Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we roll the dice under the Harvest Moon, sail the seven seas with wacky shipmates, and curl up with stories that feel like home.

First up, Kevin sits down with author Caroline Taggart to explore the timeless pastime of board games. From Monopoly meltdowns to horse-racing favourites lost to history, Caroline reveals why games aren’t just entertainment—they’re anthropology, philosophy, and sometimes even a mirror of society itself.

On the Parish Notice Board, we turn our eyes skyward to the Royal Observatory Greenwich, celebrating 350 years of stargazing. From the Harvest Moon to the birth of Greenwich Mean Time, discover how the mysteries of the cosmos have guided farmers, explorers, and dreamers for centuries.

Then we venture out to sea with our resident GP Doctor Quack, who returns with another round of jaw-dropping (and occasionally stomach-turning) medical “breakthroughs”. From goat’s testicle transplants to jars of bottled wind, they’re history’s strangest cures brought vividly (and hilariously) back to life.

Finally, Archie’s Neuro Nuggets makes a cosy return to remind us why rewatching our favourite sitcoms isn’t procrastination at all—it’s a spa day for your neurons.

Oh! And don’t miss our Victorian Parlour Game of the week – Checkers Go Bang!

Don’t forget to follow the show, leave us a 5-star review, and share this episode with a friend who loves a quirky story. Until next time—roll the dice, reap the harvest, and don't sniff anything in a jar! We'll see you soon in The Big Smoke.

—

Links

✍🏼 Fill out our short survey for a chance to win a copy of The Philosophy of Board Games! Take the survey

✨ Become a patron and unlock your Backstage Pass: https://patreon.com/TheBigSmokeVarietyShow

📗Caroline Taggart’s book - The Philosophy of Board Games

🌙 Royal Observatory Greenwich

📘Louise Devoy’s book - Royal Observatory Greenwich: A History in Objects

🧠Archie McAlpine Associates

🩺Dr. Quack’s Medical Treatments:

🐐Goat Testicle Transplant

💨 Farts in a Jar

🐋Whale Carcass Treatment

—

Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(01:40) Pub Quiz: Board Games Trivia

(02:25) Caroline Taggart Interview

(45:54) Parish Notices: Harvest Moon

(53:47) Dr. Quack

(1:02:25) Archie's Neuro Nuggets

(1:08:42) Victorian Parlour Games: Checkers Go Bang

(1:10:09) Pub Quiz Answers

(1:11:58) Outro

—

Credits

Hosted & Executive Produced by Kevin Bennett Produced & Edited by Alex Graham Assistant Produced by Adam Wright Original music by Giles Terera Music arranged and played by Joseph Atkins Dr. Quack written and performed by Jolyon Coy