A Podcast to the Curious - The M.R. James Podcast

In this episode Mike & Will look into ghosts, golf and some decidedly fishy goings-on in Felixstowe in the first of a 2-part special on M.R. James’s ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’ ! Big thanks to Tom Hemmings who returns as our reader for this episode. Show Notes ‘Oh, Whistle and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’ by M.R. James Read the full text a...

In this Christmas Special* Will and Mike get stuck into Count Magnus by M.R. James , and explore some startling questions: What is the connection between Count Magnus and Ghostbusters 2? Will sewing your corpse into the carcass of a deer save your soul from the devil? Would Mr Wraxall prefer to have been shot in the balls by Robocop? Answers to these questions and much, much more can be found in t...

In this episode Mike and Will pack their portmanteaus for a holiday in HELL (well, Denmark actually) as they tackle ‘Number 13’ by M.R. James ! Thanks to our reader this week Kirsty Woodfield. Also in this episode Will and Mike: Coin ‘The Jamesian Wallop’ Tackle the schleswig-holstein question Discuss hellish subjects such as alchemy, German sunlounger etiquette, and Toploa...

Mike is away on holiday at the moment so in lieu of a full episode we are pleased to present a full reading of M.R. James’s essay ‘Stories I Have Tried to Write’, read by Tom Hemmings! Regular service will resume in a few weeks when Mike returns from his reckless galavanting. Notes ‘Stories I have Tried to Write’ was written by M.R. James in November of 1929 and first published a...

In this post-Halloween spook-tacular of an episode, your hosts Mike and Will attempt to answer the following thorny questions: Is it unlucky to sleep in a room near an ash tree? Is Mrs Mothersole a MILF? Are you down with the Castringham Sickness? If you answered ‘yes’ to one or more of the above then pull your deep leather armchair closer to the roaring fire, refill your glass of port...

Episode 3 sees us tackle ‘The Mezzotint’ by M.R. James and delve into the world of sinister collectable artwork of a kind not often featured on the Antiques Roadshow. In this episode: Terror! Art! Golf! Alternative endings! How NOT to choose a babysitter! Mike gets all sentimental about his university days. Will moans a lot and bellows “In your FACE Cambridge!” Many thanks...

This week we tackle Lost Hearts by M.R. James, a spine-chilling tale featuring ghostly orphans! Talking rats! Diabolical alchemy! Gore! A shower scene! (sort of). Also in this episode: Mike tweaks his hurgy gurdy around the house Will says ‘Dun Dun Duuunnn!’ more than is strictly necessary We both says ‘evocative’ more than is strictly necessary and then get really, really...

In Episode 1 your hosts Will Ross and Mike Taylor discuss M.R. James’s first published ghost story, Canon Alberic’s Scrapbook, in which crocodiles are purloined, religious pimping staffs brandished, sinister tomes examined and unholy terrors unleashed on an unsuspecting scholar in the darkest depths of rural France. Also in this episode: Mike grumbles bitterly about carnival folk while...