Grimm Reading

By Grimm ReadingSociety & Culture

Grimm Reading episodes

October 31 The Vampire (Halloween Special)
We're back with a new series, and kicking things off with a spooky seasonal special!
What is a vampire? Where do they come from? And how does the British poet Lord Byron figure in all this?
Find out as we get in the mood with the terrifying tale "The Vampire", taken from Alexander Afanasyev's Russian Fairy Tales.
After the story, we embark on a blood-curdling voyage through the history of vampires - from their murky origins, through to the Austro-Hungarian Great Vampire Epidemic, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Twilight.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other music: Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain // Edvard Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor, Op 16
1 hr 8 min
August 22 Series 8 Live Quiz
We finished another bonkers season of Grimm Tales, but who was paying attention?

Join us for our live quiz where listeners battle it out for prestigious prizes, and we reveal the first stories of Series 9 coming later this year...
You can watch the live quiz on YouTube via this link.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
49 min
July 09 LIVE QUIZ! Saturday 8th August 7 p.m. BST
We've had to have a last-minute change of date - join us on the 8th August for our series 8 quiz!
YouTube QUIZ LINK
Join via the above link or sign up in advance.
7 pm BST
8 pm CET
2 pm EDT
11 am PDT
3:30 am ACST
11:30 pm IST
4 min
June 28 Series 8 Wrap-Up (Story Scores + Jack And The Beanstalk Deleted Scene)
The eighth season of tales is done and dusted. But which story got the most points? And which was left lagging at the bottom?
We reveal the winners and losers of the series, hear what listeners have to say, and share an exclusive extra clip from Jack and the Beanstalk that didn't make the final cut - a deleted scene, if you will.
QUIZ! Saturday 11th July 7 pm (BST)
Link to the Series 8 Live Quiz so you can subscribe and join in the fun.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Dvořák's String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat Major // Dvořák's Humoresque
44 min
June 07 Jack And The Beanstalk
Fee fi fo fum, it’s time for a famous one... Join us as we read and review Jack And The Beanstalk.
When a strange old man sells Jack some magic beans, his angry mother throws them out the window and sends Jack to bed.
But the next morning, a giant beanstalk stretches up into the clouds. What will Jack find up there? Will it end well for Jacky boy and his mum? And how many beans make five?
Find out as we explore the origins of this endless iconic English fairy tale. Discover the historical roots of the tale, and the strange journey of the stock character Jack as he travelled the world.
Thank you so much for listening to another series. It’s been a blast.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Grieg's The Holberg Suite, V. Rigaudon, Oslo Camerata, Stephan Barratt-Due, conductor // Massenet's Toccata, performed by Jean Dube // 04 Schubert's Sonata in B Flat Major, D. 960 - IV. Allegro ma non troppo, performed by Paul Pittman
1 hr 8 min
May 24 The Old Man Made Young Again
From the origin of hominids to The Fountain of Youth, join us on a mad romp with the Grimms' story, 'The Old Man Made Young Again.'
When God shows off his skills to a blacksmith, the latter gets delusions of grandeur and tries to perform his own miracle - with predictably disastrous results. But just when he thought things couldn't get worse, his wife then suffers a peculiar and unexpected fate.
After the story, we explore the themes of hubris, life giving waters, time travel, and the origin of apes. Discover how an unlikely 16th-century conquistador sparked a legend and why Florida is the place to go if you're long in the tooth.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Mozart's Piano Sonata No.11 in A Major III Alla Turca, performed by Bernd Krueger

51 min
May 03 Semsi Mountain
An opportunistic onlooker robs a gang of their stolen loot. But when his brother demands to know where he got his riches, this new life of wealth starts to look precarious.
Will the gang discover the true thief? And will any escape alive? Find out as we read The Brothers Grimm’s Semsi Mountain.
After the story, we address the elephant in the room and dive straight in to a very famous similar story, the wonderful Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
Join our Patreon to hear our special episode on Ali Baba, or purchase a direct MP3 download here.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade, Op.35, The Kalendar Prince, performed by University of Chicago Orchestra // Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata Op. 27 No.2 - III. Presto performed by Paul Pitman
54 min
April 19 Sweet Porridge
How much porridge is too much porridge? Find out as we read the Brothers Grimm's tale 'Sweet Porridge'.
From Tom Cruise to giant Vikings, Great Flood myths to perpetual motion machines - this one is truly a wild ride.
We discuss Goethe, Disney, Bob Hoskins, Asbjørnsen and Moe, and much besides as we look at the many influences and obscure connections to this piece of narrative, folkloric fiction.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Chopin's Grande Valse Brillante, Opus 18 // Chopin's Fantaisie Impromptu, Op. 66.1 // Dvořák's String Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 97
48 min
April 05 The Lambkin And The Little Fish
Witches, siblings, memory games, and magic - join us as we read and review 'The Lambkin And The Little Fish' from The Grimms' Fairy Tales.

An evil stepmother turns two siblings into a lamb and a fish. When she orders her cook to slaughter the lamb sister, how can the fish brother save her? And will they ever regain their human form?

In this episode, we discuss the Grimms' obsession with sibling adventure tales and hear another version of this folk tale type from Ottoman Turkey. Finally, we pick the next batch of stories that will lead us to the end of Series 8.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Mendelssohn's Lieder ohne Wortev (performed by Benjamin Moser, piano) // Chopin's Valse No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 64, No. 1 ('Minute' Waltz)
42 min
March 22 The Duration Of Life
Four animals negotiate their time on Earth with God. Who will emerge with the most years? And is there a twist awaiting the victor? Join us as we read the Grimm fairy tale, “The Duration Of Life”.
After the story, we discuss ideas of ‘the stages of life’ and ‘the ages of mankind’ from throughout history. Plus, we hear from a grumpy Sphinx and Matt reads his first Shakespeare soliloquy in a desperate attempt to win an Olivier Award.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Johannes Brahms' Op. 81 performed by Musopen Symphony // Johannes Brahms' Hungraian Dance No. 3 - Allegretto in F Major performed by Luis Sarro // Johannes Brahms' Hungraian Dance No. 7 - Allegretto in F Major performed by Andreas Pfaul
51 min