Podcasts about Ealing

Gloucester lost out in a hard fought, exciting and end to end match away to Northampton. We discuss the game, the performance and why the standards set in the match should be a source of encouragement (provided we can follow it up!)Two bonus points mean that the Cherry and Whites are in control of their own destiny on the final weekend in their search for Champions Cup Rugby.Meanwhile Gloucester Hartpury suffered their first league defeat of the season away to Ealing (who qualified for the playoffs) - we chat why this might not be the worst thing to happen while also discussing the announced departures of Sarah Beckett, Zoe Stratford and Tatiana Heard.Finally we go through the various Rugby rumours out there too.Ed PriceRuss BrookesJim HarleyWe are proud to be sponsored by PGT LLP

Ealing and Teddington both continue to be unbeaten in the top flight, Harrow are marching on in Div 1. North London nearly shock Eastcote, South Hampstead and Chiswick indulge in a run fest. And heard the one about the square being occupied prompting the match to be called off? Listen in for more.... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

French rugby takes centre stage this week after a dominant EPCR finals weekend, with Bordeaux-Begles battering Leinster 41-19 to claim the Champions Cup and Montpellier beating Ulster 59-26 in the Challenge Cup. The lads dig into how the Top 14 has opened up a serious gap on the URC and the Premiership teams, what went wrong at Leinster, whether Leo Cullen is under pressure, and how teams can bridge the gap. There's also chat on Louis Bielle-Biarrey's Player of the Year, Cheslin Kolbe's South African return, Steve Diamond's brutal Newcastle exit, a Hollywood ending as Ealing are shocked in the Championship, rugby spying scandals from bushes to hotel fire alarms, and a few grassroots shoutouts from Middlesbrough, Mold RFC and Syracuse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The premier division league table is taking shape, but not perhaps in the way many anticipated. Ealing are flying, North Midd and Shay Boo are - on the face of it at least - struggling. Elsewhere, unpredictability never seems to be far away. That's most obviously the case with Tentelow in Div 7; beaten by Gautum Buddha on Saturday, facing Shepherd's Bush in the last 16 of the T20 on Monday. They couldn't, could they....?  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas sits down with Spencer Murphy — Assistant Professor in Media and Communications at Coventry University, specialist in film theory and cross-cultural cinema, and founder of the Coventry East Asian Film Society — for a wide-ranging, enthusiastic, and genuinely entertaining conversation about British film. What is a British film, exactly? Is it about the money, the cast, the crew, the story, or the setting? How does class permeate almost every British film ever made, from Ealing comedies to Harry Potter? Why does the British landscape function as a character in its own right? And why do Americans connect so deeply with British cinema when its sensibility — restrained, ironic, self-deprecating — is so different from Hollywood's? Jonathan and Spencer also trade their top five British films each, debate the new Wuthering Heights adaptation (neither of them liked it), and discuss why British cinema's literary inheritance is both its greatest strength and, sometimes, its creative limitation. Links Spencer Murphy at Coventry University BFI Top 100 British Films Dead Man's Shoes (2004, Shane Meadows) The Full Monty (1997) The Remains of the Day (1993) Rebecca (1940, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) Tamara Drewe (2010, dir. Stephen Frears) Friends of Anglotopia Takeaways Defining what constitutes a British film is genuinely one of the hardest questions in film studies — it can't be reduced to funding source, shooting location, cast, or director alone. Both Jonathan and Spencer agree the most satisfying answer involves who is behind the artistic vision, but even that gets complicated fast. The "Mary Poppins test" is Spencer's shorthand for films that feel very British on the surface but aren't authentically so — the tourist's vision of Britain, the chocolate-box version that meets an expectation rather than reflecting a reality. British film has a deep and complicated two-way relationship with how Britain represents itself to tourists — Hollywood's vision of Britain shapes what visitors expect, and British places have increasingly adapted to meet those expectations, from Harry Potter shops in York's Shambles to the way villages brand themselves around filming locations. Class is the single most persistent thread running through British cinema across every decade and genre — from Ealing comedies to Downton Abbey to Trainspotting — and Spencer argues it's almost impossible to think of a major British film that isn't, consciously or not, about the class system. British cinema's literary inheritance — the endless cycle of Jane Austen, Brontë, and Robin Hood adaptations — is both a commercial lifeline and a creative constraint. Spencer sees it as potentially reducing the space for new voices and contemporary stories, though he acknowledges the money it generates can fund smaller, more singular films. The British landscape is not just a setting in British cinema — it functions as a character, carrying regional pride and identity in a way that Hollywood rarely matches. Spencer notes that British location managers and production designers feel a deep obligation to get place right in a way their American counterparts don't always have. Spencer's explanation for why Americans love British film comes down to one word: self-deprecation. British culture — and British cinema — is not afraid to ridicule itself, to see its own shortcomings, and to raise them with others in a way that doesn't quite offend. He sees this as the quality Hollywood fundamentally cannot replicate. The new Wuthering Heights adaptation was a near-universal disappointment for both Jonathan and Spencer — not for lack of visual quality, but for failing the fundamental question every film must answer: who is this for? Spencer's most unexpected recommendation is Dead Man's Shoes (2004) by Shane Meadows — a harrowing, masterful, deeply regional Midlands film that he shows students as one of the most authentic and powerful representations of working-class Britain ever put on screen. The incoming Harry Potter TV series — set explicitly in the 1990s with a period-appropriate visual aesthetic — is likely to have a bigger impact on British tourism than anything since the original films, and will once again reshape what visitors expect Britain to look and feel like when they arrive. Soundbites "When I grew up, I really loved Hong Kong movies — Bruce Lee. The thing that fascinated me was you had streets with Chinese signs, but then Royal Albert Street, buses that looked like London buses. I remember my dad saying, 'Oh, it's part of Britain.' And I was like, what? That can't be so." — Spencer on the connection between British colonialism and his career in film. "It's almost like a snake eating its tail. Britain adapts to meet the expectation that its own exported films have created. You go to the Shambles in York and every other shop sells Harry Potter things and tea — because that's what people want to see." — Spencer on cinema's two-way influence on British culture and tourism. "Class in the UK is not purely related to finance. You can be a very, very wealthy working class person. You could be a millionaire and you'll always be working class. That idea of class being embedded generationally — going back hundreds and hundreds of years — movies articulate that struggle." — Spencer on why class is the defining thread of British cinema. "I'm from the Black Country — a heavily industrial area. I moved into what people would call a very middle class job as a lecturer at university. But my accent, the way I speak, where I'm from — it's working class and it will never leave me." — Spencer on living the class story British cinema tells. "You could argue British cinema is trying, in the 1940s post-war period, to lay out the parameters of class once more — because the great leveller of class was the Second World War, when it really didn't matter who your parents were. People were dying at every rank." — Spencer on class and British cinema's post-war identity crisis. "I always think of it as the King Charles test. He gave that speech in Congress — understated, but deeply critical, undercutting the president in a way where nobody could quite call him out for it. That is quintessentially British. And I think British film does that too." — Spencer on why Americans love British cinema's self-deprecating wit. "You're never going to see a British version of Top Gun. It's just never going to happen. Hollywood can be very congratulatory. British cinema is not afraid to ridicule what it is to be British — and I think that appeals to American audiences enormously." — Spencer on the fundamental difference between British and American cinema. "Wuthering Heights — I watched it and I thought, I don't even know what it felt like, but it didn't feel British to me. I wasn't sure who it was made for. Is this made for 19 year olds? Because I don't get it." — Spencer on the Emerald Fennell adaptation. "Dead Man's Shoes is harrowing and awful, but it had a massive impact on me. It touches on class, on the 1980s, on the downtrodden. It's a film I've seen about three times. I show it to students because it's just masterful." — Spencer on his most unexpected British film recommendation. "When they replayed the Royal Wedding coverage in the pub, you know what came on after it on BBC One? Wallace and Gromit. The perfect chaser of all that Britishness." — Jonathan on the most quintessentially British television scheduling decision ever made. ⠀ Chapters 00:00 Introduction — Jonathan sets up the episode and introduces Spencer Murphy 01:50 Spencer's Journey into Film — VHS tapes, corner video stores, Hong Kong martial arts films, and an accidental PhD 04:36 Jonathan Meets His Wife at Film School — A brief Anglotopia origin story 05:13 Southeast Asian Cinema and the British Colonial Lens — How post-1997 Hong Kong shaped Spencer's thinking about national cinema 08:52 What Is a British Film? — The question neither host can fully answer, and why that's the right response 12:36 Jonathan's Working Definition — Setting, cast, and the authenticity test 13:37 The Merchant Ivory Problem — When a British story isn't quite a British film 14:32 The Mary Poppins Test — How to spot a tourist's version of Britain on screen 16:17 Harry Potter, Bond & Lawrence of Arabia — Are America's favourite "British" films actually British? 18:46 Cinema's Two-Way Effect on Britain — How films shape the places they portray 20:53 Harry Potter as Britain's Biggest Cultural Export — And the new TV series that will change tourism again 22:29 The Visual Identity of the Harry Potter TV Show — Why setting it in the 1990s is a smart move 24:28 British Film Genres — Social realism, heritage drama, comedy, Hammer Horror, and what each adds to the British identity 26:50 Class as British Cinema's Defining Thread — Why it runs through every genre from Ealing to Peaky Blinders 31:33 The Full Monty, Billy Elliot & Richard Curtis — Class in 1990s British film 33:36 Accents, Class & the Transatlantic Voice — From clipped 1930s RP to Trainspotting's Scots 38:45 British Cinema & Literary Adaptation — Strength or creative constraint? 42:49 The New Wuthering Heights — Two film lovers find they agree it didn't work, and debate why 47:36 Landscape as Character — How place functions in British cinema differently from Hollywood 52:08 Why Americans Love British Film — Self-deprecation, irony, and the King Charles Congressional speech 55:23 The Battle of Britain vs Top Gun — How British and American cinema represent heroism differently 55:50 Spencer's Top Five British Films — Rebecca, Dr. No, The Devil Rides Out, The Full Monty, Dead Man's Shoes 59:14 Jonathan's Top Five British Films — The Remains of the Day, Master and Commander, About Time, Tamara Drewe, That Hamilton Woman, Hot Fuzz, On Chesil Beach, and Wallace & Gromit 1:03:06 Wallace & Gromit After the Royal Wedding — The perfect end to any discussion of British culture 1:04:08 Wrap-Up — Spencer must dash, a second episode is promised, and a call to share your own favorite British films Video Version

For the first time this season, Gloucester secured back to back wins in the PREM after a hard fought victory over Sale Sharks at Kingsholm. We chat through the game, the reffing and whether we may have been too harsh (probably, but it was definitely a knock on before the George Ford drop-goal). Are there possibly some embryonic signs of improvement for next season?Meanwhile, Glos-Hartpury continue their preparation for next season with multiple re-signings (and a departure) announced. We look ahead to the final weekend of the W6N and the last few games of the PWR campaign.Finally, while Ealing will be preparing for their CHAMP playoffs and potentially a move to the URC, we discuss Cornish Pirates new investment from across the pond and what that might mean for Gloucester.

This week on The Rugby Pod, the lads dive into the RFU backing Steve Borthwick despite England's worst Six Nations in 50 years, as questions continue to be asked about direction. There's plenty of beef across the Premiership and URC with Saracens finding form, Leicester battering Northampton, Leinster eyeing top spot and controversy everywhere from croc rolls to red cards and VAR. Plus club takeovers, Ealing to the URC rumours, Halfpenny retirements and a huge live show announcement at Everton's new stadium. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Britain's governing Labour party and main opposition Conservatives have suffered heavy losses as the populist right wing Reform surges ahead in early results from English local elections. We look at what this means for the country's traditional party system and how long the current prime minister can last in light of these results.Also in the programme: President Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is still in place despite a series of clashes in the Strait of Hormuz; we mark the 100th birthday of the documentary maker David Attenborough; and we'll look at how the war in Iran is causing a shortage of saffron in Italy.(Photo shows the UK's prime minister Keir Starmer speaking at a meeting with Labour Party members in Ealing, West London on 8 May 2026. Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)

The morning after elections, political parties send their leaders out to areas where they outperformed expectations to try and sell a narrative about their results, even on the bruising nights.Such was the scale of Labour's defeat that for much of the night, it wasn't clear whether there was anywhere they could send Starmer. Eventually, he headed to Ealing where Labour kept control of the council. In West London, Starmer insisted he isn't "going to walk away". He acknowledged that "voters have sent a message about the pace of change". But isn't that message that they would like a Reform government? Isn't it at the very least that they do not want him to remain in Downing Street?Where does Labour go from here - and is Nigel Farage now measuring the curtains in 10 Downing Street?Later, Luke Tryl on the complete collapse of the two party system.The News Agents is brought to you by HSBC UK - https://www.hsbc.co.uk/

The more observant amongst you may have noticed that there's a Glen Powell movie in the cinema at the moment that bears a striking resemblance to a stone cold Ealing classic. We won't be She-watching How to Make a Killing as it falls outside of our (self-imposed, liable to change at any time on a whim) remit but we have enjoyed revisiting Kind Hearts and Coronets, a film mathematically eight times better than Star Wars, if you're a fan of Sir Alec Guinness. If you haven't seen it before, it's worth seeking out before listening to the podcast. You're in for a treat with this jet black comedy that has more murder and extra-marital affairs than we've ever seen in a PG movie (but they're posh, so it doesn't count!).

