“The thing that had to change most fundamentally [in The Grand Sophy] is that Sophy is simply untroubled…she always has the upper hand, she always has the answer and she’s always outwitting everybody. For the film…if a character is completely unassailable, it becomes frustrating. You have to find the kryptonite, you have to find what would make her vulnerable, and what would make her unsure of herself. If she’s being so bold and outrageous, what are the consequences?’ – Olivia Hetreed on adapting The Grand Sophy into a film

Welcome to our final episode in this season of Heyer Today, the podcast all about historical novelist, Georgette Heyer.

Sara-Mae has now been working on this programme for years, over which time, the world has been reshaped by a pandemic, she’s had a child and met a huge community of Heyer admirers and fans. It’s been a tremendously rewarding process in which she’s gotten to reread the books she’s loved almost all her life and see them with fresh eyes, alongside our Heyer newbies. Since she began this project, looking for Heyer content that was thin on the ground, new podcasts have sprung up, academic essays and conferences exploring the world Heyer created, as well as TV shows adapting the work of similar authors. All of which has made us hopeful that at long last, Heyer will get the recognition she deserves from critics and movie makers.

In this final episode, we’ll visit Heyer on her deathbed, with her best friend and husband Ronald at her side, as the magnificent Sarah Golding and Karim Kronfli give voice to her final moments in a tremendously touching scene. *Trigger warning, this scene may be difficult to listen to if you’ve lost someone from lung-related ailments.

On top of that, we chat to screenwriter Olivia Hetreed, coming full circle on our journey to discover what happened to her and her husband, producer Andy Paterson’s film version of The Grand Sophy. We’ll also speak to Peter Buckman again, as he tells us all about his adaptation of TGS, born out of frustration in the film world.

Plus, Jennifer Kloester, Heyer’s biographer, will discuss the controversial side of Heyer’s oeuvre, exploring accusations of anti-Semitism which have led some to call for her to be ‘cancelled’.

Finally, we have an Aussie book club who’ve never read her work giving us their verdict on The Grand Sophy.

SO. MUCH. GOOD. STUFF.

This episode was edited, researched, produced and hosted by Sara-Mae Tuson. Beth Keehn worked with Sara-Mae on production, writing and research. Mike Scott also helped with production, as well as a little acting here and there. Rowan Scott for being an adorable addition to the Fable Gazers family. Thanks to Cat Warren and Will Dell for their help across the series with production.

Michael Mandalis edited and recorded Beth’s bits throughout the season and he did a marvellous job. Thanks also to Geraldine Elliot, Talitha Gamaroff and everyone who supported us in creating this work.

We could never have made this without the help of all the guests we've had on this season's episodes. You’re all totally fabulous, even if you didn’t become converts.

Heyer’s deathbed scene was enacted by the magnificent Sarah Golding as Heyer, and Karim Kronfli doing his usual fabulous job as Ronald. We’d like to thank our wonderful cast across the series: Helen Davidge as young Heyer, Beth Crane and Hedley Knights playing multiple roles, including Heyer’s son, Richard (please check out their brilliant pod We Fix Space Junk, amongst many others), Fiona Thraille (playing Pat Wallace and others), Thomas and Holly Golding as young Boris and young Richard, John Grayson as Frere, Karen Heimdahl, my mother, Cathy Tuson as Sylvia and Mike Scott, again. You all helped to bring Heyer’s world to life, and we're profoundly grateful to all of you.

Look out for bonus episodes later in the year, we have plans to work with the International Heyer Society and Jen Kloester on some special short episodes.

The music used in this episode is from Emma Gattril’s luminous album, Chapter I, as well as Jerome Alexander’s cinematic Message to Bears work. Original music was composed especially for the podcast, by Sara-Mae and Tom Chadd, and their work will shortly be available on Spotify and Bandcamp or on request for people who donate to our Paypal.

Comment and take part in our discussions on social media, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter.

Special thanks to Peter Buckman for all his kind assistance, and for letting us use selections from his adaptation of The Grand Sophy, do go and find out more about it at thegrandsophy.co.uk

Remember to rate and review the pod … it helps small indie companies like us to thrive. If you’d like to help us with future projects, you can go to our 'Support us' page and donate money to keep us in tea and biscuits.

Heyer Today has been a Fable Gazers production.

