The slow burn love affair between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy is one of the best known and best loved stories in the English language, fuelled by multiple films, TV series and spin offs in recent years. In Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen's rendering of the changeability of human feelings and the delicacy of social situations is at its most acute. But who was proud, and who was prejudiced? How important are first impressions? How rich was Mr Darcy? Why can some people understand their shortcomings, while others can't? And why do we take such delight in the disasters of our neighbours? Join Rupert and Charlie as they discuss what is probably Jane Austen's most celebrated novel.

A short episode to update everyone - we started Book In a couple of months ago, with a plan to do 8 episodes and see how we got on. The response has been terrific, and so now we're planning what to do next. Tune in to find out, and also to learn about a man you've never heard of called F.R.Leavis, and for a very brief intro from Charlie on Literary Criticism.

In 1606, James 1st had been King of England for three years. Most of his Stewart ancestors had met bloody and violent deaths, so for Shakespeare to write a play about the murder of a Scottish King was a bold move. The play was MacBeth; dramatic, fast moving and brutal, it contains some of the greatest speeches in the English language. But was MacBeth always going to be a murderer, or did the witches make him do it? Why did his marriage go wrong? What was an equivocator? And was it all OK in the end? Join Rupert and Charlie as they give you an insight into the strange and terrifying world of the supernatural, and the titanic struggle between good and evil which is the background to this gripping drama.