Was McGonagall a Brilliant Clown

It was on the twenty sixth of August, the sun was burning hot. in the year of thirteen forty six, which will never be forgot becausecause the famous field of Cracy was slippery and gory by the loss of innocent blood which I'll relate in this story Now, a lot of medieval battles have inspired canonical literature poem about the Battle of Cracy didnn't quite make the cut It's from William McGonagall, a Victorian poet who thought his work was pretty spectacular The problem for him was that nobody else did. His story is told in a podcast I think you'll love Fortionary tales In each episode, Tim Harford investigates a case of awful human error, a tragic catastrophe or hilarious fiascos, to teach us a lesson in what not to do And it's produced by this is History alumnna, producer Georgia Mills So if you're keen for more stories about disasters after history's greatest fails Pautionary Tes on rotation They're kindly offering my rooyal favorites one month of a free subscription on Patreon. Look out for the gift link on our chat thread. Now, here's the tale of the worst poet ever Hey everyone, It's Jonathan Vaness from Getting Better with Jonathan Vaness. Everywhere you look right now, people are talking about America's two hundred fiftieth anniversary. And while a lot of folks are celebrating, there are also people trying to use this moment to rewrite history. Christian nationalists are pushing the idea that America was founded to be a Christian nation where one religious movement gets to decide Wh belongs? But that's not what this country was founded on. America was founded as a democracy committed to liberty and justice for all That's why I want to tell you about Americans United for separation of Church and state. They work every day to protect church state separation and defend everyone's right to live as themselves and believe as they choose so long as they don't harm others. The stakes are real. These attacks show up in censorship efforts, attacks on public schools, restrictions on reproductive freedom assaults on LGBTQ plus rights and attempts to give government favoritism to one version of religion. If you're looking for a way to stand up for freedom this summer, consider supporting Americans United. Americans United, supporting everyone's right to live as they choose so long as they don't harm others. Learn more at au dot org slash betterter Hey guys, this is Molly Sims, host of Lpstick onn the Rim. So I have a little bit of a pet pee that I think you're going to relate to this. I'll be having a great day, feeling good and someone will say to me, You look tired. And I'm like, I promise you I'm not really tired But here's what I've learned My eyelids, they do sit a little low. And once my doctor explained that to me, it actually kind of made a lot of sense. She prescribed me Uneak, the first and only FDA approved prescription eyeedrop for adults with low lying eyelids One drop per eye in the morning and I noticice my eyes look more open, awake within minutes. It's like just one simple step. that's it and the results, guess what? They last up to eight hours. Learn more about upnek. com that's you K in EQ. com Or talk to your doctor. Just a little quick safety note about uppneak, oxymetazoleine, hydrochloride, ophthalmic solution. zero point one percent. Tell your doctor your symptoms and medical history, including blood pressure, blood flow issues and heart, brain, or eye disease. Drooping eyelids can be caused by other more serious conditions such as a stroke. Do not touch the tip of the upneak vial to your eye or any other surface This is not a complete list of risks Fars. No doubt about it It's the strongest gale that John Watt can remember ve been working for the North British Railway since eighteen sixty seven, a full twelve years. It's a good night to be safely sheltered in the railway' signal cabin, sharing a mug of tea with a friend, signalman Thomas Barlay As Watt and Barlely sit their tea and look out of the window into the darkness, they can see the faint line of lamps all along the new railway bridge, running almost two miles across the wide Rriver Tay to the city of Dundee. Every now and then the clouds gust apart And the full moon picks out the high girders of the longest bridge in the world Aw fewo minutes after seven o'clock comes the signal from the south. The northbound train is approaching. Thomas Barclay steps out of the cabin into the wind and waits as the train approaches. The sparks from the wheels visible in the dark. He greets the crew with a smile handing over the baton that gives permission for a train to cross the bridge. The train is moving at walking pace. He sees a child peer out of the window of a carriage as it passes Then, as the train puffs off over the long, high iron span, Thomas goes back to his friend in the shelter of the cabin and sends a message to the signal box over on the other side of the River Tay The signal bell rings three times in response. And still, the wind howls Thomas turns back to his mug of tea, but John Watt is gazing out of the window at the bridge There's something wrong with the train, he says Thomas Barley thinks he's imagining it But John knows what he's seen Three red tail lamps fading into the distance over the bridge, and then a series of flashes, three small and one big. then Darkness. No tail lamps The train's gone