Barrell has interviewed actors such as Gillian Anderson[3] and Johnny Depp, comedians such as Vic Reeves, Paul Whitehouse, Matt Lucas and David Walliams, artists such as Sir Peter Blake,[4] Marc Quinn, Keith Tyson and Rolf Harris, and musicians and bands such as Jimmy Page,[5] Dido, Joan Baez,[6] Ronnie Wood,[7] Andy Summers,[8] Donovan,[9] Celine Dion, Mike Oldfield,[10] Sandie Shaw,[11] Garbage, Dixie Chicks, the Finn Brothers, The Beautiful South, Alisha's Attic, Phil Manzanera,[12] and Goldfrapp.

[13] Barrell has also written major features on subjects such as the Roswell UFO incident, the twins festival of Twinsburg, Ohio, the re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings, the celebrity lookalike industry, live-action roleplaying, the science of kissing, The Beatles, David Bowie,[14] Monty Python's Flying Circus, Lucian Freud, Charles Saatchi, Harry Houdini, and Screaming Lord Sutch.

In a Sunday Times Magazine feature in 2002, Barrell said he thought a personal UFO experience in 1976 may have led to his penchant for writing about bizarre subjects and unexplained events.

page for the Sunday Times Magazine, which included investigations into urban myths, unsung heroes, and fictional characters based on real people.

Barrell has also written extensively about photography, and provided the main text for the 2004 book Eyes Wide Open, about the annual Ian Parry photographic award.