A short clinic on how to approach the IGCSE LIT P1 section on To Kill a Mockingbird. Advice on revision, planning and writing.

A cute and cuddly tradition, or a sinister and demonic nightmare. We explore the phenomena that is Elf in the Shelf

In this episode I interview Bee Huntley, a veteran of the English Dept, with over 22 years in teaching. This year she sat the January series of English Language exams as a way of sharing with the department and the students her experience of revising, practising and actually sitting a real exam. This episode is packed with valuable revision lessons for students of all subjects, but especially those sitting English Language.

Mr Allan and Mr Sebastian discuss the theme of cruelty in Of Mice and Men, and discuss which characters can lay claim to being the unhappiest on the ranch.

In this episode, we take a close look at the character of the Inspector in Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'. An ominous figure appearing half way through Act 1 and disappearing half way through Act 3, Priestley allows us to observe the Birling family before, during and after they encounter the Inspector.

In this episode, we take a close look at Priestley's political views and messages. Written in 1945 and set in 1912, Priestley explores the length and breadth of the political spectrum in the first half of the 20th century.

In this episode, we take a close look at the theme of Power and Status in Priestley's drawing room political drama.

In this episode, we take a close look at the character of Sheila in Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'.

A close look at the generational divide present in Priestley's 'An Inspector Calls'.

A close look at the central message of social responsibility and how the importance of it is conveyed in Priestley's Post-War masterpiece.

In this episode, we take a sideways look at Priestley's Post-War sociopolitical drama, refracting it through three analytical lenses.

In this episode, we take a look at the generational gap present in Priestley’s Post-War political drama and explore Priestley’s message to his audience of the danger of the fixed mindsets of the older generation.

A close look at the significance of this mysterious figure in Priestley’s powerful sociopolitical masterpiece.

Three of our best students unpick the intricacies of who’s to blame for the death of Eva Smith and how to characters respond to that blame in Priestley’s Post War drawing room drama. NOTE: this was recorded remotely during lockdown.

Jade and Grace discuss the themes of memory and childhood in part 1 of the novel. 

Poppy and Ava discuss how the theme of science is significant in the first part of the novel. 

An incisive exploration of the theme of Power and Status in Priestley’s mid-20th century sociopolitical drama.

What makes Shelia a compelling character? Two of our expert students explore the significance of this character in Priestley’s didactic drawing room drama.

Ms Rusholme gives a deep dive into the final chapters of Harper Lee’s Southern Gothic Bildungsroman on justice and injustice in 1930s America.

Ms Gladwyn explores the genre of the Southern Gothic in regards to Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird

Ms Gladwyn explores the topic of social class in Gothic Literature, a rigid class structure, the impact of rapid urbanisation and how Darwin’s views upset the Victorian apple cart.

In this episode, Ms Gladwyn explores the significance of Curley's Wife in Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men.

In this episode, Ms Gladwyn gives us an overview of the life and works of Edwardian author M.R. James - famed for his ghost stories. Gladwyn neatly sets James' work in its context and shows how he had a talent for causing terror by playing with the cultural anxieties of the time. 

In this episode, Ms Gladwyn introduces us to The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole, widely considered to be the first text in the Gothic genre.