The Southwark Cathedral Podcast

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral podcast, the Dean speaks with Dr Will Tosh, Director of Education at Shakespeare’s Globe, about his book Straight Acting: The Many Queer Lives of William Shakespeare. Together they explore how Shakespeare's works depict intimacy, desire and identity, and why modern ideas of sexuality do not easily map onto the early modern world. Will discusses the influe...

In this episode, the Dean interviews the Reverend Dr. Charlie Bączyk-Bell—Cambridge biochemistry lecturer, priest and theological writer—about his edited book, Stories of Faith, Hope and Love. This new collection of essays explores how the Church can move beyond its current challenges with hope, imagination and courage. Together they reflect on the themes of the book, including hospitality, justic...

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral Podcast, Sub Dean Michael Rawson speaks with author and renowned mudlark Lara Maiklem about uncovering the hidden stories of the tidal Thames. From its origins among Victorian river scavengers to today's thriving community of mudlarks, Lara explores how objects revealed by the river's tides offer remarkable insights into London's past. She shares some of...

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral podcast, the Dean speaks with educator and historian Sir Anthony Seldon about his book The Path of Light: Walking to Auschwitz. Seldon describes a 1,300-kilometre pilgrimage beginning on the Swiss border and travelling along European rivers toward Auschwitz, undertaken to find “figures of light” who protected the vulnerable and resisted evil during the Se...

To celebrate 100 years since the birth of Kenneth Williams, Bill Holland, author of Beyond Our Kenneth: The Continued Diaries discusses Williams' beliefs, friendships, anecdotes and a fictional future with Gyles Brandreth and the Dean of Southwark. The evening explores Williams’ Christian faith, upbringing as a Wesleyan, and the way faith, love, friendship, work, loneliness, and guilt intersected...

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral Podcast, the Dean speaks with American journalist and author Jack El-Hai about his book 'The Nazi and the Psychiatrist' and its film adaptation, 'Nuremberg.' They discuss the psychiatric investigations behind the Nuremberg trials, particularly the relationship between U.S. military psychiatrist Dr. Douglas Kelley and Nazi defendant Hermann Göring, and Kel...

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral Podcast, the Dean, Mark Oakley, is joined by writer and priest Carys Walsh for a recorded conversation of the author's talk exploring the poetry and theology of Gerard Manley Hopkins. Drawing on Walsh’s book Dappled Beauty, they reflect on Hopkins’ distinctive language and spiritual imagination. Together they consider how Hopkins’ vision of beauty, suffer...

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral Podcast, the Dean speaks with American-British investment banker and philanthropist John Studzinski. As founder of the Arise Foundation, a charity working to combat modern slavery and human trafficking, John shares his conviction that modern slavery is a $250 billion organised crime industry: one that must be treated as a serious criminal issue rather tha...

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral Podcast, the Dean interviews Jo Berry, who shares her incredible journey of reconciliation and peacebuilding following the murder of her father, a Conservative MP, in the 1984 Brighton Hotel bombing. Jo discusses her vow to bring something positive out of her father's death, her meeting with Patrick Magee, the man responsible for planting the bomb, and th...

In this episode of The World Needs More Poetry on the Southwark Cathedral podcast the Dean is joined by Anna Rastelli, a writer, poet, theatre director, and a staff member at Southwark Cathedral. Anna discusses her role at the Cathedral and how she has organized queer poetry evenings to create a safe, inclusive space for LGBTQ+ individuals. The conversation then shifts to a seasonal poem, 'In the...

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral Podcast, Canon Kathryn Fleming and newly appointed Cathedral Safeguarding Officer Neil Morter discuss the critical role of safeguarding within the cathedral. The conversation highlights the necessity of maintaining and enhancing safeguarding measures, particularly in light of the upcoming audit covering all dioceses and cathedrals in the Church of England...

In the latest episode of our 'The World Needs More Poetry,' series, the Dean is joined by our new Director of Music, Helen Smee. Helen talks about her musical background, her family's artistic influences, and her roots in London, leading to her roles in Cambridge, London, and Oxford before returning to Southwark. She shares her deep connections with the Cathedral and her passion for her current ro...

