The Hatchards Podcast has always been about hard graft.

In this episode, resident workaholics Ryan Edgington and Matt Hennessey discuss the life & times of two other (arguably less celebrated) grafters, Charles Dickens and Prince, alongside our special guest, the bestselling novelist and screenwriter, Nick Hornby.

Hornby’s excellent new book – Dickens & Prince: A Particular Kind of Genius – uses the example of these two giants to explore the nature of creativity and asks what drove them both to such extremes of productivity. How, exactly, did they get so much done? Is this drive innate or manufactured by experience? Is it better to be perfect or prolific? And is there ever such a thing as ‘wasted talent’?

We also asked Nick about his own creative process; the importance of pop culture (especially music) in his work; whether there is a modern equivalent of “the pram in the hall” distracting artists from their toil; and the likelihood of there ever being a Fever Pitch 2.