Radio Morpork
43 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 11 ratingsRadio Morpork is a podcast about Terry Pratchett's Discworld, discussing and analysing each book in the series in chronological order. New episodes every month. Find us on Facebook & Twitter for more info, or contact us as [email protected]
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
The Shepherd's Crown - Counting Sheep
June 16, 2021 10:16 - 2 hours - 126 MBColm & Steve are joined by their old friend & Radio Morpork alum, Rose, to discuss the final chapter in the long rambling trek through the Discworld. They talk about the unfinished nature of this book, how it deals with tradition and modernity, and voice their final thoughts on Discworld with 41 books behind them.
Raising Steam - There Ain't No Gettin' Offa This Train We On!
April 22, 2021 13:12 - 2 hours - 137 MBSteve & Colm tackle the penultimate book in the Discworld canon, finding a lot to talk about and a lot more to disagree about. They discuss modernity, tradition, identity, fundamentalism, and, of course, trains. Colm sets off groans across the north east of England and Steve makes an enemy of the gnome community.
Snuff - The Mysterious Affair of Vimes
March 12, 2021 23:03 - 2 hours - 132 MBSteve & Colm discuss Vimes' final outing, as the Commander of the City Watch takes a jaunt to the country with his family. They discuss the risk of homogenisation during cultural integration, parse the plot to unpick its uneven attempts at narrative tension, and try to remember who was supposed to eat who in Swift's 'A Modest Proposal.'
I Shall Wear Midnight - I Have a Cunning Man
January 17, 2021 23:47 - 2 hours - 145 MBColm and Steve discuss the penultimate book in the Tiffany Aching sub-series. They talk about the pros and cons of narrative messiness, modernity encroaching into the Chalk, and characters navigating the tricky balance between public responsibilities and private desires.
Unseen Academicals - Balon D'Orc
October 28, 2020 21:28 - 2 hours - 136 MBColm and Steve take a look at Pratchett taking a look at the beautiful game. Colm pedantically grumbles about some of the football stuff Terry got wrong (a forward wearing the number 4 is a crime against nature) but there's some actual critical analysis as well! Fashion, class and dramatic stakes (or lack thereof) are all discussed herein.
Bonus Episode: Discussing the trailer for BBC America's The Watch
October 20, 2020 20:56 - 42 minutes - 37.3 MBSteve and Colm briefly divert from reading through the Discworld series to discuss the trailer for BBC America's controversial adaptation of The Watch.
Making Money - The Financial Times, They Are A-Changin'
September 10, 2020 22:18 - 2 hours - 135 MBColm and Steve cast an eye over Moist von Lipwig's second outing. Their discussion takes in how the novel's strengths and weaknesses are interlinked (namely: loadsa ideas and a very well established world to draw from), whether Moist is worthy of the role of recurring protagonist and the worst joke in the entire Discworld canon.
Wintersmith - Time of the Season of the Witch
August 10, 2020 18:14 - 2 hours - 145 MBSteve and Colm tackle Tiffany's third adventure, taking in Twilight, Titanic and teenage angst. They discuss the significance of the character-driven nature of the Tiffany books, themes of responsibility and community, and the struggle for a witch to hold onto herself.
The Magic of Terry Pratchett (w/Marc Burrows)
July 10, 2020 08:43 - 1 hour - 78.3 MBSteve and Colm divert from their usual trek through the Discworld books to speak with Marc Burrows about his forthcoming book, The Magic of Terry Pratchett. Marc has written the first full biography of the great man and it's jammed with insights, anecdotes and truly fantastic footnotes. You can follow Marc on Twitter @20thcenturymarc & find the book at his website, askmeaboutterrypratchett.com. The Magic of Terry Pratchett will be released on July 30th.
Thud! - Ace of Clubs
June 09, 2020 21:13 - 2 hours - 116 MBColm & Steve go back to the well on Pratchett going back to the well of Dwarf-Troll tensions. They discuss brilliant atmosphere building, less than brilliant plotting and whether Vimes still works as a protagonist post-Night Watch.
Going Postal - The Conman Always Rings Twice
May 10, 2020 12:59 - 2 hours - 158 MBRose returns to join Colm and Steve in discussing the introduction of Pratchett's final recurring protagonist, Moist Von Lipwig. They talk about community, finance, conman-archetypes, and Colm rambles about a Metal Gear Solid-style Discworld-set game replete with themed sub-bosses.