In the latest episode of the Southwark Cathedral Podcast, the Dean, Mark Oakley, interviews Manni Coe, on his recently published memoir, Little Ruins: Rebuilding a Life which delves into topics like suicide, sexual abuse, and addiction. Manni shares personal stories about his upbringing in Yorkshire and Berkshire, his relationship with his brother Reuben, who has Down's syndrome, and how he built...

The Dean recently gave a talk on ‘What are the Psalms?’ Listen now to explore what the psalms are, when and why they were written, and how they speak to our faith today. For those who wish to read more on this subject, the following books are recommended: Charlie Bell: Searched Me Out and Known Me John L. Bell: Living with the Psalms Walter Brueggemann: Spirituality of the Psalms Walter Brueggeman...

The latest podcast in our ‘The World Needs More Poetry’ series is a conversation between the Dean and Dame Mary Beard on her chosen poem ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer. Mary Beard is very well known as a Classicist and as a popular broadcaster and writer. In their dialogue together, we hear about the origin of the Odyssey, its main characters and themes, and are left to explore questions about the nature...

We recently hosted writer and activist Emily Kenway to give a talk aboout her first book, The Truth About Modern Slavery. Throughout the evening Emily addressed modern slavery, and its misrepresentation in political and cultural narratives. Kenway, an advisor to the UK's first anti-slavery commissioner, emphasises the difference between the real experiences of victims and the stories shaped for po...

The conversation delves into Davey's personal experiences as a young caregiver following the deaths of his parents, his role in caring for his son with disabilities, and his advocacy for family carers through his political work. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing and supporting family carers, sharing stories and insights from his book. The podcast touches on the societal undervaluation of...

The latest episode of the Southwark Cathedral Podcast is the second in our The World Needs More Poetry miniseries. This time, the Dean is joined by the Bishop of London, The Rt Rev'd and Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally, for a moving and deeply personal conversation. Bishop Sarah reflects on William E. Stafford’s poem “Ask Me” — a piece that has accompanied her through moments of challenge, both as an o...

Michael Amherst regularly attends Southwark Cathedral, loving the building and the beauty of Evensong. His debut novel, 'The Boyhood of Cain', which has just been published by Faber, made The Times excitedly report that 'a literary star is born'. It is a novel about Danny, a boy on the precipice of adulthood, struggling to understand how he might give and deserve love. 'People are just like books'...

Later than planned, but a great conversation nonetheless...In this episode of the podcast as the Cathedral prepares for Holy Week and Easter, the Dean of Southwark, The Very Rev'd Dr Mark Oakley, is in conversation with the Cathedral’s Precentor, Canon Kathryn Fleming, about the services, traditions, and theology of Holy Week.  

In the Cathedral’s latest podcast, the Dean, Mark Oakley, discusses Laurence Rees’s latest book, ‘The Nazi Mind: 12 Warnings from History’, a book which combines history and the latest research in psychology to help answer some of the most perplexing questions surrounding the Second World War and the Holocaust. Ultimately, he delves into the darkness to explain how and why people were capable of c...

Welcome to the first programme in a new Southwark Cathedral Podcast mini-series. The series asks invited guests to choose a favourite poem and then chat to the Dean about why it is important to them. Our first guest is Stella Kanu, Chief Executive of Shakespeare’s Globe, who has chosen Roger Robinson’s ‘A Portable Paradise’. The poem: A Portable Paradise - Poetry Archive

In this episode of the Southwark Cathedral podcast, the Dean of Southwark - The Very Rev'd Dr Mark Oakley - is in conversation with Irish poet and theologian Pádraig Ó Tuama. Ahead of an event held at the Cathedral, Pádraig sat down with the Dean and a copy of his latest book 44 Poems on Being with Each Other and discussed a couple of his favourite poems from the collection. 

In the second of two conversations launching our focus on modern slavery and exploitation, the Dean is in conversation with the CEO of Hestia, Patrick Ryan. Together they discuss Hestia and the support it provides to survivors of modern slavery, the extent of slavery in London and Southwark today, how we can detect signs of slavery and where we can find more information.

Novelist Amanda Craig spoke with the Dean about why modern slavery is such an important topic and why she is grateful that the Cathedral has taken up this injustice for exploration. She speaks about her novel ‘Hearts and Minds’ in which she tells of the story of various individuals who find themselves in London, some exploited and abused, and how their lives interact with the dark underbelly of th...