Classic Stories About Us

Alice arrives at the house of the duchess to meet with a rather chaotic scene involving a frenetic cook, a sneezing baby and a grinning Cheshire cat.

Alice has a conversation with a rather languid, very objectionable caterpillar.

Chapters 5 and 6 of P.G Wodehouse's 'Right Ho, Jeeves.' Bertie sends Gussie over to Brinkley Court and has to deal with Aunt Dahlia's disapproving correspondence. Subscribe to the podcast if you enjoy the episode and aren't subscribed yet.

The rabbit returns - and sends Alice on an unexpected errand.

Alice and her new acquaintances run a curious race - among other curious things.

Soon to be married, Helen Stoner comes to Sherlock Holmes, terrified that she may meet the same fate as her twin sister, who died mysteriously two years earlier - right after announcing her own engagement. Suspicious of foul play at the hands of her vicious step father, she implores Holmes and Watson to help her. A diabolical plot unfolds.

Bertie tries to find a solution to Gussie's problem and objects to Jeeves' handling of the matter. Shortly after, he is visited rather unexpectedly by a rampaging aunt Dahlia, following a rather 'rummy' telegram exchange. Today on the podcast, it's chapters 2 through 4 of P.G. Wodehouse's "Right Ho, Jeeves."

As the city of London prepares for Christmas, newspapers report the theft of the near-priceless gemstone, the "Blue Carbuncle", from the hotel suite of the Countess of Morcar. Sherlock Holmes and Watson set out to uncover the mystery.

In this chilling Gothic tale, the narrator tries to convince us of his own sanity - while detailing a murder he has committed. He outlines his reasons, his calculated method, and eventually, the manner of his ultimate unraveling. Edgar Allan Poe was renowned for his preoccupation with the macabre. This story is another fascinating illustration of his ability to explore the dysfunctional mind.

On his way home, Ed Loyce stumbles across a dead body hanging from a street light. He wants to get to the bottom of it - but strangely, no one else seems to care. This story was written by science fiction writer, Philip K. Dick and was adapted into a TV episode of 'Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams' in 2017 (A show based on 9 of his short stories). Movies such as Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, Totall Recall, Minority Report and The Adjustment Bureau, among several others, have all been based entirely on Philip K. Dick's books. He died in 1982 at the age of 53, but in the 40 odd years since his passing, his work continues to inspire science fiction writers and film makers to a profound degree. This week's story 'The Hanging Stranger', explores dark themes of societal oblivion and corporate control that are remarkably relevant to today's world in so many respects.

Another chilling tale from Edgar Allan Poe. Tortured by his own guilt, the narrator spins an icy tale of murder, paranoia and a certain black cat named Pluto.

As Alice continues her unexpected adventure, she soon discovers that, in this strange place, the only thing that's certain is that nothing is.

In this famous first chapter of Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland," a very curious Alice chases a white rabbit in a waistcoat down a rabbit hole... and things get very strange very quickly.