British Library

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Channel • 3 Shows

Books

Books

Updated 27/03/2023
Books

Books

Updated 30/05/2022
Books

Books

Updated 30/05/2022

06/06/2022

Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris on Nature

Are we listening hard enough to the sounds of nature? Collaborators Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris join Lemn to ask this question. With the help of the British Library sound archive, (see credits below) they’re summoning back the lost sounds and words of the natural world. Robert is a fellow at the University of Cambridge and known for his books on landscape and nature. Jackie is an illustrator and writer. Together, they created the book The Lost Words to ‘conjure back the near-lost magic and strangeness of the nature that surrounds us.’ Since then, they’ve made The Lost Spells, a book of spell-poems to be spoken aloud. In this listening party, they eavesdrop on a conversation between broadcaster David Attenborough and sound recordist Chris Watson; learn about Bill Bailey’s love of birdwatching and hear from passionate bird recordist Pamela Fursman who started recording birdsong in the 1940s. A Pixiu Production. Recordings in the episode in order of appearance: A conversation between sound recordist Chris Watson and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough. This event was recorded in 2017 at the British Library Full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixNM4EM-XgA A Common Toad, Wales, March 1989. It was recorded in Radnor, Wales in 1989 by husband and wife team Eric & May Nobles. British Library shelfmark: WS6358 C2 Wiccan Doreen Valiente talks about Beltane and May Day, recorded at Hollingbury Castle on 1st May 1976. This clip was made for a BBC Brighton show called Coffee Break. Copyright of BBC and the Doreen Valiente Foundation. British Library shelfmark: UTK006/653 Pamela Fursman speaking about her bird recordings. In the 1940s, Pamela heard The Naturalist programme on the radio (a series that led to the formation of the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol) and this inspired her to start making her own recordings. British Library shelfmark: UBC075/8 English cellist Beatrice Harrison performing in her garden, supposedly alongside a singing nightingale. The exact date of this particular recording is unknown, but BBC Radio first broadcast a duet between Harrison and a nightingale in 1924 as an experiment. Copyright of BBC. British Library shelfmark: C1186/193 A European Nightjar. This field recording was made by Rex Ashby in Hampshire in 1984. British Library shelfmark: WS0942 Bill Bailey taking part in ‘Bird is the Word’ event recorded by the British Library in April 2021 to celebrate all things avian. Full conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrhDFFQrtN0 A Montezuma Oropendola or New World blackbird. This was recorded by Richard Ranft in Costa Rica in 1985. British Library shelfmark: WS4805

06/06/2022

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38 min
27/06/2022

Amy Liptrot on the Sea

Where would our language be without the sea? Aground, adrift, the wind taken from our sails. In today’s episode, Lemn is diving beneath the surface into the British Library Sound Archive (see full credits below) to hear how language, on this island nation, has been shaped by the sea. To help on his quest, he’s joined by Scottish writer Amy Liptrot, whose 2018 memoir The Outrun won the PEN Ackerley Prize and the Wainwright Prize. In the book, Amy returns to the wildness of Orkney, an archipelago off the northeastern coast of Scotland where she grew up. There, she immerses herself in the sea and the island that she once left, and journeys towards recovery from addiction. Together, they listen to sea shanties sung in Cornwall; coastguards responding to the aftermath of shipwrecks; tourists enamoured with Orkney’s inebriating charms and more... Recordings in the episode in order of appearance: An interview with Violet Bonham Carter recorded by the BBC. The original recording was part of the Aberdeenshire Museums Service John Junner Collection and it was digitised as part of the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. British Library shelfmark: UNLS028/254 S2 C3 Coastguards David Jackson and Graham Hale recall responding to the aftermath of a shipwreck. The interview was conducted in St Levan in 2001 and the original recording is held at the Telegraph Museum in Porthcurno and it was digitised as part of the Library’s Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. British Library shelfmark: UBC035/7 Farmer Wilfred Keys and fish salesman Thomas Kyle speak in Belfast in 2013 about the superstitions of fishermen. Their conversation was part of the Listening Project recorded for the BBC © BBC. British Library shelfmark: C1500/0416 Kei Miller reading his poem ‘The Law Concerning Mermaids’ in 2012. The recording was made by the British Library at The Power of Caribbean Poetry – Word and Sound conference in Homerton College, Cambridge. British Library shelfmark: C1532/12 Sea shanty group The Oggymen performing their version of ‘The Mingulay Boat Song’ at the The Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival in 2017 British Library shelfmark: DD00010583 ‘Scapa Flow’ on melodeon performed by Jimmy Leslie. This recording was made in 1955 in St Ola, Orkney and is part of the Peter Kennedy Collection. British Library shelfmark: C604/1128 A song about Brighton nudist beach performed by folk singer Miles Wootton in 1981 at BBC Radio Brighton. The recording was digitised by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. British Library shelfmark: UTK006/1043