The shocking torture and murder of Shakira Spencer in Ealing, West London, is one of the most disturbing UK true crime cases in recent years. In September 2022, the 35-year-old was found dead in her Hanwell flat after not being seen for weeks. What initially appeared to be a welfare concern quickly unravelled into a horrifying case involving prolonged abuse, coercive control, and extreme violence at the hands of people she trusted.In this episode of British Murders with Stuart Blues, I break down the full case, including the roles of Shaun Pendlebury, Ashana Studholme, and Lisa Richardson, the investigation by the Metropolitan Police, and the disturbing details revealed during the Old Bailey trial. This UK true crime story highlights issues around vulnerability, manipulation, and missed warning signs, and serves as a stark reminder of how dangerous coercive control and abuse can become when left unchecked.Exclusive content:Patreon - Ad Free, Early Access, Exclusive EpisodesFollow the show:British Murders with Stuart BluesDisclaimer:The case discussed in this podcast episode is real and represents the worst day in many people's lives. I aim to cover such stories with a victim-focused approach, using information from publicly available sources. While I strive for accuracy, some details may vary depending on the sources used. You can find the sources for each episode on my website. Due to the nature of the content, listener discretion is advised. Thank you for your understanding and support. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What a delight to talk to laura thompson about Agatha Christie. Above all, this episode was fun. Laura really does know more than anyone about Agatha and we covered a lot. What did Agatha Christie read? What did she love about Shakespeare? Was she pro-hanging? Why so much more Poirot than Marple? Why was she so productive during the war? We also talked Wagner, modern art, the other Golden Age writers, nursery rhymes, TV adaptations, poshness, nostalgia, Mary Westmacott, and plenty more. TranscriptHENRY OLIVER: Today I am talking to the very splendid Laura Thompson. All of you will know Laura's Substack. She has also written books about the Mitfords, heiresses, Lord Lucan, many other subjects, and most importantly today, Agatha Christie, who died 50 years ago. And there's a new book coming from Laura about Agatha Christie's 1926 disappearance.Laura, welcome.LAURA THOMPSON: So lovely to be here, Henry. I'm such a fan of your Substack, as you know.OLIVER: Well, same. Same. This is a mutual admiration call.THOMPSON: Well, thank you. Well, that's what we like.Christie's Favorite WritersOLIVER: Now tell me, what did Agatha Christie like to read?THOMPSON: Oh, a lot the same as us. I discovered she was a huge fan of Elizabeth Bowen, as we are. And Nancy Mitford, Muriel Spark. But her big love really was Dickens. She absolutely adored Dickens. I mean, she grew up in a house full of books, you know, and she wrote a screenplay of Bleak House for which she was handsomely paid. And it was never—I know, don't you long to know what that was like? Can you imagine—OLIVER: We've lost it? We don't have the typescript?THOMPSON: I've never seen it. I mean, maybe—I don't know whether it exists somewhere. But I just wonder how she tackled it, what she did. But yes, so that happened. And of course, Shakespeare, as we know from her books, which are full of subliminal and—I mean, you kind of notice them, but you don't have to.OLIVER: Yes. There's Shakespeare in every book?THOMPSON: No, but it's there, particularly Macbeth, which I suppose figures.OLIVER: Yeah.THOMPSON: Like The Pale Horse is completely Macbeth themed. And when I was a kid reading them, I think she really—Tennyson she uses a lot—she affected my reading in a good way.OLIVER: She sent you back to Shakespeare and the poets?THOMPSON: Well, sent me to them as a kid, probably. And also, there's a lot of Bible in her books, as I'm sure you've noticed.OLIVER: Yes. Yes.THOMPSON: Very easy facility with quoting the Bible.Christie and ShakespeareOLIVER: Now, what did she learn from Shakespeare? Because she clearly knows the plays in detail. She sees them a lot. She reads them. She and he are, I think, quite good plotters.THOMPSON: Is she even better than he is?OLIVER: Well, let's not get into that. But there is a sort of, in a funny way, a kind of affinity between them as writers.THOMPSON: That's so interesting.OLIVER: What do you think she learned from him?THOMPSON: Tell me how you—how you see that.OLIVER: Well, do you know that Margaret Rutherford adaptation, which probably you don't like and I do—THOMPSON: Go on.OLIVER: It's called Murder Most Foul, isn't it?THOMPSON: Yes.OLIVER: And there's something about the way that they can both walk the line between the sort of dark and deadly and the histrionic. Margaret Rutherford can't walk that line, but Agatha Christie can, right?THOMPSON: That's really interesting.OLIVER: And Miss Marple could come onstage in a couple of the plays. She's not so far off from being a Queen Margaret or some—in her angry moments maybe, do you think?THOMPSON: More rational, maybe.OLIVER: Much more rational.THOMPSON: Not so mad. Well, she's not mad, Margaret, is she? But she's upset.OLIVER: She starts off as a much sort of nastier character—Murder at the Vicarage, right?THOMPSON: Yes, she does. She was more acidic and then gradually—OLIVER: Waspish.THOMPSON: Waspish, and sort of mellowed. I see what you mean. And almost in the way that she calls herself—although that's obviously not Shakespeare—calls herself Nemesis.OLIVER: And the sense of atmosphere.THOMPSON: Yes, and the way they're structured. That's not necessarily just true of Shakespeare, but there is this sort of act three entanglement and this beautiful act five resolution that goes on with a soliloquy, I suppose.OLIVER: And some people think they both get confused in act four, but that's obviously not true, that this is the real mess of the plot. I think she might have learned quite a lot from Shakespeare, right?THOMPSON: That's really interesting. But, you know, the way she writes about Shakespeare in her letters to her second husband, Max, because when she was living in London during the war and almost at her most productive—I mean, her productivity levels are insane. And hitting every ball for six, really, you know: Towards Zero, Five Little Pigs, a couple of Westmacotts, which I'm sure we'll talk about. But she spent a lot of time going on her own to see Shakespeare.She's very—I hope I'm right in saying this—she's very sort of Ernest Jones [CB1] in her approach. She doesn't regard them so much as the products of words on a page; she regards them as rounded characters. Why were Goneril and Regan the way they were? What's wrong with Ophelia? You feel like saying, “Well, whatever Shakespeare wanted it to be,” but she sees them in that way. And Iago particularly—OLIVER: Yes.THOMPSON: —is the one that gets her. Yes. In one of her, I better not say which, but a major, major novel.And the book that she wrote under the name Mary Westmacott, The Rose and the Yew Tree, which I think might well be her best book of all. I think—well, I'll just say she wrote these six books under a pseudonym, Mary Westmacott. People call them romantic novels; that's sort of the last thing they are. And they're very, very interesting mid-20th-century human condition novels, and they're full of lots of stuff that she had to distill for the detective fiction. And she talks a lot about Iago in The Rose and the Yew Tree really interestingly, I think.Christie on Shakespeare?OLIVER: Now, Max said she should just write a book about Shakespeare, all this Shakespeare all the time. But she didn't. Why?THOMPSON: No. I don't think she ever liked being told what to do.OLIVER: [laughs]THOMPSON: His letters to her are quite annoying, aren't they?OLIVER: Yes, yes. I've only read what's in your book, but yes, I didn't warm to him.THOMPSON: I'm glad because people do. He gets a really good press even though he was unfaithful. But it worked, the marriage, because they both got what they wanted from it. But he said that, yes, and she says, “Oh no, they're just thoughts for you.” I don't think she would've felt the need, somehow. I think she liked saying things in her own more oblique way.OLIVER: Save it for the novels.THOMPSON: Yes, she's a great mistress of the indirect, I think, really. The way she writes about Macbeth in The Pale Horse, which I think is a really underrated novel, including thoughts on how it should be staged, which are really interesting and very, very good. I think she would've preferred to do that and use it to her ends.And of course, she has an incredibly powerful sense of evil, which I suppose is also in Shakespeare. Hers is a Christian sensibility, I mean, no question. People never talk about that, but it really is.OLIVER: Was she pro hanging?THOMPSON: Well, I think she took a kind of utilitarian approach that the innocent must be protected. And she took a view that if you've killed once, it becomes very easy to kill again because something in you has shifted, so you become a danger to the community. So I suppose in that sense she was.I mean, Miss Marple was. She's quite—“I really feel quite glad to think of him being hanged.”OLIVER: It's one of her most striking lines.THOMPSON: It is, isn't it?OLIVER: Yes.THOMPSON: So I suppose she was. I mean, I suppose she was. You know, she's very modern, she's very subtle in her thinking, but at the same time, she is a late Victorian product of her society. Yes.Dickens and Christie's FamilyOLIVER: Now, you mentioned this Bleak House script. She loved Bleak House. Do we know what she loved about it? It's obviously the first detective novel. Are there other factors?THOMPSON: You are going to know—this is when I'm going to start coming across as an idiot. Is it written before The Moonstone? Yes, of course it is.OLIVER: I think so. Yes. Yes. It's the first time there's a police detective in a major English novel.THOMPSON: Okay. I think she—do you know, this is a really good question. I don't actually know why she loved Dickens so much. She grew up—she had that rather intriguing upbringing whereby she had two much older siblings, a sister who was 11 years older, a brother who was 10 years older. Father died when she was 11.So she grew up incredibly close with a really rather intriguing mother, Clara. This is in the house at Torquay. And her mother encouraged her in a way that, it seems to me, quite unusual for the time and for the class to which she belonged. Because it was never deemed that it would interfere with her marrying and leading a more conventional life. But she always wanted to express herself creatively. And I think her mother possibly was a frustrated creative. I don't know. She had a lot of go in her.And whether it was just something she read with—I think anything she did at an early age with her mother would've made a huge impression on her. I think what you read when you're that age, you never quite—I never read Dickens at that age, so I've never quite got the habit.OLIVER: But if she's born in 1890, presumably her mother is just about old enough to have been alive when Dickens was alive. And so she's got a somewhat direct—THOMPSON: Yes, she was.OLIVER: You know, it's sort of back to the original culture of it, as it were.THOMPSON: Yes. Isn't that extraordinary?OLIVER: Yes. Yes. It's crazy to think. So she must have taken it in maybe in a more original way, somehow?THOMPSON: Possibly. Certainly Tennyson, I get that feeling, because her mother wrote this rather leaden sub-Tennysonian poetry. [laughter] It's like Tennyson on the worst day he ever had, but worse than that.OLIVER: But worse, yes.THOMPSON: Yes. And she wrote poetry like that, the mother, which is really rather sweet and touching to read. And obviously she would've been alive at the same time as Tennyson. So, yes, I'd never, ever thought of that before. Isn't that extraordinary? I mean, they went to see Henry Irving.OLIVER: Yes.THOMPSON: Yes. And yet she feels—it just amazes me, this—so I'm leaping slightly here, but this 21st-century halo of cool that she has around her, Agatha Christie. [laughter] I know, it's awful in a way, but the way she can be reinterpreted—that is a bit Shakespearean, in a way.I don't mean to make extravagant claims, but there's a sort of translucent quality to what she writes that means that people can impose and pull it and twang it and know that she won't let them down, as we are seeing constantly at the moment.Art and MusicOLIVER: Yes. No, I agree. Other arts—we know about all this, she loves reading. What music did she enjoy, for example? Did she like paintings?THOMPSON: Yes, she loved paintings. She liked modern art. She was painted by Kokoschka. It's very good. And she writes about modern art. In Five Little Pigs, the painter in that is a modern artist.And then music was her grand passion. I mean, music was her original career choice, as you know, of course. She must have had a good voice. She thought she could make a career of it. And she could play the piano. Beautiful piano at Greenway, it's still there.And they used to do this thing—I think it's a lovely idea—as a family. They would fill in what they called the book of confessions, and it would be questions like, “What is your state of mind? If not yourself, who would you be?” And at the age of 63, which is the last time she filled it in, she wrote, “An opera singer.” So that was still what she would've dreamed of doing. She loved Wagner very, very deeply.OLIVER: Okay. Interesting.THOMPSON: And there's a Wagner theme in a very late book, Passenger to Frankfurt, the one that everybody hates except me. And music, I mean, as a girl when—so her voice wasn't strong enough for opera. I think her ultimate—same as I grew up wanting to be a ballet dancer, I think her ultimate would've been to sing Isolde at Covent Garden.And in some of her short stories and in her first Mary Westmacott, which is called Giant's Bread, which is about a musician—and she really inhabits this character, Vernon, and it's all about modern music. And somebody who knew about this stuff, which I don't, told me, “No, she knew. She knew what was going on. She knew about the trends.” This is in the late twenties.And she always went to Beirut, and that was her real, real, real passion. She was one of those restlessly creative people. And her mother, God bless her, encouraged it.Christie's UniquenessOLIVER: What is it that distinguishes her from the other detective fiction writers? Because she doesn't, to me, feel—she's obviously part of this whole generation, this whole golden age, whatever you want to call it, but she doesn't feel the same as them somehow.THOMPSON: No.OLIVER: What is that?THOMPSON: Do you think it's her simplicity, that distilled simplicity that she has? She doesn't write linear; she writes geometric, I always think.OLIVER: Tell me what you mean.THOMPSON: Well, if you think of a book, the one I admire the most, as I constantly go on about, which is Five Little Pigs—you think about the amount of stuff that's in that book. It's a meditation on art versus life. The solution is unbelievably intriguing, I think. There's a whole family psychodrama in there. And every move of the plot, she's also moving on a—every move of the plot is impelled by a revelation of character. So plot and character are utterly intertwined, distilled together.I don't think any of the others can do that. I think Dorothy Sayers would take twice as many pages. And she'd dot every i and cross every t, and she couldn't bear loose ends or anything, could she? And she liked to reveal her knowledge of other things, almost to—I think the others like you to know that they're a bit better than the genre, maybe. Their detectives are superhuman, almost; wish-fulfillment man, almost.She doesn't do that with Poirot. He's just pure omniscience, really, plus a few tics and traits and, you know, mustache. I think it's that distillation and simplicity and the way she inhabits the genre in a way that the others don't quite do. And at the same time, she's redefining it from within.OLIVER: There's something as well, I think, about—she gets past the kind of Sherlock Holmes model in a different way. They still all have a bit of an overreliance on that, maybe.THOMPSON: Yes.OLIVER: Whereas Poirot in, what is it? In something like, is it Murder in the Mews? Very sort of Sherlock and Watson—THOMPSON: Yes.OLIVER: —kind of dynamic. But within, I don't know, two or three novels, that's gone, and he's Poirot as we know him, as it were.THOMPSON: Yes, yes.OLIVER: And she kind of, as you say, makes it her own thing and goes off in new directions.Christie and the TheaterTHOMPSON: Yes. She's sort of conceptual and the others aren't quite, I think. She doesn't do—she does something completely different with the whole concept of what a solution is, it seems to me. She doesn't—it's not Cluedo, is it? It's not, there's six of them, and eventually it has to be one of them; however many tergiversations or however you say that word, you sort of know that. Whereas with her, it's: it's nobody, or it's everybody, or it's the policeman, or it's a child, or there's something bigger and bolder going on.And she writes—I think she writes very theatrically. I think she writes scenically. I think she's incredibly good at character and action. That scene where you know the girl's a thief because Poirot leaves out 23 pairs of silk stockings, and he goes back in the room and there's 19 or something like that, tells you everything. It's all in there.OLIVER: The solution to 4.50 from Paddington, which we shan't reveal, but—THOMPSON: That's Cards on the Table. But what I mean is, she's given us a little scene that tells us all we need to know about that person, really: a sort of timid thief who can't resist—OLIVER: Yes, but that's what I'm saying. At the end of 4.50, the solution is staged.THOMPSON: Oh, sorry. Yes.OLIVER: It is literally a little re-creation of the drama, if you see what I mean.THOMPSON: Yes, I do. Sorry, Henry. Yes, absolutely.OLIVER: No, no. We're crossed wires.THOMPSON: Yes, yes, yes.OLIVER: But she is very theatrical, yes.THOMPSON: No, you are absolutely right. That's a reenactment.OLIVER: Of something that was seen almost like in a—you know, the whole thing is very—THOMPSON: Yes, yes. Well, she was a great—I mean, obviously Shakespeare, but she was a great lover of the theater as a medium. And of course, she wrote plays, as we know, which I think are far weaker than her books, myself.OLIVER: Even The Mousetrap?THOMPSON: Especially. [laughter] When did you last see it? Or have you not—OLIVER: I've seen it once. I've seen it—you know, I don't know, before I had children, a long time ago. And I thought it was great. It was a lot of fun. The ending of act one, when someone opens a door and they say, “Oh, it's you.” It's very dramatic moments. You don't like it?THOMPSON: No, I think you're right. I wouldn't mind seeing it done really, really well. There's something strong at the heart of it, that theme that haunts a lot of her books about what happens to children who are unwanted.OLIVER: Yes.THOMPSON: Which is in loads of her—no, not loads. It's in Ordeal by Innocence. It's in Mrs. McGinty. That's, I think, because that happened to her mother. Her mother was given away as a child. Her own mother was a poor widow and gave up her daughter to be raised by her rich sister, which is not—it's not abandonment, but I think—OLIVER: Well, yes.THOMPSON: — it's not great. And I think all these things were absorbed by Agatha as a child. She grew up in what we would today call a house of—I hate this—strong women. I hate that “strong woman” thing, but they were strong women. Her mother was very, you know, as we've said, a sort of driving little person. And the rich grandmother, the poor sister, the dynamic there, they both fed into Miss Marple.And then her older sister, Madge, who was a big personality and actually had a play on in the West End before Agatha did, which I've always thought was extraordinary, just to write a play and have it on in the West End in 1924.And the men were—the father was feckless and charming and a rather grand New Yorker, he grew up as, and then settled in Torquay. And the brother was the Branwell Brontë. [laughter] He ended up a drug addict, which is also a type that feeds into her fiction: the man who could have made something of his life and goes wrong.The TV AdaptationsOLIVER: So all this theatricality in the books is obviously why she adapts so well to TV, and again, a lot of the others don't.THOMPSON: Yes, that's true.OLIVER: How famous would she be now without the TV adaptations?THOMPSON: Well, by 1990, so the centenary, she was a hell of a lot less—and that's really when the Poirots got going, which she never wanted. She never wanted—she didn't really want Murder on the Orient Express. It was only because it came via Lord Mountbatten. I don't know. I don't know because I think they're mostly not very good. I don't know what you think about the adaptations. But maybe that's deliberate, that they're less—if they drove you back to the books, you'd probably get quite a pleasant surprise.OLIVER: It's hard for me to say because I saw them all more or less after I'd finished reading her.THOMPSON: What did you think?OLIVER: I love Joan Aiken—not Joan Aiken, what's she called?THOMPSON: Yes, Joan Hickson is marvelous. Yes, absolutely.OLIVER: Hickson. I think she's just perfect because as you say, the simplicity, the not overstating. The “Pocketful of Rye” episode where she turns up and quotes the Bible, and the vicious older sister is there, and they have that moment. It's all so cleanly done.THOMPSON: Yes, I agree.OLIVER: David Suchet, I quite like him. I think he has those wonderful moments. “I cannot eat these eggs. They are not the same.” I think that's very good. It's very funny, you know, he gets it.THOMPSON: You prefer him in spats and art deco mode to when he became—he became like a de facto member of the House of Atreus by the end, hadn't he? It had gone very, very—OLIVER: I mean, I certainly didn't watch them all, no, no.THOMPSON: No. Well, I sort of had to.OLIVER: Yes, you did.THOMPSON: But I could never get through those short story ones. I don't think I've ever got—OLIVER: The moral sort of doom of it all, yes.THOMPSON: Well, the early ones, when they always had—you could see they'd hired a car for the day. [laughter] And I don't think I've ever got to the end of one of those.But I think—sorry, going back to your question, I think they probably did make a massive difference. You know, they're really, really popular. And whether she would have—what you think her—she might be read as much as somebody like Sayers if it weren't for all those adaptations. But then the fact of all those adaptations tells its own story in a way, because that wouldn't happen to one of the others, as you rightly said.Resurgence and PopularityOLIVER: No, they don't have that quality. And also, she was bigger than them. That's why they picked her, because she was bigger than them anyway.THOMPSON: And simpler. Because when I used to read them at university between the pages of Beowulf or whatever, like porn, [laughter] it was a bit mal vu. You read her for entertainment. But you certainly—I don't think—she's always been admired by a certain kind of French intellectual, hasn't she, for that subtextual quality that she has, that sort of fathomless quality that she has.But when I researched that biography, which I started in 2003, I can remember going on the radio. And names will not be named, but I was like a figure of fun with a couple of other detective writers, quite well known, who just sort of openly mocked me for taking her seriously and more or less said, “Oh yeah, we love her, but she's terrible” kind of thing. “Why are you taking her seriously?” I mean, it was regarded as a bit of a joke to take her seriously.I'm not saying I changed the game or anything like that, but I think there must have been a movement around that time in the early twenty-naughties—whatever the damn thing, decade's called—to start seeing that she is an interplay of text and subtext, facade and undercurrents, and these powerful foundations that underpin her books. Murder on the Orient Express is, you know, “Does human justice have the right to exert itself when legal justice has let it down?”There are these very strong—I think this is part of why she's survived the way she has. We intuit powerful truths underneath the Christie construct, if you like. I always say she's not real, she's true. I think she's incredibly wise about human nature, possibly more than any of them.You take a book like Evil Under the Sun, and there's a femme fatale who's murdered. “Oh, the femme fatale. No man can resist her.” Turns out she can't resist men. She's prey; she's not a predator. And of course, women who are so dependent on their looks and so on, that is what they are. They are prey. They're not predators. They're very, very vulnerable. Just a really small thing like that. And I just think, oh, you're very—there's so much easy wisdom in there somehow.And she deploys it perhaps differently—I mean, Ruth Rendell is wise, but it's very, “I am wise and you're going to pay attention to me.” You know what I mean? It's all very, “I'm very dark and very wise and very,” you know. I love her, but everything's so easy with Agatha. It's so, to coin a phrase, two tier. You can read them and have fun with them. You can read them and there's so much stuff going on underneath, and yet she presents this smooth face. I don't think any of the others are quite that resolved, if you like.Self-AdaptationsOLIVER: Now, you wrote that her own stage adaptations of The Hollow and Five Little Pigs lack the subtlety of the original books, quote, “almost as if Agatha herself did not realize what made them such good books.” How much of her talent do you think was unconscious in that way?THOMPSON: Yes. That's such a good question. I do think that, about those plays, it could have been that she just thought, “That's not what my audiences are going to want from me. They're just going to want to be entertained by”—we know she can do the other thing because of her Mary Westmacott books, where everything is laid out. They're not distilled at all; they're quite the opposite.I think they must have been such a pleasure for her to write because she didn't have to constantly—they're unresolved; they ask questions that don't have to be answered. She could have done that with those plays, I'm sure, but I think she would've thought people aren't coming to see them for that. I think she had a very good opinion of herself, in the best possible way.OLIVER: Hmm.THOMPSON: Like I said to you earlier, she didn't take a lot of notice of anything anybody said to her. Because it is like writing this other little book, the one I've just done about 1926. She was very acclaimed right from the start. I didn't emphasize that enough in the biography. And she was really recognized as very special right from the start.And I think it's extraordinary to me how—it's so difficult for us today, isn't it? We're so at the mercy of “That won't sell, don't do that, blah, blah, blah.” She really did not just plow her own furrow, but create that furrow in a way that you can only compare with, like, Lennon and McCartney. Or whether the time was absolutely right that they let her run, they trusted her to do what she wanted, and because she had the gift of pleasing readers . . .You do really feel, although those books are very tight and taut, you do feel an instinctive ease in what she's doing, an instinctive sort of—there's a kind of liberated—which sounds perverse because they are so controlled, the books. But I always feel she's doing exactly what she wants to do because she knows what it is and she knows how to do it. Because I think, would she be amazed that you and I are having this conversation now? I don't know that she would be, really. What do you think?OLIVER: No, I agree with you. I think she had what Johnson said, the felicity of rating herself properly. I think she knew she was really good.THOMPSON: You might know he'd say it right.OLIVER: Yes. [laughs] But there's a—I think there must have been something about—I think it's in Poirot's Christmas, one of those, where someone gets killed in the night in their bedroom, and they go up. And one of the women says, “Who would've thought the old man had so much blood in him?”And the quotation just sort of occurs to—I think there's quite a lot of that in Christie, right? Things are coming up and it fits. And she's good enough to run on instinct at times.THOMPSON: That's right. That's it. Exactly. That's absolutely right. Like the way she quotes from the—yes, I love the bit when she quotes from the Book of Saul in One, Two, Buckle My Shoe, which is really quite a profound novel about whether—I mean, it's terribly timely—whether it's better to be run by a corrupt capitalist or to let in the radicals. And as I said in the biography, the corrupt capitalist wins on points. But then another element enters, which is what power does to people. And that's when she quotes from the Book of Saul.And it's just like you said, this—an instinctive that she—I do always feel her as an instinctive writer, even though—her notebooks are intriguing because obviously some plots she really has to work away at. And yet they feel felicitous. A coup like The ABC Murders, and she's really—that went through lots and lots of iterations. But what she'll often do is scribble down a line of dialogue, a line of “There they are.” It's the whole—it's not bullet points, which is a loathsome concept. It reminds me of a bee going from flower to flower and knowing exactly which—and she's got this gift of knowing what flowers we're going to need.I sometimes fear I overdo it. I don't want be like one of those people who's writing a PhD on, what was the thing I said on Substack, gynocracy in St. Mary Mead or whatever. It's not—I do think that's a bit overdone these days, the rummaging in the subtext, because she's an interplay. And that's why I write that chapter in the book called “English Murder,” which is about the facade, you know, “smile and smile and be a villain.” And there's nothing more interesting. There's nothing more interesting than murder among classes who are trying to cover things up.And she does that—that's at the heart of golden age murder, I suppose. And I just think she does that better than anybody because she's so all the things we've been talking about. She's so distilled, she's so simple, she's so smooth, she's so instinctive. And she's doing it the way she wanted to do it because of your wonderful Dr. Johnson quote. She knew not to take notice of other people, including her—Quick Opinions on ChristieOLIVER: Should we have—THOMPSON: Yes. Go on.OLIVER: Sorry, sorry. Should we have a quick-fire round?THOMPSON: Please.OLIVER: I will say the name first of a few of her books—THOMPSON: Oh, god.OLIVER: —and then a few other detective writers, and you will just give us your unfiltered opinion: good, bad, ugly, indifferent.THOMPSON: Okay. What fun.OLIVER: You can “nothing” them if you want to.THOMPSON: Okay. [laughter]OLIVER: Hallowe'en Party.THOMPSON: Underrated. Very interesting on sixties counterculture and the effects of societal breakdown, et cetera. What do you think?OLIVER: I think it's a real page turner. I remember reading that for the first time. I loved