The Other Referendum"It all came down to me. One man. A human full-stop."At a time of national upheaval, a monarch addresses a restive nation. Should he stick to the script or can he finally be himself and speak from the heart? This powerful original drama by Tempest Productions imagines a moment of existential crisis for the monarchy and asks how …

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 24"Go ahead. You are the Writer. Not me."Will she do it? Will Hilary brush away the painful past and give in to Monica's demands? Your Most Avid Reader comes to an end with the untangling of everyone's story. The writer, it seems, finally holds all the cards.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Pr…

Your Most Avid Reader Episode 23"I want something from you. And you will give it, because it’s never too late." Monica reveals why she behaved so callously towards Hilary all those years ago, but she's not prepared to end things there. She has a final, audacious request.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which w…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 22"It wasn't until the picnic that I realised that you might feel something other than friendship towards me."The gloves are off. Monica and Hilary have a lot to say to each other. But one mystery remains... how they got here in the first place. What happened in the past to set them on this path to confrontation?Your Mo…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 21"Is any of it true?"It's Hilary's turn to uncover her past with a string of shocking revelations that have been waiting for this tense moment to emerge.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a compelling journey between the past and present, the real and the imag…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 20“What a fine, fine ambition, my dear. Would that I had such a yearning, such a perfect longing.” In a tearoom in Greenwich, two Regency girls - close friends but with very different personalities - excitedly divulge their dreams and secrets. Is it a turning point or a death knell?Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part aud…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 19"You are the writer, not me."Hilary hands over what she hopes is her final short contribution to the Hesiot story, but Monica is adamant that the relationship shouldn't end. New suspicions are aroused.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a compelling journey be…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 18"As soon as I land, I start planning my ascent again."Hilary has heard enough revelations for the day, but Monica is on a roll and can't stop dredging up her past.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a compelling journey between the past and present, the real a…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 17"I’d arrived with no strategy other than the demolition of a marriage."Monica arrives in Scott's home, determined to get her man. Meanwhile, the Reverend Herrington is devising her own way of wreaking havoc.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a compelling jour…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 16"Stay with me. Leave her. I will give up everything for you. We can be like this forever.”Everyone's in love. No one seems to be enjoying it. Dominic and Maria, Nathan and Elizabeth, Monica and Scott... fact and fiction are slowly entwining.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which …

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 15"I'm shivering at the memory of that day."While concerns are being raised about the Hesiots' unorthodox love lives, Monica is opening up about her own torrid past affair. Everyone, it seems, is battling for supremacy.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a compe…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 14"Why don’t you just send me a how-to-write book in the post!"Tensions rise. A new story is surely the answer. A true story about love and obsession.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a compelling journey between the past and present, the real and the imagined…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 13"It's about time for love. And death."Everyone wants a piece of the Hesiots, but the mysterious women from the East are about to spring some shocking surprises on their hosts.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a compelling journey between the past and present…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 12"It seemed to her that these odd creatures could serve a purpose, could in some way be useful to her."The Reverend Emily Herrington is a force to be reckoned with - but, then again, so is Anne Hadley. Both women are restless and yearn for power. The Hesiots have picked a lousy time to arrive in this turbulent parish.Y…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 11"I'm seeing a kind of threat to the group, maybe treachery, maybe men."As Hilary continues to paint a picture of the Hesiot women and their selective approach to men, so Monica is forced to contemplate her own past and her attitude to love.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which w…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 10"She knew me, and she sensed that I wanted him and that I wouldn’t stop until I got him."As more of her past emerges, Monica suggests an unusual, if risky, way of paying Hilary to write her book for her.Your Most Avid Reader is a 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a compelling journey …

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 9"The point is to stay on top of the land, to own it, to get others to work it."What kind of world have the Hesiot women entered? Will they be able to carve out a place for themselves in this new rural order? And what have they done to the young master of the Hindwold Estate? Monica wanted historical detail. Well, here …

Your Most Avid Reader Episode 8"One succumbs to jealousy rather easily at that age, don’t you think?"Having received a new chapter from Hilary, Monica is ready to reveal a little of her early life and the uncomfortable details of her first marriage.Your Most Avid Reader is a brand new 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 7"There is a band of criminals lying low on our land."Rumours are beginning to circulate about the mysterious women in the woods. Where have they come from and what do they want? But most pressingly - what have they done with young master Dominic? Your Most Avid Reader is a brand new 24-part audio drama from Tempest Pro…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 6"I had to do something to feed their grasping need for words."Left to her own devices over a lonely Christmas holidays, Monica has taken things into her own hands and has some startling news for Hilary.Your Most avid Reader is a brand new 24-part audio drama from Tempest Productions which will take you on a surprising …