A Hat Full of Sky - A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Witch
March 21, 2020 15:10 - 1 hour - 96.3 MBColm & Steve tackle Tiffany Aching's second outing. Their discussion takes in everything from identity to homesickness to narrative structure, and, for some reason, a fair amount of superhero references.
Monstrous Regiment - Ru Polly Oliver's Drag War
February 22, 2020 13:12 - 2 hours - 147 MBSteve and Colm discuss this grim little outlier in the Discworld canon. Expect lots of talk about gender roles, internalised misogyny, propaganda and comparisons to post-Independence Ireland. Abominations unto Nuggan abound!
The Wee Free Men - Rowdy Roddy Mouse-Piper
December 04, 2019 22:20 - 1 hour - 99.3 MBColm and Steve look at the Discworld debut of Tiffany Aching. They discuss grief, responsibility, childhood and the godawful poetry of William McGonagle.
Night Watch - Mid Life Time Crisis
October 06, 2019 22:16 - 2 hours - 139 MBColm and Steve tackle Night Watch, Terry Pratchett’s sprawling yet intimate time travel political thriller/character study. It’s Les Miz meets A Tale of Two Cities! It’s Demolition Man meets The Death of Stalin! It’s Vimes meets Vimes!
The Amazing Maurice & His Educated Rodents - Puss in Cahoots
August 14, 2019 23:24 - 1 hour - 107 MBColm and Steve examine the first YA Discworld book. They ponder on the difference between young adult and, eh, old adult literature. And they also discuss Pratchett's love of cargo cults, his more cynical take on the role of stories and one of his scarier villains (no, not the rat catchers after a hefty dose of laxatives).
The Last Hero - Saga Megadrive
June 23, 2019 18:52 - 1 hour - 103 MBSteve and Colm turn their attentions to the illustrated homage to the last days of sword and sorcery and the first days of spacefaring that is The Last Hero. They discuss the nature of heroism, legacy, magic, science-v-religion, mortality and Diego Maradona.
Thief of Time - Chocolate-Proof Monk
May 24, 2019 15:45 - 2 hours - 131 MBSteve and Colm return to the Discworld just in time for the apocalypse... again. They discuss time, life, the apocalypse and chocolate while unpacking this truly singular book. In a desperate stab at relevance and/or a fumbling attempt to articulate their thoughts on the book, they reference Game of Thrones, the Avengers, Doctor Who and Final Fantasy VI along the way.
The Truth - All the Patrician's Men (and Dwarves and Trolls and Women)
April 23, 2019 21:37 - 2 hours - 115 MBRadio Morpork returns! Colm and Steve dive into the Discworld's 25th outing with enthusiasm, and, very occasionally, insight. They discuss journalistic ethics, the clever use of recurring characters and the theme of 'respectability' that runs throughout the book. Get in touch with us on Twitter, Facebook or email ([email protected]).
The Fifth Elephant - A Morporkian Werewolf in Uberwald
May 23, 2018 20:12 - 2 hours - 129 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Steve watch Ridley Scott's The Fifth Elephant with Harrison Ford as Vimes, Rutgar Hauer as Wolfgang and, eh, Imelda Staunton as Lady Margolotta. Well, not quite, but have a listen and you'll see what we're getting at here. We went to Uberwald expecting fat and uncovered a gem instead.
Carpe Jugulum - Three's a Coven, Four's a Crowd
May 09, 2018 11:30 - 2 hours - 119 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Supernatural foes are trying to take over the kingdom and Granny Weatherwax is starting to doubt herself! Sound familiar? Colm and Steve take in the last hurrah of the Lancre Witches, discussing its similarities and differences to the mighty Lords and Ladies, and how it follows on from Small Gods with the decidedly, deliberately un-mighty Mightily Oats.
The Last Continent - The Wizzard of Oz
April 18, 2018 09:51 - 1 hour - 72.4 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Steve and Colm take a trip down under (not exactly possible on the Disc unless you want to end up on an elephant's back, but bear with us) and discuss the last hurrah of the Discworld's first protagonist. They wonder why Rincewind is so dense here, whether the Faculty could be the book's protagonists, and how they can bend their minds around the distorted geography and history of XXXX.
