Subject to Change
Russell Hogg
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A lot of history episodes and a lot of film episodes. A few other subjects in between!
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
May 3, 2023
Sharp and Sumner: 6 Japanese movies
Jasper Sharp is probably the UK's leading expert on Japanese film and he joined me on the show today with Scott Sumner. Scott has a famous economics blog that has a side line in movie reviews. The pair of them were on really good form discussing a list of six movies that Jasper came up with. I think that even people unfamiliar with Japanese film should have fun!
The films we discussed were:
Equinox Flower
The Ballad of Narayama
Hanagatami
Branded to Kill
Ghost in the Shell 2
Giants and Toys
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Apr 29, 2023
McWhorter and Holland - On dinosaurs
John McWhorter and Tom Holland are a perfect pairing. They are absolutely delightful company both with a dry sense of humour. I was keen to bring them together because I learned they share a love a dinosaurs. Absolute fanatics it turns out. I got the sense they really enjoyed chatting to each other and I hope you will enjoy listening. An interest in dinosaurs helps but is not required!
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Mar 19, 2023
Acre 1291 - the final showdown
Roger Crowley is one on the best (if not the best) narrative historians of the Middle Ages. Here is on great form talking about the Siege of Acre in 1291. The Crusaders have been pushed back and back with Acre the last meaningful holdout. They are up against the formidable Mamluks led by Sultan Khalil. Can they hold out? Roger's book The Accursed Tower (like all his books to be honest!) is a both rigorously researched and a fantastically exciting read. He covers the disastrous (for the Crusaders) Seventh Crusade, the rise of the remarkable Baibars and on the last significant battle of the Crusaders in the Holy Land. Roger is fantastic guest.
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Feb 17, 2023
The Salem Witch trials with Stacy Schiff
Stacy Schiff is one of America's most acclaimed historians and biographers. Her book The Witches is a detailed, almost forensic, history of the Salem witch trials on 1692. She very kindly came on the podcast to talk about it and she is every bit as good a storyteller in person as you would imagine from reading the book. I found her book and our conversation really quite troubling in what it says about our ability to tell lies from fiction. In particular even the accused seemed confused about their own guilt. I hope to revisit the theme in future podcasts but for now I think this is one of the most fascinating episodes to date. I hope you enjoy it!
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Feb 11, 2023
Suleiman the Magnificent with Christopher de Bellaigue
Christopher de Bellaigue's book The Lion House is a brilliant history of the first part of Suleiman the Magnificent's reign. I love history and I can't remember loving a history book more that this one. As I say in the podcast, I think it is an unabashed masterpiece and such a pleasure to read. Christopher tells the story in particular of two men at the court of Suleiman and their struggle to rise and prosper in extraordinarily difficult times. And it is the story also of Suleiman's love for his concubine (and later wife) Hurrem. Christopher is not only a great writer, he is also a superb conversationalist and I think this is an episode that everyone will enjoy.
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Jan 27, 2023
Slavery in the Mediterranean in the Middle Ages
Professor David Abulafia's wonderful book The Great Sea covers so many topics. Today we talked about slavery. Until recently I hadn't been aware of the sheer scale of the enterprise. Slavers from the Barbary ports raided as far north as the coasts of England and Ireland. In the east the Mongols brought slaves to the Black Sea ports where they were taken by Italian merchants past Constantinople and on to Egypt. Or to Europe. The fates of the enslaved was incredibly varied - positions of respect and power as part of a slave army, eunuchs in the harems, working in households, in the harem, short and brutal existences in quarries or on galleys. It is a remarkable subject and fascinating despite the horror.