it. Yes. Nemesis.THOMPSON: I can't keep saying the same thing. Underrated. [laughter] Very interesting philosophy of love in that book, I think. I think it harks back to her first marriage. However badly it turns out, it's better to have experienced it. It's quite a mournful novel.OLIVER: The Mr. Quin—THOMPSON: Oh.OLIVER: Oh, sorry.THOMPSON: No, no. Sorry. You carry on. Marvelous. So inventive, don't you think? Such a clever character.OLIVER: Why didn't she do more of him?THOMPSON: Yes, that would've been good. And she was always interested in the commedia dell'arte. She wrote poems about it as a girl. And the concept of Mr. Quin, yes, as this sort of evanescent figure who's also a moral force, isn't he really? Or—yes, I wish she'd done more. They're marvelous.OLIVER: Towards Zero.THOMPSON: Oh, top notch, don't you think?OLIVER: One of the best.THOMPSON: Yes, I agree. Frightening motive. Very Ruth Rendell.OLIVER: It's very distinct in her. I haven't read all of her novels, but it's very distinct.THOMPSON: But the plot is, again, typical of her because it redefines the word contingent. [laughs] I mean, Dorothy Sayers would be having palpitations. She's very bold and grand like that. “Oh, there's a loose end. Oh, who cares?” You know, I mean, it's so—it just drives along that book, doesn't it? Yes. But I agree with you, one of her best.OLIVER: Death on the Nile.THOMPSON: Quite moving, I think. I think it's one of those ones from the thirties that, again, is talking about love in a way that—I think it just strikes a personal note to me because she was very in love with her first husband, Archie Christie. And he did fall in love with another woman, and it did cause her extreme pain that some people said to me she never quite got over.And I feel that a little bit in that book. There's a shadow of something quite powerful in that book, I think. Again, very, very loose and lovely plot, but powerful. Would you agree? Very good on the place as well, I think, Egypt.OLIVER: I love it. I think the solution is great.THOMPSON: Yes.OLIVER: And it makes a really good film.THOMPSON: It's a great film, yes. Wonderful film.Other Mystery WritersOLIVER: Yes. Okay. A few other detective writers: Michael Innes.THOMPSON: You've got me. I haven't read him. Should I?OLIVER: Oh, I think you will like him. Yes. Try Hamlet, Revenge!THOMPSON: Okay. Okay. Oh, I like it already.OLIVER: Yes, yes, yes. Oh, this is exciting. Gladys Mitchell.THOMPSON: Can't get into her.OLIVER: No.THOMPSON: What do you think? Should I try a bit harder?OLIVER: I read two. I thought they were good. I was not intrigued.THOMPSON: No, somebody told—OLIVER: The ones I read—Spotted Hemlock is a wonderful, like, wow, that's great.THOMPSON: Okay. Okay. Somebody said to me, I know she really—no, I didn't—I read it in a book that she really hadn't liked Agatha Christie, but you know, who knows? All that Detection Club rivalry, you can imagine. But okay, Spotted Hemlock—if I'm going to read one, try that, yes?OLIVER: Yes, that's a great book. Margery Allingham.THOMPSON: Kind of love her, but I never understand her plots. I always feel I'm in a bit of a fog, but she's quite a good writer. Do you think? Or what do you think?OLIVER: She's good at the fog. She's good at that sort of whirligig sense that there's a lot going on—THOMPSON: Yes, whirligig.OLIVER: —and you've got to get to the end before they do, kind of thing.THOMPSON: Also, she had a pub in her sitting room. Now, I like a woman who has a pub in their sitting room.OLIVER: [laughs] E. C. Bentley.THOMPSON: You've got me again, Henry.OLIVER: Oh, The Blotting Book mystery. You'll like this.THOMPSON: Okay. Okay.OLIVER: The other one is not so good, but you'll like that a lot.THOMPSON: Okay.OLIVER: Edmund Crispin.THOMPSON: Didn't get on with him.OLIVER: Why not?THOMPSON: Don't know. Don't know. It sounds like I don't read the men, doesn't it? Which is not the truth at all.OLIVER: I think that's fair enough, isn't it?THOMPSON: Well, I don't know. I don't think anyone's ever come up with a really good reason why women have shone so brightly in this genre. I don't know. Why didn't I—I read that one, the toyshop one [The Moving Toyshop] or whatever. I don't know. I just didn't get on with it.OLIVER: Too glib?THOMPSON: Possibly.OLIVER: Bit flippant, bit sort of funny-funny?THOMPSON: Possibly. I just couldn't quite get hold of it in some way. I don't know.OLIVER: I quite like Edmund Crispin, but I do think he's got a bit of a “he's a very clever boy” about him.THOMPSON: Maybe that's what it was. Maybe that.OLIVER: Something, yes. G. K. Chesterton.THOMPSON: I haven't read Father Brown. Oh, this is awful, isn't it? I'm starting to sound like a radical feminist by accident.OLIVER: [laughs] Maybe that's what you are, Laura. Maybe you just need to admit it. [laughs]THOMPSON: No, it does. It sounds really bad because I do really love almost all the women. I just, I don't know why I haven't read him.Christie and NostalgiaOLIVER: Was Agatha a nostalgia writer?THOMPSON: No, I don't think so. I don't think so. I don't think anyone who was a nostalgia writer would've written At Bertram's Hotel, which is an entire spin on the riff of nostalgia. Really clever. I think that's such a clever book. The way she traps us in her golden age, you know, this phantasmagoria of the re-created golden age. And then she says, “Ha, really fooled you.”I've written about this. I think she moved with the 20th century far more than is realized. I love those Cold War novels she writes about her dislike of ideologies. I love her postwar books about the fragmentation of the hierarchical society. I think she's—well, she's an incidental social historian, as are, I think, P. D. James and Ruth Rendell, but they're much more underlined about it. Again, I'm intrigued what you think. Do you think she is?OLIVER: I think there's definitely some quality, particularly to the Miss Marple stories—as you say, the social history sort of becomes a way of preserving something that's disappearing. One of them, written in the sixties—you can tell me which one—it opens with that description of all the new houses in the village and the mothers who give their children cereal for breakfast. And what sort of a thing is that to give a child? They should have bacon and eggs. Bacon and eggs is a real—you know, and she does have a real something heartfelt and real sense that this part of England is going, and this new thing is coming in.THOMPSON: That's true. That's absolutely true. That's The Mirror Crack'd. And it's—OLIVER: The Mirror, yes, yes.THOMPSON: Yes, and that whole thing of Mrs. Bantry's house has now been bought by a film star and blah, blah, blah. Yes, no, you are absolutely right. I didn't think hard enough before I answered your question.OLIVER: But no, what you said is also true. I can't sort of work out to what extent she regrets it, to what extent it's just useful material for her, you know?THOMPSON: Both. I mean, some of her late books, including Endless Night, I think, which is an incredibly modern book—that whole “me, me, me” culture of “I want, therefore I will have now,” which is written when she was quite an old lady. And then a book like Passenger to Frankfurt, which is—it's a bit sub–Brave New World, but it's very honest and pessimistic about a future—well, the one we are living in, really—full of fear and uncertainty and almost dystopian.She was a realist. You know, she is Miss Marple in a lot of ways. She was a realist in a way that I think a lot of us would find it difficult to be. And her American publishers were often—would sort of say, can she tone this down? Can she not have a young person who's completely evil? Readers want to know, is she going get any therapy? [laughter] And it's so true. There's quite a lot of that going on.She's very clear-eyed. So if she—I'm a bit nostalgic for Blur, do you know what I mean? I mean, you can't help it, in a way, like that brilliant example you give at the start of The Mirror Crack'd. But I would say her image is quite at odds with the reality of her in that way. But the image—OLIVER: And the adaptations don't help with that.THOMPSON: No. No. But at the same time, that Christie image, you know, the gentlewoman, the tea or the eternal bridge party, blah, blah, blah, that has a huge power of its own. So just being too iconoclastic about her, I think, is also a lie. Because I think, again, it's that interplay. She used the image, and the image—I hate the word cozy. I loathe the word cozy, but there's no denying that any book of that kind does have that quality. So I suppose even that's nostalgic in a way.Christie's PoshnessOLIVER: In a way, yes. How posh was she?THOMPSON: Good question. I've been thinking about that a lot. Quite, I would say. Quite grand, with that confidence. Her father really was—as I said, he was a young blade in New York dancing with Jennie Jerome and blah, blah, blah. And then it so happened that he ended up in Torquay, which of course then was very posh. And the fact that when she disappears, she disappears to Harrogate, [laughs] which is like the Torquay of the north.I remember her grandson saying to me, “She dealt with her literary agent. To her, he was staff.” You know, that kind of thing. Her sister, there is a—well, her sister ended up very grand indeed with a huge house up in Cheshire.I think she just had that internal confidence, really. She wasn't—and that there wasn't much money. I mean, there was very little money when she was growing up, as of course you know, but that didn't matter. I mean, her voice is insane. Her voice is, [affecting a posh voice] “Oh, it's lucky it just happens.” [laughter] But yes, there's a part of her that is real late Victorian upper middle class that, again, underpins her books.It's amazing really how broad-minded and cosmopolitan she was. But possibly, I mean, possibly that does—she was—you know, when she disappeared, she was described in foreign newspapers as an Anglo-American, the embodiment of Englishness, and that's how she was described. And then of course she was genuinely cosmopolitan in her love of travel and her love of other cultures and all that obvious stuff. Yes.Inspirations for Miss MarpleOLIVER: How much of her grandmothers is in Miss Marple?THOMPSON: Quite a lot, I would say, particularly the—OLIVER: Drawn from life?THOMPSON: Well, in an essential way not, because Miss Marple has no real experience of life in that way. We're occasionally told about some chap who came calling who wasn't suitable or whatever, but she's almost defined by nonexperience of life in a sense, but observation of life. She's an observer. She's not an outsider in the way that Poirot is. She has a place within the social hierarchy and whatever, and that village has a reality to it. And the way it changes has a reality to it. But she is defined by being an observer, I would say.But Margaret Miller, who was the rich grandmother, who is the one who had the big house at Ealing and was—you know, she's the one who would go to the Army and Navy stores and all that stuff that's in At Bertram's Hotel. She was—there's a lot of her in Miss—I think, as I say in the book, she grew up with the sound of female wisdom in her ears. You know, her grandmother was the sort of—if she'd seen her up in Harrogate, she would've known exactly what was going on. You know, one of those kind of women who could spot an affair at a hundred paces, just a wise sort of woman, worldly, worldly woman.And Miss Marple is worldly in her thinking, but not in her experience, particularly in a book like A Caribbean Mystery, which I think is—she's a real sophisticate, Agatha. I mean, I'm reading The Hollow again at the moment. And it's really astounding to me how there's a love affair at the center of it with a young woman who's kind of a self-portrait and this married man. And not only, there's not—it's not only nonjudgmental; there's literally no concept of judgment being in the vicinity. It's really, really sophisticated, grown-up stuff, I think. And again, I think that's maybe not recognized about her that much.Nursery RhymesOLIVER: What are the importance of nursery rhymes to her?THOMPSON: Yes, that's interesting. They're part of that distilled quality she had, I suppose, that really simple ability to catch hold of something that is simple and familiar in itself and then subvert it. There's books where she—I don't think she needs it in Five Little Pigs. I think the book is almost too good for that.But is it not to do with that—like her titles, which are really, really simple with a faint frisson of the sinister about them. Is it not that ability she has to catch, to take something really, really simple and subvert it for her own ends? What do you think? Do you think that's right? Or do you think it's something more than that?OLIVER: No, I think the simplicity is the point, and I think it probably gives her a way of talking, of showing how fundamental the wickedness is. And as you say, the children can be evil, and it's part of the darkness in a way, but it gives the appearance of innocence and, oh, One, Two, Buckle My Shoe? You know, children do this. And so it leads you through and makes it worse somehow. [laughs]THOMPSON: Yes. Exactly. Exactly. But I know I've—how many times have I said the word simple? But I really do feel that's the heart of her. And I also feel it's the heart of why she was misunderstood when I was growing up reading her because it was mistaken for simplistic.Wartime ProductivityOLIVER: Why was she so productive during the war? I mean, there were four books one year.THOMPSON: Yes.OLIVER: And as you say, they're some of the best. I mean, what is it about the war that gets her so busy?THOMPSON: Well, she was on her own, which she had never been, really. Well, obviously she divorced her first husband in 1928. So there's a couple of very bleak, dead years before she met her second husband and married him in 1930. But she wasn't completely on her own because she had her friend Charlotte Fisher, who was a sort of secretary-companion, but much more than that—really, really good friend.But in the war, Max Mallowan was abroad. Her daughter—she had one child—her daughter was married and living in Wales. And she was living in the Isokon building in North London, which I love because that's like, “You think I'm chintzy and old fashioned. And here I am socializing with the sort of left-wing intelligentsia at the Isokon building.” And there's something about being in that adorable little flat—they're so fabulous, those flats—and being alone but not feeling abandoned, as she had after her first marriage.And I suppose also, you know, war is, you either cower in despair or you think, “Right, well, better get on with it.” War is stimulating in that way. I think it was to quite a few writers, maybe, or quite a few creatives. The shadow of death. But there was something about that solitude but not abandonment, plus the stimulation of not knowing whether it was your last day on earth that did—it did. I mean, it's absolutely insane how productive she is.And then she wrote—she had a week off. She was also working as a dispenser at a London hospital, and she had a week off. And she wrote a Mary Westmacott, Absent in the Spring, which is one of her best Westmacotts, I think. I mean, she's got a week off and she writes a book. I mean, Jesus, there's a challenge to us, Henry. [laughter]The Mary Westmacott NovelsOLIVER: What are those Mary Westmacotts like? Because I've never read them, but you seem very—THOMPSON: Oh, have you not?OLIVER: You're very up on them. You like them?THOMPSON: I am. I really am. Well, for a biographer, they were a treasure trove because they're very revealing. Unfinished Portrait is, I think, as close as you are ever going to come to a true autobiography, as opposed to the actual autobiography, which is charmingly disingenuous.OLIVER: And also dull. No? I mean, it's just so dull.THOMPSON: Do you think? It is a bit.OLIVER: I couldn't read it. I couldn't read it. No, it was so long and so leaden. I felt like she didn't really want to tell me the story of her life. Just couldn't.THOMPSON: Well, I think that's probably right. It was very heavily edited after her death. And her daughter was very, very protective of her. So, Max Mallowan as well. So maybe there was a much better book in there somewhere. Who knows?OLIVER: So we should read Mary Westmacott if we want the unfiltered Agatha?THOMPSON: I would say Unfinished Portrait. It really fascinates me because the worst time you've ever gone through in your life—so in 1926, she lost her mother and her husband in the space of four months. And I think an awful lot of people, even writers, would think, “I'm going to put that behind me and get on.” But she had to reopen the wound. She had to go through it all again eight years later. I find that really, in itself, incredibly revealing about her.Poirot vs. MarpleOLIVER: Why is there so much more Poirot than Marple?THOMPSON: Yes, I've wondered that because there is this little thing that she hated him, which I don't really think she did. It's just something people say, isn't it?OLIVER: Well, it's a common thing about artists. They're supposed to hate their most successful work, but—THOMPSON: Yes. Yes. All I could come up with was that he was easier to put in different places. He could conceivably be on the Nile or in Mesopotamia or—I mean, it would be a—she does manage to get Miss Marple to the West Indies, but it's certainly—OLIVER: There are only so many holidays your nephew can send you on.THOMPSON: He was really successful, that nephew, wasn't he? Who do you think he was like? Sort of Ian McEwan or—OLIVER: [laughs] I know. It was sort of crazy, isn't it?THOMPSON: And very kind to her.OLIVER: It might be to her credit that she doesn't do a Midsomer Murders thing and just sort of wave away and say, “Oh, we can just have as many of these murders as we want.” She says, “No, we can only fit—” Do you think maybe that's it?THOMPSON: I think there might be a bit of that. I mean, her notebooks sort of—some of the books were originally Marples, like Cat Among the Pigeons and Death on the Nile, in fact. And then they became Poirots. I just wonder whether he's a bit more malleable because she is a more rooted, fixed entity.And he is—I don't mean to denigrate David Suchet because he's a fantastic actor, but he does root him more than I think the written version. I think he is a sketch on the page. And one of her great skills, I think, is how she can sketch, and they've got that quality of aliveness on the page, which you just can't analyze, really. I don't—well, I can't. And that's how I see Poirot. So he was more movable in that sense.And she's incredibly good at certain—like Sleeping Murder, there's no way you could have him in that. And Miss Marple is—her qualities are so perfect for a book like that, which has suddenly reminded me of how she got me into John Webster. I never read John Webster until—OLIVER: [laughs] That's great.THOMPSON: The way she uses The Duchess of Malfi is so clever. Do you think that's right about Poirot? Do you think there's something more . . .Reader Preferences and SalesOLIVER: I can see that. I wondered if there was some reader's prejudice involved.THOMPSON: Oh.OLIVER: Poirot is the sort of exotic—Sherlock Holmes, one thing that makes him popular is that he's a bit wacky, you know. And Poirot—he's always talking about, “You English are so xenophobic. Excuse me, I am Belgian.” And with the eggs and all the little—whereas Miss Marple's just the kind of old lady that we all wish there were more of. And how much of that will readers take? I don't know.THOMPSON: Yes. Although, as I say, she, she did—I mean, I think her publishers did like her to do Poirot, but I don't know that she would've been influenced by that necessarily. I mean, maybe she was—maybe I'm overdoing her—OLIVER: Well, she had these terrible money problems. Didn't she have to be a little bit focused on the dollar?THOMPSON: She did. She did, but she didn't—well, I mean, the money problems are insane because they were absolutely no fault of her own. They were to do with test cases, and it was just this sort of accumulation of horror that put her in tax problems during the war. And she really never could dig her way out of them and was advised to go bankrupt twice, which is unbelievable, just as a way of clearing it. I mean, it's terrible.But I don't know that she—I think her attitude was a bit more, “Well, why should I even bother if they're just going to take it away from me?” In 1948 she didn't write anything at all because I think she thought, “What's the point?” But then, that wasn't her way. But I don't know that she thought of writing as a way of digging out of it necessarily. But I could be—OLIVER: The Marples, did they make less money? Were they, did they sell less?THOMPSON: Not really. I think they all sold. Even poor old Passenger to Frankfurt sold hugely, absolutely hugely. I think people—I mean, my parents would—it was like people just wanted them, the Christie for Christmas.Rereading ChristieOLIVER: How many times have you read these books? Do you ever get bored?THOMPSON: No.OLIVER: Really?THOMPSON: Well, I have them on rotation, and I don't—as you know, I do interleave them with our beloved Elizabeth Bowen, who's my passion at the moment, and other people. But they are consolatory, I suppose. They are—there's bits of—there is this kind of—there's bits of them that I just know completely off by heart, like the gramophone record in And Then There Were None and all that.But there's something—and maybe I should have said this earlier, when I say—I've said it on Substack—that they're fairy tales for adults. There's something about that. There's an almost physical sensation of pleasure, really, when the resolution comes. It is a bit like act five of Shakespeare. I'm not going to say she's quite on that level. Not even I am going to say that.But there is—and it is like being a child again and reading the end toward the happy-ever-after, even though her happy-ever-afters are sometimes compromised. And there is something almost primal in that pleasure. And it almost sounds borderline mad, me saying it like that, but I do think there's something in it because the resolution is so—because it's character based, and at her best, she's character and plot as one, as in Five Little Pigs or The Hollow or Murder on the Orient Express or blah, blah, blah.Her resolutions do tell you something about human nature. You do think, “Oh, yes, that is what that would be. Yes, it would be all about money. Yes. Yes, doctors are untrustworthy,” or something on a more profound level than that. There's something that is a satisfaction, both childlike and I'm experiencing it as an adult. In my defense, P. G. Wodehouse said you can never read them too many times. [laughs] It doesn't matter if you know who did it. There's so much pleasure in them.Thompson's CareerOLIVER: Now, I want to ask a little bit about your career.THOMPSON: Mm-hmm.OLIVER: You were at a sort of stage school, then you studied at Merton, and then you worked at The Times.THOMPSON: Yes. Very briefly. Yes.OLIVER: How does one therefore go from all of this to being the biographer?THOMPSON: Well, I did always think I would have a career in—I wanted to direct plays. I directed Hamlet after university, which is probably the thing I'm still proudest of. But what it was, was that I wrote a couple of books. I won an award when I was quite young.And then I had an agent who—I said to him, “I want to write a biography of Nancy Mitford.” And he wasn't very keen on the idea, but I must have written an okay proposal. Again, because I thought Nancy Mitford was a little bit undervalued, that she's a lot more than just a posh girl. And at the time her reputation was quite low. And so somebody bought into that idea, and it sort of went from there, really.But it's a bit—I sometimes look back at the books I've written, including a memoir of my publican grandmother, and I think, gosh, this is all quite scatter-gun, but maybe that's okay. Maybe you should just write the books you really want to write. But it was a passion for Nancy Mitford that sort of started that particular ball rolling.And then I had the idea of—oh, no. I was down in Devon with a boyfriend, and he said, “You never stop talking about Agatha Christie. Why don't you try and write her biography?” And that was just a luck of timing because her daughter was still alive. So I met her, and she liked me because I knew the Mary Westmacotts so well, and that sort of happened. I mean, quite often these things are very fortuitous, don't you think? Did you not find that with your book?OLIVER: Yes, yes. No, I did. I did. I think some writers, as you say—I don't think of it as scatter-gun. I think of it, it's sort of an emergent thing, and you happen to have these different interests, and you just follow your nose, and that's fine.THOMPSON: Yes, exactly.OLIVER: Tell us about this production of Hamlet.THOMPSON: Oh. Do you know, I think it was not bad. I had a very good Hamlet. I think if you've—well, you're in trouble without—who is now quite a successful actor. And we were all really young, but he was—I saw him in something and said, “Do you want to play Hamlet for me?” And he said, “Okay then.” And it was a room above a pub in Chelsea, and it was very spare and very quick.And it was about—I can't bear when people overanalyze the character of Hamlet, and why does he delay? He delays because Shakespeare wants him to, so that he can write all those incredible speeches. That's a bit simplified, but it was—he was so, he so understood the translucent power of those soliloquies, this actor. So it just sort of worked because we didn't do too much to it. And it was, yes, it was good. I think it was good. But then I did Macbeth, and that was much less good.Secretly Reading ChristieOLIVER: And you've said here, and I think you said it in your book, that when you were at Merton, you were reading Agatha Christie between the covers of what you were supposed to be reading.THOMPSON: Yes, yes, I was.OLIVER: That can't be—is that a slight exaggeration, or did you really not get on with the syllabus?THOMPSON: Well, hang on. I was a bit stuck in the first term. Can you imagine coming from a performing arts school—OLIVER: Yes.THOMPSON: —and then being told, “Read that bloody, you know.OLIVER: Yes, yes. No, it's intense.THOMPSON: All I knew was French. How I got in is a minor mystery, but there it was. I've tried to do it honor ever since by writing as best books I possibly can. But I was okay once I got over that bit. Once I got into my beloved Tennyson and all the people we've been talking about, Hardy and blah, blah, blah. Larkin, about whom the best thing I've ever read—the best thing I've ever read about Larkin is your Substack about him, without a shadow of a doubt.OLIVER: Oh, thank you.THOMPSON: Just wonderful. So I sort of winged it a bit, but I had a very nice don. And the autodidact side of me, which is very like Agatha Christie, who barely went to school, and Nancy Mitford—I think it can be a good thing in a way, because you have such a respect for learning and truth. I always try to be truthful in my biographies, which as we know, not everybody is. [laughter]And I think you carry on wanting to learn and carry on wanting to fill all the gaps because I only had half an education, because in the morning you would do ballet and drama and all that kind of thing. So it is a bit odd, but in some ways I think it's been a good thing.OLIVER: Now, the new book is about the 1926 disappearance. When can we expect it to be published?THOMPSON: It's only a short book—OLIVER: Yes.THOMPSON: —because obviously I covered it a lot in the biography, and it doesn't—but I have found out a couple of new things. And that will be out in August here and in November in America. And I have come up with a slightly different slant on it, but mainly—and I treat it a little bit like a cold case. And it was—I had to write—I wrote it in five weeks, but it was incredibly good fun. Oh, and I reenacted her journey, which was very interesting, to Harrogate.But mainly it's such a pleasure because I, you know, on Substack, and I think, “Oh, you can't write about Agatha Christie again.” There always seems to be quite a lot to say. I'm intrigued by how you, who I think of as a true intellectual, how you have clear regard for her.Henry on Agatha ChristieOLIVER: I started reading her when I was about 12, and I just thought she was great, and I went through most of them. But I read them at intervals. So I was reading her into my twenties, thirties. And before this interview I tried to—I thought, “Laura's always saying Five Little Pigs is the best one. I'm going to read it.” And I just sort of found that I've lost the taste, in a way.THOMPSON: Okay.OLIVER: Which I was quite, I don't know, just maybe—I feel like this is my failing. Maybe I should take a week off and sit by the pool and read it properly. But I've always thought she's really, really great, and very few people can do that many very compelling stories without you sort of thinking, “Oh, I've read this one. I know. Yes. It's the same as the other one, isn't it? Yes. Yes, it was the”—as you say, it's not Cluedo. Even Dorothy L. Sayers, I don't think I could read much more by her, frankly. Great, she's great, but it's enough. [laughs]THOMPSON: Well, I quite like her. The whole—most girls who went to Oxford are quite keen on Gaudy Night, and the character of Harriet Vane is quite satisfying, I think.OLIVER: Indeed, indeed. And Strong Poison is great. And there—but I just mean if she'd written as many books as Agatha, you can't imagine it would've sustained the level of quality.THOMPSON: No, no. There is that lightness in Agatha and that terrible cliché of, “I wrote a long book because it was too—I didn't have enough time to write a short book,” and all that kind of thing. The brevity amazes me. When I said at the start, most writers would take twice as many pages to get all that in.She has style—I don't know if you can call it a style, but there is something blindingly effective about it that nobody can imitate. And it does—there's something so fathomless about her, and that's what continues to compel me. But I think it's very lovely of you to do this if you are no longer an admirer because you've let me sort of—OLIVER: Well, it's not that I'm not an admirer. It's just that I don't—I had this with P. G. Wodehouse. I read quite a lot of it, and now, I don't know, somehow I've reached a point where it's—I sort of get it, but it's just not that funny anymore. I don't know, just need some time away.THOMPSON: Well, maybe. Maybe, but you know, I'm a bit—she's part of my life now. It's like if somebody said, “You can't read her anymore,” it would be like, “You can't listen to the Rolling Stones anymore.” I mean, it'd be like a kind of death. She's part of my life the same way they're part of my life. She's now inseparable from just the way I go on, as is Shakespeare. And if I had to lose one of them, trust me, it would be her, you'll be reassured to know. [laughter]OLIVER: Very good. Laura, this has been a lot of fun. Thank you very much.THOMPSON: Oh, I've really enjoyed it. I really have. And I was really looking forward to it, and it's been even nicer than I thought it would be. So thank you.OLIVER: Oh, it's been delightful.THOMPSON: Thank you so much, Henry.OLIVER: Thank you. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.commonreader.co.uk

