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

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

... dedicated to the Weird Fiction and Ghost Stories of M.R. James.... more

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FAQs about A Podcast to the Curious - The M.R. James Podcast:

How many episodes does A Podcast to the Curious - The M.R. James Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 108 episodes available.

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

January 30, 2013Episode 22 – Two Doctors
This episode Mike & Will put on their thinking caps and puzzle their way through ‘Two Doctors‘ by M.R. James.
Thanks to Kirsty for the excellent readings, and to Alisdair Wood for the great illustration to the left.
Don’t forget to vote on which story you would like to see Stephen Gray and his crew film next, ‘The Malice of Inanimate Objects’ by M.R. James or ‘The Willows’ by Algernon Blackwood.
Show notes
Story Notes by Rosemary Pardoe (Ghosts & Scholars)
Visit the ever-excellent Ghosts & Scholars for a useful set of notes which shed light on some of the more perplexing aspects of this story.
Gray’s Inn (Wikipedia)
James says he found the papers which make up this story in a dossier addressed to a lawyer in Grey’s Inn. Also see Gray’s Inn on Monty’s World.
Coronet and Bird Crest (MyFamilySilver.com)
The ‘bedsheets’ purchased by Dr Quinn features a bird and coronet, a motif common to a quite a few family crests from this period.
St. Anthony meeting the Satyr (Gallery.ca)
The rector makes reference to ‘Anthony conversing with a satyr’ as featured in the book of Jerome. This is a 1640 engraving of this scene.
An Elicidation (?) of the Plot of ‘Two Doctors’ by Lance Arney (Amazon.co.uk)
This essay features in the collection of essays ‘Warnings to the Curious’ and was a great help to us in researching this story.
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48min
December 22, 2012Episode 21 – The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance
It’s Christmas Special time again! This year Will & Mike look at the one and only M.R. James story actually set during the festive season, ‘The Story of a Disappearance and an Appearance’.
This episode also features a Christmas Bonus in the form of an interview with film director Stephen Gray whose new adaptation of ‘A Haunted Doll’s House’ is available to watch online for a limited period only, starting Christmas Eve!
Our reader this week was Peter Ross and the accompanying artwork is by Alisdair Wood.
As mentioned in our interview, Stephen would like our listeners help deciding which story to film next! Please state your preference below.
Show notes
Story notes by Rosemary Pardoe (Ghosts & Scholars)
The ever-reliable Ghosts & Scholars website features some useful notes on the more perplexing terms used in this story.
Punch and Judy (Wikipedia)
For those unfamiliar with Punch and Judy shows, Wikipedia gives a good explaination of this peculiar form of traditional entertainment.
Fuseli’s ‘The Nightmare’ (Wikipedia)
In this story the writer compares Punch’s face to that of ‘the vampyre in Fusili’s foul sketch‘, a reference to the creature in Fuseli’s painting ‘The Nightmare’.
Bicester, Oxfordshire (Monty’s World)
Rosemary Pardoe tells us that in the original handwritten manuscript for this story the town called ‘B—‘ in most printed versions is actually given as ‘Bicester’. Bicester is a market town in north Oxfordshire.
Chrishall, Essex (Monty’s World)
The first letter in this story is addressed from ‘Great Chrishall’. There is no ‘Great Chrishall’ in the UK, but there is a ‘Chrishall’ and a ‘Great Chishill‘, both near Essex’s border with Cambridgeshire.
Professor Bert Codman and ‘Toby’ (Punchandjudy.com)
Mike mentions this fellow in the podcast, one of the famous Codman dynasty of Punch and Judy performers. Apparently Bert died in 1969, just two days after the death of his beloved dog Toby!
Photos of Bicester (Facebook)
Will took a trip to Bicester to have a look around the various locations which feature in this story. Photos from the trip can be found at our Facebook page.
The image below shows the King’s Head/Arms inn which features in this story, as it looked in 1885.
...more
1h 18min
December 09, 2012Episode 20 – Speaker Lenthall’s Tomb
In this episode Mike and Will head up the road to Burford to take a peek inside Speaker Lenthall’s Tomb by M.R. James!
Yes, it is another unpublished M.R. James manuscript fragment this week. The most complete version of this story is available in ‘Curious Warning: The Great Stories of M.R. James’ edited by Stephen Jones.
Show notes
William Lenthall, 1591 – 1662 (Wikipedia)
The real Speaker Lenthall was a politician during the English Civil War, famous for standing up for the rights of parliament before King Charles I. For more information see www.parliament.uk
Oxford Movement (wikipedia)
