Best Rachel Cheetham Podcasts (2025)

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#222: James Alistair Henry, screenwriter and novelist 1:00:07

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9d ago1:00:07

1:00:07

Rachel and Simon speak with the screenwriter and novelist James Alistair Henry. James first started writing while working as a bookseller. He joined the writing team for Channel 4’s "Smack the Pony" and went on to write the BAFTA-award winning "Green Wing", ITV comedy "Delivery Man" and sitcom "Campus" as well as episodes for the children’s televis…

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#221: Eimear McBride, novelist 1:00:58

23d ago1:00:58

1:00:58

Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Eimear McBride. Born in Liverpool to Irish parents, Eimear studied acting before pursuing writing. Her debut novel, "A Girl is a Half-formed Thing", was published in 2013 after almost a decade of rejections; it went on to win the Women’s Prize for Fiction, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Kerry Group Irish Novel of…

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#220: Anthony Cheetham, publisher 42:23

1M ago42:23

42:23

Simon and Rachel speak with the veteran British publisher Anthony Cheetham. Anthony began his career in 1966 at the New English Library, where his first acquisition was the paperback rights to "Dune", Frank Herbert’s science fiction epic. In 1969, Anthony moved to Sphere Books, where he created the Abacus imprint. He went on to establish many of th…

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#219: Jacqueline Wilson, novelist 1:05:53

2M ago1:05:53

1:05:53

In this episode, recorded in conjunction with Hay Festival, Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Jacqueline Wilson. Born in 1945, Jacqueline wrote her first (unpublished) novel, "Meet the Maggots", when she was nine and has since gone on to write more than 100 books; her novels have been translated into 34 languages and have sold more than 40m …

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#218: Jesse Armstrong, screenwriter 57:26

2M ago57:26

57:26

In this episode, recorded live at the London Library, Simon and Rachel speak with the screenwriter Jesse Armstrong. Born in Shropshire and educated at Manchester University, Jesse co-created the Channel 4 comedy series "Peep Show" (2003–2015) and "Fresh Meat" (2011–2016), was a writer on "The Thick of It" (2005-2012) and "Four Lions" (2010) and is …

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#217: Hallie Rubenhold, historian 1:01:13

3M ago1:01:13

1:01:13

Rachel and Simon speak to the historian Hallie Rubenhold. Born in Los Angeles, Hallie moved to Britain as a graduate student; after completing an MA and an MPhil, she worked for a time as a curator for the National Portrait Gallery and as a commercial art dealer. In 2005 she published her first book, "The Covent Garden Ladies", about "Harris's List…

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#216: Viet Thanh Nguyen, novelist and academic 1:10:20

3M ago1:10:20

1:10:20

Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist and academic Viet Thanh Nguyen. Born in Vietnam, Viet came to the United States as a refugee in 1975. He completed a PhD in English at Berkeley, moved to Los Angeles for a teaching position at the University of Southern California, and has been there ever since, now as a chair of English and Professor of Ame…

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#215: Jojo Moyes, novelist 59:00

4M ago59:00

59:00

Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Jojo Moyes, live at Hay Festival. Jojo started her career as a journalist before publishing her debut novel, "Sheltering Rain", in 2002. Jojo's subsequent books - which include "Me Before You", "After You", "Still Me", "The Giver of Stars" and "Someone Else's Shoes" - have been translated into 46 languages a…

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#214: Ben Macintyre, journalist and author 1:07:06

4M ago1:07:06

1:07:06

Simon and Rachel speak to the journalist and author Ben Macintyre. Ben is the bestselling author of books including "A Spy Among Friends", "Agent Sonya", "Agent Zigzag", "Colditz", "Operation Mincemeat", "SAS: Rogue Heroes" and "The Spy and the Traitor". He is a columnist and Associate Editor at The Times, and has worked as the newspaper's correspo…

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#213: Diana Evans, novelist and journalist 1:00:46

5M ago1:00:46

1:00:46

Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and journalist Diana Evans. Born and brought up in London and Lagos, Diana started her career as a journalist. She has written for publications including the Guardian, Harper’s Bazaar, the New York Review of Books, Time and Vogue. After she completed an MA in Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia, …