Show notes:

The Grand Sophy extracts were produced by Jane Markham of Podcats, who cast six young actors, all members of the Oxford University Dramatic Society. You can listen to the podcast on most podcast platforms, including Apple, Spotify, TuneIn, ITunes, and Google Podcasts.

Websites:

www.thegrandsophy.co.uk.

Sarah Golding  

Karim Kronfli

You can find Message to Bears here.

Tom Chadd’s music here.

Emma Gatrill’s website is here.

“One of the great gifts that Freud has given to our culture is that our sexual fantasies are not to be censored in any way. They are beyond sin, they’re beyond political correctness. We have to accept that our fantasy lives don’t necessarily reflect the person we might want to appear.” - Amy Street

Welcome to Heyer Today, the serial podcast in which we explore Georgette Heyer’s legacy. This week Sara-Mae talks to Amy Street, the author who runs the @georgettedaily account on Twitter. She’s also a huge fan of Austen – her debut novel ‘Becoming Mary’ explores what happened to Mary Bennet after Pride & Prejudice. As someone who once wrote a series of short stories reclaiming forgotten characters in famous novels (for her university dissertation) Sara-Mae appreciates someone who wears their fandom on their ink-stained sleeve. You could say she’s another mega fan. Her delightful selections of Georgette Heyer’s quotes would brighten anyone’s day, and in the somewhat harsh social media landscape, it’s a wonderful, sunny oasis.

We talk literature's sexiest and somewhat problematic heroes like Heathcliff, Rochester and more. Plus, Stephen Fry joins us to talk about the original bad boy - Beau Brummell - whom many of Heyer's heroes were based on.

The music used in this episode is from Emma Gattril’s wondrous album, Chapter I, as well as Jerome Alexander’s luscious Message to Bears work. Original music was composed especially for the podcast, by Sara-Mae and Tom Chadd.

Comment and take part in our discussions on social media, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter.

Remember to rate, review and subscribe…I can’t tell you how much it helps small indie companies like us to thrive.

Heyer Today is a Fable Gazers production.

Show notes:

Regency portrait of Stephen Fry by artist Cathy Tuson.

We discuss:

Beau Brummell and Oscar Wilde, Cotillion, Devil’s Cub, Frederica, Friday’s Child, fan fiction, problematic heroes.

Links

A New York Times article about Joan Aiken’s Austen spinoffs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/books/review/joan-aiken-jane-austen-spinoffs.html

This is Heyer Today, the podcast taking you on a journey exploring the work of Georgette Heyer, underappreciated author of hilarious and charming Regency romances and detective novels. As with all of our book club episodes, this week we’re going to be trying to convert two people who’ve NEVER read Heyer.

Today we have Emma Moran, winner of the 2019 Thousand Films award. Emma’s a Northern Irish writer and comedian, based in London. She began writing and performing sketch comedy and stand up while at UCL and took a sketch show, Galpals, to the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe. Most excitingly, she’s recently had her first TV show, Extraordinary, greenlit for Disney+.

She’s also written and produced comedy sketches for The Hook, as well as Newsjack. We got together in that hallowed time in the distant past before the 'rona virus turned us all into bitter recluses.

Margaret Sutherland is a Project Coordinator for Transcribimus living in Vancouver, Canada. She kindly read Black Sheep with me, encouraged by her niece by marriage, Geraldine – one of my very first victims (see episode 6, Faro’s Daughter).

We’ll also be travelling back in time to 1966 to take a look at what Heyer was up to when writing the book. Plus, Georgette and Ronald visit the Queen!

Show notes:

Brenda S. Cox - Hypochondriacs in Jane Austen and Regency Medicine 

Our fabulous voice talent includes Sarah Golding as Georgette, Karim Kronfli as Ronald, Beth Crane as the Queen and Hedley Knight as the Chauffeur and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The music used in this episode is from Emma Gattril’s wondrous album, Chapter I, as well as Jerome Alexander’s luscious Message to Bears work. Original music was composed especially for the podcast, by Sara-Mae and Tom Chadd.

Comment and take part in our discussions on social media, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter.

Special thanks to the Audible team for letting us use an extract from the book. Do go out and buy it, it’s a fabulous listen.

Remember to rate, review and subscribe…I can’t tell you how much it helps small indie companies like us to thrive.

Also don't forget to get your Xmas merch or if you fancy buying us a cup of tea donate via PayPal here.

Heyer Today is a Fable Gazers production.

