Best Paul Rees Podcasts (2025)

1
Novel Approaches: 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens 34:09

Play Pause

4h ago34:09

34:09

Did Dickens ruin Christmas? He was certainly a pioneer in exploiting its commercial potential. A Christmas Carol sold 6,000 copies in five days when it was published on 19 December 1843, and Dickens went on to write four more lucrative Christmas books in the 1840s. But in many ways, this ‘ghost story of Christmas’ couldn’t be less Christmassy. The …

1
Battle of the Bad B*tches: Helen and Clytemnestra 56:58

1d ago56:58

56:58

Liv and Michaela come together for the third (?) annual Battle of the Bas--no wait that's actually the Battle of the Bad B*tches. Helen and Clytemnestra come together and we chat about everything that those two wonderful women were up to in the ancient sources. It's beautiful, it's amazing, and we support all their wonderful ways. Submit your quest…

1
Talks to Martin Parsons about his choice of The Ribos Operation (1/4) 35:42

1d ago35:42

35:42

All but one doomed to die...thus written! Joe & Martin are up to their old tricks again, selling planets, pulling the wool over evil despots and coming from the North!

1
The World of Wodehouse Podcast by Vikram Doraiswami and Shrabani Basu 14:46

1d ago14:46

14:46

The PG Wodehouse Society (UK) presents: The World of Wodehouse Podcasts The PG Wodehouse Society (UK) celebrates the work of the great humourist in a series of audio podcasts by Wodehouse’s celebrity fans. The World of Wodehouse Podcast by Vikram Doraiswami and Shrabani Basu. Vikram Doraiswami, a Patron of the P G Wodehouse Society (UK), the High C…

1
Love and Death: Samuel Johnson, Gerard Manley Hopkins and Mick Imlah 16:55

1d ago16:55

16:55

Samuel Johnson’s doctor, Robert Levet, had piecemeal medical knowledge at best, was described as an ‘an obscure practiser in physick’ by James Boswell and was only paid for his work with gin. Yet for Johnson this eccentric man deserved a poetic tribute for demonstrating ‘the power of the art without show’, a phrase that could as much describe the p…

1
The Paradise of Death by Barry Letts (featuring Gareth Bowley, David Gillespie-Pratt & Dan Pinn) 2:23:14

3d ago2:23:14

2:23:14

Worthy of the bile that has been tossed its way...or an unpretentious fun adventure that is unfairly maligned? You mean to say you've been INTERVIEWING me?

1
Talks to Dylan Rees & Luke Molloy about their choice of The Star Beast 1:20:04

4d ago1:20:04

1:20:04

Be scared - the contentious trio come together. Once, Dylan declared this the worst Doctor Who story of all time! Luke LOVES it! And now Joe can see some cracks. Bring on the debate!

1
Talks to Paul Arthur about his choice of Carnival of Monsters (4/4) 46:07

5d ago46:07

46:07

'Will you kind stop addressing me as the creature, sir, or I may get exceedingly hostile!' It's our last episode of this absolute classic; Drashig-led political progress, Clare almost remembers and Vorg for President!

1
Liv Reads Statius: The Thebaid (Final) 1:19:11

5d ago1:19:11

1:19:11

Liv reads the final book of Statius' Thebaid, translated by JH Mozley. The brothers of Thebes, Eteocles and Polynices, are dead. Their wives and sisters want to bury them, but (unfortunately!) they need the king of Athens, Theseus, to make it happen. Submit to the Q&A at mythsbaby.com/questions and get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subs…

1
Fiction and the Fantastic: A Taxonomy 15:46

6d ago15:46

15:46

Though the last twelve episodes have taken Marina Warner and her interlocutors through many worlds and texts, no series could ever encompass the full scope of fantastic literature. This episode, recorded live at Swedenborg House, is an attempt to fill the gaps, or fail heroically. Marina and Adam Thirlwell are joined by Edwin Frank, editorial direc…

1
Two Murders at the Dawn of History (Lost Worlds Audiobook Preview) 27:07

6d ago27:07

27:07

Patrick's new book, Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World, launches May 5th, 2026! Check out this audiobook preview chapter on two murders around 5,300 years ago, hear about everything we can learn from Otzi the Iceman in the Alps and Gebelein Man in Egypt, and be sure to preorder the book in your medium of choice th…

1
Talks to Paul Arthur about his choice of Carnival of Monsters (3/4) 32:13

7d ago32:13

32:13

‘And here Joe and Paul watch the Drashigs with keen interest…waiting for the cranial egg sacs to ovulate and they prepare their ascent to give birth to the newborns…’

1
Talks to Paul Arthur about his choice of Carnival of Monsters (2/4) 37:14

8d ago37:14

37:14

This delightful romp continues...but nothing serious, nothing political! We just put on a show!

