Podcasts about Piccadilly

Last time we spoke about the beginning of the Battle of Hong kong. Japan's rise as a threat to British interests accelerated through the 1920s and intensified after invading China. Britain's response remained contradictory—diplomatically conciliatory yet militarily apprehensive. While Singapore and Malaya received substantial reinforcements, Hong Kong was acknowledged indefensible, yet the 1936 Defence Scheme attempted to fortify it as an island fortress. Governor Northcote urgently advocated evacuation, recognizing the futility of defense. London rejected this, fearing it would demoralize China and forfeit sovereignty claims. Reinforcement requests from commanders like Grasett fell on deaf ears until Grasett independently lobbied Canadian leaders. This persistence finally convinced Churchill to dispatch two additional battalions. On December 8, 1941, Japanese forces attacked across three fronts with overwhelming force. Within hours, the RAF was destroyed on the ground, demolitions proved ineffective, and British units rapidly retreated toward the Gin Drinkers Line, facing an enemy that outnumbered and outmaneuvered them from the opening moments.   #217 The Battle of Hong Kong Part 2: the Island Aflame Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. Around 1500 hours on 9 December, Colonel Doi of the 228th Regiment arrived at Needle Hill, just north of the Gin Drinkers Line, ahead of his main force. For two hours he studied the British defensive positions through binoculars, noting trenches and bunkers—and to his surprise, washing lines fluttering with white clothes. The sight spoke volumes about the 2 Royal Scots' lax discipline. Then fog descended, reducing visibility to barely twenty meters, and heavy rain obscured the landscape. Doi sensed a fleeting advantage but lost radio contact with his battalions. Worse still, the Shing Mun Redoubt lay outside his regimental boundary, making an unauthorized attack a serious breach of protocol. When his units finally arrived, supporting artillery remained unavailable, held up by demolished roads. Doi chose to attack anyway. Doi ordered the 2nd Battalion to scout the eastern approach while the 3rd Battalion spearheaded the main assault. Major Nishiyana commanded the 3rd, sending Lieutenant Wakabayashi and Kasugai with 150 volunteers to lead. The Shing Mun Redoubt itself comprised five concrete pillboxes and an artillery observation post, connected by underground tunnels named after London landmarks—Piccadilly, Haymarket, and others. The whole complex sat on small rises above Jubilee Dam, then the British Empire's tallest. Defending the redoubt was A Company, 2 Royal Scots, under Captain Jones—just three officers and 39 men. One platoon of 25 soldiers under 2nd Lieutenant Thompson held the forward positions. Against this stood 150 Japanese attackers, with another 1,500 troops in reserve. Battalion orders forbade using the concrete works as fighting positions; they were meant for the Vickers machine-gun team and artillery protection. No mines could spare the redoubt's perimeter. On the night of the 9th, roughly half the defenders sheltered in the observation post while the remainder manned pillboxes 401b and 402. At 2000 hours, Thompson led a nine-man patrol northward to check Needle Hill and Shing Mun Valley. Despite two and a half hours in the field, the patrol returned at 2220 hours without detecting the Japanese force massing just 500 meters away. By that time, Lieutenant Kasugai's assault group had crossed Jubilee Dam undetected, bypassed unmanned Post X, and assembled below Pillbox 401b. At 2200 hours, Japanese sappers cut through two lines of wire. At 2300—H-Hour—Lance Corporal Laird heard movement in the bushes and opened fire. The Japanese answered with grenades and rushed the pillbox lines. One team entered the tunnel system; another hurled grenades through the air vents. Corporal Campbell swung his Vickers toward Pillbox 401, catching Japanese headquarters personnel in the open. Sergeant Robb mustered a counter-attack force of thirteen men. Five fell as casualties—Laird, Basnett, Coyle, Casey, and Jardine. Casey was killed; only Jardine escaped. The alert triggered gunfire from the observation post's defenders, and Forward Observer Wilcox called down 4.5-inch and 6-inch artillery fire. Without strong reinforcement and leadership, four Royal Scots and an Indian sentry abandoned the northern positions and withdrew to the observation post. Captain Jones received orders from Brigade to counter-attack, but delegated the task to Thompson. As Thompson attempted to leave the observation post, he found the gate locked from outside. This calamity had a backstory: just before the attack, Thompson had admitted a civilian at the request of Force 163 (SOE's sabotage unit in Singapore). Private Wylie had taken the observation post key from Lance Naik Kishan Singh and, upon exit, locked the gate behind him. The three officers were now literally locked out of the battle. Second Lieutenant Mochizuki and his platoon infiltrated through open trenches and began attacking the observation post from above, attempting to breach the hatches. The defenders held for three hours before Japanese sappers forced explosives down the air vents. At 0230 hours, the blast killed two Indian signallers inside. Thompson sustained a severe eye wound from grenade shrapnel; Jones and Warrant Officer Mead were both wounded. The remaining fifteen defenders surrendered; eleven became casualties. Meanwhile, a Rajput patrol engaging Japanese forces in the river valley managed to drive them back toward the redoubt. One final pillbox endured for another eleven hours before suffering the same sapper treatment. By 0400 hours on 10 December, the entire redoubt was lost. For just two killed, the Japanese had achieved a decisive victory—the breakthrough that would shift the entire campaign's trajectory. By dawn, a Japanese flag flew triumphantly from Point 255.   Major-General Maltby's assessment was stark: "This was calamitous, for Shing Mun was the key to the whole of the left position." Yet the Japanese perspective differed sharply. Having achieved a breakthrough, Colonel Doi received astonishing orders to withdraw—his success had transgressed into the 230th Regiment's sector and violated the meticulously prepared war plan. Doi refused. After heated confrontation with Major-General Ito and Lieutenant-General Sakai, his insubordination was later censured, though a divisional staff officer, Oyadomani, bore the scapegoat's burden of rebuke for failing to restrain Doi's initiative. With Shing Mun secured, Doi methodically fed reinforcements into the position. Throughout December 10th, the Japanese remained uncertain of their advantage and adopted a cautious strategy, probing British lines to exploit the evident disorder. Brigadier Wallis ordered the Royal Scots to mount an immediate dawn counterattack supported by the Rajputs and artillery. Lieutenant-Colonel White demurred; his battalion lacked any reasonable prospect of success. The resulting counterattack proved half-hearted at best. At first light on December 11th, the Japanese pressed Golden Hill forcefully, only to be repulsed by Captain Newton's Rajputs and gunfire from HMS Cicala. White positioned D Company in shallow shell scrapes and rusted wire—inadequate defenses against Japanese assault. Captain Pinkerton led a desperate bayonet charge that morning, temporarily clearing the Japanese and enabling the evacuation of wounded. Yet B, C, and D Companies absorbed devastating losses; Captains Rose and Richardson fell commanding their positions. With the Royal Scots collapsing, X Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and armored support rushed westward to seal the widening gap along Castle Peak Road. Meanwhile, Maltby grappled with alarming reports: Japanese landings on Lantau Island southwest of Hong Kong. Heavy artillery drove them back. A second probe at Aberdeen, where Special Naval Landing Forces approached within 300 yards of the naval base, was repelled by Canadian machine-gun fire. In hindsight, these were mere feints—never intended as the primary thrust. The stratagem succeeded. Maltby retained his island reserves—the Middlesex and two Canadian battalions—precisely where they would be needed. Had Wallis executed a forceful counterattack on December 10th with the Royal Scots and brigade reserves, the Rajputs might have retaken Shing Mun while the Japanese remained disorganized. Instead, Colonel Doi faced a furious Sakai, who had flown down from 38th Division headquarters at Taipo for what amounted to a pre-court-martial examination. The moment passed. After only 48 hours of combat, Maltby concluded the mainland was indefensible. The three battalions would withdraw intact to Hong Kong Island to assume their fortress defense roles. The naval commodore objected—demolitions, supply transfers, and troop ferrying required more time. The evacuation order was deferred 24 hours until noon on December 11th. At that hour, the decision was finalized: the mainland would be abandoned under cover of darkness. Further demolitions followed—the China Light and Power Station, the cement works on Tsing Yi Island, the docks. Yet Brigadier Wallis believed this merely a precautionary measure; he anticipated holding the mainland for at least another week. The withdrawal avoided Kowloon's congested streets, where street fighting and fifth columnists might have entrapped the British—a calculation that proved prescient, as an IJA advance column of 350 men from the 3/230th infiltrated Kowloon on the morning of December 12th to cut off the retreating garrison. The Royal Scots and Canadians retired south to Shamshuipo Barracks and Jordan Road Pier in western Kowloon; the Rajputs and supporting gunners withdrew eastward to Ma Lau Tong, which anchored the fortified Devil's Peak Peninsula. Maltby intended to hold this commanding position permanently—it was easily supplied across the narrow Lyemun Strait. The evacuation proceeded largely as planned. The Canadians and Royal Scots embarked on the afternoon and evening of December 11th under Punjabi covering fire. The Punjabis faced a harder journey—a moonlit scramble along steep Kowloon hills laden with supplies but critically short of mules. One group lost its way at a crucial junction, splitting into two columns. One proceeded toward Devil's Peak as planned; Battalion Headquarters descended into Kai Tak Airport, threaded through Kowloon City, and was evacuated by Star Ferry at Tsim Sha Tsui, fighting until the final moment as the last man boarded. The Rajputs' commander, unable to reach his Punjabi counterpart, abandoned Ma Lau Tong for the closer Hai Wan line near Devil's Peak. By 0400 hours on December 12th, the Punjabis and one Rajput company, accompanied by the gunners of the 25th Medium Battery, crossed Lyemun Strait to Hong Kong Island. Morning evacuations continued with minimal Japanese interference—a surprising restraint. Naval support proved crucial. The withdrawal completed by the morning of December 13th, though 170 mules were lost to the desertion of Chinese laborers—a deprivation that would haunt the subsequent campaign. During this passage, the IJN attempted shore bombardment. The Japanese cruiser and supporting vessels found themselves outranged by the defenders' 9.2-inch guns. The damage inflicted proved sufficient to discourage future naval adventures; for the remainder of the battle, the IJN maintained a cautious distance and played only a peripheral role. The speed and execution of the withdrawal apparently caught the Japanese unprepared. Their most probable expectation had been a full-scale assault on Devil's Peak accompanied by heavy bombardment—a day earlier, an assault without artillery preparation had been driven back with severe losses. The British appeared stronger than anticipated. The defense of the mainland had lasted only five days. With the mainland secured, the Japanese pivoted toward Hong Kong Island. The first move was diplomatic rather than military. At 0900 hours on December 13th, a small boat bearing a white flag crossed the harbor. It carried Colonel Toda, Lieutenant Mizuno, Mr. Othsu Dak, and two European women—the prominent and heavily pregnant Mrs. Macdonald and Mrs. C. R. Lee, wife of the Governor's secretary, accompanied by her two dachshunds. The surrender terms were flatly rejected. Major Boxer delivered the written refusal personally. Mrs. Macdonald remained in Hong Kong to give birth; Mrs. Lee and her dogs returned to Kowloon. The Japanese commenced systematic shelling of selected targets. On December 13th, a 9.2-inch gun on Mt. Davis was silenced; Belcher's Fort sustained damage. The following day, a 3-inch mount on Mt. Davis was hit, killing Chinese gunners and triggering morale collapse; some deserted. On December 15th, the barrage shifted to the northern shoreline, deliberately targeting pillboxes. At 2100 hours that night, approximately three Japanese companies attempted crossing the harbor in rubber rafts toward Pakshawan but were driven off by machine-gun fire. Fifth columnists intensified their operations—signaling with mirrors, sniping from concealed positions, spreading propaganda to encourage Chinese desertion. Their impact might have been catastrophic had not Rear-Admiral Chan and Colonel Yee, armed with tommy guns and grenades, systematically eliminated many of these saboteurs. By December 16th, half the pillboxes between the racecourse and Lyemun Strait lay destroyed. The intended crossing site was unmistakable. On December 17th, the Japanese dispatched a second peace mission—Colonel Toda's team now accompanied by Mrs. Lee with her dachshunds and a pregnant Russian woman. Again, the overtures were rebuffed. On December 18th, the bombardment reached new intensity. Oil storage tanks ignited, sending dense black smoke cascading across the northeast corner of the island—perfect concealment for what was to come. All signs pointed to imminent assault.  I want to note something here, you sometimes hear about how race played a role in the Pacific War and indeed it did. Racist attitudes were found on both the western and Japanese side of the war. There is a fantastic book dedicated to this by the way called, War without Mercy by John Dower, highly recommend it. What is interesting is how these racial attitudes actually affected decision making during the war. Take General Sakai's night amphibious assault for example. Western soldiers such as the Canadians in Hong Kong reported they were told by their commanders that quote "Don't worry about the Japanese, they can't see at night, they all wear glasses" another Canadian soldier wrote in a diary "They don't see well, especially at night we knew this as a matter of fact." Indeed the week before the outbreak of the battle of Hong Kong, Canadian officers attending a briefing by a British officer were informed that "Japan's aircraft were mostly obsolete, its air force had little practice in night flying, and its pilots were myopic and thus unable to carry out dive-bombing attacks". You might be asking yourself, why did they think the Japanese were myopic? The scientific explanation of the day was this "That the Japanese suffered widespread inner-ear damage. What caused this? Japanese motherhood, the practice of strapping babies to their mothers backs, it was explained caused their heads to bounce about, like when they harvested rice and permanently impaired their sense of balance". I particularly love this quote, one of my professors dedicated an entire class to the bizarre racial attitudes before and after the pacific war. There was a belief the Japanese could not see well at night, many western air force commanders actually believed there were times of day like at dawn or dusk where Japanese pilots would not operate because of this hindrance. American military commentator Fletcher Pratt in 1939 analyzed Japan's military strengths and explained it had four major weaknesses. The first was scarcity of resources such as iron, and steel. The second was that the Japanese "can neither make good airplanes nor fly them well" as a result of " the Japanese as a race have defects of the tubes of the inner ear, just as they are generally myopic. This gives them a defective sense of balance, the one physical sense in which an aviator is not permitted to be deficient.". The third was that the Japanese were short-tempered and were inclined to waste men unnecessarily when operations did not go well. The fourth was that the Japanese would simply never date to provoke a war with the US. Again Mr Pratt was an American military commentator whose information came from multiple accounts given by high ranking military officials! The British military maintained that the Japanese avoided night operations on land because they were simply incapable of caring them out well, while they avoided nighttime aerial attacks, as well as dive-bombing for the same reasons Pratt said quote "their pilots were poor and their aircraft inferior.". So take this all to mind when I talk about how certain ranking officers go about making their decisions. By the evening of 14 December, evacuated mainland units had regrouped on Hong Kong Island. The defensive structure was restructured into two brigades: Brigadier Wallis commanded the East Brigade from Taitam Gap, while Brigadier Lawson headed the West Brigade from Wongneichong Gap. This reorganization placed the 5/7 Rajputs across the north-east perimeter, defending over 3,500 metres of coastline with B Company positioned on the hills behind Taikoo Docks. The Royal Rifles of Canada held the north-east corner from Stanley to points south, with reserve positions at Lyemun. Two HKVDC companies supported from Taitam Valley and Pottinger Gap, while the veteran Hughsiliers manned the North Point power station. British and Canadian artillery provided fire support across the northern approaches. The West Brigade held the north-western and south-western shores. The 2/14 Punjab stretched from Causeway Bay to Belcher's Point, protecting Government House and General Maltby's headquarters, with battalion headquarters at Mid-Level. The Winnipeg Grenadiers covered the south-west from Wanchai Gap, with one company detached to the brigade headquarters at Wongneichong Gap. The 2 Royal Scots, severely mauled at Shing Mun, were held in reserve with fresh replacements from the HKVDC. The Middlesex Regiment's companies were dispersed along 72 pillboxes encircling the entire shoreline, while an improvised Z Company of clerks, musicians and cooks defended battalion headquarters at Leighton Hill. Supporting artillery included 9.2-inch and 6-inch guns on Mt Davis and 4.7-inch guns at Belcher's Point. As darkness fell on 17 December, Japanese reconnaissance swimmers reached Taikoo, confirming the crossing site despite detection. Reinforcements arrived: 18 additional heavy bombers from Guangzhou and 26 fighters from Taiwan joined the aerial assault. The crescendo of artillery fire on the 18th, combined with masses of small craft gathering across the harbour, signalled the imminent invasion. Japanese divisional headquarters shifted to Ma Tau Wei near Kai Tak Airport; the 23rd Army moved to Taipo. The invasion force disposed itself with the right flank embarking from east and west of Kai Tak, the left from Devil's Hill area. At 1800 hours, the invasion order was issued; by 1930 hours Sakai himself arrived in Kowloon to oversee the crossing. At precisely 2000 hours, the 2/228th Regiment silently paddled their collapsible craft toward Taikoo Docks and the nearby sugar factory as artillery support commenced. Colonel Doi embarked with 80 headquarters personnel aboard a large barge, leading the second wave. The conditions favoured the invaders—a moonless night, sporadic showers, and thick black smoke from burning oil tanks obscured their movement. They reached the midpoint undetected before searchlights and machine-gun fire scattered the small boats, separating commanders from their units. Despite this chaos, the assault pressed forward. At 2140 hours the artillery shifted to deeper targets; at 2145 hours the first wave of 3/230th landed at North Point, followed minutes later by 2/228th and then 2/229th. Three red flares signalled a successful landing. All six Japanese battalions were ashore by midnight, though wire fencing delayed their advance and Bren carriers added to the confusion on the beach. General Sano arrived at Taikoo one hour later. The 5/7 Rajputs bore the initial brunt of the assault. Despite days of preliminary shelling, the Rajputs mounted a stubborn defence; Japanese casualties mounted rapidly. The anti-tank company suffered so grievously that only a single gun remained operational. The Japanese plan was tactical rather than frontal—bypass isolated positions for later elimination and push rapidly toward high ground. Overwhelmed by numerical superiority and losing most of their officers, Rajput resistance gradually crumbled. Contradicting all evidence, Maltby remained convinced the main Japanese assault would strike directly at Victoria from Kowloon. He therefore withheld the counter-attack, instead dispatching a platoon of Middlesex troops, Royal Marines, naval personnel, and the Rajputs' reserve company—supported by artillery—to establish a defensive line blocking the Japanese advance toward Central District. Three HKVDC armoured cars were sent to protect East Brigade headquarters; two more reinforced the Middlesex battalion headquarters. It was manifestly inadequate against six Japanese battalions. In post-war dispatches, Maltby conceded his grave miscalculation: he believed he faced at most two battalions, not a full division. As the 3/230th broke through D Company of the 5/7 Rajputs, the 2/230th came ashore nearby and wheeled westward toward Victoria. Their advance halted abruptly at the North Point power station, held by an extraordinary force: four officers and 36 men of the HKVDC Hughsiliers Platoon—alongside 39 civilian volunteers from China Light & Power and Hong Kong Electric, including the station manager Vincent Sorby—plus eight Free French soldiers commanded by Captain Jacques Egal, a Shanghai businessman turned soldier. Without exception, these men were World War I veterans, many aged 55 or older. Some had fought in the Boer War. Major J. J. Patterson, the Hughsiliers' commander, had served with Allenby's Camel Corps and been mentioned in dispatches six times; he was chairman of Jardine Matheson and a legislative councillor. Private Sir Edward Des Voeux, 8th Baronet, a millionaire bullion trader and secretary of the Hong Kong Club, had enlisted as a private when deemed too old for mobilization. Private T. A. Pearce, 67 years old, was chairman of J. D. Hutchison & Company and secretary of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Captain Bruch, the second-in-command, aged 60, chaired a major trading house. The list extended through Hong Kong's business elite, each choosing to fight rather than flee. These old men held an entire regiment at bay. When Patterson called for aid, Maltby dispatched an HKVDC armoured car with a platoon from Z Company, 1 Middlesex, but the reinforcement was ambushed before reaching the station; only nine soldiers, including 2nd Lieutenant Caruthers, broke through. Unable to dislodge the defenders by assault, the Japanese resorted to bombardment. By 0145 hours on 19 December, surrounded and ammunition exhausted, the defenders withdrew to King's Road behind a disabled bus. The Japanese deployed three machine guns, killing or mortally wounding all but Private Geoghan. A Japanese officer, believing all dead, cautiously approached—only to have Geoghan, despite his wounds, surge from cover and charge. He killed the officer and four soldiers before collapsing from wounds. Somehow Geoghan survived. Those old men—civilians and reservists, businessmen and veterans—held the entire western Japanese advance for 18 hours, buying Maltby precious time to withdraw forces and establish a new defensive line. Their stand at North Point became one of the campaign's most improbable acts of defiance. As the 2/229th Regiment advanced southward toward Mt Parker, the 3/229th landed at Aldrich Bay and turned eastward toward Lyemun, where they seized an HKVDC 6-inch gun. Major Bishop of the Royal Rifles of Canada, unaware of the landings, dispatched 15 Platoon under Lieutenant Scott to check on A Company of the Rajputs. Unexpectedly, they encountered armed men in civilian clothes at Lyemun's gate—the first indication of the Japanese presence on the island. Yet senior officers dismissed initial reports of landings and lost positions as exaggerated, a critical miscalculation that proved catastrophic. At Lyemun Fort, the 5th Anti-aircraft Battery of the HKVDC was caught completely unaware and surrendered after minimal resistance. The Japanese then committed one of many atrocities that would characterize the battle, bayoneting 29 survivors. Alerted by 15 Platoon's report, Bishop attempted a counter-attack with two platoons to retake the fort, but the defenders could not scale the six-meter wall and withdrew with nine men killed. As the 2/229th pressed southward toward Mt Parker, they overran the Salesian Mission, which had been converted into an Advance Dressing Station. No. 8 Company of the 2/229th systematized a massacre of medical personnel and the wounded—an atrocity that would later become pivotal evidence at Colonel Tanaka's war crimes trial. Yet amid the chaos, several medical staff and wounded survived to testify: Gunners Y. K. Chan and Martin H. C. Tso of the 5th Battery, Captain Osler Thomas of the HKVDC, Captain Martin Banfill of the Royal Canadian Medical Corps, and Corporal Norman Leath of the Royal Army Medical Corps. C Company of the Royal Rifles, reinforced with captured Japanese machine guns abandoned by fleeing Rajputs, inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers, with one Japanese company suffering over 65 percent losses. Yet overwhelmed by superior numbers and suffering nearly two platoons worth of casualties themselves, the Canadians were forced to withdraw, leaving only a reinforcement platoon under Lieutenant Blaver on Mt Parker. When Captain Clerke arrived at dawn with 16 Platoon to reinforce the position, he found over 100 Japanese already entrenched. With no artillery support and only two platoons available, Clerke had no choice but to withdraw, abandoning Mt Parker to the enemy. By dawn on the 19th, the East Brigade faced catastrophe. Infantry strength had been halved, and losses of artillery were equally devastating. A series of misunderstandings and misinterpreted orders led coastal gun crews at Capes D'Aguilar and Collinson to destroy their own guns in confusion or lose them to the advancing Japanese. Of the entire artillery complement, only one 18-pounder and two 3.7-inch field guns remained operational. Wongneichong—literally "yellow muddy creek" in Chinese—occupies the center of Hong Kong Island, a valley separating the eastern hills (Mt Parker, Mt Butler, Jardine's Lookout) from the western massif (Mt Nicholson, Mt Cameron, Victoria Peak). This narrow gap formed the critical artery linking northern and southern Hong Kong, making Brigadier Lawson's decision to place West Brigade Headquarters there strategically sound yet tactically vulnerable. Recognizing the exposed position after the landings, Major Lyndon had located an alternative site south of Mt Nicholson, scheduled to open the following day. In response to the Japanese landings, Lawson dispatched three platoons of Winnipeg Grenadiers to block the advance. Lieutenant C. D. French took 18 Platoon to Mt Butler, Lieutenant G. A. Birkett's 17 Platoon moved to Jardine's Lookout, and Lieutenant L. B. Corrigan's platoon took the north-west approach to the Gap. As on Mt Parker, both French and Birkett were killed almost immediately, their small forces overwhelmed by battalion-strength enemy forces with artillery support. By morning on the 19th, two battalions each of the 230th and 228th Regiments were pushing for the high ground. The 2/230th rapidly occupied Jardine's Lookout while the 3/230th moved to Mt Nicholson and the 2/228th advanced toward the Gap itself. No. 3 Company of the HKVDC under Major E. Stewart held pillboxes around Jardine's Lookout, while No. 1 Company under Captain Penn defended Taitam Valley with forward positions at Quarry Gap. The pillboxes, despite heavy bombardment, held longer than anticipated—some for as long as 24 hours. Stewart maintained his company headquarters until the 22nd, four days of continuous fighting without adequate ammunition, food, or water. No. 3 Company suffered 80 percent casualties and ceased to exist as a cohesive unit. Realizing that the enemy had penetrated to Mt Butler, Brigadier Lawson decided counter-attack was essential. Major A. B. Gresham of A Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, was ordered to retake Mt Butler and clear Jardine's Lookout. The Canadians initially succeeded, with Warrant Officer 2 J. R. Osborne leading a bayonet charge, but a strong counter-attack by three Japanese companies drove them back by 2200 hours. The Canadians held firm until 1500 hours, when Gresham attempted surrender despite waving a white flag—the Japanese shot him regardless. In the chaos that followed, a Canadian killed a Japanese officer in response, triggering a grenade barrage. Warrant Officer Osborne caught the grenades and hurled them back as fast as they came, but one landed in an impossible position. Without hesitation, Osborne threw himself on the grenade to save his comrades. This act of supreme self-sacrifice earned him a Victoria Cross—the first Canadian VC of World War II. At dawn on the 19th, Maltby dispatched A Company of the 2 Royal Scots under Captain K. J. Campbell to reinforce the Gap, but they lost all their officers with only 15 men reaching Lawson's headquarters. A group of sailors under Commander A. L. Pears came from the south, but were ambushed en route; only a few reached the Postbridge—a house just south of the Gap—which became an isolated strongpoint. The 3/230th captured the police station perched on a mound at the southern point of the Gap, then swept eastward to seize the anti-aircraft guns of 7th Battery (barely 250 meters from brigade headquarters) and continued uphill toward Taitam Hill to capture additional 6-inch and 3.7-inch guns. Maltby's response was to call down final protective fire from the HKSRA in Happy Valley, inflicting massive casualties on the 3/230th. At 1000 hours on the 19th, Lawson reported that his headquarters was surrounded and he was about to "go outside and shoot it out." Captain H. A. Bush provided covering fire as Lawson and his entire staff, including Middlesex signallers, were cut down by machine-gun fire across the Gap. Lawson's body was discovered two days later halfway up the hill behind his headquarters, dead from a gunshot wound to the thigh. Lieutenant Kerfoot of the 2/14 Punjab with his three Bren carriers arrived minutes too late to save him. IJA who saw the fight made a note stating "he died heroically". At 1330 hours on the 19th, Maltby issued "Operation Order No. 6" calling for a massive counter-attack to commence 90 minutes later. The plan was ambitious: A and D Companies of the 2/14 Punjab were to attack east from Victoria to North Point to relieve the Hughsiliers, while HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers and the 2 Royal Scots were to attack the Gap and Jardine's Lookout. Eight field guns were promised but never materialized. There was no reconnaissance, no proper orders, and minimal coordination. The Canadians were to rendezvous with the 2 Royal Scots at Middle Gap at 1530 hours, but the Scots were late; the Canadians advanced without them. Captain Pinkerton of D Company, 2 Royal Scots, was ordered at the last minute to attack up Wongneichong Gap Road—the same route A Company had taken only seven hours earlier and been decimated—because it was reported as "lightly held." Captain A. M. S. Slater-Brown led the advance with three Bren carriers and attached engineers, followed by D Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers. Just as the carriers reached the burnt-out trucks of A Company, they too were ambushed. Mortars and machine-gun fire rained down from Jardine's Lookout, where the Japanese occupied captured HKVDC pillboxes. Slater-Brown and 2nd Lieutenant Bell, the battalion intelligence officer, were killed instantly. The Royal Scots waited in the roadside ditches until 0200 hours before launching an attack on the police station, reaching the steps before Pinkerton was severely wounded. Captain Ford's composite company attack at 0300 hours also failed. Simultaneously, C Company under Lieutenant F. L. Stanier attacked Jardine's Lookout—also unsuccessfully. This series of piecemeal assaults cost the Royal Scots eight officers and 68 soldiers. Growing increasingly desperate, Maltby ordered Major Hodkinson, Officer Commanding HQ Company of the Winnipeg Grenadiers, to attack the Gap and proceed to Mt Parker. Requesting reinforcements from A Company and the Royal Scots, Hodkinson launched his assault with covering fire from Lieutenant Corrigan on Mt Nicholson. The Grenadiers managed to reach Mt Nicholson with only five unwounded men, though Corrigan's group advanced to within 300 meters of the Gap road. Then came an unexpected stroke of fortune: while skirting Mt Nicholson, Hodkinson's group stumbled upon approximately 500 Japanese—probably from the 3/230th—eating lunch without posting sentries. The Winnipeg Grenadiers unleashed devastating fire, inflicting heavy casualties. By 1745 hours, Hodkinson's force was only 100 meters from Repulse Bay Road. With four men and a 2-inch mortar, Hodkinson worked his way to the abandoned brigade headquarters, bringing 20 walking wounded with him. He established a foothold at the Gap, receiving orders to attack the police station at 2200 hours. Two HKVDC armoured cars with Vickers machine guns came in support, but accurate enemy fire disabled both. Like Pinkerton before him, Hodkinson reached near his objective before being severely wounded. For this action of determination and courage, Hodkinson was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. By the morning of the 20th, the Japanese had consolidated control of the Gap, but elements of D Company, Winnipeg Grenadiers, still held various pillboxes north of the position. Initially, 17 and 18 Platoons occupied forward positions with Company Headquarters and 16 Platoon in reserve, positioned across Wongneichong Road almost directly opposite brigade headquarters. Forward positions were rapidly overrun and cut off from the company. They fought without officers until withdrawal to battalion headquarters became necessary. With Captain A. S. Bowman killed and Captain R. W. Philips wounded, command fell to Lieutenant T. A. Blackwood. An attempt by B Company to relieve D Company on the evening of the 20th failed catastrophically, killing all officers and 29 men. With fewer than 50 men remaining—all wounded—Lieutenant Blackwood continued inflicting heavy casualties on the Japanese until 22 December, when exhaustion and the complete absence of ammunition, food, and water forced surrender. D Company killed over 200 Japanese soldiers. Post-war Japanese reports refused to believe that a single company had held the Gap for so long. For their stubborn defense, Philips and Blackwood were awarded the Military Cross, and three enlisted men received the Military Medal. The battle of Wongneichong Gap was characterized by fragmented planning and poor coordination. On the night of the 19th-20th, no fewer than three separate companies attacked the police station, with another company assaulting Jardine's Lookout—all within five hours, all independently organized by local commanders. Had these disparate actions been coordinated into a single simultaneous assault, fortress headquarters' objectives might well have been achieved. By the end of the 20th, the British had lost the vital ground of Wongneichong, though Postbridge House remained as an isolated holdout. For the Japanese, Wongneichong became the single costliest engagement since the invasion began, with over 800 casualties and the regimental commander of the 3/230th seriously wounded. I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me.   Japanese landings on 18-19 December overwhelmed the East Brigade. Brigadier Lawson died defending the vital Gap. Desperate, uncoordinated counter-attacks by British and Canadian troops failed to dislodge the enemy. D Company Winnipeg Grenadiers held the position for four days against overwhelming odds before surrendering. The Japanese suffered 800 casualties but secured this critical strategic ground.

