Shows
You're BookedElizabeth Day - You're Booked Archive All-StarsWhile we're taking a little break, we're revisiting just a few of our favourite ever You're Booked interviews. We're travelling all the way back to our first ever series for this chat with author, journalist and podcast supremo Elizabeth Day. Elizabeth is the author of five novels including Magpie and The Party plus her memoir, based on her massively successful podcast How To Fail and her most book Friendaholic: Confessions of a Friendship Addict. While snooping around her (small but perfectly formed) flat, we discussed being nosey, literary heroines, EM Forster related tattoos and learning the facts of life...2024-03-0448 min
Sibyl ServiceSappho on fireWelcome to an episode of Sappho, sex, rock and roll. Discover the first female voice of Western literature.
This singer-songwriter from Lesbos pioneered female poetry and music. Only 1 percent of her work is left so this exclusive interview is seriously exclusive. It is a common misconception that Sappho wrote about desire, childbirth, the beauties of the natural world, and just girly things. But the reality is she wrote about politics, tyranny, and sexuality. This was all burnt by some angry, prudish Christians.
We ask compelling questions such as, what constitutes the female gaze, and how do...2022-09-1325 minSibyl ServiceConstantinopleThis is the ultimate guide to Istanbul. Meet lovely men from Istanbul selling us garments. Listen to three Syrian brothers debate the modification of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and their Holy scriptures. Be enlightened by Refik Anadol’s digital art world.2022-08-1335 minSibyl ServiceTitillating Sclupture Pt.1Louise Walsh tells the fascinating story behind her 'Monument to the Unknown Woman Worker.' This sculpture sparked the longest ever debate in the Belfast city council.
The controversy was all about sex work, the commemoration of women, and sectarian politics.
This expression is thrown around a lot, but Walsh does truly talk for Ireland. Enjoy.
2022-07-0928 min
Sibyl ServiceSpinoza being kooky for 40 minutes straightSpinoza is back to make everyone wake up and smell the coffee - you are never free until you recognise that you are not free.
He questioned the Torah's sacredness and was excommunicated from his Jewish community at only 23 years old.
Fear not; his relationship with God and spider-fighting is explored and analysed.
This man is gentle, fascinating, and pretty controversial.
This episode was originally on a radio show.
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2022-06-1939 minSibyl ServiceDiogenes the dogDiogenes the dog is an exclusive interview with the 5th-century cynic who lived in a barrel (sorry, wine casket.)
I ask him a plethora of questions, such as "why did you remain single by choice?" and "what's up with you masturbating and defecating in public?"
Adored by Alexander the Great and hated by Plato, this man will shock and baffle you.
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Become a Patron!. (Thank you).2022-05-3039 minSibyl ServiceThe Original CynicsHow does the etymology of avocado relate to the word protestant? What do the words genetics, genesis, and genuine all share in common? Does crocodile mean a pebble worm, and squirrel the 'shadow-tailed' and why?
Plenty more of this available right here, right now.
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Become a Patron!. (Thank you).2022-05-2030 minSibyl ServiceAre you not entertained?This episode is fact and fun-fueled.
Pt 1 - The rip-roaring Romans popping off after winning the euros, followed by a quick sidetrack of a history of parks from Ancient Rome to Mussolini’s fascist regime.
Pt 2 - The Circus Maximus - what raucous activities went down here then?
Pt 3 - An interview with Aldo Giannotti - the curator of the exhibition “Safe and sound” in the Mambo Art museum. The exhibition explores surveillance. Why do we feel safe with cameras watching us?
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Become...2022-01-1624 minSibyl ServiceAdvice from Aristotle pt.2They say curiosity killed the cat, and that’s why Advice from Aristotle Pt.2 is back.
Aristotle gets a bad rep, but maybe his 'reason conquering all' is a useful logic to bring to the table?
Why did Aristotle the investigator say “You can find beauty in the tiniest, ugliest thing?”
So what’s up with moths the size of birds? What animals do you intuitively dislike?
Who would you rather sit down for a meal with, Plato or Aristotle?
