Joining John and Andy in this episode are multiple returnees and Official Friends of Backlisted: Dr Una McComack and Andrew Male. The book they are here to talk about is The Inheritors by William Golding, his second published novel (after Lord of the Flies) and first released by Faber & Faber in 1955. And it is one of the titles on the list Andy and John ma ... Show More
Feb 10
Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis
Dr Rowan Williams, theologian, poet and former Archbishop of Canterbury, joins Andy and John for a thoughtful and moving discussion of Till We Have Faces (1956), the last novel by C.S. Lewis. This episode was recorded in London in June 2025. Although not as well-reviewed as his p ... Show More
1h 12m
Jan 27
The Sacred and Profane Love Machine by Iris Murdoch
Ian Patterson, author of Books: A Manifesto , returns to Backlisted for a joyful discussion of Iris Murdoch and her sixteenth novel The Sacred and Profane Love Machine (1974), the winner of the Whitbread literary award for fiction. For reasons that will be obvious, the talk soon ... Show More
1h 11m
Jan 13
Jake Thackray: The Unsung Writer by Paul Thompson
Biographer and singer-songwriter Paul Thompson joins us for a new episode of Backlisted devoted to the life and work of Jake Thackray, the so-called 'Yorkshire chansonnier' who died in 2002. Thackray was a man of many talents, as demonstrated by Jake Thackray: The Unsung Writer, ... Show More
1h 4m
Sep 2025
A New Chapter Begins | "Strangers" (401) with special guest Blake Stadnik
We made it to Season 4! On today’s episode of That Was Us, we’re talking all about Season 4, Episode 1: Strangers. This episode weaves together the stories of three new characters: Cassidy, a soldier returning home from Afghanistan; Malik, a teenage father finding his way; and Ja ... Show More
1h 24m
Sep 2025
731 The Brothers Karamazov Reclaimed (#19 Greatest Book of All Time)
Responding to a special request from a listener, Jacke discusses Fyodor Dostoevsky, his novel The Brothers Karamazov, and the search for meaning in a meaningless world. This episode was originally released as episode #250 on October 7, 2020. For reasons Jacke discusses, it has no ... Show More
1h 21m
Sep 2025
Ian McEwan on Speculative Fiction, Lost Poems and What We Can Know
Ian McEwan is the critically acclaimed author of nineteen novels and two short story collections. His novels include Atonement, Enduring Love, The Children Act and On Chesil Beach, and he is the recipient of many awards including the Booker Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award and t ... Show More
42 m
Apr 2025
Episode 318 - The Bennington Triangle: Vanished in Appalachia (Part 1)
In this two-part series, we enter the haunted heart of Southern Vermont—a place where the line between reality and the supernatural disappears as quickly as the people who dare to step off the trail. Welcome to The Bennington Triangle, where ancient curses, vanishing hikers, and ... Show More
1h 1m
Jun 2022
The Haunted Farmhouse (ft. Shelby Scott) – Ep. 29
Stories in this episode:- Having a Drink with a Dead Man, by Leti - David's Shadow, by Rachel- My Abduction Story, by emodrakefan- 200 Year Old Haunted Farmhouse, by ctenc001- The Red Light, by Tanu - My Stories, by AshleyBe sure to check out Shelby Scott's podcast at scareyoutos ... Show More
49m 58s
May 2022
Chapter 17: The Past and Present Kings of Nothing
There is a place beyond that which can be touch, where those who walk with long shadows stride. Their heels always to the nothing of that place, taking from it, but giving in equal measure their sacrifice to whatever built that palace of inky darkness. That is the domain that Edw ... Show More
18m 52s
May 2022
Chapter 19: The Queen of all that Dies
The relationship between old friends can be contentious and that is no more true, than it was with Edith Blackleech and Adam. It seems, while Adam was away the Bog Witch Blackleech has been at play, pulling her strings and making moves within The Fort. But then again, how is she ... Show More
22m 57s