Podcasts for GCSE Texts, Poems and Text Extracts
Including IGCSE, AQA and Pearson Edexcel
Please note that this is a work in progress.
The list is currently mostly podcasts.
It is a growing resource to support tutors, learners and parents alike. Not all texts have resources yet.
I have listened to/watched many of these resources, but not all of them.
Links may not be current.
These podcasts are from BBC shows and language/literature podcasts rather than education/revision platforms.
Pearson Edexcel IGCSE
International GCSE English Language (Specification A, 4EA1)
Part 1: Unit 1 Section A Non-fiction texts
From The Danger of a Single Story, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
From A Passage to Africa, George Alagiah
From The Explorer’s Daughter, Kari Herbert
Explorers or boys messing about? Either way, taxpayer gets rescue bill, Steven Morris
Episode Title: The Taxpayers' Bill
Podcast Title: Reflected History
Relevance/Comments: Discussion surrounding public spending and emergency rescue costs for dangerous expeditions.
Duration: 40 minutes
From 127 Hours: Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Aron Ralston
Episode Title: Aron Ralston: Trapped in a Canyon
Podcast Title: The Crux True Survival Stories
Relevance/Comments: The hosts discuss Ralston’s misadventures, now known as: 127 Hours: Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place.
Duration: 33 minutes.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Young and dyslexic? You’ve got it going on, Benjamin Zephaniah
Episode Title: Benjamin Zephaniah
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: An exploration of Benjamin Zephaniah's life, poetry, and activism.
Duration: 28 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Show link)
Episode Title/Number: How to Fail: Benjamin Zephaniah
Podcast Title: How To Fail with Elizabeth Day
Relevance/Comments: Zephaniah’s background.
Duration: 1 hour 5 mins.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
From A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat, Emma Levine
From Beyond the Sky and the Earth: A Journey into Bhutan, Jamie Zeppa
From H is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald
Episode Title: Helen Macdonald on H is for Hawk
Podcast Title: Bookclub (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Helen Macdonald answers questions about her life and her book, H is for Hawk.
Duration: 28 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
From Chinese Cinderella, Adeline Yen Mah
Episode Title: Adeline Yen Mah
Podcast Title: Bookclub (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Adeline Yen Mah discusses Chinese Cinderella and her childhood experiences.
Duration: 30 minutes
International GCSE English Language (Specification A, 4EA1)
Part 2: Unit 2 Section A Poetry and Prose texts
Disabled, Wilfred Owen
Episode Title: Wilfred Owen
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Wilfred Owen is discussed alongside some of his poems, including Disabled and Dulce et Decorum Est.
Duration: 57 minutes.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
"Out, Out−", Robert Frost
Episode Title: Robert Frost
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: An in-depth exploration of Robert Frost's poetry, themes of nature, rural tragedy, and his literary style.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
An Unknown Girl, Moniza Alvi
The Bright Lights of Sarajevo, Tony Harrison
Episode Title: The Siege of Sarajevo
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Historical discussion of the Siege of Sarajevo and the Bosnian War context.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Show link)
Still I Rise, Maya Angelou
Episode Title: Great Poems: Maya Angelou’s Still I Rise
Podcast Title: Poetry Pause
Relevance/Comments: A discussion of Still I Rise as a catalyst and inspiration.
Duration: 30 minutes.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: The Life Lessons Maya Angelou Taught Oprah
Podcast Title: The Oprah Podcast
Relevance/Comments: Insightful life lessons and pithy words of wisdom. Background information about Angelou.
Duration: 1 hour.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin
The Necklace, Guy de Maupassant
Significant Cigarettes (from The Road Home), Rose Tremain
Episode Title: Rose Tremain
Podcast Title: Bookclub (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Rose Tremain discusses her novel The Road Home and its characters.
Duration: 28 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Whistle and I’ll Come to You (from The Woman in Black), Susan Hill
Night, Alice Munro
International GCSE English Literature (4ET1)
Part 3: Unit 1 Section B Poetry
If−, Rudyard Kipling
Episode Title: Rudyard Kipling’s ‘If’
Podcast Title: Beyond the Verse
Relevance/Comments: This episode is specifically about the poem ‘If’.
Duration: 32 minutes.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Prayer Before Birth, Louis MacNeice
Blessing, Imtiaz Dharker
Episode Title: Imtiaz Dharker
Podcast Title: Private Passions (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Interview with Imtiaz Dharker. Learn about her background and listen to some of her favourite music.
