ITV Tour de France commentator and general polymath Matt Rendell joins me to discuss some things that never make it into our live talk shows. Why is ITV like the social services? Did Matt really sell his house to finance one of his books (and, if so, why?) Was/is Marco Pantani Italy's Princess Diana? How come nobody knows the actual route of this y…

Check out Dice Company! Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Discord community! Bard Rock Network is …

Check out Magic Isn't Real at their website! Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Discord community! …

INTERSTITIAL 2E KICKSTARTER GOES LIVE FEBRUARY 22ND. Check out the campaign when it goes live here! Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what…

Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Check out Roll for You's Patreon, TikTok, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Discord…

Check out Agents of DAMNED here! Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Discord community! Bard Rock Ne…

Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Discord community! Bard Rock Network is affiliated with Many Wor…

Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! The "Dear Aboleth" segment submission form can be found here! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Di…

Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! The "Dear Aboleth" segment submission form can be found here! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Di…

Many thanks to our guest, Tess from Moon Harbor Heroes! Check out Nora Blake's itch.io page for a few of the extra supplemental materials mentioned in this episode! Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! The "Dear Aboleth" segment submission form can be found here! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is …

Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! The "Dear Aboleth" segment submission form can be found here! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Di…

Welcome to College of Whispers, the Actual Play Book Club! Follow our show on Twitter, Bluesky, and Instagram! Our show is part of Bard Rock Network, which is brought to you by Dragon Master Games and viewers like you via Patreon and Ko-Fi. Love what you're hearing? Join our network's Discord community! Bard Rock Network is affiliated with Many Wor…

Lesley-Ann Jones discusses The Stone Age, her biography of the self-styled greatest rock'n'roll band in the world. Lesley-Ann Jones interviewed hundreds of insiders and eye witnesses to create the biography. As a friend of Bill Wyman in the 80s, she was curious to investigate further the emotional chaos the band has left in its wake - as well as to…

Kevin Mulrennan has compiled a 700-page encyclopaedia of ITV's 60s pop show Thank Your Lucky Stars. He joins us to recall great lost moments of the Beatles - as well as the stars who burned brightly but briefly.By Radio Days Events

Baxter Dury joined us at a live event in Chiswick, to discuss his new memoir, Chaise Longue. Now an acclaimed musician in his own right, Baxter recalls a seemingly chaotic 70s and 80s childhood, growing up as the son of pop star and national treasure Ian Dury. Baxter's tales of avoiding school and seeking instead a demi-monde of Dickensian characte…

Nick Lowe and Will Birch joined me at a live event at the Seven Dials Club to discuss Cruel to be Kind, Will's biography of Nick. Nick reflects on dealings with Paul McCartney, Johnny Cash, Elvis Costello and, well, Peters and Lee, why 1962 was the most important year in pop and how he hit upon the style used in his acclaimed late-career albums, Wi…

Alex Kemp discusses his book Here is Greece, the story of a five-year tour, taking in rebel music bars in Athens, octogenarian shepherds in the far-flung outposts and a world of chance and bizarre encounters along the way. For more info on the book (and a free sample): https://worldofkemp.wordpress.com/portfolio/here-is-greece/ Alex's Greek music p…

BAFTA-winning actor, comedian and impressionist Julian Dutton was born and raised on a houseboat, moored on the Thames at Chelsea. In a Saturday morning tour de force of social history and showbiz tales, Julian discusses Water Gypsies, his new book on the history of Britain's river-dwellers, from the hardmen of canalmania to post-War bohemians - an…

Behind the UK's 50s and 60s rock and pop revolution was a group of gay impresarios, many of whom were good friends; from Larry Parnes (who mentored Billy Fury and Tommy Steele) to Brian Epstein, who made the Beatles the biggest group in the world, to Joe Meek, who made No 1 records in his house. Author Darryl Bullock takes us into their backstage w…

An edited version of our summer Zoomcast with Emily Chappell. Emily is the author of the acclaimed What Goes Around (about life as a London bike courier) and Where There's a Will (about her 4000km unassisted ride across Europe in the Transcontinental cycle race). What Goes Around shows a new side to familiar city life, taking us inside the couriers…

When France won the World Cup in 1998, it was meant to be the start of a golden age for the team and the country; and the success of the multi-racial squad did, briefly, unite the country. But the 20 years between that victory and the 2018 triumph showed that France needed more than football to bring it together… British journalist and broadcaster …

Tom Benjamin's debut novel 'A Quiet Death in Italy" was published this summer to acclaim from the Daily Mail, the Morning Star and all points between. It's a murder mystery, following ex-pat English detective Daniel Leicester as he descends into the Bologna underworld to investigate the death of a 1970s radical. Tom worked at Scotland Yard before e…

In this wittily titled episode we're talking about Rockstars, mostly those created by Nalini Singh in her Rock Kiss series, that started with Rock Addiction and the enigmatic Zack Fox...so join us on this wild ride with Schoolboy Choir.Also, this is our last episode until late October. We have decided to take a brief hiatus, work on the schedules f…

Comedian Ian Stone tells us how grim growing up in Britain could be in the 1970s - and how hearing The Jam for the first time changed his life. In a highly entertaining interview, Ian also discusses other memorable gigs of his youth, including The Clash, Sham 69 and Dexy's Midnight Runners. Ian's memoir, 'To Be Someone' is published by Unbound.…

No, it's not another episode dedicated to Clueless. This time we're looking at the second book in the Torpedo Ink Series from Christine Feehan, Vengeance Road. This isn't your usual happy-go-lucky romance, it's dark, gritty and apparently (?) has some, blink and you'll miss it, supernatural elements too!…

