This episode of Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters is devoted to fashion – past and present – inspired by the film Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris. The conversation covers luxury fashion and couture as a global phenomenon influenced by contemporary concerns about sustainability of people and planet, as well as how clothes help us recall special memories and can represent life changing adventures.

Our guest is SHAZIA SALEEM, designer and cofounder of Pop London Boutique with her sister Menissa. Shazia is regarded as an expert in ethical and sustainable fashion. She has represented the UK on international design projects and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio.  Shazia is also a participant in the bonus podcast “Brideshead Re-Revisited.” 

Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris is based on the 1958 novella of the same name by Paul Gallico. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris is the enchanting tale of a seemingly ordinary British housekeeper named Ada Harris, played by Lesley Manville, whose dream is to own a couture Christian Dior gown. The dream takes Mrs. Harris on an extraordinary adventure to Paris and the exclusive House of Dior.

The film was released in July 2022 and is directed by Anthony Fabian (Skin, Good Hope), with script by Fabian, Carroll Cartwright, Keith Thompson, and Olivia Hetreed.

TIME STAMPS

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In each episode of Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters we wrap up our conversations with guests where we ask our LIGHTNING ROUND questions related to the podcast themes.

One of the questions is “If you could travel back in time, where would you go and why?”

We picked 5 guest responses to our time travel question from the 18 past podcasts for this BONUS episode.

In addition to our Boston Sisters answers to the time travel question, we have recorded answers from

TIME STAMPS

General Intro 0:08

Episode Intro 0:46

Time Travel segments

1:50 MICHON & TAQUIENA BOSTON (episode 1)

5:36 Intro to Guests and Time Travel questions 

6:17 JANET CAM  episode 12)

7:59 CRYSTAL CLARKE (episode 11)

9:25 SHARON D. JOHNSON, PH.D. (episode 13)

13:07 PSALMAYENE 24 (featured in episode 7)

14:45 REV DR. ROB HARDIES (episode 18)

Episode Outro 16:07

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BRIDESHEAD REVISITED was the DOWNTON ABBEY of its time. The miniseries premiered in the UK in 1981 and the U.S. in 1982 on PBS “Great Performances.”

This bonus podcast, “Brideshead [Re] Revisited,” features the recording from a Clubhouse conversation on January 21, 2022 where friends gathered to talk about Brideshead Revisited and why it resonates 40 years later. In the recording you’ll hear:

Note: audio levels may vary.

Based on the 1945 novel by Evelyn Waugh, BRIDESHEAD REVISITED spans from the 1920s to the 1940s centering on the romantic attraction of Charles Ryder (Jeremy Irons) to the wealthy Anglo Catholic yet self-destructive Flyte family. Charles is seduced by the family’s charm through a close friendship with the 2nd son, Sebastian Flyte (Anthony Andrews), when Charles and Sebastian are both students at Oxford University.

Timestamps:

0:53 "Brideshead" 40th Anniversary

3:53 "Brideshead" U.S. premiere

5:31 "Brideshead" theme music by composer Geoffrey Burgon

7:22 (Historical) Wine Tasting in "Brideshead"

11:05 (Janet Cam's) Virtual Wine Tastings during Lock Down

14:40 Strawberries and Wine Pairings

17:11 "Brideshead" in the U.K.

20:11 Evelyn Waugh, "Brideshead" author

20:22 Oxford (University) Culture

23:17 "Brideshead" fashion

26:18 "Brideshead" Themes: Religion, Friendship,Coming of Age

35:55 Religion in "Brideshead"

40:36 Favorite Characters (Lord Marchmain's mistress Cara, Anthony “Antoine” Blanche, Flyte siblings Sebastian and Cordelia)

43:37 Dangerous Charm of the Flyte Family

49:32 Meeting "Brideshead" Actor Charles Keating (Rex Mottram)

51:53 "Brideshead" Factoids

Brideshead Revisited (miniseries) is currently available on Britbox, Amazon (subject to change)

Created by Russell Lewis, ENDEAVOUR is the prequel to the INSPECTOR MORSE television series inspired by characters in Colin Dexter’s detective novels. In season 8, the year is 1971. We see the impact of events from season 7 where Endeavour Morse (Shaun Evans) suffered a major loss that sets off a grieving process triggering self-doubt, alcohol abuse, and a cynic’s perspective that puts him at odds with his mentor, Fred Thursday.

In this podcast we talk with preacher, teacher, counselor and activist REV. DR. ROB HARDIES about the challenges of becoming an adult through Endeavour Morse's experiences with:

• His mentor/mentee relationship with DCI Fred Thursday (Roger Allam)
• Grief, loss, and self-doubt
• Balancing justice and compassion

The 3-episode season 8 premiered on PBS MASTERPIECE Mystery! June 19, 2022. More information including streaming sources are available on the podcast webpage. 

TIME STAMPS

:52 -- ENDEAVOUR series background

2:24 -- Rev. Dr. Rob Hardies Intro

3:18 -- ENDEAVOUR Series 8 (Adulting, Loss, Grief, Self-Doubt)

8:02 -- Adulting 1971 and Today

12:29 -- Series 8/Episode 1- “Striker” - Endeavour is tasked with guarding the life of a beloved football team's star striker.