Duration: 50 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Search For My Tongue, Sujata Bhatt
Half-past Two, U A Fanthorpe
Piano, D H Lawrence
Episode Title: DH Lawrence
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Background information about DH Lawrence.
Duration: 28 minutes.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Hide and Seek, Vernon Scannell
Sonnet 116: Let me not to the marriage of true minds, William Shakespeare
Episode Title: Shakespeare's Sonnets
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion of Shakespeare's 154 sonnets, including themes of love and time.
Duration: 52 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
La Belle Dame sans Merci, John Keats
Episode Title: John Keats
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion of John Keats's life, Romanticism, and key works including La Belle Dame sans Merci.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Show link)
Poem at Thirty-Nine, Alice Walker
War Photographer, Carol Ann Duffy
The Tyger, William Blake
Episode Title: William Blake
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: An examination of William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, vision, and artistic influence.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Show link)
My Last Duchess, Robert Browning
Episode Title: Robert Browning
Podcast Title: Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast
Relevance/Comments: This podcast discusses two poems: My Last Duchess and The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Duration: 54 mins.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Half-caste, John Agard
Episode Title: John Agard
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: A look into John Agard's life, career, and performance poetry exploring culture and identity.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Do not go gentle into that good night, Dylan Thomas
Episode Title: Dylan Thomas
Podcast Title: Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast
Relevance/Comments: Analysis of three poems: And Death Shall Have No Dominion, Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night, A Refusal To Morn The Death By Fire Of A Child In London.
Duration: 55 minutes.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night - Dylan Thomas
Podcast Title: Beyond the Verse
Relevance/Comments: This episode is specifically about the poem ‘Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night’.
Duration: 47 minutes.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Remember, Christina Rossetti
Episode Title: Christina Rossetti
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Episode about Christina Rossetti and her life.
Duration: 42 minutes.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
AQA GCSE English Literature (8702)
Anthology 1: Poems Past and Present – Power and Conflict
Ozymandias, Percy Bysshe Shelley
Episode Title: Percy Bysshe Shelley
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: A discussion on Percy Bysshe Shelley's radical politics, life, and famous poem Ozymandias.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
London, William Blake
Extract from, The Prelude: Stealing the Boat, William Wordsworth
Episode Title: William Wordsworth
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Exploration of Wordsworth's autobiographical masterpiece, The Prelude, and the Romantic movement.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: William Wordsworth
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion on William Wordsworth's life, poetic inspirations, and legacy.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: William Wordsworth
Podcast Title: You're Dead to Me
Relevance/Comments: A lively look at William Wordsworth, the Lake Poets, and Romantic poetry.
Duration: 50 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
My Last Duchess, Robert Browning
Episode Title: Robert Browning
Podcast Title: Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast
Relevance/Comments: This podcast discusses two poems: My Last Duchess and The Pied Piper of Hamelin.
Duration: 54 mins.
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
The Charge of the Light Brigade, Alfred Lord Tennyson
Exposure, Wilfred Owen
Episode Title: Wilfred Owen
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Wilfred Owen is discussed alongside some of his poems, including Disabled and Dulce et Decorum Est.
Duration: 57 minutes.
Storm on the Island, Seamus Heaney
Bayonet Charge, Ted Hughes
Episode Title: Ted Hughes
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion on Ted Hughes's life, relationship with nature, and poetic legacy.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: Ted Hughes
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: An in-depth analysis of Ted Hughes's poetic career, nature themes, and symbolism.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Remains, Simon Armitage
Poppies, Jane Weir
War Photographer, Carol Ann Duffy
Episode Title: Carol Ann Duffy
Podcast Title: Private Passions (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Interview with Carol Ann Duffey. Learn about her background and listen to some of her favourite music.
Duration: 25 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Tissue, Imtiaz Dharker
Episode Title: Imtiaz Dharker
Podcast Title: Private Passions (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Interview with Imtiaz Dharker. Learn about her background and listen to some of her favourite music.
Duration: 50 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Set Texts
19th-Century Novel
A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
Episode Title: Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol
Podcast Title: You're Dead to Me
Relevance/Comments: An entertaining and informative dive into Victorian Britain, Charles Dickens, and the origins of A Christmas Carol.
Duration: 50 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: Charles Dickens
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion on Charles Dickens's life, social critique, and enduring popularity.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: Charles Dickens
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Armando Iannucci discusses the life, works, and social legacy of Charles Dickens.
Duration: 28 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
Episode Title: Great Expectations on Bookclub
Podcast Title: Bookclub (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion on themes of social class, ambition, and redemption in Charles Dickens's Great Expectations.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson
Episode Title: The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Analysis of Robert Louis Stevenson's novella, Victorian anxieties, duality, and morality.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: Robert Louis Stevenson
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Poet Douglas Dunn discusses the life and literary achievements of Robert Louis Stevenson.
