A Podcast to the Curious - The M.R. James Podcast show

A Podcast to the Curious - The M.R. James Podcast

Summary: A Podcast to the Curious is the only podcast dedicated to the weird fiction of M.R. James! Each episode your humble hosts Will Ross and Mike Taylor will be tackling a different M.R James story, proving a commentary on the story and discussing it's themes and form interlaced with readings. Along the way we hope to include discussion on stage, screen and radio adaptations of James' stories, information on James' life and interests as well as on the legions of authors who were inspired by him.

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Podcasts:

 Reading – Ghosts, Treat them Gently! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 13:50

Mike is off on his honeymoon at the moment, so in lieu of a full episode Will provides a reading of and short commentary on an M.R. James essay ‘Ghosts – Treat them Gently!‘ which was originally published in the Evening News on 17 April 1931. In the essay Monty talks about what ingredients he […]

 Episode 16b – The Residence at Whitminster Part 2 | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 50:48

Join Mike and Will as they peer through their scrying glass at the second installment of ‘The Residence at Whitminster’ by M.R. James. More black magic, strange visions, swarms of satanic flies and is that Beelzebub hiding in the closet? Or is it just R. Kelly? One things for sure, you’ll never look into your […]

 Episode 16a – The Residence at Whitminster | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 48:13

Join Mike & Will for the first in a two part special on ‘The Residence at Whitminster’ by M.R. James! No black cockerels were harmed in the recording of this podcast (OK, maybe one or two. It’s called research people). This episode features readings by Hamish Symington and Peter Ross. Show Notes: M.R. James – […]

 M.R. James 150th Birthday Special! | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 57:44

On the 1st August it will be exactly 150 years since the birth of M.R. James, and in this special episode Will and Mike are celebrating Monty’s Sesquicentenary in style with the help of England’s finest Jamesian actor, Robert Lloyd Parry! Robert had been performing his trilogy of one-man shows based on James’s work since […]

 Episode 15 – Mr Humphreys and his Interitance | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:05:49

This episode Mike and Will get hopelessly lost in ‘Mr Humphreys and his Inheritance’. It’s a-maze-ing! Show notes: Two Ghosts & Scholars Essays We referred extensively to two outstanding examinations of the symbolism and antiquarian lore behind the story: Martin Hughes’, “A Maze of Secrets in a Story by M.R. James“, reprinted in Warnings to […]

 Episode 14 – Martin’s Close | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:13:41

In this episode Mike and Will investigate strange goings on in 17th Century Devon in Martin’s Close by M.R. James. Unrequited love, scoundrel squires, courtroom highjinx, bloody judges, amorous yokels and barbarous murder are all on the cards. It’s like The Archers, but even more horrible. Strap in! Don’t forget to check out our Visit […]

 Episode 13 – The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:00:18

Church matters concern Will and Mike this episode as they don their literary cassocks and plant their proverbial buttocks upon ‘The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral’ by M.R. James. Snow notes: The Double Shadow Podcast (www.thedoubleshadow.com) An exciting new podcast dedicated to American M.R. James admire Clark Ashton Smith. M.R. James performances by the Nunkie Theatre […]

 Episode 12b – Casting the Runes | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 57:47

This episode we return to the diabolical doings of Mr Karswell in part two of our examination of ‘Casting the Runes’ by M.R. James. Show notes: Comparative Mythology and the Cambridge Ritualists (Wikipedia) The criticism of Karswell’s writing style could be read as M.R. James having a dig at his academic contemporaries working in theoretical […]

 Episode 12a – Casting the Runes | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 57:59

Join Mike & Will as they delve into Brian Blessed’s beard, the truth of alchemy, diabolical magic lantern shows and class war in the first of our two-part extravaganza on M.R. James’s chilling story ‘Casting the Runes’! Our reader for this episode is Mr Torion Bowles. Show notes: Magic Lanterns (Wikipedia) Mr Karswell was not […]

 Episode 11 – The Tractate Middoth | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 1:01:38

In this episode Mike & Will whip out their library cards and prepare to crack the spine of ‘The Tractate Middoth’ by M.R. James. Questions addressed in this episode include: Does Mr Eldred like MC Hammer? Did Sir Jimmy Saville make a pact with the devil? Is Miss Simpson a slamming hotty or merely a […]

 Episode 10 – The Rose Garden | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 57:05

In this episode Will & Mike experience the horticultural horror of M.R. James’s ‘The Rose Garden’. Thanks to Kirsty Woodfield who was our reader for this episode. Show notes: Popish Plot Playing Cards (BritishMuseum.org) Having trouble getting your head around the popish plot? Why not invest in a pack of Popish Plot Playing Cards! Alas […]

 Episode 9 – A School Story | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 51:10

In this episode Mike & Will return to M.R. James’s old alma mater for chaos in the classroom, death in the dormitory and revenge in the refectory. That’s right, it’s ‘A School Story’! N.b. If you have forgotten your gym-kit, you have to listen to this episode in your vest and pants. Show notes: The […]

 Episode 8 – The Treasure of Abbot Thomas | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 54:28

In this episode Will & Mike follow M.R. James on a terrifying treasure hunt to Germany in ‘The Treasure of Abbot Thomas’. Show notes: Steinfeld Abbey & Glass (also see Googlemaps) Read about the read-world location of this story on wikipedia. The Treasure of Steinfeld Abbey, A Visit to the Scene of “The Treasure of […]

 Episode 7b – Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 45:39

This episode features the second half of our podcast extravaganza on M.R. James’s seaside shocker ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’. Neither beach nor bedtime will ever be the same again! Thanks again to Tom Hemmings who lent us his wonderful voice for the readings, and to Dave Senior (EastScapes) for the […]

 Episode 7a – Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad | File Type: audio/mpeg | Duration: 45:28

In this episode Mike & Will look into ghosts, golf and some decidedly fishy goings-on in Felixstowe in the first of a 2-part special on M.R. James’s ‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’! Big thanks to Tom Hemmings who returns as our reader for this episode. Show Notes ‘Oh, Whistle and I’ll […]

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