Oh! What a lovely podcast

How do you convert the First World War into a short story?   This month we're joined by Dr Ann-Marie Einhaus (Northumbria) to explore short fiction published during and after the First World War. Along the way we discuss what makes a short story, the varying themes that appeared over time, and how too many sandwiches may be a sign of a German spy.   References: The Penguin Book of First World War...

How should we remember the man whose assassination sparked the July Crisis?   This month we are joined by Dr Sam Foster (UEA) to examine the life, death, and representation of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. Along the way we discuss the complicated relationships of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy, Franz Ferdinand's interactions with the contemporary press, and how everything eventually leads back to railw...

What songs were popular during the First World War?   This month friend of the podcast Dr Emma Hanna (Kent) returns to talk to us about popular music during the war. Along the way we discuss who decided what music was suitable for the troops, the rock and roll lifestyle of men in the Royal Flying Corp, and which versions of  Mademoiselle from Armentières are suitable to play to your children.   Re...

How does the First World War appear on the stage?   This month Angus, Chris and Jessica speak to the theatre historian Helen Brooks about her work on the Great War Theatre project . Along the way, we discuss the importance of sex to the rules of censorship, consider the role of theatre in bridging the past and the present and find out which play threatens to give Chris nightmares.   References: Gr...

How do you turn the diplomatic exchanges before the outbreak of the First World War into a TV drama? This month Angus, Jessica, and Chris discuss the 2014 BBC series 37 Days . Along the way they explore the role of France in the war's outbreak, how similar the cast appeared to historical figures, a random Star Wars connection, and whether Guy Ritchie should tackle the topic next. References 37 Day...

How do you turn the First World War into a computer game?   In this episode Chris and Angus talk to Yoan Fanise the developer behind such First World War computer games as Valiant Hearts: The Great War  and 11-11: Memories Retold. Along the way we discuss making the audience cry, different national interpretations and memories of the conflict, and whether it's become easier to sell a First World W...

How does the landscape inform our understanding of a First World War film? In this episode cultural historian Beth Wyatt talks to Angus, Jessica, and Chris about the use of landscape in Sam Mendes' film 1917 . Along the way we discuss how soldiers used the world around them to remember home, the importance of cherry trees, and what the Archers landscape would look like if it was real. References:...

What themes unite better-known films about the First World War?   In this episode, Jessica, Chris and Angus look at some of the better-known films about the war, covering a fifty-year period from All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) to Gallipoli (1981). Along the way, we discuss body horror, Kirk Douglas's jaw line, European unity and whether the British have a particular penchant for cross-dress...

What makes a First World War film 'obscure'? This month Chris, Angus and Jessica discuss some lesser-known films set during the First World War.  Along the way, we consider national stereotypes, the dangers of a Dawn Patrol drinking game, the brilliance of Basil Rathbone, the role of the individual in wartime and the greatest honour a French officer can bestow on a British serviceman. References:...

Could you play a board game about the First World War, during the First World War? In this episode Jessica, Chris and Angus talk to Holly Nielsen (PhD student at Royal Holloway, London) about board games during the First World War. As a result we learn about games converted into wartime themes, the benefits of the war to the British toy industry, the dangers of channelling the dead in a superstiti...

How do you portray a moment of peace during the First World War when it's not always clear what actually happened? In our Christmas Special, Angus, Chris and Jessica speak to historian Mark Connelly (University of Kent) about the Christmas Truce of 1914. Along the way we discuss Paul McCartney, the difficulty of playing football in No Man's Land, British soldiers as 9-to-5 workers, and a Christmas...

How do you write a novel about the First World War without resorting to cliché? This month, Angus, Chris and Jessica speak to novelist Lesley Glaister about her new book, Blasted Things , set in the aftermath of the war. Along the way we discuss family history, what it feels like to hold historical documents, the medico-legal definition of PTSD and how to capture the register of a place and time e...

How does popular culture see Lawrence of Arabia? This month Angus, Chris and Jessica speak to cartoonist Ned Barnett about his work on T. E. Lawrence, including both his research travelogue, Dreamers of the Day , and his on-going three volume graphic biography of the famous polymath. Along the way we discuss Lawrence as a celebrity, the challenges of cartooning, the comparative heights of Lawrence...

What happens when a Sunday night crime caper takes the history of the First World War seriously? In this episode Jessica, Chris and Angus talk about the cult Australian television series Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries . We discuss class in interwar Australia, what it meant to be a conscientious objector and why it might be a mistake to admit to bribery in front of a policeman in the third of our s...

Did the First World War inspire organised crime in inter-war Britain? In this episode we talk to Emma Hanna (University of Kent) about the British crime-drama series Peaky Blinders and how the war service of the main characters may have further brutalised the gangsters as they negotiate the harsh realities of postwar life. Along the way we discuss the difference in experience between sappers and i...

How has the First World War been translated by German popular culture? In this episode, Angus, Chris and Jessica are joined by Dr Hilary Potter to discuss the book and television series, Babylon Berlin. We discuss sibling rivalry, the New Woman and prisoners of war as we explore the different ways in which the books and the programme represent Weimar Germany. References Kriegsgefangen in Skipton –...

Why do some Heavy Metal bands examine the First World War?   In this episode we talk to Julia Ribeiro Thomaz (PhD student at Paris Nanterre/EHESS) about the portrayal of the First World War in Heavy Metal music. As a result we learn about who is fascinated with tank warfare, different uses for the poetry of Wilfred Owen, and the extent to which the First World War offers bands an opportunity to di...

What is the relationship between war and romance? In this episode, Jessica, Chris and Angus talk to Vanda Wilcox (NYU Paris) about the romance novels of Georgette Heyer and how she used her perception of the First World War to write about the Napoleonic Wars. Along the way we discuss women's magazines, swearing in wartime and why the Duke of Wellington may or may not be like Sir Douglas Haig.   Re...

How closely do the events of the First World War relate to those in 'A Galaxy Far, Far Away'? In this episode Chris, Jessica, and Angus discuss the historical inspirations of the Star Wars saga from the depiction of body horror and the creation of those who are 'more machine than man' via Stormtroopers, cavalry charges, and the cinematic impact of Paths of Glory.

Who are we? What do we do? And what really happens at academic conferences during the tea breaks? In this introductory episode, Chris, Jessica and Angus introduce themselves and their research interests, both academic and geeky. We discuss various cultural genres which reference the First World War, including detective fiction, Star Wars and death metal music, and ask why the First World War has p...