In Conversation with Kenneth Branagh

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 13 October 2021 > Webpicks

If you are studying Much Ado About Nothing with your LLCER students, or anything about the Troubles in Northern Ireland, you’ll want to download this long-form interview with actor-director Kenneth Branagh from BBC Radio 4. In the first of a new series called This Cultural Life, presenter John Wilson had a 45-minute conversation with Branagh … Continue reading “In Conversation with Kenneth Branagh”

Pirate Radio Pioneer Dies

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 24 April 2020 > In the News

1964 was the height of the Swinging Sixties in the UK. The Beatles and The Rolling Stones were topping the charts. But their music was barely played on the radio. So Ronan O’Rahilly decided to start  Radio Caroline, a “pirate” radio station on a ship in the North Sea. All the British radio stations were … Continue reading “Pirate Radio Pioneer Dies”

National Short Story Award to Listen to and Keep

Posted by Speakeasy News > Friday 23 September 2016 > What's On

Every year, the BBC National Short Story Award contains some real gems of short fiction — and you can download the audio versions to listen to at leisure. Previous awards have been given to both unknown authors and well-established ones. This year, all five authors on the shortlist are women. Their stories have protagonists ranging … Continue reading “National Short Story Award to Listen to and Keep”

The Archers Phenomenon

Posted by Speakeasy News > Wednesday 14 September 2016 > In the News

Just when you think you understand Britain, all your expectations get turned on their head. In a highly urbanised, high-tech obsessed country, a large proportion of the population has been on tenterhooks about a radio soap opera about a farming community. The Archers is a British institution. It has been broadcast six days a week … Continue reading “The Archers Phenomenon”