over, Thomas, he says. Thomas Barcleay still isn't convinced Surely the train has just disappeared from view after cresting the highest point of the bridge Surely they'll see her again soon But they don't Thomas tries calling the signal box on the other side of the bridge. Nothing As they go outside, briefly venture onto the bridge, and then retreat as the wind threatens to tear them off the girders and into the waters below Clouds part again. And the full moon reveals the scene. Thousand yards of the bridge are gone. The high girders of the central spans The iron peiers that had supported them also gone But of course, the train has gone too and every one of its passengers It's a catastrophe This is not a story about a fatal bridge collapse. It's a story About a poet I'm Tim Harford and you're listening to cautionary Tales Beautiful railway bridge of the silvery Tay Alas, I'm very sorry to say ninety lives have been taken away On the last Sabbath day of eighteen seventy nine which will be remembered for a very long time Thus begins a poem titled Tay Bridge disaster It is widely regarded as the worst poem ever written and its author, William McGonagall is widely regarded as the worst poet I'll spare you the full poem, but here's a central verse. So the train moved slowly along the bridge of Tay until it was about midway Then the central girders with a crash gave way and down went the train and passengers into the tea The storm fiend did loudly bay. because ninety lives had been taken away lastast Sabbath day of eighteen seventy nine which will be remembered veryer long time When I was just a boy I saw an illustration of the Tay Bridge catastrophe in a children's picture book It stayed with me. I can still see it in my mind The bridge seems so horribly high and thin as it collapses into the storm The train is just stealing off into thin air Aful And then I encountered William McGonagall's truly terrible poem. with me just as vividly. Should I say, it has been remembered for a very long time Here's the end of the poem Oh ill fated bridge of the silvery Tay. I must now conclude my lay by telling the world fearlessly without the least dismay such your central garders would not have given way, at least many sensible men do say They've been supported on each side with buttresses At least many sensible men confesses But the stronger we our houses do build the less chance we have being killed awful. I'm obsessed with William McGonagall I have so many questions Who was this man What does he teach us about art? And above all doeses a poem get to be this bad I have several biographies of the poet McGonagall in front of me One of them says he was born in eighteen twenty five Another says he was born in eighteen thirty Both were written by William McGonagall himself. William McGonagall's parents were Irish But he was born in Edinburgh and went to school in South Ronaldse, one of the Orkney Islands. remote, even by the standards of Scotland William's education was interrupted by of all things encnter with his teacher's beloved pet tortoise William was fascinated by the creature When he picked it up to fully admire the beauty of its shell The unfortunate animal voided its bowels on his hands In disgust, the boy hurled the tortoise to the ground, nearly killing it Gonagal's teacher, enraged, started thrashing his face with a cane All very distressing William's father complained to the local magistrate The magistrate threatened to desbar the teacher. practical outcome was that the teacher lived in fear of ever upsetting William again. who skipped school with impunity It was the story McGonagall would tell, and his point was clear William McGonagall was much like William Shakespeare He had learned more from nature than he learned at school McGonagall adored his namesake William Shakespeare He read and reread Macbeth. Richard I third. Hamlet and Othello I gave myself no rest until I obtained complete mastery over the above four characters McGonagall's family moved to Dundee where both he and his father as weavers William would give impromptu performances of Shakespeare to his shopmates He says they were quite delighted than perhaps they were since they were willing to pay good money to support his theatrical ambitions William McGonagall was to play the title role in Macbeth justust as long as he paid one pound to the there owner for the privilege About a hundred dollars in today's money Coeagues all contributed and nobody can say they didn't get their money's worth. McDonagall couldn't afford a costume of his own, so borrowed a few items from friends and colleagues and took the stage dressed less like the ambitious nobleman Macbeth and more like a highland beggar. The play traditionally ends with a climactic fight in which Macbeth is slain by MacDuff This concept proved too pedestrian for McGonagall One witness described the result An immortal scene in more ways than one McGonagall had evidently made up his mind to astonish the gods at his performance For instead of dying when run through the body by the sword of Macduff He maintained his feet. flourished his weapon, about the ears of his adversary in such a way. There was for some time an apparent probability of the performance ending in real tragedy McGonagall saw it differently The actor who was playing MacDuff against my Macbeth tried to spoil me in the combat by telling me to cut