The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed

For a special finale to the current series, Simon Armitage travels to Wales to talk to HRH Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales in his Welsh home, Llwynywermod, in Llandovery. Swapping his shed in the Pennines for a barn beside the Brecon Beacons, Simon weaves the conversation around themes of creativity, inspiration and nature. He speaks to The Prince of Wales about the flora and fauna of their surroundings, his passion for conservation, the music of Wagner, and the former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes. At one point, the doors of the big barn are thrown open and Prince Charles takes Simon through a series of hay meadows that surround the former farm, pointing out the trees that have been planted since he took over the property, including the maple trees used to line the aisle of Westminster Abbey for Prince William's wedding to Kate Middleton.

Sabrina Verjee works as a vet in The Lake District., but she is also a champion fell runner. She has recently has broken the Wainwrights record, successfully completing all of Cumbria's 214 peaks, a 325 mile route in 5 days 23 hours 49 minutes. The feat involves 36,000m of ascent - equivalent to climbing Everest four times and includes includes Scafell Pike, England's highest peak. In summer 2010 Simon Armitage decided to walk the Pennine Way. The challenging 256-mile route is usually approached from south to north, from Edale in the Peak District to Kirk Yetholm, the other side of the Scottish border. He resolved to tackle it the other way round. Crossing the beautiful and bleak terrain, across lonely fells and into the howling wind, he was described at the time as the Eeyore of the walking world. Sabrina holds the record for the fastest female completion of the Pennine Way, so there's plenty of stories to share and anecdotes to tell. Produced by Susan Roberts

John Tiffany a multi award-winning theatre director is from the same village in West Yorkshire as Simon Armitage. They both grew up watching their parents in amateur dramatic shows in the Marsden Parochial Hall, but it was a chance trip to a professional production years later that turned John's attentions away from medical school and back to the stage. He's the person behind some of the most acclaimed theatrical productions of the last two decades, including Pinocchio at The National Theatre, Road at the Royal Court, the smash hit Broadway musical Once, the National Theatre of Scotland's Black Watch and more recently, the hottest ticket in the West End, The Cursed Child. His shows regularly achieve both critical and popular acclaim, an extremely important factor in his work. In the shed the conversation drifts from what makes a good director to what makes a good joke - and there are plenty of them! From fathers to future plans and from creativity to the classroom, where John has chosen to give something back. Produced by Susan Roberts

Gillian Burke is best known to us as a presenter of the 'Watch' television series - Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Winterwatch .She talks to Simon Armitage about her childhood in Kenya where she had a hands-on experience of wildlife, running barefoot outside her house searching for insects . Her love of conservation was inspired by her mother who worked in Nairobi for the UN on environmental projects . From the natural world to a love of Cornwall, along the way their conversation takes in deep sea diving and gospel singing . Produced by Susan Roberts

Jo Whiley tells of her unsure beginnings in the world of broadcasting when she comes to the shed this week. A chance conversation with a lecturer when she was at university led to a job on BBC Radio Sussex' Turn It Up, giving her the chance to attend gigs and interview musicians. Since then she has presented many music shows on national BBC Radio networks. She's also known for her strong connection with The Glastonbury Festival and for her live DJ sets. The conversation in the shed takes in her love of gardening and her campaign to get vaccinations for those with learning disabilities following the admission to hospital of her sister Frances following an outbreak of coronavirus in her care home. Produced by Susan Roberts

Joanne Rowling, known as JK Rowling, is known globally for writing one of the best selling book series in history. Harry Potter and his classmates now have their firm place in the collective imagination of a generation of readers. She also writes crime fiction under the pen name Robert Galbraith. In the shed, Jo Rowling discusses the joys and the pains of writing with fellow author Simon Armitage, explaining how she picked up a pen to start again after the huge success of her first series. She discusses myths and the truths that have grown up around the books, including the idea that she conceived the idea for the Harry Potter series while on a delayed train from Manchester to London. Jo brings a very special 'show and tell' into the shed when she gives Simon the chance to dip into her very first notebooks, never before shown publicly, which she used to collect early ideas that might end up in a first Potter book, including the names of the pupils in Harry's class. The seven-year period that followed saw the death of her mother, birth of her first child, divorce from her first husband, and relative poverty until the first novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published in 1997. There were six further books in the series, of which the last was released in 2007. Since then, Jo has written several books for adult readers: The Casual Vacancy (2012) and - under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith - the crime-fiction Cormoran Strike series. She has lived a "rags to riches" life in which she progressed from living on benefits to being one of the best- selling writers of all time, giving away much of her earnings to charity. Produced by Susan Roberts

