Best Catherine Angus Podcasts (2025)

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I can’t hear you! | Ideas in English for Advanced English Language Listening Practice 22:22

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2h ago22:22

22:22

About six months ago, I noticed I couldn’t hear my gym instructors clearly. At first, I chalked it up to the loud music, but then I realized it wasn’t the background noise, it was me. In this episode, I’ll share: What hearing loss is, and how it often changes as we age Why hearing aids feel so different from reading glasses, and why that hit differ…

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Jilly Cooper : Pandora 13:26

19h ago13:26

13:26

Sad to report that Jilly Cooper has died. She was always great fun to chat to and consistently jolly. Hugely successful but not grand at all! This conversation was recorded when her novel Pandora was first published.By David Freeman

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Jackie Collins , Joan Collins 14:59

7d ago14:59

14:59

Some interviewees I remember as 'troupers'. At the very top of that tree were the Collins sisters. Joan is now 92. I remember a televised conversation I had with Joan. Her assistant decreed that the lighting must be subtle but Joan herself insisted on full on straight in the face spots. I had theories why this might be her preference. Over the year…

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It takes two to tango, with Lisa Wood | Advanced English Language Conversation 56:48

14d ago56:48

56:48

It Takes Two to Tango: A Conversation with Lisa Wood | Advanced English Conversations (E79) In this episode of Hear You Go, I speak with English teacher and neuro-language coach Lisa Wood about the importance of being an active, kind, gentle listener in the dance that is a conversation. Our chat is perfect for advanced English learners, English tea…

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Andrew Lownie - Entitled 22:42

16d ago22:42

22:42

Interesting to see Fergie and Epstein on the front pages of the Sunday papers again.The story refuses to go away. Andrew Lownie has spent four years researching the lives of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duke and Duchess of York. The book is full of dramatic details of lives spent sailing very close to the wind but mostly protected by their…

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Ross King, ‘The Bookseller of Florence‘, Adrian Levy on the terrible condition around the jade mines in Myanmar. 41:21

18d ago41:21

41:21

Ross King is a superb history storyteller. He will be talking to me here at the Author Archive soon about his new book 'The Shortest History of Ancient Rome'. His previous book is tells of a different dimension of Italian history. .'The Bookseller of Florence' is all about the surprising trade in manuscripts and books in Renaissance Italy. Adrian L…

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We all tell stories, but what stories do we tell? | Ideas in English for Advanced Listening Practice. 19:44

29d ago19:44

19:44

📚 In this advanced English listening practice episode of Hear You Go, I dive into The Bee Sting by Paul Murray—a Booker Prize–shortlisted novel about an Irish family falling apart, unraveling really, under pressure. Each family member tells their own version of events, showing us how perspective, memory, and emotion shape the stories we carry. The …

1
James Patterson - Roses are Red 12:24

1M ago12:24

12:24

James Patterson is a phenomenon. His skill as a storyteller has made him very wealthy. David Freeman met him in London to talk about his sixth Alex Ross story 'Roses are Red', when the paperback was first published in the UK.By David Freeman

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Has Everyone Stopped Reading? | Ideas in English for Advanced Listening Practice. 20:07

1M ago20:07

20:07

Have you heard the alarm bells too? Are we reading less these days? My friends are all readers, so I find it hard to imagine that people don’t read for enjoyment. In search of answers, I decided to take a look at the shifting habits around reading for pleasure. Are people (especially young people) actually reading less? What does the data say? And …

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R.J.B. Bosworth on Mussolini, Gitta Sereny tells of attending a Hitler rally, Donna Leon talks about her Venetian detective and Hugo Vickers talks about Princess Andrew. 55:20

1M ago55:20

55:20

Prince Andrew has been in the news. In this episode Hugo Vickers discusses his biography of Alice, Princess Andrew of Greece mother of the Duke of Edinburgh: Donna Leon tells the story of her novel “Wilful Behaviour “ set in Venice: R.J.B. Bosworth recounts his research into the life of Mussolini and Gitta Sereny remembers Germany in the 1930s as t…