This story is set against the backdrop of the work of the Oxford Movement, also known as the ‘Tractarians’, who agitated for religious change within the Church of England in the first half of the 19th century.
Gothic Revival (wikipedia)
M.R. James once again uses this story to take a swipe at the followers of the gothic architectural revival, whose renovations of English churches during the 19th century resulted in the destruction of many historic church interiors.
Burford Church (burfordchurch.org)
The church that features in this story is St John the Baptist Church in Burford, West Oxfordshire. Check out the 360-degree view from the church tower, which gives a very nice view of the town as it looks today.
Tanfield Tomb (burfordchurch.org)
The tomb in this story is based on that of an ancestor of Speaker William Lenthall, Sir Lawrence Tanfield. Like the tomb in the story, it fills up most of the north choir aisle of Burford Church, and largely matches the stories description.
Burford Priory (wikipedia)
In the story Mr Cave and his family live in what was originally Burford Priory, now a very fancy private residence. Also see this pdf for images of the Priory as it was at the time of this story.
Those in the UK can also watch this episode of ‘Time Team’ on 4oD in which they excavate the remains of the priory hospital beneith the front lawn! And finally, how do you link Speaker Lenthall to the phone hacking scandal? Easy!
More photos on Facebook (facebook.com)
To see photos taken by Will of Burford Church, the Tanfield/Lenthall tomb and of Burford Priory, head over to our Facebook page.
...more
51min
November 22, 2012Episode 19 – John Humphreys
This episode Mike & Will examine John Humphreys. No, not the newsreader, the unfinished story draft by M.R. James!
The most complete version of the manuscript, as transcribed by Rosemary Pardoe, can be read online at the Ghosts & Scholars Website.
Big thanks for the readings goes to Kirsty W… no wait, Kirsty Taylor! Also thanks to Alisdair Wood to the excellent M.R. James image to the right. Don’t forget to check out his T-shirts at zazzle.com.
Show notes:
The Vale Royal of England (Wikipedia)
This story is set in ‘Perhaps the Vale Royal of England’, an area in north Cheshire. Also have a look at the area on our own Monty’s World.
Stories I Have Tried to Write by M.R. James
The plot of this story gets a mention by James in his essay ‘Stories I Have Tried to Write’ which we covered in a previous episode.
Sinister Bible Quotes (Bible.cc)
Like many James stories, John Humphreys quotes the bible in a number of places, notable the 23rd Psalm, Jeremiah xiii:16, Job x:21-22 and the Vulgate of St Jerome.
Saint Cyprian and Saint Justina (Wikipedia)
This story contains a reference to a ‘wizard’, apparently a reference to the story of St Cyprian and St Justina in the Golden Legend.
… also mentioned in this episode were the Garbage Pail Kids and Bookshelf P*rn.
Also, we’d love to hear what you think about this story! Get in contact via Facebook, Twitter, Email or in the comments section below.
...more
50min
October 28, 2012Episode 18 – An Episode of Cathedral History
This episode Will & Mike slip into their cassocks, whip out their prayerbooks and head down to Southminster for ‘An Episode of Cathedral History’ by M.R. James.
Questions answered in this episode:
– When is a vampire not a vampire?
– Do Lamia have hairy legs?
– What length of skirt do Mike and Will wear?
Big thanks go out to Roger Burton West who provided the readings, and Alisdair Wood for the awesome custom illustration on the right!
Show notes
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens (wikipedia)
This story refers twice to characters in Dickens’s famously unfinished novel ‘The Mystery of Edwin Drood’.
Rochester Cathedral (Monty’s World)
There are various suggestions in the story that M.R. James may have had Rochester Cathedral in mind while writing this story.
Isaiah 34:14 (bible.cc)
This website illustrated quite how much the Isaiah quote which appears in this story differs from one translation to another!
Lamia & Satyr (wikipedia)
The latin quotes in this story make reference to two creatures from Greek Mythology, the Lamia and the Satyr.
The Demon in the Cathedral by Rosemary Pardoe (Ghosts & Scholars)
Apparently the plot of this story was used as part of a hoax played on Fate magazine in 1977!
The Lamia and the Screech-owl by Peter Bell (Ghosts & Scholars)
This essay examines ‘An Episode of Cathedral History’ and discusses the mythical creatures mentioned in the story.
Charles Simeon (wikipedia)
This story refers to ‘Simeon’s Lot’, a reference to the English evangelical preacher Charles Simeon, who James’s own father was a follower of.
Patrick J Murphy (Miami University) & Fred Porcheddu (Denison University)
