Folklore Matters

National Folklore Survey: England

The profile of folklore in England has never seemed higher. The team behind the National Folklore Survey for England project speak to a variety of people working with or researching folklore to understand why folklore is so compelling, find out more about their work, and to discover their hopes for the National Folklore Survey for England.

Episodes

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Dominic Hardy and Children of The Wicker Man

    Contemporary discussions of folklore soon arrive at cult film The Wicker Man. In this episode of Folklore Matters, David, Sophie and Diane meet Dominic Hardy, son of Robin Hardy, director of The Wicker Man, to learn about the film's lasting cultural legacy, but also the film's impact on Dominic's family. Dominic, with his brother, Justin, produced a film and recently published a book, both entitled Children of The Wicker Man, that interrogates their experiences.

    1h 19m

  2. 5 FEB

    Andrew Robinson and the Ritual Year

    It's time to catch up with another Sheffield Hallam colleague, this time photographer, folklore researcher and lecturer, Andrew Robinson. Andrew’s fascinated by the visual representation of custom and tradition in England, along with the folklore, myth and legend associated with photographs and photographers. He's recently been working with David on the Calvine UFO - more in this episode - and has been documenting calendar customs in England since the 1990s.

    25 min

  3. 29 JAN

    Introducing Folklore Matters

    The profile of folklore in England has never seemed bigger. In Folklore Matters, folklore researchers, David Clarke, Sophie Parkes-Nield, and Diane Rodgers, want to find out more about people’s interests in the folklore of the country, how they’re working with it, collecting or documenting it. This introductory episode sets out what listeners can expect from Folklore Matters, and a little more about the National Folklore Survey for England project on which David, Sophie and Diane are working.

    1 min

  4. 29 JAN

    Richard Bradley and Weird Derbyshire

    Richard Bradley is a librarian at Sheffield Hallam University, where Folklore Matters hosts, David Clarke, Sophie Parkes-Nield, and Diane Rodgers, are based. But in the world of folklore, Richard is known as 'Weird Derbyshire' and has been researching, attending and documenting the folklore and customs of Derbyshire for the past decade. He's published four local history books including 'Secret Chesterfield' and 'The A - Z of Curious Derbyshire', and writes a monthly feature on the folklore of Derbyshire for Derbyshire Life magazine since 2020. It's about time we sat down with Richard to learn more about his work, his interests, and how he discovered Weird Derbyshire.

    42 min
  • 4 Episodes

About

The profile of folklore in England has never seemed higher. The team behind the National Folklore Survey for England project speak to a variety of people working with or researching folklore to understand why folklore is so compelling, find out more about their work, and to discover their hopes for the National Folklore Survey for England.

Information

  • Creator
    National Folklore Survey: England
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 National Folklore Survey: England
  • Show Website
    Folklore Matters
  • Provider

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