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Angus Hanton - Vassal State 21:47

2M ago21:47

21:47

This unsettling book examines the astonishing extent of American ownership of UK business. In a Trump world this could be even more of a cause for concern Whether you are interested in 'taking back control' or how much of our day to day financial transactions happen via the US, you will find this fascinating and possibly horrifying.…

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Catherine Nixey - Heresy : Jesus Christ and other sons of God 26:00

2M ago26:00

26:00

As the American President declares that he has been saved by God to make his country great again, I find it impossible not to wonder about the precise nature of the deity that he professes to believe in. Are Donald and his advisers familiar with the writings that are the basis of his religion? This book by Catherine Nixey is terrific - its a revela…

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Spike Milligan 12:31

2M ago12:31

12:31

Recently there has been a surge of on line interest in the anarchic radio comedy The Goon Show. The genuis behind the comedy was Spike Milligan . In this episode Spike talks to David Freeman about his life in comedy, The Goons, and the mental health problems that dogged his life after he was blown up by a wartime bomb.…

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Raising Bilingual Kids: A Conversation with Leticia Dalposso | Advanced English Language Listening Practice 1:04:24

2M ago1:04:24

1:04:24

Raising Bilingual Kids: A Conversation with English Language Teacher Leticia Dalposso In this episode of Hear You Go, I speak with Leticia Dalposso, a Brazilian English teacher and mother of two, about how she is raising her children to speak English at home—even though they live in Brazil and English isn’t her first language. This conversation is …

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Andrew Lownie - Traitor King : The Scandalous Exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor. 20:57

2M ago20:57

20:57

. Being royal is not a job you can apply for. If you decide to walk away from your royal identity or are pushed away from it just what are you left with? This book,'Traitor King', tells the story of an inglorious royal. It is a shocking example of what happens when inherited status is randomly given to a person who is clearly not up to the task. Th…

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Why Women Might Want a Room of Their Own. | Book Talk | Advanced English Listening Practice 23:24

2M ago23:24

23:24

It’s the final episode of Season 3—thank you for listening this season! Today, for your Advanced English Listening practice, I’m sharing a book that completely surprised me: The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. I honestly don’t know how I hadn’t heard of it before, but I’m so glad I read it. It’s a charming read (just what I needed in recent…

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The two Johns behind QI, Sandi Toksvig, Jon Ronson and philosopher Simon Blackburn on being good 48:17

2M ago48:17

48:17

The Cotswolds are in the news,but before the area was discovered by rich Americans it was a fertile area for thought and creativity. The village of Great Tew was where John Lloyd and John Mitchinson met. They both lived there in historic cottages. This is where they came up with the idea of the TV show QI. In this episode they introduce their Book …

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The Long Game: From Zero to Real Life in Language Learning - with Abbie Fulbrook. | Advanced English Conversation Listening Practice 48:03

3M ago48:03

48:03

The Long Game: From Zero to Real Life in Language Learning - with Abbie Fulbrook. What happens when you move to a new country, start a new job, and can’t speak the language? Abbie Fulbrook did just that—13 years ago, when she moved from the UK to Japan. In this conversation for intermediate and advanced English learners, Abbie shares her experience…

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Edwina Currie - This Honorable House 16:44

3M ago16:44

16:44

Edwina Currie was a Tory MP from 1983 to 1997. She became Junior Health Minister for 2 years and famously had an affair with John Major, who became Prime Minister. The relationship lasted 4 years. David Freeman met her when her novel This Honourable House was first published. Prior to this, and her second marriage she had written Chasing Men. Inter…

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Clive James 20:21

3M ago20:21

20:21

There is much thought about memoirs at the moment. Salt Paths etc. Clive James wrote memoirs but he always declared they were 'unreliable'. Maybe that is the nature of memory and memoir? Clive James died in 2019 after a long illness. This conversation with David Freeman was recorded in 2001 when Clive was excited by the internet and somewhat fearfu…

