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BBC Radio 4 show and podcast 2020–
The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed is a British podcast and
BBC Radio 4 programme in which the
Poet Laureate
Simon Armitage speaks to an invited guest, usually in his writing-shed of his Yorkshire home. The first series of twelve hour-long broadcasts began in March 2020, just before the
COVID-19 pandemic , the second series of nine began in July 2021,
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5] and the third series began in February 2023.
[6] The programme broadcast on 27 May 2020 was recorded while Armitage was self-isolating during the
COVID-19 pandemic , and was the last of the first series.
[7]
The broadcasts were recorded in Armitage's writing shed in the garden of his home in
West Yorkshire . The contents of the shed include "a harmonium, a pizza oven, a daybed, books on birdspotting, a decent spread of music cassettes, and an impressive collection of sherry",
[8] and he has described it as "close to nature without camping on the lawn, it's half inside and half outside".
[9] Armitage and his guest have a wide-ranging conversation, often touching on his ongoing translation of the medieval poem
The Owl and the Nightingale , and the guest answers a series of quick-fire questions such as "night or day, north or south,
Woman's Hour or
In Our Time ?" before being offered a glass of
sherry .
[10]
[11]
In series 3, broadcast in 2023, the podcast available on
BBC Sounds was up to 60 mins long but only a shortened version of 30 mins was broadcast on Radio 4.
Episodes
Episodes
Series
Episode number
First broadcast
Guest
Notes
1
1
4 March 2020
Guy Garvey , singer, music presenter, birdwatcher
[12]
[13]
2
11 March 2020
Kae Tempest , author
[14]
[15]
3
18 March 2020
Testament, rapper and
beatboxing champion
[10]
[16]
4
25 March 2020
Maxine Peake , actor
[17]
5
1 April 2020
Antony Gormley , sculptor
[18]
6
8 April 2020
Lily Cole , model and entrepreneur
[19]
7
15 April 2020
Sam Lee , singer
[20]
8
22 April 2020
Melanie Plimmer , judge
[21]
9
6 May 2020
Jackie Kay , poet
[22]
10
13 May 2020
Laura Ashe , historian
[23]
[11]
11
20 May 2020
Chris Packham
[24]
[25]
12
27 May 2020
No guest
Recorded in self-isolation
[7]
2
13
3 July 2021
Johnny Marr , guitarist and member of
The Smiths
[26]
[27]
14
10 July 2021
Amanda Owen , shepherdess
[28]
[29]
15
17 July 2021
Imtiaz Dharker , poet
[30]
16
24 July 2021
J. K. Rowling , writer
[31]
17
31 July 2021
Jo Whiley , radio and television presenter
[32]
18
7 August 2021
Gillian Burke , television presenter
Recorded in Gyllyngdune Gardens in Falmouth.
[33]
19
14 August 2021
John Tiffany , theatre director
[34]
20
21 August 2021
Sabrina Verjee , vet and ultrarunner
[35]
21
28 August 2021
Prince Charles ,
Prince of Wales
Recorded in the Prince's "shed", a barn at
Llwynywermod in Wales.
[36]
[37]
[38]
3
22
5 February 2023
Ian McKellen , actor
[6]
[39]
23
12 February 2023
Lucy Beaumont , comedian
[40]
24
19 February 2023
Simon Dobson , composer and conductor
[41]
25
26 February 2023
Pam Ayres , poet
[42]
26
5 March 2023
Loyle Carner , musician
Recorded in Carner's studio in
Hackney , London.
[43]
27
12 March 2023
Olive Senior , poet
[44]
28
19 March 2023
Glyn Maxwell , musician
[45]
29
26 March 2023
Julie Hesmondhalgh
[46]
References
^
"Simon Armitage invites guests for sherry in The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed" . Financial Times . 12 April 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed returns to Radio 4" . RadioToday . 16 June 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^ Maier, John.
"Contains moments of spellbinding banality: Radio 4's The Poet Laureate has Gone to his Shed reviewed" . The Spectator . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"Guy Garvey - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed - ManchesterTheatres.com" . Manchester Theatres . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed" . Listen Notes . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
a
b
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Ian McKellen" . BBC . Retrieved 31 January 2023 .
^
a
b
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Simon Armitage" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^ Johnson, Alex (12 March 2020).
"A tour of Simon Armitage's writing shed" . Shedworking . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^ Sherwin, Adam (4 March 2020).
"Poet Laureate Simon Armitage launches BBC podcast from his garden shed" . inews.co.uk . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
a
b
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Welcome to The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
a
b Wickham, Edward (5 June 2020).
"Radio review: The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Analysis: Identity wars, and The Archers" . www.churchtimes.co.uk . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"Guy Garvey - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed - ManchesterTheatres.com" . Manchester Theatres . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"Guy Garvey: Nine things we learned when he spoke to Simon Armitage" . BBC . Retrieved 12 February 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Kate Tempest" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"Kate Tempest: 10 things we learned when she spoke to Simon Armitage" . BBC . Retrieved 12 February 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Testament" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Maxine Peake" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Antony Gormley" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Lily Cole" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Sam Lee" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Judge Melanie Plimmer" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Jackie Kay" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Laura Ashe" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Chris Packham" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"Chris Packham: Seven things we learned when he spoke to Simon Armitage" . BBC .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Amanda Owen" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"Johnny Marr: 10 things we learned when he spoke to Simon Armitage" . BBC . Retrieved 12 February 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Amanda Owen" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"Simon Armitage does Haiku" . Julie Mellor - poet . 12 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Imtiaz Dharker" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, JK Rowling" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Jo Whiley" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Gillian Burke" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, John Tiffany" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Sabrina Verjee" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, HRH Prince Charles" . BBC . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"The Prince of Wales appears on 'The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed' " . www.princeofwales.gov.uk . Prince of Wales. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^ Sherwin, Adam (11 August 2021).
"Prince Charles invites Poet Laureate Simon Armitage into his garden shed for Radio 4 chat" . inews.co.uk . Retrieved 10 July 2022 .
^
"Sir Ian McKellen: 10 things we learned when he spoke to the Poet Laureate" . BBC . Retrieved 12 February 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Lucy Beaumont" . BBC . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Simon Dobson" . BBC . Retrieved 6 February 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Pam Ayres" . BBC . Retrieved 12 February 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Loyle Carner" . BBC . Retrieved 5 March 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Olive Senior" . BBC . Retrieved 5 March 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Glyn Maxwell" . BBC . Retrieved 5 March 2023 .
^
"BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Julie Hesmondhalgh" . BBC . Retrieved 12 March 2023 .
External links
Poetry collections Poetry pamphlets Nonfiction books Other media