The Essay Podcast
Leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond, themed across a week - insight, opinion and intellectual surprise.
Episodes to download
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'Bedford, do you call this thing a coat?' The History of the Three-Piece Suit—Masculinity
Thu 20 Jun 2019
4/5 Sarah Goldsmith on an immortal trio jacket, waistcoat and trousers.
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Comrades in Arms—Masculinity
Wed 19 Jun 2019
3/5 Tom Smith on the East German Military's fascination with its soldiers' sexuality
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Sword to Pen: Redcoat and the Rise of the Military Memoir—Masculinity
Tue 18 Jun 2019
2/5 Emma Butcher on the publishing phenomenon that was the traumatised Napoleonic Redcoat
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The Well-Groomed Georgian—Masculinity
Mon 17 Jun 2019
1/5 Alun Withey on what made 18th-century men shave off centuries of manly growth.
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Alys Conran—Hay Festival 2019
Thu 30 May 2019
4/5 Alys Conran reflects on what it's like to read Robinson Crusoe as a novelist.
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Alex Wheatle—Hay Festival 2019
Wed 29 May 2019
3/5 Alex Wheatle reflects on Robinson Crusoe's themes of imperialism and slavery.
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Fiona Stafford—Hay Festival 2019
Mon 27 May 2019
1/5 Reflections on Daniel Defoe's 1719 novel, Robinson Crusoe, from the 2019 Hay Festival.
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Swimming the Avon—From the Source
Fri 17 May 2019
5/5 Poet Elizabeth-Jane Burnett swims the River Avon in search of inspiration.
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The Power of the Thames—From the Source
Thu 16 May 2019
4/5 Helen Czerski shares a physicist's view of the River Thames
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The Art of Zen Fly Fishing—From the Source
Wed 15 May 2019
Once lead singer of The Undertones, Feargel Sharkey now gets his kicks from rod and line.
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Medway Mudlarks—From the Source
Tue 14 May 2019
2/5 Driftwood, a Victorian poison bottle and a sailor's lost boot. Potent inspiration for art.
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Gaelic Waters—From the Source
Mon 13 May 2019
Folk singer Julie Fowlis conjures kelpies, selkies and waterfall banshees from Gaelic song
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Where Do Human Rights Come From?—New Generation Thinkers 2019
Fri 12 Apr 2019
Dafydd Mills Daniel looks at links between the UN, Richard III and Disney's Jiminy Cricket
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Should Salman Rushdie Live and Let Die ?—New Generation Thinkers 2019
Wed 10 Apr 2019
What the BBFC archives tell us about censorship debates & a film depicting Salman Rushdie.
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Who Wrote Animal Farm?—New Generation Thinkers 2019
Tue 9 Apr 2019
Lisa Mullen looks at the contribution of Orwell's wife Eileen to his writing.
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Shopping Around the Baby Market
Thu 4 Apr 2019
Gulzaar Barn asks questions about commercial surrogacy and the way we view our bodies.
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Why Trespassing Is the Right Way To Go
Wed 3 Apr 2019
Ben Anderson looks at fights over land rights, access to nature & care of the environment
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Cooking and Eating God in Medieval Drama
Tue 2 Apr 2019
Daisy Black conjures up images of breaking bread and cannibalism in mystery plays
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A City is not a Park
Mon 1 Apr 2019
Des Fitzgerald is a sociologist at Cardiff Uni. researching health, illness & cities
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Woman on the Edge of Time—Forgotten Feminist Futures
Fri 8 Mar 2019
5/5 Comedian and author Viv Groskop explores five forgotten feminist futures.
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The Female Man—Forgotten Feminist Futures
Thu 7 Mar 2019
4/5 Comedian and author Viv Groskop explores five forgotten feminist futures.
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Herland—Forgotten Feminist Futures
Wed 6 Mar 2019
Comedian and author Viv Groskop explores five forgotten feminist futures.
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Mizora: A Prophecy—Forgotten Feminist Futures
Tue 5 Mar 2019
2/5 Comedian and author Viv Groskop explores five forgotten feminist futures.
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Three Hundred Years Hence—Forgotten Feminist Futures
Mon 4 Mar 2019
1/5 Comedian and author Viv Groskop explores five forgotten feminist futures.
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Cary Grant—Five Screen Gods
Fri 15 Feb 2019
5/5 Sarah Churchwell celebrates various stars of the silver screen from the 1930s and 1940s.
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Joel McCrea—Five Screen Gods
Thu 14 Feb 2019
4/5 Sarah Churchwell celebrates various stars of the silver screen from the 1930s and 1940s.
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Charles Boyer—Five Screen Gods
Wed 13 Feb 2019
3/5 Sarah Churchwell celebrates various stars of the silver screen from the 1930s and 1940s.
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Frederic March—Five Screen Gods
Tue 12 Feb 2019
2/5 Sarah Churchwell celebrates various stars of the silver screen from the 1930s and 1940s.
Death in Trieste
Watch: My Deaf World
The Book that Changed Me
Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.