How many days do you actually need? What should you budget? And what is the fastest way in from Heathrow? Tracy and Doug answer the 10 questions listeners ask most about visiting London, with the numbers and the reasoning behind each one.- How many days: why 4 to 5 is the first-timer sweet spot- When to go: the months we avoid, and why April catches people out- Getting around: zones, the £8.90 daily cap, Oyster versus contactless- Heathrow into London: Elizabeth line, Piccadilly line or the 15 minute Express- UK ETA: £20, two years, and the fake sites charging ten times that- Dual citizens: what you need to know if you are planning a UK trip- Budgeting: what to allow per person, and where it really goes- Food hacks: supermarket meal deals, explained for visitors- Day trips: Jane Austen's House by train, and Bath from Paddington- Where to stay: the Tube station rule that beats picking a postcode- Free London: which major museums and galleries cost nothing- Where to eat: Roast at Borough Market, Pick & Cheese, Cafe in the CryptPlus two new things from us: London Trip Quick Answers, a 30 minute live Zoom where you bring your specific trip questions to Tracy and Doug, and a new bonus episode on the last Thursday of every month covering what is on in London the month ahead.

This is the Motion Church Podcast. Thanks for joining us. If you'd like more information about Motion Church, you can always visit our website at motionchurch.com. If you'd like to contribute to what God is doing here at Motion, you can do that at motionchurch.com/give. We hope you enjoyed today's message. Hey, so we're kicking off a new... There we go. Kicking off a new series today called Rock and Soul. Rock and Soul. Did you know that that's an actual genre of music? There are people that have kind of tried to... There was an album. I forget who it was. It's like in the 70s or 80s, like Simon and Garfunkel or something, you know? Anybody feel me on that? And then they came out with an album and it was called Rock and Soul. Not what we're talking about at all. We're talking about... We're gonna shift gears a little bit from kind of the format of our last series. We were very localized in terms of, you know, timeline. We're just looking at some of the stories from the life and ministry of Jesus and stories that demonstrated incredible faith and really enjoyed working. One of my favorite things to do is just kind of taking a passage of Scripture and just working through it, right? Kind of what does it say? What does it mean? How does it apply to us? What are some details that we're inclined to miss? Because we read... Sometimes I do this. Sometimes I just read it to read it and I miss some stuff, right? So I love working through a passage of Scripture like we did each week in that series. This series, we're gonna be all over the place. We are gonna be in Matthew today. We'll probably be in the book of Psalms next week and maybe the book of Exodus the next week. So we're gonna be all over the place. And the point is what we're gonna be doing is looking at in Scripture some of the references to rocks and the imagery and the symbolism and kind of the analogies that rocks have in terms of a spiritual connection to what it is that we're trying to accomplish as followers of Jesus. Makes sense? How many of you like rocks? Rocks are fun. Now, all the dudes, I promise you if we walked outside and there was a pile of rocks, we would pick it up and we would have a target competition, right? We're gonna hit... First one to hit the light pole wins. And for 30 minutes, because all of our arms are trashed these days, right? And then tomorrow we'd wake up and be like, "I don't know what's wrong with..." So we're gonna look at one of the many, some of the many, a few of the many references and illustrations pertaining to rocks in Scripture. Here's what I believe. I believe that anything that is repeated in Scripture is important. If there's a pattern that is repeated, it's for a reason. You're a parent. You know you repeat things that are important because they didn't hear it the first time or the third time or the 300th time. So you just continue to repeat things that are important. I think if there are principles that are repeated, it's there for a reason. It's important. If there is symbolism that is repeated, it also is important. There's got to be something to it, right? And I think that is very true as it relates to rocks. Did you know this... So it's funny when I was writing out my notes, I wrote offhand... This is verbatim what I said. I said, "Offhand, I would venture to say that there are over a hundred references to rocks in Scripture." So then I was like, "Well, I better fact check myself because somebody will do it if I don't." Right? I know y'all. And is somebody gonna call me out because you were wrong past... So I Googled it. And it said that there are roughly between 99 and 136 references to rocks in Scripture, depending on which translation you use. And you know, maybe this is a looser analogy or whatever the case was. So about 100, okay? About 100. And we're only gonna look at a few. You can thank me later. For the next two years, we're gonna be doing a series called Rock and Soul. Got a hundred messages lined out. We're good to go. So we're gonna kick off this week. We're gonna look at an analogy that Jesus uses that highlights the importance of rocks. Here we go. Title for today's message is a firm foundation. A firm foundation. Y'all know this. This is gonna be fun. Sometimes, I think the expectation sometimes when we go to church is like we're expecting to hear something we've never heard before. And I'll be very honest with you. Sometimes we just need to hear what we've already heard and do what we've already... Right? This is for me, right? It's not that I need to learn something new. I need to do better doing what I already know. That's what needs to happen sometimes. So the title is a firm foundation. The first point is, we're gonna call this one construction 101. Construction 101. I know a lot of you guys, guys and girls are kind of in construction industries or construction adjacent injuries. You understand injuries. It's football season. I already think about injuries, right? The construction industry connected like you understand. And if you have it, you've seen houses being built. You understand kind of some of the basic components of construction. We all probably understand how important a good foundation is to whatever it is that you're building. And that's the point that Jesus makes in Matthew chapter 7 verses 24 through 27. It says this. So just before we dive into it, it's the two paths, right? It's the two ways that you can choose to live your life. I think we think sometimes that there's a lot of different paths. And the reality is it's like, yeah, those paths may look different, but it's still the same path, right? You can take this road or you can take this road. One ends well, one not so well. Therefore, if it says therefore, preacher joke, you got to see what it's there for. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine, this is Jesus talking, whoever hears these sayings of mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock and the rain descended. The floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock. Founded on the rock is another way of saying what the rock was its foundation. So it was founded on the rock. But everyone who hears these sayings of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand and the rain descended. The floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house and it fell and great was its fall. So here's what we're going to do. We're going to break down both of those paths, right? But what does it look like when you build your house on the rock? What does it look like when you build your house on the sand? What are kind of some of the things that go into that? And ultimately, what is the outcome of that? And really, I hope through contrast, we can see which is the better path for us as if you don't know this. But sometimes again, just important to be reminded of things that we know. So we're going to break it down. You ready? Break it down. I thought you were going to start dancing. Break it down. Break it down. This is the first thing that Jesus said. Therefore, whoever hears these sayings of mine, whoever hears these sayings of mine, that's where for us, for those of us who aspire to be wise people who build their house on the rock, it starts with hearing these words of mine. Now, specifically in context, what is Jesus talking about? The words that he just said, right? So Matthew chapter five, Matthew chapter six, Matthew chapter seven, it's a sermon on the Mount. And in terms of a sermon, best sermon ever preached, ever hands down, bar none, nothing even close, right? Just maybe the modern way to say it would be bars, right? Just so good. Matthew chapter five starts with the beatitudes, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the me, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. And then I'll be honest with you, like the back half of Matthew chapter five is tough. It's tough because he's like, Hey, I know this is what you've been taught, but I actually expect more of you. Like I know this is what you think about adultery, but I'm also going to teach you about lust. I know this is what you think about murder, but this is what I'm going to tell you about anger, right? Not that any of us struggle with those sorts of things, right? Not an angry person at all. Okay. Right. And so he gets into some stuff and he's like, Oh, those enemies that you've got, I'm going to teach you how to forgive them. That, that, that thing that people asked you how to do, I'm going to teach you how to go another mile. I'm like, why did you have to put all that stuff in there? Jesus, right? So it's such good, but challenging stuff, which is kind of the point. And we'll go over this a little bit more in detail at the end. The point for us, those of us who are aspiring to build our house on the rock, y'all, we don't get to pick and choose which sayings of Jesus apply to us or which ones we, we want to fit into our lives. The point is not for us to fit the teachings of Jesus into our lives. It's to fit our lives into the teachings of Jesus. Okay. And I look at, and not easy. Nobody ever said that it was, but worthwhile. It's building your house on a rock and it's something that will last. So he's specifically talking about the words that he just said, Matthew chapter six. This is how you give. This is how you pray. This is how you fast. Also stop worrying about everything. Look at the birds of the air. I take care of them. Look at the flowers of the field. I take care of them. What can you add to your life by worrying about all the things that you be out here worrying about? Right? It's good stuff. And in Matthew chapter seven, he's like, uh, you know, the, the ask, seek, knock, and then also our, our favorite, the judge, not list, you be judged, right? And then the two different paths, Matthew chapter Matthew seven, 13 and 14. He's like, Hey, there's a Broadway and there's a narrow way. And it's like your mama said, if everybody else was jumping off the bridge, would you jump off the bridge also? Right. And then he finishes with, you know, if you hear my words and you do them, you'll be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. However, I think it's safe to expand this to the other teachings, the life of Jesus, the example of Jesus. So anything that Jesus said, anything that Jesus did, I think it is safe for us to assume that when we hear that, when we see that we should do that. Okay. Very good. All right. So that's the simplest takeaway is, is the idea for us, I think bottom line, we need to be hearing the words of Jesus. Like whoever hears these words of mine, we need to hear the words of Jesus. You know why that's so important? Because we hear everything else. We hear everything else. Like just all the chatter and all the talk and all the, the criticism and all the negativity. We hear everything else. We hear the news. We, we, we read the articles, right? We hear the reels. We see the shorts. We hear the opinions. We hear the criticisms and what you better have, what you have to have, if you want to make it, if you want to build your house on something that's going to last is you better build your house on the rock. You need to hear the words of Jesus to give you framework, to understand everything else that you're hearing. I'm hearing it, but is it true? And if I hear the words of Jesus, I know what truth is. So I know that that's not truth. So that doesn't get internalized into my life. If I hear the words of Jesus and I know what's good and right and, and just in those sorts of things, then all of the other things that I hear, they don't have the same effect on me. It just gives us a framework. We need to be hearing the words of Jesus. That means we get into his word. We read the scriptures like personally, like it's not, listen, and y'all know this, but it's not the church's job to feed you. Y'all, if you're eating one time a week, like you're in trouble, you are not getting the proper nutrition. You should be eating all the time. Just eat, eat, right? Sorry, another football reference. Just like we got to be, we have to be, we have to be hearing the words of Jesus on our own. Listen to sermons. Like you're not going to hurt my feelings. I know there are better preachers out there. I listen to them too, right? Listen to people who are preaching the word of God, hear the words of Jesus, be in, come to church. Like we're going to talk about it here too. And that's amazing, but that's once a week and we need to be hearing it more than just that. Get into some small groups where it's being talked about. Have some friendships where you can, you can like break it down. And man, this is what I think it means. And what do you think it means? I have no idea. Tell me what you're thinking, how you feel, and hear the words of Jesus. We just need to hear the words of Jesus. Have you ever known someone so well that you knew what, this happens to me a lot. Everybody thinks they know what I would do. And usually they're right. I'm kind of predictable, right? So there are so many times in my life, somebody's like, yeah, I know what you would have done. So I went ahead and did it. I'm like, all right, you got me. That's right. And so what's the point of that? It's like, you know someone so well that you know what they would do even if they're not there. Why? Because you've heard their heart. You've heard, if you hear the words of Jesus, you hear his heart and you know what you're supposed to do. So the person who hears these words of mine, and then the next part of that, and this is the challenging part of that, and does them, and does them. And I know you know this, but it is not enough to hear the words of Jesus. We need to do something with the words of Jesus. We got to, listen, it's got to get deep down. It's got to penetrate deep enough into your heart that it actually affects the way that you live your life. The point is never, ever just information. The point is transformation. Like information in and of itself is fine, but it's never enough. The point is to have the information that goes in and does a work on your soul that causes you to live differently. This is how it says it in the book of James, James chapter one, verses 22 through 25. One of my favorite passages of scripture, and I say that all the time, and I mean it. I got a bunch of, like some of y'all got a bunch of best friends, which is impossible because best means best. It's my favorite passage of scripture. Here we go. It says, "But be doers of the word and not hearers only." Deceiving yourselves. Isn't that kind of interesting? Because like I think what we do sometimes is we talk ourselves into not doing it because we know it, and that's kind of good enough, right? So we deceive ourselves because we're hearers and not doers also. And then it says, "For if anyone is," this is so good, listen to this, "For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror," checking yourself out, looking at all the angles. I know you snuck in that duck face selfie. I know you did. "Is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror, for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the word, this one will be blessed in what he does." You know what I think that means? Again, when we hear the words of Jesus, we understand the heart of Jesus. When you hear the words of Jesus and you do them, you know who he is. Therefore, you know who you are. You can look in the mirror and you know who you are. And when you leave the mirror, you still know who you are because you've heard the words of Jesus and you've allowed them to get deep enough into your heart that you understand your identity. You're not going to leave and forget who you are just based on who you're with because that never happens. Like, what is it? A code switch? Is that what they call it when you get around different people and you act different? Thank you, trendy. Youth pastor, right? It keeps me in touch. It's not enough. It's not enough to be a theologian. And I think that's amazing that there are people who devote so much of their time and, you know, effort and stuff to learning more about scripture and learning about God. But listen, if you're a theologian and not a practitioner, you are wasting your time. Like, if you got all the knowledge in the world and there isn't any application of that knowledge, you are missing the point. You're missing the boat. You're wasting your time. And trust me when I say this is like, this is not an attack on knowledge. Knowledge, I think, is incredibly important. We should always be aspiring to attain a better understanding of the things of God, but never just for the sake of knowing, but for doing, right? I know it so that I know how to do it. Not just so I know it so that I know it because y'all got a lot of, there's plenty of those. You met the know-it-alls that never do anything. I'm like, that's amazing. You got all this information in your head. How about you get out there and do something with your hands? That was good preaching. Sorry. You know what the difference in my opinion is between knowledge and wisdom? Again, knowledge is incredible. Knowledge is kind of, it's the doorway. It's the step in the right direction, but knowledge is simply information. It's having the information in your head. Wisdom is when you take that information and you apply it to your life. You're a hearer and a doer also. So that's the second part, right? So he hears the words of Jesus and he does them. And then Jesus said, this is like a wise man who built his house, which means, which is to say that then we get about the business of building our house built, which is kind of another way, a clever way of saying, an illustrative way of saying, go build your life on the principles of Jesus, the teachings of Jesus, the ways of Jesus. Then go and build your life. Like we are called to be doers, not just in the sense that we're doing God's word, but doers in the sense that we are building something that matters and something that lasts. Our lives are significant. We're not just, you're not just floating through time. Like you're here for a reason. You have a purpose. Like God has called you to do something with your life. So get about building that house, right? I think someone who follows the teachings of Jesus, you feel deep in your soul that you're supposed to do something significant with your life. We use language like this, like something bigger than myself. You feel this sense of urgency to build something and be a part of something that is bigger than yourself. It's something that you can pass on to the generations to come. It's never just about you because you're building something that matters. We're called to be builders and makers, not just grifters and takers. That was a good line. You can say amen or owe me, right? We're called to be builders. We're called to be people who make things, like who creates. God is a creative God and we're made in his image. Therefore we should create. So we're called to be builders and makers, not just grifters and takers. The world and the church for that matter. We've got too many of those. We've got so many people that are always about what can you do for me? What can I get out of this? It's always this consumption thing. It's always, and you live your whole life like that and it even bleeds over into your spiritual pursuits where it's always about consumption. Here's a thought. What have you given? What have you built? What have you contributed? Make sure it's not that we don't consume. It's just also we do contribute as well. So let's get about the building part of this. We hear God's word. We do God's word and we build our lives on the rock. And when you build your life on the rock, it is good for your soul. Rock and soul. Okay, good. Now on the other hand, this I thought about calling this point shoddy craftsmanship. On the other hand, this is the person who Jesus said built his house on the sand. And I thought I was kind of working like why did Jesus choose to use sand as kind of the reference point, the imagery of the foundation of someone who is unwise, a foolish person. And we'll get there. I think there's obviously significance to that, but I think there are some other things that we should point out first. The first thing is it's interesting how the story is set up exactly the same. So he says the wise man, hears the words, does them, then he builds his house on the rock. The foolish man hears the words, doesn't do them. So it's kind of the same order. It's just a different outcome because of what he chose to do with the information that he had. So he hears them. He doesn't do them. And he builds his house on the sand. And you know what I think this, this is just maybe this is my opinion. Maybe I'm reading too much into this. You notice how Jesus directs. It seems to be a directed message at a specific audience. And I think the tendency is to think that this is a message for them. Y'all ever do that and be like, man, that's a good word preacher for my neighbor, right? My wife needed to hear that. My husband show needed to hear that, right? My kids, God bless them, they show needed to hear that. And I think this is a message because we hear that and we're like, oh yeah, yeah, they're not doing the words of Jesus. This is obviously, obviously for all those, those sinners and those pagans and those outsiders. But what does he say? He's like those who hear my words and don't do them. I think this is a message just as much for the insiders as it is for the outsiders. I think it's easy. This is the easy thing to do. It's so easy for us to look at the world and all of the craziness and all of the evil and cast dispersions and be like, oh yeah, the world. And that's fair. Like we're allowed to call things for what they are. We're beholden to truth and light so we can call evil what it is. But this specific analogy is for those who hear the words of Jesus and don't do them. And listen, that very well could be me and you. You can go to church and I hope you do. I mean, I think it's important, right? You can go to church and you can make claims that you follow Jesus, but if you hear it and don't do it, you're a person who's building your house, building your life on the sand. If you aren't doing what he said to do, then you are building your house on the sand. Okay, here's the other thing. This is another thing that's interesting about this passage. Jesus doesn't make any distinction between the fact that both groups are building, right? So one is building their house, building their life on the rock. The other is building their house, building their life on the sand, which is maybe another way to say, hey, they're busy too, right? They've got full plates too. They've got activities too. They've got crowded hearts too. It's not that they're not building something. It's not that they're not winning. It may just be that they're winning at the wrong things. I thought that was good, right? Because I think that's sometimes, sometimes the measure that we use to evaluate the success of somebody's life is like how active they are and how busy they are and how much they accomplish. And that's not the measure. The measure is, are you building your house on the rock? Are you building your house to last? Are you building your house on the foundation, the principles, the teachings, the hearings, the words of Jesus? Or are you just busy building a life that's absent of those things? And if you do, you may be building, but you're not building something that lasts. You're not building something that's going to be significant down the road. And so there's a difference between the choice and foundation, and that makes all the difference. And so here's what we do, the tendency again, because that's the way sometimes that we tend to measure things. We can win, but we can win at the wrong things. And here's what's scary about that is like, I can tell you as a fact, there's a lot of things that I cannot tell you for a fact. There are some things that I've got strong opinions on. There are some things that I've got like, you know, sometimes I make up things just to fill in the gaps. I know, you know, Shelley, when we first got married, Shelley was like, man, you just know everything. I'm like, yes, I do. And the truth is, this is before the internet was like ubiquitous. And the truth is, I just kind of made it up on a best guess, right? And it's like, and I was like, right ish a lot of times. So it just, it just happened to work out. But the truth is like, we don't, we don't know everything, right? But I can tell you this for a fact, like from personal experience, that this is a possibility of this, this building your life on the wrong foundation is a possibility for good church-going folk like me and you. I know you don't want to hear that. And I think, you know, I'm at church, I'm building my, yeah, listen, if you hear it and you don't do it, you're building your house on the sand. And that can happen to any one of us. It can happen to me. It's like there have been seasons in my life where I've been building stuff, but it's not been the right stuff, right? So this is, I'm so thankful to God for these necessary warnings along the way. We can never, we can't ever get to the end of our life and be mad at Jesus for not telling us. Because He told us on the front end, you're going to have these troubles. You're going to have these struggles. Make sure you build your life like all of the warnings that He gave us. I'm so thankful for them. And then, then we get to the foundation selection. So you've got the one who built his house on the rock and the other who built his house on the sand. What is the significance of the sand? You know how foolish that would be, right? To build your house. You've walked on sand. You've been to a beach. You know that sand gives way under pressure. You ever tried to run in the sand? You look like a slug, right? Again, in my mind, I still got it, right? There's still some athleticism there. And you get in the sand, you're like, nah, it's gone. It is gone, gone, gone. You know how foolish it would be to build your house on the sand? It's unstable. It's shifty. Does it sound like some people's lives? The instability gives weight under pressure, gives weight under pressure. There's not some stick-to-it-iveness to it. It's like shifting and moving. That's crazy. Which is exactly the point that Jesus was making, right? That's exactly the point. The people that don't follow His ways, this is what they're inclined to do. They're inclined to just shift, to just change. Just like whatever. There's no stability under pressure. So I'm just going to go on to the next thing. These are the types of people who are inclined to follow their heart. Follow their heart into the next thing, this thing, that thing, everything, whatever is the next shiny thing. There's always the volatility and the instability. And these are the types of people who are so quick to start one thing. And then when it doesn't go, how they think it should go, they're on to the next thing. And that doesn't exclude relationships. I know that's offensive. And Frank, listen, you know, I've decided at some point in my life, in the last few years, I am not going to apologize for sharing the truths about God's Word. Just not going to do it. Like if it offends you, and obviously I want to do that as lovingly, as kindly as possible, but I'm just not going to apologize for telling you what God's Word says. So these types of people, that's why we see, like, marriages dissolve so quickly. It's like, "Oh, well, it's not Cinderella. It's not a fairy tale like I thought it was going to be." So I'm out. Or you can build your house on the rock, where there's some stability and there's some persistence. What is a rock? It is resilience, right? There is some stability in that. And it's like, just because there's adversity and there's hardship doesn't mean that I'm going to dip set, which is, is that another trick? Oh, he's gone. Another trendy word, right? So here's what this starts to look like as you kind of play these two lifestyles out. The one who chooses to build his house on the rock, the one who chooses to build his house on the sand, you really start to see, over time, the difference, right? The contrast between the two. And it takes some time sometimes. I think if you have a small sample size in terms of time, you may not notice that much of a difference. But over the course of time, it will be very obvious that one person, the wise person, is living for something that matters. They're living with purpose. They're living for something bigger than themselves. They're living for something that's actually going to have some lasting value. On the other hand, you got the person who builds their life on the sand and they're just living for the next thing. They're living for the moment. They're living for the feels, right? And that is not, that is, I'm just going to help you out. That is not a way to live your life. Do you notice how, this is interesting, this is the last correlation we're going to make kind of between the two groups. And I think it's, it's one of the most important. Do you notice how each of the groups described, the wise man, the foolish man, both of them, the rains descended, the floods came, the wind blew and beat upon that house. Happened to the, the man who built his house on the, the firm foundation happened to the man who built his house on the sand, but there were two completely different outcomes. What does it say for the man who built this house on the rock? It says the rains came, the rains descended, the floods came, the wind blew and beat on his house. But because it was built on this firm foundation, because it was built on the rock, it stood. On the other hand, the one who built his house on the sand, what happened to him? The rains descended, the floods came, the winds blew and beat on his house and it fell. And it doesn't stop there. It doesn't say it just fell. And it says, and great was its fall. Here's my hope. This is my prayer for us as followers of Jesus, people that come to this church who, who as a community, we are aspiring to live a wise life and build our house on the rock. Just make, make all of these principles a routine, a staple in your life. Hear the words of Jesus, like whatever that looks like, man, if you've got a rhythm where, where you do devotionals and you get into God's word, man, that's amazing. Keep it up. If you don't, that is a great place to start. Be in environments where you're hearing the words of Jesus, but not just picking and choosing. I had an old pastor friend and he's like, some of y'all, not us, other people, other churches, other parts of the world. He was like, some of y'all are like Piccadilly Christians. And y'all don't, does anybody remember Piccadilly? Used to be in the Longview mall, like right when you walked into the right, but that was in the eighties. So disregard that reference, right? But it was a buffet. And what would you do with the buffet? You just go, Ooh, I want some of that. Do not want any of that. And I think that's kind of the tendency sometimes, isn't it? It's like, Oh, we love this Jesus that's meek and mild in this Jesus that's love and rainbows and light. But when Jesus starts telling us these hard teachings that then we have to change our life to fit into his words, not get his words to fit into our life. It gets a little more complicated, right? Build your, hear his words, hear his words, all of them and do them and do them, not just have the information, but experience transformation in your life and then get about building the life, man. Go do that thing. Go, go build your life, build your family, build your legacy, using the principles, the teachings, the words of Jesus, always as the foundation. And here's what's so beautiful about that. It is, it is transcend everything that you do. Every facet of your life should have these principles, these teaching teachings and these ways of Jesus. And that's what we should be about is building our life, building our house on the rock. It is a wise way to build your house, build your house on the rock. It is good for your soul. Amen. It's a good time to say like, Amen. Amen. Let me pray for us. Jesus, thank you so much for, this is not an easy teaching to be honest. I get scared to think that we can hear your words. We can know your words. We can be in church. We can know scripture and still be like the foolish person who builds our house on the sand. God, God helped that not to be any of us. God help us as the book of James says to be not hearers only, but doers also. Father, we don't want to just know your words that we have information. God, we desperately want to experience transformation. God, I want my life to be different because I hear your words. When I hear your words, I know your heart. And when I know your heart, I can't help but be changed. God, give me the wisdom to see the areas that I'm resistant, that I'm hesitant, that I try to make your words fit my life, not my life fit your words. Father, and give me the courage to change what needs to be changed. The humility got to break off whatever needs to be broken off. And Father, in your grace, I know that you'll do that. It says that if we ask, if we seek, if we knock, you're there, you're willing and you're able. So Father, we thank you so much for that this morning. Help us to be people who are wise, Jesus, who build our house on the rock and have this stability, this resilience in our soul. It's in Jesus name we pray. Amen.

