Best Adrian Townsend Podcasts (2025)

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The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole aged 13 ¾ by Sue Townsend 1:15:50

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7d ago1:15:50

1:15:50

The wonderful Nina Stibbe, award-winning novelist and diarist, joins us for a discussion of Sue Townsend's classic comic creation. When it was first published in 1982, the confidential journal of Leicester's foremost teenage poet and intellectual was an overnight success, eventually going on to become the best-selling British novel of the 1980s. Fo…

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Edwidge Danticat Reads Zadie Smith 44:06

1d ago44:06

44:06

Edwidge Danticat joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Two Men Arrive in a Village,” by Zadie Smith, which was published in The New Yorker in 2016. Danticat, a MacArthur Fellow and a winner of the Vilcek Prize in Literature, has published six books of fiction, including “Breath, Eyes, Memory,” “The Farming of Bones,” “Claire of the Sea Light,…

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The Image of Her by Simone de Beauvoir 1:11:44

21d ago1:11:44

1:11:44

To discuss The Image of Her (1966) by Simone de Beauvoir we are joined by writer and translator Lauren Elkin, whose previous books include Flâneuse: Women Walk the City, Scaffolding and Art Monsters: Unruly Bodies in Feminist Art. Best known as the author of The Second Sex, Beauvoir was also a prolific novelist. In The Image of Her—newly translated…

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Yiyun Li Reads William Trevor 1:11:01

1M ago1:11:01

1:11:01

Yiyun Li joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Piano Tuner’s Wives,” by William Trevor, which was published in The New Yorker in 1995. Li has published eight books of fiction, including the novels “Must I Go” and “Book of Goose,” a winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, and the story collection “Wednesday’s Child,” which was a fina…

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Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en 1:06:43

1M ago1:06:43

1:06:43

Kaliane Bradley, author of The Ministry of Time, joins John and Andy for a tour of Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, the sixteenth-century fable widely regarded as one of the most important Chinese novels ever written, newly translated by Julia Lovell. The Monkey King's powers include shape-shifting, immortality and "being incredibly…

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The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro 1:12:26

2M ago1:12:26

1:12:26

“A masterpiece I don’t fully understand—and don’t need to.” This week’s book is The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro, a bold, baffling, and darkly funny novel that has confounded and enchanted readers since its publication in 1995. Joining us to explore it is Chris Chibnall, award-winning screenwriter, playwright, and now novelist, best known for Broad…

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David Wright Faladé Reads Madeleine Thien 1:16:54

2M ago1:16:54

1:16:54

David Wright Faladé joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Lu, Reshaping,” by Madeleine Thien, which was published in The New Yorker in 2021. Falade is the author of the novels “Black Cloud Rising” and “The New Internationals,” and the nonfiction work “Fire on the Beach: Recovering the Lost Story of Richard Etheridge and the Pea Island Lifesav…

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What Remains by Hannah Arendt 1:16:27

2M ago1:16:27

1:16:27

Elif Shafak and Lyndsey Stonebridge join John and Andy for a discussion of the life and work of Hannah Arendt, the historian and philosopher whose books include The Human Condition, The Origins of Totalitarianismand Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil. This being Backlisted, we approach Arendt's formidable oeuvre and truly extra…

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A Compass Error by Sybille Bedford 1:14:42

3M ago1:14:42

1:14:42

Sybille Bedford's A Compass Error (1968) is a classic coming-of-age novel, a love story, a family saga and a study in psychological suspense rolled into one. Joining us to discuss it are the novelist Francesca Reece and Krista Cowman, Professor of History at the University of Leicester. The late Hilary Mantel described A Compass Error, Bedford's th…

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Paul Theroux Reads V. S. Pritchett 1:05:25

3M ago1:05:25

1:05:25

Paul Theroux joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Necklace,” by V. S. Pritchett, which was published in The New Yorker in 1958. Theroux’s nonfiction books include “The Great Railway Bazaar” and “On the Plain of Snakes: A Mexican Journey.” A winner of the James Tait Black Award and the Whitbread Prize, he has published thirty-nine books o…

