Best Adam Zmith Podcasts (2025)

1
8 | The Wave 1:04:02

4M ago1:04:02

1:04:02

Cornwall has a long history of drawing artistic types, for the space, the light, and the rhythm of the waves. In this final episode of The Quilt, Tash travels to the South West for a personal exploration of how queer creatives especially have been inspired in the region. They meet Veronica the queer pirate created by artist Scamp Niemz and queer hi…

1
7 | The Voice 57:32

5M ago57:32

57:32

Rhaid newid popeth medd hoywon a lesbiaid! How can you describe your desires and sense of yourself when they don’t seem to fit with the language you use? In this episode Adam travels to South Wales to meet Dafydd Frayling, a pioneering activist who disrupted arts festivals and radio broadcasts in the 80s to show how Welsh speakers needed new words …

1
6 | The Hidden 1:08:22

5M ago1:08:22

1:08:22

Northern Ireland’s intriguing queer history draws Tash to Belfast. In exploring stories that are often kept out of view, Tash hears tales of jailed men, a pioneering community helpline, and intersex experience. They speak to Michael Lawrence, a historian looking into the prison records of men who were convicted of buggery, and digs into the archive…

1
5 | The Community 48:56

5M ago48:56

48:56

People have moved to The Midlands from all over the world — so how has this migration shaped the region’s queer community? In this episode, Adam meets Ranjit Khutan who tells the story of his parents moving to England from India, and how they raised him with a community spirit. This led him to run the first support group for South Asian men who hav…

1
4 | The Pride 46:00

5M ago46:00

46:00

If the world has made it hard for your community to keep going, how do you still find the pride? In this episode, Tash travels to the northeast of England, to the old mining town of Stanley in County Durham. They hear about the history of mining and shipbuilding, and what the wake of those industries has meant for queer people living there. There a…

1
3 | The Missing 1:05:42

6M ago1:05:42

1:05:42

Scottish history is laden with the sense of loss, from the Highland clearances to... Glasgow’s lesbian bars that closed down in the 1990s! In this episode, Adam takes a tour of those voided queer spaces with one of their old disco dykes, Natalie Wilson. He also hears from archivist Mel Reeve about the missing queer and bisexual elders from our coll…

1
2 | The Faith 44:58

6M ago44:58

44:58

The northwest of England is famous for progressive thinking, from women’s liberation to power for the working classes. In this episode, Tash meets some of the folks who are bringing this forward-thinking towards faith and spirituality. From Adelaide Harris and the pioneering church of St James and Emmanuel in Didsbury Village, to Saha (Surabhi Kand…

1
1 | The Unravelling 52:56

6M ago52:56

52:56

The city of Norwich, in East Anglia, has a history of welcoming strangers and people who are a bit different. In this episode, Adam meets some of Norfolk’s wonderful misfits. From Serena James, an older trans woman who discovered a remarkable photograph from the 1960s, to Steve Peck, who bought a shirt 40 years ago on a memorable holiday. Finally t…

1
Introducing... The Quilt 5:16

6M ago5:16

5:16

The Quilt: Living memories of queer Britain & Northern Ireland An audio exhibition open to anyone, anywhere, at any time of day, produced and hosted by Tash Walker and Adam Zmith. Born from a collaboration between the producers of the award-winning podcast The Log Books and the UK’s first and only LGBTQ+ museum Queer Britain, challenges who and wha…

1
Introducing... The Quilt 5:16

6M ago5:16

5:16

From the producers of the award-winning podcast The Log Books, The Quilt is a new queer history podcast featuring untold stories that are rooted all around the UK. In this short intro episode, hosts Tash Walker and Adam Zmith head back into the studio to plan the new series. We’ve partnered with Queer Britain, the UK’s first LGBTQ+ museum, to trave…

