The TLS Podcast

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Latest Episodes:

Great Balls of Fire Feb 12, 2026

Show notes

This week, Mary Beard dons her VR set to experience a Roman cataclysm; and Mary Hitchman on the history of humanity's fascination with the moon.

'The Last Days of Pompeii: The immersive exhibition', Immerse LDN, Excel, London, until March 15

'The Medieval Moon', by Ayoush Lazikani

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Game's Afoot Feb 06, 2026

Show notes

This week, Nick Enfield explores the benefits of playing games - whether or not you keep score; and Mike Jakeman on how the football World Cup has got bigger and bigger.

'The Score: How to stop playing someone else's game', by C Thi Nguyen

'World Cup Fever: A footballing journey in nine tournaments', by Simon Kuper

'The Power and the Glory: A new history of the World Cup', by Jonathan Wilson

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

January Highlights: Conversations That Started 2026 Feb 01, 2026

Show notes

As January draws to a close, we take a look back through some of the conversations we have had so far in 2026.

First, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi joined us to reveal how he turned literary detective and uncovered Dylan Thomas's youthful plagiarism, then Joanna Kavenna explains why she invented a game to write her new novel, Tristram Fane Saunders surveys the poetic landscape and Maria Scott talks us through her discovery of photographs of Jeanne Duval, muse and lover of Charles Baudelaire.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Now You See Me Jan 29, 2026

Show notes

This week, Maria Scott on recently discovered photographs of Jeanne Duval, muse and lover of Charles Baudelaire; and Pratinav Anil weighs up the case for and against reparations.

'Reparations: Slavery and the tyranny of imaginary guilt', by Nigel Biggar

'The big payback: The case for reparations for slavery and how they would work', by Lenny Henry and Marcus Ryder

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This Be The Verse Jan 22, 2026

Show notes

This week, Tristram Fane Saunders surveys the poetic landscape; and Toby Lichtig on a rediscovered slice of life in 1930s Berlin.

'A History of England in 25 Poems', by Catherine Clarke

'Rhyme and Reason: A short history of poetry and people (for people who don't usually read poetry)', by Mark Forsyth

'Endless Present: Selected articles, reviews and dispatches, 2010-23', by Rory Waterman

'The Privatisation of Poetry', by Andy Croft

'Beautiful Feelings of Sensitive People: Screen grabs of British poetry in the 21st century', by Andrew Duncan

'Berlin Shuffle', by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz, translated by Philip Boehm

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mind Games Jan 15, 2026

Show notes

This week, Joanna Kavenna explains why she invented a game to write her new novel; how to survive life online; and a new poem.

'Seven', by Joanna Kavenna

'This Is for Everyone', by Tim Berners-Lee with Stephen Witt

'Enshittification: Why everything suddenly got worse and what to do about it', by Cory Doctorow

'How to Save the Internet: The threat to global connection in the age of AI and political conflict', by Nick Clegg

'The Future', by Jesse Nathan

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Exclusive: Doubting Thomas Jan 07, 2026

Show notes

This week, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi reveals how he turned literary detective and uncovered Dylan Thomas's youthful plagiarism; and Norma Clarke on the stunning work of two 18th-century women portrait artists.

'Mrs Kauffman and Madame Le Brun: The entwined lives of two great eighteenth-century women artists' by Franny Moyle

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Merry Christmas! Dec 25, 2025

Show notes

This week, we introduce a very festive issue; and Toby Lichtig on the puppeteers pulling the strings of this season's big productions.

'The Pelican Child', by Joy Williams

'The BFG', by Roald Dahl, adapted by Tom Wells RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon

'Pinocchio', by Carlo Collodi, adapted by Charlie Josephine, Globe Theatre

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Altogether Elsewhere Dec 18, 2025

Show notes

This week, Lily Herd heads for outer space in the company of a prodigious imagination; and Andrew Motion joins us with a wonderful new poem.

'Collected Stories' by Cixin Liu, translated by John Chu, Andy Dudak et al

'All that We See or Seem', by Ken Liu

'Snow', by Andrew Motion

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Beyond the bonnet Dec 11, 2025

Show notes

This week, Devoney Looser on what we don't know about Jane Austen; and Peter Swaab introduces a previously unpublished story by the great Sylvia Townsend Warner.

'Jane Austen in 41 Objects', by Kathryn Sutherland

'Jane Austen’s Bookshelf: The women writers who shaped a legend', by Rebecca Romney

Jane Austen and George Eliot: The lady and the radical', by Edward Whitley

'Wild for Austen: A rebellious, subversive, and untamed Jane', by Devoney Looser

'The Pursuit and the End', by Sylvia Townsend Warner

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.