The Author Archive Podcast

Marcus Chown : The one thing you need to know.

The cover of this new book declares that in it Marcus Chown explains the simple way to understand the most important ideas in science.

Marcus is one of the very best science writers on the planet.

Listening to this conversation you might marvel at his patience as he explains the workings of a quantum computer to me.

I learned a lot!

Steve Ashley : being a singer songwriter.

Steve Ashley has had a long illustrious career in music and political activism.

This conversation was recorded in November 2025, a few months before Steve's 80th birthday.  His passions, enthusiasms and commitment remain undimmed.

In this informal interview Steve tells of his influences and motivation. He clearly has a lot of fight and lyricism left!

A very entertaining musician and stimulating conversationalist.

 

Amelia Thomas : What Sheep Think About the Weather.

This engrossing book is subtitled 'how to listen to what animals are trying to say'

Amelia, the author, is passionate and thought provoking.

Hearing this conversation or reading the book just might drive you to the edge of becoming a vegetarian.

An excellent gift book for any animal lover.

Timothy Good - UFOs

Halloween again!

Everything weird is celebrated. Does this include UFOs?

In this interview on the subject David Freeman, a UFO skeptic, met UFO true believer Timothy Good when his book Unearthly Disclosure was first published.

The conversation was friendly but inquisitive!

So are UFOs real?  Are those little creatures with three fingers that are on the TV screens real aliens?

 

Ross King : The Shortest History of Ancient Rome

Hearing Ross talk about the Ancient Romans is an entertaining revelation. 

I didn't know that the 'no kings' movement is a Roman invention as is the tradition of reminding would be absolute rulers that they are as human as the rest of us.

Ross is a riveting writer of history and a great story teller.

Roger Hammond: Lyn and Me. Our life with MS and beyond.

Roger Hammond writes in fearless detail how he was his wife's carer for thirty of their forty seven years of marriage.

Lyn was diagnosed with MS when they were a family of four with two young daughters.

Roger writes about the challenges but he also recounts how they dealt with them and enjoyed a happy and fulfilling marriage.

They never forgot how to enjoy life ...... their holidays were fabulous!

 

 

 

Jilly Cooper : Pandora

Sad to report that Jilly Cooper has died.

She was always great fun to chat to and consistently jolly. Hugely successful but not grand at all!

This conversation was recorded when her novel Pandora was first published. 

Jackie Collins , Joan Collins

Some interviewees I remember as 'troupers'.

At the very top of that tree were the Collins sisters. Joan is now 92.

I remember a televised conversation I had with Joan. Her assistant decreed that the lighting must be subtle but Joan herself insisted on full on straight in the face spots. I had theories why this might be her preference.

Over the years I interviewed Joan and her sister Jackie a few times. It was always 'an event'.

The Collins sisters spoke to me in London at the end of the last century. Jackie was promoting her novel 'Thrill' about the glamorous world of Hollywood, and Joan was encouraging interest in her autobiography 'Second Act'. Both sisters were happy to talk about themselves.

Sadly Jackie died in 2015 .... but Joan marches on!

Ross King, ‘The Bookseller of Florence‘, Adrian Levy on the terrible condition around the jade mines in Myanmar.

Ross King is a superb history storyteller.

He will be talking to me here at the Author Archive soon about his new book 'The Shortest History of Ancient Rome'.

His previous book is tells of a different dimension of Italian history. .'The Bookseller of Florence'   is all about the surprising trade in manuscripts and books in Renaissance Italy.

Adrian Levy tells David about his visit to the Jade mines of Myanmar and the inhuman conditions that he found there.

This visit was 20 years ago and one can only hope that conditions have improved.

James Patterson - Roses are Red

James Patterson is a phenomenon. His skill as a storyteller has made him very wealthy.

His wealth allowed him to buy a house in Palm Beach, near to Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein.

Interestingly James is the producer of 'Filthy Rich' the Netflix documentary about the scandalous behaviour of Epstein.

David Freeman met him in London to talk about his sixth Alex Ross story 'Roses are Red', when the paperback was first published in the UK.