A Dream & A Fear: Recent Episodes
A Dream & A Fear
A podcast aimed at providing an expert view on some of the most fascinating characters from the age of exploration. This series will dive into the personalities, motivations and legacies of these great individuals.
In our last podcast of 2022, we chat to explorer/author Brandon Presser about his fantastic book on the mutineers on the Bounty.
With Brandon, we seek to clear up the mystery surrounding the fate of the mutineers as they hid from British authorities in the South Pacific. We also look at the confusing and complex history of the islands they inhabited and the legacy they left.
Book - Brandon Presser, The Far Land: 200 Years of Murder, Mania, and Mutiny in the South Pacific
A man of extremes - starting his life as a slave trader John Newton, who is arguably best known for writing 'Amazing Grace', turned to a life devoted to God and bringing an end to slavery. We dive into this remarkable life with former MP Johnathan Aikten to discuss his book and the parallels between his life and Johns.
Book: John Newton - From Disgrace to Amazing Grace
Of the 170,000 Jews brought to Sobibor only 57 survived. They survived because of one man - Alexander ‘Sasha’ Pechersky. We were joined by author David Bezmozgis to discuss his long read piece on Pechersky, the revolt and why his story is spoken about so little.
Read more at - https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/arts-letters/articles/sasha-pechersky-sobibor-russian-jews-david-bezmozgis
As Afghanistan drifts into its second year under the Taliban, we dive into the life of Ahmad Shah Massoud. Known to many as the Lion of Panjshir, Massoud led the Afghan resistance against the Soviets and later the Taliban.
Just two days before 9/11 Massoud was assassinated by Al-Qaeda. We talk to Carlotta Gall about her and her fathers book ‘Afghan Napoleon’, focusing on his life, his legacy and Afghanistan's fate under the Taliban.
Book: Afghan Napoleon: The Life of Ahmad Shah Massoud by Sandy Gall
The famous tale of the fate of Franklin’s lost expedition is a household story. Lesser known is the struggle endured by the numerous search parties that risked their lives to find Franklin and his men. We hear from Glenn Stein, who's book maps out the story of an ambitious Commander Robert McClure and his harrowing adventure through the last uncharted section of the North-West Passage.
Book - Discovering the North-West Passage: The Four-Year Arctic Odyssey of H.M.S. Investigator and the McClure Expedition
A member of one of the most powerful families in America, Michael's disappearance in 1961 became a worldwide story.
The mystery surrounding Michael’s final moments remain to this day. We speak to Carl Hoffman who’s book Savage Harvest (2014) has further fuelled the speculation around the possibility of headhunting and cannibalism.
Tune in to hear the full story.
Following the news of Chinese Gordon's death at Khartoum, the British press celebrated Gordon as a Christ-like man who sacrificed himself resisting the advance of Islam. Despite this, he remains little known today.
As we continue to grapple with our imperial past, we speak to Michael Asher, author, historian and desert explorer, on Gordon’s fascinating life and his legacy.
Book - Khartoum: The Ultimate Imperial Adventure - Michael Asher
On the 110th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, we speak to historian Tim Maltin to discuss the infamous Captain Edward Smith.
Was he really the stoic British hero many remember him by?
Is the film to blame for all of the myths surrounding the fateful night?
What happened in those final moments?
Why was there such a high death rate for 3rd class passengers?
Our 1 hour long chat looks to answer all of these questions and many more. For more information on Tim's three books on the Titanic, head to his website: https://timmaltin.com/books-titanic-tim-maltin/
This week we speak to Tim Jeal, biographer of Henry Morton Stanley, the infamous explorer of Africa.
The meaty episode looks at the life of the great explorer, his relationship with the barbaric Leopold II, the debate around the toppling of his statue, as well as Tim’s defence of Stanley’s legacy and how that has been viewed in the professions.
henrymortonstanley #timjeal #adventure #explorer #congo #heartofdarkness
Abraham Lincoln referenced Captain James Rileys memoirs as one of the three most influential works that shaped his political ideology, particularly his views on slavery. The others were the Bible and The Pilgrim's Progress.
We talk to Dean King about his best-selling book 'Skeletons on the Zahara', an account of Captain James Rileys enslavement and march to freedom.
We're back after a couple of weeks off.
It was great to sit down with Benedict Allen, one of Britain’s most famous living explorers.
Our hour-long chat offered a very personal account of his life and experiences in some of the world’s most remote places.
Benedict opens up about the tragedy and sacrifice of exploration, his controversial rescue mission in Papua New Guinea, as well as much much more.
Have a listen and make sure to keep an eye out for Benedict’s new book ‘Explorer’ which comes out next year.
Interested in understanding the history around the Middle East? Our latest episode dives into the life of TE Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia), looking into the fascination around the man, but also using his story as a vehicle to untangle the complex modern history of the Middle East. Join us and author Neil Faulkner to find out about Lawrence, the Palestine - Israel conflict, as well as much more.
Following the success of Julian’s 2021 best selling book - Madhouse at the End of the Earth, we bring our latest episode on Frederick Cook.
Our hour long chat dives into his fascinating life, which was plagued by scandal. Listen in to find out how he went from playing a key role on the gruelling Belgica expedition, to spending the latter part of his life in prison...
Tom Crean spent more time in the Antarctic than Scott and Shackleton combined. Despite this he is little known outside of polar history. To discuss the great man, we are joined by award winning author Michael Smith. Our hour-long chat dives into both the ill-fated Scott expedition, the heroic survival story that is the Endurance, as well much more.