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Dec 5, 2022
Talking movies with Scott Sumner
Scott Sumner is an economist with a well known and much quoted blog. But it is the bit of the blog that he devotes to movies that interests me. He watches a ton of films and then does a thumbnail review and rating. For example:
For example here is his review of The Bad Sleep Well:
The first time I’d seen this Kurosawa film, and I’d say it’s his most underrated effort. Loosely based on Hamlet, but you’ll be disappointed if you expect another Throne of Blood. Rather than Shakespeare, expect a great film noir—one of the best ever. I didn’t even recognize that Toshiro Mifune was the star. Released in the same year as Psycho, L’Avventura, The Apartment, Peeping Tom, Breathless, La Dolce Vita, When a Woman Ascends the Stairs, Late Autumn, The Naked Island and lots more. That’s almost a masterpiece a month. And what did 2020 bring us? Tenet. LOL.
One of his fans put together a spreadsheet of his reviews and if you are looking for something worth watching I think his selection and his ratings are both wise and informative. I really enjoy talking about films and doing so with someone as knowledgeable and thoughtful as Scott was an absolute privilege.
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Nov 29, 2022
The war against Antony and Cleopatra
I have always found the war Octavian fought against Antony and Cleopatra hard to understand. How did Antony find himself losing without even fighting a proper battle given all his experience as a general and commanding an army equal to or stronger than his opponent's? Barry Strauss explains the campaign brilliantly.
You can find his book The War that made the Roman Empire here. Highly recommended.
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Nov 6, 2022
Anna Keay on the Restless Republic (Britain after the death of Charles I)
Anna Keay's book The Restless Republic is just brilliant. It covers the period following the execution of Charles I when Britain became a republic. It is fascinating to see how the period (and the characters) mix revolutionary ideas with deep traditionalism. Anna approaches the subject by telling the stories of a number of people - men, women, powerful and powerless - who illuminate the times. And she is brilliant at using these stories to tell the history of the Republic itself as it struggles to define itself. The Restless Republic has been nominated for the 2022 Bailie Gifford Prize for non fiction. Anna is a really engaging speaker and it was a huge pleasure to be able to talk to her about some of the extraordinary characters and events from her book.
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Oct 17, 2022
The Death of Alexander pt 2 (Perdicass and the crocodiles)
Following on from last week in this episode things reach boiling point. Marriage alliances are discarded, invasions undertaken D day style, brutal battles are fought as Perdicass marches to destroy Ptolemy. All this and possibly one of the most audacious and consequential heists in all of recorded history. And crocodiles, lots of crocodiles.
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Oct 4, 2022
The Death of Alexander Pt 1 - Chaos unfolds
Tristan Hughes has writen a brilliant book about the years immediately following the Death of Alexander the Great. As Tristan says, history didn't just stop at Alexander's death and start again when Rome takes on Carthage. And in fact this period is one of the most fascinating and eventful in ancient history. It is also one of the most confusing and I hope this podcast is both entertaining and clarifying!
And check out HistoryHit. When not writing histories Tristan is a presenter with them - probably the most extensive and certainly one of the best online resources for history. Incredibly wide in its range and absolutely top quality.
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Aug 29, 2022
Gladiator - the movie, the history!
Really thrilled to have Bret Devereaux and Ed Watts on the podcast together. We looked at Gladiator as a film (two thumbs up!) and also unpicking some of the history. Ranging far and wide we covered the battle scenes, gladiators, the role of an emperor and lots, lots more. Ed argues that Commodus was doing okay until stabbed in the back by his sister and Bret gives a masterclass in how not to name a Roman. I lower the tone by bringing the nazis into it.
Bret's superb blog is here.
Ed's latest book is here.
And check out Ed's brilliant YouTube channel.
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Aug 12, 2022
A nuclear exchange
I chatted to Battleship Bean and John Schilling about nuclear war. We discussed the wonderful Dr Strangleove and tried to unpick some of the realities of a nuclear war. How powerful are modern weapons? Would they knock out electrical systems world wide? Would such a war result in nuclear winter?