1
Introducing: Queer Roots and Routes 0:48

2y ago0:48

0:48

We'd love to introduce you to this new podcast we've been working Queer Roots and Routes! Queer Roots and Routes is made by a collective. We are queer. We are migrants or descended from migrants. And we want to tell our stories. Stories of where we’ve come from and how we move in the world today. We don’t have a boss or a Beyoncé. So each episode o…

1
INTRODUCING: New podcast Black and Gay, Back in the Day 2:53

2+ y ago2:53

2:53

We'd love to introduce you to this new podcast Black and Gay, Back in the Day which brings to life a photo archive of Black LGBTQIA+ life in Britain, from the 1970s through to the early 2000s. Each episode is an intergenerational journey focusing on a key photograph from the archive - joining stories of the past, with those of today. Marc Thompson …

1
6: We Imagine With Our Bodies 31:26

2+ y ago31:26

31:26

The sound archive from 1930 is about to be auctioned to mysterious bidders. The sounds are linked to extraordinary film pioneers and an unrealised film that would have changed the world — but today they may be lost again. The Rio Cinema will be forced to give up the archive. Can Adam pitch this to the BBC for a podcast series? Adam assembles So May…

1
5. For Sale: Intimacy and Infamy 42:21

3y ago42:21

42:21

The creative but awkward dynamic between writer Adam Zmith and actor Anton Blake Horowitz blows up. They are trying to collaborate, but the boundary between creativity and personal experiences breaks. Wounded, Adam hears more about the history of censorship from film archivist So Mayer, who also reveals their own personal motivations for researchin…

1
4. Gossip, Revolution and a Censored Kiss 49:58

3y ago49:58

49:58

Adam’s investigation into the lost sound archive prompts him to watch Mädchen in Uniform, a lesbian high school dramedy from 1931. He learns all about how the film was nearly lost forever, and its significance today is explained to him by Camilla Baier and Rachel Pronger from Invisible Women, a feminist film collective. Adam also listens to the fou…

1
3. Sexual Hate And Other Mysteries 51:15

3y ago51:15

51:15

Adam travels back in time to Weimar era Berlin, when the American actor Louise Brooks danced through the experimental cinema scene with her sexual chaos in films like Pandora’s Box. Film writer Pamela Hutchinson explains why Brooks was so unique, and why her power endures even though her films were censored and lost. As Louise blew through Berlin, …

1
2. Three Bent Bodies in a Bar One Night 49:47

3y ago49:47

49:47

Adam goes deeper into the Rio Cinema archives with researcher So Mayer. They find more work by the pioneering filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein, the sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld and the extraordinary actor Louise Brooks. Perhaps they were trying to make a radical film together, in 1930? With help from the historian Jana Funke, Adam learns more about Hirs…

1
1. Sixteen Names and a Box of Sounds 49:30

3y ago49:30

49:30

When a meandering phone call from a forgotten actor called Anton Blake Horowitz leads Adam Zmith into an old cinema, he rediscovers a box of old sound recordings. They’re labelled Eisenstein Project, possibly after Sergei Eisenstein, pioneer of cinema in the Soviet Union in the 1920s. It’s perfect for Adam, a writer and podcast producer who is look…

1
Introducing The Film We Can’t See: a lost film that could have changed the world 1:37

3y ago1:37

1:37

This immersive six-part series takes Adam back to early cinema pioneers Sergei Eisenstein, Louise Brooks and Paul Robeson, in an investigation through time and sound, into our bodies and into our futures. The Film We Can’t See is a fresh perspective on cinema, LGBTQ+ history and the power of sound. Where documentary meets imagination, there may be …

1
BONUS: Tash and Adam tour the Out And About LGBTQ+ exhibition at the Barbican 36:46

3y ago36:46

36:46

In this bonus episode made for Nothing Concrete, the podcast of London's Barbican, Tash and Adam riffle through many more items from LGBTQ+ history. The Bishopsgate Institute doesn't just look after the amazing Switchboard log books — they also hold gay badges, protest placards, intimate photo albums and historical trackie tops. Forty of these item…

