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The Hatchards Podcast

The Hatchards Podcast

By: Ryan Edgington and Matt Hennessey
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The Hatchards Podcast is a conversation show about books brought to you by England’s oldest bookshop. Featuring interviews with some of our favourite authors, bookish waffle, and the occasional glass of wine. Hosted by Ryan Edgington and Matt Hennessey.Hatchards Art Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Antony Beevor on Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs

    Antony Beevor on Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs
    Mar 17 2026
    On this episode, we're joined by Sir Antony Beevor, the bestselling military historian behind true classics of the genre like Stalingrad and The Second World War.
    His new book, Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs, is a deeply researched portrait of Russia’s notorious “mad monk,” and how a barely literate peasant rose to exert extraordinary influence over the Imperial family.
    In our conversation, Beevor describes a social order on the verge of extinction, with Rasputin acting as its key accelerant. Tensions mount to the point where collapse feels inevitable—not a matter of if, but when. And it’s how each of the figures in this remarkable story responds to that sense of inevitability that ultimately seals their fate.
    Hosted by Ryan Edgington. Produced by Lily Woods.
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    33 mins
  • Julian Sancton on Neptune’s Fortune: Castro, Cousteau, and a Billion-Pound Treasure

    Julian Sancton on Neptune’s Fortune: Castro, Cousteau, and a Billion-Pound Treasure
    Feb 17 2026
    On this episode, we’re joined by Julian Sancton, the investigative journalist and author of Neptune’s Fortune, which brings us into the world of 20th-century treasure hunting and the search for a Spanish galleon containing over a billion pounds’ worth of gold and silver. At the center of this story is Roger Dooley, a larger-than-life Cuban American archaeologist who dedicated his life to finding it.


    Julian tells us how he gained access to this world of colourful characters, why stories of the sea continue to motivate his writing life, and how he shaped a story that combines adventure, geopolitics, and centuries of maritime history.


    Hosted by Ryan Edgington.
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    47 mins
  • Tom Sachs on Frank Gehry, Guillotines, and ‘The Tom Sachs Guide’

    Tom Sachs on Frank Gehry, Guillotines, and ‘The Tom Sachs Guide’
    Jan 27 2026
    On this episode, we’re joined by an art world institution –– the American sculptor, Tom Sachs.
    He joins us to discuss The Tom Sachs Guide, a visual retrospective of his work which aims to both contextualise and demystify his unique way of seeing the world, as well as the creative inspirations and working methods that drive his famous studio.
    What motivates Tom’s work, and indeed this conversation, is the idea of contradiction.
    By turning iconic brands into bricolage sculptures like ‘Prada Toilet’ or ‘Chanel Guillotine,’ he shows us how the aesthetic beauty of luxury objects can sit alongside their effects on consumer culture, without one idea essentially neutralising the other. It’s a refreshing perspective in today’s world of increased polarisation, and one that makes Tom a uniquely compelling guest.
    His enormous body of work, which includes everything from sought-after Nike trainers to a full-scale replica of an Apollo spacecraft, has attracted both significant praise and some controversy throughout his near-40-year career.
    Hosted by Ryan Edgington.
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    38 mins
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