A book I mentioned in the podcast and which I recommend (though Bean is not a fan) is Command and Control by John Schlosser. Bean himself has written several articles on the subject on his excellent blog:
https://www.navalgazing.net/Nuclear-Weapon-Destructiveness
https://www.navalgazing.net/Nuclear-Strategy
https://www.navalgazing.net/Nuclear-Winter
I'm uploading this on the anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing and am very much hoping that that and the bombing of Nagasaki on 9 August is the last we see of these things.
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Jul 31, 2022
The Last Emperor of Mexico - part 2
In part 1 of the story Napoleon III persuaded Maximilian and Carlotta to accept the Mexican crown and become emperor and empress of that country. They are greeted with jubilation in Mexico City but there is trouble to come. Edward Shawcross tells the story brilliantly.
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Jul 24, 2022
The Last Emperor of Mexico with Edward Shawcross
Karl Marx called it 'one of the most monstrous enterprises in the annals of international history'. This seems unfair to the young Hapsburg royals who travel to Mexico in 1864 to become its emperor and empress. Highly liberal by the standards of the day and with the best of intentions they will face a terrible struggle to rule and (ultimately) to try to survive.
Edward Shawcross has written one of the best books I have read in years. It is simply a fantastic page turner. And Edward is also a hugely entertaining speaker as you will find out as you listen to the podcast.
This episode is part 1 and takes us up to the point the young couple arrive in Mexico. Enjoy!
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Jul 4, 2022
Tulip mania - 1630's Holland goes wild
In the Dutch Republic of the 1630's trading in tulips went mad with bulbs and even parts of a bulb changing hands for astronomical prices. Historian Mike Dash traces the extraordinary story from its beginnings centuries before up to and beyond the inevitable crash. I can't recommend Mike and his books enough. Hard core history and a fantastically accessible reading style. His book Tulipomania is an absolute pleasure.
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Jun 4, 2022
A new world order - the Arab invasions of the 7th century
James Howard - Johnston returns to talk about the astonishing upending of the world order that happened just a few years after the death of Muhammad. The Persian empire destroyed and the Roman Empire reduced to a Byzantine rump. It is a long episode and slightly scholarly but I honestly don't think you can understand the world we live in today without some understanding of these extraordinary times. So have at it!
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May 11, 2022
Firepower with Paul Lockhart
Paul Lockhart is brilliant on the history of guns (and firepower more widely). He is interested not just in the weapons themselves but how they changed the nature of the nation state itself. Once gunpowder is introduced everything changes. Warfare increasingly becomes something only a powerful state can really afford and a Darwinian competition starts to unfold from the 1500's onwards. Listening to him a lot of developments in history began to make so much more sense to me.
His book Firepower is incredibly readable. It just gallops along. Highly, highly recommended.
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Apr 12, 2022
Mortal Republic with Edward Watts
Ed Watts is one of the most engaging writers and speakers on Roman history I have talked to. In this podcast we talk about the fall of the Republic - why and how it happened and who was most to blame. The podcast picks up the themes of his excellent book Mortal Republic which is highly, highly recommended.
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Mar 22, 2022
The Korean War - the battle of the Chosin Reservoir
In October 1950 the Americans are racing to the Yalu river, trying to bring the war in Korea to a decisive close. Unknown to them a huge Chinese army has been sent to oppose them and the forces meet at the Chosin Reservoir. Both sides have to fight not only each other but the appalling cold as the Chinese try to surround and annihilate the Americans.
Hampton Sides' book On Desperate Ground is an absolutely gripping account of the battle and I'm unsurprised to see it has 5 stars on Amazon. In today's podcast he talks about some of the key moments.
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Mar 6, 2022
The Silver Way
Everyone has heard of the Silk Road but this is The Silver Way. It is the story of the Manilla galleons, massive ships that sailed annually for 250 years from 1565 to 1815. Silver from Spanish South America in exchange for Chinese goods with the exchange taking place in Manilla in the Philippines. It was the first true globalisation linking the economies of China and Europe. Our discussion ranges far and wide - history, economics, memory, currencies, sea battles and plenty more.
