You know, there are some people – mean, cruel, wrong people – who might think our podcast gets a little bit, well, nerdy sometimes. Those people should stop whining and take more of an interest in public transport.
Anyway. This week, to mix things up a bit, we’re taking a different approach to things: we’re looking at how cities and places are portrayed in literature film and TV.
First up, Barbara talks about her discovery of the surprisingly not made-up phenomenon of Paris syndrome, and we discuss how our perceptions of places are so often shaped by culture.
Then we’re joined by Stephanie Boland, a colleague from our New Statesman mothership, who in her other life is in the middle of a PhD in 20th century literature. Together we discuss cities in the works of Shakespeare, Dickens and Joyce and anyone else who comes to mind.
Next, Helen Lewis and Stephen Bush – hosts of our sister show, the New Statesman podcast – pop in to talk about how angry people (read: I) get about on-screen geographical cock ups. And listener Steven Bell tells us about his city, Glasgow.
Finally, for our map of the week we talk about the True Size Map, which enables you to drag countries around the world to see how big they really are. India is massive, look:
The episode itself is at the bottom of this page. Also, you can (and, obviously, should) subscribe on Acast, iTunes, or RSS. While we’re at it, we’re still in the market for nice iTunes reviews, so, y’know, you should definitely feel free.
This week’s links…
- The True Size map lets you move countries around the globe, to show how big they really are.
- A Clockwork Orange: Steven Bell on how Glasgow’s Subway system failed to break out of its circle .
- If we covered London like the media covers Africa… Stephen Bush on the career of eccentric strongman “Bambo” Johnson.
- Barbara asks: Is “Paris Syndrome” actually a real thing?
- Stephanie Boland’s interview with Darran Anderson, the author of Imaginary Cities.