13:24 -- Mentor Relationship: Endeavor Morse and DCI Fred Thursday

16:27 -- Episode 3 (“Termius”) Endeavor Morse transitions from idealist to snob

19:35 -- Pathways Through Grief & Loss (Isolation & Connection)

23:39 -- Detective Chief Inspector Thursday as Mentor and Father Figure

28:59 -- Endeavor as Name and Character

30:40 -- Three [male] expressions of grief: Morse, Thursday, and Chief Inspector Bright

36:21 -- Trauma and Moral Injury

37:30 Music Break

38:02 -- Law Enforcement Past & Present

43:38 -- Questions of Right & Wrong/Justice & Compassion

49:44 Endeavor Theme song/soundtrack -- Music as a storyteller in ENDEAVOUR and INSPECTOR MORSE series

52:54 -- Lightning Round with Rev. Dr. Rob Hardies

• 53:10 -- Where would you travel back in time? If you could travel back in time, where would you take yourself and why?
• 53:56 -- Fictional Character - If you could be a fictional character in an historical film or series, who would you be?
• 55:36 -- Time Capsule - What 3 items would you include in a time capsule that represents the times you’ve lived through?
• 57:39 -- Historical Drama -- Window to the Past/Mirror of the Present?

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The award-winning K-drama MR. SUNSHINE was released in 2018 and became the 6th highest ranking drama in South Korean cable history, and is still trending on Netflix in the United States and around the globe.

K-Drama blogger KAT TURNER shares some insights on MR. SUNSHINE and today’s K-Drama phenomenon in episode 17 of the Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters podcast.

EP. 17 Timestamps

1:26 MR. SUNSHINE Series Recap

3:49 Kat Turner, K-Drama blogger introduction

5:38 Kat's introduction to K-Drama

9:59 Asian Representation

12:24 KDramatics Club/Clubhouse

13:03 MR. SUNSHINE Conversation

20:31 K-Drama Storytelling and Character Development

29:06 Break (MUSIC)

29:31 Identification and Representation

30:31 K-Drama Acting Ensemble

35:27 Lee Byung-hun (Choi Yu-jin/Eugene Choi)

37:33 Lee Byung-hun American acting experience

39:16 (Revealing) Pre-1950s U.S. and Korean History

46:25 Social Hierarchy in K-Drama

53:21 K-Drama Romance & Love Triangle in MR. SUNSHINE

1:03:26 Lightning Round

Subscribe to the podcast newsletter for updates, bonus content and activities related to the podcast and historical drama. Visit our webpage for MR. SUNSHINE for more information about what's discussed in this podcast and previous podcast episodes.

When a murder occurs of an American tycoon on the luxurious Orient Express train on which he’s traveling, detective Hercule Poirot is recruited to solve the case. But does solving the murder really close the case, especially for Poirot’s conscience? It’s been said that murder mysteries satisfy our need to feel that there is justice in the world and a moral order, which is expressed in the character of Agatha Christie’s genius detective Hercule Poirot.

In episode 16 we talk about three film/tv movie adaptations and themes of Agatha Christie’s 1934 novel MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS:

Spoiler Alert: Some of the suspects and conclusions are revealed.

Time Stamps

:58 Intro to Episode

3:35 MOTOE film recap

6:40 Crime Novels -- Psychological Truth and Moral Ambiguity

8:40 Agatha Christie Novel -- fact informs fiction (Christie, Lindberg Baby Kidnapping, Orient Express)

12:55 Morality, Conscience and Justice

14:33 1974 Revenge Story (Albert Finney/Sidney Lumet) version

21:09 Setting and costume

22:43 Albert Finney monologue

26:56 2010 Moral Ambiguity in Poirot (David Suchet/Philip Martin) version

32:33 2017 Broken Lives and Wounded Souls (Kenneth Branagh) version

49:26 Wrap up

50:40 Let Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters Know Your Thoughts

More information about Agatha Christie and her characters are available on the official Agatha Christie website.

Visit our MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS webpage for this podcast with a list of the full cast and links to additional resources.

Subscribe to the podcast newsletter for updates, bonus content and activities related to the podcast and historical drama.

In part 2 (Episode 15) of our BRIDGERTON deep dive, Cornell University history professor Durba Ghosh (author of Sex and the Family in Colonial India: The Making of Empire) and The Boston Sisters look at the questions:

• Where does the Bridgerton family's wealth come from? 


• How does money influence the Sharmas's choices in marriage?


• What is the role of colonial capitalism in the fortunes of Bridgerton's Regency?


Plus our RECAP of Bridgerton Season 2 at the top (Spoiler alert if you haven't watched the series)

And finally our️ LIGHTNING ROUND ️with Durba Ghosh

Shondaland's Bridgerton (Netflix) presents a Regency Britain where people of diverse colors, races, and cultural backgrounds meet and mate through choreographed matchmaking in grand ballrooms and frolicking country estates of "the ton." 

