Join Emily Inkpen, Chris Gregory, and a host of amazing guests as we explore different aspects of world building.
Time & Space & Geography & Energy & Politics & Names & Nationality & Religion & Evolution & Tradition & Language & History & Myth & Magic & Folklore & Technology & Landscape & Science & Invasion & Race & Distance & Details & Cycles & Sports & Games & Music & Night & Day & Towns & Cities & Rivers & Oceans & Flora & Fauna & Smells & Sounds & Terraforming & Transplantation & Parallel Worlds & Fiction & Fact & The Highest Peaks & The Darkest Depths & The Greatest Victories & The Crushing Defeats & The Granular Details & The Universal Truths & A Little Bit of Doctor Who
Essential listening for fans, writers and world builders everywhere
Learn from the creators you love, and find fresh inspiration with every episode.
01 - Fantasy Worlds Inspired by Scottish Folklore - with Lyndsey Croal
Recorded live at Cymera Festival, Edinburgh.
Join us as we venture into a mysterious world of ragged coastlines, monsters and moonlight. Folklore is a rich source of inspiration for writers everywhere, but how much world building is there to do when the stories are already embedded in the world we know? And how can folklore find new roots in futuristic settings?
02 - Deep Time - with Adrian Tchaikovsky
In this episode we chat with prolific, famous and wonderful writer, Adrian Tchaikovsky, about the effect time can have on a world and a story. We discuss seasonal cycles, evolution, the development of cultures when viewed through the scope of deep time, and much more.
03 - Daleks and the Whoniverse - with Nicholas Briggs
In which we talk to Nick about his experiences voicing the iconic Daleks and Cybermen in Doctor Who, and working within one of the most iconic pre-existing worlds in science fiction history. And, of course, we have a lot of fun along the way.
Have you ever heard a Dalek giggle? Neither had we!
04 - Folklore & Landscape with Zoe Gilbert
In which Zoe takes us on a journey through ancient woods in search of myths, enchantment, disenchantment, and wildness. What we find are Wallabies in Scotland.
05 - Terraforming with Premee Mohamed
Terraforming is a foundational topic in science fiction and in this conversation we learn about the power and the pitfalls of building worlds from the ground up.
06 - Urban Fantasy with Ben Aaronovitch
Nobody combines urban environments with fantasy quite like Ben Aaronovitch, who takes the already-buzzing metropolis of London and packs it full of magic. Join us for a lively chat about the city, its history, and how existing places can be tweaked in wholly original ways.
07 - Nordic Inspiration with Kaitlin Felix & Joshua Gillingham
In this VERY early iteration of the show, we talk to Kaitlyn and Josh about their Viking-inspired worlds, complete with legends and, course, grizzly ways to die.
08 - Smells & Sounds with Joanne Harris
It’s impossible to read Chocolat without chocolate and in this episode we find out how important food and drinks and scents and tastes and all sensory experiences feed into excellent fiction.
09 - Language with Arkady Martine
Language powers empires and knowing all the nuances can prove who’s in and who’s out. In this episode we talk to the expert behind the Hugo award winning, A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace, about how language builds worlds.
10 - Voicing Vikings with Tim Hardie & RJ Bayley
Audiobooks are becoming an essential part of publishing, and in this episode we talk about the way a voice can bring a world to life. Tim Hardie recently crowdfunded the audiobook for his first novel, Hall of Bones, and RJ gave life to the varied and vibrant cast of characters within it.
11 - Fungi with Adrian Gibson
Mycelial networks run through and under our world and Adrian Gibson, author of Mushroom Blues and A Murder Most Fungal, talks about how fungi can be centred in world building, as opposed to an invisible but essential component.
So that was Season 1! Join us for a recap of the series. We discuss the highlights, and select the overall winners of the games! Who named it best? And which death was the most grizzly and/or depraved?!
12 - Season 1 Wrap - With Chris Gregory & Emily Inkpen
Season 2
It happened! people wanted more - including Chris, Emily, and a bunch of writers who had specialist topics to discuss and grizzly deaths to share!
Enjoy more of the nerdery with a whole new season.
S2 Ep1 - Spaceships with Gareth Powell
Spaceships are worlds floating in the void, and sometimes they’re characters in their own right. Join space opera expert, Gareth Powell, to discover more about these iconic features of science fiction and how world building can be contained within, and stretch far beyond, these tightly contained environments.
S2 Ep2 - Coasts & Shorelines with Alexandra Beaumont
Coastal paths, secret coves, eroded caves, migrating birds and changing seasons — coasts and shorelines are the borders between land and sea and a whole world in themselves. Join writer and musician, Alexandra Beaumont, and discover the living magic of these changeable places.
S2 Ep3 - Politics & Governance with Stewart Hotston
When Western fantasy and sci-fi worlds are often limited to democracies, dictatorships, monarchies, and empires, it’s easy to forget that systems of government are myriad and many are underrepresented. Join writer, physicist and economist, Stewart Hotston, for a deep dive into the political scaffolding that holds our fictional worlds together.
S2 Ep4 - Gothic World Building with CJ Cooke
Gothic world building can be threaded into the fabric of many different genres, and author CJ Cooke (author of The Lighthouse Witches, The Ghost Woods, A Haunting in the Arctic, and many more) is here to share her expert knowledge.
S2 Ep5 - Dyson Spheres with Frasier Armitage
A Dyson Sphere is a theoretical technological super-structure that could only exist if the inhabitants used all of the resources of every other planet in the solar system in its construction. Encasing a star in a habitable construct means turning all thoughts inwards instead of out, and that’s just the beginning! Join us in this fun discussion and find out why a Dyson Sphere is a brilliant base for storytelling.
S2 Ep6 - Species with Jeremy Szal
Extraterrestrials come in all shapes and sizes, and Jeremy’s here to talk predators, prey, herbivores, carnivores, and all varieties of creature that may appear in your world. Tune in for the animals, the aliens, the creepy crawlies, and everything in between!
S2 Ep7 - More Spaceships with Gareth Powell
Recording sessions for this podcast often go on for two hours or more, and our Patreon supporters get “bonus episodes” featuring the gold we just couldn’t fit into the standard one hour. You can listen to this edition on our usual feed, but there’s far more to discover on Patreon!
S2 Ep8 - Belief Systems with MJ Khun
Systems of belief hold groups of characters together and stretch far beyond the religious. Join us for a conversation that explores corporate, military, and governmental regimes, the use of propaganda, and the fun of festivals and celebrations.
S2 Ep9 - Writing Game Worlds with Peter F. Hamilton
Peter F. Hamilton is a legend of the science fiction genre, and he’s here to talk about writing in an industry where collaboration with artists, designers, and creatives of all kinds is baked into the process. Find out how much freedom he’s had to write in the world he’s co-created, what challenges he’s faced, and where the unexpected magic lies.