Patrick and Fred are two American academics who are conducting research into the medaevalist and antiquarian background of M.R. James’s stories.
Warnings to the Curious (Amazon.co.uk)
During this episode we mention various essays which are featured in this book, including essays by Michael A. Mason, Jacqueline Simpson
A Pleasing Terror (Amazon.co.uk)
The excellent footnotes on this story in the ‘A Pleasing Terror’ ebook were of great help to us when researching this story.
Speaker Lenthall’s Tomb (Ghosts & Scholars)
The unfinished James tale dubbed by Rosemary Pardie ‘Speaker Lenthall’s Tomb’ bears some striking similarities to ‘An Episode of Cathedral History’.
The Gothic Revival (Wikipedia)
It is an understatement to say that M.R. James was not a big fan of the architectural changes undertaken in British churches in the name of the gothic revival during the 18th and 19th century.
...more
1h 3min
October 09, 2012Episode 17 – The Diary of Mr Poynter
This episode Mike and Will recoil in horror from some fearsome home furnishings in ‘The Diary of Mr Poynter’ by M.R. James.
Big thanks to our reader for this episode, the mighty Paul Maclean (@ysdc on Twitter). You may know Paul from the ‘Call of Cthulhu’ RPG hub Yog-Sothoth.com and it’s Lovecraftian publishing wing InnsmouthHouse.com. He is also one of the presenters of the News from Pnakotus and The Silver Lodge podcasts, both required listening for weird fiction and RPG fans!
Also big thanks to Alisdair Wood, the massively talented artist who provided us with the awesome specially-created ‘Diary of Mr Poynter’ artwork you can see above. You can find more exciting James-inspired artwork at Alisdair Wood’s website.
Show notes:
Rendcomb Manor, Gloucestershire (Monty’s World)
While in the story Rendcomb Manor is said to be in Warwickshire, the real Rendcomb Manor is in Gloucestershire. Now home to Rendcomb College, it is not clear if James had this ancient estate in mind when he wrote the story.
Anti-vivisection movement and the Brown Dog Affair (Wikipedia)
Miss Denton is an advocate of the Anti-vivisection moment, which was gathering momentum in the decade before this story was published.
William Poynter, Bishop (Wikipedia)
M.R. James borrowed the name of his diarist from an English bishop who published various religious tracts during the early 19th century.
Dr Arthur Charlett, University College Oxford (Wikisource)
Mr Poynter’s diary states that the famously hirsute (and presumably fictional) Everard Charlett was of the same family as Dr Arthur Charlett, who was Master of University College Oxford for 30 years until his death in 1722.
Thomas Hearne, Antiquarian (Wikipedia)
James mentions in the story that William Poynter argued with English antiquarian Thomas Hearne (1678 – 1735).
Dr Robert Plot, Naturalist (Wikipedia)
Mr Poynter’s diary suggests that there may be precedents for the strange death of Everard Charlett to be found in the work of Robert Plot. Plot English naturalist whose works mentioned strange natural phenomena such as the ‘double sunset’ at Leek in Staffordshire, a giants femur bone etc.
Feast of St Jude and St Simon (CatholicCulture.org)
James mentions that the curtains are finally delivered on the Feast of St Jude and St Simon, the 28th October. In his book Suffolk and Norfolk M.R. James notes that stained glass images of Jude and Simon can be found in the parish church at Denton in Norfolk, although his use of this as a name for his protagonist could be a coincidence!
Thomas Philips, Antiquarian (Wikipedia)
M.R. James mentions in the story that prior to purchase by James Denton, Mr Poynter’s diary was part of the ‘famous Thomas collection’ of manuscripts. Thomas Philips was an antiquarian and obsessive book collector who left a collection of around 100,000 books and manuscripts at the time of his death in 1872 which were auctioned off over a number of years.
Ghosts and Scholars postcard (Ghosts & Scholars Website)
Ghosts and Scholars are selling this rather scary bookmark featuring an image of Everard Charlett’s hairy coffin!
Shakespeare authorship question (Wikipedia)
In the story Mr Cattell makes a reference to ‘Hercules and the painted cloth’, which Rosemary Pardoe suggests may be a hint towards the argument/conspiracy theory that someone else may have written Shakespeare’s works.
The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkin Gilman (Wikipedia)
There are parallels between this story and the short story ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by American Writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman which was published in 1892. This story was also recently examined in detail by the HPPodcraft.
Game of Bear Story Competition (thesuffolkcoast.co.uk)
Suffolk Coast are running a competition for under 16’s to write an ending for M.R. James’s unfinished story Game of Bear. Closing date is 1st November, the winner will be selected by author Susan Hill.
...more
54min