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#212: Andrew O'Hagan, novelist and non-fiction writer 1:03:41

5M ago1:03:41

1:03:41

Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Andrew O'Hagan. Born in Glasgow, Andrew is the author of seven novels – including "Be Near Me", "Mayflies" and "Caledonian Road" – and three books of non-fiction: "The Missing", "The Atlantic Ocean" and "The Secret Life". He is editor at large at the London Review of Books and has writte…

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#211: Dani Shapiro, novelist and non-fiction writer 1:04:15

6M ago1:04:15

1:04:15

Rachel and Simon speak to the novelist and non-fiction writer Dani Shapiro. Dani is the author of 11 books; her memoirs include "Slow Motion", "Devotion", "Still Writing" and "Hourglass". "Inheritance", about the secret that had been hidden from Dani by her parents for more than 50 years, was a bestseller. Dani has also written novels including "Bl…

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#210: Joshi Herrmann, founder, Mill Media 1:04:30

6M ago1:04:30

1:04:30

Simon and Rachel speak with ⁠Joshi Herrmann⁠, the founder of local journalism startup ⁠Mill Media⁠. Joshi founded The Mill, a newsletter covering Greater Manchester, as a one-man band in June 2020. The company now has staff writers and editors across six British cities: Manchester⁠, ⁠Glasgow,⁠ Birmingham, ⁠Liverpool⁠, Sheffield and ⁠London⁠. Mill M…

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#209: Nnedi Okorafor, novelist 1:07:33

6M ago1:07:33

1:07:33

Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Nnedi Okorafor. Nnedi is a prolific writer of science fiction and fantasy for adults, young adults and children; her best-known titles include the "Binti" trilogy, "Lagoon", the "Nsibidi Script" series and "Who Fears Death". Nnedi has won the Wole Soyinka Prize for Literature as well as the Hugo, Nebula, Wor…

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#208: Ben Okri, novelist 1:11:53

7M ago1:11:53

1:11:53

Simon and Rachel speak to the novelist Ben Okri. Born in Minna, Nigeria, Ben came to England as a child. He attended school in London before returning to Africa with his parents on the eve of the Nigerian Civil War. He came once more to the UK in 1978 and studied at Essex University. Two years later he published his first novel "Flowers and Shadows…

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#207: Clair Wills, author and academic 1:00:37

7M ago1:00:37

1:00:37

Rachel and Simon speak to the author and academic Clair Wills. She is the Regius Professor of English Literature at the University of Cambridge and the author of several non-fiction books. ⁠"That Neutral Island: A History of Ireland During the Second World War"⁠, published in 2007, won the PEN Hessell-Tiltman History Prize; ⁠"Lovers and Strangers: …

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#206: Tim Winton, novelist 1:02:58

8M ago1:02:58

1:02:58

Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Tim Winton. Widely considered one of the greatest living Australian writers, Tim has written 13 novels; his work has been translated into 28 languages. Since his first novel, "An Open Swimmer", won The Australian/Vogel Literary Award in 1981, he has also won the Miles Franklin Literary Award - the most prest…

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#205: Hannah Barnes, journalist and author 1:05:47

8M ago1:05:47

1:05:47

Rachel and Simon speak with the journalist and author Hannah Barnes. Hannah worked at the BBC for 15 years, specialising in investigative journalism for both television and radio. Prior to joining the "Newsnight" team in 2016, she was a daily editor on the "Today" programme on Radio 4. In 2023 Hannah published "Time to Think: The Inside Story of th…

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#204: Michael Lewis, journalist and author 1:02:35

9M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

Simon and Rachel speak with journalist and author Michael Lewis. Michael grew up in New Orleans and in the 1980s he worked on Wall Street. His first book "Liar's Poker" (1989) relates his experience at the investment bank Salomon Brothers. His subsequent books include "Moneyball" (2003), ostensibly about baseball but also about the way markets valu…

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#203: Clare Alexander, literary agent, Aitken Alexander Associates 1:02:04

