56 - Reginald Hill
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when a late-twentieth-century detective novelist develops strong opinions about the First World War? This month Angus, Jessica and Chris discuss Reginald Hill's The Wood Beyond (1995) and the short story 'Silent Night' from the collection A Candle for Christmas (2023). Along the way, we consider the significance of the genealogy boom to the historiography of the war, the politics of the Shot at Dawn campaign and the tradition of novelists inventing fictional regiments. References: Midsummer Murders The Sweeney Who Do You Think You Are? Not Forgotten (2005-2009)...
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55 - Sapphire and Steel
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when you combine the First World War with a 1970s cult sci-fi classic? This month we watched 'Assignment 2' from the television series Sapphire & Steel which features a ghostly First World War soldier haunting an abandoned railway station. Along the way we discuss differing approaches to sacrifice, the idea of an 'unjust' death, and where the show sits on our ongoing 'creepy' list.
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54 - Ian Isherwood, The Battalion and Digital History
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What do you do when a student brings you a collection of family papers in a Harrods tin? This month, Chris, Angus and Jessica speak to Professor Ian Isherwood about his new book, The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front. Along the way, we discuss developing digital humanities projects, the involvement of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis in rambling and the proliferation of bad war poetry. References: Ian Isherwood, The Battalion: Citizen Soldiers at War on the Western Front Ian Isherwood, The First World War Letters of H.J.C. Peirs Michael Roper, Afterlives of War: A...
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53 - Walking Tours
Oh! What a lovely podcast
How do you walk people through First World War landscapes? This month we welcome back Prof Mark Connelly to discuss his new walking tours endeavour . Along the way we discuss war memorials in the London landscape, the evolution of remembrance, and if bad weather provides important context.
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52 - Teaching the First World War
Oh! What a lovely podcast
How do you teach the FIrst World War? This month we're joined by Dr Ann-Marie Einhaus and Prof Catriona Pennell to reflect on their 'First World War in the Classroom' project that explored the ways the conflict was taught in schools. Along the way we discuss the role of battlefield tours, the time constraints faced by teachers, and whether the centenary has changed the way the war is taught' References:
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51 - Public History with Greg Jenner
Oh! What a lovely podcast
Can you turn the First World War into sketch comedy? This month we talk to the public historian, podcaster, and author Greg Jenner. Along the way we discuss his work on the Horrible Histories television show, the difficulties of being funny about twentieth-century history, the different ways in which the public now consume history, and why Jessica might be considering changing career to become a comedian. References:Horrible Histories (2008-Present) You're Dead to Me (2020-Present)
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50 - Black Hand Gang
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when the First World War meets pulp science fiction? This month we read the novel: (the first in the No Man's World trilogy) by Pat Kelleher. The book depicts a fictional battalion of British soldiers who are transported from the Somme to a strange alien world. As a result we discuss supernatural horror and the war, the use of slang, and whether this book was written explicitly for Chris. References: Pat Kelleher, Black Hand Gang (No Man’s Word Book 1) (2011) Daniel Dafoe, Robinson Crusoe (1719) Dennis Wheatley, The Devil Rides Out (1934) Pat Barker,...
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49 - The Warm Hands of Ghosts
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when fantasy meets the First World War? This month, we read 'The Warm Hands of Ghosts' by Katherine Arden, a novel which follows Canadian nurse Laura Iven as she searches for her brother behind the lines in the militarised area known as the ‘Forbidden Zone’. The plot hinges around a mysterious character called Faland, who runs an elusive hotel with no set location that men find to drink and relax In the discussion, we consider the fictional use of historical characters, whether the war began in 1917, and Chris' new scale for measuring war-related novels. Links:...
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48 - No(Wo)man's Land: Writing history at the intersections of gender and First World War Studies
Oh! What a lovely podcast
This month Angus, Chris and Jessica discuss Jessica's professorial , 'No (Wo)man's Land: writing history at the intersection of gender and First World War studies'. Along the way we consider the problem of masculinity as an empty analytic category, the importance of the centenary for the study of the First World War and what Jessica might have done if she hadn't gone in to academia. There is also a sneak preview of exciting forthcoming and future projects from all three of us. References: Jessica Meyer, Jessica Meyer, Men of War: Masculinity and the First World War in...
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47 - Oh What a lovely War
Oh! What a lovely podcast
What happens when three historians watch a key play about the First World War? This month we took a field trip to see at the Leeds Playhouse. As a result we discuss the nature of the performance, the changing image of Douglas Haig, and wonder whether audiences were supposed to sing along. ReferencesAlan Clark, The Donkeys (1961) John McCrae, In Flanders Field (1915) William Phillpot, Bloody Victory: The Sacrifice on the Somme and the Making of the Twentieth Century (2010) Dan Todman, The Great War in Myth and Memory (2005) Oh! What a lovely war (Original London Cast) (1983)
info_outlineWhat First World War cultural representations would you like to see adapted for the screen?
This month Angus, Chris and Jessica discuss their dream adaptations of novels, short stories and computer games for the big or small screen. Along the way, we explore what makes for a good film versus a good television series, we consider how to overcome the challenge of the Bechdel test in filming the war, and Chris introduces us to the Bertie Wooster/animé scale of realism.
References:
1917, dir. by Sam Mendes (1919)
AG Macdonell, England, Their England (1933)
Akira, dir. by Katsuhiro Otomo (1988)
All Quiet on the Western Front, dir. by Edward Berger (2022)
Capt WE Johns, Biggles Goes North (1939)
Capt WE Johns, Biggles Goes East (1935)
Emma Hanna, The Great War on the small screen (2009)
Ford Madox Ford, Parades End (1924)
Frederic Manning, Her Privates We (1930)
Lupin, Netflix (2021)
Peter Berresford Ellis et al, Biggles!: Life of Captain WE Johns (1993)
Ralph Hale Mottram, The Spanish Farm Trilogy (1930)
RC Sherriff, Journey’s End (1928)
Sapper, Bulldog Drummond (1920)
The Wind Rises, dir. by Hayao Miyazaki (2013
The Monocled Mutineer, dir. by Jim O’Brien (1986)
Valiant Hearts: The Great War, Ubisoft (2014)