A man reads about a murder in his morning paper over breakfast in his Piccadilly rooms. That should be the end of it. But something follows him from that reading — something that refuses to stay on the page. And when fate places him in the jury box at the murder trial itself, he begins to count his fellow jurymen, there there should be twelve, he counts thirteen... Dickens wrote this story with a title that is itself a warning. Whether you take that warning as a comment on the narrator, on the law, or on the nature of what follows, is a question the story leaves carefully unanswered. *"To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt"* was first published in the Christmas 1865 edition of *All the Year Round*, Dickens's own literary journal, as part of a collection entitled *Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions*. It was later republished under the titles *The Trial for Murder* and *The Thirteenth Man*. Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was born in Portsmouth and is widely regarded as the greatest English novelist of the Victorian era. He was also one of the finest writers of ghost stories in the language, and this story was considered the definitive English ghost story for decades, before M.R. James arrived to claim that title. The Classic Ghost Stories Newsletter — short essays on the genre, odd discoveries, and recommendations. Free, fortnightly. Subscribe: https://www.classicghost.com/#/portal To. buy my paperback books: https://books.by/tony-walker-books To buy my ebooks and audiobooks: payhip.com/TheClassicGhostStoriesPodcast Or, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk *Intro and Outro Music by The Heartwood Institute*

Why did a restless boy from a rural Swedish parsonage end up giving a name to every living thing on Earth — and how did he build a system so durable that it still runs as the operating system of modern biology, long after the theology behind it was overturned? How did the invention of the index card, a near-fatal journey through Lapland, and three years in the Dutch botanical gardens produce twelve thousand species names and a framework that has since scaled to potentially a trillion? And what do we do with the fact that the same man who placed humans in the animal kingdom also used his taxonomic authority to give scientific credibility to racial hierarchy?Join John and a special co-host as they tell the story of Sweden and Carl Linnaeus — the apostles he sent around the world, the specimens that ended up in Piccadilly, and the system that names everything...----------In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business-----------Join the History of Fresh Produce Club for ad-free listening, bonus episodes, book discounts and access to an exclusive chatroom community.Support us!Share this episode with your friendsGive a 5-star ratingWrite a review-----------Subscribe to our biweekly newsletter here for extra stories related to recent episodes, book recommendations, a sneak peek of upcoming episodes and more.-----------Instagram, TikTok, Threads:@historyoffreshproduceEmail: historyoffreshproduce@gmail.com

In this monthly bonus episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas returns with the July edition of What's On in London — a complete rundown of everything worth seeing and doing in the city this month. July is London at its most extroverted: Wimbledon fever, the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, British Summertime at Hyde Park, open-air cinema across the city, and a remarkable cluster of new exhibitions opening across the major galleries. Particularly special this month are three America 250 exhibitions viewing the American Revolution from the British side — at the National Archives, the British Museum, and Benjamin Franklin's only surviving house anywhere in the world, just around the corner from Trafalgar Square. Jonathan also covers the ongoing blockbusters already running from June, gives an honest assessment of London's July heat wave (currently under a red weather warning), shares a firsthand account from an Anglotopia friend who was in the city during the worst of it, and walks through the practical survival tips that will make your summer visit not just manageable but genuinely wonderful. Links New Exhibitions — July Richard Dadd at the Royal Academy of Arts (from July 1) Young Artist Summer Show, Royal Academy (from July 14 — Free) Ferdinand Georg Waldmüller Landscapes, National Gallery (from July 2 — Free) Anna Mendieta at Tate Modern In Other Worlds by Liam Young, Barbican (from July 15) Audrey Amis at the Wellcome Collection (from July 9) Art as Witness: The Lying in State of Queen Elizabeth II, Westminster Hall (from July 13) America 250 Exhibitions Revolution 250: America's Independence Story, National Archives (open now — Free) Declaring Independence: USA 250, British Museum (from June 30 — Free) How We Lost America, Benjamin Franklin House (from July 3) Ongoing Exhibitions from June Frida Kahlo & Tracey Emin at Tate Modern Anish Kapoor Retrospective, Hayward Gallery Royal Academy Summer Exhibition Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A Zurbarán at the National Gallery James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain Marilyn Monroe at the National Portrait Gallery The Queen's Fashion at The King's Gallery (sold out through 2026 — now extended into 2027, book ahead) Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit at Young V&A Major Events Wimbledon 2026 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall (from mid-July) British Summertime at Hyde Park Open Air Cinema — Somerset House, Rooftop Film Club, Regent's Park Buckingham Palace State Rooms Summer Opening (late July) (likely sold out — check for returns) Houses of Parliament Tours (July/August recess) Practical Resources Londontopia London Events Calendar TfL Tube Map — Which Lines Have Air Conditioning Refill App — Free Water Refill Points Across London Ken Burns American Revolution Documentary — PBS Passport Friends of Anglotopia Club Takeaways July is London at its most spectacular and its most demanding — maximum daylight (sunrise before 5am, sunset after 9pm), world-class events, longer museum hours, and beautiful golden evening light, but also peak crowds, peak prices, and the very real possibility of an extreme heat wave. Three once-in-a-lifetime America 250 exhibitions are open this July, all viewing the American Revolution from the British side: the National Archives has George Washington's handwritten letter accepting the British surrender at Yorktown and an original copy of the 1783 Treaty of Paris; the British Museum has four key objects from the Revolution; and Benjamin Franklin's only surviving house anywhere in the world is hosting "How We Lost America" from July 3. Richard Dadd at the Royal Academy (from July 1) is the most compelling new exhibition of the month — a rare survey of the brilliant Victorian painter who created hauntingly intricate fairy scenes while confined to an asylum after killing his father in a psychotic episode. The red weather warning heat wave currently affecting Britain is not a reason to cancel a trip, but it does require preparation: buy a fan on arrival (from Boots, Superdrug, Marks & Spencer, or a corner shop), carry a refillable water bottle, avoid the Central, Bakerloo, Northern, and Piccadilly tube lines during the heat, and use the air-conditioned Elizabeth line instead. During an extreme heat wave, even well-equipped venues can be forced to close galleries — one Anglotopia friend visiting recently reported that parts of the British Museum had to shut because industrial fans couldn't bring temperatures down, and visitors were fainting. Have a backup plan for every attraction. The Art as Witness exhibition at Westminster Hall (from July 13) — gathering official artworks made to record Queen Elizabeth II's lying in state in September 2022 — is a quietly moving, freely accessible display in one of the oldest buildings in London, and is worth combining with a Houses of Parliament tour during the summer recess. The BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall, running from mid-July straight through August, offers some of the most affordable classical music in London — from Bach to brand new compositions — with tickets potentially still available for some concerts. The Queen's Fashion exhibition at The King's Gallery is now extended into 2027 — if you're visiting next spring, book now, as it continues to sell out in advance. Jonathan's honest verdict: July is the right month if you love outdoor events, maximum daylight, world-class exhibitions, and big set-piece British occasions like Wimbledon, and you're comfortable with higher prices and significant crowds. It's the wrong month if you want contemplative museums, budget hotels, relaxed restaurant booking, or the tube to feel bearable without the Elizabeth line. Tucked between every crowded attraction, there is still a quieter London in July — in tree-lined squares, along the Thames at dusk, in church gardens, in early-morning side streets before the tour groups arrive. Walk slowly, sit in the parks, get to the pub before the evening rush, and the city reveals itself. Soundbites "July is London at its most extroverted, most expensive, and most crowded — and honestly its most beautiful. The city is showing off, and you can either love that or find it exhausting. There really is no middle ground." — Jonathan's honest verdict on July in London. "Richard Dadd created these hauntingly intricate fairy scenes like the Fairy Feller's Master Stroke — while he was confined to an asylum after he killed his father in a psychotic episode. So that's like, this guy already sounds really interesting." — Jonathan on the Royal Academy's most compelling new show. "The National Archives has a handwritten letter signed by George Washington accepting the British surrender at Yorktown. They have an actual copy of the 1783 Treaty of Paris. You're going to be seeing some of the most famous documents that are really founding documents for us — from the British side." — Jonathan on the National Archives America 250 exhibition. "Benjamin Franklin spent something like 20 to 30 years living in London. And his only remaining house that he ever lived in is in London, just around the corner from Trafalgar Square. They're hosting a witty and thought-provoking exhibition called 'How We Lost America' — a British perspective on the Revolution, told in the very house where Franklin spent years trying to hold both sides together." — Jonathan on the Benjamin Franklin House. "The temperature climbed to about 98 degrees on their last day and it genuinely curtailed their plans. Walking the sun-drenched pavements and riding the crowded tube became, in their words, a bit debilitating — especially as they were senior travelers. In an extreme heat event, the heat doesn't just make you uncomfortable. It can quietly eat your itinerary." — Jonathan sharing a firsthand heat wave account from an Anglotopia friend. "The first thing you should do when you land and you've checked into your hotel is go to a local ironmonger or hardware store and get a fan. Buy a fan. You will need a fan. Buy two fans. You'll have two fans. Be in a wind tunnel." — Jonathan's number one heat wave survival tip. "The light is a secret superpower of July travel in London. That long golden evening light makes every gray building glow. Yes, it's hot. Yes, it's crowded — but the city looks absolutely beautiful at 8pm with a cold glass of something in your hand." — Jonathan on why July evenings in London are worth it. "Even though the British Museum has air conditioning, some of the galleries had to shut because they couldn't bring the temperature down even with industrial fans — and they mentioned visitors fainting from the heat. If you're building a trip around a specific thing you want to see during a heat wave, have a backup." — Jonathan on extreme heat and museum closures. "Sun rises before 5am, sets after 9pm. It's glorious if you love long evenings — maddening if you want to sleep in. But you're in London. Why waste time sleeping?" — Jonathan on July's extraordinary daylight hours. "Walk slowly, sit in the parks, go to the pub early before the evening rush. The city is jammed with people but it's also jammed with possibility. July is London saying: I'm giving you my absolute best. Here it is, take it or leave it. And most people will take it — which is exactly why it's so crowded." — Jonathan's closing thought on July in London. Chapters 00:21 Introduction — The July edition of What's On in London and what to expect 01:30 New Exhibition: Richard Dadd at the Royal Academy (July 1) 02:30 New Exhibition: Anna Mendieta at Tate Modern 03:00 New Exhibition: In Other Worlds by Liam Young at the Barbican (July 15) 03:30 New Exhibition: Audrey Amis at the Wellcome Collection (July 9) 04:10 Royal Update: The Queen's Fashion Exhibition Extended into 2027 04:45 Special Event: Art as Witness — Queen Elizabeth II Lying in State, Westminster Hall (July 13) 05:30 Houses of Parliament Tours — Summer Recess Access 06:10 New Exhibition: Waldmüller Landscapes at the National Gallery (July 2 — Free) 06:45 New Exhibition: Young Artist Summer Show, Royal Academy (July 14 — Free) 07:15 America 250 — Seeing the Revolution from the British Side 07:45 America 250: Revolution 250 at the National Archives (Free) 09:00 America 250: Declaring Independence at the British Museum (Free) 10:00 America 250: How We Lost America at Benjamin Franklin House (July 3) 11:30 Ongoing from June: Frida Kahlo & Tracey Emin at Tate Modern 12:00 Ongoing from June: Anish Kapoor at the Hayward Gallery 12:20 Ongoing from June: Royal Academy Summer Exhibition 12:40 Ongoing from June: Schiaparelli at the V&A 13:00 Ongoing from June: Zurbarán at the National Gallery 13:20 Ongoing from June: Whistler at Tate Britain, Marilyn Monroe at NPG, Wallace & Gromit at Young V&A 14:00 Big Seasonal Events: Wimbledon 14:30 Big Seasonal Events: World Cup Viewing in London Pubs 15:00 Big Seasonal Events: BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall (mid-July) 15:45 Big Seasonal Events: Buckingham Palace State Rooms Summer Opening (late July) 16:30 Big Seasonal Events: Open Air Cinema — Somerset House, Rooftop Film Club, Regent's Park 17:00 Big Seasonal Events: British Summertime at Hyde Park 17:30 What's Open and Closed in July — Museums, Restaurants, the Tube 18:30 July Weather — What to Expect, the Current Red Warning Heat Wave 20:00 Firsthand Heat Wave Account — An Anglotopia Friend's Two Weeks in London 22:00 How to Stay Cool in London — Fans, Water Bottles, Which Tube Lines to Avoid 25:00 The Elizabeth Line as Your Best Friend in a Heat Wave 26:00 What to Pack — Clothing, Hat, Sunglasses, Sun Cream, Rechargeable Fan 27:30 Is July a Good Time to Visit? — Jonathan's Honest Assessment 29:00 Who Should Visit in July vs. Who Should Wait 30:00 Finding the Quiet London Inside the Crowded One 31:00 Wrap-Up — Londontopia Events Calendar, Friends of Anglotopia, and See You Next Month Video Version

Each year the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper makers returns to St Bride's to honour one of its most traditional commitments: the Richard Johnson “Bubble” Service. Our Rector, The Revd Canon Dr Alison Joyce, serves as Company Chaplain and this year added her voice to a long succession of clergy who have risen to the challenge of preaching at the service on Johnson's chosen text, Vita humana bulla est — “Life is a bubble”. Richard Johnson lived a short and rather poignant life. Born in 1756, he died in 1795 at just 38. A paper merchant by trade, he wrote The Paper Maker and Stationer's Assistant in 1794 and noted on its flyleaf that any profits should support elderly widows cared for by the Stationers' Company. His will went further: he left his estate to be distributed twice a year among “five very poor widows”, and he requested that the Master and Wardens visit St Mary's, Hendon annually on the anniversary of his father's death. There they were to inspect the grave — where Johnson himself was also buried — and to hear a sermon on Vita humana bulla est, and dine together afterwards. The Company still honours the annual visit to the grave, though the Hendon service and dinner ended in 1917. The sermon migrated first to St Martin‑within‑Ludgate and eventually found its home here at St Bride's, Fleet Street, which now serves as the spiritual home for the Company. In recent years clergy who have stepped up to the lectern for this unusual commission include The Very Reverend Dr John Hall (former Dean of our patron, Westminster Abbey), The Rt Revd Dr Stephen Platten (former Bishop of Wakefield who also served as Master of the Company) and The Revd Lucy Winkett (Rector of St James's Piccadilly and stalwart of the Today programme's Thought for the Day). St Bride's Choir has also become part of the tradition by singing what has now become “Bubble Anthem” – an arrangement of the song "I'm forever blowing bubbles". The Company then gathers not for dinner but for lunch and the heart of Johnson's request endures: a yearly reminder that life is a bubble — and a moment to reflect on what truly matters.