it short I continued the combat until he were fairly exhausted And until there was one old gentleman in the audience cried out, Well done, McGonagall. Walk to him. And so I did until he was in a great rage and stamped his foot and cried out,Fool Why don't you fall? audibly urging McGonagall's Macbeth to go down. acbeth ignoring him over and over again, MacDuff, enraged, wrapped Macbeth over his knuckles with a flat of the blade, forcing him to drop his own sword. McGonagall was now unarmed but undaunted, and he dodged around and around MacGuff, looking for all the world as though he now planned to wrestle for it The MacDuff actor disgusted at the Tom Fooler ea tossed his own sword aside and charged in to tackle McGonagal The sublime tragedy of Macbeth came to an undignified end, with a title character swept off his feet posited it on his backide audience were ecstatic They bellowed for McGonagall to be brought forward to receive a standing ovation What a shame that McGonagall's artistic sensitivities were not put to full time use He continued to work as a weaver for decades. notot to worry Good things come to those who wait He would eventually emulate William Shakespeare, the man he so admired William McGonagall. would become a poet Putionary tales will be back The biggest tournament in soccer is finally here and I've already started planning my watch parties. My go to move before kickoff is stopping at tootal wine and more to grab drinks for the whole crew. wine, beer, seelters, maybe a few ready to drink options, everything we need for a full day of matches. With this many games, it definitely helps knowing you're getting the lowest prices Total wine makes it so easy because I can grab everything I need in one stop. Get match dayay ready with total wine and more today, so you're set from kickoff to the final whistle. Spirits are not sold in Virginia and North Carolina. drrink responsibly must be twenty one. Study and play. C together on a windows eleven PC. And for a limited time, college students get the best of both worlds Get the unreal college deal, everything you need to study and play with select Windows eleven PCs. Eligible students get a year of Microsoft three hundred sixty five premium, and a year of Xbox GamePass ultimate with a custom color Xbox wireless controller. Learn more at windows. com slash student offer. Lawupplies last ends june thirtieth, terms at aka. mS slash college PC And McGonagall was about fifty when it became clear to him that there was no future in weaving. Machine looms had taken over I couldn't make a living from it. But I may see Dame Fortune has been very kind to me by endowing me with the genius remember how I felt Well I received the spirit It was june eighteen seventy seven McGonagall was lamenting that he couldn't get away to the Highlands for a holiday All of a sudden, my body got inflamed, and instantly I was seized with a strong desire to write poetry. So strong, in fact, that in imagination I thought I heard a voice crying in my ears, Right, right. I wondered what could be the matter with me, and I began to walk back wards and forwards in a great fit of excitement, saying to myself, I know nothing about poetry. but still the voice kept ringing in my ears. Write, write. until at last, being overcome with a desire to write poetry, I found paper, pen and ink, and in a state of frenzy sat me down to think what would be my first subject for a poem That subject was the Reverend George Gil Fillon A local preacher, McGonagall wished to praise The poem stirringly concludes My blessing on his noble form And on his lofty heed May all good angels guard him while living And herea win his deed McGonagall sent the poem to the Dundee Weekly News, which took the unwise steps Printing it Thus encouraged He sent a second poem Bonnie Dundee O Bonnie Dundee, I will sing in thy praise A few but true simple lays Regarding some of your beauties of the present day, and virtually speaking, there's none can them gain say For super fine goods, there's none can excel from Invernness to Clark andell And your tramways, I must confess that they have proved a complete success, which I am right glad to see, and a very great improvement to Bonnie Dundee There is more But alas, the weekly news declined to print what it described as a so called poem at which point McGonagall sent them a letter threatening to stop sending any more poems Weekly News dryly explained to its readers that can only express the fervent hope that he may put into execution this artful threat In the summer of eighteen seventy eight, McGonagall had been a poet for just a year When he received a letter from Queen Victoria's private secretary, Sir Thomas Bidolf informing him that Her Majesty would like to become a patron of his poems ThecGonagall seems not to have registered any surprise at this sudden honor But he was inspired to make the fifty nine mile journey from Dundee to Queen Victoria's residence at Balmoral so that he could recite his verse for her. unemployed weaver, there was no way to reach Balmoral except to walk The journey took three days During which time McGonagall was fed and sheltered by shepherds who took pity on him He recorded some of his journey in poetry Notably on the Spitle of Glenshee. which is most dismal for to see with its bleak and rugged mountains and clear crystal spouting fountains with their misty