What did George Orwell, the spartan, no-nonsense socialist, make of the world's most famous (and most egomaniacal) surrealist? Can we really separate the art from the artist? Does morality have anything to do with art? What does this eighty-yea

Bookshop Memories

Nov 27th, 2022 46m 25s

Join us as we dust the dead bluebottle flies off the merchandise and throw open the doors of Booklover's Corner, the shop where George Orwell worked part-time for about two years. We chat about weird customers, money and books and literary pret

Can Socialists be Happy?

May 1st, 2022 47m 56s

Join us as we discuss the 1943 essay in which Orwell brings together politics, pleasure, utopias and talking horses. You heard.

Boys’ Weeklies

Mar 2nd, 2022 53m 55s

Join us as we discuss the essay that cemented George Orwell's reputation as the godfather of cultural studies. Were these simple tales of japes and horseplay at boarding schools a form of innocent nostalgic escapism, or something more sinister?

A Hanging

Feb 8th, 2022 49m 19s

Join us as we discuss one of George Orwell's earliest and most famous essays. Is it really about capital punishment? Which view of colonialism is correct, the socialist or the nationalist? Did any of this really happen? Does that even matter? L

As I Please 33

Jan 27th, 2022 37m 37s

Join us as we discuss the morality of bombing civilians during wartime. Was Orwell right in his opinion, or was he just making excuses in order to justify the dirty work that the Allies needed to do to defeat fascism? We also talk about Orwell'

Orwellian Christmas Special!

Dec 24th, 2021 50m

George Orwell was a doom-saying socialist who loved toyshops and Christmas. Join us as we get merry and discuss the essays "Bare Christmas for the Children" and "As I Please 66", otherwise known as "Christmas is a Debauch". Just how easy was it

Halloween Special! George Orwell and the Paranormal

Oct 28th, 2021 53m 5s

George Orwell was a socialist atheist who saw a ghost and took part in a black magic ritual at Eton. Listen to find out more! Orwellian wishes our listener(s) a merry All-Saints Eve.

Pleasure Spots

Oct 19th, 2021 59m 31s

Join us as we discuss the 1946 essay "Pleasure Spots". Orwell is often regarded as rather dour and Spartan, but one of his main concerns was how the masses could enjoy themselves. What is an Orwellian Pleasure? How is it different from a "synth

Money and Guns

Oct 13th, 2021 49m 57s

Join us as we discuss Orwell's most clickbaitily (?) titled essay. We touch on Orwell's ideas of pleasure and luxury and the best ways of enjoying yourself in troubled times. This essay was originally read out on the BBC Indian Service - was it

A Good Word for the Vicar of Bray

Sep 10th, 2021 41m 34s

Join us as we discuss the 1946 essay "A Good Word for the Vicar of Bray". George Orwell loved the natural world, but did he invent carbon-offsetting? Was he a closet Buddhist? Does this essay tell us anything about "Cancel Culture"? Listen and

Funny, But not Vulgar

Jun 11th, 2021 41m 51s

Join us as we discuss the Orwellian theory of humour. Is each joke really a tiny revolution? Does humour have the power to change society and lay low the mighty? Should we be punching up, or in all directions? Listen in to find out.

George Orwell's review of Mein Kampf

Jun 5th, 2021 58m 44s

Join us as we take a look at an extraordinary essay in which the greatest anti-totalitarian of all time analyses the writing of the worst totalitarian of all time. Along the way we consider the origins of the Second World War, the nature of dic

Rudyard Kipling

May 28th, 2021 54m 41s

Join us as we discuss the world's most famous Anglo-Indian writer's opinion of the world's other most famous Anglo-Indian writer. Can anti-imperialists appreciate literature produced by arch-imperialists? Does Kipling speak only for the powerfu

As We Please 1

May 21st, 2021 58m 58s

Join us for something completely different. In imitation of Orwell's deeply personal As I Please column for the Tribune, we talk about whatever we like. It's not just a ramble, though - expect commentary on Orwell's vices and his possible Me To

Just Junk - But Who Could Resist It?

May 15th, 2021 40m 11s

Your hosts talk junk - what's new? We discuss Orwell's love of second hand shops and there's a surprising amount of controversy. Is this essay nothing but a middle-class intellectual taking pleasure in slumming it? Are junk shops the humane fac

Marrakech

May 6th, 2021 53m 28s

Come with us (courtesy of George Orwell) to the Marrakech of 1939! Hear of his encounters with the Islamic and Jewish communities, of his view of European imperialism and what he saw (presciently) as its inevitable end. Plus we talk a bit about

As I Please 45

Apr 19th, 2021 44m 38s

Listen in as we shake things up and look at one of the short essays from Orwell's regular column in the Tribune. This one's all about that iconic symbol of imperialism, the pith helmet. Was Orwell a pre-post-colonialist? We're not taking the pi

Common Lodging Houses

Apr 6th, 2021 45m 30s

Listen in as we discuss our earliest Orwellian essay to date - so early that George Orwell didn't even exist when it was published! Hear about some of the experiences that inspired Orwell's book "Down and Out in Paris and London". You might als

Some Thoughts on the Common Toad

Mar 29th, 2021 44m 9s

We discuss Orwell's famous essay 'Some Thoughts on the Common Toad'. What can this humble creature teach us about living through times of crisis? Listen to find out!

Spilling the Spanish Beans

Mar 22nd, 2021 57m 16s

Join us as we discuss Orwell's first ever published work on the Spanish Civil War. It was a formative experience that changed his politics forever. Find out why!

The Art of Donald McGill

Mar 15th, 2021 1h 1m

Join us as we discuss the essay "The Art of Donald McGill". We consider Orwell's views on humour and its relation to social class, sex and the human condition.