Sky News’ Yalda Hakim and NBC’s Richard Engel have covered world events for years. Now, they team up for a new podcast to share their experiences from the frontline. They debrief from global flashpoints and discuss their encounters with the biggest decision makers. They’ll also be joined by some of those key players to help make sense of world even…

Blake scholar David Worrall discusses his latest book, William Blake's Visions, which explores the ways in which what Blake referred to as his visions can be attributed to verifiable perceptual phenomena including visual hallucinations (some probably derived from migraine aura), and auditory and visual hallucinations derived from several types of s…

Sharon Choe is joined by other Blake scholars - Hannah McAuliffe, Jodie Marley, Jake Elliott and Annise rogers - to discuss the range of talks and papers on William Blake at 2024 British Association of Romanticism Studies conference and consider some of the futures for Blake studies.Por Sharon Choe

William Blake has long been one of the many influences on the style and visuals of director Ridley Scott, most notably in his 2012 Alien: Prometheus, but also other films such as Blade Runner, Legend and Hannibal. In this podcast, Jason Whittaker explores how Ridley has used Blake, with particular emphasis on the Romantic artist's re-reading of Mil…

When most people think of William Blake, one of the first words they use is visionary. In this podcast, Jason Whittaker explores what that means in relation to Blake, and also how the Romantic artist gave a practical guide in The Marriage of Heaven and Hell on how to become a visionary poet.Por Jason Whittaker

William Blake has been claimed by a number of esoteric and even occult thinkers and practitioners. At the end of his life, he was as much known for his series of Visionary Heads - apparitions of spirits and historical figures - and this made him attractive to later spiritualists in the Victorian era. In this podcast, Jason Whittaker explores how Bl…

Often hailed as "the Scottish William Blake", Alasdair Gray's love of both the graphic arts and written word does indeed owe much to his admiration for the Romantic poet and engraver. In this talk, originally delivered as part of the Global Blake In Conversation series, Jason Whittaker explores some of the connections between Gray's mythic work and…

In this episode, Annise Rogers looks at the development of the figure of Samson in Blake's early collection, Poetical Sketches, exploring the connections to John Milton's Samson Agonistes, the violent and disturbing allusions to this hero in the Bible, and how he may have served as an early prototype of Orc and, later, the giant Albion.…

Critics have long noted the influence of William Blake on James Joyce's final novel, Finnegans Wake. What has been understudied, however, is the way Joyce extends Blake's subversive transformation of the epic tradition in his long poems, especially Jerusalem. While Ulysses is typically regarded as Joyce's major engagement with epic literature, Matt…

Billy Bragg in conversation with Jason Whittaker on the influence of Blake on his life, music and politics, looking also at questions of the hymn Jerusalem and Englishness. This is taken from a recording originally made for The Blake Society in 2022.

In this episode, Mike Goode considers the ways in which William Blake's famous invocation, "To see a world in a grain of sand" has become a viral meme jumping across different media formats, from poetry anthologies to popular TV shows and even computer viruses. This podcast is adapted from a talk originally made to the Global Blake conference in 20…

In this episode of Visionary: How William Blake changed the world, Jason Whittaker is joined by Sharon Choe, Annise Rogers, and Hannah McAuliffe to discuss one of the darkest works ever created by Blake - The First Book of Urizen. Pubished in 1794, this illuminated book is a satire on the the Book of Genesis that shows a horrific vision of material…

In this episode of Visionary: How William Blake changed the world, Jason Whittaker considers the ways in which Blake influenced the writer Angela Carter, in particular her science fiction satire, The Passion of New Eve, a retelling of Milton a Poem and a scathing critique of Blake's ideas of gender and sexuality.…

In this episode of Visionary: How William Blake changed the world, Jason Whittaker considers the ways in which the SF author J.G. Ballard rewrote Blake's Milton a Poem in his fantastical novel, The Unlimited Dream Company.

In this episode of Visionary: How William Blake Changed the World, Jason Whittaker, Sharon Choe and Annise Rogers review the exhibition William Blake's Universe on display in early 2024 at the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, considering some of the highlights of the exhibition and how it seeks to link Blake to contemporary European artists.…

This episode of Visionary: How William Blake Changed the World, traces the history of his famous poem beginning with the lines "And did those feet", better known as the hymn Jerusalem. It begins with the circumstances of Blake's composition after his trial for sedition in Felpham, before exploring how the poem was set to music by Sir Hubert Parry d…

In their various ways, William Blake and J. R. R. Tolkien are two of the most important creators of imaginary worlds in literary history, having inspired generations of writers and artists to devise their own myths and legends. In this podcast, Jason Whittaker is joined by Sharon Choe, William Sherwood and Annise Rogers to discuss the ways in which…

In this podcast, Hannah McAuliffe, Jon Mee, and Sharon Choe (Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, University of York) discuss William Blake’s changing conception of the body. The podcast considers Blake’s visual and poetic depictions of the body and how he uses the body as a metaphor both in his work and for his work. The episode covers Blake's e…

