Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we raise a glass to Britain’s most beloved institution — the pub — and explore how these living rooms of London connect history, community and creativity in ways as rich as any museum or gallery.

First, our guests pull up a stool: its pub historian Charo Havermans and artist Lydia Wood. Together they explore how pubs began in the hands of women, why they became vital community “third spaces,” and how a good pub can feel like stepping into someone else’s living room — or even stepping back in time.

On our Parish Noticeboard, we wander from one place of warm company to another — Hoxton Hall. A Victorian music hall with over 160 years of creativity, care and community under its rafters. Once home to circus acts and performing dogs, now home to a powerful Creative Health Initiative.

After all that history (and a few imaginary pints), it’s time to consult our hilarious and historical Doctor Quack, who finds himself called upon to assist with a delivery — a job he isn’t entirely equipped for.

Finally, we catch our breath with Archie’s Neuro Nuggets, as he strolls through Battersea Park to explain the soothing science of white, pink and brown noise — the perfect counterbalance to the lively chorus of the pub.

So pull up a chair, pour yourself your favourite pint, and join us as we wander from bar rooms to music halls, from questionable medicine to calming soundscapes — all here in The Big Smoke.

🎟️ The Big Smoke LIVE Christmas Special is at The Phoenix Arts Club in Soho on 14th December — expect ghost stories, games, music and festive mischief.

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Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(01:38) Pub Quiz: Kings Head or Kings Bed?

(02:30) Charo Havermans and Lydia Wood Interview

(51:46) Parish Notices: Hoxton Hall

(58:47) Dr Quack

(1:06:58) Live Christmas Show

(1:08:27) Archie’s Neuro Nuggets

(1:14:28) Pub Quiz Answers

(1:16:31) Outro

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Links

📚 Locals – Pre-order Lydia Wood’s Book

🗓️ Lydia Wood – 2026 Pub Calendar & Website

🎨 Lydia Wood – Instagram

🍺 Book a Historic Pub Tour with Charo Havermans

📸 Charo Haverman – Instagram

🍻 Back Behind the Bar: Pub Landladies of East London

🎭 Hoxton Hall

🐊 Dr Quack – Crocodile Dung Contraceptive

🥛 Dr Quack – Milk Blood Transfusion

🧠 Archie McAlpine – Neuro Nuggets

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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

Welcome to The Big Smoke Variety Show!

This week, we explore philosophy, freedom, and the peculiar ways we find meaning — from the quiet depths of the soil to the bustling banks of the River Thames.

First, Kevin is joined by Professor Edward Harcourt, Academic Director of The Royal Institute of Philosophy, celebrating its centenary year. Together they ask: what is philosophy, really? How can it help us think, question, and live better? Edward shares how puzzlement, not wonder, is where true philosophy begins — and what the institute’s mission, real philosophy for everyone, meant in 1925 and what it means today.

On our Parish Noticeboard, we dig into the curious world of worm charming — the ancient, oddly musical art of luring earthworms from the soil. With the help of worm expert Dr Kevin Butt, we learn how this humble tradition connects communities, science, and the secret lives beneath our feet.

Then, we turn to one of The Royal Institute of Philosophy’s most inspiring outreach projects — Unlocking Minds, a prison education programme co-founded by Paul and Dan. Through pop music and film, they bring philosophy into prisons, sparking reflection, debate, and discovery in places where freedom of thought is most deeply desired.

Finally, our resident Mudlark Sean Clark brings us to the River Thames to reveal his latest find — a centuries-old quant, better known as the “non-sexy end of a barge pole”. It’s a muddy reminder that London’s history is always just below the surface, waiting to be unearthed.

So pull up a chair, pour yourself something puzzling, and join us as we dig into ideas, earth, and everything in between in The Big Smoke.

🎟️ The Big Smoke LIVE Christmas Special is coming to The Phoenix Arts Club, Soho – 14th December. Expect ghost stories, lively games, seasonal music and festive mischief.

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Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(01:27) Pub Quiz: Maple Leaf or Make Believe

(02:27) Edward Harcourt Interview

(32:05) Live Christmas Show

(33:35) Parish Notices: Worm Charming

(43:06) Unlocking Minds: Philosophy in Prisons Interview

(1:15:46) Sean Clark the Mudlark’s Latest Find

(1:20:07) Maple Leaf or Make Believe Answers

(1:21:31) Outro

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Links

💫 Become a Patron – Unlock Your Backstage Pass

🧠 The Royal Institute of Philosophy

🪱 World Worm Charming Championships – Willaston

🪱 Blackawton International Festival of Worm Charming – South Devon

📚 Worm by Dr Kevin Butt

🍁 Maple Leaf or Make Believe Article

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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

This week, we wander through London’s haunted past, uncover the humanity behind history’s ghost stories, and rediscover how kindness, comedy, and curiosity connect us all. From spectral legends to small acts of light in the dark, this episode celebrates the strange and the sincere in equal measure.

First, Kevin is joined by historian and author Dr Maddy Pelling — host of After Dark — for a walk through the strange, true story of the Hammersmith Ghost. Together they unearth the 1800s case that blurred the line between myth and murder, ask why ghosts so often reveal the living more than the dead, and explore how our fears have always found form in flickering candlelight.

Then, on our Parish Noticeboard, we turn from frights to generosity with the story of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF — the Halloween tradition that began with a few milk cartons and became a global movement.

After that, we open the Audio Archives to dust off a peculiar relic from the 1990s: the first ever bum dial. Part séance, part sitcom, it’s proof that even ghosts can appreciate good signal.

Finally, the Victorian Parlour Games return with Ring My Gourd! — glowing rings, good humour, and just the right amount of Halloween mischief.

So pour yourself something warm, get comfortable, and join us for a night of hauntings, humour and history in The Big Smoke.

🎟️ The Big Smoke Christmas Special is coming to The Phoenix Arts Club, Soho – 14th December. Expect ghost stories, lively games, seasonal music and festive mischief.

💬 Follow, review, and share the show with a friend — and remember: may your ghosts be friendly, and your gourds well-ringed.

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Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(1:42) Pub Quiz: Trick-or-Trivia!

(2:43) Maddy Pelling Interview

(58:45) Live Christmas Show

(1:00:04) Parish Notices: Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

(1:08:02) Audio Archives: Bum Dial

(1:22:43) Victorian Parlour Games

(1:24:57) Pub Quiz Answers

(1:27:11) Outro

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Links

🎓 Learn more about Dr Maddy Pelling

📚 Pre-order Maddy’s upcoming book Hoax

🎃 75 Years of Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF

🇬🇧 UNICEF UK

🌍 UNICEF International

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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

Audio Archives written by Aidan Parker and performed by Aidan Parker, Cait Roddam Jones and Kevin Bennett