form. And thousands of sheep there together doth roam. was drenched by hours of rain and threatened by the roaring and flashing of a thunderstorm overhead but was undaunted. Having told his friends back in Dundee that on his way to see Her Majesty and Balmoral He would pass through fire and water rather than retreat Finally Mid afternoon on the third day McGonagall reached her Majesty's residence at Balmoral Castle. He was intercepted by the constable at Balmorll's Gatehouse Lodge presumably observed megodacals Hole length wave of hair. drenched, patched up clothes, and his dirty boots and did not think to himself Here comes a future poet laureate has showed him Her Majesty's royal letter of patronage for my poetic abilities, and he read it and said it was not Her Majesty's letter Someone had played a cruel trick McGonagall insisted that the letter was genuine Constable took it away for a while before returning to announce Well, I've been up at the castle over there later And the answer I got for you is the canan I be bothered with you McGonagall showed the Constable a copy of his poems, including the claim that McGonagall was poet to Her Majesty Constable objected You are not poet to our Majesty Tennyson's the real poet to herer Majesty Oh yes Alfred Laord Tennyson actual poet laureate how inconvenient In writing the charge of the Light Brigade Alfred Laord Tennyson formed a rare feat. He created a poem that is as famous as the disaster it describes Canon to the right of them Cannon to the left of them. Canon in front of them buollied and thundered Stormed at with shot and shell Boldly they rode and well into the jaws of death. Int the mouth of hell rode the six hundred William McGonagall never got close to succeeding Tennyson as poet laaureate. Po him Hay Bridge disaster is Tennyson's achievements I mean Tennyson was good But he was no William McGonagall. But I digress The Constable suggested that McGonagal demonstrate his skills by reciting some poetry at the castle gate No, sir. said McGonagall He wasn't some wandering Charlatan, he was the real thing Take me into one of the rooms on the lodge and pay me for it And I will give you a recital The Constable didn't oblige But he gave McGonagall some advice Unless you want to be arrested Go home. Think of returning to Balmoral McGonagall duly began the three day walk home to Dundee Then he got back He wrote up his adventures them to the newspapers before long was being mocked. and down the British Isles As a headline in the evening teelegraph put it Extraordinary freak of a Dundy Poet, William McGonagall at Balmoral Genius still unrecognized Cruel prank wastes a week of your life dashes your hopes and leads you to being mocked in the national press C can you do Oh The answer. ick yourself up and try again. The Goddagal noted that Tennyson was famous for his war poetry He decided to dabble in war poems too. They are Not very good The Battle of Cressy begins It was on the twenty sixth of August, the sun was burning hot in the year of thirteen forty six, which will never be forgot and ends with the classic Mconagal move of cramming some extra syllables in Free of charge And the king's heart was filled with great delight, and he thanked Jack for capturing the Bohemian standard during the fight Butt McGonagall was soon encouraged to receive a lucrative job offer from the famous playwright and theatre Iressario. Deon Busica Busuo's letter invited him to a fine dinner As McGonagall tells the story He arrived to find several men awaiting him. Barely suppressing giggles as McGonagall was served a cheap sandwich McGonagall had been pranked again Although Busuko heard about the joke. He sent McGonagall a sympathetic letter and five pounds. Enough money for McGonagall to visit London He had hoped to meet with one or two of London's most celebrated actors but had no more luck there than at Balmoral Later M Gorgagle ventured to New York A city he honored in distinctive style As for Brooklyn Bridge It's a very great height and fills the stranger's heart with wonder at first sight And with all its loftiness I venture to say, it cannot surpass the new railway bridge of the silvery Tay. William Mconagall did not succeed in selling his poems in New York. So return to Scotland He was cheered to receive a letter from the poet laaureate of Burma writing on behalf of Burma's King Tibbor Making McGonagall Topaz McGonagall Kight of the White elephant of Burma McGonagall accepted the honor and wore his medal, a silver elephant with pride If he ever feared that this letter was as fraudulent as the others He shared no doubts McGonagall spent his final years giving public performances in perth Glasgow and Edinburgh, where the main attraction appeared to be the opportunity to hurl abuse and worse. at the aspiring poet laaureate McGonagall would dash about the stage, excitedly enacting the action as he gave dramatic recitals of his war poems, clad in a kilt, and brandishing a claymore with perilous enthusiasm E more useful was his small round shield with which he could parry incoming eggs and cabbages William McGonagall died in poverty on the twenty ninth of september nineteen oh two He was seventy two years old. seventy seven He was buried in a pauper's grave Having practiced the art of poetry for twenty five years and having been mocked E one of them The death certificate misspells his name Emil Zola