James Cameron-Wilson laments box office down 32%. #2 Reminders of Him, a Colleen Hoover adaptation, is complete trash and yet, predictable though it is, it has relatable characters and is hard to dislike. #3 How to Make a Killing is an adaptation of the famous Ealing comedy, Kind Hearts and Coronets. Sadly, this lacks the wit or appeal of the original and is to be avoided at all cost. As ever, James was excited by the Oscars, with most of his predictions coming good. It was, he says, the most predictable ceremony for a long time. Although One Battle After Another won Best Picture, it was really the year of the horror film, which has perhaps become respectable again. One of the highlights was the great speech given by Jessie Buckley. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Joining Carys this week is the brilliant Phineas Harper. Phin is a writer, founder and cultural leader whose work spans criticism, curation, education, journalism and sculpture. Phin was Chief Executive of Open City, Deputy Director of the Architecture Foundation, Deputy Editor of the Architectural Review, Chair of the Design Council Homes Taskforce.Together, Carys and Phin discuss the arrest of Peter Mandelson, attacks on Green Party byelection candidate Hannah Spencer, the BBC's controversial coverage of the BAFTAs, and the collapse of a construction company that will lead to 105 half-built homes to be demolished in Ealing.Support us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠PATREON⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - get bonus episodes, a weekly newsletter and become a part of our members-only WhatsApp community.Email us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠info@overunderpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to the newsletter at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.overunderpod.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow us on all socials @over_under_pod_Read more about Phin's work here: https://phineasharper.com/Ealing homes: https://www.constructionenquirer.com/2026/02/23/ealing-to-rip-down-105-half-built-homes-after-henry-collapse/BBC bias on Gaza: https://cfmm.org.uk/resource/bbc-on-gaza-israel-one-story-double-standards/Green attacks: https://bsky.app/profile/adambienkov.bsky.social/post/3mfoe7wm26s2s