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 5"He was dreaming about a past that he could never have actually lived."Are you ready to enter a new world? You're about to meet Dominic, Nathan, the Hadleys and the mysterious and beautiful Hesiot leader who captures hearts as though it were a game. A writer is creating a captivating moment of history.With the voice of…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 4"It’s like some huge hound sitting in front of an open doorway and however much I kick it and shove it, it won’t move."Monica is feeling bleak but Hilary has some new women who might help raise her spirits: exciting, rule-breaking women for whom friendship was everything. A story is taking shape.Your Most avid Reader i…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 3"Are you the one who will bring them back to life, Monica? That’s the question.."Monica is desperate to hear more about the Hesiots, the Radiant Wanderers and the Most Sententious Horde of Ladies from Monica, but the two women must also reveal a little about themselves. Trust is, after all, everything.Your Most avid Re…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 2"You are helping to provide more of the light."When Hilary goes quiet, Monica loses heart and fears that the promise of a new plotline was just a dream. But Hilary returns with a story that takes Monica's breath away. It's time to meet the Hesiots.Your Most avid Reader is a brand new 24-part audio drama from Tempest Pr…

Your Most Avid ReaderEpisode 1"That's the nature of the beast with writing - constant rejection."Monica is a successful author of historical fiction. Hilary is her self-proclaimed biggest fan. A chance email about a mysterious band of travelling women brings them together. But can these obscure women from the 18th century provide the lifeline that …

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 10Why are some words funnier than others? Can you learn a theory of humour? Are the sounds we find comical just as effective in other languages? The Neuromantics – writer Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott – give funny words a thorough seeing to, asking whether it’s possible to find any consensus on…

The Neuromantics Season 2Episode 9Think you know all about testosterone? Well, you might have to think again after this episode of the Neuromantics, as Will and Sophie discuss the sex-related goings on in our brains. The relationship between testosterone and our brains is not as clear-cut as it is with our bodies, and a scientific paper elaborates …

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 8Loss, survival and sympathy are the dominant themes of this episode of the Neuromantics, with Will and Sophie discussing research into the impact of maternal death on mammalian offspring. Maternal care is essential to survival and young mammals deprived of their mothers often move away from their social group, putti…

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 7The Neuromantics revisit a favourite theme: the importance of social interaction when it comes to healthy minds. This time the starting point is a study on the mental health benefits of cultural engagement. Why is looking at art in a gallery more psychologically resonant than looking at the same pictures online? And…

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 6Neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott and writer Will Eaves - AKA the Neuromantics - suggest you might want to reconsider what you think you know about metaphors. Are they only useful for describing existing things or can they have an earlier, more constructive role in the creative process? A scientific study which …

An Interaction of ParticlesA couple in bed. She's listening to the radio. He's reading a book. But it's Christmas Eve and something special - and a little weird - happens to them every Christmas Eve. Get ready for the journey of a bedtime!Our Christmas Special this year is a celebration of forbidden love, beautiful science and good old-fashioned br…

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 5The Neuromantics – writer Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott – return to the theme of ageing brains, this time exploring research into why some people remain cognitively intact well into their 90s and beyond. Is it simply a case of keeping our brains busy by learning new languages and musical instr…

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 4The grooming episode.Neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott and writer Will Eaves talk social bonds, hierarchies and connectedness. Focusing on a paper about baboon groups in Africa, they untangle the reasons why primates thrive as social animals and come a cropper when left alone. (That's where the grooming comes in…

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 3This atmospheric episode of The Neuromantics is brought to you from London Zoo. Neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott and writer Will Eaves – once they’ve stopped to admire the grooming macaques – discuss the plasticity of the human brain, in particular when it comes to the ageing process. Given that we're all born …

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 2The Neuromantics - writer Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott - take their usual inspired and multi-disciplined approach and apply it to the theme of journeys. Helping us unravel issues of movement and travel is an enlightening scientific paper on bird navigation and two moving short stories. With p…