died on the same day as it happens Zola A fine writer. He was no William McGonagall Portionary tales will return. after the break Did you know Lulu Lemon's iconic Flow Wh bra also comes in tank top styles and even a dress Now in new fun summer colors, FlowYye brings a racerback shape to streamline styles you can wear anywhere. Our buttery soft Nouu fabric feels nearly weightless, with sweatwicking four way stretch for comfort you'll want to keep on after practice Flow freely, on and off the mat with light support and refined design. Shop fllow Y now at Lulaleemmon. com Critics argue that McGonagall has an important lesson to teach us Perfect example How not to write poetry If you must read him, be sure to do the opposite of whatever he does. Joseph Salami, an award winning poet, complains I know far too many persons who share some of McGonagall's faults Can we at least resolve that we will not commit the poetic crimes that McGonagall committed Can we stop with the humdum plainess The vapid statement dull diction, the crappy meter, the tedious length, the triviality, the commonplace thoughts and the cliched perceptions Gerard Carruthers, an expert in Scottish literature, agrees There is something rather cruel about us still reprinting and republishing McGonagall told the BBC It's time for us to close the book on McGonagall once and for all That feels so narrow minded I draw a different lesson. We shouldn't complain about a man who wrote bad poetry. We should celebrate a man who wrote poetry. Of course the poems are bad, but most poems are bad. Most acts of human creativity are fairly incompetent Most of us can't write novels, not that anyone else would pay to read Most of us can't draw or paint anything that anyone else would pay to look at Most of us can't act. We can't sing, we can't dance Cas Dance and sing anyway. I think we're prone to making a sad mistake when we think about creative acts instinctively set the benchmark at an absurdly high level We've been spoiled. Perhaps because of the touch of a button We can listen to Glenn Gould playing Johann Sebastian Bark. We can watch Ian McKellen and Judy Dench performing Shakespeare We can read a novel by Austin or watch a film by Copola Gaze at an interior by Vermeir Not only has modern technology made these wonders possible But modern technology also makes more humdum creative acts economically worthless. Nobody is going to pay me to perform bark or paint a watercolour. I still play the piano from time to time and very occasionally I pick up a pencil and a sketchbook It doesn't matter if there's no economic value in the result personersonal value for me process of trying to express myself That might seem obvious, but it's easy to forget In debates about the rise of generative AI People worry about the death of human creativity. I don't think generative AI is more of a threat to human creativity than the camera or the record player It changes the economics, to be sure McGonagall lost his job as a weaver Because of machine looms, so he would have understood all about losing work to a machine But while a new technology changes who might be paid for creative work and what sort of creative work they might be paid for and how much they might be paid for it. doesn't make creative work impossible All of us are free to sit down in front of a piano. Eel try to create something beautiful And while it's nice to succeed It's more important to try As we grow from children into adults We often express our creativity less. It might be because we're afraid of failure Which is another thing to admire about McGonagall wasn't afraid of creative failure In fact, he wouldn't recognize creative failure if it hurled and egg at him That's one way to look at McGonagall anyway. as a man who was always willing to express his inner creativity But that's not actually the way I see him I don't think William McGonagall was admirable because he gave poetry a try I think He was a genius perhaps heard the story about the man who goes to a doctor He feels depressed The world seems so frightening and bleak Don't worry, says the doctor The great clown Pagiacci is in town tonight. Go and see him perform. That'll cheer you up The man starts to solve I am. Halacci It's a story that's been retold and remixed countless times. So here's another remix What if William McGonagall isn't the pompous, talentless, sad victim of bullies that he seems to be What if William McGonagall is the most brilliant clown ever live And what if, unlike Paliacci, whose despair became clear when he took off the mask McGonagall never removed his mask becausecause underneath it, He was the one laughing harder than anyone Getting back to that appearance as Macbeth in which McGonagall refused to lie down and die and wrestled with the infuriated actor playing MacDuff It's hard to think of a funnier scene in the history of theatre. Was it really just McGonag's arrogance and stupidity or did he know full well that he was putting on a show. When the reviewer said the McGonagal had decided to astonish the gods He wasn't referring to some pagan pantheon The gos is theataterpeak seats McGonagall was playing to the crowd and specifically to the poorest theatre gooers of all. his friends from the workshop had all contributed to get him on stage in the first place And they loved what they saw. McGonagall certainly gave you a show And once you