On Wednesday the 20th of July 1988, at 8am, 36-year-old business executive Diana Mam exited her flat at Stanley Court. Dressed in a smart green suit and stockings, she placed her handbag and briefcase on the floor, and as she locked the door, she applied a final coat of lipstick, ready for a busy day ahead. Only she never made it to work, she never made it to her car, she didn't even make it from her door. Who killed her and why?Location: Flat 24, Second Floor, 1 Woodfield Road, Ealing, London, W5, UK Date: Wednesday the 20th of July 1988 at 8am (time of murder)Victims: Diana Stafford MawCulprit: Jane Frances Salveson (accused but acquitted)Five time nominated at the True Crime Awards, Independent Podcast Awards and the British Podcast Awards, Murder Mile is one of the best UK / British true crime podcasts covering only 20 square miles of West London. It is researched, written and performed by Michael of Murder Mile UK True Crime Podcast with the main musical themes written and performed by Erik Stein and Jon Boux of Cult With No Name and additional music, as used under the Creative Commons License 4.0. A full listing of tracks used and a full transcript for each episode is listed here and a legal disclaimer.Follow me on SOCIAL MEDIA · Instagram· FaceBook· ThreadsSUBSCRIBE via Patreon Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/murdermile. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 188 - Just My Luck (1957) "Choose Your Entertainment With "WISDOM"!!" Just My Luck (1957) is a sparkling slice of postwar British comedy that captures both the optimism and the charm of its era. Starring the ever-appealing Norman Wisdom as Norman Hackett, a humble jeweller's apprentice with big dreams, the film follows his hapless but heartfelt attempts to turn his fortunes around. Norman, eternally late and forever in trouble at work, is secretly besotted with glamorous shop assistant Anne (delightfully played by Jill Dixon). When he overhears that she's a fan of racing, he decides to risk everything by placing a series of bets—turning a simple flutter into a full-blown adventure. What follows is a joyful run of misunderstandings, slapstick chaos and bursts of romantic idealism, all propelled by Wisdom's trademark physical comedy and irrepressible energy. He tumbles, stumbles, and careens through life with that winning mix of innocence and determination that made him Britain's favourite underdog. The climax at the racetrack—where Norman's luck finally turns in spectacular fashion—delivers a perfectly timed payoff that leaves audiences smiling. Behind the laughter, Just My Luck shows the craftsmanship of director John Paddy Carstairs, who had honed Wisdom's screen persona across several Ealing-flavoured comedies. Shot at Pinewood Studios, the film's brisk pacing, colourful sets, and lively orchestral score give it a polish that stands out among the decade's feel-good comedies. On release, it proved another box-office hit for Wisdom, confirming his status as the British everyman who could make misfortune look hilarious. Critics admired its warmth and verve, and audiences adored its blend of humour, heart, and a touch of fantasy—the notion that sheer enthusiasm might be enough to change one's destiny. Buoyant, bright, and brimming with optimism, Just My Luck remains a charming reminder that sometimes fortune really does favour the foolishly brave.

Hannah returns to the fold to discuss with Jacob about what went wrong for Tigers Women in Ealing but also the positives, including kicking, scrums and two gorgeous tries! Then, Jacob, in an LTW Fancast exclusive, interviews University of Nottingham's WRFC's club captain Jasmine Murray about Nottingham's unbeaten season in BUCS Premier North, her experiences of the Tigers U23 development squad and Nottingham's potential route to BUCS Super Rugby. Finally hear from Fraser Goatcher and Clodagh Dunne from Tigers' Tuesday press conference ahead of the squad's final fixture before February! Enjoy another superb bumper episode for you madducks! 

Overall a really pleasing weekend for both Gloucester and Glos-Hartpury as they secured wins against difficult opposition. But the Bonus point victories were not as straightforward as they should have been. The Women struggled to put away an entertaining Ealing side, while the Men managed to secure 5 points despite having a shambolic lineout (Helped to a significant degree by Castres dreadful discipline).We chat through both games and do see the overwhelming positives especially considering the mis-firing set piece but do have serious concerns ahead of this weekends match in Cork against Munster. Jim and Ed also discuss the Rugby World Cup draw and the opportunities available for some of the Tier 2/3 nations to spring a surprise on the likes of Fiji, Italy and Wales.Ed PriceJim HarleyCherry Jam is proud to be sponsored by PGT LLP

John Burgin -- I once told John that he looked a bit like Sir Alec Guinness and I think I hurt his feelings 'cause all he knew was old Obi-Wan Kenobi Alec Guinness but I was talking about young Alec Guinness from, like, the 50s when he was in all those hilarious Ealing movies that Nick Cardy made me watch. Take a look. I'm not wrong. Didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Pal.   Become A Citizen Of Random Nation!  

Join Jack and Tom as they debrief on Sale Sharks Women's game against Ealing over the weekend plus a review of the Autumn Internationals (including some Sale involvement) and in particular a game ominously described as "the best Wales performance in 2 and a half years"Support the showFor all our other latest thoughts, follow @SharkTankRugby on X/Twitter, or we're at u/SharkTankPod on Reddit. If you'd like to get in touch please drop us an email at sharktankpodcast@outlook.com

The BallyBOO arrives better late than never as Zach welcomes back podcast pals Amy Cornell & Smokey ( House of Hammer, All The Best Lines) for an uncommonly terrifying time at Ealing Studios as they unpack their 1945 horror anthology, DEAD OF NIGHT! BEWARE as you dive in with them unpacking each story with meticulous detail, SHUDDER as they unravel the stories behind the scenes, SHRIEK at the trio's own choices for favorite segments, and TREMBLE at the many ways the film's impact has lingered down the dark corridors of horror cinema to this very day. PLUS: Amy unveils the greatest impression of a film character in the Ballyhoo's history. Be sure to check out Amy's other appearances on Yesteryear Ballyhoo Revue, covering such lovely titles as: The War of the Worlds Radio Broadcast: https://ballyhoorevuepodcast.com/ep-118-radio-revue-the-chase-and-sanborn-hour-or-october-30th-1938/ and The Curse of Frankenstein: https://ballyhoorevuepodcast.com/ep-140-the-curse-of-frankenstein-1957-or-a-matter-of-blood-bosoms/   and be sure to tune in to Smokey's adventures on House of Hammer & All The Best Lines HOUSE OF HAMMER: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-house-of-hammer/id1562467810 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7eWVAN2L9yTp8lYU4Sjm1O Also be sure to support HOUSE OF HAMMER on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/househammerpod and find more the Linktree: https://linktr.ee/househammerpod and ALL THE BEST LINES: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/all-the-best-lines/id1533468069 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2iZlBfeEs05EHxhd1HJZl6 AND OF COURSE, Follow his social media shenanigans House of Hammer Twitter: https://twitter.com/HouseHammerPod House of Hammer Insta: https://www.instagram.com/househammerpod/ House of Hammer BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/househammerpod.bsky.social All the Best Lines Twitter: https://twitter.com/bestlinespod?lang=en

West Ham fans are set to boycott the home fixture with Brentford in protest at owner David Sullivan. Will and James are set to do contrasting things on Monday night. Let us know your thoughts, feelings and whether you are heading to London Stadium or not! We are then joined by Michael Johnston from BBC Radio 5 Live and The Ealing Road Podcast to preview the game. Remember, if you love what we do, please leave us a nice review on whatever platform you're listening on. It helps us more than you know and allows us to be found by new listeners, helping us grow even more!

Zach welcomes aboard podcaster & educator Michael Boyce (Geek4 Podcast) onto the program for a historical analysis of the  Battle of Ballard's Wharf  as they unpack Charles Crichton's 1947 triumph for Ealing Studio's , HUE & CRY! Once you hear the words "Operation Seagull", prepare to join the duo on the Blood & Thunder Boys battleground where they unpack the origins of Ealing Studio, learn from how the creative team at Ealing were able to conjure such a fantastical story, marvel at the stock character actors used in unique ways, ponder over how the post-war conditions of Britain lend to the film's aesthetics as well as its script, and finally settle upon the ways Hue & Cry would shape the world of Ealing, Comedy, & the medium of film at large. PLUS: Is Joe Kirby a murderer at the end of the film? ------ Be sure to tune in & listen to Michael's sensational podcast, GEEK 4 , now available wherever you listen Website: https://www.michaelwboyce.com/geek4 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/geek-4/id1529501248 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5svoHXXzHQrgGAGtn05OMz?si=tfbKZelgQ1a-LP3o3JmwtA and follow the show on social! Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/geek4pod.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geek4pod?igsh=MXQ2eHFxeXFwNXJwcw== and give Mike a follow as well! Threads: https://www.threads.com/@mwboyce?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==  

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) offers a pivotal role in reshaping daily practice by streamlining the administrative processes, therefore freeing up valuable time and reducing time burden administrative tasks. AI can also support individuals with learning difficulties, dyslexia and visual impairments alongside non-native English speakers. However, AI is far from being inclusive whilst also raising significant ethical concerns that need to be considered. This podcast episode and article explores all of this and more.   Read the article here: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/beyond-the-algorithm-exploring-inclusion-and-diversity-within-ai/   This episode is sponsored by Magic Notes by Beam Beam is a national leader in tech-enabled welfare services, and created Magic Notes - an AI tool designed by frontline workers to help reduce admin and transform the productivity of frontline teams. The tool creates structured and compliant reports and case studies from recordings of meetings between frontline workers and their clients. Magic Notes was first developed by Beam to support its own frontline teams, before being made available to other frontline workers. It has since been co-developed with frontline practitioners during pilots with several local authorities, including Kingston, Ealing, and Swindon, and is used by over half of all local authority social care teams across the UK.   To find out more visit: https://magicnotes.ai/   Our 2026 conference info & tickets: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/early-years-conference-2026/   Listen to more: If you enjoyed this episode, you might also like: ·       How can AI positively impact education? By Richard Waite: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/how-can-ai-positively-impact-education/ ·       Active vs passive screen time by Musa Roshdy: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/active-vs-passive-screen-time/ ·       Using artificial intelligence in early years by Joshua Barr: https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/using-artificial-intelligence-in-early-years/   Get in touch and share your voice: Do you have thoughts, questions or feedback? Get in touch here! – https://thevoiceofearlychildhood.com/contact/   Episode break down: 00:00 – Welcome! 03:30 – Defining & unpicking AI 06:00 – The need for human intelligence 07:00 – Reducing the burden of admin 08:00 – AI reflecting the voice of the individual 10:45 – Using AI for accessability 14:00 – AI and ethics – whose voice is heard? 15:00 – Diversity crisis in technology 18:30 – Changing the narrative around STEM subjects 20:30 – Representing the child's voice 25:00 – The need for training in using AI 30:00 – Using Magic Notes 34:00 – Risk assessing the use of AI 34:45 – The impact on the child and family 37:30 – Changing the gender narrative in tech 39:00 – Closing reflections 40:45 – Further listening & reading For more episodes and articles visit The Voice of Early Childhood website: https://www.thevoiceofearlychildhood.com

On 28 September 1923, a new magazine hit news-stands.   The Radio Times was a BBC publication, born out of a listings ban seven months earlier, when the press tried to charge the Beeb advertising rates to print what was on. The BBC's General Manager John Reith saw an opportunity: they'd just print their own.   We previously (on episodes 75 and 76) brought you the history of the Radio Times for its centenary, but as our moment-by-moment timeline of British broadcasting finally reaches September 1923, we just had to zoom in a little further on issue number one.   So join us for a look at the first listings, the first letter (a listener from Spain!), ads including headphones and - oddly - height-lengthening, the first cartoon (about listening to the wireless en masse in a village hall), plus listeners complaints mourning the “murder” of composer Tannhauser at the hands of the London Wireless Orchestra. Everyone's a critic…   Our guests include Radio Times editor Shem Law, Radio Times collector Dr Steve Arnold, Radio 4's Justin Webb and Dr Martin Cooper author of Radio's Legacy in Popular Culture.    SHOWNOTES: Original music is by Will Farmer.  Books referred to include Those Radio Times by Susan Briggs and The Radio Times Cover Story by Tony Currie. Martin Cooper's book is Radio's Legacy in Popular Culture https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/radios-legacy-in-popular-culture-9781501360442/ Steve Arnold's website is radiotimesarchive.co.uk/. Martin Cooper's website is prefadelisten.com Paul's latest Substack is here: https://substack.com/home/post/p-171149075 Paul's live show on the BBC origin story - at time of writing, soon in Ealing, Petersfield, Norfolk, Hertfordshire: www.paulkerensa.com/tour. This podcast is nothing to do with the BBC.  Please like/share/rate/review this podcast - it all helps. Support us on Patreon (£5/mth), for bonus videos and things - and thanks if you do! Or a one-off tip to Ko-fi.com/paulkerensa? Thanks! All keeps the podcast afloat Next time: Episode 105: The launch of Aberdeen 2BD. Advance reading: see Gordon Bathgate's book Aberdeen Calling: https://amzn.to/4pi9FBW More on this broadcasting history project at paulkerensa.com/oldradio

E3P & ealing 08.25.25 | VISLA FM by VISLA

Lambert House is an apartment complex sitting in Ealing, West London. It's an unremarkable area, but somewhere considered safe. But over September of 2022, a stench was noticed coming from one of the flats and it was getting worse with each day that passed.SPONSORS -Schedule 35: Schedule35's is on a mission to de-stigmatize and educate on the science and real-world benefits of psilocybin. Ready to have your best day ever? Get 15% off with code "MORBIDOLOGY" at: https://www.schedule35.co/Nutrafol: Find out why Nutrafol is the best-selling hair growth supplement brand. Get $10 off with promo code “MORBIDOLOGY” at: https://nutrafol.com/Blazed Deals: Google "Blazed Deals" a price tracker for THC and CBD products. They do the detective work for you, tracking prices from hundreds of cannabis retailers to find the best deals on vapes, gummies, and more!SHOW NOTES - https://morbidology.com/morbidology-podcast/PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/morbidologyYOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/morbidologyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/morbidology--3527306/support.

