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The TLS Podcast

The TLS
Literature
Poetry
Shakespeare
Edna O'brien
Booker Prize
Dylan Thomas
Gardening
Virginia Woolf
Jane Austen
World War II
Paris
Psychedelics
Charles Dickens
Irish Women's Representation
Brexit
Translation
Mental Health
Han Kang
Nobel Prize In Literature
James Baldwin

A weekly podcast on books and culture from the TLS.

Editors and writers join Lucy Dallas and Alex Clark to talk through the week’s issue.

To read more, welcome to the TLS.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes684Founded13 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
Society & CultureFiction

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Artwork for The TLS Podcast

Latest Episodes

This month on the TLS Highlights, we explore literary lives, radical histories, gardens and the arts.

Elizabeth Lowry uncovers the untold life of novelist Anita Brookner; Robert Poole introduces a remarkable 19th-century radical; and David E Cooper ... more

This week, Toby Lichtig introduces the pick of new fiction; and Nina Raine on adapting George Eliot's Middlemarch for the stage.

'The Rhyl Poster', by Tom McCarthy

'Doppelganger', by Sam Riviere

'The Brightness', by Chad Harbach

'Lords of Serendi... more

This week, Frances Wilson plunges into two biographies of the self-mythologising mystery man Edgar Allan Poe; and Will Eaves joins us to read his poem 'The Cat'.

'Darkness Becomes Bright: The haunted life (and afterlife) of Edgar Allan Poe', by Emil... more

This week, Tristram Fane Saunders praises the form-busting brilliance of new Nobel Laureate Anne Carson; and Lily Herd on shooting stars, shipwrecks and hubris through the ages.

Produced by Charlotte Pardy

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

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Recent Guests

Toby Lichtig
TLS fiction editor and writer
The TLS
Episode: Feasting on fiction
Nina Raine
Playwright who adapted Middlemarch for the Royal Shakespeare Company
Royal Shakespeare Company
Episode: Feasting on fiction
Frances Wilson
Writer and biographer who reviewed two biographies of Edgar Allan Poe
Episode: Murder Most Foul
Will Eaves
Prize-winning novelist and poet, RLF Fellow at Brasenose College, Oxford
Brasenose College, Oxford
Episode: Murder Most Foul
Tristram Fane Saunders
Writer discussing Anne Carson and her work
The TLS
Episode: The Wind/Yikes Dichotomy
Lily Herd
In Brief editor
The TLS
Episode: The Wind/Yikes Dichotomy
David E Cooper
Philosopher and author of a TLS review of Jonathan Bate's history of gardens
Episode: Cabbages and kings
Larry Wolff
History professor, Met correspondent, and opera aficionado
Episode: Cabbages and kings
Sophie Oliver
Author and interviewer for Rebecca West story discussion
University of
Episode: Costume Dramas

Hosts

Alex Clarke
Host of The TLS Podcast, TLS (Times Literary Supplement)
Lucy Dallas
Host of The TLS Podcast, Arts editor and co-host
Toby Lichtig
TLS contributor, books editor on TLS contributor picks for summer

Reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars from 599 ratings
  • Ugh

    So tedious. So boring.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    eternal nomad
    United Kingdom24 days ago
  • Intelligent and pleasant

    Intelligent chatter in a pleasant mood.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Flodysseus
    Germany7 months ago
  • If only they would focus on the substance

    Good guests and interviews but the opening chit chat between the two main hosts is not for me. I avoid podcasts which are more about the interaction between hosts than substance. I don’t care what these two have been up to in the last week. I fast forward past the small talk, which absolutely does not make me feel like part of their gang, to get to the point with this one if the topic looks worthwhile. The chatter does decrease once they get down to business but even so..

    Apple Podcasts
    2
    Lacwn
    United Kingdoma year ago
  • Audio quality is poor

    Almost always interesting literary discussions but the audio quality is so bad. Get a new audio engineer.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Manila Ph listener
    Philippines2 years ago
  • Fine once you get to the substance

    Good guests and interviews but the opening chit chat is not for me. I avoid podcasts which are more about the interaction between hosts than substance. I fast forward past the small talk to get to the point with this one. The chatter does cease once they get down to business

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    Lacwn
    United Kingdom2 years ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Listeners praise intelligent, thoughtful discourse and engaging guests.
The show's mix of criticism, publishing culture, and live event insights is a distinctive strength.
Audio quality and production occasionally cited as inconsistent by critics.
Some appreciate the warm host banter but others dislike lengthy preambles and ad breaks.
Guests and TLS connections are a strong draw for literature-focused audiences.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

Feasting on fiction
Q: How do you convey that narrative, that inner voice?
Raine made George Eliot a character in the stage production, using her to communicate thoughts and complications that would be lost if the adaptation focused only on plot and dialogue.
Feasting on fiction
Q: Was it your idea? How did it come about?
Director Jeremy Herrin brought Raine the idea. Having seen his Wolf Hall production, she was drawn to adapting Middlemarch as two plays and presenting its characters as recognisably contemporary.
Murder Most Foul
Q: Do Poe's stories still produce terror when read today?
Wilson says she felt disgust rather than terror when rereading the horror stories, and considers Poe's detective stories, the narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym, and his criticism among his strongest work.
Murder Most Foul
Q: Is it possible that both deliberate craft and psychological torment helped create Edgar Allan Poe?
Frances Wilson agrees that both can be true: Poe's stories were carefully shaped to affect readers, while his writing also reflects unconscious forces and personal torment.
Cabbages and kings
Q: Can you tell us about that?
Wolff says the Metropolitan Opera has arranged with Mayor Zoran Mamdani to distribute 70,000 tickets during the season to people who have never attended, aiming to build new audiences and connect the institution with the city.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
Location
Interests
Professions
Age Range
Household Income
Social Media Reach

Frequently Asked Questions About The TLS Podcast

What is The TLS Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A thoughtful, literature-forward show that blends author interviews, literary criticism, and cultural commentary. Episodes often orbit novels, poetry, and theatre, with occasional forays into film, journalism, and publishing culture. The hosts' warm, witty banter provides a comfortable entry point into deep dives on craft, memory, and material culture, while guests range from poets and novelists to critics, editors, and theatre practitioners. The format tends to pair accessible book-talk with rigorous insights, making it well suited for listeners who love literature, literary history, and thoughtful cultural analysis. A notable strength is the thoughtful curation of guests who bring both scholarly gravitas and practical storytelling, though... more

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How many listeners does The TLS Podcast get?

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How many subscribers and views does The TLS Podcast have?

To see how many followers or subscribers The TLS Podcast has on Spotify and other platforms such as Castbox and Podcast Addict, simply upgrade your account. You'll also find viewership figures for their YouTube channel if they have one.

Which podcasts are similar to The TLS Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The TLS Podcast:

1. London Review Bookshop Podcast
2. The LRB Podcast
3. Close Readings
4. Backlisted
5. Free Thinking

How many episodes of The TLS Podcast are there?

The TLS Podcast launched 13 years ago and published 684 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

How do I contact The TLS Podcast?

Our systems regularly scour the web to find email addresses and social media links for this podcast. We scanned the web and collated all of the contact information that we could find in our podcast database. But in the unlikely event that you can't find what you're looking for, our concierge service lets you request our research team to source better contacts for you.

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What guests have appeared on The TLS Podcast?

Recent guests on The TLS Podcast include:

1. Toby Lichtig
2. Nina Raine
3. Frances Wilson
4. Will Eaves
5. Tristram Fane Saunders
6. Lily Herd
7. David E Cooper
8. Larry Wolff

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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