1
“Thank you for being here” | Episode 10 56:27

3+ y ago56:27

56:27

This is it! After three seasons covering 1974 to 2003, Tash and Adam reach the final page in the log books in Switchboard’s archive. In this closing episode of The Log Books, Adam and Tash reflect on all the stories they’ve heard across the three years making this podcast. They also bring to light one type of log book entry that has not yet been co…

1
“Not suitably dressed” | Episode 9 1:02:50

3+ y ago1:02:50

1:02:50

Rubber? Feet? Piss? Flogging? Role play? What’s your kink? In this episode Tash and Adam listen to dozens of dirty stories from the LGBTQI+ community in the 90s. From the publicly funded multi-gender kink night at the London Lesbian and Gay Centre to people wearing nappies and S&M dykes — this episode is raw, sexy, hilarious... and you’ll never be …

1
“Interested and willing” | Episode 8 1:06:48

3+ y ago1:06:48

1:06:48

In the 90s more and more lesbians called Switchboard to ask where they could get hold of sperm. All sorts of LGBTQI+ people in the period sought to make families outside of conventional methods and constraints. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear stories from the people who pioneered queer family-making. We also catch-up with some folks who have th…

1
“The inability of others to understand” | Episode 7 50:21

3+ y ago50:21

50:21

There is still so much work to be done in making sure LGBTQI+ people with disabilities have what they need, but the 90s saw a definite shift in the right direction. Legal change, growing awareness, and a place at the front of the Pride march. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear from queer disability rights campaigners and, of course, Switchboard vo…

1
“Needs support and reassurance” | Episode 6 54:25

3+ y ago54:25

54:25

Understanding and awareness of various gender identities grew from 1992 to 2003, and more and more trans people called Switchboard for support. This episode offers a fascinating insight into how the LGBTQI+ community evolved over the period, and how trans people grew stronger in asserting their identities. Essential listening for anyone interested …

1
“They do mean us harm” | Episode 5 52:08

3+ y ago52:08

52:08

On April 30th 1999, the Admiral Duncan gay pub in Soho was bombed by a homophobic Nazi. The attack followed a series of calls to Switchboard threatening violence. In this episode, Adam, Tash and volunteers at the helpline tell the story of the bombing from the phone room, as volunteers rushed to support the LGBTQI+ community. We also hear from John…

1
“How refreshing” | Episode 4 55:09

3+ y ago55:09

55:09

Remember how you felt when you first saw the lesbian kiss on Brookside? Or *those* scenes in Queer As Folk? This episode is a tour through the landmark television moments for queer people from 1992 to 2003. Taking in Hayley in Coronation Street and even the calls to Switchboard following a gay storyline on Peak Practice, Tash, Adam and contributors…

1
“Not an easy call at all” | Episode 3 34:09

3+ y ago34:09

34:09

Because Switchboard is set up to support people around matters of sexuality, volunteers sometimes take difficult calls from paedophiles and those who have been the victims of abuse. In this episode, Tash and Adam hear from Switchboard volunteers in the 90s about taking those calls, and how they supported people in these awful situations. This episo…

1
“The little darlings” | Episode 2 52:41

3+ y ago52:41

52:41

In the 90s, if two men had sex and one was under 21, both could be imprisoned, while straight people could legally have sex at age 16. This inequality could not last, and that’s thanks to campaigners such as Hugo Greenhalgh and Euan Sutherland, supported by Stonewall. This is the story of their campaign to equalise the law, and of the Switchboard v…

1
“Multiple paradox net files” | Episode 1 36:03

3+ y ago36:03

36:03

The internet began to revolutionise LGBTQI+ life in the 1990s: chat rooms, emails, and of course dating websites. In this first episode of the third season of The Log Books, Tash and Adam pull out stories from the archive at Switchboard - the LGBT+ Helpline about people who called to talk about how the internet was changing their experience of sexu…