Duration: 28 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
Episode Title: Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: In-depth conversation on Jane Eyre, gender roles, passion vs reason, and 19th-century society.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: Charlotte Brontë
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Insights into Charlotte Brontë's upbringing, writing career, and literary impact.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
Episode Title: Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice
Podcast Title: Talking History (NewsTalk)
Relevance/Comments: Historical context and discussion of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and Regency era social structures.
Duration: 40 minutes
Episode Title: Jane Austen
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Feminist campaigner Caroline Criado-Perez champions the life and enduring impact of Jane Austen.
Duration: 28 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
Episode Title: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, scientific developments, creation, and ethics.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: Frankenstein
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: A discussion on Gothic fiction, Mary Shelley, and the creation of Frankenstein.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
The Sign of Four, Arthur Conan Doyle
Episode Title: Sherlock Holmes and Arthur Conan Doyle
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: An in-depth conversation about Arthur Conan Doyle, Victorian detective fiction, and Sherlock Holmes.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Modern Texts (Prose or Drama)
An Inspector Calls, J.B. Priestley
Episode Title: An Inspector Calls and J.B. Priestley
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Exploration of J.B. Priestley's life, political views, and the central themes of responsibility in An Inspector Calls.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Blood Brothers, Willy Russell
Episode Title: Willy Russell on Blood Brothers
Podcast Title: Bookclub (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Willy Russell reflects on the themes, musicality, and enduring popularity of Blood Brothers.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
The History Boys, Alan Bennett
DNA, Dennis Kelly
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Episode Title: Lord of the Flies: William Golding
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion on William Golding's experience in WWII and how it shaped his dark view of human nature in Lord of the Flies.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Animal Farm, George Orwell
Episode Title: George Orwell and Animal Farm
Podcast Title: You're Dead to Me
Relevance/Comments: An engaging look into George Orwell, totalitarianism, and the political satire behind Animal Farm.
Duration: 50 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: George Orwell
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: An exploration of George Orwell's life, political writing, and literary legacy.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
Anita and Me, Meera Syal
Pigeon English, Stephen Kelman
The Emigrée, Carol Rumens
Checking Out Me History, John Agard
Kamikaze, Beatrice Garland
Anthology 2: Poems Past and Present – Love and Relationships
When We Two Parted, Lord Byron
Episode Title: Lord Byron
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion on Lord Byron's life, poetry, and Romanticism including When We Two Parted.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Love's Philosophy, Percy Bysshe Shelley
Porphyria's Lover, Robert Browning
Sonnet 29 – 'I think of thee!', Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Neutral Tones, Thomas Hardy
Episode Title: Thomas Hardy
Podcast Title: In Our Time (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Discussion on Thomas Hardy's poetry, themes of loss and nature, and his literary career.
Duration: 45 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Episode Title: Thomas Hardy
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: An exploration of Thomas Hardy's life, literary legacy, and personal struggles.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Letters from Yorkshire, Maura Dooley
The Farmer's Bride, Charlotte Mew
Episode Title: Charlotte Mew
Podcast Title: Frank Skinner’s Poetry Podcast
Relevance/Comments: This podcast discusses two poems: The Farmer’s Bride and Sea Love.
Duration: 45 mins.
Link:
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Walking Away, Cecil Day-Lewis
Episode Title: Cecil Day-Lewis
Podcast Title: Great Lives (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: An exploration of Cecil Day-Lewis's life, career as Poet Laureate, and his personal poetry.
Duration: 30 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Eden Rock, Charles Causley
Follower, Seamus Heaney
Mother, Any Distance, Simon Armitage
Episode Title: Simon Armitage
Podcast Title: Private Passions (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Interview with Poet Laureate Simon Armitage discussing his writing, inspiration, and musical passions.
Duration: 50 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Before You Were Mine, Carol Ann Duffy
Episode Title: Carol Ann Duffy
Podcast Title: Private Passions (BBC)
Relevance/Comments: Interview with Carol Ann Duffey. Learn about her background and listen to some of her favourite music.
Duration: 25 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Episode link)
Winter Swans, Owen Sheers
Episode Title: Owen Sheers
Podcast Title: The Verb (BBC Radio 3)
Relevance/Comments: Owen Sheers discusses his poetry, including themes of landscape, relationships, and identity.
Duration: 44 minutes
Link: Apple Podcasts (Show link)