1
Now for Cleopatra Senior!: Revisiting The Very Real Cleopatra VII with The Partial Historians 1:10:18

8d ago1:10:18

1:10:18

On Friday we looked at Cleopatra Selene (aka Cleopatra Jr, Cleopatra VIII), so it's only fitting to revisit an old (and very fun!) episode with the amazing Partial Historians about Cleopatra Selene's far more famous mother, Cleopatra VII (aka THAT Cleopatra... Find more from the Partial Historians here. Submit your question for the next Q&A via ema…

1
Past Lives: Nanaya'ila'i and the Bleeding Edge of the Assyrian Empire 24:21

9d ago24:21

24:21

Check out a scripted episode of Patrick's new show, Past Lives! Nearly 2,700 years ago, a woman and her daughter were ripped away from their homes in what is now Iran by the soldiers of the Assyrian Empire. Nanaya'ila'i was one of thousands upon thousands of people to experience the violence that accompanied conquest, but she's one of the very few …

1
Talks to Paul Arthur about his choice of Carnival of Monsters (1/4) 36:20

9d ago36:20

36:20

‘Pooh!’ Are we on Metebelies Three or Inter Minor or on the Indian Ocean? What happened to the SS Bernice? Watch out, Paul, an enormous hand coming to pick us up!

1
Hamster Book Club - The Chimes of Midnight (featuring James Lark & Michael Mills) 1:41:41

10d ago1:41:41

1:41:41

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without a Hamster Book Club Christmas Special! And this time we are seasonally themed with the superlative Christmas chiller, The Chimes of Midnight!

1
Conversations: Cleopatra Selene... A Queen her Mother Would Be Proud Of w/ Dr Jane Draycott 1:38:18

12d ago1:38:18

1:38:18

Liv speaks with Jane Draycott again this week about her book Cleopatra's Daughter: Egyptian Princess, Roman Prisoner, African Queen. Jane Draycott is an amazing scholar who has done phenomenal work on Roman women who often are left without a voice or are given a much lesser reputation than they deserve. Cleopatra Selene is a delightful character to…

1
The Economic Life of Megakles, Farmer of Classical Athens 35:40

13d ago35:40

35:40

We've talked about how rich classical Athens was, but what did that mean for an average person living at the time? In this episode, we follow the life of a composite character, an Athenian citizen farmer named Megakles, to see how the economic developments of the classical age shaped daily life in Athens. Patrick launched a brand-new history show o…

1
Talks to Robert Valentine about his choice of The Brain of Morbius (4/4) 43:12

14d ago43:12

43:12

A great lumbering monster that looks like it is made of butchers leftovers is on the move with the brain of the fearsome war criminal - Morbius - in his head! How will he be stopped?

1
Talks to Robert Valentine about his choice of The Brain of Morbius (3/4) 31:25

15d ago31:25

31:25

The brain matter has slapped on the floor! Condo has been shot in the stomach! Sarah can see again and he's behind you! And the Doctor does a little British Gas engineering...

1
The Worst Friendship Breakup of All Time (The Wars of the Diadochi and the Hellenistic Period) 34:53

15d ago34:53

34:53

We are back with the Wars of the Diadochi and finally Ptolemy gets his proper introduction. Join me today to see what goes on after the Lamian War, see who takes what sides, and who does or does not die. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition a…

1
Conversations in Philosophy: 'To the Lighthouse' by Virginia Woolf 18:58

16d ago18:58

18:58

In 1908, Virginia Woolf wrote that she hoped to revolutionise the novel and ‘capture multitudes of things at present fugitive’. ‘To the Lighthouse’ (1927) marks perhaps her fullest realisation of the novel as philosophical enterprise, and not simply because one of its central characters is engaged with the problem of ‘subject and object and the nat…

1
"Current Training Models Not Fit For Purpose" | Mumtaz Patel | Voices of Care 41:10

16d ago41:10

41:10

In a compelling episode of on Voices of Care, Professor Mumtaz Patel, the 123rd President of the Royal College of Physicians and the first South Asian woman to lead the oldest medical Royal College, delivered an urgent assessment of the mounting pressures facing NHS doctors and set out her vision for transforming medical education for the 21st cent…

1
Talks to Robert Valentine about his choice of The Brain of Morbius (2/4) 32:42

18d ago32:42

32:42

There's something screaming murder in the cellar, the manservant is looking for his arm, the surgeon is slicing and dicing and the butchers shop has lost its leftovers!