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A Life by Elia Kazan 1:15:10

3M ago1:15:10

1:15:10

We explore Elia Kazan's memoir A Life (1988) with veteran biographer and critic John Lahr, author of Notes on a Cowardly Lion, Prick Up Your Ears: The Biography of Joe Orton and Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh, amongst others. Kazan enjoyed a dazzling career in both theatre and film, directing the original stage productions of A Str…

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Biography and Memoir 1:15:20

4M ago1:15:20

1:15:20

A Backlisted Special dedicated to biographies and memoirs, with books by Nancy Mitford, Roger Lewis, Elizabeth Jane Howard, P.D. James and Jean Rhys. John Mitchinson talks to the writer and friend of the show Laura Thompson about five of her favourite books – two of them biographies (Madame de Pompadour by Nancy Mitford and The Real Life of Laurenc…

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Riddley Waker by Russel Hoban - Rerun 58:10

4M ago58:10

58:10

Classic literary sci-fi novel set in a post-apocalyptic Kent – this is a rerun of 2019 episode recorded live at the Port Eliot Festival. Riddley Walker is widely considered to be a post-war masterpiece. Anthony Burgess included it in his list of the 99 best novels published in the English language since 1939 saying ‘this is what literature is meant…

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Anne Enright Reads John McGahern 1:07:34

4M ago1:07:34

1:07:34

Anne Enright joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Sierra Leone,” by John McGahern, which was published in The New Yorker in 1977. Enright, a winner of the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction and the Man Booker Prize, among others, has published eleven books of fiction, including the story collection “Yesterday’s Weather” and the novels …

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Notes from Under the Floorboards by Fyodor Dostoevsky - Rerun 1:18:51

4M ago1:18:51

1:18:51

The 1864 novella that invented dystopian fiction. In an episode first published in November 2021, we are joined by authors Alex Christofi (Dostoevsky in Love) and Arifa Akbar (Consumed: A Sister's Story) for a discussion of one of Russia's greatest writers Fyodor Dostoevsky, who was born in Moscow on November 11 1821, 200 years ago this month. We c…

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Winter Reading 2025 1:09:02

5M ago1:09:02

1:09:02

Happy new year! We kick off 2025 - and Backlisted's tenth anniversary year - with our traditional Winter Reading episode, in which Andy, John and Nicky recommend a selection of favourite books to see you through the next few months: fiction and non-fiction, old, new and not yet published. "May you go farther sooner." Discussed in this episode and a…

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Jennifer Egan Reads Margaret Atwood 1:07:24

5M ago1:07:24

1:07:24

Jennifer Egan joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Kat,” by Margaret Atwood, which was published in The New Yorker in 1990. Egan’s books of fiction include “The Keep,” “A Visit from the Goon Squad,” “Manhattan Beach,” and “The Candy House.” She is a winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Andrew Carnegie…

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Moby-Dick; or the Whale by Herman Melville 1:16:20

5M ago1:16:20

1:16:20

Join the Backlisted crew as we navigate the swells and surges of Moby-Dick; or the Whale by Herman Melville. That's right, Moby Dick is a Christmas book! Andy, John and Nicky welcome aboard novelist Jarred McGinnis and writer and editor Erica Wagner to discuss and celebrate this legendary literary leviathan, one that has sunk many a podcast before …

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Voices of the Old Sea by Norman Lewis 1:09:03

6M ago1:09:03

1:09:03

We are joined by the poet Katrina Porteous and the writer and editor Patrick Galbraith to discuss Norman Lewis’s account of the of the three summers he spent working in Farol, a remote fishing village on the Costa Brava in the late 1940s. His book records the intricacies of life in a small community whose rhythms are based on the shoals of sardines…

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Ayşegül Savaş Reads Tessa Hadley 1:24:40