REDIFF - Issue d'une famille modeste d'Anvers, Marike Masina, jeune femme pieuse et dévouée voit sa vie basculer lorsqu'elle croise le chemin du séduisant Eugénio. Ce qui commence comme une romance innocente se transforme en un cauchemar londonien, où Marike se retrouve piégée dans un monde de manipulation et de terreur. Entre les ombres de Piccadilly et les secrets d'un empire criminel, suivez son incroyable parcours semé d'embûches et de rebondissements. Des meurtres qui défient la raison, des enquêtes impossibles, ou encore des assassins imprenables : abonnez-vous pour ne rater aucun nouveau récit passionnant de Pierre Bellemare, pour qui l'art de conter n'avait aucun secret. Hébergé par Audiomeans. Visitez audiomeans.fr/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

We look back on the life of David Hockney - one of the world's most influential modern artists and one of the best-known British contributors to Pop Art. Unlike artists such as Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein, David Hockney's art often focused more on personal experiences, portraits, landscapes and intimate scenes.Also: SpaceX is making its stock market debut in New York, setting Elon Musk on course to be the world's first trillionaire. Iran says major parts of an agreement to end the war with the US have almost been finalised after President Trump claimed a deal was ready to be signed. The UN's top official on HIV and AIDS says massive international aid cuts have left the world's response to the disease "in peril". The number of Palestinians forced from their homes in Occupied East Jerusalem is on the rise. And the American singer Taylor Swift has become the youngest woman ever to be inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame.The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk Photo: David Hockney, in front of his own paintings at the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition in Piccadilly, London in 2004. Credit: Fiona Hanson/PA Wire

The very beginning of Together Alliance's march against the right wing. This protest took place in central London in March 2026. I was located in the centre of Piccadilly near the Ritz hotel. The recording consists of chanting, drumming and many voices passing by as they made their way down Piccadilly towards Trafalgar Square. The rig I used to catch this recording was a pair of DPA 4060s into a Zoom H6 Essential. The mic configuration was spaced Omnis, approximately 20cm apart and set at a 45° angle. The only processing has been some compression at a 3:1 ratio and lifted by +10dB.Recorded in London by Ian Rattray.

In this special bonus episode of the Anglotopia Podcast, Jonathan Thomas launches an experimental new monthly format: a London events guide covering what's actually on in the city this month. June is arguably London's finest month — 16 to 17 hours of daylight, the longest evenings of the year, and an events calendar absolutely bursting at the seams. Jonathan walks through everything worth knowing about June in London: the major royal events including Trooping the Colour and Royal Ascot, the blockbuster summer exhibitions at Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the Royal Academy, the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A, and more, plus what's on in London theater from Shakespeare's Globe to the West End, live music at Wembley and the Roundhouse, and practical tips for surviving — and thriving in — a London heat wave. If this episode proves popular, Jonathan will make it a monthly fixture. Let him know what you think in the comments. Links Royal Events ~Trooping the Colour — Official Info~ ~Royal Ascot~ ~Wimbledon Tickets & Ballot~ ⠀Exhibitions — Book Ahead ~Frida Kahlo at Tate Modern~ ~Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (opens June 16)~ ~Anish Kapoor Retrospective at Hayward Gallery (opens June 16)~ ~Marilyn Monroe at National Portrait Gallery~ ~Barbara Hepworth at the Courtauld Gallery (from June 1)~ ~Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A~ ~Wes Anderson Exhibition at the Design Museum~ ~James McNeill Whistler Retrospective at Tate Britain~ ~The Queen's Fashion at The King's Gallery~ (sold out through 2026 — book 2027 dates now) ~Inside Aardman: Wallace & Gromit at Young V&A~ ~Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji at Dulwich Picture Gallery~ (closes June 30) ⠀Theater ~A Midsummer Night's Dream at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre (from June 20)~ ~Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare's Globe (from June 11)~ ~To Kill a Mockingbird — New West End Adaptation (opens June 25)~ ~Cyrano de Bergerac — West End (opens June 13)~ ~Buy West End Tickets via Anglotopia's Link~ (supports Anglotopia) ~TKTS Booth at Leicester Square — Half-Price Day Tickets~ ⠀Long-Running West End Shows The Lion King Hamilton Wicked Les Misérables Matilda Mamma Mia Six Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (almost always sold out — book well ahead) Sinatra — The Musical ⠀Live Music Harry Styles at Wembley Stadium (from June 12) Olivia Dean at the O2 (from June 12) Orville Peck at the Roundhouse, Camden ⠀Practical Resources ~National Gallery Extended Summer Hours (from July 1)~ ~Londontopia London Events Calendar~ ~Argos UK — Buy a Fan on Arrival~ ~Anglotopia June London Events Article~ (link to article) ~Friends of Anglotopia Club~ ⠀ Takeaways June is arguably London's best month to visit — 16 to 17 hours of daylight, reliably pleasant weather, and the richest events calendar of the year, though it is also peak tourist season with hotel prices running 20 to 40 percent above spring rates. Trooping the Colour — the monarch's official birthday parade — is the major royal event of the year in 2026. Even without a ballot ticket to Horse Guards Parade, you can experience the procession on the Mall and the balcony appearance at Buckingham Palace by arriving very early and staking out a good spot. Every major summer blockbuster exhibition in London requires advance booking — some, like The Queen's Fashion at The King's Gallery, are already sold out through 2026. Book tickets as soon as you finish listening, even if your trip dates aren't confirmed yet. The Frida Kahlo survey at Tate Modern, the James McNeill Whistler retrospective at Tate Britain, and the Marilyn Monroe exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery are Jonathan's top three must-book exhibition picks for the month. The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition — the world's largest open submission art show, running since 1769 — is a uniquely chaotic, democratic, and wonderful experience where everything on the walls is for sale and any artist can enter. Shakespeare's Globe is staging Much Ado About Nothing from June 11, and Regent's Park Open Air Theatre opens A Midsummer Night's Dream on June 20 — watching Shakespeare outdoors on a long June evening is one of the quintessential London summer experiences. London generally does not have air conditioning in older buildings, hotel rooms, or most tube lines. The first thing you should do after arriving in summer is buy a fan — Jonathan recommends going straight to Argos, Britain's version of a catalog store, for an affordable one. The tube's older lines (Central, Piccadilly) get brutally hot in summer due to London clay absorbing and retaining heat underground. The Elizabeth line is fully air conditioned and runs east-west across the city — use it as much as possible in a heat wave. The National Gallery is experimenting with extended summer evening hours, staying open until 7 PM most evenings and until 9 PM on Fridays from July 1 — Jonathan's suggestion: have an early dinner, then walk over for a free evening of world-class art. Don't try to pack too much in. Pick three or four things you genuinely care about, build your days around those, and leave time to wander, sit in Green Park with a deck chair, or walk along the Thames in the long evening light. June in London is as much about the atmosphere as the attractions. ⠀ Soundbites "The light is the headline for June. You get sixteen to seventeen hours of daylight. Twilight stretches from around eight PM to nearly ten PM. You can have a full day of exploring, sit down for dinner, and still walk home along the Thames and have some daylight." — Jonathan on why June is London's best month. "If you've ever wondered what the best month to visit London is, a lot of people will quietly tell you it's this one." — Jonathan on June in London. Plan your day around it. Get up stupidly early — three, four, five in the morning — get your spot on the Mall and soak up the atmosphere. It'll be like a party atmosphere." — Jonathan on how to experience Trooping the Colour without a ticket. "The Queen's Fashion at The King's Gallery is sold out for the rest of the year, and I know a lot of people are gonna be really disappointed when they try to get tickets and they simply can't." — Jonathan's warning on the most in-demand exhibition of the summer. "The walls are packed from floor to ceiling and everything is for sale. It's chaotic and wonderful. And it's a great way to see up-and-coming artists and established artists side by side." — Jonathan on the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. "Shakespeare under the open sky in one of London's loveliest parks on a warm June evening — it doesn't get dark till ten PM anyway. Enjoy some champagne, enjoy some theater out in the green. That's my top theater pick for the month." — Jonathan on Regent's Park Open Air Theatre. "The first thing you should do after you land is go to what the British call an ironmonger — a hardware store — and buy a fan. Don't skimp. It is essential for Americans traveling in Europe." — Jonathan's number one summer travel tip. "The London clay is a heat sink. It absorbs heat and then it doesn't let it back out. So the tube gets really hot in the summer. If you are prone to heat issues, avoid the tube except the Elizabeth line, which is fully air conditioned." — Jonathan on navigating London in a heat wave. "I sat there in the rain in the 40s, got soaking wet. And I — not exaggerating — almost got hypothermia. It was July. I could not warm up when I got back to the hotel because the heating wasn't on and there weren't enough blankets because it was July." — Jonathan's cautionary tale about British summer weather. "Argos is exactly like Service Merchandise — you go in, there's a big catalog, you pick your thing, and it comes out on a conveyor belt. Get a fan. Don't even look at the weather forecast first. Just trust me — you're going to need a fan." — Jonathan's most practical London summer tip. ⠀ Chapters 00:21 Introduction — Jonathan launches the experimental monthly London events format 01:15 The Feel of June in London — Long days, the light, and why June is special 02:20 June Weather — What to expect, heat waves, and the maritime humidity problem 03:45 Peak Tourist Season — Crowds, hotel prices, and why June still beats July 05:00 Trooping the Colour — What it is, how to see it without a ticket, and Jonathan's tips for getting a good spot 08:30 Royal Ascot — Fascinators on the tube, the royal procession, and how to get tickets 10:00 Wimbledon — The ballot, resale tickets, strawberries and cream, and what to do if you can't get in 11:30 How to Book Exhibitions — Why advance booking is non-negotiable and the Queen's Fashion sellout warning 13:00 Frida Kahlo at Tate Modern — Jonathan's pick and why Tate Modern is worth seeing for the building alone 14:30 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (June 16) — The world's largest open submission art show 15:30 Anish Kapoor at the Hayward Gallery (June 16) — The Cloud Gate connection and why it's worth seeing 16:15 Marilyn Monroe at the National Portrait Gallery — Just opened, book fast 17:00 Barbara Hepworth at the Courtauld Gallery — And why Somerset House is worth a visit anyway 17:45 Schiaparelli at the V&A — Fashion exhibitions and why the V&A excels at them 18:15 Wes Anderson at the Design Museum — A treat for film fans 18:45 James McNeill Whistler at Tate Britain — A sellout show, book immediately 19:30 Wallace & Gromit at Young V&A — The Aardman exhibition Jonathan is hoping to catch in August 20:15 Closing This Month — Mikalojus Čiurlionis at the Royal Academy (closes June 21) and Hokusai at Dulwich (closes June 30) 21:00 Theater — Why June is the best time for London theater 21:30 Regent's Park Open Air Theatre — A Midsummer Night's Dream, Jonathan's top pick of the month 22:00 Shakespeare's Globe — Much Ado About Nothing from June 11 22:30 New West End Openings — To Kill a Mockingbird (June 25) and Cyrano de Bergerac (June 13) 23:00 Long-Running Shows — Lion King, Hamilton, Wicked, Six, Les Mis, and how to get discount tickets 24:00 Live Music — Harry Styles at Wembley, Olivia Dean at the O2, Orville Peck at the Roundhouse 25:00 Practical Tips: Heat — Does London have air conditioning? (Mostly no) 26:30 The Fan Imperative — Buy one at Argos, the British Service Merchandise 28:30 Pack for All Weathers — The July outdoor concert near-hypothermia story 30:00 Humidity and Heat — Why British summer heat hits differently than dry American heat 31:00 Use the Long Days — 17 hours of light, late museum hours, rooftop bars, evening walks 32:00 National Gallery Extended Hours — Stay open till 7 PM, Fridays till 9 PM from July 1 33:00 Don't Overpack Your Itinerary — Pick three or four things, leave time to wander 34:00 Wrap-Up — Londontopia events calendar, listener feedback request, Friends of Anglotopia Video Version

Retirement, it turns out, doesn't come with a handbook. On this Tourism Tuesday Winchester/Frederick County edition of The Valley Today, host Janet Michael and Justin Kerns finally talk an avowed dog person into stepping inside a cat café — and what they find on the Piccadilly corner of the Old Town Walking Mall is something more carefully built than they expected. Chris Goebel, who retired to Virginia at 57 and went looking for purpose, opened Biscuits & Beans Cat Cafe on April 1st with his wife and family. Three weeks later they had welcomed nearly 1,400 guests and were on pace to donate $50,000 a year to local rescues. Chris and General Manager Chelsea Champ walk through the why behind every design decision — separate HVAC systems, a glass-walled "catquarium," 15 socialized cats max at a time, "no tips, just tails" as a built-in donation model, and a coffee program built entirely on steamed cold brew. Plus: how the reservation system works, what kinds of people are showing up (a younger demo than usual for the walking mall, including a lot of first dates), the June "Colored Collection" Pride drinks, and what's on the menu beyond coffee. Justin closes out with Hop Blossom, the VA 250 lineup, and a very gentlemanly update on the Middletown Maulers vintage baseball team. VISIT INFO — BISCUITS & BEANS CAT CAFÉ Located on the Piccadilly corner of the Old Town Walking Mall in downtown Winchester  Hours: Mon–Thu 10 AM–6 PM • Fri & Sat 10 AM–7 PM • Sun 10 AM–5 PM (open 7 days) Café: walk in any time during open hours — no reservation needed Cat Lounge: reservations required • 40-minute sessions • max 7 guests, up to 15 cats • $12.50 per person Private sessions: $75 for the full 40-minute space (up to 7 people) — great for first dates, girls' nights, bachelorette starts, coworker outings, or a quiet solo break  Allergy-friendly: separate HVAC and glass partition between the café and the cat lounge Kids welcome — any age, with one adult per child under 7 Adoption: meet a cat you love? You can get pre-approved before or during your visit and take them home the same day LINKS & RESOURCES • Biscuits & Beans Cat Café — biscuitsandbeans.com (reservations + menu) • Biscuits & Beans on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok • Just Tails Foundation (501(c)(3) supporting local rescues) — justtails.org • Visit Winchester events calendar (Hop Blossom, VA 250, and more): visitwinchesterva.com → Events THE VALLEY TODAY with Janet Michael — A decade of conversations. New podcast episodes drop weekdays at 11 AM. Catch the show on The River 95.3 and Fox Sports 1450 AM weekdays just after noon. Subscribe and listen at thevalleytodaypodcast.com — available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts. If you enjoy the show, please take a moment to leave a rating or review — it helps more listeners find us. Connect with us: Facebook — facebook.com/ValleyTodayFanPage Instagram — instagram.com/thevalleytoday

Eastern European aristocrat arrives in England bringing corruption, contagion, nocturnal habits and highly irregular neck behaviour.

London's Dracula Connections: Victorian Vampires, Penny Dreadfuls & the Lyceum Theatre (World Dracula Day Special)On World Dracula Day (26 May), London History Podcast host Hazel Baker speaks with Lambeth tour guide and Gothic novelist David Turnbull about how a century of Gothic writing and London locations shaped Bram Stoker's Dracula. They trace early vampire traits through Coleridge's Christabel, Byron's circle and the Villa Diodati summer, Polidori's The Vampyre, and the influence of penny dreadfuls like Varney the Vampire and Lloyd's publications, before moving to Fleet Street magazines and Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla. The conversation highlights Stoker's Lyceum Theatre work under Henry Irving, the Beefsteak Room's literary influences (including Burton and Vambéry), Stoker's research at the British Museum and London Library, and Dracula's London settings from Piccadilly and King's Cross to Hampstead. They discuss Dracula's slow initial success, rivalry with The Beetle, and its 20th-century rise via Hamilton Deane and Bela Lugosi, ending with Turnbull's Dracula-influenced novel The Hurdy Gurdy Man and related London tours.00:00 Introduction05:39 The Romantic Poets & Vampire Origins17:17 Penny Dreadfuls & Fleet Street31:57 Dracula's London Locations36:19 Dracula's Rise to FameSee Show Notes

A man reads about a murder in his morning paper over breakfast in his Piccadilly rooms. That should be the end of it. But something follows him from that reading — something that refuses to stay on the page. And when fate places him in the jury box at the murder trial itself, he begins to count his fellow jurymen, there there should be twelve, he counts thirteen...Dickens wrote this story with a title that is itself a warning. Whether you take that warning as a comment on the narrator, on the law, or on the nature of what follows, is a question the story leaves carefully unanswered. *"To Be Taken with a Grain of Salt"* was first published in the Christmas 1865 edition of *All the Year Round*, Dickens's own literary journal, as part of a collection entitled *Doctor Marigold's Prescriptions*. It was later republished under the titles *The Trial for Murder* and *The Thirteenth Man*.Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was born in Portsmouth and is widely regarded as the greatest English novelist of the Victorian era. He was also one of the finest writers of ghost stories in the language, and this story was considered the definitive English ghost story for decades, before M.R. James arrived to claim that title.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-classic-ghost-stories-podcast--7002956/support.*To buy my paperback books:* https://books.by/tony-walker-booksThe Classic Ghost Stories Newsletter — short essays on the genre, odd discoveries, and recommendations. Free, fortnightly. Subscribe: https://www.classicghost.com/#/portal To buy my ebooks and audiobooks: payhip.com/TheClassicGhostStoriesPodcastOr, if you'd just like to make a one-off gesture of thanks for my work https://buymeacoffee.com/10mn8sk *Intro and Outro Music by The Heartwood Institute*

On the show today we discuss..Rob - New Thunderball Underwater Breather (Upcoming unboxing).Pete - Notices someone in the Spa has the same James Bond Flip Flops.NEWSCharlie Higson interviews Kim Sherwood about her new Bond novel, Hurricane  Room, at Waterstones, Piccadilly on Wed 20th May. LISTENER MAILWith thanks to Alex LamasFor listener mail : therewillbebond@gmail.comEpisode #128S2. EP#027SUPPORT THE SHOWThis show is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Wilde & Harte⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Razors.Use TAILORS20 for a discount at W&H. https://wildeandharte.co.uk/You can tip the show with ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Buy Me A Coffee⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/therewillbebondYou can sign up to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠the Newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more Bond magic. https://fromtailorswithlove.co.uk/newsletterYou can buy a ⁠London Bond Map⁠ to get a shout out. https://londonbondmap.co.uk/shop

A public and passionate celebration of Jesus on Pentecost weekend in London in 2026. Joining with the global movement of March for Jesus on Saturday 23rd May.What is it?The Jesus March is a joyous, hopeful celebration of Jesus in London. The global movement of March for Jesus, which began in London in 1987, has continued around parts of the world and recently begun again across Europe. We are inviting you to join us as we relaunch March for Jesus in London this Pentecost weekend – this time called the Jesus March – on Saturday 23rd May.As the annual celebration of the birth of the church, of the first outpouring of the Holy Spirit and of thousands saved, Pentecost is the perfect date for the church to publicly celebrate Jesus, heal the spiritual atmosphere in our city, and raise hope and peace in our communities. There is a series of other significant Christian missions happening in the run up to the Pentecost weekend and throughout it: the Jesus March is a perfect climax to draw everything together.WHAT IS IT NOT?This is not a protest – we are not using this march to speak against any injustices or wrongs regarding the government of the UK, we are celebrating Jesus and lifting him up!This is not a political march – this is not left or right, and no political or national flags are allowed.This is not a promotion – there will be no money-making or products being pushed. No-one is promoting their own ministry or agenda.Why now?Because God is on the move! We have seen a recent wave of salvation, growing church attendance and a fresh boldness to reach the UK with the good news of Jesus, particularly London. This paves the way for a significant, united moment to proclaim and praise Jesus on the streets of this city! We are living in challenging times but Jesus calls his church to shine like stars to the world. Join us to shine out the light of Jesus!WHERE and when IS IT?The Jesus March will take place in central London. The route (pending police confirmation) is from Marble Arch and along Piccadilly, following a joyful mobile worship team on a float. We will end with an extended time of worship and prayer in Trafalgar Square.The march starts at 2pm on Saturday 23 May, finishing at 5pm.CAN I GET INVOLVED?Of course you can! The Jesus March is for everyone. We would love to see the beauty of the breadth, depth and racial diversity of the UK church expressed in the Jesus March. It would really help our planning if we know who is intending to be a part of the Jesus March 2026.Save the date: Make sure you've put Saturday 23 May in your and your church's diary.Register your interest: Let us know you're coming. To help with stewarding and first aid requirements, we are asking churches who are bringing 25 or more people to commit to bringing a group marshal (steward) and one qualified first-aider who would attend pre-event briefings.

God died on Piccadilly.

Send us Fan MailIf you regularly watch and listen to BBC News, then today's guest needs no introduction. Peter Bowes is currently the BBC's North American Correspondent and has reported on many high profile events, but prior to his career state side, he enjoyed a career on the radio, presenting shows and reading the news for Radio Tees and Piccadilly, before heading down to London to join the BBC and reading the news on Radio 1's Newsbeat. In this weeks edition, Peter sits down with Luke to share his journey through the radio. How he developed a bug from listening to BBC Radio 2 and gaining work experience at Metro Radio. How one of of his first reports was actually on Radio 1's Studio B15 reporting on Pirate radio. Joining Radio Tees and describing what the atmosphere was like reporting on picket lines, reporting stories and presenting shows. Moving down to Piccadilly Radio, before getting the call to join the BBC, first with Radio 4, before moving over to Newsbeat on Radio 1. Reading the news on several shows and getting the dream of teasing the Golden Hour on Simon Bates' Mid Morning Show. How the opportunity to read the news on Steve Wright's Breakfast Show came about and what working with Steve was like, before moving out to America to report on various stories.Check out Peter's about me page here.And why not listen to Peter talk to Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 here. And Don't forget to follow Peter on both Instagram and on X.We would like to extend addition thank you's to Peter, John Foster and the team at Aircheck Downloads for the use of content that was used in this week's episode.

The Guilty Feminist 474. Waterstone's Book Club Presented by Deborah Frances-White with special guests Max Olesker and Jess Robinson Recorded 23 February 2026 at Waterstone's Piccadilly. Released 16 March. The Guilty Feminist theme composed by Mark Hodge. Get Deborah's new book with 30% off using the code SIXCONVERSATIONSPOD https://store.virago.co.uk/products/six-conversations-were-scared-to-have More about Deborah Frances-White https://deborahfrances-white.com https://www.instagram.com/dfdubz https://www.virago.co.uk/titles/deborah-frances-white/six-conversations-were-scared-to-have/9780349015811 https://www.virago.co.uk/titles/deborah-frances-white/the-guilty-feminist/9780349010120 More about Max Olesker https://www.instagram.com/maxolesker https://lnk.to/MakingTheCut https://maxolesker.com More about Jess Robinson https://www.instagram.com/jessrobinsonofficial https://jessrobinson.lnk.to/lifeisrosibook https://www.jessrobinson.co.uk For more information about this and other episodes… visit https://www.guiltyfeminist.com tweet us https://www.twitter.com/guiltfempod like our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/guiltyfeminist check out our Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theguiltyfeminist or join our mailing list http://www.eepurl.com/bRfSPT More Big Speeches workshops now available https://guiltyfeminist.com/big-speeches/ Come to a live show Endometriosis Special. 31 March Bloomsbury Theatre. https://www.bloomsburytheatre.com/event/2026/03/guilty-feminist-live Road to Gilead at the Museum of Comedy. https://www.museumofcomedy.com/the-guilty-feminist/ Guilty Feminist x The Nerve. https://www.leicestersquaretheatre.com/show/guilty-feminist-x-the-nerve-road-to-gilead/ Thank you to our amazing Patreon supporters. To support the podcast yourself, go to https://www.patreon.com/guiltyfeminist You can also get an ad-free version of the podcast via Apple Podcasts. The Guilty Feminist is part of the AudioPlus Network. If you'd like to work with us, please get in touch at hello@weareaudioplus.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A double feature this week on the show: 1- Steve Shafran talks about the Winchester C.A.S.T. For Kids Foundation and a special event he's coordinating to connect volunteers who love to fish with adults and veterans with disabilities and special needs for a special day on the lake. (castforkids.org)  2- Shelly Lee invites everyone to put on the green for the Pot O' Gold Party at Piccadilly's on 3/14 to help the 2 For 2 Foundation provide free swim lessons to local youth.  (2for2foundation.org)

Fredag! Det blir synskhet, det blir psykopati, det blir mytomani, det blir swing. Men framförallt blir det Kirsty Armstrong! Har du ett skvaller som fler borde få höra? Maila det till kafferepetpod@gmail.comMissa inte vår månatliga systerpodd Cigarrummet. Bli prenumerant på www.underproduktion.se/cigarrummet10:35 - Kissat ner sig i sömnen?14:15 - Marschera med rumpan18:05 - Rikskändisar21:15 - Godhet kostar25:05 - Head Spa – En nära döden-upplevelse30:55 - Trädgårdshämnden är ljuv38:15 - Öga för öga43:30 - Sveriges Twin Peaks47:25 - Mytomanen på bussen

04 FEB 26

[The images referred to in this talk can be found at https://www.stpauls.co.uk/sites/default/files/2026-01/2025%20-%207%20Dec%20St%20Pauls%20UNDERHILL%20SLIDES.pdf] Evelyn Underhill is best known as a theologian, mystic, and spiritual director – remembered by the Church each year on the 15th June. In the 1900s, long before her fame, she travelled extensively in Italy and France, painting, drawing and writing as she journeyed to glorious cathedrals, rural churches, and historic museums. Marking the 150th anniversary year of her birth, this event explores her lesser-known art and writing. The Revd Ayla Lepine will guide us on a pilgrimage with Underhill as a companion through the sacred art and architecture of Chartres, Amiens, Assisi, Siena, Venice, and beyond. The Revd Dr Ayla Lepine is Associate Rector at St James's Church, Piccadilly, before which she was Ahmanson Fellow in Art and Religion at the National Gallery. She has a PhD in art history from the Courtauld Institute of Art and her book 'Women, Art, God' will be published in 2026. She is a trustee of Art and Christianity, a Visiting Scholar at Sarum College in Spirituality and the Imagination, and a member of the St Paul's Cathedral Visual Arts Committee.