The NeuromanticsSeason 2Episode 1In this constantly shifting world, with its endless novel experiences and influences, one thing we can be sure of is that we're not the same person as we were at birth. Welcome to the first episode of the second season of the Neuromantics, in which writer Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott juggle i…

Unbound17 The Seesaw of IsolationTrapped in his house by rising flood water, an old man's life depends on outside help. The sense of menace grows along with the encroaching water in this tense tale of old-age vulnerability. Written by Dianne Bown-Wilson and read by Steven Blake. Studio production by Mark Lingwood.Unbound is Tempest's audio bookshel…

Set in frozen, war-torn Leningrad, After Silence follows the story of the musicians of all backgrounds and circumstances who come together to perform Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony in 1941. Described as "absorbing" and "richly sensuous," this ambitious novel by Jessica Gregson is due to be published by Deixis Press in August 2022.https://deixis.pr…

The NeuromanticsSeason 1Episode 10 The Neuromantics go out on a good laugh. For their season-ending episode, neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott and writer Will Eaves explore the social function of laughter and discover that it’s a surprisingly more complex facet of human behaviour than you might think. There’s plenty of ground to cover: why do j…

Apex"If this is the last time, make it count."A lone driver walks the track early one morning before a major race. Written off and dogged by bad luck, he knows that what lies ahead has to be the defining moment of his career - one way or another. Lose yourself in the explosive noise and adrenaline of this high-octane drama, full of the chaos and in…

The NeuromanticsSeason 1Episode 9The prof and the poet bring a beautifully meandering arc to their discussion of inner voices in this episode – starting with a poignant Old English poem about loneliness and rejection and moving on to a paper on auditory verbal hallucinations. Historically, being alone – or “friendlessness” – was a dangerous state t…

The NeuromanticsSeason 1Episode 8The pleasure of making and listening to music. Is it universal? Or is it a very varied experience? The Neuromantics – author Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott – explore our neurological responses to music and ask how these may have changed over the years and with technological developments. What r…

The NeuromanticsSeason 1Episode 7In the 90s, the psychology community was tying itself in knots over whether forgotten traumas could or should be recovered through therapy. In this episode of the Neuromantics, writer Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott revisit the so-called memory wars, and discuss the controversial issue of repres…

The NeuromanticsSeason 1Episode 6In this episode, the Neuromantics take apart the sound of music, the scientific phenomenon that is. Writer and poet Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott discuss how the human ear processes musical sound, focusing in particular on pitch and timbre. Visiting, as ever, a scientific paper and a literary …

Chocolate Cake for Imaginary Lives is a unique collection of culinary-themed short stories written by Genevieve Jenner and published by Deixis Press. Funny, frank and full of the mess and magic of food preparation, this collection brings you the most delicious surprises.https://deixis.press/books/p/chocolate-cakeTrailer read by Rebecca Charles and …

The NeuromanticsSeason 1Episode 5The Neuromantics – writer Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott – delve deeply into emotions in this episode, and explore how our feelings are recalled and expressed. Taking as their starting point a poignant poem about the memory of illness, they move onto a Finnish scientific paper on the bodily map…

London Epitaphs12 Lieutenant Gilbert PriceThe date and place of Lieutenant Gilbert Price's death - Dublin 1920 - leads local historian Mike Guilfoyle to discover a remarkable story hidden away in Brockley and Ladywell Cemeteries in South East London. The young Londoner had a pivotal role in one of the most memorable and bloody events of the Anglo-I…

The NeuromanticsSeason 1Episode 3“Remember me when I am gone away.”The opening line of Christina Rossetti’s celebrated poem marks the starting point to a discussion of death in this episode of The Neuromantics. Exploring new research into death rites among primates, neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott and writer Will Eaves ask whether our brains …

The NeuromanticsSeason 1Episode 3What are we actually seeing when we visualise the world? How could the blind Milton have recreated such a sumptuously colourful Eden? And why do babies use their mouths as the first means of ‘seeing’ objects? In episode 3 of The Neuromantics, writer Will Eaves and neuroscientist Professor Sophie Scott explore what h…

The Watch - an audio trailerRead by Georgina SuttonThe Watch, written by Bibi Berki and published by Salt, is a dark story of obsession. Two uncompromising young women meet under extraordinary circumstance one midsummer night at university. By the time the sun comes up their fates have been sealed.Shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish and Exeter ficti…