Two culture vultures pick over the plentiful remains of Stranger Things. I talked to Caleb Woodbridge who is an imaginative disciple, freelance writer and editor,  fan of sf/fantasy, children's & YA literature, Doctor Who, Tolkien & C S Lewis. He writes and podcasts at Bigger Inside.

We talk about Stranger Things but also JK Rowling; CS Lewis; Narnia; Harry Potter; Hunger Games, Video Games, Massive Effect, Baldur’s Gate – and why James doesn’t play video games and has a rant about American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Also we mention Indiana Jones, Stephen King, the cost of victory. And what on earth is Schroedinger’s Eucatastrophe?

We also mention Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch; Paul Cornell Hidden London; Lockwood and Co; The Pendragon Protocol Philip Purser-Hallard

Caleb’s Article about Tim Challies: https://www.equip.org/articles/choose-your-own-enchantment-freedom-and-conscience-in-what-we-watch/

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Last year, I wrote an article about home education for Gareth Crispin, editor of Premier NexGen:

https://www.premiernexgen.com/education/why-home-education-is-the-best-option-for-christian-families/20440.article

And we talked about it! Oh yes. We talked about it.

And here's Dumbing us Down by John Taylor Gatto

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Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

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In this New Year’s Day solo walk-and-talk, I reflect on what happens when long-running momentum finally runs out. Turning 50, finishing six years on the Archbishop's Council, and watching the comedy industry shift have forced me to face an uncomfortable question: have I been relying on professional habits while avoiding fully intentional choices? Prompted by Steven Pressfield’s Turning Pro, I think aloud about career, responsibility, making work that is actually “on,” faith, family, and what it might mean to “turn pro” again in 2026—this time with clarity, purpose and slightly more money.

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Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

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It's just like old times! Cary and Cooper are reunited for this review of the year in books. We revisit Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth, and James explains why there are a number of books he has some serious problems with (I'm looking at you, George RR Martin). Barry's read some Thomas Hardy. Seriously. Very seriously. And Cary does not care for The Way We Live Now by Trollope.

You can listen to an extended version of this episode by becoming a Loyal Lollard - a paid subscriber to The Wycliffe Papers.

Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show

Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group.

Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

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What a treat! James gets to geek about CS Lewis, That Hideous Strength and The Abolition of Man - with the world's leading expert on all things Inkling, Dr Michael Ward! Why should we NEVER call his science fiction books 'The Space Trilogy'? And is The Magician's Nephew actually going to be good? Enjoy!

Planet Narnia

After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man by Dr Michael Ward

Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy - featuring an essay by Dr Michael Ward

Further reading by Ward in First Things on Matrimony

The God Particle Streaming MP4

The Dignity of Dependence: A Feminist Manifesto (Catholic Ideas for a Secular World)

Peter Zeihan on demographics.

Norm MacDonald on Germany going to war with The World.

Clip from The Princess Bride by William Goldman

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Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group.

Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

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Is there a book in you? Have you checked? Do you need to be talked into it? Or out of it? And who cares? You care! But will anyone else? Matt Bird helps people write their story. So this is a conversation about the pain, euphoria, self-delusion, vanity and the therapeutic nature of writing a book.

Find out more about Matt Bird and PublishU HERE.

Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show

Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group.

Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

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What is Christmas? When does it start? And how long does it last? What is advent? So many questions! James Cary has a few answers in this solo episode with a bonus bit of The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer at the end.

Get hold of Word Made Flesh

Sitcom Geeks Ep208 What’s so special about the Christmas Special?

Popcorn parenting Christmas Movies episode

Christmas Carol read by Hugh Grant.

And here’s that unicorn:

https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84543/tapestry-unknown/

Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show

Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group.

Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

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There was a time when the BBC completely ruled the airwaves, both TV and Radio. What happened? Where did it go? Especially the comedy. And where did the BBC come from? In this episode, James talks to comedian, writer, author and presenter of the British Broadcasting Century podcast, Paul Kerensa.

 

Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show

Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group.

Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

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Stand-Up Theologian James Cary talks to James Sherwood, musical comedian (or comedic musician?). Together they've been writing a musical, although they could have sworn that they wrote one in 2017 (A Monk's Tale) and again in 2019 (A Turbulent Priest). Apparently not. James and James (you decide which is which) explain how they found out what a musical actually was, and then explain what a musical actually is.

Please support the Death in Canterbury campaign.

Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show

Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group.

Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

Or email me in gmail now you can see how to spell Wycliffe...

In this solo episode, I connect my long-running fascinations with comedy, World War II, and Indiana Jones — exploring why one scene in my favourite Indy film falls flat, why Armstrong and Miller’s RAF sketches are so funny (and a bit sad) and how The Producers got away with being in such poor taste. Timed around Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, it’s a reflection on humour, history, and why we’re so captivated by the wars that shaped the modern world - and that man at the heart of it. Am I talking about Jesus? Or that other guy?

The Age of Hitler and How We Will Survive It 

HUT 33 on Audible (affiliate link) 

Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show

Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group.

Find out about my touring show, God the Bible and Everything (in 60 minutes) and get in touch via my website.

If you’re serious about the Bible and church history and like jokes, I’d recommend subscribing to The Wycliffe Papers. It's free. But you can also support the podcast by coming a Paid Subscriber to the Wycliffe Papers, making you a Loyal Lollard. Could you consider that?

Or email me in gmail now you can see how to spell Wycliffe...