WOW! We've reached the 400th episode of this podcast. I'd like to thank all of you for being here with me on this incredible journey. And now, let us begin.  Links: Email Me | Twitter | Fac ebook | Website | Linkedin Join the Time And Life Mastery Programme here. Use the coupon code: codisgreat to get 50% off. Download the Areas of Focus Workbook for free here Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes Subscribe to my Substack  The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page   Script | 399 Hello, and welcome to episode 400 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development, and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show.  15 years ago, I remember being excited to find Ian Fleming's explanation of how to write a thriller. I saved the text of that article from the Internet directly into Evernote. As I look back, I think that is probably my favourite piece of text that I've saved in my notes over the years. This morning I did a little experiment. I asked Gemini what Ian Fleming‘s advice is for writing a thriller. Within seconds, Gemini gave me not only the original text but also a summary and bullet points of the main points.  Does this mean that many of the things we have traditionally saved in our digital notes today are no longer needed? I'm not so sure. It's this and many similar uses of our digital note-taking applications that may no longer be necessary And that nicely brings me on to this week's topic, and that means it's time for me to hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week's question. This week's question comes from Ricardo. Ricardo asks, Could you discuss more about note-taking in your podcast, as I have difficulties regarding how to collect and store what's important? Hi Ricardo. Thank you for your question.  When digital note-taking apps began appearing on our mobile phones around 2009, they were a revelation.  Prior to this innovation, we carried around notebooks and collected our thoughts, meeting notes and plans in them.  Yet, given our human frailties, most of these notebooks were lost, and even if they were not, it was difficult to find the right notebook with the right notes.  Some people were good at storing these. Many journalists and scientists were excellent at keeping these records organised. As were many artists.  And we are very lucky that they did because many years later, those notebooks are still available to us. You can see Charles Darwin's and Isaac Newton's notebooks today. Many of which are kept at the Athenaeum Club in London, and others are in museums around the world.  It was important in the days before the Internet to keep these notebooks safe. They contained original thoughts, scientific processes and information that, as in Charles Darwin's and Isaac Newton's case, would later form part of a massive scientific breakthrough.  Darwin's journey on HMS Beagle was a defining moment in scientific history. It provided the raw data and observations that would eventually lead to his theory of evolution by natural selection.  That was published some twenty years after his journey in his book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.  During Darwin's five-year journey around the world, he filled 15 field notebooks with observations and sketches—these were roughly the same size as the iconic Field Notes pocket notebooks you can buy today.  Additionally, he kept several Geological Specimen Notebooks. These were slightly larger than his field notes notebooks. He used these primarily to catalogue the fossils and rocks he collected Darwin also kept a large journal during his travels, which he used to record data and incidents.  These were all original thoughts and observations.  Today, all that information is freely available on the internet and, of course, in books.  What's more, with AI tools such as Gemini and ChatGPT, finding this information today is easy. I, like many people today, rarely use internet searches for information. I simply ask Gemini.  This means there's no point in saving this information in my digital notes. All my searches are saved within the Gemini app, as they are in ChatGPT and Claude.  But your original thoughts, ideas and project notes are unique. It's these you want to keep in your digital notes.  Much like Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton wrote down their thoughts and observations, your thoughts, observations and ideas should be collected and stored.  When Darwin travelled on the Beagle, he was 22 years old. When he published The Origin of Species, he was 45.  And perhaps, like Darwin, not all your ideas today will have an immediate practical purpose. But if you don't keep them, they never will. This is why it's important to keep them where you can find them later.  And that's where our digital tools today are so much better than the paper notebooks we kept. We can find anything, any time, from any digital device we have on hand.  I remember reading Leonardo Da Vinci's biography, and he often travelled to other parts of Italy. If he needed to reference a note he had made—and he made copious notes—and he did not have the right notebook with him on his travels, it would have taken him days to retrieve the information.  We don't have that problem today.  So, when it comes to collecting, be ruthless in what you keep.  I have a notebook in my notes app called “Suppliers”. This is where I store the names of the companies I regularly buy things from.  For example, I get my clothing from several preferred retailers. I buy my woollen jumpers (sweaters) from Cordings of Piccadilly. In the note I have for Cordings, are my sizes and the website address.  This makes it easy for me to find what I am looking for and order. I use Apple's Password app to store my login details, so once I have found what I want, I can order it very quickly.  Amazon makes this even easier with a “Buy It Again” section, so if I am running low on Yorkshire Tea, I go to Amazon, click Buy It Again, and within a few seconds, I see Yorkshire Tea and can order straight away.  Ten years ago, I kept all that information in my notes. Today, I don't bother as it's faster to go directly to Amazon.  Another use I have for my digital notes is to keep all my client meeting notes. Each week, I will have around fifteen to twenty calls with clients, and I keep notes for each call as I write feedback, which I send to the client after the call.  These are unique notes, and each one will be different, so using the Darwin/Newton principle—keeping thoughts, ideas and observations in your notes—they will be kept in my notes in a notebook called “clients”. What's great about this is I have over eight years' worth of client notes in Evernote, which feed ideas for future content as they're directly relatable to real experiences and difficulties.  Another useful note to have in your notes is something called an “Anchor Note”. This is a note where you keep critical information you may need at any particular time.  For example, I keep all the subscriber links to my various websites there, which can be quickly copied and pasted whenever needed.  I also have the Korean Immigration office website there, since it's not easy to find, and I only need it every 3 or 4 years.  Depending on how security-conscious you are, you can also keep your Social Security and driving license numbers there, too.  How you organise your notes depends on you and how your brain works. However, the more complex your organisational system, the slower you will be at finding what you need.  Now this is where computers come into their own. Whether you use Apple, Google or Microsoft, all these companies have built incredible search functionality into the core of their systems.  This means as long as you give your note a title that means something to you, you will be able to find it in five or ten years' time.  I remember once my wife asked me for a password to a Korean website I had not used in ten years or more. I couldn't remember it, and I didn't have the password stored in my old password manager, 1Password.  As a long shot, I typed the name of the website into Evernote—the note-taking app I've been using for almost fifteen years—and within a second, the website with my login details was on my screen.  If I'd tried to find that information by going through my notebooks and tags, I would never have found it. I let Evernote handle the hard work, and it did so superbly.  However, that said, there is something about having some basic structure to your notes. I use a structure I call GAPRA. GAPRA stands for Goals, Areas of Focus, Projects, Resources and Archive. It's loosely based on Tiago Forte's PARA method.  I find having separate places for my goals, areas of focus and projects makes it easier for me to navigate things when I am creating a note.  My goals section is for tracking data. For instance, if I were losing weight, I would record my weight each week there.  My areas of focus notebook is where I keep my definitions of my areas and what they mean to me, and it gives me a single place to review these every six months.  My project notebook is where I keep all my notes for my current projects.  The biggest notebook I have, though, is my resources notebook. This is a catch-all for everything else. My supplier's notebook is there, as is information about different cities I travel to or may travel to in the future. As I look at that notebook now, Paris is the note that has the most information. (Although Osaka in Japan is getting close to it)  I also have places to visit in Korea that I keep for when my mother visits—which she does every year—so I can build a different itinerary for her each year.  The archive is for old notes. I'm not by nature a hoarder, but I do find it reassuring that anything I have created is still there and still searchable.  And that's it, Ricardo.  You don't need to keep anything that is findable on the internet or in AI; that's duplication. But what I would highly recommend you keep are your original ideas, thoughts, and meeting notes (even if they are being summarised by AI. How AI interprets what's been said is not always what was meant)  And if, like me, you prefer to take handwritten notes, you can scan them into your digital notes app so you have a quick reference even if you don't have your paper notebook with you.  I hope that helps, and thank you for your question, Ricardo. And thank you to you, too, for listening.  It just remains for me now to wish you all a very, very productive week.   

A well know Street in Central London, in this podcast we look at Piccadilly and the varied history it has encountered, to the place it is today. Join us for more...

It’s mid-December, which means that it’s time for George and Cheryl to take a look at the year in restaurants. In this episode, the co-hosts chat about their favorite new dining spots for 2025. They’ll cover all the fun additions to the St. Louis food and beverage scene, including a new Italian-inflected amaro bar, an Instagram pizza business-turned brick and mortar, a hotly anticipated restaurant from two pop-up pros and more. Plus, they’ll rank their Top 5 best new restaurants, which was done by consensus, but not without controversy. Listen and follow Arch Eats on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever podcasts are available. New to podcasts? Follow these instructions to start listening to our shows, and hear what you’ve been missing! Want more? Check out all of St. Louis Magazine’s podcasts. Have an idea for a future Arch Eats episode? Send your thoughts or feedback by emailing podcasts@stlmag.com. Hungry for more? Subscribe to our Dining newsletters for the freshest coverage on the local restaurant and culinary scene. And follow George (@georgemahe) and SLM on Instagram (@stlouismag). Interested in being a podcast sponsor? Contact Lauren Leppert at lleppert@stlmag.com. Mentioned in this episode: KoKuu Ramen & Sushi Bar: 343 S. Kirkwood, Kirkwood, 314-698-2231 Madrina: 101 W. Lockwood, Webster Groves, 314-963-1976 Citizen Kane’s: 133 W. Clinton, Kirkwood 314-965-9005O’Connell’s Pub: 4652 Shaw, The Hill, 314-773-6600The Piccadilly at Manhattan: 7201 Piccadilly, Ellendale, 314-646-0016Sam’s Steakhouse: 10205 Gravois, Affton, 314-849-3033 Brasas: 6138 Delmar Blvd, Delmar Loop 314-256-1937 Lucy Quinn (Lucy Q) /Little Lucy: 4156 Manchester, The Grove 314-932-5829Aperi: 4317 Manchester, The Grove, 314-405-8333No Ordinary Rabbit: 1621 Tower Grove, Botanical Heights, 314-696-2010 Robin: 7268 Manchester, Maplewood, 314-712-6124Expat BBQ: 3730 Foundry Way #132, Midtown, 314-924-9728Cottle Village Farmstead & Distillery: 6470 State Route N, Cottleville, 636-268-2123Sauci Pasta: 1990 1st Capitol, St Charles, 636-757-3307Great Heart Brewing: 9514 Olive, Olivette, 314-557-7188Mestiza Tacos & Cantaritos: 3279 Hampton, Clifton Heights, 314-645-7676Pavilion (inside Sado): 5201 Shaw, The Hill, 314-390-2883Mainlander: 392 N Euclid, CWE, no listed phoneNicky Slice: 2240 Edwards, The Hill, no listed phoneThe Mexican STL: 9615 Watson, Crestwood, 314-525-5025Nettie’s Pizza Den: 33 N. Central, Clayton, 314-571-9305 Extra Wavy: 2017 Chouteau, Downtown West, 314-346-1165Scout’s: 2704 Locust, Midtown, 314-394-8650 You may also enjoy these SLM articles: The best new restaurants in St. Louis More episodes of Arch Eats Robin named one of America’s best restaurants by ‘The New York Times’ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This playlist is 65% vinyl friendly. Very poor. Scorchio! ‘1960/1970 Vintage Stereo Design Record Player, in bright orange, the emblematic colour of the 1960 and an example of Mod Ultra Space Age Pop Art Raymond Loewy? France French Designer Museum-worthy‘ says the Etsy seller, adding ‘It has a few cracks, one of the speakers has a small tear in the cloth and may need an overhaul, a full check up to see how and if it works and if it is complete… WE HAVE NEVER TRIED TO USE IT AND I DO NOT KNOW IF IT WORKS OR PLAYS.‘ Thank flip it’s down to €4600, from €7100. Any track marked * has been given either a tiny or a slightly larger 41 Rooms tweak/edit/chop and the occasional tune might sound a bit dodgy, quality-wise. On top of that, the switch between different decades and production values never helps in the mix here. And a bit of a croak in my voice here and there. A temporary glitch, hopefully. Lyric of Playlist 146 Trickery involved but it has to be The Bots! 00.00 (Intro) THE FLAMINGOS – Stars (Edit) – Unreleased demo – 1983. Episode #1 for info. 00.41 NEW ORDER – Ruined In A Day (Reading Festival, 1993) – In Concert – 577, CD – BBC Transcription – 1993 I and my four-year-old, Alice were there, on what was a triumphant return, with the wonderful ‘Ruined’ in amongst new numbers from the band’s then recently released Republic album nobody would have previously heard in a live setting. BBC Transcription Services recordings – produced to service radio stations and usually for a very limited time frame for broadcast – had moved from vinyl to CD but with runs still only in their low hundreds New Order completists would be struggling to own a copy of this one… and I don’t. 04.42 MERIC LONG – A Small Act Of Defiance – Kablooey, LP – Polyvinyl Record Company – 2025 Book-ending a bunch of releases through the years as a member of The Dodos, Kablooey is seemingly Long’s first solo release under his own name since 2006. 07.43 BIOCHEMICAL DREAD – False Kings Of The Earth – 12″ – Pulsolid – 2004 Besides his work with Cabaret Voltaire this 12″ demonstrates there are gaps in my knowledge of Richard H. Kirk’s lengthy discography elsewhere. A copy of ‘False Kings… ‘ however is currently heading my way. RIP, Richard. 13.21 DARKSIDE – One Last Nothing – Download only – Matador – 2025 Including a past member of the 41 Rooms playlist parish, Nicolas Jaar, a US trio currently NOT releasing a 12″, though their Bandcamp visual hints otherwise. 18.32 AGENTS WITH FALSE MEMORIES – Agents With False Memories (extract), CD only – Ash International / Soleilmoon Recordings – 1996 Extract, indeed as Richard H. Kirk promptly returns to show 146 with this four minute snippet from a 53 minute track. 22.34 HUMANIZER – Shinobi – ? – ? – 2000s? Ignoring the slight Liam Gallagher drawl and with zero connection to any Death Metal band of the same name, this might have been Manchester sourced… and maybe with a Peter Hook connection. That’s what I’m vaguely remembering… from over a decade ago. Dunno… A ‘demo’ version, minus vocals, might also get an outing here at some point. 27.08 DIFFERENT GEAR – A Little Bit Paranoid (Extended Mix) * – 12″ – City Rockers – 2002 Courtesy of a ‘Phil Dirtbox’, the vocal is the winner here. 32.59 MERZ – Sorrow In The Sky (Nightingale Vs The Crow) – 7″ b-side – Lotus Records – 2002 The stuff that people sing about… and here with gusto and passion, to boot! 36.55 LUSCIOUS JACKSON – Why Do I Lie? (Sessions at 54th, 11.97) – Stream only – 1997 Vocalist, Jill Cunniff’s tale of lying sounding best live! 40.13 THE POPPY FAMILY – I Was Wondering – 7″ – London – 1971 A bit of a strange arrangement, this one. Albeit with a key change in there – verses with no choruses! Weird and wonderful… and maybe a bit brave in the pop world of the early ’70s, where the only PF track I remember hearing as a young teen was Which Way Are You Going Billy? That won’t be getting a 41 Rooms spin. 42.43 SOPHIE JAMIESON – Camera – I Still Want To Share, LP – Bella Union – 2025 Being over in Brighton recently it seemed appropriate I buy her clear vinyl album from the Bella Union shop and re Camera? It’s the subtle build in Sophie’s vocal and she’ll be here again at some point. 46.59 MARTYN BATES – The Rhyme Of Miracles – Arriving Fire, CD only – Ambivalent Scale – 2014 Martyn instils presence in a tune like few others for me. 50.28 JOSE FELICIANO – First Of May – 7″ b-side – RCA – 1969 ‘Feliciano seems to be on a heavy Bee Gees kick… after ‘Marley Purt Drive,’ he now does ‘First Of May’ and ‘Gotta Get A Message To You.’ And with his highly stylised projection, Jose manages to make them sound totally removed from anything the Gibb brothers originated’. – Disc (edited review of the album, 10 to 23), 15.11.69. As far as I know the Bee Gees tune was only ever released on a 7″ (my ‘format of choice’) for Jose in Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines and Spain and never as an A-side and arranger, Al Capps most probably winced if he ever got to see the NZ pressing below. Strangely, Jose’s very rarely performed the song live. I’ve only noted it three times, including two at London’s Jazz Cafe, in 1996 and again in 1998 and at the former it surfaced nearly under duress. With the audience (maybe unsurprisingly) constantly shouting out for past JF favourites Jose countered, ‘You know there’s a lot of songs you people ask me for that unfortunately… and I’m not being rude, a lot of artists are rude, they do it on purpose, but some of the songs that you ask me to sing, do you know that I haven’t sung them in years and I’ve forgotten the words and rather than make an ass out of myself that’s why I don’t sing them, OK? So, don’t take it personal… I don’t sing those songs anymore. But I’ll tell you what though there’s some that you ask for that I do remember, like this one. I hope that this one will satisfy you.’ That rare sighting was even more surprising considering Jose had taken the rare move of including his own recording of the song when guesting on Brian Matthew’s My Top Twelve for BBC Radio 1 back in June 1974. 54.11 JAPAN – Alien – Quiet Life, LP – Ariola Hansa – 1980 Bedford: Heronscroft, Putnoe, 1980 and Winkles, 1981… with a few Japan gigs thrown in at the time. 58.47 JOHN CALE – Chinese Envoy (M:FANS) – M: FANS, 2 LP – Double Six – 2016 ‘Approached as a reinterpretation of Cale's 1982 improvisational album, Music for a New Society… M:FANS is something of a funhouse mirror reflection of that work, using the basic song-structures of the original album as a starting point and using time, experience and the technological advances of the ensuing years to bring a new focus to the tunes. Some selections are comfortably familiar, while others have a significantly different footprint‘. – KCRW 01.02.32 ICEHOUSE – No Promises (Dance Mix) * – 12″ – Chrysalis – 1990 Fully five years after the track had seemingly done its thing it got an extended outing in Spain. 01.07.58 DAVID BOWIE – This Is Not America (BBC concert) – Bowie At The Beeb, 2CD – EMI – 2000 Part of Bowie’s special set for a small invited audience at the BBC’s Radio Theatre, in London, June 2000. 01.11.29 JOHNNY KEATING – Theme from Z-Cars (Johnny Todd) – 7″ – Piccadilly – 1962 Did I realise the grittier scripts involved here than had been delivered by Jack Warner’s strolling forerunner, Dixon Of Dock Green? Nah, I was five when Z-Cars kicked off but the theme (based on the traditional folk song, Johnny Todd) still brings a fuzzy feel. And Wikipedia will give you the full story on why Everton FC players come out to the tune at home games. 01.13.22 MARC COHN – ‘Walking in Memphis (Mahna Mahna)’ – Stream only – 1990’s? Cohn definitely wouldn’t have seen this coming, as the self proclaiming Mahna Mahna and the Snowths duo upstage him in a short but cheeky mashup (of sorts) I happened on via Youtube a couple of decades ago. I’ll openly admit I was a Muppets fan when they first aired on UK TV back in the mid ’70s and with Statler & Waldorf the stars for me I remember walking my girlfriend of the time, Jill home from work and then running up the hill to my house to record the show. Pre the age of video recorders, at one point there was a stack of ten to twenty AGFA(!!) cassette tapes of the shows in my bedroom. Getting back to Cohn, the fact he’s ‘racing’ a bit here actually adds to the cheeriness and I salute whoever was involved. 01.14.44 BERNARD CRIBBINS – The Hole In The Ground – 7″ – Parlophone – 1962 And like the Z-Cars theme I was five when this was released and I’d have definitely been singing this one in the years close after – and weirdly, although it’s the second tune from ’62 on this show, it’s not the last. 01.16.27 THE BOTS – Fuzzy Math – George W. Bush Greatest Hits, v/artists, CDr only – Spin The World – 2004 I heard this cut and paste work of art somewhere around its ‘release’ and as of 2004… ‘… utilizing the revolutionary Presidential Truth Filter(PTF). The PTF operates like this: All presidential statements are recorded, and made into a huge database. The database is searchable by speech, phrase, keyword, emotional intensity, etc. In parallel, an analysis is made of the historical circumstances of the particular presidency. The question must be asked, what is this man (all men so far…) really all about? What is a defining characteristic of this presidency? The final question which must be addressed by the PTF is, how can we use the assets in the database to concatenate the truth, and make the President speak it? The first attempt was Bushwack, in 1992. This turned into a huge hit before the Presidential election in 1992, though BMI denied that it was ever on the air at all. Through October of that year, stations such as San Francisco’s Live105 were playing it almost hourly. In 1997 Rock The House was a popular download at an early digital music download startup, muzic.com. In 2003 Bushwack2 was released at about the start of the Iraq war. The mood of the song is quite grim, as the truth of those times was interpreted by the PTF. In 2004, the PTF was reprogrammed to emphasize economics and general silliness, and Fuzzy Math was born. We think it’s the best one yet. Judge the results for yourself’. – thebots.net 01.19.26 DREXCIYA – Black Sea – The Journey Home, 12″ EP – Warp – 1995 First heard on either of Colin Faver’s or Colin Dale’s techno shows on KISS FM. Sounds more likely it was the former. 01.24.58 E-DANCER – Heavenly * – 12″ – KMS – 1997 The Inner City (‘Big Fun’) man, Kevin Saunderson with his techno head on. 01.28.51 CHARLES WEBSTER – Your Life * – 12″ – Peacefrog – 2000 Pitched up a bit (‘+3%’ says my file iD) this is a class slice of soulful techno/house. 01.33.11 CHARLOTTE DAY WILSON – Selfish – Download only – Stone Woman Music – 2025 This r&b musician has been around for a decade or so but I wouldn’t have guessed, judging by this slight departure to a ’90s UK garage feel (first half anyway). It suits her. 01.36.48 BENCH – Felice – Bliss, 2LP – Cylinder Recordings – 2000 The fifth appearance on 41 Rooms to date for this pretty much forgotten duo. 01.39.36 BLUE STATES – Your Girl – 12″ EP – Memphis Industries – 1999 First heard on a compilation CD a mate of mine, Sid put together, of fave tracks forwarded by mates of his. Not their own tracks, you understand. 01.43.45 THE MIRACLES – I’ll Try Something New – 7″ – Tamla – 1962 Hellfire! Those breakdown strings mid way are a bit of a jolt! Easy, Smokey! Writer, Robinson’s own version is actually the third to make it to 41 Rooms and his vocal arrangement sounds more like a remake than either Kiki Dee’s ‘straighter’ take or even the Supremes and Temptations stab at the song, when chronologically they both followed this Miracles single. 01.46.14 SMITH & MUDD – Blue River – 2LP – Claremont 56 – 2007 Electronic… downtempo… shuffling… drifting… or maybe flowing. 01.48.38 MERZ – A.M. (Good Morning) * – Single-sided, white label 12″ only – 1995 The second artist to return this show, multi instrumentalist and songwriter, Conrad Merz and his at times very idiosyncratic vocal (‘Many Weathers Apart’, for instance) seem to have trodden their own path through the years. 01.53.45 CRAIG ARMSTRONG (feat ELIZABETH FRASER) – This Love (& The Life That I Have) * – 41 Rooms Soft Mash Up only – Early 2000s I grabbed the extra voice – Virginia McKenna as Second World War spy Violette Szabo, reading the code poem The Life That I Have at the end of the film Carve Her Name With Pride – fully thirty plus years ago and I had a stab at floating it over This Love a long time ago but recently had another go. Aided by Jazz The Glass, we pitched her down slightly and then I took out a chunk of the poem in the second half. Not that it’s going to happen but I reckon it would need the song itself re-arranged/edited to work perfectly but methinks the idea is still a cool one. Show 147 hopefully surfaces Jan 4. Dec x The post Post Punk Plus Podcast Playlist 146 – Original upload 7.12.25 appeared first on 41Rooms.