9M ago1:02:04

1:02:04

Rachel and Simon speak with the literary agent Clare Alexander. For the first portion of her career she worked in publishing, starting out in 1973 in the rights department at Penguin; after stints at Hamish Hamilton and Viking she became editor-in-chief of Macmillan and Picador. Clare published first novels by Helen Dunmore, Alex Garland, Amitav Gh…

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#202: Philippe Sands, author and lawyer 1:08:13

10M ago1:08:13

1:08:13

Simon and Rachel speak to the author and lawyer Philippe Sands. He is the author of books including "East West Street", which won the Baillie Gifford prize in 2016 and the British Book Awards Non-Fiction Book of the Year in 2017, and "The Ratline" in 2020. His latest book is "The Last Colony" (2022). Philippe's work has been translated into more th…

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#201: Reni Eddo-Lodge, journalist and author 59:44

10M ago59:44

59:44

Rachel and Simon speak to the journalist and author Reni Eddo-Lodge. She started blogging and writing journalism while a student; one post, published in 2014 and called “Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race” eventually led to a book of the same name in 2017. The book won the Jhalak Prize as well as a British Book Award for Narrative…

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#200: Frederick Forsyth, novelist 54:39

11M ago54:39

54:39

For the 200th episode of Always Take Notes Simon and Rachel speak with the novelist Frederick Forsyth. He began his career in the Royal Air Force in 1956, before leaving to pursue journalism. Frederick worked for Reuters, the BBC, and as a freelancer; part of his early career was spent covering French affairs, including the attempted assassination …

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#199: Paula Hawkins, novelist 56:24

11M ago56:24

56:24

Rachel and Simon speak with the novelist Paula Hawkins. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, Paula moved to London in 1989. She worked as a journalist for 15 years, reporting on business and personal finance. Her first book, "The Money Goddess", a financial guide for women, was released in 2006. She turned to fiction in 2009, publishing "Confessions of…

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#198: Richard Dawkins, non-fiction author 55:00

12M ago55:00

55:00

Simon and Rachel speak to Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and bestselling science writer. His first book, "The Selfish Gene", published in 1976, has sold over a million copies and been translated into more than 25 languages. Other titles include "The Ancestor’s Tale", "The Blind Watchmaker" and "The God Delusion". The latter book, publis…

Rachel Cheetham Podcasts

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The Curious Business Guide

Rachel Cheetham

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Always Take Notes

Always Take Notes

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#222: James Alistair Henry, screenwriter and novelist 1:00:07

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#221: Eimear McBride, novelist 1:00:58

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#220: Anthony Cheetham, publisher 42:23

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#219: Jacqueline Wilson, novelist 1:05:53

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#218: Jesse Armstrong, screenwriter 57:26

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#217: Hallie Rubenhold, historian 1:01:13

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#216: Viet Thanh Nguyen, novelist and academic 1:10:20

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#215: Jojo Moyes, novelist 59:00

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#214: Ben Macintyre, journalist and author 1:07:06

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#213: Diana Evans, novelist and journalist 1:00:46

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#212: Andrew O'Hagan, novelist and non-fiction writer 1:03:41

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#211: Dani Shapiro, novelist and non-fiction writer 1:04:15

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#210: Joshi Herrmann, founder, Mill Media 1:04:30

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#209: Nnedi Okorafor, novelist 1:07:33

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#208: Ben Okri, novelist 1:11:53

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#207: Clair Wills, author and academic 1:00:37

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#206: Tim Winton, novelist 1:02:58

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#205: Hannah Barnes, journalist and author 1:05:47

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#204: Michael Lewis, journalist and author 1:02:35

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#203: Clare Alexander, literary agent, Aitken Alexander Associates 1:02:04

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#202: Philippe Sands, author and lawyer 1:08:13

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#201: Reni Eddo-Lodge, journalist and author 59:44

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#200: Frederick Forsyth, novelist 54:39

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#199: Paula Hawkins, novelist 56:24

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#198: Richard Dawkins, non-fiction author 55:00