1
🎙️ FS79_Julia Slay & Ending Sessions Well 34:01

19d ago34:01

34:01

In today's episode, Olivia is joined by Julia Slay, founder of Facilitation 101, to explore an often-overlooked part of facilitation: how we end sessions well. With 15+ years' experience across social policy, consultancy and learning design, Julia shares her journey into facilitation and what sparked her growing fascination with powerful endings. T…

1
Conversations: The Empire is Back. . .and This Episode is the Seleucids w/ Dr. Talia Prussin 1:38:45

19d ago1:38:45

1:38:45

Liv and Michaela speak with Dr. Talia Prussin about the Seleucid empire and the Hellenistic Period generally. Much shenanigans went down, and many discussions on which little guy is everyone's favourite. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition a…

1
Talks to Robert Valentine about his choice of The Brain of Morbius (1/4) 37:18

20d ago37:18

37:18

There's a Sargasso Sea of spaceships, something is stirring in the laboratory, the Sisters are weaving their magic and a storm is brewing. Hold my hand, please Rob.

1
Doing History through Movies: Interview with Dr. Jason Herbert 48:25

20d ago48:25

48:25

Like many of you, I first fell in love with history through the movies. Dr. Jason Herbert hosted a podcast called Historians at the Movies, now retitled Reckoning with Jason Herbert, that focuses on films depicting the past and what historians think about them. We have a delightful conversation about some of our favorite history movies, what makes …

1
Listen to Patrick's New History Podcast, Past Lives 19:56

21d ago19:56

19:56

Patrick has a new history podcast, Past Lives! It's all about the experiences of real, everyday people throughout the human past, people just like you. Listen to the first full episode, "On Historical Storytelling," right here, and then go subscribe to the Past Lives feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your podcast platform of choice. Past Lives is…

1
That One Time When Alex Said Hey Guys, Figure It Out (The Wars of the Diadochi and the Hellenistic Period) 39:37

22d ago39:37

39:37

Some more fun history time for you all! This time we are diving into the Wars of the Diadochi, well more like Alex dying and all the Greek rebellions and the Lamian War in this episode. Starting off a new subsection of episodes based on the Hellenistic series, because we all need some more Hellenistic lore in our lives! Submit your question for the…

1
Hamster Book Club - The Adventuress of Henrietta Street by Lawrence Miles (featuring Elemental Mark Donaldson) 1:48:01

23d ago1:48:01

1:48:01

A rich, heady brew of sex, political detail, history, unknowable slathering horror, Gothic atmosphere and the absence left in the universe by the destruction of Gallifrey...but what will Joe & Mark Donaldson make of it?

1
Novel Approaches: ‘The Mayor of Casterbridge’ by Thomas Hardy 13:39

23d ago13:39

13:39

After drunkenly selling his wife and child at auction, a young Michael Henchard resolves to live differently – and does so, skyrocketing from impoverished haytrusser to mayor of his adoptive town. Every unexpected disaster and sudden reversal in The Mayor of Casterbridge stems from its opening, in a plot which draws as much from realist fiction as …

1
Talks to James Lark about his choice of The Ark (4/4) 53:01

25d ago53:01

53:01

How will James cope with the numerous technical difficulties at the start of this episode - by trying out improvisational comedy!

1
Next Year on Close Readings: Realism, Nature, Narrative Poems and a history of London 16:41

25d ago16:41

16:41

We’re pleased to announce our four new Close Readings series starting in January next year: ‘Who’s Afraid of Realism?’ with James Wood and guests ‘Nature in Crisis’ with Meehan Crist and Peter Godfrey-Smith ‘Narrative Poems’ with Seamus Perry and Mark Ford ‘London Revisited’ with Rosemary Hill and guests Bonus Series: 'The Man Behind the Curtain’ w…

1
Conversations: Life At the Far Edges of a Crumbling Empire... w/ Owen Rees 1:52:14

26d ago1:52:14

1:52:14

Liv speaks with returning guest Owen Rees about his new book looking at the fringes of ancient empire... From Egypt to Greece to Rome and China. Learn more about Owen's book, Bad Ancient, and Substack. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note. Get ad-free episodes and so, so much more, by subscribing to the Oracle Edition at …

1
Why Was Classical Athens So Rich? 38:17

27d ago38:17

38:17

Ancient Greece was rich compared to other ancient societies, and Athens was the richest place of all within ancient Greece. But why? The answer lies not just in the silver lodes of Attica or access to the sea; it was about democracy, law, and institutions, which made people feel safe doing business in Athens. Patrick is launching a brand-new histor…

1
Talks to James Lark about his choice of The Ark (3/4) 31:53

28d ago31:53

31:53

Where are Melium and Baku? Why are the Monoids suddenly so stupid? Are there invisible people on Refusis II?