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Robert Winder - Three Rivers 26:47

3M ago26:47

26:47

This book is as exploration of the rich and varied cultural worlds shaped by the Rhine, the Rhone and the Po. Three Rivers traces the rivers' journeys from their glacial sources through Germany, Itals and France. Its an entertaining and informative story. A great holiday read!By David Freeman

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🎙️ Canada: The True North, Strong and Free? | Advanced English Listening Practice 24:09

3M ago24:09

24:09

Happy 158th Birthday, Canada! You’d have to be living with your head in the sand not to know that Canada’s very identity has been called into question these past six months. On this Canada Day, July 1st, 2025, we reflect on what makes Canada Canada—not just to the world, but to me, personally. In this timely episode, we’ll: 🇨🇦 go on a whirlwind tou…

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Feeding the System: Why Listening Fuels Your Speaking. | Advanced English Conversation with Jessy Dias 55:59

4M ago55:59

55:59

In this new advanced English language conversation (E72), I talk to English language coach and pronunciation pro Jessica Dias to discuss one of the most underrated language skills: listening. But not just listening for meaning — listening as a speaking strategy. Jessy shares how tuning your ear to real English conversations helps you sound more nat…

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Julian Hoffman- Lifelines 27:11

4M ago27:11

27:11

Twenty five years ago Julian Hoffman and his wife Julia decided to leave their life in London and make a dramatic change. They would leave the city life with it's commuting hassles and move somewhere and live very different life On nothing more than a chance encounter with a book about it they moved to Prespa in northern Greece. They didn't speak t…

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Sir Martin Gilbert - Never Again - history of the Holocaust 18:28

4M ago18:28

18:28

The appalling inhumanity still happening in the world makes this conversation distressingly relevant. There is the thought that some people are less human then others. This has to be challenged. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted on December 10th 1948. We now live in a world where the rights agreed in that document are widely ign…

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A Beginner Goes to Italy and Wonders...| Advanced English Listening Practice 31:14

4M ago31:14

31:14

Episode 71: A Beginner Goes to Italy and Wonders: Why Learn a Language? In this episode of Hear You Go for intermediate and advanced English language learners, I take you with me as I connect the TED Talk by linguist John McWhorter to my 2½-week language experiment in Italy. Can I tell you how often I felt like my head was going to explode?! In thi…

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Tariq Ali - The Clash of Fundamentalisms : Christianity, Islam and Capitalism 21:37

4M ago21:37

21:37

The effect of the Trump win reverberates around the globe. There seems to be perceived electoral advantage in fanning hate and intolerance and spreading intolerance the idea around the world. The Middle East is on a knife edge and the Ukraine war continues. Why is this? Is there any cause for optimism? Where do non rational beliefs and convictions …

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Obasan and the Silence of History | Book Talk/Advanced English Listening Practice 27:20

5M ago27:20

27:20

Obasan and the Silence of History (E70) In this episode of Hear You Go, we honour Asian Heritage Month in Canada by exploring the groundbreaking novel Obasan by Joy Kogawa—a powerful and emotional story that reveals the experiences of Japanese Canadians during and after WWII. In this two-part episode, we: examine the historical context of Japanese …

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Colin Dexter - The Remorseful Day : Inventing Inspector Morse. 14:51

6M ago14:51

14:51

Colin Dexter was a splendid writer. His creation Inspector Morse is superb on the page and just as gripping on television. I used to meet Colin in the pub on Banbury Road in Oxford, The Dew Drop. He was great company and almost completely unaware of his success and star quality. I recorded this conversation in his house after the publication of The…

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Figuring Out Phrasal Verbs with Nathaly Rodriguez | Advanced English Conversation 55:30

6M ago55:30

55:30

Phrasal verbs: the ultimate headache for English learners—or are they? In this episode, I talk with Nathaly Rodriguez, an English language teacher and self-proclaimed "language detective," to uncover the secrets behind these tricky verb + particle combinations. Nathaly shares her personal journey with English, from struggling with phrasal verbs as …

