Behind The Spine

Statistics have always been an area of intrigue for us all, but most people have no more than a passing interest - we enjoy the newspaper top lines, but that’s about it. The pandemic has changed that. We now sit on tenterhooks awaiting the next wave of stats to be released by the government, to help us get a better sense of this tumultuous situation. Today’s guest is Tim Harford, aka the Undercover Economist, and he’s recently released a book under the title ‘How To Make The World Add Up’ in the UK, and ‘The Data Detective’ in the US. He explores the important role statistics plays in informing our view of the world, and why people need to think wisely about the type of data they trust and give their time to. In this episode we discover the importance of cultivating curiosity in your writing, we learn why it’s ok for your characters to do something out of character, and we find out why you should avoid leaving distracting plot points in your stories. Behind The Spine is the audio accompaniment to The Writing Salon - you can sign up to the newsletter here.

Comic books have spawned some of the most beloved and memorable characters in history. They’ve graduated from a niche offering to the catalyst for movie franchises that have dominated the globe, and through events like Comic-Con, they’ve ignited a childlike passion for stories in all of us. Today’s guest is Kev F Sutherland who has written for the likes of The Dandy, Beano, Marvel and Viz. In this episode he explains how just about anyone can draw a comic, explores the “page-turn” and other interesting mechanisms at a comic book writer’s disposal, and highlights why you should never underestimate the power of simplicity. Find out more about Kev on his website. Behind The Spine is the audio accompaniment to The Writing Salon - you can sign up to the newsletter here.

Death is not the end. Our dead continue to tell stories to those who will listen. For some, their stories are shrouded in mystery, particularly those who met gruesome and unexpected ends. And that’s where forensics picks up to fill in the gaps. Professor Dame Sue Black is a forensic anthropologist, and is able to uncover the missing pieces of a life from even the most disfigured human remains. In this episode she examines her unique approach to death and dying, moulded by her grandmother whose “best friend was death”. She delves into her time examining the bodies of those who died during the 1998 war in Kosovo, explains how there’s no room for bias when telling the stories of the dead, and stresses the importance of writing expertly and informatively about forensics. Behind The Spine is the audio accompaniment to The Writing Salon - you can sign up to the newsletter here.

Our enjoyment of an event is heightened simply by sharing it with others. It’s the reason we love gigs, cinemas, theatres - you name it! Indeed, our love of shared experiences is what brings five million visitors a year to London’s Southbank Centre. The centre comprises three main performance venues, the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room. Sadly recent global events have put a pause on its programme of music, dance and literature. Elaine Bedell, CEO of the Southbank Centre, tells us how it’s coping in the midst of lockdown and the pandemic. She brings us an insight into how the centre’s offering has changed to cater for an online audience, and how the move to digital has actually increased its audience. In this episode, learn how the emotional attachments we hold for places change with time and circumstance, find out why it’s important to establish a community around your work, and discover why we should never say “but we’ve always done it this way”. Also in the episode we shout out Paul Kerensa’s podcast ‘The British Broadcasting Century’ - listen here.

As the world awaits the ground-shaking battle between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury, we peer beyond the hype and bright lights of boxing. With top class boxers sometimes stepping in the ring only twice a year, this episode explores the hard-work that’s done behind the scenes to achieve greatness. World class commentator Mike Costello has been broadcasting live boxing commentary for BBC radio since 2005. He brings us a glimpse of what it’s been like to have had a front row seat to some of the most epic fights of all time. Describing his work as “painting the pictures”, Mike explores how the pandemic has impacted the sport - how without the roar of the crowd, all that remains is raw emotion. Learn to appreciate the drama of a journey and discover how to get to the heart of an audience.

Whether it’s through film, television or books, stories guide and influence us. But the most important tale is often the most overlooked - the story of our own life. For people living with dementia, their past life may be the only story they remember, or can even engage with. And that’s where Jorg Roth and his team at ‘My Life Films’ comes in. Jorg founded the charity to use the art of storytelling to improve the lives of people with dementia. Through a combination of archive footage and interviews with family and friends, patients are able to relive and find comfort in their fondest memories. In this episode we flip the narrative on dementia and its stereotypes, we discover how to piece together the story of a person’s life, and through the charity’s “Netflix style” TV venture, ‘My Life TV’, we learn of the beauty that can be found in stillness. If you’d like to get in touch with the ‘My Life Films’ team, email [email protected] or [email protected].

Paramount Pictures is a goliath, a company that is instantly recognisable to movie watchers around the world, and its archives are chock full of some of humanity’s best-loved moments. American Zoetrope is an equally mammoth operation, founded by Frances Ford Coppola and George Lucas. Our guests today are Andrea Kalas, vice president of archives at Paramount, and James Mockoski, archivist at Zoetrope. They discuss the process that goes into reinterpreting and remastering epics from the past, primarily focussing on Coppola’s ‘final cut’ version of Apocalypse Now and the newly reversioned ‘The Godfather III’, now ‘The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone’. They explain how archivists help to reimagine a story whilst paying respects to the original works, and how new technology is able to make us fall back in love with a film all over again. In this episode, discover the value of revisiting stories from the past, explore the notion that a story has never finished being told, and find out why it’s important to plan for the future by never throwing any of your work away.

Our global interconnectedness has given new strength to conspiracy theories. And that’s never been more clear than during the pandemic, as swathes of people have been able to come together digitally in their joint doubt of the true origin of covid-19, the motives of the world's governments, and even the virus’s very existence. But why do people become obsessed with believing surreal fantasies when the truth is right there in front of them? Where do these stories come from, and how are conspiracy theorists created? Today’s guest is Professor Sir Richard J. Evans, author of The Hitler Conspiracies. In this episode he explores the many myths surrounding the death of Hitler, which have even outlived the man himself. He also explains what’s going on in the minds of conspiracy theorists, why we should take care when writing stories based on real events, and how content creators might be inadvertently helping to perpetuate these myths.

Whether or not you have a passion for the high-octane drama of a professional road race, for most of us cycling is part of the narrative of our lives - a childhood rite of passage. Whilst lockdown presented unique challenges for the sport of cycling, it has also created a surge in interest among hobbyists. But it’s amid the drama of the peloton where we find our guest today. Author and journalist Daniel Friebe has been covering the sport’s blue riband event The Tour de France for nearly 20 years. In this episode he sheds light on the “theatre and pantomime” of cycling, its unique ability to turn locations into characters, and how the peloton at times feels like the House of Commons. Daniel also flips many of our past lessons upside down, by changing our perspective on the role of the minor character, and explaining why expertise and knowledge isn’t always a good thing.

We no longer have to sit passively as we journey through our screens into other worlds. Artificial intelligence is creating truly immersive stories, capable of generating completely personalised entertainment experiences. Guy Gadney, CEO of Charisma.ai, explores his company’s revolutionary technology, and explains why it’s so much more than Bandersnatch 2.0. From interactive graphic novels to virtual theme parks, hear about the tech that’s bridging the gap between human creativity and AI, discover the challenge of creating believable characters who can respond to your every question, and find out how you can use your skills as a writer to create a world that’s different for every person who explores it.