This week I’m talking to Dr Lucie Bea, one of my favourite people on Twitter. Not only is she an academic who is extremely knowledgeable about film history, (I quoted her wonderful article on the 1950 film version of The Reluctant Widow in episode 9), she’s also the host of the #GeorgetteHeyerReadalong group which has given me and many other Heyer fans some much needed solace during this weird time.

The readalong reminds me of the reasons I created this podcast, to share my love of Heyer with new people, and to indulge in the luxury of looking at her books again with fresh eyes. As Lucie says:

“As a result of slower reading, we had the opportunity to reflect on Heyer’s writing style, her sentence construction, and her gift for dialogue. We also considered the social and economic background to the novels: Heyer makes clear in The Quiet Gentleman that the Frant fortune originates in the enslavement of people, and, while we were reading this book, the National Trust published its report, Addressing our Histories of Colonialism and Historic Slavery. The large houses and the society about which we enjoy reading had a horrific human cost.”

I’m also delighted to share a fab conversation I had with Emily Griffin, Publishing Director of Arrow Books for Penguin Random House. PRH are in charge of publishing Heyer's books. Emily was kind enough to have a natter with me about the publishing biz as it relates to romance, and Heyer's books in particular.

*Just a note, we had difficulty getting a decent recording of Emily for various reasons, so the sound isn’t as good as I’d like, but what she has to say is really fascinating, so do stick with it!

Music from:

Message to Bears

Tom Chadd’s music here

and Emma’s website is www.emmagatrill.com

Show notes:

Websites:

Dr Lucie Bea

Mark Sweney article

Alison Flood

Notes on what we discussed:

The Wicked Lady

Barry Lyndon

Maurice Elvey

The Favourite

It's Heyer Today, the epic literary aural feast celebrating the life and work of historical novelist supremo, Georgette Heyer.

Today is our 10th book club episode – this week we’re discussing False Colours with two fabulous ladies: Jenni Waugh, who has worked on the Jane Austen Centre website and social media channels in Bath, and Rhiannon Shaw, a comedian who’s written for The Daily Mash, BBCs Newsjack, Succubus Magazine and TurtleCanyon.com.

(Jenni pictured here with Mr Darcy)

But will the two ladies be converted?

Show notes:

To keep up with Rhiannon and to read more funny jokes, follow her on Twitter – she’s @rhiannoneshaw

You can find Karin Heimdahl here. She was our wonderful voice talent today playing Nora Samuelli, while Sara-Mae played her sister, Annie.

The music used in this episode is from Emma Gattril’s wondrous album, Chapter I, as well as Jerome Alexander’s luscious Message to Bears work. Original music was composed especially for the podcast, by Sara-Mae and Tom Chadd.

Comment and take part in our discussions on social media, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter.

Special thanks to the Audible team for letting us use an extract from the book. Do go out and buy it, it’s a fabulous listen.

Remember to rate, review and subscribe…I can’t tell you how much it helps small indie companies like us to thrive.

Thanks also to Jude Knight, for reading from her article The Regency Sex Trade.

*Apologies for the mispronunciation of Evelyn throughout.*

Re sex work in the 18th century. We found Victoire Sanborn’s Jane Austen’s World blog to be a delight. She also has some great Heyer reviews, and recommended this Heyer short story for your delectation.

Sanborn found the source in The Happy Magazine, September 1922.

Websites:

• https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/jan/15/twins-literature-useful-storytelling
• https://www.madamegilflurt.com/2015/08/the-regency-sex-trade.html
• https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2012/03/24/progress-of-a-woman-of-pleasureprostitutes-in-18th-century-london/
• https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/?s=Georgette+Heyer

We discussed:

• Bath Tangle
• Persuasion
• Emma
• Instead of the Thorn

Heyer Today is a Fable Gazers production.

It’s time for Heyer Today, the podcast in which we investigate the life and work of our favourite historical novelist, Georgette Heyer.

We also explore why her books have yet to be made into films, in spite of being utterly delightful. Here to talk to Sara-Mae about that, amongst myriad other things, is none other than Joanne Harris (MBE).

Best known for her delicious and highly successful novel Chocolat, which was made into an Oscar-nominated film starring Juliette Binoche, Joanne is very well placed to be able to talk about the difficulties of adapting a book into film. Not only that, she’s also a huge Heyer fan. We can’t wait to pick her brains about this, as well as her favourite Heyer novels.

She’s been a teacher, with 15 novels and two collections of short stories under her belt as well as dabbling in television, writing screenplays, a musical and three cookbooks.