A sweeping historical coming-of-age novel set against India's 1948 takeover of Hyderabad, The Sirens of September (India Penguin, 2025) shifts between the palaces of princely Hyderabad, the refugee camps of post-Partition Bombay, army command rooms and the seedy lanes of London's Piccadilly. Farishteh Ali Khan, an aristocratic teenager who enjoys a gilded existence, tumbles into a web of international espionage, political intrigue and dark family secrets. A few chance meetings between her and an air force pilot, Saleem El Edroos, lead to them striking up a long-distance courtship. When Hyderabad falls, the new regime makes the Ali Khans and the Edrooses answer for their old loyalties. The one person who can come to their aid can also tear Farishteh's family apart. Author Bio Note: Zeenath Khan is a writer who divides her time between Hyderabad, India and New York City. The Sirens of September is her debut novel. She has written about history, travel and current affairs for Scroll, Mint Lounge, Siasat and Literary Traveler. Aside from writing, she enjoys reading, working out, baking, and spending time with her friends and three grown-up children. The article mentioned in the podcast can be found here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

24 Hour Raga People at a festival in Redhook, NY; by the banks of the River Nore, Tadhg O'Sullivan journeys into art that might not get made ; and in Piccadilly, the largest ever European Survey for the veteran American, Kerry James Marshall, a painter of Black American life like no other.

A sweeping historical coming-of-age novel set against India's 1948 takeover of Hyderabad, The Sirens of September (India Penguin, 2025) shifts between the palaces of princely Hyderabad, the refugee camps of post-Partition Bombay, army command rooms and the seedy lanes of London's Piccadilly. Farishteh Ali Khan, an aristocratic teenager who enjoys a gilded existence, tumbles into a web of international espionage, political intrigue and dark family secrets. A few chance meetings between her and an air force pilot, Saleem El Edroos, lead to them striking up a long-distance courtship. When Hyderabad falls, the new regime makes the Ali Khans and the Edrooses answer for their old loyalties. The one person who can come to their aid can also tear Farishteh's family apart. Author Bio Note: Zeenath Khan is a writer who divides her time between Hyderabad, India and New York City. The Sirens of September is her debut novel. She has written about history, travel and current affairs for Scroll, Mint Lounge, Siasat and Literary Traveler. Aside from writing, she enjoys reading, working out, baking, and spending time with her friends and three grown-up children. The article mentioned in the podcast can be found here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/historical-fiction

In this lively, laughter-filled episode, Janina chats with Tom Gilbey - the man who made wine fun again by tasting a different bottle at every mile of a marathon. They dive into everything from the fossil-rich soils of Chablis and the changing world of en primeur Bordeaux, to how to host your own playful blind tastings at home. Along the way, Tom shares tips for making wine approachable (and hilarious), highlights his favorite Bordeaux wines and “Super Seconds,” and reminds us that enjoying a bottle should be full of joy, stories, and a little mischief. Shownotes  [01:42] Wine fact of the episode — the history behind the 1855 Bordeaux Classification and how it still shapes prestige and pricing today. [05:05] Tom shares how his viral “Wine Marathon” began: tasting a different wine every mile, his son's support, and the unexpected global response that followed. [08:36] From chaos to community - how a family experiment turned into a worldwide audience and new passion for wine communication. [11:17] The art of blind tasting - from marathon guesses to what he learned about focus, humility, and having fun with wine. [13:03] Janina and Tom discuss Thirsty and how his stories highlight the humour, generosity, and humanity of the wine trade. [15:33] Why blind tasting should be playful - ideas for home tastings, favourite tricky grapes like Nerello Mascalese and Baga, and the concept of “Wine Sports Day.” [21:30] Turning to Bordeaux — Tom's reflections on 2005 vintages, learning from Robert Parker, and how palate trends shaped global styles. [25:23] Bordeaux today: en primeur uncertainty, Château Latour's exit from the system, and why Tom says wine should be enjoyed, not invested in. [28:27] Blind tasting first growths versus super seconds - and how labels, price, and reputation influence what we think we taste. [31:03] Highlights on Château Montrose, Léoville Las Cases, and La Mission Haut-Brion - some of the ‘Super-Seconds'. [33:41] From Bordeaux to Burgundy - discussing Chablis, its fossils, minerality, and that unforgettable sense of “tasting the sea.” [37:37] Janina and Tom reflect on how palates evolve - from bold New World wines to subtle Old World elegance. [40:12] Beaujolais Nouveau nostalgia — London's 1980s celebrations, and Tom's upcoming Beaujolais Party at Sophie's in Piccadilly. [44:13] Tom's early years: studying at Plumpton College, researching English wine in the '90s, and predicting the rise of world-class English sparkling. [47:15] Wrapping up with Battle of the Grapes: Tom picks his favourite grape varieties  

Just when you thought the Fortnum's Christmas tale was complete, the shop quietly unveiled its most spectacular secret in centuries. Hidden for two years behind a cheerful Zebedee Helm collage, a brand-new Double Helix Staircase has now risen at the heart of 181 Piccadilly. Inspired by Leonardo da Vinci and hand-built by master craftspeople in Sussex, it is part architectural marvel, part swirling artwork, and entirely Fortnum's. This unexpected addendum returns us to Piccadilly for a second helping, celebrating a staircase that is already becoming a landmark in its own right.

This London Calling podcast opens with Fortnum & Mason glowing across Piccadilly like London's Christmas signal flare. It introduces the store as the elegant grand duchess of Piccadilly, tracing its history from 1707 when William Fortnum and Hugh Mason turned candle stubs and ingenuity into a legendary shop. It goes on to sketch Fortnum's reputation for refinement and playful luxury, from its royal associations to its famous hampers and teas. The Scotch egg origin story makes an appearance, along with a quick portrait of what makes the perfect one. The heart of the podcast is the store at Christmas, especially this year's spectacular displays. The windows are described as miniature theatrical worlds with whirling teacups, musical tins and a giant hamper that seems to open itself. The façade becomes a glowing advent calendar, and inside you step into a swirl of scent, sparkle and festive indulgence. For good measure the listener gets a suggested two-hour Fortnum's experience. First, slow, ceremonial browsing through the ground floor food hall and Christmas room. Then ascending for refined calm in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon for tea, cakes and a view over Piccadilly. Finally, a gentle wander back through the upper floors and out into the winter street. Podcast ends by declaring Fortnum & Mason the perfect opening chapter for a series on London's great Christmas shops.

On this episode, we were joined by the writer, art historian, and host of The Great Women Artists podcast, Katy Hessel.Katy's new book How to Live an Artful Life is a collection of 366 inspirations from her favourite artists and writers, designed to motivate readers to find creativity, beauty, and meaning in everyday life. Many of the ideas in the book stem from her acclaimed podcast, where Katy speaks to artists, curators, and thinkers whose work continues to expand our understanding of art history.Needless to say, there's a certain meta quality to this conversation, as we compared notes on the art of conversation itself — as well as London, museums, childhood inspirations, and the influence of other books about creativity by figures such as Julia Cameron.Katy first appeared on this podcast back in August 2022, just before the release of her groundbreaking debut The Story of Art Without Men, a book that redefined the canon and changed the course of her career. It began a conversation that has led to collaborations with museums, galleries, and artists around the world. Her new collection distills these experiences into a vibrant companion for anyone seeking a more artful way of living.Hosted by Ryan Edgington.

I do think of my formative years a lot – and I think this started to happen more when my parents died in 2022. Music started to become huge for me around 1976 when I was 8 and started playing the cello…but I did have some music differences of opinion let's say as I got a bit older and started to  listen to “bang and thump music” as my dad used to call it  – I really struggled to reconcile what I now know is a beautiful instrument with the Ramones, who were changing my life and pulling me in the other direction – it was like I had an alter ego. I mean, it's not a big deal in the whole scheme of things, but you know, each to their own.  Anyway, I just devoured more and more music – bands like Killing Joke, Siouxsie, Au Pairs, Minutemen, Husker Du - and as I found more and more stuff through, mainly listening to Peel and other local radio – like Steve Barker's On The Wire and Tony Michaelides on Piccadilly or just taking a chance based on whether I liked the sleeve, I started to get into more of the avant garde, off kilter, skrunky, weird – Neubauten, Alien Sex Fiend, Bush Tetras, The Fall, Butthole Surfers and then there was a bit of a lightbox moment with Tackhead's Hard Left around 86, I think before Public Enemy came along and changed things again. There was also another band who completely flummoxed, intrigued and excited me - and that was Fini Tribe. There was the underground and there was Fini Tribe. I had no idea how to describe them. They didn't sound like anyone else. I had no idea what they looked like. And I didn't know much about them. And I had no idea what to expect. And of course, we lived in an age of genre obsession – still do - so they were real genre party poopers. So, by the time I was listening to Splash Care or Detestimony, there were frequent shouts of “turn that shit off”. I was very used to this. Especially from the fella that liked Dire Straits. But Fini Tribe awakened an excitement in me – listening to them was like Alice Through The Looking Glass stepping into another world that felt as distant and exciting to me as when I got those first Killing Joke records… I never got to see them live so to now have a wonderful compilation of their 1982-1987 years called The Sheer Action of Fini Tribe, diligently and lovingly brought to life by the band with tracks I've never heard before including some live tracks, well, it's well worth the wait. This is such an exhilarating and fascinating insight with Christopher Connelly and Davie Miller.https://www.iwannajumplikedeedee.comI Wanna Jump Like Dee Dee is the music podcast that does music interviews differently. Giles Sibbald talks to musicians, DJ's and producers about how they use an experimental mindset in every part of their lives.- brought to you from the mothership of the experimental mindset™- cover art by Giles Sibbald - doodle logo and art by Tide Adesanya, Coppie and Paste

This episode takes Jack Aldane to Manchester, where he meets two men who knew Martin Amis in a rather unique setting. Ian McGuire and John McAuliffe, both esteemed authors, are the co-founders of The Centre for New Writing at the University of Manchester.Not long after establishing this bastion of new literary talent in 2007, the pair began the search for ambassadors to endorse its mission and teach new entrants. In 2006-2007, Martin Amis joined as Iconic Professor of Creative Writing. He was followed in 2011-2012 by Colm Tóibín, who in turn was followed by Jeanette Winterson, who has filled the role since 2013. More recently, the centre has enjoyed the employment of Emma Clarke and Tim Price on its new screenwriting modules. As its website explains, the centre teaches people "how to write novels, short stories, poems, plays and screenplays", helping students "to read as a writer reads, offer seminars on form and theory, and on contemporary publishing".Ian and John recount their fondest, funniest memories of working alongside Amis, as well as the political climate after 9/11 that made him more of a political figure than he'd ever been before.This conversation captures an altogether different look at who Amis was. This is Martin Amis not so much performing for an audience as seeking to impart the best of what he knew to a new generation of writers. This was, as John describes, an "avuncular" Amis, then in his 50s and early 60s, still game for a pint down the local with his students, and with arguably some of his best work still ahead.And then there was Amis's surprising grasp of the 5 principles of Pilates. If you want understand what that's about, you know what to do.FOLLOW US ON TWITTER/ X: @mymartinamisFIND US ON YOUTUBE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Walther Rauff, a notorious Nazi war criminal, lived openly in Chile after the Second World War, working for the Pinochet regime's secret police in the 1970s and avoiding extradition to West Germany. When General Pinochet was himself arrested in London in 1998 under an international warrant issued by a Spanish judge, the British government returned him to Chile on medical grounds. In this episode, Andy Beckett, the author of Pinochet in Piccadilly, joins Tom to talk about these two cases of impunity, the subjects of a recent book by Philippe Sands. They also consider why the democratic government of Salvador Allende that Pinochet overthrew in 1973 has been a touchstone for the international left in the decades since, and whether something similar to Pinochet's coup could have happened in the UK. Find Andy's article and further reading on the episode page: https://lrb.me/pinochetpod Sponsored link Oculi Mundi: ⁠https://oculi-mundi.com/⁠ LRB Audio Discover audiobooks, Close Readings and more from the LRB: ⁠⁠https://lrb.me/audiolrbpod

It's been 20 years since the 7/7 attacks in London, which claimed the lives of 52 civilians and injured almost 800. Krupa Padhy talked to Gill Hicks, who was on the Piccadilly line Tube that morning and lost her legs in the blast, and nurse Kate Price, who was working in intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital. They discuss their memories of that day and the aftermath, as well as the lasting bond they have formed.An exhibition celebrating the life and work of renowned Australian artist Emily Kam Kngwarray has opened at the Tate Modern in London. Respectfully known as ‘the old lady' by her community, Emily didn't start painting on canvas until her 70s. Anita Rani talked to art curator Kelli Cole about Emily's paintings, which were inspired by her life as a senior Anmatyerr woman from the Sandover region of the Northern Territory of Australia.The TV presenter and autism advocacy campaigner, Christine McGuinness, is mother of three autistic children, and she received an autism diagnosis herself as an adult. She is highlighting new research that found that half of parents of children with disabilities surveyed said their child is excluded from play due to playgrounds being inaccessible to them. From Frank Sinatra to the Beatles, many of the biggest male stars built their early careers on the romantic appeal to young women. Bea Martinez-Gatell is author of Swoon, Fangirls, Their Idols And The Counterculture of Female Lust – From Byron To The Beatles. She joined Anita to explain that far from passive consumers, fangirls were actually tastemakers, visionaries and cultural disruptors.Fatima Timbo, known as Fats Timbo, is a content creator and comedian who has amassed an incredible 3 million followers on TikTok. Since appearing on TV show The Undateables in 2018, she's also been part of the team bringing us the Paralympics coverage from Paris last year. Born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, she shares her tips for succeeding in a world where it's difficult to be different in her book Main Character Energy: Ten Commandments for Living Life Fearlessly. Katie Brayben is a two-time Olivier award winner for Best Actress in A Musical for Tammy Faye and Beautiful: The Carole King Musical. Now she is reprising the role of Elizabeth Laine in Girl From the North Country currently on stage at the Old Vic in London. Katie sang live in the studio. Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Andrea Kidd

