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Episodes
Conn Iggulden with Nihal Arthanayake
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling historical fiction author Conn Iggulden talks to Nihal Arthanayake about Protector, the latest book in his Athenian series.In this episode...
Alexander McCall Smith with Nihal Arthanayake
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Prolific author Alexander McCall Smith joins Nihal Arthanayake to share tales from behind his impressive body of work. In this episode, the ever-...
The Penguin Podcast's Best of the Booker Prize
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
To celebrate this year’s upcoming Booker Prize nominations, we've delved back into the archives and cherry-picked highlights from eight very special...
Avni Doshi with Nihal Arthanayake
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
“There’s a way in which memory can press up against the present”: this week, American author Avni Doshi talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her wil...
Ed Miliband with Nihal Arthanayake
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Labour MP, podcast host and now author Ed Miliband talks to Nihal Arthanayake about his debut book, ‘Go Big: How To Fix Our World’. Using a s...
Barack Obama and Marcus Rashford in conversation
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Tune in to an exclusive conversation between President Barack Obama and England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford as they meet for the ...
Taylor Jenkins Reid with Nihal Arthanayake
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her latest book, ’Malibu Rising’. Much of Taylor’s fiction foc...
Emma Dabiri with Nihal Arthanayake
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author, social historian and broadcaster Emma Dabiri talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her latest book, 'What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship t...
Zadie Smith and Nick Laird with Nihal Arthanayake
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Literary power couple Zadie Smith and Nick Laird chat to Nihal Arthanayake about their collaborative project, ‘Weirdo’, a children’s book about ...
Yaa Gyasi with Nihal Arthanayake
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Ghanaian-American novelist Yaa Gyasi talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her second novel, ’Transcendent Kingdom’. Using objects like a photo of...
Ashley Audrain with Nihal Arthanayake
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and ex-publicity director Ashley Audrain talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her wildly successful debut novel, ’The Push’. Usi...
Kehinde Andrews with Nihal Arthanayake
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Professor of Black Studies and author Kehinde Andrews talks to Nihal Arthanayake about his latest book, ’The New Age of Empire’. Using object...
Adam Kay with Isy Suttie
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Coinciding with World Book Day, writer and former junior doctor Adam Kay chats to Isy Suttie about his first children’s book, ‘Kay’s Anatomy’....
Neil MacGregor with Nihal Arthanayake
16 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
British Art Historian and former Director of the British Museum Neil MacGregor chats to Nihal about the new audiobook of ‘A History of the World in ...
Ali Smith with Nihal Arthanayake
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author and playwright Ali Smith chats to Nihal about her 2014 multi award-winning novel ‘How to be Both’, which has just been released as an audio...
Hafsa Zayyan with Nihal Arthanayake
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hafsa Zayyan, co-winner of Stormzy’s #Merky Books New Writer’s Prize, chats to Nihal about her debut novel ‘We Are All Birds Of Uganda’.She ch...
Owen Jones with Nihal Arthanayake
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Owen Jones, Guardian columnist and Labour party activist chats to Nihal about the tumultuous rise and fall of Corbynism via his new book ‘This Land’...
Best Of 2020 (Part 2) with Nihal Arthanayake
30 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the second part of this special edition Nihal Arthanayake chooses some more clips from a selection of his favourite episodes. This includes why Nig...
Alex Wheatle with Nihal Arthanayake
16 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author Alex Wheatle MBE, aka the 'Brixton Bard', has just been the subject of one of Steve McQueen's 'Small Axe' films on BBC1. In this episode, he ch...
Best Of 2020 (Part 1) with Nihal Arthanayake
02 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this special edition, Nihal Arthanayake chooses some of his favourite bits from previous episodes which include the likes of Sir Paul McCartne...
Bananarama with Nihal Arthanayake
18 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Iconic 80’s pop band Bananarama join Nihal Arthanayake to chat about their memoir ‘Really Saying Something’.They chat about the pressures of the...