Today, something different – we're bringing you the trailer of an exciting new podcast from Sky called Electoral Dysfunction. Beth Rigby. Jess Philips. Ruth Davidson. With polls suggesting trust in politicians is low, three political powerhouses unite to unravel the spin and explain what’s really going on in Westminster and beyond. Every week, they…

On the Backstage end of year special, the team looks at the best TV series and films released over the past 12 months - from Barbenheimer to Succession. Adam Driver, Penelope Cruz and Shaleine Woodley chat about new film Ferrari. Sofia Coppola and Cailee Spaeny speak about meeting Priscilla Presley for their film Priscilla. Game Of Thrones star Iwa…

Are you ready for a new film franchise? After the idea was turned down by Star Wars, Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child Of Fire is out in cinemas. Zack Snyder and one of the stars of the film Staz Nair tells us about creating the new sci-fi universe and creating fully-formed new languages for its characters. The Golden Globes nominations …

Actress Julia Roberts speaks about her new film Leave The World Behind and how she would survive an apocalyptic scenario. From the premiere of Maestro, director and actor Bradley Cooper responds to the initial online reactions to the film's trailer. Plus, director Todd Haynes chats about his film May December starring Natalie Portman, Julianne Moor…

It's the film Timothee Chalamet fans have been waiting for - Wonka has had its world premiere in London. Following in the footsteps of Gene Wilder and Johnny Depp, we hear from the actor about taking on the iconic role of Willy Wonka. Oscar and Grammy award-winner Jon Batiste speaks to us about Netflix documentary American Symphony, which features …

Ridley Scott's latest theatrical release, Napoleon, is in cinemas this week. The director tells us about his "bum-ache factor" when it comes to film runtimes, Joaquin Phoenix's use of an American accent when portraying the once Emperor of France and gives us an update about filming the new Gladiator film starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denze…

On this week’s Backstage podcast, director Emerald Fennell chats to us about her film Saltburn - starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E Grant and Carey Mulligan. The team takes a look at the final season of The Crown on Netflix and this year's line-up for ITV's I'm A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here. Jason Isaacs and Laura Aikma…

US actors' union SAG-AFTRA has agreed a "tentative deal" with Hollywood studio bosses - bringing a 118-day strike to an end. On this week's Backstage podcast, we hear from the union’s chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer and Francis Lawrence speak to us at the UK premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad…

On this week’s Backstage we hear from Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi about her new Netflix film Nyad. We also talk to Bonnie Stoll, who is played by Jodie Foster in the film. Director Christos Nikou chats about his inspiration behind Fingernails - the new Apple TV+ film starring Jessie Buckley, Jeremy Allen White, Riz Ahmed, Annie Murphy and Luke Wilson…

On this week's Backstage, we hear from Eddie Izzard about her role in new film Doctor Jekyll. Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts director David Yates speaks to us about his latest film Pain Hustlers starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans. BAFTA award-winning BBC drama, Time, has returned for a second series. Set in a women's prison, it stars Jodie Whi…

On this week’s Backstage, we hear from Daniel Kaluuya as he makes his directorial debut alongside Kibwe Tavares for futuristic London-based film The Kitchen. Sir Lenny Henry speaks about his new ITV drama Three Little Birds - inspired by stories his mother and others told him about moving to the UK in the late 1950s. Director Errol Morris discusses…

This week’s Backstage is live from the BFI London Film Festival as some of the most anticipated films of the year hold screenings in the UK. Martin Scorsese chats about his new film Killers of the Flower Moon, starting Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone, Robert DeNiro and Brendan Fraser. Steve McQueen talks about his upcoming documentary Occupied Ci…

On this week's Backstage, we hear from David Beckham about his Netflix docuseries Beckham. Caitlyn Jenner chats about Sky documentary series House Of Kardashian. Plus, the team discuss the fifth and final series of BBC show Ghosts. Producer: Debbie Ridgard Podcast Editor: Wendy Parker Hosts: Claire Gregory, Katie Spencer and Stevie Wong…

Welcome to Backstage, the TV and film podcast from Sky News. On this week's Backstage, hosts Claire Gregory, Bethany Minelle, and Stevie Wong discuss the end to the strike by the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and what that might mean for Hollywood production while actors remain on the picket line. Nadiya Hussain of Bake Off fame has a new cooking …

On this week's Backstage, we hear from actress Mischa Barton about the return of Neighbours to our TV screens. Director Albert Hughes chats about taking on new series The Continental: From The World Of John Wick. Plus, the team chat about the final series of Netflix's Sex Education starring Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey and Asa Butterfield.…

On this week’s Backstage we chat about how celebrities are trying to control their narratives, after the Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner divorce news, as well as Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis’ leaked letters. Stevie gives a roundup of some of his favourite moments from the Toronto Film Festival, and director of Dumb Money, Craig Gillespie, tells us how…