Victorians! discussion

With podcasts being so popular these days I thought we could start a discussion thread where folks can share different podcasts relevant to the Victorian era.

I may have shared this particular podcast before. It is a series of only 14 episodes titled Victoria's World, and at the time I listened to it I enjoyed it immensely.

https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/i...

While looking for the Victoria's World podcast I came across another one that sounds really intriguing. It is called Age of Victoria Podcast. It is an ongoing series with 81 episodes so far. Has anyone listened to it?

I've added it to my ever-growing rotation, lol!

Yes, I have listened to quite a few of the Age of Victoria ones. I find the presenter's voice and intonation difficult to listen to so I admit I do leave long gaps between episodes, BUT I have to say the content is excellent. Really meticulous research and clear, balanced explanations of whatever topic is being discussed. I particularly like the "mini-sodes" where he steps away from the chronological progress through the period and concentrates on a specific topic.

I would love to find a good podcast about Victorian literature! I've only managed to find one (which I now can't remember the name of) but couldn't get into it at all. Any recommendations welcome!

That's good to know! I listened to the first one while weeding my flowerbeds. He starts with 1815 and Napoleon, which makes sense. The Victorian period didn't emerge out of a vacuum.

I have yet to find a good literature podcast I can stick to. I've dabbled around, but got tired of them at some point.

Kerstin wrote: "With podcasts being so popular these days I thought we could start a discussion thread where folks can share different podcasts relevant to the Victorian era."

Thank you for recommending Victoria's World - I've just listened to the first one and really enjoyed it.

You inspired me to go searching for other Victorian-related podcasts and I found a few so I've been dutifully trying them out over the last couple of days:

The Victorian Gaslamp - 33 short episodes (20-30 mins) looking at topics such as prisons, etiquette, health, or sometimes a specific figure such as Admiral Nelson or George III. Not just Victorian in spite of the name, but also covers early 19th century.

The Victorienne - 15 very short episodes (10-15 mins). Topics include Christmas, theatre, corsets and penny dreadfuls!

The Devil's Dinner Hour - 12 episodes (15-30 mins) covering Victorian topics with a gothic or macabre feel e.g. hallowe'en, the supernatural, or the craze for unrolling Egyptian mummies.

The Victorian Variety Show - This seems to be the only one still releasing episodes. There are 23 so far, 15-30 mins long. Similar topics to The Devil's Dinner Hour e.g. spiritualism, freak shows, mesmerism, drug manufacture, and penny dreadfuls (again).

Lithium Jubilee - 87 episodes, much longer, usually around an hour but sometimes 1.5 hours. I've only listened to 15 minutes of the first episode so far and am not enjoying the presenting style and it doesn't seem as obviously well-researched as the others, but I will stick with it for a bit!

The only literature one I have listened to is Victorian Scribblers, where two PhD students discuss long-forgotten authors but I couldn't get into that at all so gave up on it a while ago.

But hopefully you might find something interesting in that list which can accompany your weeding!

Thank you Lorna for this list! I am sure folks here will find plenty to choose from!

The HistoryExtra podcast is by BBC History Magazine. It has many episodes related to the Victorians. Although not specifically a Victorian podcast, you can search the podcast name with the word Victorian to find the episodes (for convenience these can be put into a specially made playlist).

Lorna wrote: "Kerstin wrote: "With podcasts being so popular these days I thought we could start a discussion thread where folks can share different podcasts relevant to the Victorian era."

Thank you for recomm..."

Wow! This is a rabbit hole I didn’t know I needed!

Renee wrote: "Wow! This is a rabbit hole I didn’t know I needed!"

Oh, yes! Whenever I drive or walk now, I have a podcast on. They make the daily winter 'constitutional' far more interesting!

Another recommendation is to search the 'BBC Sounds' site for podcasts relating to Victorian authors. The 'In Our Time' podcast is very good.

Renee wrote: "Wow! This is a rabbit hole I didn’t know I needed!."

LOL!

Jane wrote: "Renee wrote: "Wow! This is a rabbit hole I didn’t know I needed!"

Oh, yes! Whenever I drive or walk now, I have a podcast on. They make the daily winter 'constitutional' far more interesting!

Ano..."

Oh my goodness! You are a kindred spirit, Jane. I do the very same thing. And on long drives to visit family we listen to a string of them. ...and it makes folding laundry so much faster :-)

The "In Our Time" podcast is one of my favorites!

Kerstin wrote: "It makes folding laundry so much faster :-)"

And cooking!

The In Our Time podcast is definitely one of my favourites, too.

I've answered the image question in the 'schedule' thread of the group read, Kerstin.

Here is the podcast I mentioned. It is about the Royal School of Needlework which got it's start sometime in the 1860s, if I remember correctly. Anyway, I found fascinating.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

You can listen to it on other platforms as well, but the Long Thread website https://longthreadmedia.com/podcast didn't allow me to pull it up.

Kerstin wrote: "Here is the podcast I mentioned."

Thank you, Kerstin!

Jane wrote: "The HistoryExtra podcast is by BBC History Magazine. It has many episodes related to the Victorians. Although not specifically a Victorian podcast, you can search the podcast name with the word Vic..."


Thank you Jane - I hadn't heard of the History Extra podcast but have now enjoyed quite a few episodes. I'm currently listening to the latest one about the development of railways in the 19th century.

Another programme I've recently discovered on BBC Radio 3 is a discussion programme called Free Thinking. It covers all sorts of topics but there are a few literature-related ones. An excellent recent one was about Wilkie Collins' portrayal of disabled characters, which I found fascinating, especially because he's one of my favourite Victorian authors.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001...

Lorna wrote: "An excellent recent one was about Wilkie Collins' portrayal of disabled characters, which I found fascinating, especially because he's one of my favourite Victorian authors."

Thank you, Lorna. I haven't checked the 'Free Thinking' podcasts in quite a while, that sounds like a good one! I've only read one Wilkie Collins book, The Woman in White, and I very much enjoyed it. I really should get round to reading more of his works.

I've just discovered what sounds to be a fascinating Victorian podcast - again, not exactly literary in subject, although I suppose letters could be seen as literary in a sense. It is called My Love Letter Time Machine and it was shortlisted for the International Women's Podcast Awards last year. It involves the presenter reading through her great-grandparents' correspondence when they were courting in the 1870s/1880s. She has extensive letters from both of them, and in addition her great-grandfather's diaries and additional research to flesh out the background details of social and family history. The writers were ordinary working class people in Yorkshire so it is rare to hear first-hand voices from these sorts of people. I have only listened to a couple of episodes so far but it's wonderful. Episodes are released weekly so you can follow their courtship and get to know the other "characters" (people!) in their lives. There are 62 episodes so far.

That looks really interesting, Lorna. Thank you for sharing. :)

I found a podcast, The 19th Century Novel Podcast, that focuses on Nineteenth Century Literature with a focus on English Literature.
Overall, I am enjoying it. My one complaint is the narrator relies on English professors following whatever academic fad is popular at the moment. It says more about what us moderns are obsessed with than what the work of literature would have said to the Victorians.

https://nineteenthcenturynovel.podbea...

The On Eyre podcast is a wonderful discussion of Jane Eyre by a trained chaplain and an author - bringing in other experts as well for every episode - and relating it both to its parallels in modern society and, with all its downsides, if it is a book that we should give to our daughters. (They are currently finishing up a season on Pride and Prejudice that is terrific too!)

https://www.hotandbotheredrompod.com/...