Dolly Alderton with Sue Perkins
04 Nov 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dolly Alderton, author, journalist and co-host of The High Low podcast chats to Sue Perkins about her first novel, ‘Ghosts’.Both Sue and Dolly ope...
Richard Dawkins with Nihal Arthanayake
21 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Richard Dawkins - British evolutionary biologist and populist science writer - chats to Nihal about his latest book ‘Outgrowing God’He also talks ...
Richard Osman with Nihal Arthanayake
07 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
TV presenter and co-creator of the TV quiz show ‘Pointless’, Richard Osman chats to Nihal about his debut novel ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ - a...
Ben Macintyre with Nihal Arthanayake
23 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author and historian Ben Macintyre talks to Nihal about his new book ‘Agent Sonya’ - the story of the greatest female spy of the 20th Century.&nbs...
Ruth Jones with Nihal Arthanayake
09 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
‘Gavin and Stacey’ co-creator and actor Ruth Jones chats to Nihal about her second novel ‘Us Three’ - a story about enduring female frien...
Anthony Horowitz with Nihal Arthanayake
26 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Anthony Horowitz, author of the bestselling teen Spy series, Alex Rider, talks to Nihal about his creative process, how he’d like to write a Dickens...
Kevin Kwan with Nihal Arthanayake
12 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
‘Crazy Rich Asians’ author Kevin Kwan chats to Nihal about his new book ‘Sex and Vanity’ - the story of a young woman who finds herself torn b...
Nick Hornby with Nihal Arthanayake
05 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Nick Hornby joins Nihal to talk about how he gets inspired, bringing along a collection of objects that help him including a jigsaw puzzle and an LP.T...
Lily Cole with Nihal Arthanayake
29 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Lily Cole joins Nihal to talk about her latest book ‘Who Cares Wins’ - where she interviews the likes of Elon Musk, Stella McCartney and the Extin...
Pandora Sykes with Nihal Arthanayake
22 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist and podcast host Pandora Sykes chats to Nihal about her debut book ‘How Do We Know We’re Doing It Right? - a collection of es...
Jenni Murray with Nihal Arthanayake
15 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Broadcaster and journalist Dame Jenni Murray talks to Nihal about her new book ‘Fat Cow, Fat Chance’ - what it’s like to be labelled f...
Jackie Morris with Nihal Arthanayake
08 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Illustrator and author Jackie Morris, who has collaborated with the likes of Ted Hughes and written over 40 books, talks to Nihal about how she gets c...
BONUS EPISODE – Penguin Perspectives
04 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In this special bonus episode of the Penguin Podcast we bring you Penguin Perspectives.Penguin Perspectives&nb...
Caroline Criado Perez with Nihal Arthanayake
01 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Activist and author Caroline Criado Perez joins Nihal to talk about her book ‘Invisible Women’ - which exposes the gender data gap found in societ...
Amor Towles with Nihal Arthanayake
24 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Author Amor Towles joins Nihal from Manhattan to discuss his 2016 best-selling book ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ - the story of a man who is ordered to...
Malcolm Gladwell with Sue Perkins
17 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Malcolm Gladwell (author of bestsellers such as ‘Blink’ and ‘Outliers’; staff writer for the New Yorker and podcaster) joins Sue Perkins to di...
Stuart Russell with Nihal Arthanayake
10 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Stuart Russell - Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, Berkeley joins Nihal to discuss his latest book ‘Human Compatible: A...
John Niven with Nihal Arthanayake
03 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Scottish author John Niven joins Nihal to discuss his latest book ‘The F*ck-it List’ - the story of a man who after receiving a terminal diagnosis...
Noam Chomsky with Nihal Arthanayake
27 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Considered the Founder of Modern Linguistics and voted the World’s Top Public Intellectual, Noam joins Nihal to discuss his prescient 2017 book...