1
“The queer 90s” | Episode 0 8:44

3+ y ago8:44

8:44

Tash and Adam are back, with 11 all-new weekly episodes covering LGBTQI+ life from 1992 to 2003, using calls made to Switchboard in that period. In this opening teaser episode, Tash and Adam visit two special locations to explain what’s coming up in the season. They also play clips from the forthcoming episodes, from the lesbians looking for sperm …

1
Introducing: Making Gay History 16:58

3+ y ago16:58

16:58

Season three of The Log Books launches next week, November 1st, with eleven all-new episodes covering 1992 to 2003, released weekly. FOR NOW — just before our third season begins — we want to share one of our inspirations. Making Gay History. This is such a special podcast to us at The Log Books, for showing us how to bring LGBTQI+ history to life …

1
Introducing: Call Me Mother 27:22

4y ago27:22

27:22

News! We’re making season three of The Log Books because we’ve received a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. While you wait, here’s an episode of Call Me Mother, another podcast, featuring an interview with Sandra Caldwell, a 67-year-old actor who was forced to hide part of herself for 40 years. We loved hearing Sandra tell her story to…

1
“Would like to stay” | Episode 11 41:42

4+ y ago41:42

41:42

We have so many fascinating stories for our final episode of the season: a lesbian who helped a gay immigrant to stay legally in the UK, a gay refugee who fled Syria, an Indian who learnt that cruising is different in India, Canada and the UK, and a British Indian who built mixed dance nights for London’s range of cultures. Tash and Adam hear about…

1
“Crude form of censorship” | Episode 10 50:24

4+ y ago50:24

50:24

After a gay bookshop was raided by customs officers in 1984, the booksellers fought back. This is the story of censorship and community solidarity, and it is not the only one in this episode. Tash and Adam explore the actions of the British state to stop people from seeing things that were considered obscene in the 80s. We also feature a story from…

1
“No reason whatsoever to doubt” | Episode 9 39:04

4+ y ago39:04

39:04

From 1983 to 1991, calls to Switchboard about rape and domestic violence increased in number. So in this episode Tash and Adam hear some of those stories and ask volunteers from the time to share their experience of supporting survivors. This episode also features an account of how Switchboard evolved in order to improve how it handled calls about …

1
“Kiss my rump” | Episode 8 37:29

4+ y ago37:29

37:29

It wasn’t easy being young in the Eighties! Tash and Adam read log book entries and hear stories about growing up, looking for help, and even a teenager who took the government to court. We also catch up with the changes happening around relationships and sex education in schools right now, via Kaley Foran from The Key. Content warning: Suicide, se…

1
“Fatally disruptive” | Episode 7 36:49

4+ y ago36:49

36:49

In 1988 the British government passed explicitly anti-gay legislation. Through log book entries from Switchboard, Tash and Adam return to the scene: lawmakers spaffing about what constitutes a family, gay teachers zipping up and living in fear, and bewildered young people with seemingly nowhere to turn to for advice. This episode is filled with unt…

1
“Right on, sister!” | Episode 6 57:03

4+ y ago57:03

57:03

Lipstick on the windscreen to tackle homophobia — just one of the stories in this latest episode from 1983 to 1991. Tash and Adam focus on the hostility in the air during this period, from people using HIV/AIDS as a reason for their prejudice to tensions within Catholic families. We conclude by speaking to Hafsa Qureshi about her experience as a bi…

1
“Expect extra calls” | Episode 5 55:04

4+ y ago55:04

55:04

Every time anything to do with LGBTQ+ life was mentioned on TV or in the newspaper in the 80s, Switchboard volunteers took extra calls. In this episode, Tash and Adam speak to the people behind TV programmes and newspaper columns, and hear about the feverish atmosphere that led to anti-gay legislation in 1988. The section on today has two very spec…

