The Waterstones Podcast

Not many books make a big fanfare about their 42nd anniversary but fans will know why this year is important for Douglas Adams's comic masterpiece. To celebrate its enduring legacy we speak with long-time friends, colleagues, collaborators and fans to try and put our finger on why the universe he created remains so popular today. From his famed struggles with deadlines to the legendary tales that surround his ideas we take a look at what made him so funny and still so very much missed by all. Featuring: John Lloyd, Jacqueline Graham, Chris Riddell, Peter Whitehead, David Haddock, Yvette Keller, Mayara Santos, Nemo Thorx

The first in a new series that discovers the story behind books which went on to become prize-winners, trail-blazers, or are now seen as modern classics. We speak exclusively with Dame Hilary Mantel and her editor, Nicholas Pearson, about Wolf Hall, the first part of her Cromwell trilogy which not only won the Booker Prize but set up a series of books that went on to become a unique cultural moment at their conclusion. We hear how plans for one book became three, what it felt like to win the Booker Prize, twice, and how she feels now looking back on a 15 year project. Featuring: Hilary Mantel, Nicholas Pearson, Bea Carvalho

After two critically acclaimed novels it has been a long wait for Leone Ross's third but you know what they say about all good things. Fifteen years in the making, This One Sky Day transports us to Popisho, a fantastical island archipelago, where every resident has some kind of magical ability. Food, politics, satire, sex and magic combine in this rich and evocative novel and we hear how pain, hard-work and healing combined to make such a delicious dish. Featuring Leone Ross, Niki Chang, Louisa Joyner, Sara Collins, Lucy Houghton, Peter Adlington.

The buzz is real and in this episode we find out why so many people are talking about The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward. We speak with the author about the book's inspirations; agent and editor about shaping such an intricately plotted book with multiple narrative voices (including a cat), and find out from fellow authors why this book has blown them away. Join us for a spoiler-free journey into a dark tale. Featuring Catriona Ward, Jenny Savill, Miranda Jewess, Joanna Harris, Chris Whitaker, Kiran Millwood-Hargrave.

Based on real events and a novel that has been ten years in the making, The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex is a pitch-perfect mystery that will tempt any reader. In this episode we discover the true story behind this literary mystery and the author's fascination with the lighthouses that dot our coastline. We also hear from her agent and editor about the writing process, from the publishers about why the book is so special and how it's striking design was created, and fellow authors Raynor Winn and S. J. Watson tell us why they admire the book so much. Featuring Emma Stonex, Madeleine Milburn, Sophie Jonathan, Katie Bowden, Katie Tooke, Georgina Moore, Raynor Winn, S. J. Watson

Co-winner of the inaugural Merky Books New Writer's Prize, We Are All Birds of Uganda is the debut novel from Hafsa Zayyan. In this episode we find out how she entered this open-submission competition and the family history that fed into the idea for this story of displacement, home and identity. We also hear more about this publishing collaboration with Stormzy and why it is so important to enable people from under-represented communities to tell their story.  Featuring Hafsa Zayyan, Emma Wallace, Abi Fellows, Lemara Lindsay-Prince, Nikesh Shukla, Ceara Elliot

A bonus episode in which we get to speak to two stars of the hugely popular TV series Outlander, actors Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish. Adapted from Diana Gabaldon’s historical novels set in 18th century Scotland in which Sam plays hero Jamie Fraser and Graham his uncle, Dougal MacKenzie, Outlander has become a TV sensation. After working together in seasons one and two, the two friends set out on a road trip around Scotland to investigate its history and culture, whilst also imbibing a good sample of its famous whiskey. We sat down with a wee dram of our own to talk about the book that came out of the trip. Books mentioned: Clanlands, Outlander

A pub with two Michelin stars is no ordinary pub and in what has been no ordinary year for the entire hospitality industry we sat down with celebrated chef Tom Kerridge in The Hand and Flowers to celebrate the publication of their cookbook, 15 years in the making. Why are pubs so important to communities and how do you keep that friendliness when serving food at the highest level? We spoke about the public house, the path to perfection and the right sauce to have with a bacon sandwich. Books mentioned: The Hand and Flowers Cookbook

Sometimes novels come along that seem to show an uncanny prescience for the world we live in. And whilst no one could have quite predicted what 2020 has thrown at us, Rumaan Alam has managed to write a novel about a simple family holiday that touches on the pressing issues of today. Class, Race, Privilege and confusion at what's happening in the world; all of these will feel familiar, as will the sense of not knowing what to do about it. Luckily Rumaan is here to talk us through them and to share what really scares him. Books mentioned: Leave The World Behind

As Americans go to the polls to chose their next president it's clear the result could have far-reaching repercussions in many areas. For many American women it may be that wheels are already in motion to further restrict their access to reproductive healthcare with the rushed new appointment to the Supreme Court. Christa Parravani talks to us about the surprise pregnancy that she wanted to end, only to be confronted by the confounding machinery of the American healthcare system in a red state.  Books mentioned: Loved and Wanted