27/06/2022

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29 min
13/06/2022

Sophie Willan on Home

Which sounds transport you home? Lemn is joined by BAFTA award-winning writer, actor, comedian and creator of the BBC’s Alma’s Not Normal, Sophie Willan, to ask this question. Together, they listen to stand-out recordings from the British Library Sound Archive (see credits below) to investigate what home means to us. From Sophie’s thoughts on Lancashire phrases disappearing, to her memories of growing up in the care system, to a forgotten love of George Formby, the archive inspires a fascinating conversation. This episode includes historical interviews that express the language and opinions of people recorded at that time. Recordings in the episode in order of appearance: A selection of phrases from the British Library’s The Evolving English WordBank. This is a collection of words and phrases, contributed by visitors to the Library’s Evolving English exhibition in 2010/11 who were asked to submit a word or phrase they felt was somehow ‘special’ in their variety of English. 1 - Barmpot - someone who’s very silly (Glasgow) British Library shelfmark: C1442/1118 2 - Get the messages - to go shopping (Northern Ireland, County Down) British Library shelfmark: C1442/05498 3 - As wick as a flea - as bright as a button (Oldham, Lancashire) and Dead Hook - a villain (Oldham, Lancashire) British Library shelfmark: C1442/6017 A conversation about adoption between Swazi and her youngest son Khushbir. The recording was made as part of the Listening Project for the BBC in 2017 © BBC. British Library shelfmark: C1500/1394/01 An interview with Joe Baxter speaking in 1992 about Byker, Newcastle upon Tyne and the area’s redevelopment in the 1970s with the construction of the Byker Wall. This was recorded by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums and was digitised as part of the Unlocking our Sound Heritage project. British Library shelfmark: UTWAM011/3 Sally Poole remembering her childhood in Kent as captured by the BBC in 1999 © BBC, recorded as part of the Millennium Memory Bank. British Library shelfmark: C900/07623 A conversation recorded in 1978 between two women, Maureen and Pam, shortly after moving into high rise council houses in London. This interview is from a radio series created by the Inner London Education Authority and the BBC. It was found in the London Metropolitan Archives and was digitised as part of the Unlocking our Sound Heritage project. British Library shelfmark: ULMA005/13 Ilkley Moor baht'at recorded by the BBC in 1940 British Library shelfmark: C604/111 C1-9

13/06/2022

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35 min
29/05/2022

Kae Tempest on Performance

Poet, playwright, rapper and activist Kae Tempest joins Lemn Sissay to discuss the power of live performance. Inspired by recordings in the British Library Sound Archive (see below for a full list) their conversation explores why Kae starting performing spoken word, what the atmosphere of a gig means to them and why they think we love to hear words performed live. Kae has won the Ted Hughes Award, their albums Everybody Down and Let Them Eat Chaos were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize and they’re known for their transporting performances on stage. Kae is currently touring their latest album The Line is a Curve. Please note this episode contains moments of strong language. Recordings in the episode in order of appearance: ‘Goodman’ by the Smoke Fairies, 2007 demo submitted to the Glastonbury New Bands Competition, donated to the British Library sound archive. British Library shelfmark: C1238/3268 Jamaican dub poet and activist Linton Kwesi Johnson speaks to Sarah O’Reilly in 2015 for the National Life Stories oral history project ‘Authors’ Lives’. British Library shelfmark: C1276/60 Paul Simon introduces his song Sparrow in a folk club in Bebbington, Wirral, in 1965. This recording is part of the Stan Mason collection and was digitised as part of the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. British Library shelfmark: UAP004/4 S2 C3 An acapella performance by a group of women from the Divis Community Centre Drama Group, recorded in 1985 near Belfast. Copyright of Linda Ballard and performers; National Museums NI. British Library shelfmark: UNMNI002/474 C1-C6 Benjamin Zephaniah performs his poem Thirteen Dead at the Poetry Olympics festival that took place in 1983. This was recorded by the British Library at the Young Vic Theatre. British Library shelfmark: C92/2 C43 Malika Booker speaks to Dr Hannah Silva in 2016 as part of a collection of interviews called Black British Poets in Performance. British Library shelfmark: C1874/12 Susan Musgrove performs her poem Taboo Man the Poetry Olympics festival that took place in 1983. This was recorded by the British Library at the Young Vic Theatre. British Library shelfmark: C92/1 C22 Roger McGough performs his poem Writer of this Poem at the Poetry Olympics festival that took place in 1983. This was recorded by the British Library at the Young Vic Theatre. British Library shelfmark: C92/2 C56

29/05/2022

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36 min
18/12/2020

Serious Laughs

Throughout history attempts have been made to silence and ignore women. They’ve had to fight for a place in politics, had to use male pseudonyms to get published and often find themselves subjected to trolling and abuse when they speak out. So in this episode, curator Polly Russell and co-host comedian and writer Sara Pascoe are hearing from some women who stand on stage and command attention. They’re having a laugh with broadcaster and writer Sandi Toksvig and stand-up comedian Shazia Mirza as they explore how the comedy scene has changed over time and what still needs to be done. Strap yourselves in for some very funny conversations and unexpected revelations… Unfinished Business podcast series is generously supported by Joanna and Graham Barker and The Eccles Centre for American Studies. A Pixiu Production.