Lambert House is an apartment complex sitting in Ealing, West London. It's an unremarkable area, but somewhere considered safe. But over September of 2022, a stench was noticed coming from one of the flats and it was getting worse with each day that passed.SPONSORS -Schedule 35: Schedule35's is on a mission to de-stigmatize and educate on the science and real-world benefits of psilocybin. Ready to have your best day ever? Get 15% off with code "MORBIDOLOGY" at: https://www.schedule35.co/Nutrafol: Find out why Nutrafol is the best-selling hair growth supplement brand. Get $10 off with promo code “MORBIDOLOGY” at: https://nutrafol.com/Blazed Deals: Google "Blazed Deals" a price tracker for THC and CBD products. They do the detective work for you, tracking prices from hundreds of cannabis retailers to find the best deals on vapes, gummies, and more!SHOW NOTES - https://morbidology.com/morbidology-podcast/PATREON - https://www.patreon.com/morbidologyYOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/morbidologyBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/morbidology--3527306/support.

While at the Global Birdfair in Rutland, England, Niall was delighted to bump into a good friend of ours here at Mooney Goes Wild: Dr Seán McCormack. Niall spoke to Seán about the Ealing Beaver Project at the wonderfully named Paradise Fields, and the 'gay icon' Peregrine Falcons at Ealing Hospital.

Send us a textIn Your Nature returns with a fascinating new episode spotlighting the Ealing Beaver Project, a pioneering urban rewilding initiative bringing these charismatic ecosystem engineers back to West London after a 400-year absence.Niall is joined (recorded live from Global BirdFair 2025) by Dr Sean McCormack, founder of the project and a native of County Kildare. Together, they delve into the story behind the beavers' return, from the inspiration and planning stages to the challenges of introducing them into a highly urbanised setting. They explore how these remarkable animals are helping to restore wetland habitats, boost biodiversity, and reconnect city dwellers with the wild. Dr McCormack shares insights into the community's enthusiastic response, the ecological benefits already emerging, and his hopes for the project's future.The Hobby is the featured Bird of the Week, a small and agile falcon known for its dazzling aerial hunting displays. Often seen swooping after dragonflies or darting after swifts in summer skies, this elusive bird is a thrilling symbol of wildness returning to landscapes where nature is given space to thrive.A special thanks goes to Charlie Bingham and Oscar Henderson for the invitation to record at Global BirdFair 2025 and for facilitating us at the Whinchat Podcast Stage over the weekend. In Your Nature features Ricky Whelan, Biodiversity Officer with Offaly County Council, and Niall Hatch of BirdWatch Ireland, and is edited by Ann-Marie Kelly.The series is supported by Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath County Councils, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Heritage Council.For more about BirdWatch Ireland, visit www.birdwatchireland.ie.

Golden age expert Kate Jackson joins Caroline to read John Ferguson's intriguing “Ealing mystery”. No major plot spoilers until you hear Caroline say we are "entering the spoiler zone", at 15:33. After that, expect full spoilers. A full list of titles in the Penguin series can be found at penguinfirsteditions.com. The next book discussed in this series will be Trent's Last Case by E.C. Bentley. Support the podcast by joining the Shedunnit Book Club and get extra Shedunnit episodes every month plus access to the monthly reading discussions and community: shedunnitbookclub.com/join. Books mentioned in this episode:— The Man in the Dark by John Ferguson— Stealthy Terror by John Ferguson— Death of Mr Dodsley by John Ferguson— Night in Glengyle by John Ferguson— Death Comes to Perigord by John Ferguson— The Pocket Detective by Kate Jackson— How to Survive a Classic Crime Novel by Kate Jackson— The Grouse Moor Mystery by John Ferguson— London Particular by Christianna Brand— The Port of London Murders by Josephine Bell— QED by Lynn Brock— Don't Open the Door by Anthony Gilbert— Murder In Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie— The Woman in Red by Anthony Gilbert— Murder Isn't Easy by Richard Hull— Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie— The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy L Sayers— The White Cottage Mystery by Margery Allingham— The Mystery of the Peacock's Eye by Brian Flynn— The Murder of Mrs Davenport by Anthony Gilbert— Malice Aforethought by Francis Iles— The Havering Plot by Richard Keverne— Matorni's Vineyard by E. Phillips Oppenheim— The Professor's Poison by Neil Gordon— The Emerald Tiger by Edgar Jepson— The Fatal Kiss Mystery by Rufus King— Mystery at Lynden Sands by JJ Connington— Deep Lake Mystery by Carolyn Wells— The Factory on the Cliff by A.G. Macdonell— Trent's Last Case by E.C. Bentley NB: Links to Blackwell's are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell's is a UK bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge. To be the first to know about future developments with the podcast, sign up for the newsletter at shedunnitshow.com/newsletter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This podcast contains graphic content relating to the death of Nina Mackay, a tragic event that has left a profound impact on the community.Richard Keil, a determined individual from South Woodham Ferrers, initially faced disappointment when his application to join a public service course at Chelmsford College was rejected. Yet, destiny had other plans for him. Encouraged by his sister, who was dating a Met Police Cadet, Richard decided to take a leap of faith and apply to join the cadets himself. This time, fortune smiled upon him, and he was accepted. His journey began in the heart of the community; Richard found himself immersed in the lives of others as he worked at a local boy's club and at Plaistow Hospital, where he acted as a bingo caller for elderly residents. The laughter and joy he brought to those faces revealed the power of connection and compassion in everyday life.Upon joining the regular service, Richard was stationed at Leeman Street, navigating through some of the most iconic parts of the East End of London. He patrolled areas that had once been terrorized by Jack the Ripper, feeling the weight of history on his shoulders. Each day brought new challenges, as he learned the intricacies of policing amid the bustling streets that had seen both love and loss. The pulse of the city resonated in his every step, and he was continually deployed alongside his colleagues, each of whom became a vital part of his evolving narrative.After a few years, Richard made the transition to the Territorial Support Group (TSG), where he encountered a colourful cast of characters who imparted invaluable lessons about the art of policing. These experiences shaped his identity as an officer, nurturing a deep respect for the complexities of human behaviour in the face of adversity. The camaraderie he shared with his colleagues fostered an environment of mutual support, allowing them to face the challenges of policing together.His policing life changed on 24th October 1997. Richard was part of the team who was deployed to arrest a suspect in East London during this arrest Nina Mackay was fatally stabbed by the suspect. As Richard concluded his time on the TSG, he transitioned to the surveillance team, honing his skills in targeting criminals who roamed the metropolis. The thrill of the chase was palpable, but it was his eventual move to the armed surveillance team that marked a significant turning point in his career. Here, he faced the stark realities of high-level crime and terrorist activity, a world where split-second decisions could mean the difference between life and death. He vividly recalls his first day as a plain-clothes armed officer; it was a surreal experience, filled with tension and excitement, forever etched in his memory.In 2008, Richard's dedication and hard work paid off when he was promoted to Sergeant and assigned to Paddington. Two years later, he ascended to the rank of Inspector and took up his post in Ealing. With each promotion, his commitment to maintaining police standards deepened, especially regarding the controversial yet necessary practice of stop-and-search. Richard believed that empowering officers to value their position was crucial not just for effective policing, but for building trust within the community. His journey illustrates the resilience and dedication of those who serve, a testament to the spirit of the Metropolitan Police and the complexities of modern policing.#policingjourney #communityfirst #serveandprotect #londonpolice #NinaMackay #dedicationtojustice #policingwithheart #eastlondonstories Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zach is joined by return pod-pal Smokey (Podcaster, 'The House of Hammer' & 'All The Best Lines') on a trip to the legendary Ealing Studios to discuss and delight in the comedy titans 1955 classic, THE LADYKILLERS. Settle into Mrs. Wilburforce's world with our podcasters as they discuss the origins of the darkly comic script, revel in stories surrounding the casting of the many legends on screen, become flabbergasted at tales of director Alexander Mackendrick's methods in getting what he wanted on film, unpack the magnificent plot of a robbery stopped short by a little old lady, and finally settle upon the way this film and the Ealing Studio's output has influenced the world of film today.   PLUS: Alec Guinness spoils classic movies to save you a trip to Wikipedia   Be sure to follow Smokey's podcasting by checking out: HOUSE OF HAMMER: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-house-of-hammer/id1562467810 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7eWVAN2L9yTp8lYU4Sjm1O Also be sure to support HOUSE OF HAMMER on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/househammerpod and find more the Linktree: https://linktr.ee/househammerpod and ALL THE BEST LINES: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/all-the-best-lines/id1533468069 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2iZlBfeEs05EHxhd1HJZl6 AND OF COURSE, Follow his social media shenanigans House of Hammer Twitter: https://twitter.com/HouseHammerPod House of Hammer Insta: https://www.instagram.com/househammerpod/ House of Hammer BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/househammerpod.bsky.social All the Best Lines Twitter: https://twitter.com/bestlinespod?lang=en

Words cannot describe the fear that Shakira Spencer must have endured at the hands of Ashana Studholme, Lisa Richardson and Shaun Pendlebury  at her home in Ealing, west London in 2022. These monsters brutally enslaved her and beat her to death. The more I research true crime the more I am coming across modern slavery cases. This episode will open your eyes to the demons that walk our streets on a daily basis and what they are capable of. Em x

We had the joy of sitting down with Paul Levy who pastors International Presbyterian Church in Ealing, a thriving district of West London. Paul spoke to us about a range of topics, including the joys and challenges of church growth and how he prays for the children of his church to have a ‘boring testimony', and he also recommends a couple of the Banner's more obscure publications. We trust you'll enjoy the conversation.   Further reading: The Pastor-Scholar (article by Paul Yeullett, which originally appeared in the January 2012 issue of the Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 580).   Banner Books Mentioned: Bakker, Frans, Praying Always Cuyler, Theodore, God's Light on Dark Clouds Through the Year With William Still Letters of William Still   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us your feedback or a testimony: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast

Welcome to Reel Britannia-a very British podcast about very British movies ...with just a hint of professionalism. Back to 1949 this week and a darkly witty masterpiece of British cinema! An Ealing comedy blending sharp humour, class satire, and Alec Guinness playing eight roles. A timeless classic! Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) A Delightfully Dark Comedy of Class and Revenge Kind Hearts and Coronets, the crown jewel of British cinema's dark humour. If you haven't yet basked in its glory, let me paint the scene for you. Picture this: Edwardian England, an impeccable sense of manners, and a protagonist who's as calculating as he is charming—all wrapped in a story about climbing the social ladder by…murdering every single person standing in the way. Yes, murder. And somehow, it's positively delightful. The plot centers on Louis Mazzini (played by Dennis Price), who is probably cinema's most likable sociopath. Born into a working-class life, Louis has always resented his mother's noble family, the D'Ascoynes, who cast her out for marrying “beneath her station.” But when Louis's mother dies penniless and the snobbish D'Ascoynes refuse her last wish of burial in the family crypt, the gloves come off—Louis vows to avenge his mother's disgrace and reclaim his rightful place among the aristocracy. There's just one minor snag: eight D'Ascoynes stand between him and the title of Duke. A daunting task? Perhaps. But for Louis, it's all in a day's work. Now, what makes Kind Hearts and Coronets so uniquely brilliant is its approach to murder. This isn't your run-of-the-mill bloodbath; it's murder with panache, style, and an undeniable charm. Each of Louis's victims is played by the inimitable Alec Guinness, who dons eight different personas—from pompous aristocrats to eccentric eccentrics, each more absurd than the last. Guinness's performance is a cinematic tour de force, bringing every D'Ascoyne to life with precision and wit, ensuring no two murders feel the same. Louis may be methodical, but he's never boring—whether he's engineering an explosion or a “tragic” drowning, each act of homicide is artfully executed with a dose of dark humor. One of the joys of Kind Hearts and Coronets is its unashamed cleverness. The film wields irony like a rapier, slicing through social norms and class pretensions with a gleeful grin. Louis's ascent from working-class obscurity to the dizzying heights of the aristocracy is as much a critique of class inequality as it is a comedy of manners. His steely resolve to eliminate his relatives is matched only by his ability to deliver dry, razor-sharp commentary along the way. Dennis Price's impeccable delivery transforms Louis into a character you can't help rooting for—despite his penchant for, well, homicide. Of course, no tale of ambition and revenge is complete without a touch of romance. Louis's love life is deliciously complicated, involving a love triangle between Sibella (Joan Greenwood), his childhood sweetheart, and Edith (Valerie Hobson), the widow of one of his victims. Sibella is wonderfully wicked—a femme fatale with a voice like melted honey and an unapologetic thirst for social status. Edith, on the other hand, is all grace and dignity, providing a stark contrast to Sibella's conniving charm. Louis, being the opportunist that he is, juggles both women with alarming ease, adding an extra layer of intrigue to his already twisted pursuits. The film's finale is a masterstroke of irony and poetic justice. Just when Louis seems to have achieved everything he set out to accomplish, fate intervenes with one final twist—a testament to the film's commitment to keeping its audience thoroughly entertained until the last frame. Without spoiling too much, let's just say that Louis's razor-sharp intellect proves to be both his greatest strength and his Achilles' heel. Visually, Kind Hearts and Coronets is a treat for the eyes. Director Robert Hamer uses cinematography to accentuate the film's satirical tone, juxtaposing the grandeur of the D'Ascoyne estate with the cold, calculated reality of Louis's crimes. The costume design and period details immerse viewers in Edwardian England, while the film's score lends an air of sophistication to even its most macabre moments. It's a film that looks as good as it feels, capturing the essence of a bygone era with wit and style. What truly elevates Kind Hearts and Coronets is its audacity. It dares to make us laugh in the face of murder, to cheer for a protagonist whose moral compass is utterly skewed, and to see the absurdity in the rigid class structures of the time. It's a film that revels in its own wickedness, inviting viewers to join in the fun. And fun it is—rarely does a film blend darkness with levity so effortlessly, crafting a narrative that's as thought-provoking as it is entertaining. In summary, Kind Hearts and Coronets is a masterful dark comedy that stands the test of time. With unforgettable performances, sharp wit, and a plot that keeps you on your toes, it's a cinematic experience that delights in its own cunning brilliance.  "The D'Ascoynes certainly appear to have accorded with the tradition of the landed gentry, and sent the fool of the family into the church."   This and previous episodes can be found everywhere you download your podcasts Follow us on Twitter @rbritanniapod    Thanks for listening   Scott and Steven

On Tuesday's Rugby Daily, Richie McCormack checks in with Ireland's preparations for the start of the Women's Six Nations. Defence coach Hugh Hogan believes Ireland can ask questions of France in Belfast on Saturday. Three Leinster players have extended their stays with the province, and we hear from Jacques Nienaber ahead of their double bill in South Africa. There's also contract news from Connacht today, with assistant coach Colm Tucker providing a squad update. Georgia head coach Richard Cockerill renews calls for promotion/relegation playoff from the Six Nations.Peato Mauvaka could be in hot water following his yellow card against Scotland. And the English Premiership remains a closed shop to Ealing.