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Joe Boyd discusses his memoir, White Bicycles:Making Music in the 1960s and his literary journey through global music, And the Roots of Rhythm Remain. 30:18

6M ago30:18

30:18

Joe Boyd is a man about music, record producer, a film producer and author. He arrived in London in 1964 with Muddy Waters and a host of blues musicians who played to sold out UK audiences when they were unappreciated in their US homeland. In this conversation he talks about Nick Drake, Paul Simon, The Incredible String Band, Paul Butterfield, MIke…

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Slipping Through My Fingers | Advanced English Listening Practice 23:27

6M ago23:27

23:27

Graduation is a milestone that marks both an ending and a beginning—not just for our children, but for us as parents too. As my youngest prepares to finish university, I find myself reflecting on the bittersweet reality of watching our kids step into their own lives. In this episode of Hear You Go, I explore: the process of letting go the evolving …

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Paul Alexander : Bitter Crop - The Heartache and Triumph of Billie Holiday's Last Year 36:12

6M ago36:12

36:12

Billie Holiday, Eleanora Fagan was born on April 7th 1915. Bitter Crop is a superb biography of Billie Holiday who was probably the very best jazz singer there has ever been. The book title is takes from one of Billie's signature songs, 'Strange Fruit'. There have been films and many books about Billie's career but not all of them came close to tel…

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Ruth Werner - the Oxfordshire life of a remarkable Soviet spy. 32:33

6M ago32:33

32:33

Ruth Werner was born Ursula Kuczynski in Berlin. She was appalled by Hitler and became a lifelong communist and a spy. During the 1940s she lived around Oxford and radioed secrets to Russia. Her spy codename was Sonja and her memoir was published as Sonja's Report. Ben MacIntyre wrote a best-selling biography of her ...Agent Sonya: Lover, Mother, S…

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Joseph Connolly : All Shook Up - A Flash of the Fifties 14:14

6M ago14:14

14:14

This conversation looks back at the post war time when all the world aspired to be young and American. America was really perceived to be great back then. How times change ........ Joseph Connolly paints a rock 'n roll picture.By David Freeman

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Alison Weir - Henry VIII : King and Court 13:04

6M ago13:04

13:04

When one looks at the antics and attitudes of the current president of the USA it easy to see parallels with the world view of Henry VIII. Although this account of the life lead by Henry VIII was first published at the turn of the century it is still selling well. Alison Weir thinks the key to understanding the famous Tudor King is to realise that …

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David Sedaris 19:21

6M ago19:21

19:21

David Sedaris now fills arenas with enthusiastic fans but when David Freeman interviewed him in 2000 he was almost unknown. His book 'Me Talk Pretty One Day ' was just published. I would love to hear the Sedaris view of what is happening now in the US!By davidjohnfreeman

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Ashley Kahn - A Love Supreme : The Creation of John Coltrane's Classic Album 11:04

6M ago11:04

11:04

After Ashley Kahn had published his book on the Miles Davis album Kind of Blue he turned his attention to the timeless John Coltrane record A Love Supreme. Not only is this still a highly regarded jazz performance, A Love Supreme is now the title of the biggest open air jazz festival in the UK.By David Freeman

1
Simon Sebag Montefiore : the life of Potemkin : his bones are still making news. 23:55

6M ago23:55

23:55

Historian Simon Sebag Montefiore explains the mythic status of this eighteenth century Russian statesman, and military leader. Turns out that this slice of history informs current geo politics. In this conversation recorded in London in 2000 the historian Simon Sebag Montefiore tells David Freeman about practical politics in 18th century Russia and…

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The Power of Fiction, with Bruna Passos | Advanced English Conversations. 45:13

7M ago45:13

45:13

In this episode of Hear You Go (E67), I sit down with the exceptional Brazilian English teacher Bruna Passos for a conversation that started with a book and led us to so many interesting places. We talk about the power of fiction—not just for enjoyment but for expanding our perspectives, building empathy, and even challenging the status quo. Bruna …