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Feb 18, 2022
The Last Great Siege - Constantinople 1453
The story of the siege of Constantinople in 1453 is a rich one. Roger Crowley tells the story absolutely brilliantly here. So many fascinating (and at times heartbreaking) stories within the bigger story. A city with an unbroken history of over a thousand years faces its deadliest enemy.
And don't miss Roger's book on the subject. Narrative history at its finest.
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Jan 28, 2022
Rome against Persia - their final battle
In the year 617 the Roman Empire stands on the brink of extinction. In the West the empire is long gone. And now the Persians have conquered much of what is left and have arrived outside Constantinople where the emperor Heraclius is reduced to begging to be allowed to keep his throne. The Persians turn down the deal, the war continues and Heraclius leads a desperate counter attack. James Howard-Johnston told the story brilliantly in his book The Last Great War of Antiquity. For non specialists it is a little known episode but the war, which lasted for some 25 years, was an existential crisis and a forerunner of the struggles with Islam that began only a few years later. It was a great pleasure to welcome James to the podcast.
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Jan 15, 2022
Poggio Bracciolini - an Indiana Jones from the 15th century
Stephen Greenblatt wrote a fascinating book The Swerve about the rediscovery in 1417 of a work of philosophy from antiquity. The Nature of Things was written by Lucretius a few years before the birth of Christ. It provides an account of the world profoundly at odds with religion - atomism and epicureanism. Stephen's thesis is that over time the implications of this work changed the course of history.
We start the story at the Council of Constance. Christendom has three popes and is figuring out how to reduce this to a more manageable number. An employee of one of the losing popes, one Poggio Bracciolini, now has time on his hands and spends it hunting for old manuscripts in remote monasteries . . .
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Jan 2, 2022
Pearl Hart - the Wild West's most notorious woman bandit
In 1889 a woman calling herself Pearl Hart holds up a stagecoach in Arizona. In this episode John Boessenecker talks about Pearl Hart and his book Wildcat. Pearl's life from poverty to prostitution to stage coach robbing and prison sounds miserable. But the woman herself was beautiful, smart, full of life and hard not to admire. In fact the whole family and in particular her sister Katie led fascinating lives. Highly recommended.
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Dec 20, 2021
The declines of the Roman Empire with Edward Watts
Edward Watts startled me with his claim that the Western Roman Empire didn't fall in AD 476. And he has other revisionist takes on Roman history. (Domitian a much better emperor than Trajan??) I love Roman history and enjoyed this episode hugely. His book The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome: The History of a Dangerous Idea is absolutely terrific. A superb balance between the detail and a sweeping narrative.
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Dec 11, 2021
Clive of India with Dr Zareer Masani
Zareer is a a renowned historian and broadcaster. Clive of India is out of fashion these days but Zareer remains an admirer. In this episode Zareer rises to my challenge of a 5 minute history of India from the days of Alexander, talks about Clive's life, achievements and gruesome death and hits back at recent attempts to portray Clive as some kind of sociopath.
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Nov 26, 2021
Laurence Bergreen on Magellan
Laurence Bergreen threads the needle for me. He tells Magellan's story in a way that is exciting and moves with pace but leaving in all the 'maybes' and 'buts' that a story like this needs. His book Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe is an absolute pleasure.
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Oct 21, 2021
With one leap he was free! - stories from Peter Henderson's life
It is hard to describe Peter Henderson's adventures without lapsing into cliche. Hair raising, eye popping and so on. A news cameraman and reporter (and latterly an entrepreneur) in some of the world's most notorious hotspots of the last few decades he has found himself in appalling danger again and again. The stories are great fun to listen to but for many of them I am glad it was him and not me.
If you enjoy the podcast I really recommend you buy Peter's book Bigger Than Me. Apart from the amazing stories 100% of the proceeds go to the Rory Peck Trust. The Trust provides practical and financial support to freelance journalists and their families worldwide, assisting in times of crisis and helping them to work more safely. I think once you have listened to the podcast you will understand just how difficult and how dangerous the work can be so it is a really good cause.