September 16, 2012Reading – Ghosts, Treat them Gently!
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 thinks go to make up a really successful ghost story, and gives an insight into the supernatural fiction he rates most highly.
Links
The ‘Not at Night’ series
Society for Psychical Research
Mr Wardle’s Fat Boy
Sheridan Le Fanu
William Harrison Ainsworth
The Lancashire Witches (Novel by above)
E.F Benson
Algernon Blackwood
A. M. Burrage
Walter de la Mare
H. Russell Wakefield
Margaret Oliphant
Lanoe Falconer
...more
14min
September 02, 2012Episode 16b – The Residence at Whitminster Part 2
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 underwear draw in the same way again!
Show notes:
William Oldys (wikipedia)
This English antiquarian and bibliographer provided James with the inspiration for Dr Oldys in ‘Residence at Whitminster’.
Sir Walter Scott – The Talisman (wikipedia)
This is the book which Mary is reading in ‘Residence at Whitminster’ that puts the idea of talismans and scrying into her mind.
Ichneumonoidea Fly aka Sawfly (wikipedia)
Is this the strange species of insect that the inhabitants have such difficulty conclusively identifying?
Anna Seward (wikipedia)
Anna Seward, the ‘Swan of Lichfield’, is the English romantic poet whose prose style James parodies in Mary Oldys’s letter to her friend Emily.
Beelzebub – The Lord of the Flies (wikipedia)
Could the sorcery of Lord Saul have literally summoned up Beelzebub, the devil? In various texts Beelzebub appears in the form of a swarm of flies.
M.R. James – The Fenstanton Witch (Ghosts & Scholars)
Simon McCollough describes M.R. James’s unpublished short stoy ‘The Fenstanton Witch’ as a prototype for ‘Residence at Whitminster’. It also features a pair of young necromancers whose naive sorceries summon up a terrible winged creature, and also namechecks the Witch of Endor. ‘An Evening’s Entertainment’ by M.R. James also features a horrible swarm of flies, which a sexton describes as “Lord of the Flies, sir”.
Salem’s Lot (1979) (youtube)
This is the ‘window’ scene from the 1979 Stephen King adaptation which reminded Will of the ghost of Saul tapping at the villagers windows on cold winters nights.
R.Kelly – Trapped in the Closet (youtube)
The Oldys family are not the only ones with some closet trouble, check out R.Kelly’s magnum opus, his epic 22-part ‘hip-hopera’ “Trapped in the Closet”!
...more
51min
August 15, 2012Episode 16a – The Residence at Whitminster
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 – An Informal Portrait by Michael Cox (Amazon)
For details of Monty’s life during WWI we lean heavily on Michael Cox’s excellent biography. It is sadly now out of print but secondhand copies are available, if expensive. Try your local library before you splash out, they may be able to order it in for you.
Warnings to the Curious (Ed. Joshi & Pardoe) (Amazon)
We have recommended this many times before, but once again this great book of essays has helped a lot with our understanding of the story.
Whitminster/Wheatenhurst, Gloucestershire (Googlemaps)
The real Whitminster can be found here, although it was known as Wheatenhurst in James’s lifetime. More information on Whitminster House and estate, from which the place got it’s new name, can be found at british-history.ac.uk. Also see the Whitminster Community Website.
Saul, in the Bible (Wikipedia)
Lord Saul’s namesake appears in the Books of Samuel, and comes to a sticky end after some necromantic funny-business involving the Witch of Endor (no, not that Endor).
Some Remarks on Ghost Stories by M.R. James (Ash Tree Press)
In this episode we mention the M.R. James essay ‘Some Remarks on Ghost Stories’ which can be found in the ‘Pleasing Terror’ M.R. James anthology. The hardback is out of print but the eBook version is available.
...more
49min
July 29, 2012 M.R. James 150th Birthday Special!
Robert Lloyd Parry as M.R. James – photo by Shelagh Bidwell
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 2005 and is also a noted expert on the life and work of M.R. James. In this exclusive interview for A Podcast to the Curious Robert talks about his experiences performing as Monty, how he goes about adapting James’s work for the stage and why he thinks M.R. James’s ghost stories are still so popular 76 years after his death.
More information on Robert Lloyd Parry’s future performances and dvds/cds can be found at www.nunkie.co.uk
This episode also features an exclusive listener-only CD offer for Robert Lloyd Parry’s ‘Curious Creatures: The Shorter Horror of M.R. James‘ audiobook. Details at the end of the episode!
...more
58min

FAQs about A Podcast to the Curious - The M.R. James Podcast:

How many episodes does A Podcast to the Curious - The M.R. James Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 108 episodes available.

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