6M ago1:24:40

1:24:40

Ayşegül Savaş joins Deborah Treisman to discuss “An Abduction,” by Tessa Hadley, which was published in The New Yorker in 2012. Savaş has published three novels, “Walking on the Ceiling,” “White on White,” and “The Anthropologists,” and one nonfiction book, “The Wilderness,” an essay and memoir about the first forty days of motherhood. A collection…

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The Moon's a Balloon by David Niven 1:16:34

6M ago1:16:34

1:16:34

Rupert Everett joins us to discuss David Niven's memoir The Moon’s a Balloon. This show represents the fulfilment of a long cherished ambition: to dedicate a whole Backlisted to a book that Andy and John consider to be the most entertaining ever written. And who better to join them as a guest than an actor, writer and director who has had his own t…

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Grinny & You Remember Me! by Nicholas Fisk 1:12:21

7M ago1:12:21

1:12:21

Sam Leith, author of The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading, returns to Backlisted to discuss two novels by Nicholas Fisk, Grinny (1973) and its sequel, You Remember Me! (1984). Fisk's SF thrillers were tremendously popular with young readers during the 1970s and 1980s but his work is now rather forgotten, an error we wish to correct as a…

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Aleksandar Hemon Reads ZZ Packer 1:17:11

7M ago1:17:11

1:17:11

Aleksandar Hemon joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere,” by ZZ Packer, which was published in The New Yorker in 2000. Hemon, a winner of a MacArthur Fellowship and a PEN/W. G. Sebald Award, among others, is the author of eight books, including the novels “The Lazarus Project” and “The World and All It Holds,” the sto…

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Round the Fire Stories by Arthur Conan Doyle 1:05:29

7M ago1:05:29

1:05:29

Happy Hallowe'en 2024! Join John, Andy and Nicky, plus guests Andrew Male and Dr Laura Varnam - AKA the Backlisted Irregulars - for this year's Hallowe'en special, celebrating Arthur Conan Doyle's "grotesque and terrible" Round the Fire Stories, first published in 1908. As he was the first to point out, there was much more to Conan Doyle than merel…

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Marcus Cox with Welcome to Memphis 1:03:40

7M ago1:03:40

1:03:40

“You can have a long-term, sustainable career in the hospitality industry that supports you in every way that you need to be supported.” On this episode of Just Bluffin, we talk to Marcus Cox, Executive Director of Welcome to Memphis. He discusses the organization's mission to support and recognize hospitality workers in Memphis and Shelby County. …

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Nico: Songs They Never Play On the Radio by James Young 1:15:04

7M ago1:15:04

1:15:04

Author Will Hodgkinson and actress and director Caroline Catz join Andy and John to discuss James Young's Nico: Songs They Never Play On the Radio, first published in 1992. This is the story of Nico, former model, film actress, erstwhile singer with the Velvet Underground and darling of Andy Warhol's Factory. After a decade of heroin addiction, by …

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Danny Song & Jonathan Torres with Give Services & Frase Protection 56:36

8M ago56:36

56:36

“Looking at the city of Memphis, I started to fall more and more in love with every single corner that was sometimes under- resourced or outright neglected.” On this week's episode of "Just Bluffin", we chat with Jonathan Torres and Danny Song. They share their insights on how successful business operations are driven by effective leadership, cultu…

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Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler 58:06

8M ago58:06

58:06

This episode features a live recording made at Foyles in London, where John was joined on stage by Una McCormack, making her record breaking tenth appearance on Backlsited, and Salena Godden, who returns eight years after blowing us away in the episode on Hubert Selby Jr. The book under discussion is The Parable of the Sower a 1993 novel by the Ame…

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Rebecca Makkai Reads Jhumpa Lahiri 1:18:50

8M ago1:18:50

1:18:50

Rebecca Makkai joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “The Third and Final Continent,” by Jhumpa Lahiri, which was published in The New Yorker in 1999. Makkai is the author of the story collection “Music for Wartime” and the novels “The Borrower,” “The Hundred Year House,” “The Great Believers,” for which she won the Andrew Carnegie Medal for E…

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Her First American by Lore Segal 1:09:32