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Sep 28, 2021
A history of astronomy - from the Babylonians to Galileo
Thony Christie has a blog called the Renaissance Mathematicus. It covers the history of science and is one of the wonders of the blogging world. I asked him to talk to me about the history of astronomy and he delivered a masterclass.
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Aug 27, 2021
Clocks, Civilization, Power . . . all About Time with David Rooney
David Rooney is the author of About Time: A History of Civilisation in Twelve Clocks. He talks about clocks (in the widest sense of the word - sundials, waterclocks, orbiting satellites and more) and about how time is used to demonstrate and exert power. He is quite simply a delightful speaker who knows his subject inside and out and knows how to get you to share his enthusiasm. Such a pleasure!
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Aug 19, 2021
Talking movies with Freddie deBoer and Abe Callard (Mad Max, OUTIH, Ghostbusters etc)
Freddie, Abe and I talk about movies. Three blokes talking about feminism in movies. Well of course. But much more besides. Films discussed include Mad Max Fury Road, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, that Ghostbusters remake . . .
I asked everyone to recommend one hidden gem. Freddie delivered his one, Abe crammed in three and I cheated and came up with five:
Freddie
S.F. W.
Abe
The Man Who Wasn't There
Advise & Consent
Talk Radio
Russell
Red Rock West
Ripley's Game
A Stranger of Mine
One Cut of the Dead
Headhunters
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Aug 8, 2021
Julian Sancton on the ill fated voyage of the Belgica to the Antarctic in 1898
Julian Sancton is a wonderful guide to the Belgian expedition to Antartica in 1898. The crew of the Belgica included Roald Amundsen and Frederick Cook who went on to become among the most famous explorers of their time. Julian's book is a classic of the genre. Check out on Amazon in the UK and in the US.
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Jul 24, 2021
When the Shogun's Sumo met Commodore Perry's minstrel show
Kenji Tierney is a wonderfully engaging speaker. Starting with memories of being introduced by his grandmother to sumo by way of watching TV with her he gives a wonderfully learned and fascinating talk on sumo and its development. The story of how the Japanese tried to impress Commodore Perry with a sumo wrestling exhibition and he responded by putting on a minstrel show is just one of many fascinating stories. If sumo has always left you a bit baffled this is a thoroughly entertaining 'deep dive'.
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Jul 14, 2021
Amazon the behemoth
Robin Gaster's book Behemoth, Amazon Rising: Power and Seduction in the Age of Amazon is available to buy on, naturally, Amazon. If you want to understand where Amazon came from, why it is so successful and why it needs to be tamed this is a great place to go. I spoke to Robin on my podcast. I still can't make up my mind. It seems I buy half my stuff from Amazon - but Robin makes a good case for why that is the problem . . .
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Jun 29, 2021
Memories of wartime Japan and reflections on the kamikaze
Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney is a professor of anthropology at the University of Wisconsin. Here she recalls her life as a young girl in Kobe during World War II and we talk also about the kamikaze pilots of that period. Her books Kamikaze Diaries and Kamikaze, Cherry Blossoms and Nationalisms have been highly influential in explaining how the highly educated young men were led to their fate.
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Jun 13, 2021
Conquerors - how Portugal built its empire in India
Roger Crowley tells the story of how Portugal built its empire in the Indian ocean from 1498. The Portuguese were there to trade but also as zealots and crusaders. The story is one of discovery, courage, violence and often unspeakable cruelty. It is astonishing to learn how one of Europe's smallest and poorest countries could undertake such a project.
Roger's book Conquerors: How Portugal Forged the First Global Empire was hugely popular with critics and with lovers of deeply researched but highly readable narrative history.
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Jun 5, 2021
Mike Dash on Batavia's Graveyard
Mike Dash wrote the definitive book about the Batavia and its wreck near the coast of Australia in 1629. We talked about the events leading up to the wreck and the bloody reign of terror and murders that followed.
