The Author Archive Podcast

Mark Steel - Reasons to be Cheerful

David Freeman met Mark Steel when his memoir 'Reasons to be Cheerful : from Punk to New Labour through the Eyes of a Dedicated Troublemaker' was first published. There was a Labour government back then!

T.L. Mogford -The Plant Hunter

This novel imagines the horticultural world of the 1860s.

The hero of the story is a  young man who seeks his fortune by travelling east to find new plants that will sell for huge prices in London.

 

 

 

Robert Lacey - Royal: the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II recorded at the time of the Golden Jubilee

Robert Lacey is known as a historian of the Royal Family, so much so that he is a consultant to Netflix for their hit series The Crown.

At the time of the Golden Jubilee he write a biography of the Queen which was published as 'Royal' in the UK and 'Monarch' in the US.

The book gives a history of the Queen's reign and the story of the wider family. Prince Philip is celebrated as is  Prince Charles. The role of Princess Diana is examined as are Camilla and Princes William and Harry.

The partial withdrawal of Prince Harry is predicted ... and this was written 20 years ago.

Interesting background to the new Netflix season.

 

 

 

Martyn Ware - Electronically Yours : the autobiography of the man behind the Human League and Heaven 17

Martyn Ware tells David Freeman about his life growing up in Sheffield , almost making it as a manager in the Co Op but became a pop star with a passion for synthesisers and other electronic instruments instead.

He talks about his enthusiasm for Brian Eno and Roxy Music, and how his insight into the capabilities of electronics took him to be the successful producer of numerous records including tracks by Tina Turner and Mavis Staples.

Mary Hollingsworth - Conclave 1559

This evocative book tells the story of the scramble for power in the Vatican as the College of Cardinals voted for a new Pope.

One might like to think that such an election would be very different from the political elections that we are used to. 

Sadly the way things were done in 1559 would be very familiar to the likes of Liz Truss and Jacob Rees Mogg..... and they used the Sistine Chapel as a dormitory. It had to be fumigated.

 

Don Hale - Town Without Pity : The true story of a murder committed in Derbyshire in 1973.

This is the story of a massive miscarriage of justice that leads to a teenager, Stephen Downing, being sentenced to life in jail.

Don Hale worked for the local newspaper and spent years working through the evidence to show that Stephen was innocent.

It is a shocking story.

William Davis - This Is Not Normal : The Collapse of Liberal Britain.

The journalist William Davis talked to David Freeman on the morning of June 13, 2022, the day before the first Rwanda flight was scheduled and just before the publication of the bill to change the Brexit agreement in Ireland.

As the UK sinks into another election for another Tory election this seems all too relevant again.

The Rwanda flight is yet to happen and the Irish protocol is still awaiting sorting.

Mark Billingham talking about his change of career from comedian to writer of crime fiction.

This conversation was recorded when Mark's first Thom Thorne novel, Sleepy Head, was published.

It's interesting to note that the UK health service comes under scrutiny in the story and Mark concludes that the problem even then was funding. Some things don't change.

When asked about his own literary enthusiasms Mark comes up with cheers for Ian Rankin and Val McDermid and a whole group of American writers.

Sally Smith - Magnificent Women and Flying Machines :the first 200 years of British women in the sky.

A fantastic celebration of the amazing achievements of women in the air and space. Some of these women are hardly known. This book is a revelation.

John Woolf - Black Victorians: hidden in history

With his co-author, Keshia Abraham, John Woolf tells the story of Black Victorians who have been marginalised by history.

There are many characters to meet - Sarah Forbes Bonetta who was given as a gift to Queen Victoria, Pablo Fanque who ran a circus, the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and South African Saartjie Baartman who was exhibited as the 'Hottentot Venus'.... and many more.

Fascinating and sometimes shocking book wonderfully introduced by its co-author John Woolf.