8M ago1:09:32

1:09:32

This episode explores the third novel by the nonagenarian American writer Lore Segal which was originally published in 1985 by Knopf and is due to be released in the UK for the first time by Sort Of Books in 2025. We are joined by Sort Of Book’s publisher and co-founder Nat Janscz, who made her Backlisted debut back in 2018 on the Tove Jansson epis…

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Adrian Smith with LITE Memphis 26:22

9M ago26:22

26:22

“We believe that entrepreneurship education is not something that should be exclusive to those that want to start a business." In this episode, we chat with Adrian Smith from LITE Memphis, an entrepreneurial nonprofit for Memphis teens. He discusses the organization's youth entrepreneurship program and how much it has grown in the last decade. We a…

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Season 3 Prequel 1:10:54

9M ago1:10:54

1:10:54

The waiting is nearly over! Ahead of Backlisted Season 3 - and our tenth anniversary year - John, Andy and Nicky get together to chat about books, vintage vinyl, what they did on their holidays, but mostly books: Sarah Perry's novel Enlightenment, recently longlisted for the Booker Prize; The Haunted Wood, Sam Leith's fascinating new history of chi…

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Autumn Journal by Louis MacNeice - Rerun 1:17:19

9M ago1:17:19

1:17:19

A classic episode from 2018 with a new introduction. This week John and Andy are joined by actor and director Sam West and writer and academic Sophie Ratcliffe to talk about Louis MacNeice's Autumn Journal. The poem was composed in the autumn of 1938 while Britain awaited the declaration of the Second World War. Other books under discussion are Kat…

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Jared Barnett with Slingshot Memphis 44:54

9M ago44:54

44:54

“A lot of people who grow up in an disadvantaged environment don’t grow up thinking they can be whatever they want to be because they aren’t exposed to specific opportunities.” This week’s episode of Just Bluffin features Jared Barnett from Slingshot Memphis, a local nonprofit. Slingshot Memphis’s mission is to ignite a movement that revolutionizes…

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Louise Erdrich Reads Karen Russell 1:12:47

9M ago1:12:47

1:12:47

Louise Erdrich joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Haunting Olivia,” by Karen Russell, which was published in The New Yorker in 2005. Erdrich's novels include “The Round House,” which won the National Book Award in 2012, and “The Night Watchman,” which was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2021. She will publish a new novel, “The Mi…

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Absolute Beginners - Rerun 1:06:49

9M ago1:06:49

1:06:49

Slang lexicographer extraordinaire Jonathon Green joins John and Andy in this episode originally recorded in 2016 to discuss Absolute Beginners, the classic novel of London teenage life set around Soho and Notting Hill. *Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE show in London on Wednesday Sep 25th where we will be discussing The Parable of The Sower by…

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Cole Early with the Overton Park Shell 44:33

10M ago44:33

44:33

“There is hope through art.” On this episode of Just Bluffin, Cole Early with Overton Park Shell Discusses the importance of music and how it has brought people together in times of strife and turmoil. He tells us about the brand new museum at The Shell and what his job is like as the archive manager. Lastly, we learn about the time that Cole was o…

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Summer Reading 2024 1:12:29

10M ago1:12:29

1:12:29

Despite the team's somewhat complex relationship with the idea of ‘summer’, this episode is full of seasonal recommendations. Andy previews Intermezzo, the new Sally Rooney (out in September) and enjoys A Body Made of Glass: A History of Hypochondria by the guest on our Agatha Christie show, Caroline Crampton. John chooses Ex-Wife by Ursula Parrott…

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Kevin Dean with TN Nonprofit Network 35:42

10M ago35:42

35:42

“There was something magical about working in a nonprofit that helps other nonprofits.” On this week’s episode of Just Bluffin, we talk with Kevin Dean AKA Mr. Nonprofit of the Tennessee Nonprofit Network. We learn about his impressive background in leadership and nonprofit work. He also gives us the inside scoop on the rebrand and rebuilding of TN…

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David Sedaris Reads George Saunders 46:59

