Humanish

QUICK NOTE: This will be the last episode of The Biscuit Reviews to appear here - instead it will be now be on its own channel as The Biscuit Reviews. In fact you can find it at www.thebiscuitreviews.co.uk right now and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Episode 7: Secrets. Deception. Affairs. Both the book and the podcast reviewed on this episode dive deep into the drama of the tangled web...

Episode 6 looks at the podcast series Witch, and the graphic novel Isabella and Blodwen. In the 13 part podcast series Witch, host and journalist India Rakusen and her team create a spellbinding series with each half an hour episode artfully exploring different aspects of what “Witch” can mean and how it has changed over the centuries. Artist, writer, and comic book creator Rachael Smith has built...

It is exam season in the UK: For most of us, the thought of school brings back some pretty strong memories…and not just about school dinner. Our nostalgia might reflect on all the good memories, a simpler time maybe, for others it might bring back more difficult or even painful experiences. Depending on your era and background, the level of support you received - if any - to help you navigate the...

Caleb Azumah Nelsons debut novel Open Water is an astonishing achievement. Combining poetic prose and rhythms to match the heart wrenching tale of love and identity against the backdrop of a frenetic London and racial tensions. Lisa Jewell has cemented her reputation as an elite thriller writer and The Night She Disappeared is an other hit of the genre - which might seem a long way from her debut...

How would you cope in a hostage situation? How about in a riot? When Jill Sunter made the big decision to swap the school run for the prison run, she might not have imagined the range of challenging and unusual situations she would find herself in. Let's go back to the 90s and a prison in Scotland... When Jill first got in touch and mentioned that she was once a prison officer, I didn’t really exp...

A double header this week. First up, I marvel at how in "Elizabeth is Missing", Emma Healey has crafted a tale about an old lady with dementia into a thrilling and moving mystery. Next up, I consider the themes that connect that novel to the Scandi-noir-esque Canadian detective series "Cardinal". ​ The episode starts with the review of "Elizabeth is Missing", but you can skip to 7minutes 20seconds...

In this first episode of a new mini series, I meet Owen Newton, who is looking to add to his 9-5 income with a 5-9 job. Using his evenings to come up with money making plans, Owen runs through a series of inventions from board games to subscription services. So how does he end up with an international business operating out of his garage? Find pictures, video and full transcript of this episode at...

The Power by Naomi Alderman is a provocative near future science fiction novel that poses a “what if?” scenario and dares you to confront the world around you and your place in it. It is quite literally shocking, as well as a world-hopping thriller with graphic action and uncomfortable moral choices. Could it also be the smash hit TV show of 2023? Blog and video version available under The Biscuit...

The Coming Storm is a BBC podcast by journalist Gabriel Gatehouse and producer Lucy Proctor that on the surface is about the background to the Capitol Insurrection in Washington DC on the January 2021. Whilst the repercussions of that day still reverberate in the news and the courts in the present, this series takes a deep dive into history. What makes this a must listen series and how is it like...

Did Stephen King write a Young Adult novel? I also think I know the perfect director to make any film adaptation that might be tried of this vast imaginative novel. ​ In the first of my The Biscuit Reviews selections, I give myself a treat by starting with an author who I have re-embraced in the last decade after first leaping into IT and Needful Things when my older brothers got me into horror bo...

Special effects in movies are an aspect of the creative process that we often take for granted. Sure, we appreciate the big "gasp" moments, or tut something doesn't quite look right, but for the most part, we might not notice the many extra bits of digital effects that build up the sense of story and character. Like toggles. Digital Visual Effects Artist Juan-Luis Sanchez joins me to chat about hi...

This is an education bonus episode. In the episode "Beyond", I spoke to Professor Martin Barstow about looking into the past using the Hubble Telescope and about Mars. He also answered some questions from primary school children. In this bonus special we have more of those questions and include some extra material. You can listen to the episode and then use the questions at www.thehumanish.co.uk/s...

How often do you look up at the moon and think "people walked there?" It's not just a a technical, scientific achievement, but a testament to human imagination. Astrophysicist Professor Martin Barstow explains the achievements of Hubble in its 30years and how we are looking further into our Universe and into the past and our search for life. Poet and author Dom Conlon talks about the connection of...

Rachael Smith is a comic creator who has contributed to existing titles such as Doctor Who, as well as building up an impressive catalogue of her own with books like Wired Up Wrong, and The Rabbit. She has often confronted her depression and anxiety through her work and continues to build a loyal fan base. Over the last few weeks she has been sharing #QuarantineComix online – her daily observation...

Back in the old world of September 2019, I met up with award winning transgender poet Jay Hulme in the beautiful surroundings of historic Bradgate Park in Leicestershire. Our conversation started about Jay's new book and poetry and for young people before we we dived head first into Victorian history, the scandal of the tabloids, and ...cannibalism. Amidst the wild absurdities, we discuss the awfu...

Often how we make sense of the world around us is through stories and creating a narrative. Right now, it might be that you're turning to familiar stories and re-watching, or re-reading your favourites for comfort. What do we get from this? And what stories that might be produced in the months and years ahead to reflect this time? This episode I'm joined by writer and TV producer Jonathan Gilbert...

Theatre and football might have more in common than most people think. For Jenna Omeltschenko, (Touring Partnership Manager at the National Theatre) there is a deep rooted passion for both. One was bequeathed by family; the other developed by passionate teachers and the chance to inspire others to share their experience, their story. This is an episode with roots that stretch from Hungary, Ukraine...

This is a soundbite from the forthcoming episode with Jenna Omeltschenko, Touring Partnership Manager at the National Theatre. The full interview will be on the next episode coming soon. The context for this clip is my question to Jenna about something that I've found quite common - a perception (often whispered quietly) that working in theatre education, or outreach and participation work is "les...

With her 40th Birthday around the corner, actor Tonia Daley Campbell decided to write a book about the life she had led that meant she finally felt like her authentic self. I decided to borrow that title for this episode as it perfectly encapsulated our conversation about overcoming barriers how we sometimes don't notice the steps we - or others - take. Tonia is an actor from Wolverhampton, and al...

Welcome to Humanish. The first mini-series of episodes are on their way and this trailer will give you an idea of what to expect. The whole podcast is about sharing our stories and ideas. The stories we tell ourselves and each other shape the world we live in. I'll be having conversations with people from all different backgrounds to find out what makes us who we are? There will also be some one-o...