On Tuesday's Rugby Daily, Richie McCormack checks in with Ireland's preparations for the start of the Women's Six Nations. Defence coach Hugh Hogan believes Ireland can ask questions of France in Belfast on Saturday. Three Leinster players have extended their stays with the province, and we hear from Jacques Nienaber ahead of their double bill in South Africa. There's also contract news from Connacht today, with assistant coach Colm Tucker providing a squad update. Georgia head coach Richard Cockerill renews calls for promotion/relegation playoff from the Six Nations.Peato Mauvaka could be in hot water following his yellow card against Scotland. And the English Premiership remains a closed shop to Ealing.

Welcome to the fourth special episode recorded liveat Global Birdfair 2024. Today, Jack is joined by Sean McCormack from the Ealing Beaver Project to discuss their efforts to bring beavers back to London!Jack and Sean discuss how this project came to be, the challenges it has faced, and the many successes that it has already seen! Plus, the duo take a moment to discuss Sean's favourite under-appreciated bird - the Dunnock! Useful LinksDon't forget to subscribe to the podcast and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ & ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! We are @PangolinPodcast

Writer John Finnemore (Cabin Pressure, Souvenir Programme) talks about the comforts of Alexander Mackendrick's classic 1955 Ealing comedy 'The Ladykillers', and explains how the film cleverly subverts the audience's expectations, while satisfying them at the same time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Send us a textThis week,he episode kicks off with a deep dive into the Counter Bros segment, where Milo introduces Black Kyurem, followed by a breakdown of White Kyurem counters. Whether you're raiding or strategizing for battles, these insights are essential for every trainer.Next, we get a fun, lighthearted segment in Getting To Know You as the boys reveal their go-to Monopoly player piece, giving fans a glimpse into their personality. Then, The News brings some thrilling updates. we look at the latest on Totodile Community Day Classic, including the date, time, featured attack, special research, and event bonuses.Ian updates listeners on the MLB Partnership and reveals exciting details about the upcoming Incensed! Global Meet-up in Ealing. Then, a discussion on Hoopa Raid Day, and the latest WhatsApp messages for some fan engagement.The fun continues with Play Your Dex Right hosted by Milo and a review of beloved Pokémon buddies by Mark. Milo also presents the results of the Incensed! Poll and wraps up with the always popular #ShiniesOfTheWeek.We'd like to say a massive thank you to all of our Patrons for your support, with credited Patrons from featured tiers below:#GOLDJBCliffordMertKerry & ZacharyBarside2Mandy CroftMr MossomMUFTii#SILVERKLXVIDell HazardSpindianaLori BeckSteve In NorwayCeeCeeismadMacfloofSaul HaberfieldLizzie GeorgeSander Van Den DreiescheNeonnetEllen RushtonOriginalAJK16Northern SophTom CattleCharlie ToddRobert WilsonMissSummerOf69Malcolm GrinterJordi CastellSupport the showFind us on Niantic Campfire: CLICK MESend us a voice message on WhatsApp: +44 7592695696Email us: contact@incensedpodcast.comIf you'd like to buy merch, you can find us by clicking HERE for U.K. store, HERE for U.S. Oceana store or copy this link: https://incensed-podcast.myspreadshop.co.uk/ for U.K. store or this link: https://incensed-podcast.myspreadshop.com/ for U.S. Oceana store!Hosted By: PoGoMiloUK, Ian Waterfall & Masterful 27. Produced & Edited By: Ian Waterfall & PoGoMiloUK. Administrators: HermesNinja & IAMP1RU5.Pokémon is Copyright Gamefreak, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company 2001-2016All names owned and trademarked by Nintendo, Niantic, The Pokémon Company, and Gamefreak are property of their respective owners.

From a list of eight blind spots for the shepherd, the community went with the oldest film on the list. Perhaps as a way of mocking the age of the birthday of your host. "Kind Hearts and Coronets" is a dark comedy of manners that was release in the U.S. in 1950. Famous for Alec Guinness playing eight parts, it is a showcase for character actor  Dennis Price as the star. Three of the guests this week were old hands at this serial killer comedy, David Brook, James Wilson and Howard Casner had all been slain by this before. Only Matthew Simpson joined Richard as fresh victims of this drool Ealing product that is considered one of the greatest British films of all time. Set your headphones on stun because spoilers start flying immediately. 

This episode is part of a 6-part series on Urban Rewilding. My guest is Sean McCormack, Chair of Ealing Wildlife Group. Sean led the reintroduction of harvest mice and beavers into urban parks in London, UK. In this episode we discuss: What is 'Urban rewilding' and why we should do it.What made these projects successful.Getting support from the community.What needs to change to make rewilding in cities mainstream.Previous episodes with Sean:#72: Sean McCormack - Rewilding Urban London (Part 1)#73: Sean McCormack - Rewilding Urban London (Part 2)More about the Ealing Beaver Project here: https://theealingbeaverproject.comMore about Sean and Ealing Wildlife Group:https://ealingwildlifegroup.com/- - -Get 10% off Course: Sustainability Essentials for Built Environment ProfessionalsSubscribe to the Green Urbanist Newsletter Contact Ross Website Linkedin

Our story this week is of a hardworking immigrant family, beavering away to improve the quality of life for Ealing. But first there's hills made of rubble, classic comedy capers (we find out which world leader was their biggest fan) and the first incline lift in a tube station. An experiment is underway at Paradise Fields, to see if Beavers can live in an urban setting. Since moving in last year the family have been coppicing trees, damming lakes, and filtering the water. We chat about why beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain, their extraordinarily useful fur and secretions, and how they are making a comeback. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We are by nature grumblers and malcontents. We take offence easily, and become critical when our desires and expectations are disappointed. Paul Levy, in this week's main article, helps us to see that these tendencies aren't mere quirks, or 'weaknesses', but sins of great consequence in the church of God. Moreover, they are sins to which we are often tempted at times of great growth and kingdom advance. Through a discussion of the beginning of Acts 6, he helps us see how this dynamic was negotiated by the apostles, and how we can take evasive action against it today.   Featured Content: – 'The Gospel, Grumbling, and Growth', Paul Levy, Banner of Truth Magazine, Issue 735, December 2024. – Excerpt from United We Stand (Pocket Puritans), by Thomas Brooks (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 2009). United We Stand is sourced from Brooks' Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices (Puritan Paperbacks). Buy United We Stand: https://banneroftruth.org/store/church-ministry/united-we-stand/ Buy Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices: https://banneroftruth.org/store/christian-living/precious-remedies-against-satans-devices/   About the Contributors: Paul Levy is ministry of International Presbyterian Church in Ealing, London. He writes at https://ealinglevy.wordpress.com/ Thomas Brooks was a Puritan gospel minister. The scant amount of information known about him comes largely from his writing. Born in 1608, he entered Emmanuel College, Cambridge in 1625. He spent several years at sea, perhaps as chaplain, and was licensed as a preacher by 1640. After England's Civil War, Brooks served as pastor of London's Thomas Apostle; in 1648, he preached before the House of Commons. He later became the subject of controversy when he refused baptism and the Lord's Supper to people that weren't walking faithfully with the Lord. Thomas Brooks books include a six-volume set titled The Works of Thomas Brooks, with each book also available individually. Other books include Precious Remedies Against Satan's Devices (written to help people resist Satan's seductive power), The Secret Key to Heaven ( which emphasizes the importance of private prayer) and Heaven on Earth, which reminds people there is no greater privilege than to be a child of God.   Explore the work of the Banner of Truth: www.banneroftruth.org Subscribe to the Magazine (print/digital/both): www.banneroftruth.org/magazine Leave us a voice message: www.speakpipe.com/magazinepodcast  

The Forth Bridges Trail is a five-mile circular route which brings together various points of interest in North and South Queensferry and crosses the Forth Road Bridge. New stops were added onto the route earlier this year, so Mark took a wander along part of it to hear about the area's fascinating history.When you think of Beaver reintroduction sites you probably imagine the Cairngorms, Knapdale or rural Tayside but certainly not the heart of London. A few weeks ago, Rachel went to visit The Ealing Beaver Project where beavers are making their home right beside a retail park! Dr Sean McCormack gave her a tour and explained how they hope the beavers, who have been relocated from Scotland, might help with flooding in the area.At the end of the summer Mark visited Loch Katrine, home to the Steamship Sir Walter Scott. But the Loch is also home to other boats and Mark went to speak to one man who's been restoring his very own steamship.We're joined live by Dr Cat Barlow, project manager with the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project who tells us about their plans to expand and re-introduce the species to England and Wales following their success in Scotland.Next month, the winners of the BBC's Food and Farming Awards will be unveiled at a ceremony in Glasgow. Out of Doors and Landward have our own category – the BBC Scotland Food Hero award. Over the past few weeks Rachel has been visiting the three finalists, and this week we hear from the Cosaig Growers. Back in 2016, Kate Wieteska and Jake Butcher bought a challenging piece of land on a hill in the north west Highlands and since then they've completely transformed it in order to grow fruit and vegetables. Rachel paid them a visit while they were getting on with some scything.We hear a short Islay folktale recorded on our recent trip to the island which is home to lots of fantastic myths and stories.In this week's Scotland Outdoors podcast we feature the latest instalment of Mark's journey along the Stevenson Way which is based on the novel Kidnapped. We hear an extract where Mark hears about a real event, the Appin Murder of 1752 which is one of the most notorious of its kind in Scottish history.

In the final episode of our series on Sir John Soane we discussed his house and museum on Lincoln's Inn Fields in the centre of London, where the museum kindly allowed us to record this episode. We also talked about Pitzhanger, his country house in Ealing, and the development of his unique collecting practice. To follow along with the images we discussed and see clips from our visit, check out this episode on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/gOzIg5kB2Hg You can see the full length video tour of the house excerpted in this episode on our Patreon feed: https://www.patreon.com/about_buildings. Please consider subscribing to support the show! Edited by Matthew Lloyd Roberts. Support the show on Patreon to receive bonus content for every show. Please rate and review the show on your podcast store to help other people find us! Follow us on twitter // instagram // facebook We're on the web at aboutbuildingsandcities.org

Caitlin and Alan try to figure out why Penelope sent Quill Kipps on this case, why Lucy needs to be here, and if the Ealing Cannibal only had one victim. Take a tour of the house with us as we try to find the Source. Please not all the unique amenities like grease stained walls, human stew on the gas stove, and the human pool in the basement.Ealing is only hard to pronounce for English speakers outside the UK.In “A Wizard of Earthsea” the main character must reckon with his dark side.Rage Rooms are a thingThe Head Crusher was a recurring character on the sketch comedy show Kids in the HallFollow Caitlin on Instagram @inferiorcaitreadsFollow the show on Twitter @LockwoodPodcastOur theme music is “Magic Escape Room” by Kevin MacLeod at incompetech.com. It is licensed under a Creative Commons by Attribution 3.0 agreement.If you want to reach out please send an email to contact@hallowedgroundmedia.com or visit our Contact page.

When Diana Maw was found murdered outside her flat in Ealing in London in 1988, no one could understand why. Diana was responsible and professional and no one had a motive to kill her. Things would unfold however in a very different way and a large conversation would be sparked about the murder weapon; a crossbow. Important information provided by:Contemporary articles: https://www.findmypast.co.uk/homehttps://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1987/32/contentshttps://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6p284ng14ythttps://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jul/30/bushey-crossbow-killings-one-victim-still-alive-when-police-arrivedhttps://apnews.com/article/crossbow-women-killed-britain-bbc-commentator-hunt-af1787e29ec5c2476e07b6e62e54e48eMusic by: dl-sounds.comFollow the Unseen Podcast on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-unseen-podcast/id1318473466?uo=4Follow the Unseen Podcast on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0xWK7Mu3bTP6oziZvxrwSK?si=QxvyPkZ2TdCDscnfxyeRawJoin our Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/unseenpodFollow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/theunseenpodFollow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theunseenpod/Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theunseenpod?fan_landing=trueSubscribe to 10 Minute True Crime: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/10-minute-true-crime/id1591474862

Rev. Reuben Hunter is Associate Minister at the International Presbyterian Church in Ealing, West London. https://www.ipc-ealing.co.uk ↓ ↓ ↓ Buy James a Coffee at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/jamesdelingpole The official website of James Delingpole: https://jamesdelingpole.co.uk x