Why do journalists do courses on Aristotle? Can Aristotle cancel “...2021-12-1741 minSibyl ServiceLostia in OstiaWhat’s the difference between Plebeians and Patricians? Was emperor Claudius the first pro-immigration leader? Did dolphins disrupt fishing? Who are those fellas, Romulus and Remus then? Was Cicero such the cream of the crop?
All these questions are answered and discussed walking around the ancient site of Ostia Antica.
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Become a Patron!. (Thank you).2021-10-1331 minSibyl ServiceAdvice from Aristotle pt.1Did Aristotle think women need to have orgasms to get pregnant? Or that masters can be more 'slavish' than their own slave? Does Aristotle like 'ugly' animals?
There is no ancient thinker who can speak more directly to the concerns and anxieties of contemporary life than can Aristotle.
Olivia Fane and I deliberate Aristotle’s approach to slavery, women, and animals. We chat about how his advice teaches us not to compare ourselves to others, to train ourselves to be good people and to have the different parts of our soul in harmony. 2021-09-2229 minSibyl ServiceStressed, depressed and Helen obsessedParis the Pacifist? Paris just stressed, depressed and Helen obsessed? Paris the love warrior?
This interview with Paris of Troy really changed my perspective on the man. He is more than the cowardly home wrecker that meets the eye. Ipso facto, Paris has some inspiring insights on women in the Homeric Age of Greece, on the gods' intervention in war, imperialism, and the greed of men.
You can listen and decide for yourself whether he wanted to liberate Helen from the shackles of Menelaus and what society expected of her. Or whether he wanted the...2021-09-0728 minSibyl ServiceWhat have the Romans ever done for us?Apart from sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a freshwater system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?
Victor Principe and I compare and contrast religion and plagues in Ancient and Modern Rome.
Ever wondered about the transition from Paganism to Christianity in the Roman Empire? Ever wondered how the Ancient Romans dealt with their equivalent of Covid-19? Ever wondered about religious practices in the Roman Empire?
Then we are your gateway to that knowledge.2021-06-3031 minSibyl ServiceTherapy with Frida'Therapy with Frida' delves under the skin of the iconic painter. The Daughter of the Mexican revolution.
We discuss her self-portraits, her relationships with Diego Rivera and Trotsky, her communism, and the fatal moments that led to her famous quote “Doctor, if you let me drink this tequila, I promise I won’t drink at my funeral.”
She is entering the studio, I repeat, she is entering the studio…
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Become a Patron!. (Thank you).2021-06-0938 minSibyl ServiceBorn to be Mrs.WildeMost people know her as the wife of Oscar Wilde, but Constance was a phenomenon in her own right.
She wrote many of Oscar's plays (classic,) campaigned for women's rights, and pioneered fashion designs, even inventing the divided skirt.
This episode explores Constance, as an individual, and investigates why she stayed so loyal to Oscar despite his public affairs and exile from society.
She is entering the studio, I repeat, she is entering the studio...2021-05-1327 minSibyl ServiceThe CleoportraitThe tantalising thing about Cleopatra is that little evidence survives from century Egypt itself.
So “The Cleoportrait” conquers Roman propaganda painting her as a debauched temptress using sex appeal as a political weapon.
We ask her about her marriage to her brother and her relationships with Caesar and Mark Anthony right up until the Battle of Actium.
She is entering the studio, I repeat, she is entering the studio…
2021-04-2326 minSibyl ServiceGo hard or go Homer'Go hard or Go Homer' explores homosexuality in Ancient Greece; a homosexual Utopia or Peadophile Utopia?
I also get Xenophon from 430BC, an aristocratic elite, and Socrates’s best mate into the studio to ask him about this love life.2021-04-1529 minSibyl ServiceGo hard or go Homer'Go hard or Go Homer' explores homosexuality in Ancient Greece; a Gay Utopia or Paedophiile Utopia?
I also get Xenophon, an aristocratic elite and Socrates’s best mate into the studio to ask him about this love life.2021-04-1529 minSibyl ServiceWhy philosophers get murderedSo why do Philosophers get murdered?
Socrates was minding his own beeswax (kind of) before he got poisoned with Hemlock.
Today we talk to Hypatia, Alexandria's preeminent philosopher, and arguably the leading mathematician in the world up to this date.