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter  or Bluesky for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcast.Competition ends on 23rd July 2025. The winner will be contacted via Bluesky. Show references:  Sam Mullins, Trustee at SS Great Britainhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sammullins/https://www.ssgreatbritain.org/ Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: What an amazing day out here. Welcome to Skip the Queue. The podcast for people working in and working with visitor attractions, I'm your host, Paul Marden, and today you join me for the last episode of the season here in a very sunny and very pleasant Bristol Dockyard. I'm here to visit the SS Great Britain and one of their trustees, Sam Mullins, who until recently, was the CEO of London Transport Museum. And I'm going to be talking to Sam about life after running a big, family friendly Museum in the centre of London, and what comes next, and I'm promising you it's not pipes and the slippers for Sam, he's been very busy with the SSGreat Britain and with other projects that we'll talk a little more about. But for now, I'm going to enjoy poodling across the harbour on boat number five awaiting arrival over at the SS Great Britain. Paul Marden: Is there much to catch in the water here?Sam Mullins: According to some research, there's about 36 different species of fish. They catch a lot of cream. They catch Roach, bullet, bass car. Big carpet there, maybe, yeah, huge carpet there. And then your European great eel is here as well, right? Yeah, massive things by the size of your leg, big heads. It's amazing. It goes to show how receipt your life is. The quality of the water is a lot better now. Paul Marden: Oh yeah, yeah, it's better than it used to be years ago. Thank you very much. All right. Cheers. Have a good day. See you later on. So without further ado, let's head inside. So where should we head? Too fast. Sam Mullins: So we start with the stern of the ship, which is the kind of classic entrance view, you know. Yeah, coming up, I do. I love the shape of this ship as you as you'll see.Paul Marden: So lovely being able to come across the water on the boat and then have this as you're welcome. It's quite a.Sam Mullins: It's a great spot. Isn't it?Paul Marden: Really impactful, isn't it? Sam Mullins:  Because the amazing thing is that it's going this way, is actually in the dry dock, which was built to build it. Paul Marden: That's amazing. Sam Mullins: So it came home. It was clearly meant to be, you know,Paul Marden:  Quite the circular story.Sam Mullins:  Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Paul Marden:  Thank you. Wow. Look at that view.Sam Mullins: So that's your classic view.Paul Marden:  So she's in a dry dock, but there's a little bit of water in there, just to give us an idea of what's going on. Sam Mullins: Well, what's actually going on in here is, preserving the world's first iron ship. So it became clear, after he'd come back from the Falklands, 1970 came back to Bristol, it became clear that the material of the ship was rusting away. And if something wasn't done, there'd be nothing left, nothing left to show. So the innovative solution is based on a little bit of science if you can reduce the relative humidity of the air around the cast iron hull of the ship to around about 20% relative humidity, corrosion stops. Rusting stops. It's in a dry dock. You glaze over the dock at kind of water line, which, as you just noticed, it gives it a really nice setting. It looks like it's floating, yeah, it also it means that you can then control the air underneath. You dry it out, you dehumidify it. Big plant that dries out the air. You keep it at 20% and you keep the ship intact. Paul Marden: It's interesting, isn't it, because you go to Mary Rose, and you go into the ship Hall, and you've got this hermetically sealed environment that you can maintain all of these beautiful Tudor wooden pieces we're outside on a baking hot day. You don't have the benefit of a hermetically sealed building, do you to keep this? Sam Mullins: I guess the outside of the ship is kind of sealed by the paint. That stops the air getting to the bit to the bare metal. We can go down into the trigger, down whilst rise up.Paul Marden:  We're wondering. Sam, yeah, why don't you introduce yourself, tell listeners a little bit about your background. How have we ended up having this conversation today.Sam Mullins: I'm Sam Mullins. I'm a historian. I decided early on that I wanted to be a historian that worked in museums and had an opportunity to kind of share my fascination with the past with museum visitors. So I worked in much Wenlock in Shropshire. I worked created a new museum in market Harbour, a community museum in Leicestershire. I was director of museums in St Albans, based on, you know, great Roman Museum at Verulamium, okay. And ended up at London Transport Museum in the 90s, and was directed there for a long time.Paul Marden: Indeed, indeed. Oh, we are inside now and heading underground.Sam Mullins: And you can hear the thrumming in the background. Is the dehumidification going on. Wow. So we're descending into thevery dry dock.Paul Marden: So we're now under water level. Yes, and the view of the ceiling with the glass roof, which above looked like a lovely little pond, it's just beautiful, isn't it?Sam Mullins: Yes, good. It sets it off both in both directions, really nicely.Paul Marden: So you've transitioned now, you've moved on from the Transport Museum. And I thought that today's episode, we could focus a little bit on what is, what's life like when you've moved on from being the director of a big, famous, influential, family friendly Museum. What comes next? Is it pipe and slippers, or are there lots of things to do? And I think it's the latter, isn't it? Sam Mullins: Yes. Well, you know, I think people retire either, you know, do nothing and play golf, or they build, you know, an interesting portfolio. I wanted to build, you know, something a bit more interesting. And, you know, Paul, there's that kind of strange feeling when you get to retire. And I was retiring from full time executive work, you kind of feel at that point that you've just cracked the job. And at that point, you know, someone gives you, you know, gives you a card and says, "Thank you very much, you've done a lovely job." Kind of, "Off you go." So having the opportunity to deploy some of that long term experience of running a successful Museum in Covent Garden for other organisations was part of that process of transition. I've been writing a book about which I'm sure we'll talk as well that's been kind of full on this year, but I was a trustee here for a number of years before I retired. I think it's really good career development for people to serve on a board to see what it's like, you know, the other side of the board. Paul Marden: I think we'll come back to that in a minute and talk a little bit about how the sausage is made. Yeah, we have to do some icebreaker questions, because I probably get you already. You're ready to start talking, but I'm gonna, I'm just gonna loosen you up a little bit, a couple of easy ones. You're sat in front of the telly, comedy or drama?Sam Mullins: It depends. Probably.Paul Marden: It's not a valid answer. Sam Mullins: Probably, probably drama.Paul Marden: Okay, if you need to talk to somebody, is it a phone call or is it a text message that you'll send?Sam Mullins:  Face to face? Okay, much better. Okay, always better. Paul Marden: Well done. You didn't accept the premise of the question there, did you? Lastly, if you're going to enter a room, would you prefer to have a personal theme tune played every time you enter the room. Or would you like a personal mascot to arrive fully suited behind you in every location you go to?Sam Mullins: I don't know what the second one means, so I go for the first one.Paul Marden: You've not seen a football mascot on watching American football or baseball?Sam Mullins: No, I try and avoid that. I like real sport. I like watching cricket. Paul Marden: They don't do that in cricket. So we are at the business end of the hull of the ship, aren't we? We're next to the propeller. Sam Mullins: We're sitting under the stern. We can still see that lovely, gilded Stern, saying, Great Britain, Bristol, and the windows and the coat of arms across the stern of the ship. Now this, of course, was the biggest ship in the world when built. So not only was it the first, first iron ship of any scale, but it was also third bigger than anything in the Royal Navy at the time. Paul Marden: They talked about that, when we were on the warrior aim the other day, that it was Brunel that was leading the way on what the pinnacle of engineering was like. It was not the Royal Navy who was convinced that it was sail that needed to lead. Sam Mullins: Yeah, Brunel had seen a much smaller, propeller driven vessel tried out, which was being toured around the country. And so they were midway through kind of design of this, when they decided it wasn't going to be a paddle steamer, which its predecessor, the world's first ocean liner, the Great Western. A was a paddle steamer that took you to New York. He decided that, and he announced to the board that he was going to make a ship that was driven by a propeller, which was the first, and this is, this is actually a replica of his patent propeller design. Paul Marden: So, this propeller was, is not the original to the show, okay?Sam Mullins: Later in its career, it had the engines taken out, and it was just a sailing ship. It had a long and interesting career. And for the time it was going to New York and back, and the time it was going to Australia and back, carrying migrants. It was a hybrid, usually. So you use the sails when it was favourable when it wasn't much wind or the wind was against. You use the use the engines. Use the steam engine.Paul Marden: Coming back into fashion again now, isn't it? Sam Mullins: Yeah, hybrid, yeah.Paul Marden: I can see holes in the hull. Was this evident when it was still in the Falklands?Sam Mullins: Yeah, it came to notice in the 60s that, you know, this world's first it was beached at Sparrow Cove in the Falkland Islands. It had lost its use as a wool warehouse, which is which it had been for 30 or 40 years. And a number of maritime historians, you and call it. It was the kind of key one realised that this, you know, extraordinary, important piece of maritime heritage would maybe not last too many war winters at Sparrow cope had a big crack down one side of the hull. It would have probably broken in half, and that would have made any kind of conservation restoration pretty well impossible as it was. It was a pretty amazing trick to put it onto a to put a barge underneath, to raise it up out of the water, and to tow it into Montevideo and then across the Atlantic, you know, 7000 miles, or whatever it is, to Avon mouth. So it's a kind of heroic story from the kind of heroic age of industrial and maritime heritage, actually.Paul Marden: It resonates for me in terms of the Mary Rose in that you've got a small group of very committed people that are looking to rescue this really valuable asset. And they find it and, you know, catch it just in time. Sam Mullins: Absolutely. That was one of the kind of eye openers for me at Mary rose last week, was just to look at the kind of sheer difficulty of doing conventional archaeology underwater for years and years. You know, is it 50,000 dives were made? Some immense number. And similarly, here, you know, lots of people kind of simply forget it, you know, it's never gonna, but a few, stuck to it, you know, formed a group, fund, raised. This is an era, of course, you know, before lottery and all that jazz. When you had to, you had to fundraise from the public to do this, and they managed to raise the money to bring it home, which, of course, is only step one. You then got to conserve this enormous lump of metal so it comes home to the dry dock in which it had been built, and that has a sort of fantastic symmetry, you know about it, which I just love. You know, the dock happened to be vacant, you know, in 1970 when the ship was taken off the pontoon at Avon mouth, just down the river and was towed up the curving Avon river to this dock. It came beneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge, which, of course, was Brunel design, but it was never built in his time. So these amazing pictures of this Hulk, in effect,  coming up the river, towed by tugs and brought into the dock here with 1000s of people you know, surrounding cheering on the sidelines, and a bit like Mary Rose in a big coverage on the BBC.Paul Marden: This is the thing. So I have a very vivid memory of the Mary Rose being lifted, and that yellow of the scaffolding is just permanently etched in my brain about sitting on the carpet in primary school when the TV was rolled out, and it was the only TV in the whole of school that, to me is it's modern history happening. I'm a Somerset boy. I've been coming to Bristol all my life. I wasn't alive when Great Britain came back here. So to me, this feels like ancient history. It's always been in Bristol, because I have no memory of it returning home. It was always just a fixture. So when we were talking the other day and you mentioned it was brought back in the 70s, didn't realise that. Didn't realise that at all. Should we move on? Because I am listening. Gently in the warmth.Sam Mullins: Let's move around this side of the as you can see, the dry dock is not entirely dry, no, but nearly.Paul Marden: So, you're trustee here at SS Great Britain. What does that mean? What do you do?Sam Mullins: Well, the board, Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance of the charity. We employ the executives, the paid team here. We work with them to develop the kind of strategy, financial plan, to deliver that strategy, and we kind of hold them as executives to account, to deliver on that.Paul Marden: It's been a period of change for you, hasn't it? Just recently, you've got a new CEO coming to the first anniversary, or just past his first anniversary. It's been in place a little while.Sam Mullins: So in the last two years, we've had a, we've recruited a new chairman, new chief executive, pretty much a whole new leadership team.One more starting next month, right? Actually, we're in July this month, so, yeah, it's been, you know, organisations are like that. They can be very, you know, static for some time, and then suddenly a kind of big turnover. And people, you know, people move.Paul Marden: So we're walking through what is a curved part of the dry dock now. So this is becoming interesting underfoot, isn't it?Sam Mullins: This is built in 1839 by the Great Western Steamship Company to build a sister ship to the Great Western which was their first vessel built for the Atlantic run to New York. As it happens, they were going to build a similar size vessel, but Brunel had other ideas, always pushing the edges one way or another as an engineer.Paul Marden: The keel is wood. Is it all wood? Or is this some sort of?Sam Mullins: No, this is just like, it's sort of sacrificial.So that you know when, if it does run up against ground or whatever, you don't actually damage the iron keel.Paul Marden: Right. Okay, so there's lots happening for the museum and the trust. You've just had a big injection of cash, haven't you, to do some interesting things. So there was a press release a couple of weeks ago, about a million pound of investment. Did you go and find that down the back of the sofa? How do you generate that kind of investment in the charity?Sam Mullins: Unusually, I think that trust that's put the bulk of that money and came came to us. I think they were looking to do something to mark their kind of, I think to mark their wind up. And so that was quite fortuitous, because, as you know at the moment, you know, fundraising is is difficult. It's tough. Paul Marden: That's the understatement of the year, isn't it?Sam Mullins: And with a new team here and the New World post COVID, less, less visitors, income harder to gain from. Pretty well, you know, all sources, it's important to keep the site kind of fresh and interesting. You know, the ship has been here since 1970 it's become, it's part of Bristol. Wherever you go in Bristol, Brunel is, you know, kind of the brand, and yet many Bristolians think they've seen all this, and don't need, you know, don't need to come back again. So keeping the site fresh, keeping the ideas moving on, are really important. So we've got the dockyard museum just on the top there, and that's the object for fundraising at the moment, and that will open in July next year as an account of the building of the ship and its importance. Paul Marden: Indeed, that's interesting. Related to that, we know that trusts, trusts and grants income really tough to get. Everybody's fighting for a diminishing pot income from Ace or from government sources is also tough to find. At the moment, we're living off of budgets that haven't changed for 10 years, if we're lucky. Yeah, for many people, finding a commercial route is the answer for their museum. And that was something that you did quite successfully, wasn't it, at the Transport Museum was to bring commercial ideas without sacrificing the integrity of the museum. Yeah. How do you do that?Sam Mullins: Well, the business of being an independent Museum, I mean, LTM is a to all sets of purposes, an independent Museum. Yes, 81% of its funding itself is self generated. Paul Marden: Is it really? Yeah, yeah. I know. I would have thought the grant that you would get from London Transport might have been bigger than that.  Sam Mullins: The grant used to be much bigger proportion, but it's got smaller and smaller. That's quite deliberate. Are, you know, the more you can stand on your own two feet, the more you can actually decide which direction you're going to take those feet in. Yeah. So there's this whole raft of museums, which, you know, across the UK, which are independently governed, who get all but nothing from central government. They might do a lottery grant. Yes, once in a while, they might get some NPO funding from Ace, but it's a tiny part, you know, of the whole. And this ship, SS Great Britain is a classic, you know, example of that. So what do you do in those circumstances? You look at your assets and you you try and monetise them. That's what we did at London Transport Museum. So the museum moved to Covent Garden in 1980 because it was a far sighted move. Michael Robbins, who was on the board at the time, recognised that they should take the museum from Scion Park, which is right on the west edge, into town where people were going to be, rather than trying to drag people out to the edge of London. So we've got that fantastic location, in effect, a high street shop. So retail works really well, you know, at Covent Garden.Paul Marden: Yeah, I know. I'm a sucker for a bit of moquette design.Sam Mullins: We all love it, which is just great. So the museum developed, you know, a lot of expertise in creating products and merchandising it. We've looked at the relationship with Transport for London, and we monetised that by looking at TFL supply chain and encouraging that supply chain to support the museum. So it is possible to get the TFL commissioner to stand up at a corporate members evening and say, you know, you all do terribly well out of our contract, we'd like you to support the museum as well, please. So the corporate membership scheme at Transport Museum is bigger than any other UK museum by value, really, 60, 65 members,. So that was, you know, that that was important, another way of looking at your assets, you know, what you've got. Sometimes you're talking about monetising relationships. Sometimes it's about, you know, stuff, assets, yeah. And then in we began to run a bit short of money in the kind of middle of the teens, and we did an experimental opening of the Aldwych disused tube station on the strand, and we're amazed at the demand for tickets.Paul Marden: Really, it was that much of a surprise for you. And we all can talk. Sam Mullins: We had been doing, we've been doing some guided tours there in a sort of, slightly in a one off kind of way, for some time. And we started to kind of think, well, look, maybe should we carry on it? Paul Marden: You've got the audience that's interested.Sam Mullins: And we've got the access through TFL which, you know, took a lot of work to to convince them we weren't going to, you know, take loads of people underground and lose them or that they jump out, you know, on the Piccadilly line in the middle of the service, or something. So hidden London is the kind of another really nice way where the museum's looked at its kind of assets and it's monetised. And I don't know what this I don't know what this year is, but I think there are now tours run at 10 different sites at different times. It's worth about half a million clear to them to the museum.Paul Marden: It's amazing, and they're such brilliant events. So they've now opened up for younger kids to go. So I took my daughter and one of her friends, and they were a little bit scared when the lights got turned off at one point, but we had a whale of a time going and learning about the history of the tube, the history of the tube during the war. It was such an interesting, accessible way to get to get them interested in stuff. It was brilliant.Sam Mullins: No, it's a great programme, and it was doing well before COVID, we went into lockdown, and within three weeks, Chris Nix and the team had started to do kind of zoom virtual tours. We all are stuck at home looking at our screens and those hidden London hangouts the audience kind of gradually built yesterday TV followed with secrets of London Underground, which did four series of. Hidden London book has sold 25,000 copies in hardback, another one to come out next year, maybe.Paul Marden: And all of this is in service of the museum. So it's almost as if you're opening the museum up to the whole of London, aren't you, and making all of that space you're you. Museum where you can do things.Sam Mullins: Yeah. And, of course, the great thing about hidden London programme is it's a bit like a theatre production. We would get access to a particular site for a month or six weeks. You'd sell the tickets, you know, like mad for that venue. And then the run came to an end, and you have to, you know, the caravan moves on, and we go to, you know, go to go to a different stations. So in a sense, often it's quite hard to get people to go to an attraction unless they've got visitors staying or whatever. But actually, if there's a time limit, you just kind of have to do it, you know.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Everybody loves a little bit of scarcity, don't they? Sam Mullins: Should we go up on the deck? Paul Marden: That sounds like fun to me.Sam Mullins: Work our way through.Paul Marden: So Hidden London was one of the angles in order to make the museum more commercially sound. What are you taking from your time at LTM and bringing to the party here at the SS Great Britain?Sam Mullins: Well, asking similar, you know, range of questions really, about what assets do we have? Which of those are, can be, can be monetised in support of the charity? Got here, Paul, so we're, we've got the same mix as lots of middle sized museums here. There's a it's a shop, paid admission, hospitality events in the evening, cafe. You know that mix, what museums then need to do is kind of go, you know, go beyond that, really, and look at their estate or their intellectual property, or the kind of experiences they can offer, and work out whether some of that is monetisable.Paul Marden: Right? And you mentioned before that Brunel is kind of, he's the mascot of Bristol. Almost, everything in Bristol focuses on Brunel. Is there an opportunity for you to collaborate with other Brunel themed sites, the bridge or?Sam Mullins: Yeah. Well, I think probably the opportunity is to collaborate with other Bristol attractions. Because Bristol needs to. Bristol's having a hard time since COVID numbers here are nowhere near what they were pre COVID So, and I think it's the same in the city, across the city. So Andrew chief executive, is talking to other people in the city about how we can share programs, share marketing, that kind of approach.Paul Marden: Making the docks a destination, you know, you've got We the Curious. Where I was this morning, having coffee with a friend and having a mooch around. Yeah, talking about science and technology, there must be things that you can cross over. This was this war. This feels like history, but it wasn't when it was built, was it? It was absolutely the cutting edge of science and technology.Sam Mullins: Absolutely, and well, almost beyond, you know, he was Brunel was pushing, pushing what could be done. It is the biggest ship. And it's hard to think of it now, because, you know, you and I can walk from one end to the other in no time. But it was the biggest ship in the world by, you know, some way, when it was launched in 1845 so this was a bit like the Great Western Railway. It was cutting edge, cutting edge at the time, as we were talking about below. It had a propeller, radical stuff. It's got the bell, too,Paul Marden: When we were on, was it Warrior that we were on last week at the AIM conference for the first. And warrior had a propeller, but it was capable of being lifted, because the Admiralty wasn't convinced that this new fangled propeller nonsense, and they thought sail was going to lead. Sam Mullins: Yeah. Well, this ship had, you could lift a you could lift a propeller, because otherwise the propeller is a drag in the water if it's not turning over. So in its earlier configurations, it was a, it was that sort of a hybrid, where you could lift the propeller out the way, right, set full sail.Paul Marden:  Right, and, yeah, it's just, it's very pleasant out here today, isn't it? Lovely breeze compared to what it's been like the last few days. Sam Mullins: Deck has just been replaced over the winter. Paul Marden:  Oh, has it really. So say, have you got the original underneathSam Mullins: The original was little long, long gone. So what we have replaced was the deck that was put on in the in the 70s when the ship came back.Paul Marden: Right? You were talking earlier on about the cafe being one of the assets. You've done quite a lot of work recently, haven't you with the team at Elior to refurbish the cafe? What's the plan around that?Sam Mullins: Yeah, we're doing a big reinvestment. You always need to keep the offer fresh anyway, but it was time to reinvest. So the idea is to use that fantastic space on the edge of the dock. It's not very far down to where the floating harbour is really well populated with kind of restaurants and bars and an offer, we're just that 200 meters further along the dock. So perhaps to create an offer here that draws people up here, whether they visit the ship, you know, or not. So it's money, it's monetising your assets. So one of the great assets is this fabulous location on the on the dockside. So with early or we're reinvesting in the restaurant, it's going to go in the auto into after some trial openings and things, Paul, you know, it's going to have an evening offer as well as a daytime offer. And then it's been designed so the lights can go down in the evening. It becomes, you know, an evening place, rather than the museum's all day cafe, yes, and the offer, and obviously in the evenings would similarly change. And I think our ambition is that you should, you should choose this as the place to go out in the evening. Really, it's a great spot. It's a lovely, warm evening. We're going to walk along the dockside. I've booked a table and in the boardwalk, which is what we're calling it. And as you pay the bill, you notice that actually, this is associated with Asus, Great Britain. So, you know, the profit from tonight goes to help the charity, rather than it's the museum cafe. So that's the,Paul Marden: That's the pitch.Sam Mullins: That's the pitch in which we're working with our catering partners, Eli, or to deliver.Paul Marden: Andrew, your CEO and Claire from Eli, or have both kindly said that I can come back in a couple of months time and have a conversation about the restaurant. And I think it would be rude to turn them down, wouldn't it?Sam Mullins: I think you should test the menu really fully.Paul Marden: I will do my best. It's a tough job that I have. Sam Mullins: Somebody has to do this work. Paul Marden: I know, talking of tough jobs, the other thing that I saw when I was looking at the website earlier on was a press release talking about six o'clock gin as being a a partnership that you're investigating, because every museum needs its own tipple, doesn't it?Sam Mullins: Absolutely And what, you know, I think it's, I think what people want when they go to an attraction is they, they also want something of the offer to be locally sourced, completely, six o'clock gym, you know, Bristol, Bristol beers. You can't always do it, but I think, I think it's where you've got the opportunity. And Bristol's a bit of a foodie centre. There's quite a lot going on here in that respect. So, yes, of course, the museum ought to be ought to be doing that too.Paul Marden: I was very kindly invited to Big Pit over in the Welsh Valleys about 8 or 12 weeks ago for the launch, relaunch of their gift shop offering. And absolutely, at the core of what they were trying to do was because it's run by Museums Wales, they found that all of their gift shops were just a bland average of what you could get at any of the museums. None of them spoke of the individual place. So if you went to big pit, the gift shop looked the same as if you were in the centre of Cardiff, whereas now when you go you see things that are naturally of Big Pit and the surrounding areas. And I think that's so important to create a gift shop which has things that is affordable to everybody, but at the same time authentic and genuinely interesting.Sam Mullins: Yeah, I'm sure that's right. And you know I'm saying for you is for me, when I when I go somewhere, you want to come away with something, don't you? Yes, you know, you're a National Trust member and you haven't had to pay anything to get in. But you think I should be supporting the cause, you know, I want to go into that shop and then I want to, I want to buy some of the plants for my garden I just seen, you know, on the estate outside. Or I want to come away with a six o'clock gin or, you know, whatever it might be, there's and I think, I think you're more likely to buy if it's something that you know has engaged you, it's part of that story that's engaged you, right, while you're here. That's why everyone buys a guidebook and reads it afterwards.Paul Marden: Yeah, it's a reminder, isn't it, the enjoyable time that you've had? Yeah, I'm enjoying myself up on the top deck. Sam Mullins:  But should we go downstairs? The bow is a great view. Oh, let's do that. I think we might. Let's just work our way down through.Paul Marden: Take a sniff. Could you travel with these smelly passengers? Oh, no, I don't think I want to smell what it's like to be a cow on board shit. Sam Mullins: Fresh milk. Just mind yourself on these companion, ways are very steep now. This is probably where I get completely lost.Paul Marden: You know what we need? We need a very good volunteer. Don't we tell a volunteer story? COVID in the kitchen. Wow. Sam Mullins: The Gabby.Paul Marden: Generous use of scent. Sam Mullins: Yeah, food laid out pretty much based on what we know was consumed on the ship. One of the great things about the ship is people kept diaries. A lot of people kept diaries, and many have survived, right? You know exactly what it was like to be in first class or in steerage down the back.Paul Marden: And so what was the ship used for? Sam Mullins: Well, it was used, it was going to be an ocean liner right from here to New York, and it was more like the Concord of its day. It was essentially first class and second class. And then it has a founders on a bay in Northern Ireland. It's rescued, fitted out again, and then the opportunity comes take people to Australia. The Gold Rush in the 1850s. Migration to Australia becomes the big kind of business opportunity for the ships. Ships new owners. So there's more people on board that used to it applies to and fro to Australia a number of times 30 odd, 40 times. And it takes, takes passengers. It takes goods. It does bring back, brings back gold from because people were there for the gold rush. They were bringing their earnings, you know, back with them. It also brings mail, and, you know, other. Kind of car goes wool was a big cargo from. Paul Marden: Say, people down and assets back up again.Sam Mullins: People both directions. Paul Marden: Okay, yeah. How long was it taking?Sam Mullins: Well, a good trip. I think it did it in 50 odd days. Bit slower was 60 odd. And the food was like this. So it was steerage. It was probably a bit more basic. Paul Marden: Yeah, yes, I can imagine. Sam Mullins: I think we might. Here's the engines. Let's do the engines well.Paul Marden: Yes. So now we're in the engine room and, oh, it's daylight lit, actually. So you're not down in the darkest of depths, but the propeller shaft and all of the mechanism is it runs full length, full height of the ship.Sam Mullins: Yeah, it runs off from here, back to the propeller that we're looking at. Okay, down there a guy's stoking the boilers, putting coal into into the boilers, 24 hour seven, when the engines are running. Paul Marden: Yes, that's going to be a tough job, isn't it? Yeah, coal is stored in particular locations. Because that was something I learned from warrior, was the importance of making sure that you had the coal taken in the correct places, so that you didn't unbalance the ship. I mean,Sam Mullins: You right. I mean loading the ship generally had to be done really carefully so, you know, sort of balanced out and so forth. Coal is tends to be pretty low down for yes, for obvious reasons.Paul Marden: So let's talk a little bit about being a trustee. We're both trustees of charities. I was talking to somebody last week who been in the sector for a number of years, mid career, interested in becoming a trustee as a career development opportunity. What's the point of being a trustee? What's the point of the trustees to the CEO, and what's the benefit to the trustees themselves? Sam Mullins: Well, let's do that in order for someone in the mid part of their career, presumably looking to assume some kind of leadership role. At some point they're going to be dealing with a board, aren't they? Yes, they might even be doing, you know, occasional reporting to a board at that at their current role, but they certainly will be if they want to be chief executive. So getting some experience on the other side of the table to feel what it's like to be a trustee dealing with chief executive. I think he's immensely useful. I always recommended it to to my gang at the Transport Museum, and they've all been on boards of one sort or another as part of their career development.Sam Mullins: For the chief executive. What's the benefit? Well, the board, I mean, very directly, hold the chief executive to account. Yes, are you doing what we asked you to do? But also the wise chief executive recruits a board that's going to be helpful in some way or another. It's not just there to catch them out. Yeah, it's it's there to bring their experience from business, from IT, from marketing, from other museums into the business of running the place. So here we've got a range of Trustees. We've been we've recruited five or six in the last couple of years qquite deliberately to we know that a diverse board is a good board, and that's diverse in the sense not just a background, but of education, retired, still, still at work, young, old, male, female, you know, you name in.Paul Marden: In all of the directionsSam Mullins:  Yeah. So a diverse board makes better decisions than one that just does group think all the time. It's, you know, it's a truism, isn't it? I think we all kind of, we all understand and understand that now and then, for the trustee, you know, for me, I particularly last couple of years, when the organization has been through huge changes, it's been really interesting to deploy my prior experience, particularly in governance, because governance is what it all comes down to in an organisation. You do learn over the course of your career to deploy that on behalf, you know, this is a great organisation, the story of Brunel and the ship and and, you know, his influence on the railways. And I travel down on the Great Western railways, yeah, the influence of Brunel is, you know, is enormous. It's a fantastic story. It's inspiring. So who wouldn't want to join? You know what in 2005 was the Museum of the year? Yes, I think we'll just go back there where we came. Otherwise, I never found my way.Paul Marden: Back through the kitchen. Sam Mullins: Back through the kitchen. It looks like stew is on the menu tonight. You've seen me at the mobile the rat.Paul Marden: And also the cat up on the shelf. He's not paying a lot of attention to the ratSam Mullins: Back on deck. Paul Marden: Wonderful. Yeah. So the other great endeavor that you've embarked on is writing, writing a book. Tell us a little bit about the book.Sam Mullins: Yeah, I've written a history of transport in London and its influence on London since 2000 since the mayoralty, elected mayoralty was, was started, you know, I was very lucky when I was running the museum where I had kind of one foot in TfL and one foot out. I knew lots of people. I was there for a long time, yes, so it was, it was easy to interview about 70 of them.Paul Marden: Right? I guess you've built trust levels, haven't you? Yeah, I don't mean that you don't look like a journalist walking in from the outside with an ax to grind. Sam Mullins: And I'm not going to kind of screw them to the Evening Standard, you know, tomorrow. So it's a book based on interviews, oral reminiscences. It's very much their story. So it's big chunks of their accounts of, you know, the big events in London. So what was it like to be in the network control room on the seventh of July, 2005 when the bombs went off? What was it like to be looking out for congestion charge the day it started? Yep. What was it like to kind of manage the Olympics?Paul Marden: You know? So you're mentioning these things. And so I was 10 years at British Airways. I was an IT project manager, but as well, I was a member of the emergency planning team. Yeah. So I got involved in the response to September the 11th. I got involved in some of the engagement around seven, seven, there's seminal moments, and I can, I can vividly remember myself being there at that time. But similarly, I can remember being there when we won the Olympics, and we were all sat in the staff canteen waiting to hear whether we'd won the Olympics, and the roar that erupted. There's so many of those things that have happened in the last 25 years where, you know, you've got, it's recent history, but it's real interesting events that have occurred that you can tell stories of.Sam Mullins: Yeah. So what I wanted to get in the book was a kind of sense of what it was like to be, really at the heart of those, those stories. And there are, you know, there are, there are people in TfL who made those big things happen? Yes, it's not a big, clumsy bureaucracy. It's a place where really innovative leadership was being exercised all the way through that 25 years. Yes, so it runs up to COVID, and what was it like when COVID struck? So the book's called Every Journey Matters, and it comes out in November.Paul Marden: Amazing, amazing. So we have, we've left the insides of the ship, and we are now under, what's this part of the ship? Sam Mullins: We're under the bow. There we go, and a bow spread that gets above our heads. So again, you've got this great, hulking, cast iron, black hull, beautifully shaped at the bow. Look the way it kind of tapers in and it tapers in and out.Paul Marden: It's a very three dimensional, isn't it? The curve is, is in every direction. Sam Mullins: Yeah,it's a great, great shape. So it's my sort of, I think it's my favourite spot. I like coming to look at this, because this is the kind of, this is the business, yeah, of the ship.Paul Marden: What have we got running along the front here? These these images in in gold.Sam Mullins: This is a figurehead with Victoria's Coat of Arms only sua Kim Ali points on top with it, with a lion and a unicorn.Paul Marden: It's a really, it's not a view that many people would have ever seen, but it is such an impressive view here looking up, yeah, very, very cool. And to stand here on the on the edge of the dry dock. Sam Mullins: Dry Docks in to our right, and the floating harbor is out to our left. Yeah.Paul Marden: And much going on on that it's busy today, isn't it? Sam Mullins: Yeah, it's good. Paul Marden: So we've done full loop, haven't we? I mean, it has been a whistle stop tour that you've taken me on, but I've loved every moment of this. We always ask our guests a difficult question. Well, for some it's a difficult question, a book recommendation, which, as we agreed over lunch, cannot be your own book. I don't think, I think it's a little unfair Sam Mullins: Or anything I've ever written before.Paul Marden: Yes, slightly self serving, but yeah.Sam Mullins: It would be, wouldn't it look the first thing that comes to mind is, I've actually been reading my way through Mick Herron's Slow Horses series, okay, which I'm a big fan of detective fiction. I love Ian Rankin's Rebus. Okay, I read through Rebus endlessly when I want something just to escape into the sloughhouse series Slow Horses is really good, and the books all have a sort of similar kind of momentum to them. Something weird happens in the first few chapters, which seems very inconsequential and. Suddenly it turns into this kind of roller coaster. Will they? Won't they? You know, ending, which is just great. So I recommend Mick Herron's series. That's that's been the best, not best, fiction I've read in a long time.Paul Marden: You know, I think there's something, there's something nice, something comforting, about reading a series of books where the way the book is structured is very similar. You can, you can sit down and you know what's going to happen, but, but there's something interesting, and it's, it's easy. Sam Mullins: It's like putting on a pair of old slippers. Oh, I'm comfortable with this. Just lead me along. You know, that's what, that's what I want. I enjoy that immensely.Paul Marden: And should we be? Should we be inviting our listeners to the first book in the series, or do they need to start once, once he's got his, got his, found his way? Sam Mullins: Well, some people would have seen the television adaptation already. Well, that will have spoilt the book for them. Gary Oldman is Jackson lamb, who's the lead character, okay, but if you haven't, or you just like a damn good read, then you start with the first one, which I think is called Sloughhouse. They're all self contained, but you can work your way through them. Paul Marden: Well, that sounds very good. So listeners, if you'd like a copy of Sam's book, not Sam's book, Sam's book recommendation, then head over to Bluesky and repost the show notice and say, I want a copy of Sam's book, and the first one of you lovely listeners that does that will get a copy sent to you by Wenalyn. Sam This has been delightful. I hope listeners have enjoyed this as much as I have. This is our first time having a @skipthequeue in real life, where we wandered around the attraction itself and hopefully narrated our way bringing this amazing attraction to life. I've really enjoyed it. I can now say that as a West Country lad, I have actually been to the SS Great Britain. Last thing to say for visitor, for listeners, we are currently midway through the Rubber Cheese Annual Survey of visitor attraction websites. Paul Marden: If you look after an attraction website and you'd like to share some information about what you do, we are gathering all of that data together to produce a report that helps people to understand what good looks like for an attraction website. This is our fourth year. Listeners that are interested, head over to RubberCheese.com/survey, and you can find out a little bit more about the survey and some of the some of the findings from the past and what we're looking for for this year. Sam, thank you so very much.Sam Mullins: Enjoyed it too. It's always good to rabbit on about what you do every day of the week, and being here and part of this really great organisation is huge privilege.Paul Marden: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others to find us. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them to increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcripts from this episode and more over on our website, skipthequeue fm. The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