1
“A hedgehog in my kitchen” | Episode 4 39:28

4+ y ago39:28

39:28

Some light and laughter in our fourth episode of this season! Tash and Adam hear memories of joy and strength from 1983 to 1991, through the log books at Switchboard and stories from people who remember those years. We also feature the Lesbian Strength Marches, Switchboard’s one-millionth call and an interview with Thigh High, the band who centre t…

1
“Damage caused” | Episode 3 49:50

4+ y ago49:50

49:50

Bottling attacks and cruel newspaper editorials — this is the story of how the HIV/AIDS crisis hit the LGBTQ+ community in the 80s. Through Switchboard’s unique log book entries, Tash and Adam also uncover the story of a very special volunteer who handled the hardest calls you can imagine. This episode concludes the three-part set of episodes on HI…

1
“One hell of a state” | Episode 2 1:06:13

4+ y ago1:06:13

1:06:13

Tash and Adam continue exploring the HIV/AIDS crisis through the calls made to Switchboard from 1983 to 1991, in this second of three episodes on the subject. This episode contains memories of Switchboard volunteer Mark Ashton, more from George, and further log book entries from the anonymous volunteer looking for others with an HIV diagnosis. We a…

1
“Please be gentle” | Episode 1 57:00

4+ y ago57:00

57:00

This is the story of the early years of the HIV/AIDS epidemic as it has never been told before: through the voices and notes of the people who took phone calls made to an LGBTQ+ helpline. From 1983 to 1991, Switchboard volunteers supported people living with HIV, their loved ones, and people scared of it. In the first of three special episodes that…

1
Re-opening The Log Books | Episode 0 10:00

4+ y ago10:00

10:00

The award-winning podcast The Log Books returns for Season Two! Our brand-new set of episodes cover 1983 to 1991, continuing where Season One left off in 1982. As always, our re-telling of Britain’s history is led by the handwritten notes made by volunteers at Switchboard - the LGBT+ helpline. In this short episode, hosts Tash and Adam return to th…

1
“Joy, friendship and also bitterness” | Season 2 preview episode 27:48

5y ago27:48

27:48

Season 2 of The Log Books is coming soon... Our unique exploration of the UK’s queer history through the pages of Switchboard’s log books will be strong, reflective and antiviral! If you’d like to support our work in bringing season 2 to life, you can contribute financially at supporter.acast.com/thelogbooks. In this preview episode, Tash, Adam and…

1
“Just needs a chat” | Bonus lockdown episode 29:55

5y ago29:55

29:55

This strange moment in history is bringing feelings of isolation and loneliness to so many of us. The coronavirus lockdown has even slowed the production of season 2 of The Log Books, as Tash and Adam are stuck at home. So let’s talk about it. We’ve based this special lockdown episode on untold stories from calls to Switchboard from the 70s and 80s…

1
“How nice!” | Bonus LIVE Episode 1 49:36

5y ago49:36

49:36

We’ve taken The Log Books out of the archive for LGBT History Month! We recorded this special episode in front of an audience at an event in London on February 5th 2020. You’ll hear fresh voices and familiar ones, including Tash and Adam. As ever, we are led by the handwritten notes made by volunteers in Switchboard’s log books from 1974 to 1982. T…

1
Closing The Log Books | Episode 9 7:02

5+ y ago7:02

7:02

Hello listeners, thank you for joining us through the laughter and tears of queer life in Britain from 1974 to 1982. In this final episode of our first season, Adam and Tash reflect on the stories we’ve all heard. We love hearing your reactions to the stories we’re telling too. Please keep them coming! Transcript here. The handwritten notes in Swit…

1
“I was an inconvenience” | Episode 8 31:35

5+ y ago31:35

31:35

The early log books open up a world before HIV, showing what it was like for LGBTQ+ people needing healthcare between discos in the 70s. A doctor and a patient are among those who tell Tash and Adam what it was like. Some of the same infections are on the rise again today, as explained by Dr Tristan Barber, a consultant in HIV and sexual health. Co…

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Adam Zmith Podcasts

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