clear why the eco-populist leader has been rising so quickly in the public eye – by late 2025, YouGov polling placed him as the second-most popular politician in the UK, just behind Nigel Farage. He spoke with a mix of sincerity and energy, staying closely engaged with Deborah and Juno as they questioned him. At points he glanced out to the audience, making sure they weren’t just spectators, but part of the exchange.
The Green leader discussed his proposal to tax the rich throughout the night. When he first brought up the wealthy, an audience member yelled: “F**k em!” and the room cheered in response.
From the stage in one of London’s wealthier postcodes, Frances-White pressed Polanski on whether his demand to “tax the rich” applied to the successful professionals sitting before him. Polanski said plainly that he meant the top 1%.
In an intensely emotional moment, the war on drugs resurfaced as Juno Dawson spoke about losing loved ones in the queer community to chemsex, where drugs are used to enhance sex, typically among gay and bisexual men.
She asked how people with experiences like hers are meant to support drug decriminalisation when those same drugs have caused so much harm.
Polanski’s reply was measured. He first offered his condolences, then noted that he too has lost loved ones to drugs. He added that whatever we’re doing now is clearly not working, and something must change.
The final question of the night came from an audience member who asked Zack: “What’s your bottom-line?” After highlighting that he may not be the leader of the Greens at the time of the next general election, he offered three key issues: proportional representation, wealth tax, and actions on the climate crisis.
As the audience filtered out, the atmosphere felt charged – not just with laughter, but with the sense that people had been invited into something bigger than a show. The audience had spent the night being pushed to speak out against injustice, and the atmosphere that remained was proof of how potent politics becomes when it’s woven into storytelling.
Joanne Hamilton is a student journalist, studying MA Newspaper Journalism at City, University of London.