Curtis Sittenfeld with Nihal Arthanayake
20 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
American author Curtis Sittenfeld joins Nihal to discuss her latest book ‘Rodham’ which explores what would have happened if Hillary hadn’t marr...
Brian Greene with Nihal Arthanayake
13 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
World renowned physicist Brian Greene joins Nihal to discuss his latest book ‘Until The End of Time’ – which provides us wit...
David Harewood with Nihal Arthanayake
06 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Actor David Harewood joins Nihal to discuss narrating the Penguin classic ‘The War Of The Worlds’ by H.G. Wells. D...
Mark Gatiss with Nihal Arthanayake
29 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Actor, comedian, and author Mark Gatiss joins Nihal Arthanayake to discuss narrating the brand new audiobook of Bram Stokers’ ‘Dracula’ and the ...
George Monbiot with Nihal Arthanayake
22 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Are you missing the outdoors? Rewild your inner life with George Monbiot as he discusses Feral – the now-classic book that launched the re...
Denise Mina with Katy Brand
08 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Denise Mina’s latest novel ‘Conviction’ was selected by Reese Witherspoon’s book club and won the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of ...
Bernardine Evaristo with Nihal Arthanayake
25 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Bernardine won the Booker prize last year with her novel ‘Girl, Woman, Other’, one of Barack Obama’s top books of 2019 and hailed 'book of the d...
Anne Enright with Nihal Arthanayake
11 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Booker prize winner, Anne Enright chats to Nihal about her new novel ‘Actress’ - the story of a legendary theatre star seen through the eyes of he...
William Gibson with Nihal Arthanayake
26 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
William Gibson, author of the seminal speculative fiction novel 'Neuromancer', chats to Nihal about why his work has never predicted the future, why p...
Andrew Hunter Murray with Katy Brand
12 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Hunter Murray, writer for the BBC’s QI programme and co-host of the hugely successful ‘No Such Thing as a Fish’ podcast, chats to Katy Br...
Sophie Aldred with Katy Brand
29 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The 13th Doctor meets classic Doctor Who companion Ace, in a novel written by Sophie Aldred (who played Ace alongside Sylvester McCoy in the BBC TV se...
RJ Palacio with Nihal Arthanayake
15 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
‘Wonder’ has sold well over 15 million copies and was made into a major feature film starring Julia Roberts. Its author RJ Palacio has written and...
Paul McCartney with Nihal Arthanayake
18 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sir Paul McCartney talks about his new children’s book ‘Hey Grandude’. In a special Christmas edition, the rock superstar tells Nihal about pers...
Jonathan Safran Foer with Katy Brand
04 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Safran Foer is the American author of bestselling novels ‘Everything is Illuminated’ and ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’. His b...
Madness frontman Suggs with Nihal Arthanayake
20 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Suggs chats to Nihal about Madness' new book 'Before We Was We', which charts the very funny and moving story of the band's early days. Madness, who'v...
Philip Pullman LIVE with Sophie Dahl
05 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
‘His Dark Materials’ author Philip Pullman, talks to Sophie Dahl live from the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford. Philip has a new novel in The Book of...
Jacqueline Wilson with Katy Brand
23 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jacqueline Wilson has a new Tracey Beaker book: ‘We Are the Beaker Girls’. The former children’s laureate, who has sold over 40 million books, t...
Emma Kennedy with Katy Brand
09 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Emma Kennedy, author, actress and TV writer talks to Katy Brand about her new book ‘The Things We Left Unsaid’. Emma’s previous books include ‘...
Rory Sutherland with Katy Brand
25 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rory Sutherland, the charismatic Vice Chairman of advertising agency Ogilvy, tells Katy how thinking counterintuitively can lead to success. Using exa...
Malorie Blackman LIVE with Nihal Arthanayake
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this special LIVE edition from the Lowry in Manchester, Malorie Blackman OBE talks about the long-awaited fifth book in her Noughts and Crosses Ser...