Time Stamps (approx.):

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Shondaland's BRIDGERTON (Netflix), inspired by Julia Quinn’s novels, presents a Regency Britain where people of diverse colors, races, and cultural backgrounds meet and mate through choreographed matchmaking in grand ballrooms and frolicking country estates of "the ton." In this 2-part podcast DURBA GHOSH, Cornell professor of history and author of “Sex and Family in Colonial India: The Making of Empire,” talks with The Boston Sisters about how the entrance of the Sharma Family, an Indian family from Bombay, into the ton's marriage season brings South Asian words, rituals, costuming elements, and Bollywood into the "What If" world of BRIDGERTON (Season 2).

Episode 14 (part 1) looks at casting and culture in Season 2 of the series. Professor Ghosh gives cultural insights into South Asian audiences' reception of Indian characters in Bridgerton, particularly casting darker-skinned women as Kate Sharma (Ashley Simpson) and Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandron), and speculates on how these casting choices could influence Indian film and television narratives.

Time Stamps

1:31 Professor Ghosh/speaker background

06:06 East India Company History

9:32 Bridgerton, Sharma Family, and British Colonial History

14:06 Marriage Plot (Bridgerton, Regency Fantasy and Historical Accuracy)

19:37 Bracelets Motif -- Indian Rituals and Cultural References in Bridgerton

28:06 Significance of Casting Dark-skinned Actresses as Sharmas

33:17 Music break point

34:52 U.S. and India Relations (and Globalization)

37:48 Globalization in Bridgerton

39:58 Love, Marriage and Social Status

46:42 Kate Sharma -- competitive woman

50:33 Bridgerton's Impact on Bombay Filmmaking

55:31 Preview: Episode 15/Part 2 BRIDGERTON 2 and the Sharmas

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Part 2/2 of our SANDITON “deep dive” features a conversation with SHARON D. JOHNSON, Ph.D. script and story consultant to PBS MASTERPIECE. Dr. Johnson describes how her experiences as cultural historian, screenwriter, and academic with background in depth psychology contributes to bringing authenticity to the presence and stories of Georgiana Lambe (Sanditon) and other people of color in historical drama. The podcast explores:

1. Racial representation and authenticity in historical drama

2. Facing uncomfortable truths in period adaptations

3. The collaborative process of inclusive storytelling

AUDIO NOTE: There are some audio blips on the guest speaker’s track due to a weak WiFi connection. There’s also soft jingling sounds (jewelry). There’s still much of our fascinating conversation with Dr. Johnson included in the podcast for the enjoyment of our listeners.

TIME STAMPS:

:58 Recap of SANDITON Seasons 1 and 2

2:30 Sharon Johnson, Ph.D. bio

3:52 MASTERPIECE -- combining literature, film, depth psychology culture, race

5:34 Diversity and Representation in MASTERPIECE (historical drama)

6:46 Georgiana Lambe (and the Slave Trade) -- Keeping the Story Honest

8:11 Cowrie Shells, Sons of Africa, Abolition (Cultural Authenticity)

12:00 Psychology and Storytelling

12:48 Diversity and Uncomfortable Truths

15:42 Jane Austen, Abolitionism, and Georgiana Lambe

19:35 Sugar Boycott

21:23 Impact and Authenticity (Working with MASTERPIECE executive producer Susanne Simpson)

25:14 Black Women's Hair and Historical Drama

28:00 Music

28:34 Regency England, Race, Womanhood, Wealth and Society

33:50 Sugar Boycott and Sons of Africa

44:03 Lightning Round

Part 1/2 of our PBS MASTERPIECE Sanditon “deep dive” features a conversation with actress Crystal Clarke who portrays Georgiana Lambe in the series. More information and podcast link available here.

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SUPPORT this podcast ⁠ SHOP THE PODCAST⁠ on our affiliate bookstore

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Thank you for listening!

HBO Max's Julia is inspired by Julia Child's extraordinary life and her long running public television series, The French Chef, which pioneered the modern cooking show.

In this podcast, The Boston Sisters (Michon and Taquiena) riff on impressions of the HBO Max series and Julia Child's impact on American cooks, public television, and our own palates with restaurant consultant and wine expert, Janet Cam (a co-founder of Le Pavillon, the first nouvelle cuisine restaurant in America). This podcast explores food, culture, and identity as examples of the "joie de vivre" that Julia Child inspired through her cooking shows and cook books as well as how her life demonstrates that it's never too late to become who you are meant to be.

1:10  Episode Introduction (Julia description)

3:44   Introducing Janet Cam

5:00   First Impressions of Julia, HBO Max Series

9:56   Personal Julie Child Stories

26:25  What Julia Teaches About Persevering

34:08  Coq Au Vin and Classical French Cooking (Or Coq Au Vin and Julia's French Cooking Influences)

46:45  Julia's Passion and Reinvention (Or Julia Child on Being Relevant)

54:14  Julia Succeeding in a Man's World

1:00:54 Sharing Food and Joie de Vivre

1:09:20 Lightning Round Questions

Sign up for The Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters mailing list to stay up-to-date on future podcasts, recommended resources to dive deeper, bonus episodes, and live events (plans are underway).