1
Listen Now: American Scandal | The West Memphis Three 7:49

29d ago7:49

7:49

On May 5, 1993, three 8-year-old boys were brutally murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. The tiny local police department launches an investigation but finds little physical evidence to lead them to a suspect. Eventually, outside pressure pushes them to charge someone with the killings, whether or not the evidence supports their conclusions. America…

1
Hermes Here, Admitting All My Sins: the Remix 47:34

29d ago47:34

47:34

Michaela here giving you a remix of past episodes, looking at three different times that we have explored Hermes here on the show. From the Homeric Hymn, to Emily Hauser's How Women Became Poets, to Aeschylus' Prometheus Bound we are examining the ways that Hermes appears within antiquity. He is an interesting character for sure, and has a lot of d…

1
Love and Death: Thom Gunn and Paul Muldoon 17:36

30d ago17:36

17:36

Thom Gunn’s career as an elegist was tied closely to the onset of the Aids epidemic in the 1980s, during which he saw many of his friends die. Despite loosening his early formalism after absorbing the work of the New American Poets, Gunn’s vision of the poet was not as a confessional diarist but rather a careful stylist of well-wrought verse drawin…

1
"NURSING AND MIDWIFERY PROFESSIONS ARE THE BACKBONE OF THE NHS" | Paul Rees MBE | Voices of Care 37:04

30d ago37:04

37:04

Speaking on Newcross Healthcare's Voices of Care podcast, Paul Rees MBE, Chief Executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, reveals how childhood experiences of racism have shaped his mission to transform the UK's largest healthcare regulator into an anti-racist organisation committed to fairness and equity for all nursing and midwifery professi…

1
Hamster Book Club - ‘Trix’ - original short story 13:55

1M ago13:55

13:55

For Andrew, who has long been frustrated at a lack of backstory and explanation for Patricia ‘Trix’ MacMillan. So I thought I would write my own. Go wild.

1
Happy Anniversary! The Day of the Doctor Commentary (with Dylan Rees & Iain Martin) 1:29:46

1M ago1:29:46

1:29:46

In a crossover with Too Hot for TV & We're All Stories in the End, Dylan, Iain and I have assembled to talk about the 50th anniversary special - The Day of the Doctor!

1
Conversations: Deconstructing 'Classicism' and So-Called Western Civilization, w/ Dr Dan-el Padilla Peralta 1:42:51

1M ago1:42:51

1:42:51

Liv and Michaela speak with Dan-el Padilla Peralta about his new book Classicism and Other Phobias, breaking down the 'Founders of Western Civilization' myth, the field of 'Classics', and the racialized mess its often made. Find more about the book, and the article Racing the Classics. Submit your question for the next Q&A via email or a voice note…

1
🎙️ FS 78 – Relaunch Episode: Meet the New Hosts; Umah, Sam, Olivia 28:25

1M ago28:25

28:25

In today's episode, the Facilitation Stories podcast returns with a brand-new hosting team — Olivia, Sam, and Umah — who share their stories, inspirations, and hopes for the next chapter of the podcast. They talk about: Why they joined the Facilitation Stories team and what excites them about podcasting as a way to connect facilitators and share le…

1
Patrick's New History Show, Past Lives, Launches December 3rd! 2:37

1M ago2:37

2:37

From Patrick Wyman (host of Fall of Rome and Tides of History) comes Past Lives, a brand new podcast! Every week, we’ll focus on the lived experiences of real people from the past, bringing their stories to life. The first season of Past Lives is available December 3rd! Be sure to subscribe to the feed now (https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/pas…

1
Talks to James Lark about his choice of The Ark (2/4) 31:54

1M ago31:54

31:54

The virus is spreading, the human race is falling, the Earth is burning and the Doctor's time is running out... Also one of the best cliffhangers of all time !

1
Why the Hundred Years War Actually Lasted Two Hundred Years: Interview with Professor Michael Livingston 39:34

1M ago39:34

39:34

The Hundred Years War was the defining conflict of the Middle Ages, but today's guest - Professor Michael Livingston of the Citadel - argues that it actually lasted for 200 years. That's just one problem with the way we've learned about the Hundred Years War, and Livingston's new book, entitled Bloody Crowns: A New History of the Hundred Years War,…

1
Talks to James Lark about his choice of The Ark (1/4) 50:24

1M ago50:24

50:24

Joe & James - in person! The intrepid explorers head to the Ark which itself heads away from a decaying planet Earth and Refusis II...