エピソード

  • Summer Postcards: Scampi Fries

    Summer Postcards: Scampi Fries
    2026/07/24
    Another case of Suzanne pinpointing the essence of Britain; another first-time taste experience for Muriel! What are scampi fries but fish and chips, pubs and the British seaside holiday all condensed into a tiny mouthful of fishy saltiness. Covering ground from Georgian recipes of Italianate dishes of langoustines to extruded snacks of the 1980s, Suzanne tells the story of how the whole of Britain was fitted into a small crunchy bag.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    31 分
  • Summer Postcards: Pastis

    Summer Postcards: Pastis
    2026/07/17
    In the wake of the banning of absinthe in France in 1915, a new apéritif was born, redolent with aniseed and liquorice, a taste at once medicinal and full of the joie de vivre we associate with the South of France. But what does 'pastis' mean? Who invented it? In what way did it have political implications? And why is it so central to French apéritif culture?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    30 分
  • Stripy Tops: From Devil's Cloth to Top French Icon

    Stripy Tops: From Devil's Cloth to Top French Icon
    2026/07/10
    Muriel tells the story of the stripy Breton top and wonders how a pattern – stripes – once considered sacrilegious and satanic gradually became the epitome of French elegance. We explore the evolving cultural history of a powerful symbol, the role of seaside holidays, of sailor suits as the preferred outfits of smart children, and the formalisation of the uniforms of the French Navy. Coco Chanel, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau, Jean-Paul Gaultier and a lot of zebras put in an appearance. Are stripy tops a means of clothing oneself in maritime courage, freedom and adventure?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    57 分
  • Pub Quizzes: The Nation's Favourite 'Brit of Fun'!

    Pub Quizzes: The Nation's Favourite 'Brit of Fun'!
    2026/07/03
    Biros at the ready as Suzanne takes Muriel on a tour of a very British obsession: the pub quiz. Did it begin on a mythical night in Yorkshire in 1946? Is it one of the primary ways in which the British relate to each other socially? And if so, why? Can the Zoom quiz be credited for keeping the nation together during Covid? Are the best pub quizzes, Suzanne asks, ultimately where the British sense of terroir is located? Warning: this episode contains a veritable avalanche of punning. What's your team name, by the way? The Spanish Inquizzition? I Am Smartacus? Or simply: Quizzy McQuizface?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間 1 分
  • The Institut Français du Royaume-Uni: Britain's Official Portal into French Culture!

    The Institut Français du Royaume-Uni: Britain's Official Portal into French Culture!
    2026/06/26
    With French historian Charlotte Faucher as her guide, Muriel explores the madly ornamental pink-brick Art Deco wonder that is the French Cultural Institute in South Kensington. Though the building dates from 1939, the idea of setting up a French Institute in Britain as a gateway to a better understanding between our two nations arose in 1910, the brainchild of Marie d'Orliac, an enigmatic figure who was also very good at reinventing herself. Nowadays South Kensington is a hub of French soft power, but how did it all begin, and what was the impact of the two World Wars on the project, especially the arrival in 1940 of an obscure officer called Charles de Gaulle and his 'certain idea of France'? Join us for a fascinating peek into a beguiling engine of soft power and the people that gave it meaning!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    1 時間
  • The Letter J: The Mind-Blowing Creation Story of a British Sound

    The Letter J: The Mind-Blowing Creation Story of a British Sound
    2026/06/19
    This episode, full of suspense and mystery, is brought to you by the letter J! In the English language, the letter and its distinctive sound are deployed in their glory, whereas the French soften the letter J (as in je or bijou). The letter's story, which comes to full expression in 1629, is bound with that of the printing press. Who invented the letter J? Suzanne retraces the evolution of this exciting, propulsive letter – and how it acquired its shape – by way of the monumental King James Bible undertaking and the cast of dedicated medieval Cambridge scholars who carried it out. It is a story of the quest for legibility, clarity, directness and transparency – a very British story that would, Suzanne thinks, make a wonderful film. But who should play the letter J, the mischievous letter trying to make its mark on the page?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    52 分
  • The Great Paris Flood of 1910: The City of Light vs Nature!

    The Great Paris Flood of 1910: The City of Light vs Nature!
    2026/06/12
    In 1910, Paris was an ultra-modern electrified metropolis at the height of its confidence, insouciance and triumphant glamour. Then came the winter rains, and the Seine began inexorably to rise, causing chaos and devastation. Parisians living near the river soon found themselves getting about the streets in rowing boats and on improvised wooden walkways. The man of the moment was the then prefect of Paris, the gallant and indefatigable Louis Lépine, who patrolled the city in a frock coat and top hat , his smart trousers tucked into wellies, and seemed to be everywhere at once. Muriel tells an apocalyptic story of resilience and survival, and of the III Republic being put to the test.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    59 分
  • Bell Ringing: Unique Performing Art and England's 'Loud Noise to the Glory of God'!

    Bell Ringing: Unique Performing Art and England's 'Loud Noise to the Glory of God'!
    2026/06/05
    Starting with the glorious 1934 novel The Nine Tailors by queen of crime Dorothy L. Sayers, set in the mystical, liminal landscape of the Fens and in the haunting world of ancient bell ringing, Suzanne explores the English art of campanology. Ringing in rounds requires intense mental and physical discipline – in the novel, the intrepid Lord Peter Wimsey rings bells for nine hours solid – and this communal activity already bound villages together in Tudor times. How did England evolve a form of music – the voice of a village – that is written as a sequence of numbers? Suzanne patiently walks Muriel through the mechanics of belfries and the mind-boggling mathematics of change ringing, strike intervals and vertiginous extents.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    52 分