Jonathan Coe with Nihal Arthanayake
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Coe, author of political satires ‘What a Carve Up!’ and ‘The Rotters’ Club’ chats to Nihal about his new novel ‘Middle England’...
Diana Evans with Katy Brand
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling author Diana Evans (‘26a’, ‘The Wonder’) is the perfect guest for this podcast. She tells Katy how objects are an integral part of...
Kit De Waal with Katy Brand
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Kit De Waal, author of the critically acclaimed bestseller ‘My Name is Leon’ joins Katy in the studio. Kit talks about her latest book ‘The Tric...
Howard Jacobson with Nihal Arthanayake
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Howard Jacobson joins Nihal in the studio to chat about his new book ‘Live a Little’. Howard, who has written sixteen novels including Booker priz...
Mark Haddon with Katy Brand
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Haddon tells Katy Brand how art inspires him – choosing objects including an oil painting and a David Hockney print to explain. The award-winni...
Nigella Lawson with Katy Brand
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nigella talks about her first cookbook ‘How To Eat’, which is 20 years old and has now been made into an audiobook. She tells Katy why she thought...
Elif Shafak with Nihal Arthanayake
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling Turkish-British author Elif Shafak, chats to Nihal about the brilliant idea behind her new novel ’10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange ...
Philippa Perry with Nihal Arthanayake
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
'The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read’ by Philippa Perry recently topped the Sunday Times Bestseller List and has been called ‘a parenting book...
John Boyne with Nihal Arthanayake
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
John Boyne, bestselling author of ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’ chats to Nihal Arthanayake about harnessing ideas around his new YA book ‘My ...
Ian McEwan with Katy Brand
24 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Booker prize-winning author Ian McEwan visits the Penguin studio to talk about his new novel ‘Machines Like Me’ - set in an alternatives 1980’s ...
Matt Parker with Katy Brand
10 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What happened when engineers fixed an aeroplane window with bolts ever so slightly too short (spoiler: the pilot did not stay seated). Mathematician a...
Best Of (Part 2) with Katy Brand
27 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this special edition, Katy Brand selects highlights from past episodes featuring Stephen Fry, Salman Rushdie, Ruby Wax, Zadie Smith, Caitlin Moran,...
Marlon James with Nihal Arthanayake
13 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Man Booker prize winner Marlon James tells Nihal why his new novel ‘Black Leopard, Red Wolf’ is a sort of African ‘Game of Thrones’. The Jamai...
Simon Amstell with Katy Brand
27 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Simon Amstell - comedian, presenter, director and writer talks to Katy Brand about his new book ‘Help’, a memoir interspersed with sections of his...
Imogen Hermes Gowar with Katy Brand
13 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
‘The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock’ was nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and was The Times Historical Fiction Book of the Year. Imogen Herm...
Best Of (Part 1) with Katy Brand
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In this special edition, Katy Brand selects some of the best bits from past episodes featuring Johnny Marr, Romesh Ranganathan, Ruby Wax, Tim Peake, Z...
Romesh Ranganathan with Nihal Arthanayake
16 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Comedian Romesh Ranganathan tells Nihal why he thinks Richard Pryor is the greatest stand-up of all time and how he practices his set in front of an i...
Michael Morpurgo with Katy Brand
21 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Michael Morpurgo has written a new version of ‘The Snowman’ inspired by the original story by Raymond Briggs which is now 40 years old. The author...
Marcus Zusak with Katy Brand
19 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Markus Zusak, author of ‘The Book Thief’ (which spent over 500 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list) joins Katy Brand. He talks about his m...
Pat Barker with Katy Brand
05 Dec 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Pat Barker, bestselling author of the Regeneration trilogy and Booker Prize winner talks to Katy Brand about her latest book ‘Silence of the Girls’...
Michael Palin with David Baddiel
21 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
A special live edition of the Penguin Podcast with comedian, actor, and writer Michael Palin is hosted by David Baddiel. Having been in Monty Python’...