Poet Imtiaz Dharker was born in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Her family moved to Glasgow when she was less than one year old. A fine artist and film maker, she has won the Queen's Gold Medal for her poetry. Seen as one of Britain's most inspirational poets, she has been heavily involved for many years in Poetry Live, an organisation bringing poetry to school students which was set up by her late husband. She describes herself as a "Scottish Muslim Calvinist" adopted by India and married into Wales. Her poems talk about journeys both geographical and cultural displacement, which she also discusses with her friend and fellow poet Simon Armitage along with pomegranates, Mumbai and hand made paper. Producer Susan Roberts

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, this summer he's working on a set of haikus inspired by the landscape around him and the people who drop by. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, creativity, music, art, sheds, sherry, music and the countryside. His guest this week Amanda Owen, the Yorkshire Shepherdess, came to public attention though the television series Our Yorkshire Farm. Ravenseat Farm in North Yorkshire is home to Amanda, her husband and her nine children. Having grown up very close to the location of Simon's shed, the conversation ranges from shared memories of growing up in Huddersfield and a love of the Marsden Hills to the business of running a sheep farm and the joy of the hay meadow at this time of year. Produced by Susan Roberts

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, this summer he's working on a set of haikus inspired by the landscape around him and the people who drop by. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, creativity, music, art, sheds, sherry, music and the countryside. To kick off the new series Johnny Marr, who first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of The Smiths, takes the trip over the Pennines from Manchester to visit the shed, along with his new twelve-string guitar. In a conversation punctuated by snatches of Smiths songs, Johnny Marr talks about his life in music and gives the Poet Laureate, a huge fan of The Smiths, a private run-through of chord sequences from his back catalogue. Producer Susan Roberts

The Poet Laureate Simon Armitage returns for a second series of his podcast. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, this summer he's working on a set of haikus inspired by the landscape around him and the people who drop by. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, creativity, music, art, sheds, sherry and the countryside. “For too long I've been in the shed on my own, writing haiku, staring intensely at flowers and clouds, so I'm thrilled to be finally throwing back the door, dusting down the spare chair and sharing real live conversation with clever and creative people” – Simon Armitage. Guitarist Johnny Marr, accompanied by his 12-string acoustic, is Simon's first guest. Later in the series the Yorkshire Shepherdess Amanda Owen, West End theatre director John Tiffany, broadcaster, DJ and gardener Jo Whiley, author J.K. Rowling and poet Imtiaz Dharker all pay Simon a visit. Produced by Sue Roberts.

The Poet Laureate has gone to his shed on his own this week. Simon Armitage can't ask any guests to join him in his writing shed in West Yorkshire due to the Coronavirus. So he sits in the moonlight hoping to catch an owl in the garden to inspire his writing, and to think about the world beyond as he approaches the end of his translation of the medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. It's a beautifully still night. Poetry, contemplation, storytelling - with a few jokes along the way - and a few musical instruments to charm the owls out of the trees.

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement, scratching away at a poem in the shed. As he works on The Owl and the Nightingale, any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes. However, Lockdown has meant he has had to reach out to technology to find those interruptions. Wanting to know more about the owl in the poem, Simon talks to naturalist Chris Packham, isolating in his home in the New Forest. Their conversation ranges from ornithology to Asperger syndrome, from Punk music to owl pellets and from the environment to the ability to fly. The Poet Laureate has gone to his Shed is produced by Susan Roberts

Professor Laura Ashe is a historian of English medieval literature, history and culture . She lectures in English at Oxford University. At this point in his translation of the poem The Owl and the Nightingale, Simon Armitage invites Laura to help him with some of the final details . From the toilet habits of the nightingale to the Game of Thrones atmosphere of the period, from the hippy ideals of the nightingale to the tut-tutting of the buttoned up owl.

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes. Jackie Kay, who first shared a stage with Simon 30 years ago on the New Generation poetry tour reminisces about those first readings as well a sharing their current experiences of holding the highest positions in poetry - Jackie as the Scottish Makar and Simon as the Poet Laureate. The conversation ranges far and wide as these two friends look back on their writing lives.