read McGonagall's poetry not as an exhibit of utter incompetence, but as a deliberate sly joke detect hints of mischief one poem Ode to the moon begins Beautiful moon with thy silvery light Thou seemest most charming to my sight. As I gaze upon thee in the sky so high Tear of joy doth moisten mine eye Just the usual clumsy cliche No McGonag's winking at us He knows what we do in the dark The next verses celebrate the way that the moon provides light for the fox to steal a goose from the farmyard and the poacher to set his snares And Beautiful moon with thy silvery light The chearest lovers in the night as they walk through the shady groves alone Making love to each other Before they go home Really? We're going to believe that William McGonagall was only accidentally funny McGonagall is best known today for his poem about the Tay Bridge disaster In an early poem He also describes the Tay Bridge when it was first built Beautiful railway bridge of the Silvery Tay The longest of the present day that has ever crossed over a tidal river stream, most gigantic to be seen Nearby Dundee and the Magdalene Greens Nearly two miles in length, it was an engineering miracle But McGonagall was a Dundee local And like any local He would have known that the high girders of the central brridge already been blown down once during construction Owise, Why on Earth include this verse Beautiful railway bridge of the silvery Tay I hope that God will protect all passengers by night and by day and that no accident will befall them while crossing the brridge of the Silvery Tay For that would be most awful to be seen Nearby Dundee and the Magdalene Greens This isn't the work of an idiot It's the work of an old school medieval fool Jester Using humor to speak truth to power Two years later, The Bridge was down and dozens of people were dead After a disaster at a shipyard which killed thirty eight people. McGonagal composed a long lament, including praise for One thousand pounds from the directors of the Thimes Ironworks and shhipbuilding Company which I hope will help to fill the bereaved ones's hearts with glee idiot. Jester. You be the judge As for those prank letters rom Queen Victoria's Secretary from Don Busico. King of Burma Maybe they were hoaxes on McGonagall Maybe there were hoaxes by meonical. on the rest of us They certainly helped to shape the legend For a man almost universally viewed as a failure McGonagall knew how to draw a crowd When a statue of Scotland's greatest poet, Robert Burns, was unveiled in Dundee, McGonagall was kept away from the occasion by police to avoid a disturbance of the peace His Dundee performances so often ended in a near riot that he was eventually banned from giving any more recitals in the town. No wonder he died in poverty. He'd been making fifteen shillings a night equivalent of a week's wages for an ordinary labouorer Not so bad for a man who lost his trade because of the march of the machines His downfall wasn't because his poems were terrible. It was because his clowning performances were too riotously successful to be allowed to continue He died in poverty because he was bad because he was just too good. We'll never know what William McGonagall was really thinking as he took to the stage each night Was he oblivious as he seems to be? A man with skin so thick that neither insults nor insights ever got through. Or was he far more tragic than the mythic figure of Palacci the Clown? proud of his poems but knowingly subjecting himself to nightly humiliation Because there was no other way to put food on the table Or was the whole thing Homeic Master stroke Did he never take off the mask or did he never put it on in the first place But while we can't read his mind, we can read his poems And they've brought pleasure to countless people A few years ago Edinburgh Auction House put up for sale a collection of first editions of Harry Potter books signigned by the author, JK. Rowling. It turns out, named Professor Minerva McGonagall. honor of the man she described as the worst poet in British history. The books went for a handsome enough price, I suppose But in the same auction a rather higher sum was paid different literary gem thirty five poems William McGonagall Some of them signed by the great man himself JK Rowlling Commercial success is the mark of a great artist She's one of the best She's no William McGonagall He will be remembered. Very long For a full list of our sources, see the show notes at timharford d. com Cutionary Tales is written by me, Tim Harford, with Andrew Wright, Alice Fines, and Ryan Dilly It's produced by Georgia Mills and Marilyn Rust. The sound design and original music are the work of Pascal Wise. Additional sound desesign is by Carlos San Juan at Brain Audio Ben Aadaf Haffrey edited the scripts The show features the voice talents of Genevve Gaunt Melanie Gotrch Stunner Harford Oliver Hemborgh, Sarah Jop Sam Monroe Jamal Westman and Rufus Wright The show also wouldn't have been possible without the work of Jacob Weisberg, Greta Cohn, Sarah Nicks, Eric Handler, Care Brody, Christina Sullivan Cerea Posey and Owen Miller Portionary Tails is a production of Pushkin indndustries It's recorded at Wardar Studios in London by Noria Barr and Lucy Roe If you like the show, please remember to share, rate and review. It really makes a difference to us. And if you want to hear the show, add free