Sophie Gee

speaker

10,871 appearances 39 recordings 3 series first heard Nov 2024 last heard yesterday

Sophie Gee’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

Trend

recordings per month · last 12 months

Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 35 in all, peaking in Jul 2026 with 7.

Appearances

newest first · ▶ plays the moment

Secret Life of Books · Secret Life of the River Thames · 22 Sep 2026 podcast

And so I didn't want to repeat the Thames passage that we chose for that, which is probably the most famous description that Peeps gives of the Thames when London is ablaze during the Great Fire. podcast-host

So listen to our episode for that because it's a truly unforgettable set piece of the Thames as this podcast-host

glowing orange sooty terrifying inferno and devastated londoners rushing down to the waters trying to get their belongings out of the flames and onto the barges so i sort of jumped the other way and i went with cold tents i went with frozen tents and pete gives us a couple of very short but memorable descriptions of the frozen river so this is january the first new year's day 1667 podcast-host

Lay long, meaning he lay in bed for a long time, being a bitter cold frosty day. podcast-host

The frost being now grown old and the Thames covered with ice. podcast-host

Up and to the office, where all the morning busy. podcast-host

At noon's the change a little, where Mr James Hooblin and I walked a good while, speaking of our ill condition in not being able to set out the fleet, we doubt this year, and the certain ill effect that must bring, which is lamentable. podcast-host

Home to dinner, where the best pounded goose that I ever ate. podcast-host

Then to the office again and to Sir William Battens to examine the commission, going down to Portsmouth to examine witnesses about our prizes, of which God give a good issue. podcast-host

So Pepys is very involved in the world of the Navy, the ships, the Thames. podcast-host

So the Thames is at the absolute heartland of Pepys' business interests in London. podcast-host

And he very frequently starts his entries up and on the water. podcast-host

And actually Lev and I often say to one another, podcast-host

In our texts, I was up and on the water by eight o'clock this morning in podcast-host

touching tribute to Pepys. podcast-host

So Pepys in those years from about 1665 to 1667 is living in what's known as the mini Ice Age. podcast-host

in 17th century restoration London, where there's this devastating cold snap that actually caused great loss of life and great hardship to people. podcast-host

But Pepys, again, endows it with this huge sense of vitality and interest. podcast-host

So there's another little Pepys entry from a couple of years before, from the 18th of December, 1665. podcast-host

The parts I'm going to read out show us this juxtaposition in Pete's life between his incredible energy as a businessman and sense of purpose and excitement that he gets from bustling around in the streets of London. podcast-host

Showing 141–160 of 10,871 · page 8 of 544