Episodes 268
Avg. Duration 1h 7m
Activity Highly Active
Apple Rating 4.7 (587)
Since Nov 2015
Latest Episode Jun 2026

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Publishing Details

Schedule
Every 2 Weeks
Format
Episodic
Consistency
79%
Hosting
feeds.megaphone.fm

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About This Podcast

The literary podcast that has been giving new life to old books since 2015. For show notes visit backlisted.fm and get an extra two shows a month by supporting the pod at patreon.com/backlisted

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Recent Episodes

Look At Me by Anita Brookner - rerun

Jun 09, 2026 1h 8m

This is a vintage Backlisted episode recorded back in 2017. John and Andy were joined by Una McCormack and Lucy Scholes to discuss Anita Brookner's third novel Look At Me (1982), a tale of…

Beloved by Toni Morrison - rerun

Jun 02, 2026 1h 6m

Beloved by Toni Morrison was first published in 1987 by Knopf, it went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1988, among many other prizes. In 2006, the New York Times declared Beloved the best…

Springs of Affection by Maeve Brennan - rerun

May 11, 2026 1h 17m

There can be few writers more deserving of Backlisted’s attention than the Irish writer, Maeve Brennan. An adopted New Yorker, Brennan died there in 1993 and was by that time so thoroughly forgotten…

De Profundis by Oscar Wilde

Apr 27, 2026 1h 20m

Back in 2022, our guest was Stephen Fry, writer, actor and polymath, who joined John and Andy to discuss Oscar Wilde's De Profundis, the essay addressed to Lord Alfred Douglas in 1897 'from the…

Human Voices by Penelope Fitzgerald - rerun

Apr 14, 2026 1h 10m

In this episode from March 2019, Andy and John are joined by Georgina Morley who was then the Non-Fiction Editorial Director at Picador,  and Lucy Scholes, the Senior Editor at McNally Editions. The…

Alma Cogan by Gordon Burn - Rerun

Mar 31, 2026 1h 2m

In a special edition recorded earlier this year live at the Durham Book Festival, John and Andy are joined by writers Adele Stripe and Ben Myers to discuss Gordon Burn's debut novel Alma Cogan. The…

Under The Volcano by Malcolm Lowry - Rerun

Mar 17, 2026 1h 5m

Recorded back in 2017, John and Andy were joined by poet, radio presenter, playwright and genuine tyke Ian McMillan to discuss Malcolm Lowry's 1947 masterwork, Under The Volcano. Also, The Factory of…

The Inheritors by William Golding

Mar 02, 2026 1h 26m

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…

Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis

Feb 10, 2026 1h 12m

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…

The Sacred and Profane Love Machine by Iris Murdoch

Jan 27, 2026 1h 11m

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…

Jake Thackray: The Unsung Writer by Paul Thompson

Jan 13, 2026 1h 4m

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…

Asterix and the Roman Agent by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo

Dec 25, 2025 1h 12m

Merry Christmas! Join Andy and Una, plus authors Louie Stowell and Robert Shearman, for a post-solstice celebration of Asterix and the Roman Agent (1972) by René Goscinny (words) and Albert Uderzo…

Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild - rerun

Dec 09, 2025 1h 34m

A timely revisit of our 2022 Christmas special which celebrates Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild, a classic of children’s literature and the childhood favourite of our producer, Nicky Birch. We are…

Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon

Nov 25, 2025 1h 22m

Writer and critic Matthew De Abaitua joins Andy, Una and Nicky to discuss Last and First Men: A Story of the Near and Far Future (1930), the astounding first novel by Olaf Stapledon. The book is one…

Transit and the Outline Trilogy by Rachel Cusk

Nov 11, 2025 1h 18m

Something a little different this week. Andy, Una and Nicky discuss the novel Transit by Rachel Cusk, the second part of her award-winning Outline trilogy. Outline, the first volume was published in…

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

Oct 28, 2025 1h 13m

For this year's Halloween episode, we take a windswept walk across the Yorkshire moors with Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights — not as a tale of doomed romance, but as a novel steeped in gothic…

Imogen by Jilly Cooper - Revisit

Oct 13, 2025 1h 12m

To honour the life of Jilly Cooper, we are replaying this joyous episode from 2019 with a new introduction. Joining Andy and John in this episode are Daisy Buchanan, writer, feminist, host of the…

All The Devils Are Here by David Seabrook part 2

Sep 29, 2025 1h 13m

Writer Jason Hazeley joins Andy, Una and Nicky for a celebratory investigation - or investigative celebration - of All the Devils Are Here, the ungovernable literary brainchild of the late David…

The Eye Of the Beholder by Marc Behm

Sep 15, 2025 1h 9m

Emmy Award-winning writer David Quantick (Veep, The Thick of It) joins Andy and Una for a discussion of Marc Behm's surreal thriller The Eye of the Beholder (1980). David last appeared on Backlisted…

The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

Sep 01, 2025 1h 11m

Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Tombs of Atuan (1971), the second Earthsea novel, is the subject of this episode. Joining Una and Andy is writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce, current Children’s Laureate. We look at…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Backlisted have?

Backlisted has published 268 episodes since November 2015, covering topics in Arts, Books.

Is Backlisted still active?

Backlisted is currently highly active with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 1h 7m.

How do I contact Backlisted for sponsorship or guest appearances?

Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Backlisted, including email and social media links.

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