She’s outspoken about author’s rights, but does so with pith and humour, though she’s not just tweeting about such things, she’s actively adding to the discourse by chairing the Society of Authors (SOA), and being a member of the Board of the Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS). I could go on for days about this fabulous woman, who lists her hobbies as “mooching, lounging, strutting, strumming, priest-baiting and quiet subversion of the system”. Her appetite for life expresses itself through her work and the appreciation she exhibits for beauty in writing which is lyrical, delicate and yet at the same time earthy.

But her greatest skill is evocation, tugging at the threads and sinews that bind the mind and heart. Join Sara-Mae as she tucks in to a tasty discussion of Georgette Heyer and what makes her work so satisfying to those of us who love her.

Learn more:

Quotes taken from this article for The Daily Telegraph in January 2001.

Thanks to Janet Clarkson, from whose blog we found the John Mollard quote

THE ART OF COOKERY by John Mollard (published in 1836)

“French Pupton of Pigeons” recipe in THE LONDON ART OF COOKERY And Housekeepers Complete Assistant by John Farley (published in 1787)

Lauren Gilbert’s blog

You can find Message to Bears here: messagetobears.com

Tom’s music here: tomchadd.bandcamp.com/releases

and Emma’s website is www.emmagatrill.com

Welcome once again to another of our book club episodes of Heyer Today. Yep, it's the podcast all about Regency romance queen, Georgette Heyer. This week Sara-Mae will be reading The Nonesuch, (one of her favourite Heyers) with two fabulous people who have never encountered the author before.

In her quest to indoctrinate more readers, she’s converted a whopping 12.5 out of 16 so far – pretty good going. Do you know anyone you think would like Heyer? Why not introduce them to this podcast?

Kate Hinksman is a comedy writer who’s contributed to BBC Radio Four Extra's Newsjack and the CBBC sketch show Class Dismissed, as well as the technology podcast Design Spark's History Makers. And In 2018 she was shortlisted for the BBC's Felix Dexter Bursary.

Will Kate enjoy Heyer’s wit and skill with dialogue?

Charlotte Nugent spends her time working for The Mercer’s Company as a Programme Manager, but she’s also a stellar cook. She’s run a food stall as the Urban German selling the most delicious schnitzels, rouladen and other Teutonic treats – so she was the perfect person to discuss the food in Georgette’s book. From turtle soup to wax baskets of prawns enjoy this aural feast with us, as we read: The Nonesuch.

Find Kate here - @katelilian89

You can find Message to Bears here.

Tom Chadd’s music here.

and Emma Gatrill’s website is here.

Don’t forget to rate, review and recommend our podcast, it really helps others to find us. Also, please say hi on our social media channels, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter.

Extras:

Mock turtle soup recipe ;)

Welcome to Heyer Today, the podcast about all things relating to Regency romance queen, Georgette Heyer.

This week, Sara-Mae will be chatting with playwright Christina Calvit and director Dorothy Milne, who worked together on the acclaimed Heyer adaptations of The Talisman Ring, Pistols for Two, Cotillion and Sylvester at Chicago’s Lifeline Theatre.

The theatre has a distinguished record of literary adaptations, including some Austen novels, so when we heard about Dorothy and Christina’s version of Sylvester, we were absolutely gutted we wouldn’t be able to see it.

Christina is no stranger to reshaping a literary work, with over a dozen theatrical adaptations under her belt, including Wuthering Heights; A Room with a View; Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice as well as our four Heyers.

She worked with Dorothy Milne, a veteran at Lifeline, who’s directed over twenty productions. Not only was she an ensemble cast member, she also served as the theatre’s Artistic Director from 1999-2019. Both women have been showered in awards, so they were well equipped to tackle Heyer’s books. We chat about how Heyer’s dialogue lends itself to the visual medium, which other novels they’d love to adapt, our favourite Heyers, and why they think Heyer’s work has been misunderstood over the years.

Oh, and we’ll also be asking the delightful Kathy Skok, a fan from the Heyer Facebook group, for her review of The Talisman Ring play. She got to see a production based on Christina and Dorothy’s adaptation.

Picture courtesy of David and Melissa Beresford - Ludovic (played by Jeremy Bode) comforts Eustacie (played by Carinda Washburn)

Music

You can find Message to Bears here.

Tom Chadd’s music here.

and Emma Gatrill’s website is here.