335AD Alexandria witnessed dramatic division between Christians, Jews, and Pagans and Hypatia’s story shows the dangers of religious strife that end in bloodshed.2021-04-0818 minSibyl ServiceWhy philosophers get murderedSo why do Philosophers get murdered?
Socrates was minding his own beeswax (kind of) before he got poisoned with Hemlock.
Hypatia was Alexandria's preeminent philosopher, and arguably the leading mathematician in the world up to this date.
335AD Alexandria witnessed dramatic division between Christians, Jews, and Pagans and Hypatia’s story shows the dangers of religious strife that end in bloodshed.
2021-04-0818 minSibyl ServiceGrove is in the heartGrove is in the heart explores the English language; steeped in history and bursting in character.
Do you ever hear expressions such as "Bee's Knees" and "Taste of your own medicine," and wonder what it all means?
Ever been a curious George hearing words like "Gang" "Protein," and "Bungalow"?
And why do hurricanes have female names?
This episode is not appropriate for Grannies and children!
2021-04-0121 minSibyl Serviceto Sculpt or to SkulkAnd we are back with the ancient marble sculpture of Laocoön and his sons, spotted at the Swiss National Museum in an exhibition, named “The Exhausted man.” This statue is placed in comparison to Zinedine Zidane, who Cosimo Amati chats about.
This sculpture depicting a man strangled by serpents has provoked rampant speculation about masculinity from Ancient to modern times. Another thrilling piece of news is that I get Michelangelo into the studio for an investigation into his alleged forgery.
He is entering the studio, I repeat, he is entering the studio...2021-03-1823 minSibyl Serviceto Sculpt or to SkulkAnd we are back with the ancient marble sculpture of Laocoön and his sons, spotted at the Swiss National Museum in an exhibition, named “The Exhausted man.” This statue is placed in comparison to Zinedine Zidane, who Cosimo Amati chats about.
This sculpture depicting a man strangled by serpents has provoked rampant speculation about masculinity from Ancient to modern times. Another thrilling piece of news is that I get Michelangelo into the studio for an investigation into his alleged forgery.
He is entering the studio, I repeat, he is entering the studio...
2021-03-1823 minSibyl ServiceSandals and Scandals‘Sandals and Scandals’ is the mantra of Nefertiti from 14th century Egypt.
Supposedly, this queen, priestess, wife, mother, political revolutionary, beauty icon, and maybe even pharaoh, has been shrouded in mystery and intrigue, but no longer.
The Sass pot is entering the studio, I repeat, she is entering the studio…2021-03-1123 minSibyl ServiceMarcus, Morale and Meditations“I do think that evil in response to evil is a recipe for disaster"....“What injures the hive, injures the bee,"... “We all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinion than our own"...
Just 3 of the many quotations coming your way when you tune into Marcus Aurelius from 160AD.
Marcus has a penchant for goodwill despite dealing with plagues, greedy brothers, constant invasions, and the tough at the top job of being Roman Emperor. The most powerful position in the world at this point.
He is entering the studio...2021-03-0438 minSibyl ServiceBoudicca means BoudiccaBoudicca has been mythologised and redefined to suit varying contexts, established as a savage, a guardian of national identity, a champion of women, and a mother.
Finally, we hear her story straight from the horse's mouth.
With inappropriate language and themes, this episode is not for children or grannies
She is entering the studio, I repeat, she is entering the studio….2021-02-2626 minSibyl ServiceBoudicca means BoudiccaBoudicca has been mythologised and redefined to suit varying contexts; established as a savage, a guardian of national identity, a champion of women, and a mother.
Finally, we hear the tale straight from the horse's mouth.
She is entering the studio, I repeat, she is entering the studio.2021-02-2526 min
Diss and ThatDiss and That Ep.7 Sophie DibbenOn this episode of Diss and That Sophie helps Angus get to grips with the famous books of the 'Republic' written by Plato in the Classical Greek period. Sophie is a Classics student currently on her year abroad in Geneva.2021-02-1649 minSibyl ServiceTourist TrapTourism contributes to roughly 30 percent of the economy in Greece and 15 percent in Malta.
This episode will travel from the Mycenean ruins in Greece, Calyposos cave in Gozo, and to a Caravaggio in St John’s Cathedral in Valetta, the capital city of Malta, and we will be starting with the Ggantija temples in Gozo. Historians of Art and others will be asking; why do we go to places such as Malta and Greece? They are, after all, Mediterranean islands. But is it to dive into the rich history or to dive into the blue seas?