Jingo - Operation Desert Squirm
April 04, 2018 07:42 - 1 hour - 93.5 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Radio Morpork returns from its post-Hogswatch slumbers and wakes up to war! Colm and Steve discuss how this book feels like a bit of an oddity within the Watch continuity, how Pratchett handles intra-human culture clash in a world previously known for inter-species conflict, and what their alternate selves are doing after they pick up a zoom recorder from an alternate dimension.
Hogfather - The Inner Baby-Sitters Club Christmas Special
December 23, 2017 14:12 - 1 hour - 89.8 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Happy Hogswatch, one and all! In honour of the occasion, Steve and Colm are joined by their old friend, Rose to talk about the dark roots that run beneath the blossoming Yuletide cheer, and how Pratchett shines a light on them with characteristic aplomb. They also discuss best and worst Discworld villains (hint: one of the best ones was in this book), their childhood fears and why humans need fantasy.
Feet Of Clay - Go Ahead, Bake My Clay, Punk
December 13, 2017 13:25 - 1 hour - 109 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Steve and Colm join the City Watch for their third outing, wherein there's a conspiracy to oust the Patrician in favour of a puppet king... again. Is Pratchett re-visiting this plot a good thing? Listen and find out! You'll also get a rambling discussion on trans-gender, trans-humanism and trans-legal justice (and Colm ranting about Oliver Cromwell a bit).
Maskerade - A Fight at the Opera
November 29, 2017 10:44 - 1 hour - 94.1 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Steve and Colm join the Lancre Witches as they journey to Ankh-Morpork to explore the curious and contrary world of opera. They (the hosts, not the Witches) discuss how Pratchett handled the tricky business of returning to Granny and Nanny after the climatic brilliance of Lords & Ladies, how body image and confidence are explored through Agnes/Perdita, and the tantalising tease of a Witches/Watch crosso...
Interesting Times - Aurientalism
November 15, 2017 17:16 - 1 hour - 82.9 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm & Steve travel to the Aurient to tackle Rincewind's return in Interesting Times. They ramble on about legacy, colonialism, revolution and an absolutely epic finale. They've reached the stage in the series where there's a lot of comparing Discworld books with Discworld books (and also the point where they fawn over the UU Faculty and Twoflower a lot).
Soul Music - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Death's Club Band (With Rocks In)
October 18, 2017 16:34 - 1 hour - 75.8 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm & Steve rock (and/or roll) out with a rambling discussion about grief, rebellion, growing up, and the opposition between art and commerce. There's also much chuckling over music references and and occasional bad impressions of the voice actors from the animated adaptation.
Men At Arms - Affirmative Action Heroes
September 19, 2017 22:09 - 2 hours - 134 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Steve return to the streets of Ankh-Morpork to discuss the second installment of the City Watch sub-series. Their bumper discussion takes in gun/gonne control, racism/speciesist discrimination, dog/wolf identity and dom/sub relationships.
Lords and Ladies - The UnFair Folk
September 06, 2017 10:27 - 1 hour - 87.2 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Steve join Granny, Nanny and Magrat as they return to Lancre to deal with folk memory fear mongers, the Elves. Their discussion takes in how this book follows on magnificently from what's been established in the previous Lancre witches books, how Lancre itself feels realer and more lived in here, and comparing Elves to the Internet, celebrities, aliens and much more besides.
Small Gods - Nobody Expects the Omnian Quisition!
August 23, 2017 08:48 - 1 hour - 100 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm & Steve journey deep into the desert (of the mind) and re-emerge as literary prophets, rambling about theology and tortoises. Their discussion takes in the opposition between flexibility and certainty, the character development (and occasional strange turns) of Brutha and Vorbis, and a veritable holy war about how to rank the book.
Witches Abroad - Foreign Vacations & Fairytale Vocations
August 10, 2017 11:04 - 1 hour - 94.2 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Steve and Colm leap back into the Discworld and accompany the Lancre Witches as they on holiday to the New-Orleans-meets-Disneyland city of Genua. Their discussion includes fawning over the wonderful chemistry between the three central characters, the restrained and ambiguous way Pratchett depicts magic, and the strange treatment of the good-bad binary.