10M ago46:59

46:59

David Sedaris joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Love Letter,” by George Saunders, which was published in The New Yorker in 2020. Sedaris is the author of more than a dozen books of essays, memoirs, and diaries, including, most recently, “A Carnival of Snackery” and “Happy-Go-Lucky.” Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices…

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Endless Night by Agatha Christie 1:03:45

10M ago1:03:45

1:03:45

At long last, it's our Agatha Christie show! We are joined by Caroline Crampton, writer and host of the Shedunnit podcast, and Laura Thompson, author and Christie biographer, for an investigation of Endless Night (1967), a late entry in the Queen of Crime's extensive catalogue and perhaps her last truly great novel of suspense and surprise. NB. Whi…

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Roshun Austin with The Works, Inc. 36:24

10M ago36:24

36:24

”When people from all walks of life and all income levels can rally around Memphis, those are my favorite moments in the city because we can all believe in one thing.” During this episode of Just Bluffin’ Cecilia and Shannon talk with Roshun Austin from The Works, a nonprofit that helps Memphians with affordable housing. We get to learn more about …

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Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr 1:08:35

11M ago1:08:35

1:08:35

Children's writer Rachael King and novelist Richard Blandford join John and Andy for a discussion of Marianne Dreams by Catherine Storr, the eerie, disturbing tale of two sick children who meet in a realm of nightmares. First published in 1958, the book is now considered by critics to be a sui genesis classic. Storr was a prolific author, with doze…

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Stacey Saed with Annestasis 35:55

11M ago35:55

35:55

“A home is a part of a family.” On this episode of Just Bluffin, we chat with Annestatis owner Stacey Saed about compassion-forward relocation. Deep emotions and feelings come with packing, moving and leaving a home, and Stacey tells us about her kind and humanitarian approach to this process. We also learn about a sweet memory she made with her da…

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Nathan Englander Reads Chris Adrian 1:04:19

11M ago1:04:19

1:04:19

Nathan Englander joins Deborah Treisman to read and discuss “Every Night for a Thousand Years,” by Chris Adrian, which was published in The New Yorker in 1997. Englander is the author of five books of fiction, including the novel “kaddish.com” and the story collection “What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank,” which was a finalist for the …

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Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot 1:05:56

11M ago1:05:56

1:05:56

Author Rose Ruane (This Is Yesterday, Birding) picks Gaining Ground AKA Abra (1978) by Canadian feminist writer Joan Barfoot. One day, seemingly on a whim, a woman walks out of her home and her marriage, forsaking her family for a life of near-solitude and self-sufficiency. Many years later, her daughter, now grown-up, comes to find her and to ask …

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Jani Rad with Regional One Health 34:15

11M ago34:15

34:15

“I didn’t like the idea of how your zip code could affect your health.” This week’s show features Jani Rad of Regional One Health Solutions LLC. Jani is a super star in the healthcare world, but she is also an entrepreneur, podcast host, speaker with her own Ted Talk, mental health advocate, and so much more. During this episode, we learn about her…

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Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 1:10:54

12M ago1:10:54

1:10:54

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is the subject of this episode of Backlisted. Dr Martin Shaw and Dr Laura Varnam (hwaet Laura!) join Andy and John to discuss this late 14th-century chivalric romance - or subversion thereof - written in Middle English alliterative verse, author unknown. We discuss the poem's chequered history and a variety of transl…

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Brent Nair with Project Teamwork 32:16

12M ago32:16

32:16

“If people are our greatest assets, we have to approach it from a relational perspective.” On this week’s show,Brent Nair of Project Teamwork talks about his people-first coaching company based in Memphis that helps organizations work better together. He gives us a deep dive into the working genius and how he uses it to help teams. We also talk abo…

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The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts by Douglas Adams 1:21:31

12M ago1:21:31

1:21:31

The work of Douglas Adams - comic genius, futurologist and erstwhile hitchhiker - is the subject of this episode of Backlisted, in particular The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: The Original Radio Scripts, first published by Pan Books in 1985. H2G2, as it is known to fans, was a cultural phenomenon in the true sense of that degraded term: first a…