Mike's blog A Blast from the Past is also an absolute goldmine for people interested in history.
I'd also highly recommend Gareth Harney's Twitter thread about the events and one of the treasures from the ancient world that the Batavia was carrying. Absolutely fascinating and some beautiful images (one of which I used for this episode's artwork).
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May 8, 2021
Abulafia and Devereaux - the ancient Mediterranean
An absolute joy to spend an hour and a half with history professors David Abulafia and Bret Devereaux. We started with the founding of Alexandria and travelled back and forth in time and all around the Mediterranean. The starting point for the discussion was David's magnificent book the Great Sea but Bret had plenty to add. (Check out his blog here).
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Apr 21, 2021
Peter Pomerantsev has stories to tell (and they are all true)
Peter Pomerantsev is the author of two outstanding books. The first is Nothing Is True and Everything is Possible. It has some wonderful stories which he made into programmes while working in Russian TV from 2006. Fascinating and sometimes heartbreaking. The next is This is Not Propaganda (adventures in the war against reality). This is about online propaganda, troll farms and influence operations and again is crammed with fascinating tales of Peter's investigations.
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Apr 11, 2021
Bean on battleships (and much else besides)
Bean blogs on naval warfare here. He writes on modern naval warfare (well, from the mid 19th century). His first love is battleships but it goes much wider than this. We talked about battleships (the Yamato in particular), the fate of the French fleet in WWII, whether carriers are obsolete and the Falklands War. If you like this kind of thing then, well, this is the kind of thing you may very well like.
Bean is also a big hit over at Astral Codex Ten where his posts in the comments section generate a lot of interest.
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Apr 3, 2021
David Goodhart on Head, Hand and Heart and the Road to Somewhere
David Goodhart is one of the most acute and level headed observers of British society writing today. His influential The Road to Somewhere unpicked the divisions leading to the Brexit vote and he has followed that with Head Hand and Heart arguing for a rebalancing of esteem and resources away from the cognitive jobs and towards manual workers and caregivers. We discussed both books and he is an absolutely delightful and persuasive guide through British society, its problems and its opportunities.
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Mar 22, 2021
The Siege of Gondor - Bret Devereaux rates the Witch King - A Bad Man, a Good General
Professor of ancient history Bret Devereaux concludes his two part evaluation of military strategy in the Lord of the Rings. The Witch King gets two thumbs up. I'm rag tag and bobtail.
Check out the blog for more on the Siege of Gondor, Lord of the Rings and much, much more.
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Mar 15, 2021
The Knights of St John against the Turks (and the sheer bloody horror of Lepanto)
Roger Crowley takes us through the struggles between the Ottoman Turks and the Knights of St John in the Mediterranean in the mid 1500's. Astonishing stories. My favourite line 'Once the Venetians learned Bragadin had been skinned alive they were determined to have the battle, on their own if need be'. Roger's book Empires of the Sea is top rank narrative history - highly recommended.
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Mar 2, 2021
Bret Devereaux cancels Saruman. (Helms Deep as ancient military history)
Bret Devereaux is a teaching assistant professor of history at North Carolina State University and is the author of this magnificent blog that covers ancient history generally with military history as the main focus. One of the genius ideas in the blog is to illuminate the subject by analysing fantasy literature. In this episode we talked about the battle of Helm's Deep (with forays into World War II and the world of the Carolingians and much else beside). Saruman's reputation as a general is not enhanced. Bret also spoke about Tolkien's place in the canon of World War I literature. I hope you enjoy it.
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Feb 10, 2021
Tom Holland scores 300
Tom Holland and Agnes Callard are both on top form reviewing the films 300 and Hero and discussing the history behind them. They unpick the politics too. Macabee Callard and I chip in.
If you enjoy the podcast you will definitely enjoy Tom's book, Persian Fire. Highly recommended.
