Showing results by narrator "Andy Mitchell" in All Categories

Ever since 1977, The News Quiz has been finding the hilarity in the headlines and providing witty commentary on stories big and small. In these 25 episodes from 2009, the inimitable Sandi Toksvig is in the hot seat, presiding over an all-star panel of journalists and comedians.

In recent years, scientists have made major claims for psychedelics' ability to heal trauma, alleviate depression and cure addiction. From micro-dosing to ayahuasca retreats, the psychedelic renaissance is well under way. And yet, psychedelics are hugely various, and as every expert acknowledges, the experience of taking them depends on how and where they are taken, and above all on who is taking them. In Ten Trips, neuropsychologist Andrew Mitchell shows that by narrowing our view of these substances, we miss what is most interesting about them.

This play is a fictionalized account of the life of William Shakespeare, beginning from his humble origins in Stratford-upon-Avon with his wife, Anne Hathaway, to his life as a successful playwright in London. This play uses several biographical speculations about Shakespeare's life to tell a fascinating tale, such as his relationship with his wife (to whom he famously left his "second-best bed" in his will), his friendship with fellow playwright and competitor Christopher Marlowe, his interactions with Queen Elizabeth I, and an extramarital dalliance with the queen's maid of honor.

Cutting Room is set in the "Town Welfare Department" of a town in the Midlands, Burtonwood, during public sector cuts. Four characters (David, Lucy, Ian, and an intern, Anne) have to take calls from members of the public complaining about the loss of public services, with the boss Harry coming in occasionally to offer cheerful but often useless encouragement. As the cuts continue, tensions run high, with Ian in particular taking his anger and frustration out on the secretary, Tilly. At the play's conclusion there is a surprising twist.

On Saturday 22nd October 2016, the township of Bogganobbi NSW was completely destroyed in an event that saw the greatest loss of Australian life since WWI... and there were a lot of frogs.