The Author Archive Podcast

Jonathan Coe - The Rotters’ Club

Jonathan Coe tells David Freeman about his novel 'The Rotters' Club' a story set in the 1970s when Prog Rock was giving way to punk and old Labour was losing  ground to Thatcherism.

Sir Ranulph Fiennes - The Secret Hunters

Sir Ranulph Fiennes met David Freeman when his book 'The Secret Hunters' was published in 2001.

The book tells the story of a diary that was found in a shelter in Antarctica in 1997. This opens the door to a world of deprivation, war, survival and revenge.

It's a gripping page-turning read, but is it fiction?

Anthony Holden - Shakespeare

David Freeman met Anthony Holden around the turn of the century to discuss Anthony's biography of William Shakespeare and was surprised to learn that there was so much biographical material available.

Carol Drinkwater - The Olive Farm

Carol Drinkwater came to prominence playing the wife of James Herriot in the first TV version of All Creatures Great and Small.

Now she is probably better known for living life on an olive farm in southern France.

She told David Freeman the story when The Olive Farm was first published.

Joseph Kanon - The Good German

This conversation with the American author Joseph Kanon took place in London when the novel The Good German was published.

The backdrop to the story is World War II.

In 2001such a war seemed a far distant nightmare that could never happen again. Surely it really could never happen because everyone knows how unthinkably bad it is.

But it is happening. As Joseph says in this conversation  .... who are the people who are inflicting these outrages? Do their mothers know what they are doing? Who could possibly think such outrages are justifiable?

Tony Hawks - One Hit Wonderland

In the summer of 2002 David Freeman talked to Tony Hawks about the challenge he had been given to have a hit record somewhere.

It's a remarkable, entertaining and almost unbelievable story. He reveals how he rose to the challenge and became a chart star in Albania with the help of Norman Wisdom. Simon Cowell gets a mention too.

John Simpson BBC World Affairs Editor

David Freeman met John Simpson when his book 'A Mad World, My Masters' was first published.

The conversation ranged from Robert Maxwell, father of Ghislaine , to Idi Amin, Colonel Gaddafi and the International Red Cross. It was wide ranging and hugely entertaining.

David E. Hoffman - The Oligarchs

This conversation between the American journalist David E.Hoffman and David Freeman took place in London in 2002.

David Hoffman had been Moscow Bureau Chief for the Washington Post. Prior to this he has studied Russian at Oxford University and found himself fascinated by the rise of what was then a new force in Russia, the Oligarchs.

Paul Jones

Paul Jones talks to David Freeman about his life in music with Manfred Mann and The Blues Band.

At the time the conversation was recorded The Blues Band had announced they were retiring and Paul told David how he felt about the decision.

Ian Rankin

This conversation was recorded when the 12th Rebus novel The Falls was published.

David Freeman and Ian Rankin were relaxing in a London hotel and it turned out that Ian was in a chatty mood.

He talked about the writing process and even did a bit of Buckingham Palace name dropping!