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Back to School

Inside Culture Series 4
Episode 3 of 5

Mary Beard asks why we are drawn to literature, theatre, TV and film that take us ‘back to school’. She meets authors Philip Pullman and Liz Pichon to discuss the enduring popularity of these stories.

Mary Beard asks why we are drawn to literature, theatre, TV and film that take us ‘back to school’.

Mary meets ex-teacher and best-selling author Philip Pullman to explore the enduring popularity of school stories and to ask why so many of these stories, from Malory Towers to Harry Potter, are set in boarding schools. They also discuss the powerful presence of the teacher in fiction, from the inspiring and the heroic to the terrible and the tragic.

Mary also hears from actor and singer Layton Williams who is currently playing the schoolboy lead in the stage sensation Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, and from children’s author Liz Pichon, whose Tom Gates stories are set in a primary school. From her Brighton studio, Liz discusses the real-life inspiration behind her characters and reveals how Tom’s classroom is brought to life. Mary will also chat to maths teacher Bobby Seagull, author Patrice Lawrence and Waterloo Road screenwriter Lisa Holdsworth about the lasting power of school stories and their ability to shape the way we think about education.

29 minutes

Last on

Tue 26 Oct 2021 02:15
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Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:10

    Original West End Cast of Everybody's Talking About Jamie

    And You Don't Even Know It

  • 00:14

    Original West End Cast Of Everybody's Talking About Jamie

    Out Of The Darkness (A Place Where We Belong)

Credits

Presenter Mary Beard
Executive Producer Tanya Hudson
Series Producer Catherine Abbott

Broadcasts

Front Row Late

Front Row Late

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