Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Heyer Today


Heyer Today: a podcast about Georgette Heyer 

Last year, we won bronze for our season 1: The Sugar Baby Confessionals. This year, we’ve given ourselves a massive challenge: we’ve created a series twice as long, with over 39 participants, original music, a cinematic investigation and a book club rolled into one.

And guess what? Episode 1, featuring Stephen Fry, is already out now!

From February 2020, we’ll be releasing half our epic season on a weekly basis. What’s it like? Try a mash up of You Must Remember This, Unspooled and the Guardian Books Podcast. It’s hilarious, poignant, insightful, historically fascinating, smart and full of fabulous guests (who? Glad you asked… only Stephen Fry, Joanne Harris, Harriet Evans, Mary Jo Putney…to name but three).

What’s it about?

“I think myself I ought to be shot for writing such nonsense.”

As a bestselling author, Georgette Heyer hasn’t been out of print since 1921 – so why hasn’t Hollywood snapped up her plots for a big screen franchise?

  • Jane Austen – 6 best-selling Regency romances; 6 major screen adaptations.
  • Georgette Heyer – 34 best-selling Regency romances; 0 major screen adaptations.

One major film producer has been trying to get the first big screen adaptation of Heyer’s ‘The Grand Sophy’ made for years, but what’s been standing in the way? We’ll investigate the difficulties facing film makers when it comes to period work.

Plus, find out what the uber-Heyerites think of Sophy’s choice. We chat to Peter Buckman (agent for Heyer’s estate) about his struggles with trying to get a Heyer film made, and we  chart his journey towards adapting one of her books himself.

Join our Regency romance book club!

Every alternate week, we’ll attempt to convert people who’ve never heard of Heyer, including comedians Emma Moran, Glen Tickle, Dom Patmore, Rhiannon Shaw and Kate Hinksman.

Discover what Hollywood producers, Australian biographers, British national treasures and worldwide readers think about Heyer’s popularity. And join super-fans and newbies as they discover and discuss some of the top-selling novels of our time – in Heyer Today.

Highlights include:

  • Actor Stephen Fry on how he came to be hooked on Heyer
  • Author Joanne Harris on why adapting books into film can be problematic
  • Producer Andy Paterson discusses a mystery project and the difficulties of bringing Heyer’s work to the screen
  • Best-selling historical romance novelist, Mary Jo Putney, on writing Regency romance through a 21st century lens
  • Peter Buckman on his joy in adapting Heyer’s work
  • Romance novelist Harriet Evans lists her all-time favourite Heyers and why
  • Susannah Fullerton, head of the Jane Austen Society in Australia, compares Austen and Heyer
  • Acclaimed biographer Jennifer Kloester shares some anecdotes about her journey in discovering never-before-seen letters from Heyer and doing Heyer justice
  • Blogger Eleanor Turner (Jane to Georgette) discusses Heyer related on-dits and crim cons
  • Comedians who’ve never read Heyer, fall in love (or not!) with her work
  • Author Jane Holland and literary agent Alison Bonami from LBA on Heyer’s greatest romantic heroes
  • Audio drama inspired by Heyer’s life
  • Music from the incomparable Emma Gatrill and Message to Bears, plus original music composed especially for the podcast

PLEASE RATE, REVIEW AND SUBSCRIBE TO KEEP US GOING…

Dec 22, 2021

This is Heyer Today, the podcast taking you on a journey exploring the work of Georgette Heyer, underappreciated author of hilarious and charming Regency romances and detective novels. As with all of our book club episodes, this week we’re going to be trying to convert two people who’ve NEVER read Heyer.

Today we have Emma Moran, winner of the 2019 Thousand Films award. Emma’s a Northern Irish writer and comedian, based in London. She began writing and performing sketch comedy and stand up while at UCL and took a sketch show, Galpals, to the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe. Most excitingly, she’s recently had her first TV show, Extraordinary, greenlit for Disney+.

She’s also written and produced comedy sketches for The Hook, as well as Newsjack. We got together in that hallowed time in the distant past before the 'rona virus turned us all into bitter recluses.

Margaret Sutherland is a Project Coordinator for Transcribimus living in Vancouver, Canada. She kindly read Black Sheep with me, encouraged by her niece by marriage, Geraldine – one of my very first victims (see episode 6, Faro’s Daughter).

We’ll also be travelling back in time to 1966 to take a look at what Heyer was up to when writing the book. Plus, Georgette and Ronald visit the Queen!

Show notes:

Brenda S. Cox - Hypochondriacs in Jane Austen and Regency Medicine 

Our fabulous voice talent includes Sarah Golding as Georgette, Karim Kronfli as Ronald, Beth Crane as the Queen and Hedley Knight as the Chauffeur and the Duke of Edinburgh.

The music used in this episode is from Emma Gattril’s wondrous album, Chapter I, as well as Jerome Alexander’s luscious Message to Bears work. Original music was composed especially for the podcast, by Sara-Mae and Tom Chadd.

Comment and take part in our discussions on social media, we’re @fablegazers on Instagram and @fable_gazers on Twitter.

Special thanks to the Audible team for letting us use an extract from the book. Do go out and buy it, it’s a fabulous listen.

Remember to rate, review and subscribe…I can’t tell you how much it helps small indie companies like us to thrive.

Also don't forget to get your Xmas merch or if you fancy buying us a cup of tea donate via PayPal here.

Heyer Today is a Fable Gazers production.