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes. Simon has invited Trinidadian-born Judge Melanie Plimmer to help him sort out the owl and the nightingale who argue often in the poem. Their conversation ranges from the business of passing judgement and the skill of arbitration to Sundays spent on the beach in Trinidad and wearing the judge's wig. Simon also draws on his own experience of attending court as a working probation officer in his pre-poet life.

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes . Sam Lee - folk song collector, environmentalist and singer - has a special relationship with the outside world and the nightingale, so his appearance in the shed is most welcome. Simon has never seen a nightingale, living in an area which has none. So he's curious to hear about Sam's night-time walks into the Sussex countryside to hear them. It's a profound sensory experience at night. The call is loud and ears throb. Sam describes calling them out of the trees, singing with them and taking groups of people into the woods who are often overwhelmed by the sound of this musical bird. Sam talks about collecting folk song around the country and both finish by singing Pratty Flowers, the anthem of Homfirth, a village near to Simon's shed.

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes. So when Lily Cole - model, actress and entrepreneur - extended an invite for him to visit her shed, he couldn't refuse. With a touch of shed envy, Simon discovers that Lily Cole's own writing shed has a wood-burning stove and superb views. Their conversation ranges from the true story of her discovery as a model at 14, wearing dramatic clothes and accidents on the catwalk, to working with tribes in the Amazon. From environmental concerns to running a business, from being bullied at school to a Cambridge degree.

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes. Sculptor Antony Gormley's visit begins with a walk around the garden where his eye is caught by some huge Yorkshire standing stones. Their conversation ranges from The Angel of the North, placing sculpture in the landscape and the sea to the skills of the shipyard and the relationship between art and engineering. From body shape to chemistry sets, potions and explosions to Antony's first work of art - two eyes, carved into a wall at his old school.

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes . Actress Maxine Peake drops into the shed to talk about taking on a role and accents, which the birds in the poem discuss. Maxine talks about her TV break as Twinkle in Dinner Ladies as well as taking on roles such as Hamlet in the theatre. The conversation ranges from accents and being cast as a brassy Northerner to communism and rave culture.

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink, waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale, which could be described as a medieval Rap battle between two birds. That's just what hip-hop artist Testament describes the poem as when he drops by to distract Simon and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes. In The Poet Laureate has gone to his Shed, their conversation ranges from the Guinness Book of Records to spiritual faith and from West Yorkshire to New York. The shed soon becomes a classroom as Testament teaches Simon to beatbox and in return, Simon shows him how to imitate the call of a kookaburra.

As someone who has been successful in many different genres, when Kate Tempest has an idea, how does she decide what it will be? In Simon Armitage's wooden writing shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, their conversation ranges from moving to rural France after growing up in south London, her time at the Brit School and her discovery of rapping to writing poetry. They discuss using the tongue as a weapon and the power of words, and Kate reads from Simon's reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement, scratching away at a poem in the shed. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes .

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink and waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills and the Pennine weather, he scratches away at his reworking of the comic medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about poetry, music, art, sheds, sherry, owls, nightingales and to throw light on some of the poem's internal themes. The first person to drop by is Guy Garvey, lead singer of Elbow, fellow birdwatcher and 6 Music presenter. Once the door of the shed is shut the conversation goes wherever it likes - from the business of writing songs in a band to singing in the church choir, from old harmoniums to village pantomimes and from fathers to children.

Poet Laureate Simon Armitage is a former probation officer, DJ and a poet celebrated for his witty and profound take on modern life. In this podcast, he invites guests to join him in the writing shed in his garden to talk about life, language and the human voice. Surrounded on all sides by the Pennine hills and the Pennine weather, Simon welcomes, even encourages, the distractions his guests offer through talk of music, art, sheds, sherry and his latest poetic undertaking: a translation of the Middle English poem The Owl and the Nightingale. Over 12 episodes, guests include acclaimed spoken word performer Kate Tempest, Turner Prize recipient Antony Gormley, model and actress Lily Cole, DJ and Elbow frontman Guy Garvey, actress Maxine Peake, poet Jackie Kay and World Record beatboxing champion Testament.