Dark Histories from the Secret University.

Richard Sugg
Dark Histories from the Secret University.

This podcast slithers, oozes, writhes and flickers with all things dark, forbidden, strange and tabooed. It also tries to offer something very new. For over 15 years I lectured at the universities of Cardiff and Durham. It was a great great life. I got paid to write and to think. I got paid to share these passions with some brilliant and unforgettable students. Unfortunately, students now have to pay staggering amounts of money for that privilege. Welcome, then, to the Secret University. Its ideas, its magic, its joys are endless. And it is free. Richard Sugg. @DrSugg

  1. T.S. Eliot. Four Quartets. Two: East Coker.

    04/01/2023

    T.S. Eliot. Four Quartets. Two: East Coker.

    As you may know, these four great poems of the twentieth century are in part meditations on time. This second of the set is introduced with stories of World War Two, from my family and that of my remarkable old friend, Elisabeth Hudson. These touch on the story of the extraordinary spy, Christine Granville, showcased recently on Twitter. Holding Elisabeth's original copy of East Coker set me thinking of her holding it in 1940, when it was new, and when her brother was due to become a great wartime spy himself. In 1944, Christine saved his life.

    22 min
  2. T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets. One: Burnt Norton.

    03/19/2023

    T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets. One: Burnt Norton.

    One of the great poems of the twentieth century, and one which we might call a kind of Anglo-American epic. Starting with Burnt Norton here, from the copy given to me by my great old friend Elisabeth, bought in 1941, and with her til her death in 2008. The great novelist John Fowles offers a nice way into this poem: 'The word is the most imprecise of signs. Only a science-obsessed age could fail to comprehend that this is its great virtue, not its defect.'

    13 min
  3. Introducing The Real Vampires: Live Burial and Vampire Terror in Greece and Bulgaria.

    03/16/2023

    Introducing The Real Vampires: Live Burial and Vampire Terror in Greece and Bulgaria.

    Join me for extremes of terror, wonder and hope. This is a colourful glimpse into the world of The Real Vampires, and my personal journeys: through Europe to Greece in 1988; and on into the world of vampires and poltergeists since 2013. I'll be covering these extensively in a new book, We Need to Talk About Ghosts. The photo shows the author in 1988 in Venice, not long returned from Athens and nearby Greek islands. Little did I know at this time that I had been just 50 miles from Vampire Country.

    29 min
  4. THE INTERNATIONAL PAWTRAIT GALLERY: SEVEN GREAT DOGS FROM HISTORY.

    03/11/2023

    THE INTERNATIONAL PAWTRAIT GALLERY: SEVEN GREAT DOGS FROM HISTORY.

    Everyone knows that animals bring people together. But how ON EARTH do dogs get back together with lost owners? Join me for a journey of unforgettable wonder, adventure, mystery and love, with seven great dogs - beginning with my mother and Pat, seen here in 1956, on her 21st birthday. You can read many more amazing dog stories in my book, A Singing Mouse at Buckingham Palace. My novel, Kali the Wonder Dog, is a great historic romp through 1930s Britain - highly recommended for anyone who loves dogs, and hates racists.

    24 min
  5. Vampotainment in Regency London.

    03/05/2023

    Vampotainment in Regency London.

    What would you get if you spliced together Byron, Polidori, and the celebrity actor T.P. Cooke, the Harrison Ford of Regency theatre, for a musical vampire romp on stage? The answer is: The Vampire, or the Bride of the Isles. Be afraid. For all the wrong reasons.

    23 min
  6. The John Muir Challenge: Episode 3.

    02/25/2023

    The John Muir Challenge: Episode 3.

    The challenge is simple: for Muir to carry you away, body and soul, into the wilds, dangers and tumultuous songs of nature in less than half an hour. And this one has a doggie. If the ending of this doesn't make you cry, I won't be your friend anymore.

    30 min
  7. Six Crimson Drops from Real Vampire Country.

    02/18/2023

    Six Crimson Drops from Real Vampire Country.

    In the run-up to the long awaited paperback edition of my book, The Real Vampires, six crimson drops here thrust under the microscope - bringing up many wild surprises. What did vampires really eat? What should you do if you woke up in your coffin? How did you make a vampire? How could you stop a vampire? Can you really die of terror? And just what was the unexpected link between Polidori's The Vampyre and Fifty Shades of Grey? No need to tie yourself in knots puzzling that one out: just sit back, pour a drink and... enjoy yourself; it's stranger than you think.

    29 min
  8. John Keats: The Eve of St Agnes.

    01/28/2023

    John Keats: The Eve of St Agnes.

    Was there ever any more ravishing poem in all the nineteenth century? Step in with me from the frost and sleet, and behold fair Madeline, like a mermaid in seaweed. This poem could change your life.

    26 min
See All (29)

Trailers

About

This podcast slithers, oozes, writhes and flickers with all things dark, forbidden, strange and tabooed. It also tries to offer something very new. For over 15 years I lectured at the universities of Cardiff and Durham. It was a great great life. I got paid to write and to think. I got paid to share these passions with some brilliant and unforgettable students. Unfortunately, students now have to pay staggering amounts of money for that privilege. Welcome, then, to the Secret University. Its ideas, its magic, its joys are endless. And it is free. Richard Sugg. @DrSugg

Information

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada