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Colm Toibin; Dullness as a virtue

Jane Ridley's biography of George V is called Never a Dull Moment. What does he tell us about the virtues of being unflamboyant? Plus Colm TΓ³ibΓ­n wins a literary lifetime award.

Sticking in stamps and killing animals were the main achievements of King George V - according to his biographer Harold Nicholson. Now Jane Ridley has written a new book about him subtitled "Never a Dull Moment" so can dullness be a virtue. Anne McElvoy chairs the discussion, which also looks at the history and image of Roundheads and Cavaliers with New Generation Thinker Tom Charlton and the appearance of dullness in political theory with Jonathan Floyd, Associate Professor at the University of Bristol. Plus Anne talks to Colm TΓ³ibΓ­n, the winner of the David Cohen Prize for Literature - biennial British literary award given to acknowledge a whole career.

Professor Jane Ridley's biography George V: Never a Dull Moment is out now.

Producer: Ruth Watts

Release date:

Available now

45 minutes

Podcast