Music...2020-09-1331 minSibyl ServiceDrunk MonksKitty Agnew and I discuss the origins of...
Killing two birds with one stone? dress to kill? Have a humble eye?
Collectives nouns such as
A Discretions of priests? a Skulk of thieves and foxes?
Music by: Tertia2020-08-2920 minSibyl ServiceIt's all Greek to me!Greece, once the bedrock of Western civilization. Now, drowning in an economic crisis.
This episode reaps out all perspectives possible on modern Greece, whilst also diving into comparisons with Ancient Greece, in regards to politics, sexual relations, respect for women, architecture. 2020-08-2126 minSibyl ServiceAquae SulisRelaxing tour around the Roman Baths with commentary you say?
Back at the historical studio, we interview Boudicca from 50AD and Hadrian 120AD to gain their insights of the Baths.2020-08-0319 minSibyl ServiceLosing my Elgin MarblesArcheologist Angus and I delve into the enduring symbol of Ancient Athens - the Acropolis. On top of which stands the Parthenon, Athena Nike Temple, and the Frieze.
It's not all sunshine and rainbows because missing from the Acropolis are the "Elgin" marbles, stored away in the British Museum. This really grinds Angus's gears, particularly in the current climate of post-colonialism.
2020-07-2037 minSibyl ServiceHellenised and energisedOlly O Toole and I canvass over the life of the crazy cat Alexander the Great, the man who overthrew the Persian Empire.
From the drunken rages to the military conquests.
2020-07-0826 minSibyl ServicePharaohmonesCleopatra digs it and I dive into ....
Tutankhamun, Mummification, the Pyramids of Geezers, Queen Nefertiti, Pompeii excavations, and plenty more. 2020-06-2730 minSibyl ServiceAway with the Fairiesif you need a holiday, come and see me.
We explore the origin of particular Irish Idioms, some Folklore, and the dark depths of witchcraft. 2020-06-1713 minSibyl ServiceNero Degrees CelsiusEvil or genius? Nero or Hero.
The reign of the most theatrical Roman emperor ever recorded. 2020-06-1712 minSibyl ServiceA circle of small animalsDev, an astronomer at the Dublin Institute For Advanced Studies, and I combine constellations with Greek Mythology.
Orion, Perseus, Andromeda, Pleides, Callisto, the beasts of Heracles all achieve immortality in the Sky. 2020-06-1024 minSibyl ServiceOvid not CovidAerona and I discuss our Classical Quarantine Houses
Concluded gang: Ovid, Demeter, Caligula, Apollo, Cleopatre, Pericles, Circe, Medusa. 2020-06-0615 minSibyl ServiceOedipus was soooo complexThe Bacchante's just wanted an orgy2020-06-0312 minSibyl ServiceButter me up, Bakers.You may have heard on the grapevine that Kitty and I break the ice with a herd of harlots and incredulity of cuckolds. 2020-05-2919 minSibyl ServiceGetting Stoned with MedusaAre all the Greek Mythological statues victims of Medusa? 2020-05-2719 minSibyl ServiceQuaronta GioniEtymology baby.
This episode explores the history behind words such as "bankrupt," "Malaria," "Quarantine," "Clue," "Genuine," "Ostrasise," "Matrimony" and many more.2020-05-2607 minSibyl ServicePolitically correct PlatoPolitical correctness gone mad in Athens!2020-05-2607 minSibyl ServiceApollo had a lyre and he was also a liarThe Delphic Oracle was a cruel mistress. 2020-05-2608 minYou're Booked7. Elizabeth DayWe're heading, once more, to leafy, lovely North London to meet the author, journalist and podcast supremo Elizabeth Day. Elizabeth is the author of four novels and will soon release her first memoir, based on her massively successful podcast How To Fail. While snooping around her (small but perfectly formed) flat, we discussed being nosey, literary heroines, EM Forster related tattoos and learning the facts of life from The Thorn Birds.BOOKS (Click on the links for more)Elizabeth Day - The PartyElizabeth Day - How To Fail...2018-12-1748 min