Absolute Units

The Museum of English Rural Life
  • 4.9 (33)
  • HISTORY
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Lo-fi clip-clops and bleats to relax/study to. Welcome to the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. Based at the University of Reading, we explore the past, present and future of the English countryside. Hosted by Joe Vaughan and Dr Ollie Douglas. Chaotic Good.

  1. 12H AGO

    Life on Marsh (with Adrian Lawson)

    In 2022, a report by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences analysed 14 European countries and ranked them for nature connectedness, bio diversity, and wellbeing. Britain ranked last in all three. So how do we better protect nature, care for wildlife, and look after each other?  Adrian Lawson is an environmentalist, author and activist whose career and campaigns have been defined by these questions - whether in council meetings or camping out with Extinction Rebellion. Adrian is also a pivotal figure in a major community ecological project here in Reading, turning an abandoned meadow into the thriving Fobney Marsh, as a lead organiser of the Fobney Marshians. In this episode, we speak with Adrian about his love of land, wildlife, and humanity, and how we can do better better by all three. We also talk a lot about Reading and the joy of building a home and finding community. You should definitely visit Reading btw. Come for the marsh, The MERL, and the memes. Links: Adrian vs the IMO: https://oceanrebellion.earth/imo-omg-get-a-grip-poseidon-lectures-the-imo/Join the Fobney Marshians: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/absolute-units/qr-code-for-the-fobney-marshians/Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You, by Nick Hayes and Jon Moses: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/wild-service-9781526673299/Book your tickets for our Spring LATE: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/spring-late/Come and visit us: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit/This episode features additional audio from Epidemic Sounds. The opening song is 'Journey to Mars' by Sayuri Hayashi Egnell. The song for the LATE is 'Pity Party' by Gamma Skies. The wetlands ambient sound was recorded by Lars Edenius and reused from xeno-canto. --- Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan Shop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

    1h 22m

  2. MAR 5

    The Fight for Wild Camping on Dartmoor (with Ruth Webb and Lisa Schneidau)

    Old Crockern returns! We're back for a second episode with the legendary giant of Dartmoor, plus giant maker and dancer Ruth Webb (of The Lost Giants) and storyteller and environmentalist Lisa Schneidau. Last time, we set the scene of Crockern's story and introduced a repetition of history, as Alexander Darwall sought to restrict wild camping on Dartmoor. This time we delve deeper into that story, coming almost right up to the present day, as we explore Crockern's return and what that meant for those who love Dartmoor and England's green spaces. View more video of Old Crockern at The MERL, plus Lisa and Ruth, via our Instagram or TikTok. Search 'The Museum of English Rural Life' across your chosen social media. --- Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan Shop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.html Support the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

    46 min

  3. FEB 19

    Old Crockern Awakes (with Ruth Webb and Lisa Schneidau)

    There's an ancient spirit who rules over Dartmoor, an uplands region in South West England. His face is granite grey. His eyes are dark as peat pools. His name is Old Crockern. And right now, he's at The Museum of English Rural Life. In the first of two episodes, we're joined by environmentalists and activists Ruth Webb (of The Lost Giants) and Lisa Schneidau (storyteller and author). We explore the mythology of Old Crockern, his 19th century origins, and what's brought him back in recent years to defend access to Dartmoor. Old Crockern arrives at the Museum as part of Radical Rural, our new gallery trail celebrating the people, movements, and forces defending access to rural England and championing England's green and wild spaces. Plan your visit on our website. Radical RuralVoices of the Countryside: 100 Years of the Campaign to Protect Rural EnglandCrockern arrives at The MERLThe Lost GiantsLisa's websiteThis episode uses audio from Epidemic Sounds and Freesound. Special thanks to Philip Goddard for the clip 'In Fernworthy Forest, on Dartmoor — ambience in a stand of Sitka spruce' from https://freesound.org/s/671088/ (License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0) --- Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan Shop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.html Support the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

    56 min

  4. FEB 5

    Rural Britannia (with Ollie Douglas)

    Content warning: This episode contains references to antisemitism and prejudice. Listener discretion is advised. --- Last episode we talked about the founding year of The Museum of English Rural Life. But what was our significance within wider museum practice? How did our founding relate to Britain's waning empire? And what does the future hold for The MERL? In this second episode marking our 75th anniversary, Joe and Ollie delve deeper into the theory and politics of our making. --- Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan Shop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.html Support the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

    51 min

  5. JAN 22

    Making The MERL (with Ollie Douglas)

    On 1 January 1951, on the same day that the first episode of iconic radio drama The Archers aired on the radio, academics at the University of Reading officially founded The Museum of English Rural Life. What inspired these storied scholars to make a museum? What did establishing a museum involve? And why aren’t all our team dressed up in smocks? On this episode, Joe and Ollie chat about The MERL’s earliest years. Fair warning: there is a long intro where we ramble and catch up after not seeing each other in about 2 months. If you’d like to get right to the action, listen from 5:58. Enjoy the show! --- Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan Shop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.html Support the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

    54 min

  6. 12/16/2025

    Jane Austen: Verdure, Culture, and Comfort (with Paddy Bullard and Isabel Hughes)

    Jane Austen’s novels are classic books of the English countryside. Yet they reveal so much more about English culture, industry and society than simply presenting prettified scenes of village life. In this episode, we're back with Professor Paddy Bullard (University of Reading) and Isabel Hughes (The MERL) to talk about how Jane Austen’s novels explore space in rural and urban England: how it was used, developed, and destroyed. We also discuss Austen’s own experiences of living in rural and urban settings. --- Join the Fobney Marshians' Christmas stomp: https://whatsonreading.com/venues/reading/whats-on/massive-marshian-stomp-fobney-marshRead the latest blogpost by Reading's Fobney Marshians: https://ruralreading.com/2025/12/16/1906/--- --- Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan Shop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.html Support the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

    53 min

  7. 12/11/2025

    Jane Austen: How to Spot a Wrong'un (with Paddy Bullard and Isabel Hughes)

    It is a truth universally acknowledged that every podcast about the history of the English countryside must do an episode on Jane Austen. In the first of two conversations, Joe and Ollie are joined by Professor Paddy Bullard (University of Reading) and Isabel Hughes (MERL Associate Director) to explore Jane Austen's links to farming, as found in her personal biography and her literature. We're back on Tuesday 16 Dec for a second episode on the Austen theme, marking the date of Austen's birthday. --- --- Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan Shop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.html Support the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

    47 min

  8. 11/27/2025

    Contested Countryside (with George Monbiot), pt. 2

    How does the history of enclosure surface in England today and in Britain's former colonies? How can we de-enclose to create access for all? In this episode, Joe and Ollie continue last time's conversation with the legendary author and activist George Monbiot, about how does the history of capitalism and colonialism interlink to England's urban and rural spaces. Learn more about George Monbiot's work at https://www.monbiot.com/ --- --- Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson. Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe Vaughan Producer: Joe Vaughan Shop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.html Support the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

    26 min
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4.9
out of 5
33 Ratings

About

Lo-fi clip-clops and bleats to relax/study to. Welcome to the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. Based at the University of Reading, we explore the past, present and future of the English countryside. Hosted by Joe Vaughan and Dr Ollie Douglas. Chaotic Good.

Information

  • Creator
    The Museum of English Rural Life
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Absolute Units
  • Show Website
    Absolute Units

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