Reaper Man - Death Comes to Life
July 25, 2017 22:49 - 1 hour - 107 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Steve and Colm leap headlong into life, death and shopping centres! They reference Michael Bay, Bruce Springsteen, Doctor Who and Red Dwarf in their efforts to wax lyrical about the emotional and thematic highs (and occasional structural lows) of Reaper Man. This culminates in a lengthy debate as to where this book fits in our podcast's ultimately subjective... ahem, highly prestigious, ranking list.
Moving Pictures - Gone With De Syn
July 12, 2017 17:37 - 1 hour - 84.6 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Steve briefly transform from bibliophiles into kinephiles in honour of the clicks. They discuss the book's depiction of postmodern hyperreality, the notable Discworld debuts of Ridcully and Gaspode, and compare Holy Wood to Silicon Valley.
Eric - Faustian Hack
June 21, 2017 22:26 - 1 hour - 62.9 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Radio Morpork returns! Rose has sadly had to bow out, but Colm is joined by Steve (of our Mort episode fame) to discuss this Discworld oddity. They talk about the limitations of Rincewind as a protagonist, the machinations of Satanic bureaucracy and the continuing taming of Unseen University.
Guards! Guards! - Enter the Dragon (and the Coppers)
June 21, 2017 22:03 - 1 hour - 68.4 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Rose return from a long hiatus to discuss the first of the wildly popular City Watch series. Their rambling discussion takes in how ‘million to one’ odds are calculated, the possibility of Vetinari being a villian and what the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night has in common with modern Men’s Rights groups.
Pyramids - An Assassin's Creed
June 21, 2017 21:49 - 1 hour - 66.2 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast which discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Rose are joined by Discworld newbie Aisling Lynch to discuss Pyramids. Therein are more Gormenghast references, Pratchett’s depiction of reluctant kings, Discworld prequels we’d like to see and possibly the most sympathetic and complex antagonist in the entire series.
Wyrd Sisters - The Lancrastian Play
June 21, 2017 21:38 - 1 hour - 83.8 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast which discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm chats to Rose about her visit to the 2015 Irish Discworld Con before they dive headlong into an analysis of Wyrd Sisters. Their rambling discussion takes in the fluctuating size of Lancre, Pratchett’s use of ‘mad’ villains and the top 5 Discworld computer games they’d love to see made.
Sourcery - Apocralypse Now
June 21, 2017 21:19 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast which discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Rose tackle the fifth book in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld. Their rambling discussion takes in their reluctance about Rincewind’s reluctant hero act, a mixed bag of side characters and the top five Discworld apocalypses. Is Sourcery a step back for the Discworld, or a side track down the scenic route?
Mort - Death is a Family Business
June 21, 2017 21:10 - 1 hour - 71.1 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast which discusses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Rose and Colm discuss the 4th book in the Discworld Series, and they’ve brought along a friend to help! Steve Hill joins the hosts to talk about death (of course), love (of the young and uncertain variety) and a “quantum leap” in quality. Plus the Top 10 Anthropomorphic Personifications!
Equal Rites - A Dungeon Dimension of One's Own
June 21, 2017 20:54 - 1 hour - 58.1 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast that discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Rose and Colm tackle Equal Rites, the book that takes a big step towards a Discworld that would be more familiar to most readers than the madcap fantasy theme park of the first two novels. They also explore the parts of the book that seem might incongruous in retrospect: a Nanny Ogg-esque Granny Weatherwax and a proto-Ridcully era Unseen University. Also, there’s the top 10 One Book Wonder ...
The Light Fantastic - First (and Last) Among Sequels
June 21, 2017 20:48 - 1 hour - 55.2 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast which discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Rose discuss The Light Fantastic, a further step towards the Discworld most readers are familiar with. They talk about all manner of things that didn’t feature in The Colour of Magic; a plot, a finale, an apocalyptic event and an octogenarian barbarian hero. In honour of Twoflower, they also detail the best tourist destinations on the Disc – in the unlikely event you are sucked th...
The Colour Of Magic - Pungeons & Dragons
June 21, 2017 20:37 - 1 hour - 65.2 MBRadio Morpork is a podcast which discusses and analyses Terry Pratchett's Discworld one book at a time. Colm and Rose talk about the very first Discworld book, The Colour of Magic. They discuss its status as an incongruity in the Discworld series; how much more magic there was, why Death was so much more sadistic and whether that was really Vetinari eating the crystallised jellyfish. They also describe how they first discovered Pratchett’s pizza-shaped planet.