Episodes

  • Marseille Soap

    Marseille Soap
    Nov 15 2024
    Muriel examines every facet of Marseille soap from the practical to the mythological, and takes Suzanne on a journey from the boiling vats of the soap factories to the havens of French pharmacies and the heady hinterland of Provence.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    55 mins
  • Hassocks

    Hassocks
    Nov 8 2024
    In which Suzanne unfurls a panoramic history of Anglican church kneelers, showing the little embroidered cushions to be an extraordinarily expressive artistic flourishing of the Second Elizabethan Era.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    59 mins
  • Donkey Skin

    Donkey Skin
    Nov 1 2024
    In which Muriel tells Suzanne about a favourite children’s film involving dead donkeys, incest and psychedelia, and Suzanne wonders a little at the wisdom of French parents.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    56 mins
  • Halloween

    Halloween
    Oct 25 2024
    As we transition from harvest to winter, Suzanne leads Muriel back into the mists of time and elicits the origins of Halloween: the mumming and guising of Celtic Samhain, a host of Catholic saints, queens and kings, and, of course, witches and witchfinders...

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Playing Cards

    Playing Cards
    Oct 18 2024
    In which Suzanne gives Muriel carte blanche to reveal the French origins of the ‘jeu de cartes’, and Muriel lays all her cards on the table and wonders: were playing cards devised by a French knight as a tribute to his lady? How best to cheat at piquet? Why is it impossible for the ace of spades to look chic?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    57 mins
  • Hedgerows

    Hedgerows
    Oct 11 2024
    Why does Britain have such a staggering amount of hedgerows? Suzanne leads Muriel through a hedge backwards and finds a dazzle of biodiversity and a tormented cast of barons, peasants, Diggers and sheep! Hedgerows: are they a Good Thing or a Bad Thing?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    55 mins
  • La Cantine

    La Cantine
    Oct 4 2024
    Time for lunch! Muriel takes Suzanne through the workings of French school canteens. What’s on the menu? How does the French Republic make petits gastronomes? And, most importantly, how old does your tumbler say you are?

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    50 mins
  • Sir Nigel Gresley

    Sir Nigel Gresley
    Sep 27 2024

    What drives the British obsession with trains great and small? Suzanne takes Muriel on an epic journey, following the tracks of Sir Nigel Gresley, visionary engineer and duck breeder extraordinaire.



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    1 hr and 5 mins