Don’t forget to rate, review and recommend our podcast, it really helps others to find us. Also, please say hi on our social media channels, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter.

Useful links:

Lifeline Theatre

Lovestreet Theatre adaptation of The Talisman Ring, developed and produced by David and Melissa Beresford, based on Christina's script.

It’s time for another book club episode on Heyer Today, the podcast all about Georgette Heyer and her work. Guests are Sara-Mae’s hubby Mike Scott, who’s finally cracked and allowed her to convince him to read ‘The Unknown Ajax’, along with travel journo and radio broadcaster, Rob Crossan. So far, the convert tally numbers 10.5 out of 14. Will she convert Rob and Mike?

Apart from being Sara-Mae’s husband, Mike’s also a Partnership Manager for MacMillan Cancer Support, a charity he’s long been passionate about.

Rob is a published author, freelance journalist and radio presenter based in Stockwell, South London. He’s got over ten years’ experience writing and talking about travel, lifestyle, food, music, books and disability affairs. And he’s been published absolutely everywhere from The Sunday Times, Tatler, The Guardian to CNN Travel and more. You can hear him on BBC radio shows including ‘From Our Own Correspondent’, ‘Cerys Matthews’ on BBC 6 Music, Feedback on BBC Radio Four, plus he has a fab show called The Happiness Map, in which he chats to musicians like Elvis Costello about the music they associate with a favourite travel destination.

Join us for audio drama featuring Sarah Golding, Fiona Thraille and John Grayson, as well as historical contextualisation and a discussion of Heyer’s one and only interview with Aussie war correspondant and journalist, Coral Craig. Plus extracts from the audio book courtesy of Audible.

Music:

You can find Message to Bears here.

Tom Chadd’s music here.

and Emma Gatrill’s website is here.

Don’t forget to rate, review and recommend our podcast, it really helps others to find us. Also, please say hi on our social media channels, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter.

This is Heyer Today, a podcast exploring the life and work of Regency romance nonpareil, Georgette Heyer. Many of you will be familiar with this week’s guest; Mary Jo Putney, who hails from Baltimore, Maryland in the US. Host Sara-Mae has been dying to chat to her as, like Georgette, she’s also a best-selling author of Regency romances. Join us, as we pick her brains about the art of building a believable regency world. What are the pitfalls?

Unlike Georgette, whom she loves, her work explores alcoholism, death, and domestic abuse as themes. A regular on the best seller lists, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USAToday, and Publishers Weekly, she’s well versed in the art of writing to deadline, just like Georgette. She’s also been showered in awards like the Romance Writers of America (RITAs), two Romantic Times Career Achievement Awards, four NJRW Golden Leaf awards, plus the NJRW career achievement award for historical romance. In 2013 she was awarded the Romance Writers of America Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. Phew! Her mantelpiece must be groaning!

Also covered in our conversation: Arabella, The Unknown Ajax, Venetia, False Colours and the use of twins in romance.

“Romance is a girl thing, which means it never gets as much respect. Mystery is pretty respectable, people get killed, that’s respectable. But something that’s by and for women largely, is never going to get the same kind of respect.” - Mary Jo

Welcome to Heyer Today, Fable Gazers’ epic podcast series all about Regency romance goddess, Georgette Heyer. This week, Sara-Mae attempts to convert two musical babes to Heyer’s work.

Barbara Bartz is one of the most sought after fiddle players in the London Alternative Folk music scene, and Emily Lee is an up and coming singer songwriter – both of them could easily be Heyer heroines.

Both ladies were kind enough to meet me at my home studio (before lockdown) and chat all about one of my favourite Heyer novels, Venetia.

Barbara is also a masters graduate of literature, and an ardent reader of poetry, so Sara-Mae couldn’t wait to leap in and dissect this fab novel with them…

Added to this we look at Heyer’s life at the time she wrote the novel, and learn more about her favourite book cover illustrator, Arthur Barbosa. Plus, we have audio drama magic as Sarah Golding and Karin Heimdahl play Heyer and her friend Carola Oman discussing Charlotte Bronte's heroes.

If you’d like to join in on the action do check out our reading list, where you’ll find all the books we’re covering.

Please rate, review and recommend our podcast, it really helps others to find us. Also, please say hi on our social media channels, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter. We love to hear from you.

https://www.basiabartz.com/

https://www.emilyleemusic.co.uk

*Correction: we say Georgette was writing Venetia in the early 60s but she actually wrote it in 1957/8.