Tim Peake with Katy Brand
07 Nov 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Could you make the grade as an astronaut? Katy Brand talks to Tim Peake about his new ‘Astronaut Selection Test Book’. Tim reveals what is was lik...
Helena Kennedy with Nihal Arthanayake
24 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Lawyer, broadcaster and author Helena Kennedy talks to Nihal Arthanayake about her latest novel, ‘Eve Was Shamed’. The book comes 25 years after h...
William Boyd with Nihal Arthanayake
10 Oct 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling author William Boyd tells Nihal Arthanayake about his writing methodology; years of research before he even sits down to write. Known for ...
Colm Tóibín with Katy Brand
26 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling author Colm Tóibín tells Katy Brand why he returns to the theme of home again and again in his work and what it’s like writing about v...
Sebastian Faulks with Nihal Arthanayake
12 Sep 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling author Sebastian Faulks tells Nihal Arthanayake how he creates characters, harnesses history to build stories and how he came up with idea...
Viv Groskop with Katy Brand
29 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Journalist and novelist Viv Groskop joins Katy Brand in the Penguin studio to talk about herBook ‘The Anna Karenina Fix’, a very funny memoir and ...
Claire Tomalin with David Baddiel
15 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Biographer Claire Tomalin joins David Baddiel in the Penguin studio to chat about the art of writing about other people’s lives. She has written bes...
Jane Fallon with David Baddiel
01 Aug 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Bestselling author Jane Fallon joins David Baddiel in the Penguin studio to talk about her new book ‘Faking Friends’. Jane is an award-winning TV ...
Caitlin Moran with David Baddiel
18 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Caitlin Moran joins David Baddiel in the Penguin Studio. The critically acclaimed journalist and author penned her first book aged 13, has been w...
Gabourey Sidibe with Katy Brand
04 Jul 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Oscar nominated actress Gabourey Sidibe joins Katy Brand in the Penguin studio to talk about her hilarious and moving memoir ‘This Is...
Arundhati Roy with Kirsty Lang
20 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Arundhati Roy joins Kirsty Lang for a special live edition of the Penguin Podcast. Arundhati burst onto the international literary scene 20 years ago ...
Salman Rushdie with David Olusoga
06 Jun 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author Salman Rushdie joins David Olusoga in the Penguin Studio. Salman’s 13 novels have won countless awards worldwide and his second novel ‘Midn...
Simon Mayo and David Baddiel
23 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Radio broadcaster and author Simon Mayo joins David Baddiel in the Penguin studio to talk about his first adult novel 'Mad Blood Stirring'. Simon host...
Christie Watson with Paul Smith
09 May 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Before she was a critically acclaimed author, Christie Watson was a nurse for 20 years, she joins Paul Smith in the Penguin studio to talk about ‘Th...
Tracy Chevalier with Paul Smith
25 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Much-loved author Tracy Chevalier has written nine novels, including ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ which sold 5 million copies worldwide and was mad...
Eoin Colfer with Paul Smith
04 Apr 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Author of the award winning 'Artemis Fowl’, Eoin Colfer, joins Maxïmo Park frontman, Paul Smith, in the Penguin studio. Eoin talks about his book ‘...
Afua Hirsch with David Olusoga
21 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Guardian Columnist and author Afua Hirsch joins historian and broadcaster David Olusoga in the Penguin studio. Afua talks about her bestselling book ‘...
Deborah Levy with David Baddiel
09 Mar 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Playwright, novelist, poet and author Deborah Levy joins David Baddiel in the Penguin studio to talk about her critically acclaimed novel ‘Hot Milk’...
Reggie Yates with David Baddiel
21 Feb 2018
Contributed by Lukas
Radio 1 DJ, actor and television presenter Reggie Yates joins David Baddiel in the studio to talk about his new book. ‘Unseen’ explores how he mad...