Launching Taste East Devon with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Others
Release Date: 07/19/2021
Battlegore and Bronze: A Million Words of West Country War and Peace
Adventures in Journalism
Battlegore and Bronze: A Million Words of West Country War and Peace In this episode, Martin Hesp reflects on a staggering career milestone: 26 years of weekly 900-word columns for the Western Morning News and Western Daily Press. With over 1.17 million words written for his Saturday readers, Martin explores the responsibility of being the "eyes and ears" of the region since 1999. Digging into his personal archives, Martin connects the modern anxieties of global conflict with his childhood in West Somerset—a landscape literally built on "Battlegore." From the silent, trauma-worn teachers of...
info_outline
How a West Country Newsroom Inspired a Modern-Day Sherlock & Watson
Adventures in Journalism
In this episode of Adventures in Journalism, Martin Hesp takes us behind the lens of his latest novel, The Cornish Snapper: The Granite Mystery. Can a non-police sleuth still exist in the modern age of forensics and cordoned-off crime scenes? Martin argues they can—if they’re carrying a press pass and a digital camera. He discusses the "brainwave" that turned a seasoned, world-weary reporter into the Dr. Watson for a sharp-witted, tech-savvy press photographer's Sherlock Holmes. Highlights include: The 2002 Debate: How a BBC Radio 4 discussion on the "death of crime fiction" challenged...
info_outline
75 Years of Hospitality with Kit Chapman
Adventures in Journalism
Step inside the historic walls of Taunton’s Castle Hotel in this episode of Adventures in Journalism. Host Martin Hesp sits down with legendary proprietor Kit Chapman to celebrate the 75th anniversary of his family’s stewardship of this Somerset landmark. Kit shares candid stories from the hotel’s "black and white movie" past, including his father’s 1950s restoration, the hotel’s transformation into a Michelin-starred culinary destination, and humorous encounters with the likes of Henry Blofeld and Keith Floyd. We explore how the Castle has remained a permanent fixture in a changing...
info_outline
Remembering The Napoli
Adventures in Journalism
In this episode of Adventures in Journalism, veteran journalist Martin Hesp reflects on one of the most remarkable scenes of his career—the wreck of the MSC Napoli off the coast of Branscombe. Exactly 18 years after the ill-fated container ship came to grief on the Jurassic Coast, Martin pulls from his personal audio archives to revisit the chaos and curiosity that followed. Join Martin as he shares original field recordings from the shingle beach, where hundreds of people gathered to witness (and sometimes scavenge) an extraordinary array of cargo—from BMW motorcycles and wine barrels to...
info_outline
Kingsbury Episcopi: A Deep Dive into Somerset Heritage
Adventures in Journalism
In this feature-length episode of Adventures in Journalism, Martin Hesp visits the historic village of Kingsbury Episcopi. To coincide with this week’s "Hesp Out West" column in the Western Morning News and Western Daily Press, we go behind the scenes to meet the people who define this unique corner of the Somerset Levels. In this episode: [00:00] Intro: The view from One Tree Hill and the "Adventures Out West" sting. [05:15] The Cider Heritage: A visit with Julian Temperley among the oak barrels of the Somerset Cider Brandy Company. [18:40] Village Life: Conversations with the...
info_outline
The Return of Adventures in Journalism
Adventures in Journalism
A quick explanation about why I am bringing Adventures in Journalism back to life. It's bascially because I am busy belting about the place seeing interesting things, visiting beautiful places, and meeting fascinating people.
info_outline
New Year's Thinking While Pondering Warm and Sunny Places
Adventures in Journalism
Now 2026 has arrived, I've decided to restart my podcast series - firstly with some thoughts on warm and sunny places, seeing the weather has been so bad here in the UK. This first episode visits some out of the way places in the Algarve and talks to a guide who will take visitors to some pretty magical locations down there in Southern Portugal. We also visit Puglia, where we talk to a farmer who has been nurturing some of the oldest olive trees in the world. Some of them were ancient when Jesus Christ was born!
info_outline
Celebrating English Wine Week
Adventures in Journalism
We set out to celebrate English Wine Week by visiting the Huxbear Vineyard in South Devon in the company of and the wine writer Stephen Barrett
info_outline
Mary Quicke, farmer and cheesemaker
Adventures in Journalism
We spend a morning touring the amazing Quicke estate in central Devon with Mary Quicke, the forward -thinking woman who makes some of the best cheddar cheese in the world
info_outline
Launching Taste East Devon with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Others
Adventures in Journalism
Recorded at the launch of Taste East Devon, Martin Hesp talks to the movers and shakers behind a new group set up to promote the food and drink of one of the most beautiful and fertile areas of the UK - interviewees include Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, chef Michael Caines and many others
info_outlineRecorded at the launch of Taste East Devon, Martin Hesp talks to the movers and shakers behind a new group set up to promote the food and drink of one of the most beautiful and fertile areas of the UK - interviewees include Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, chef Michael Caines and many others