18/12/2020

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46 min
20/06/2022

Inua Ellams on Migration

When we migrate, can language help us feel at home? And how can words make us feel unwelcome? How does migration affect the ways we communicate and express ourselves in writing, poetry, performance? In this episode, Lemn is joined by poet and playwright Inua Ellams to listen to some highlights from the British Library Sound Archive and explore the relationship between language and migration. Inua Ellams wrote the Barber Shop Chronicles which sold out all its runs at the National Theatre in London. His recent show ‘An Evening With An Immigrant’ tells the story of ‘escaping fundamentalist Islam, experiencing prejudice and friendship in Dublin, and drinking wine with the Queen of England, all the while without a country to belong to or place to call home.’ Recordings in the episode in order of appearance: Madhohu Rammutla performing Kgerere (Planting time). This piece is part of the Stanley Glasser Collection and the recording was made in Sheshego, South Africa in April 1975. British Library shelfmark: C1671/6 A County Kerry Irish fiddle recording which is part of the Terry Yarnell Collection British Library shelfmark: 1CDR0008122 A recording from 2012 of poet Kei Miller reading ‘The Only Thing Far Away’ from his collection 'Writing Down The Vision: Essays & Prophecies'. British Library shelfmark: C1532/12 Mohlao Rapetswa performing the piece Kara (Buttermilk.) The recording was made in Ramokgopa, South Africa, in March 1975. British Library shelfmark: C1671/3 C1 An interview with Mervyn and Elsie Maciel. The interviewer is Jill Chapman and it was recorded in January 1990. The recording has been digitised in Bristol by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. British Library shelfmark: UBC034/103-104 Gilli Salvat describes her memories of arriving in England from India shortly after partition in 1948. The interview was recorded in 1986 by Allegra Damji. It’s part of a Hall-Carpenter oral history project which recorded gay and lesbian testimony in the 1980s/1990s. The collection has now been digitised by the Unlocking Our Sound Heritage project. British Library shelfmark: C456/40 Aragón C. L. Gabriel performing Paras in April 1981 in Cusco, Peru. The recording is part of the Peter Cloudsley Collection. British Library shelfmark: C9_52 S1 C3 An interview with author Andrea Levy from 2014- this recording was part of the National Life Stories’ project, Authors’ Lives and the interviewer was Sarah O’Reilly. British Library shelfmark: C1276/59

20/06/2022

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34 min
06/11/2020

"Excuse me I haven't finished”: Feminist Fightback

Actor and activist Jameela Jamil has unfinished business. She joins British Library curator Polly Russell to explore the intersecting realms of mental health and body image. Polly introduces Jameela to Susie Orbach who created the very first Women’s Therapy Centre in the UK. What follows is a fascinating conversation between a frontline feminist waging war against the patriarchy since the 1970s and a woman working against body shaming, oppression and injustice today. How have things changed? What’s still the same? And why is women’s mental health still an urgent conversation we should be having? Unfinished Business podcast series is generously supported by Joanna and Graham Barker and The Eccles Centre for American Studies. A Pixiu Production.

06/11/2020

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37 min
TRAILER

Introducing All About Sound

Welcome to the new series from the British Library hosted by Lemn Sissay and featuring Kae Tempest, Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris, Monica Ali, Shami Chakrabarti, Jonathan Nunn, Amy Liptrot, Sophie Willan and Inua Ellams. Subscribe now.

Trailer

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2 min
20/11/2020

Freewheeling Women

Today, we’re going cycling! When you see a bicycle 'revolutionary' and 'radical' probably aren't the first thoughts which spring to mind but for women in the late 19th century hopping on a bike was transformative. They could travel where they wanted and when they wanted at speed. In this episode, curator Polly Russell is joined by cyclist, writer and blogger Jools Walker (AKA ‘Lady Velo’) as they pedal through the epic history of women on bike and explore the politics of cycling today and why the sport is still so important for women. They get a pep talk from daredevil Olympian Victoria Pendleton, take a ride with Velociposse, an all-women’s bike club and hear from cycling sociologist Dr Kat Jungnickel, Goldsmiths, University of London, about the pioneering Victorian women who designed new forms of cycle wear. Unfinished Business podcast series is generously supported by Joanna and Graham Barker and The Eccles Centre for American Studies. A Pixiu Production

20/11/2020

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54 min
TRAILER

Introducing Unfinished Business

Curator Polly Russell introduces Unfinished Business, a series exploring the fight for women’s rights, from the British Library.

Trailer

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3 min

Podcasts from the British Library.