For six years, Scott Innes has been writing the Galactic Keegan Twitter account, imagining a dystopian future in which the England football legend Kevin Keegan is running a football academy in outer space. Now, Scott has written Galactic Keegan, the novel, a mix of sci-fi adventure and pin-sharp football jokes. Scott now gets mistaken for Keegan re…

This week it's general talk about everything we've been up to over the last few weeks; books, tv, movies, life! Just two friends sitting around and having a catch-up!By Raye and Sally

In the last episode of our Steamy Summer we share our thoughts on 'Not a Hero' by Cherise Sinclair.By Raye and Sally

So, what did we think about our first ever Lisa Kleypas book? In the first episode of our Steamy June, we looked at Secrets of a Summer Night, the first in the Wallflowers series.By Raye and Sally

A Room with a View by EM Forster is a wonderful, though not quite traditional, love story. The film is stunning, the scenery in it beautiful and the characters delightful and horrible in equal measure.By Raye and Sally

Emma (1996), a fantastic movie adaptation of the Jane Austen novel. Great cast (hello 1990s Jeremy Northam), and a delight to the eyes. Come with us as we talk about this, and other things...By Raye and Sally

Clueless...it could be argued (we won't) that it's the best modern adaptation of a Jane Austen novel! So, here it is...the episode you may, or. may not, have been waiting for...we present to you, our review of Clueless!By Raye and Sally

The longtime Cycling Correspondent of The Guardian newspaper, launch editor of Procycling magazine and author of biographies of Tom Simpson, Eddy Merckx and Fausto Coppi discusses his life as a cycling writer (and fan) , including his most recent works, 'Sunday in Hell: Behind the Lens of the Greatest Cycling Film of All Time' and 'The Greatest: Th…

We explore one of the biggest sports stories of the last 30 years: how did British cyclists come from nowhere to dominate their sport so completely, on both track and road? Author Kenny Pryde claims that, between its Olympic and Tour de France successes, Team GB/Team Sky have been the most successful team in the history of sport. How did that happe…

He gives up running away when their safety is in question, but is the vase really worth him giving up his virtue, and is Amy Malory really as knowledgeable as she seems?By Raye and Sally

We're all stuck in isolation right now, whether for our own health or to protect our elderly and vulnerable loved ones. Whatever the reason, we thought we'd talk about some things we're going to be reading/watching while we're at home...join us and take some notes!By Raye and Sally

Let's hear it for the boy...a 1980s love letter.By Raye and Sally

This week we're looking at an oldie but a goodie in the world of regency/historical romance. We're delving into the world of pirates, mistaken identities and the very old 'reformed rakes' trope. Yes, we're taking a trip down memory lane and reading Gentle Rogue by the much-missed Johanna Lindsey. Released in 1990, this is the third book in her very…

"It was the summer of 1963 [...] and I didn't think I'd ever find a guy as great as my dad."This week we're all about movies of the 80s, well, one in particular. It's the movie many a teenage girl swooned over in the summer of 1987. Did it set unreasonable expectations?What is it about Dirty Dancing that made it so successful? Was it all about Baby…

For our first book of 2020 we read Only His by Elizabeth Lowell. It's the first in a series based in the west after the American Civil War...So, what did we think of this book? Did we like it? Would we put it on the 'recommendations' shelf? Listen to hear what we had to say - we promise we're wittier than this appears to be!…

As you may (or may not) know, Sally is a HUGE fan of Star Wars. So at the end of last year she went and saw The Rise of Skywalker...not once, not twice, but three times! Here are her thoughts. Unedited, unscripted and definitely uncensored. Oh, and romance plays a big part too...So settle in for something of a rough ride!…

In our last episode of this decade, we take a chance to look at the first book in the Argeneau series (vampire novels) by Lynsay Sands, say thank you to all our listeners for going through our first year with us, and talk about the general stuff in life.So farewell 2019, and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2020 to all our listeners.…

This week we're all getting ready for the festive season, so we thought it only appropriate to talk about two of our favourite winter movies. While You Were Sleeping and The Holiday. We talk about why we love them what is romantic about them and hopefully will encourage you to watch if you haven't already seen. We'd also like to take this opportuni…

This week we picked up another book by Catherine Coulter. If you listened to episode 27 you will remember we said that Coulter is a good writer, her characters are well created, the story progressed well (though there were a few bits that were unnecessary) and overall, we enjoyed the book. This week we looked at a later book by the same author, Nig…

RNRBC58 - Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius by Rakim by Rock And Roll Book ClubBy Rock And Roll Book Club

This week it's all about writing. With it being November we felt it only appropriate to talk about our own experiences, especially as Raye has been daft enough to sign up for NaNo again! Of course, writing isn't all fun and games, as anyone who has desperately been cursing their vanishing muse will be well aware...So, how do you do it?…

RNRBC57 - Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin by David Ritz by Rock And Roll Book ClubBy Rock And Roll Book Club

There are few things better for a romance reader than a well-written regency, and Coulter definitely gives us that.The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter is a wonderful introduction to a regency series about a strong family, with the tale of straight-laced and sensible Douglas and his rebellious young bride, Alexandra.Oh, and we found our mojo, …

RNRBC56 - A Dream About Lightning Bugs: A Life of Music and Cheap Lessons by Ben Folds by Rock And Roll Book ClubBy Rock And Roll Book Club

It's a special episode this week, in aid of #InternationalPodcastDay (Mon 30/9).Yes, we're looking at the classic Pride & Prejudice again, but this time we're off to the movies. Raye looks at one of her favourites, Bollywood's Bride and Prejudice, while Sally takes on the more traditional 2005 Kiera Knightley version. So, what did we think? And who…