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Jan 29, 2021
The Fate of Rome with Kyle Harper
'They couldn't catch a break'. Invasion, the worst plague in history and climate change. Why the Roman Empire fell. Professor Kyle Harper is a wonderful guide to some really gruesome times. And after listening to the podcast check out his book, The Fate of Rome (or here if you are in the US). It has a great balance between telling a fantastic story and real academic rigour. Highly recommended.
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Jan 12, 2021
David Abulafia and the Boundless Sea
Professor Abulafia has written a wonderful book, The Boundless Sea (or here if you are in the US) about 'merchants, explorers, pirates, cartographers and travelers in their quests for spices, gold, ivory, slaves, lands for settlement and knowledge of what lay beyond'. I enjoyed talking to him enormously.
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Nov 10, 2020
Tyler Cowen rates A Separation
Tyler Cowen discusses A Separation and About Elly with me and Agnes and Abe Callard. Towards the end Tyler grills Abe in a session of underrated/overrated (films).
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Sep 2, 2020
Alex Tabarrok versus the People (Parasite and Burning reviewed)
In this episode we discussed two Korean films. Parasite and Burning. On the podcast in this episode was Alex Tabarrok who was defending the thesis he outlined in his wonderful blog piece, The Gaslighting of Parasite. Joining me to throw rocks at his theory were Chicago philosopher Agnes Callard and her son Abe.
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Jul 22, 2020
Agnes and Abe Callard are philosophical about films
In which Agnes and Abe Callard dissect three really great films. All About Eve, Persona and the Iranian docudrama, Close Up. Spoilers throughout.
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Jul 11, 2020
Philip Matyszak - author of the ancient world
Speaking to Philip Matyszak about his books on ancient history and novels.
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Jun 11, 2020
David Friedman - Legal Systems Very Different From Ours
I talked to David Friedman about his book on legal systems operating either parallel to or in place of the State. Just about what you would expect from a anarchist-anachronist-economist who is also a brilliantly entertaining writer. His website is htttp://www.daviddfriedman.com
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May 10, 2020
Agnes Callard, Adjective
The Romanian film Police, Adjective has long been a favourite of mine and I enjoyed discussing it with the philosopher Agnes Callard. She specialises in ancient philosophy in general and Socrates in particular so she seemed the ideal person to unpick the dialogue at the climax of the film. We slightly went off track but got there in the end.
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Mar 15, 2019
Is this the most improved school in Britain?
A couple of years ago Great Yarmouth Charter Academy was a drastically underperforming school. Now it is on the up and up. I visited it to see for myself and afterwards I spoke to the headmaster, Barry Smith, about what he and the staff did to turn it around.
Links:
Ofsted visit report
Inspiration trust academies
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Feb 9, 2019
Patreon, Paypal and the impending gorilla
Patreon threw Sargon of Akkad off its 'platform'. That upset a lot of people but it may have been within its rights. But did it then collude with Paypal to squash SubscribeStar? Lior Leser thinks it might have. But fighting the big guys is easier with a gorilla on your side so Lior plans to get the FTC involved in the fight. In this podcast he tells us a bit about himself, why free speech matters to him and how the FTC may be the key to unlocking the problem.
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Jan 6, 2019
Stopping smoking - easier than you think
I got to meet the brains behind the organisation that saved my life. Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking. No need to trust me - take a look at the reviews on Amazon and the hundreds of people pretty much sobbing with relief.
Smoking book
Alcohol book
Losing weight
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Sep 18, 2018
Alternate worlds, same old socialism
Kristian Niemietz of the IEA describes a world where East Germany decides not to unite with the West but to do socialism properly for once. Spoiler alert - even good people with good intentions can't make it work.
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Sep 15, 2018
No good deed goes unpunished
Toby Young started the first Free School in England in 2011. We discuss how and why he did this and the Twitter storm that engulfed him leading to his removal from the board of the Office for Students and his other educational positions.
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