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Stuart Nicholson : A Portrait of Duke Ellington 13:47

7M ago13:47

13:47

Duke Ellington is famous, but what was he really like. In this biography published in 2000, Stuart Nicholson writes about the man who was a brilliant instinctive and sophisticated musician. Was he then a bit of a goody goody? As Stuart Nicholson told me he was not in any way a goody goody!By David Freeman

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Alison Latham : The Oxford Companion to Music 14:13

7M ago14:13

14:13

The Oxford Companion to Music is probably the most famous music reference book of them all. The latest edition was first published in 2002. It has over 120 contributors and covers covers the whole universe of music. I spoke to the editor Alison Latham soon after publication. A huge task to pull such a tome together ..... but maybe an enjoyable job?…

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Jon Ronson : Them 13:42

7M ago13:42

13:42

Jon Ronson was not so well known when this conversation was recorded in the early 2000s I was very taken with the subject of the book and the way Jon talked about it. Being a Jewish journalist getting involved with people money raising for Hamas seemed improbable. It's true of course, as was Jon's interest in the wilder fancies of David Icke. Jon m…

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🚀 Beam Me Up Scotty – An Advanced English Book Talk on Orbital and More 📖 23:02

7M ago23:02

23:02

For your advanced English listening practice, we're blasting off to where everyone had a translator thingamajig on their t-shirt and could talk to any alien out there in the galaxy 🤣. As a child, I dreamed of becoming an astronaut, exploring the final frontier aboard the Starship Enterprise. While my math grades grounded that dream, my fascination …

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Brian Keenan - Turlough : The Northern Irish Poet was held hostage in Beirut in the dark. Turlough came to visit.. 18:18

7M ago18:18

18:18

As war rages in Europe again it becomes clear that the capacity for cruelty of man to a fellow human is seemingly infinite. This interview with the Northern Irish poet Brian Keenan took place in London a full 10 years after his release from his barbaric incarceration in Beirut where he had been teaching at the local university. Brian talks eloquent…

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Dennis McNally - A Long Strange Trip : The Inside Story of the Grateful Dead 27:54

7M ago27:54

27:54

As the news from America becomes more and more worrying it's good to look back to the last century when everything was different and some American rock musicians brought joy to the world. Peace and Love meant something back then. The Grateful Dead were very successful despite having no chart hits and they had a huge dedicated fanbase. They were for…

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Ashley Kahn : Kind of Blue - The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece 9:06

7M ago9:06

9:06

Kind of Blue is the most successful jazz LP ever made. It was recorded over two sessions in New York in 1959 and is still revered as a masterpiece. Ashley Kahn told David Freeman the story behind a historic music event.By David Freeman

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Leslie Howard - The Celestial Wife 19:21

7M ago19:21

19:21

This novel is set in the 1960s with a backdrop of The Beatles and other music of the time. It tells the story of Daisy Shoemaker who is 15 in 1964. She was born into a fundamentalist Mormon community on the US - Canada border. In a ceremony called Placement she is given as a teenage wife to a much older man. She finds this intolerable and runs away…

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The transformative power of education - A conversation with Eidiane Rufino 57:36

7M ago57:36

57:36

In this English language listening practice episode (E65), I talk to English language teacher Eidiane Rufino , who shares her experiences as a teacher from Brazil, now living in Canada. Eidiane opens up about how she went from hating English to seeing it as a key to opening up a whole new world. She knew from a young age that she wanted to be a tea…

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Stephen P. Kershaw - The Harvest of War -Three Epic Battles that Saved Democracy: Now available in paperback. 19:48

8M ago19:48

19:48

The future of democracy is a popular talking point. The human race as been here before! When David Freeman talked to Dr Steve Kershaw about his book about battles in ancient Greece. it seemed that the human desire for conflict is unchanged through history. Three Epic Battles that Saved Democracy is an entertaining and instructive read - now publish…