It's been 20 years since the 7/7 attacks in London, which claimed the lives of 52 civilians and injured almost 800. Krupa Padhy talks to Gill Hicks, who was on the Piccadilly line Tube that morning and lost her legs in the blast, and nurse Kate Price, who was working in intensive care at St Thomas' Hospital. They discuss their memories of that day and the aftermath, as well as the lasting bond they have formed.Ministers are facing calls to keep education plans for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. An EHCP is a legally binding document which ensures a child or young person with special or educational needs gets the right support from a local authority. In a letter to the Guardian newspaper, charities, campaigners and parents have said that without EHCPs in mainstream schools, "many thousands of children risk being denied vital provision, or losing access to education altogether". Krupa is joined by Branwyn Jeffries, the BBC's Education Editor, to explain what's been happening.Writer Bolu Babalola hit the bestseller lists with her debut collection of short stories, Love in Colour, which remixed ancient love stories for a new audience. Bolu joins Krupa to talk about her latest novel, Sweet Heat, a sexy romance about Kiki, whose stable life is thrown into disarray just as her first love Malakai comes back into her life. She explains she's a romance connoisseur and discusses the timeless appeal of the love story.There have been some shake-ups in the way netball is played in the UK recently. New teams, new rules, and a new venue for the Netball Super League Grand Final. The BBC's lead netball commentator Lindsey Chapman talks to Krupa about what happened in that final, and what impact the recent changes to the sport have had on matches.Presenter: Krupa Padhy Producer: Andrea Kidd

Transport for London has missed passenger targets, delayed the new Piccadilly line trains and caused chaos on the Central line, but 2,200 Transport for London staff earn six-figure sums, according to exclusive reporting by The Standard's City Hall and Transport Editor Ross Lydall. And in part two, The Standard's sports writer Dom Smith explains why this year's opening day at Wimbledon has been record-breaking for British players. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this talk, Rupert Sheldrake explores panentheism—the idea that the divine is not separate from the world but present throughout it, while also transcending it. With the grip of mechanistic materialism loosening, Rupert invites us to reconsider how we see nature, mind, and spirit. Tracing a broad arc from ancient philosophies and Christian mysticism to AI-generated worldviews, panpsychism, and psychedelics, he reflects on how the sacred presence in nature—-long affirmed by spiritual traditions-—is re-emerging through science, experience, and renewed practices of attention. Recorded at St James Church, Piccadilly, a longstanding hub for open spiritual inquiry and progressive theology in the heart of London.Rupert's SubstackLatest  articles, early access to videos, exclusive talks 

Recorded in St James's Piccadilly, the church in which William Blake was baptised, with his life mask also present.Thoughts on Blake's great call to us today from the launch of my new book, “Awake! William Blake and the Power of the Imagination”.

Everyone has their favorite spots for ribs or pulled pork or brisket, but where do you go when you get a hankering for something a little more unusual? On this episode of Arch Eats, hosts George Mahe and Cheryl Baehr search St. Louis smokehouses for their most unique dishes—everything from Jamaican-inspired chicken to a vegan specialty that can fool even the most avowed carnivore. Tune in to hear about their mouthwatering finds. Listen and follow Arch Eats on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever podcasts are available. This episode of Arch Eats is sponsored by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and supported by South Grand. Opera Theatre of Saint Louis celebrates its 50th festival season this May and June with four vibrant new productions. With pre-show picnics and post-show cocktail parties, a night at the opera is truly a feast for all your senses. Learn more. New to podcasts? Follow these instructions to start listening to our shows, and hear what you’ve been missing! Have an idea for a future Arch Eats episode? Send your thoughts or feedback by emailing podcasts@stlmag.com. Hungry for more? Subscribe to our Dining newsletters for the freshest coverage on the local restaurant and culinary scene. And follow George (@georgemahe) and SLM on Instagram (@stlouismag). Interested in being a podcast sponsor? Contact Lauren Leppert at lleppert@stlmag.com. Mentioned in this episode: Wonton King, 8116 Olive, U City, 314-567-9997. Piccadilly at Manhattan, 7201 Piccadilly, Ellendale, 314-646-0016. Studio STL_unusual BBQ , TV air date May 19, 2025 Adam’s Smokehouse, 2819 Watson, Clifton Heights, 314-875-9890. Dalie’s Smokehouse, 2951 Dougherty Ferry, Valley Park, 636-529-8198. Duke’s BBQ Shack, 100 Ash, Wentzville, 636-856-9227. Mi Hungry BBQ & Jamaican Cuisine, 8660 St. Charles Rock, Overland, 314-427-3368. A Touch of Texas BBQ, 3559 Arsenal, Tower Grove East, 314-405-8850. The Shaved Duck, 2900 Virginia, Tower Grove East, 314-806-0688. BEAST Craft BBQ Co., 20 S. Belt, Belleville, 618-257-9000 + two other locations. C&K Barbecue, 4390 Jennings Sta., Goodfellow Terrace, 314-385-8100. Roper’s Ribs, 6929 W.Florissant, O’Fallon, 314-381-6200. Sister Cities Cajun, 3550 S. Broadway, Marine Villa, 314-405-0447. Gobble Stop Smokehouse, 1227 Castillon Arcade Plz., Creve Coeur, 314-878-5586. O’B Que’s, 158 Long, Chesterfield, 636-778-9675. You may also enjoy these SLM articles: More episode of Arch Eats ‘Arch Eats’ Podcast: Best BBQ in St. Louis The best BBQ in St. Louis See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American documentary photographer and President of the Magnum Foundation Susan Meiselas speaks about her fifty-year career, as she receives the Outstanding Contribution to Photography award at the Sony World Photography Awards 2025, and as her work goes on display at Somerset House in London.We hear how President Trump's economic tariffs are affecting specialist manufacturers of musical instruments here in the UK. Author and screenwriter Ewan Morrison, whose previous books have explored cults and pandemics, talks about his latest novel For Emma, a concept thriller set in the world of artificial intelligence and brain computer interfaces. And In Holy Week Antoni Gaudi - nicknamed " god's architect" - has been confirmed by the Pope as on the path to sainthood even though his most famous work, Barcelona's Sagrada Familia Basilica remains unfinished. Art historian and reverend Dr Aila Lepeen, who's associate rector at St James Church in London's Piccadilly, assesses cultural figures who've become saints. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Mark Crossan

Sure, we could talk about the oldest restaurants in St. Louis—but let’s be honest, age doesn’t always mean excellence. In this episode of Arch Eats co-hosts George Mahe and Cheryl Baehr spotlight over a dozen iconic eateries continue to deliver with character and consistency. The youngest is 50 years old; the oldest is 127. Let your cravings guide you back in time—and maybe back to the table—at one of these beloved culinary institutions. Listen and follow Arch Eats on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever podcasts are available. This episode of Arch Eats is sponsored by Westport Plaza and supported by South Grand. The Porter Apartments are Westport Plaza’s first luxury apartment complex. This modern community offers studio, one-, and two-bedroom residences and premium amenities, including a resort-style pool, gaming lounge, fitness center, a pet park, and more. Explore leasing options. New to podcasts? Follow these instructions to start listening to our shows, and hear what you’ve been missing! Have an idea for a future Arch Eats episode? Send your thoughts or feedback by emailing podcasts@stlmag.com. Hungry for more? Subscribe to our Dining newsletters for the freshest coverage on the local restaurant and culinary scene. And follow George (@georgemahe) and SLM on Instagram (@stlouismag). Interested in being a podcast sponsor? Contact Lauren Leppert at lleppert@stlmag.com. Mentioned in this episode: Bartolino’s: Multiple locations Faraci Pizza: Multiple locations Crown Candy Kitchen: 1401 St Louis, Old North, 314-621-9650 Beffa’s: 2700 Olive, Midtown, 314-571-9367 Failoni’s: 6715 Manchester, Franz Park, 314-781-5221 The Piccadilly at Manhattan: 7201 Piccadilly, Ellendale, 314-646-0016 Gioia’s Deli: Multiple locations Farotto’s Pasta & Pizzeria: 9525 Manchester, Rock Hill, 314-962-0048 Yen Ching: 1012 S Brentwood, Richmond Heights, 314-721-7507 Spencer’s Grill: 223 S Kirkwood, Kirkwood, 314-287-6275 O’Connell’s Pub: 4652 Shaw, Southwest Garden, 314-773-6600 Carl’s Drive-In: 9033 Manchester, Brentwood, 314-961-9652 Amighetti’s: Multiple locations Sportsman’s Park: 9901 Clayton, Ladue, 314-991-3381 Blueberry Hill: 6504 Delmar, The Loop, 314-727-4444 Grassi’s Ristorante & Deli: 10450 German, Frontenac, 314-994-1111 Dominic’s on the Hill: 5101 Wilson, The Hill, 314-771-1632 You may also enjoy these SLM articles: Ask George: What are the oldest restaurants in St. Louis? Arch Eats: Remembering St. Louis’ Favorite Lost Restaurants More episode of Arch Eats See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I'm calling it right now. Lesbian Space Princess is the film of the year. I saw it in a sold out auditorium at the beautiful art deco Piccadilly cinema in Adelaide with an Adelaide Film Festival audience that lapped up every laugh, every tear, and every splash of neon bright queer celebration on screen. Lesbian Space Princess is the animated feature debut of filmmakers Leela Varghese and Emma Hough Hobbs, a collaborative force to be reckoned with, set to change the Australian film industry one bubblegum flavoured cel at a time. The film follows Saira (voiced brilliantly by the superb Shabana Azeez), the titular lesbian space princess who finds herself having to leave her sheltered planet in the wide galaxy to save her punk rock ex-girlfriend Kiki (Bernie Van Tiel) after she is kidnapped by the Straight White Maliens (voiced by the Aunty Donna crew). Saira pilots a ship (voiced with joyous deadpan delivery by Richard Roxburgh, completing his one-two punch of career best performances alongside his turn in The Correspondent), encountering the delightful Willow (a scene stealing Gemma Chua-Tran), and the two head off in the galaxy to save Kiki.That plot synopsis barely scratches the surface of what is going on within one of the sharpest, funniest, queerest films to be produced in Australia. There is the Australian film industry before Lesbian Space Princess, and there is the Australian film industry after Lesbian Space Princess, and I can't wait to see what work this film inspires people to create. I'm still giddy from the ten minute standing ovation that took place on the opening night. You know us Aussies, we're not partial to standing ovations, let alone standing for anything (unless it's a queue), so to know we stood, clapped, cheered, and heaped deserving praise on this debut film is a strong enough statement as it is. That energy I'm putting forward lingers in the following interview with Leela, Emma, and Shabana (who joined us after a day of shooting her HBO series The Pitt, and after her film Birdeater took home Best Indie Film at the AACTAs). In this discussion, we talk about the origins of Lesbian Space Princess, what it means to create a narrative that everyone can relate to, the varied emotionality of the film, and a lot more. We close the chat with Emma telling us the impact of the film on relationships. This interview was recorded ahead of Lesbian Space Princess' world premiere at the Berlinale Film Festival where it is in competition for the Panorama Audience Award and the Teddy Award for LGBTQIA+ films. The version screened at the Adelaide Film Festival was a work in progress print. Lesbian Space Princess was awarded the full $10,000 from the Queer Screen Completion Fund. The Completion Fund recipients are determined by an independent jury. The following chat is one of the first pieces (of many) that the Curb will be putting up this year as we celebrate the year of Lesbian Space Princess. Get excited folks, your new favourite film is not far away.If you want to find out more about the work we do on The Curb, then head over to TheCurb.com.au. We are a completely independent and ad free website that lives on the support of listeners and readers just like you. If you can and have the means to support us, please visit Patreon.com/thecurbau to support our work from as little as $1 a month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happened to my 2020/21 minimalist project, and where am I today? That's the question I am answering today. You can subscribe to this podcast on: Podbean | Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify | TUNEIN Links: Email Me | Twitter | Facebook | Website | Linkedin Get Your Copy Of Your Time, Your Way: Time Well Managed, Life Well Lived Subscribe to my Substack  Take The NEW COD Course The Working With… Weekly Newsletter Carl Pullein Learning Centre Carl's YouTube Channel Carl Pullein Coaching Programmes The Working With… Podcast Previous episodes page Script | 352 Hello, and welcome to episode 352 of the Your Time, Your Way Podcast. A podcast to answer all your questions about productivity, time management, self-development and goal planning. My name is Carl Pullein, and I am your host of this show. Towards the end of 2019, I decided that in 2020, I would go all in on a minimalist project. I had played around with it for a number of years, but it wasn't until 2020 that I formally turned it into a project and began the process of clearing out a lot of stuff I had collected that was no longer benefiting me.  And yes, four or five years ago, minimalism was a thing. Everyone was talking about it, and there were thousands of videos of people showcasing how bare and minimal their workspaces were.  It was a trend, and while that trend appears to be forgotten, I learned many things that I still practice today.  So, it was a nice surprise to find a question about it in my inbox a few weeks ago. I realised it was a good time to tell you about what I learned and what I am still practising today.  So, without further ado, let me hand you over to the Mystery Podcast Voice for this week's question… Which I realise I've already told you.  This week's question comes from Milos. Milos asks, hi Carl, I remember a few years ago, you mentioned that you were about to start a minimalist project. How did it go, and are you still a minimalist? Hi Milos, thank you for your wonderful question.  Like most projects, or goals, designed to change how you do things, once you complete them, it's easy to forget you ever did them. My minimalist project was such a project.  I changed a lot of things that I do automatically today, so your question caused me to reminisce on how things used to be.  I should point out that I wasn't into extreme consumerism. I would replace my phone, iPads and computers when they stopped functioning in a way I needed them to do.  For example, my old Intel computer became very slow over a year when Apple switched from Intel chips to their M series. So much so that it took up to an hour to render a fifteen-minute YouTube video. When I changed my computer to an M series one, that time came down to around six minutes.  However, I think I am a bit of a hoarder, and I had boxes of old papers from my teaching days I no longer needed. I was always reluctant to throw away old clothes, believing one day I might regain the weight I had lost and would require those bigger sizes again.  My wardrobe, drawers and other cupboards were full of stuff I no longer needed and would never need again.  So that was where the project began. Clearing out old clothes and papers I no longer needed.  As with all endeavours like this, I did go a little extreme. My desk, for instance, was stripped of its soul—well, it felt like it. All I had on there was my computer, keyboard and trackpad. I found it became an uninspiring place to work.  So, gradually, I added some things back. An analogue clock—a tool I use to prevent time blindness when I get into a focused zone and a few little mementoes to bring some character back.  The biggest part of the project was clearing out drawers, cupboards and my wardrobe. That was liberating and I was surprised how much space I had once everything was cleared and either thrown away or taken to the recycling.  I moved house at the end of 2021, and that was an opportunity to complete the project—well, the clearing out of the old part of the project. However, the biggest change was in the way I approached purchasing.  I stopped buying electronic gadgets. I am in the Apple ecosystem and Apple's products, on the whole, last a long time. For example, I have an iPad mini for reading ebooks, magazines and the newspaper. I've had the same iPad mini for the last five years. And I have no intention of replacing it any time soon.  Another change was to apply some rules to my purchasing. This was inspired from how the British gentry in the early 1900s approached buying clothes and personal consumption items.  In the 1920s (and 30s), aristocrats bought clothes and necessities once. For instance, a young aristocrat would purchase a set of luggage that would last a lifetime.  If something broke or the leather tore, they would fix it. A new suitcase was not necessary.  These repairs added character and gave these items a unique look. It was also a much more environmentally friendly way to treat possessions than we do today—throwing away items once they are either out of date or have a minor problem and buying new ones.  It's easy to tell ourselves that life was much simpler in those days. It wasn't. People had just as many problems as we do today. They did not have the conveniences we have: no food delivery services, no Google or ChatGTP to find something out instantly, and no technology to make doing our work better and faster.  The clothing rule I applied was built around the principle of less is better. This translated into buying better quality and less of it. It also allowed me to apply a rule of only buying natural fibres. So that meant mainly cotton and wool.  I do have some un-natural fibre clothing. My exercise gear and a heavy winter coat, for example—it gets very cold in Korea. But apart from that, I stick to natural fibres.  Much of what I do today is inspired by the pre-consumerism days. Only buy what you need and buy the best quality you can afford.  I also learned something from Winston Churchill. Choose your suppliers. What this means is you use the same stores to buy your clothes and anything else you may need.  Winston Churchill, for instance bought all his suits from H W Poole—a London tailor in Savile Row. His shirts were bought at Turnbull and Asser, and his iconic cigars came from James Fox.  If you think about that for a moment, if you use the same suppliers for all your clothing and other things, you know your sizes and precisely what you want, which means you don't need to research or waste a lot of time trying to find what you want. You reduce the paradox of choice and get back to living life.  Now, I cannot afford to buy suits from H W Poole or shirts from Turnbull and Asser, but I do have my own favourite suppliers.  I buy socks from Peper Harow, my sweaters from N Peal and Cordings of Piccadilly and coats from Barbour. Yes, they are expensive, but the clothing last a very long time and are all made from either cotton or wool.  Another lesson I learned from my minimalist project was the importance of rules and routines.  If you've read Around The World In Eighty Days or the books by P G Wodehouse and his characters Jeeves and Wooster, you may have noticed the main characters had strict rules and routines. Wake up times and when they expected their morning cup of tea. Dinner time was a social occasion with pre-dinner drinks and formal clothing.  Perhaps part of the reason for the increase in mental health issues today is because we no longer have these important daily rituals. It's all go go go. No time to stop and appreciate sitting around a table with family and friends or going out for a daily walk, or even doing what in Around The World in Eighty days is called your “toilet”—which means washing and bathing.  These were deliberate activities, not rushed or forced. It was just what you naturally did each day.  There was a time for everything.  Another area of this period that has fascinated me was the way people approached writing and replying to letters. This was considered a joy and most people spent time each day doing it.  And there was a mix of personal and business letters that needed to be done and the volume was comparable to what we receive in emails and messages today.  The biggest difference was rather feeling they had to reply to everything each day, they focused on the amount of time they had available to write. I have adopted this approach myself. I don't look at how many emails I need to reply to, I look at how much time I have and once that time is up, I stop.  If you do that every day, you will remain on top of your communications reasonably consistently.  I often hear about people doing a digital detox. One change I made, was to again take inspiration from the 1920s and 30s. In those days people bought their favourite newspaper and read the whole paper.  Now, many successful people still do this today. Jamie Dimon of JP Morgan Chase Bank and Warren Buffett for instance. They subscribe to their favourite newspapers and allocate time each day to read them.  This stops you from getting caught up in clip bait headlines and being “triggered” by low quality reporting.  So now I read the same newspaper every day and only look through my social media later in the evening when I have finished my day.  So the lessons I learned was to buy less stuff but better quality. That's ensured my wardrobe is clean and not over-stuffed with clothes I won't wear.  I have also structured my days better. There's a time for doing my communications, eating with family and friends, and my favourite of all, going out for what we call our family walk. That's with my wife and little Louis. He loves it, and my wife and I get some quality time most days.  All of this was inspired from reading history books and biographies and realising that minimalism isn't about stripping everything out of your life so all you are left with is a soulless screen. It's about removing things that no longer serve you, and leaving the things that mean something to you and living life by a set of rules you set yourself.  I hope that has answered your question, Milos. Thank you for asking it and thank you for listening. It just remains for me to wish you all very very productive week.   

I recently had the pleasure of hosting a panel of experts at London's Fortnum and Mason's Food & Drink Studio at their Piccadilly store to discuss the wonderful world of mushrooms with Tim Spector, Tom Baxter and Ester Gaya.We discussed a range of topics including, what nootropic effects we know about with specific mushrooms and what research underpins this understanding. The use of psychedelic mushrooms and their potential uses in mental health and trauma. As well as how culinary mushrooms can enhance our health.Tom Baxter, founder of The Bristol Fungarium, producing the UK's first organic certified medicinal mushrooms.Tim Spector is a Professor of Genetic Epidemiology at King's College London, director of the Twins UK study and one of the world's leading researchers, trained in rheumatology and epidemiology.Ester Gaya, Senior Research Leader in Comparative Fungal Biology at Kew Gardens, who have a strong track record in fungal diversity research and are home to the largest fungarium in the world, holding over 1.25 million fungal specimens.