The Book Club Hosts Dominic Sandbrook & Tabby Syrett On The Books That Shaped Them
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22 hours ago
There's a new book podcast to know, from the team behind The Rest is History
If there’s a name to know in the podcast sphere, it’s Goalhanger. Founded by Gary Lineker with the help of Tony Pastor (formerly ITV) and Jack Davenport (formerly BBC), this is the brand behind The Rest is Politics, Empire, The Rest is Entertainment, The Rest is History, and the all-new show The Book Club, launching today (17 Feb).
You’ll know Dominic Sandbrook’s voice from The Rest is History – and the historian is taking up another podcast mic in the Goalhanger offices along with History’s producer Tabby Syrett. As Dominic puts it, The Book Club ‘is a show about the greatest stories ever told – everything from all-time classics to comfort reads’.
Starting with the uber topical Wuthering Heights (‘one of the greatest books ever written – romantic, melodramatic, violent, terrifying,’ Dominic says), The Book Club delves into a different book each week, ‘bringing to life some of the most glorious stories of all time, and the fascinating people behind them,’ Tabby adds. ‘We’ll explore the history behind the book, how and why it was written, and discuss what makes it good, or, perhaps…bad.’
If you don’t know his face, you’ll know Dominic Sandbrook’s voice from The Rest is History.
If that sounds familiar, fans of The Rest is History may have noticed a few backdoor pilot episodes in their familiar historical feed – with the team ‘thrilled’ by the response, Dominic says. ‘Our listeners sent in so many thoughts and suggestions that we realised there was an audience for something much bigger than the odd bonus episode – a show of its own, dedicated entirely to books,’ he says.
As well as the topical film, Wuthering Heights was chosen for the premiering episode because ‘it’s one of those books that everyone has heard of but not necessarily read,’ Tabby explains. ‘And for those who have, it’s often like Marmite – some love it with an almost cult-like fervour, while for others, it’s an overwrought, unintelligible riot of emotion. We thought it would be intriguing to try to get to the heart of all this, and the mysterious Emily Bronte. It’s also such a rich read, bursting with romance, violence and terror.’
New episodes of The Book Club will launch weekly on Tuesdays, with plans so far shaping up to be ‘eclectic,’ Tabby says. ‘From Jane Austen to Harry Potter, we’ve got it all,’ she says, with Dominic teasing ’some terrific reads’ are on the cards, including ‘everything from Frankenstein, Nineteen Eighty-Four and The Hound of the Baskervilles to The Secret History, Hamnet, Northern Lights and Normal People’.
The Rest is History’s producer Tabby Syrett steps in front of the mic for The Book Club.
Indeed, while both may hail from The Rest is History’s grounds, The Book Club won’t just focus on historical classics. ‘We want to cover everything – science fiction, thrillers, you name it,’ Dominic says. ‘But we want classic novels to be part of the mix too. We want to show our listeners that reading the greatest classics of all time can be just as fun as devouring the latest blockbuster by Sarah J. Maas or Rebecca Yarros.’
‘Romantasy will definitely feature on the show alongside the classics,’ Tabby adds, ‘and I think we can all look forward to Dominic’s take on lustful goblins… But I hope that covering, say, A Court of Thorns and Roses alongside The Woman in White will show how accessible classical novels can be, and how they too can be just as thrilling, just as romantic, and just as titillating as their more popular descendants.’
For both, the goal is inspiring more reading among listeners, as well as conversations about reading spilling outside the confines of the podcast. Tabby hopes to give listeners ‘something to tell their friends at the pub about books – of every age and genre – that they had always heard of, but may never have had the time to read.’ This, and in real The Rest is History fashion, ‘maybe also a mad tale or two about its author, and how it came to be written,’ she says.
For now, C&TH picked Dominic and Tabby’s literary memories for the latest edition of Shelf Life, where book-lovers tell us about the reads that shaped them. From idolising Bilbo Baggins to Austen adoration, you can find their picks below.
Shelf Life: Dominic Sandbrook & Tabby Syrett
This book made me a reader…
Dominic: The Hobbit by J R R Tolkien. I read it when I was about six or seven. I absolutely adored it, I idolised Bilbo Baggins, and I still think it’s the perfect adventure story for younger readers.
This book was formative in my youth…
Tabby: The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman. I found the idea that all matter might be conscious totally mesmerising. It is an idea that has stayed with me ever since. It was also the book that led me to two of my favourite poets, Byron and Milton. Finally, and maybe above all, it was my first experience of first love on the page, and introduced me to the idea that this could be a painful, difficult thing. I was just hitting adolescence myself, so it was particularly poignant. I cried for days after finishing it.
This book broadened my horizons…
Dominic: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. The first proper classic I ever read, when I was about 13. It was like plunging into this incredibly rich and dark world and I’ve never forgotten it.
This book is one I can’t stop returning to…
Tabby: A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. It is so very witty and yet unexpectedly moving. I feel now as though I know all four of its major characters so well that they are almost old friends, flaws and all, which makes their inevitable fate all the more tragic. It takes me by surprise every time. The context of the French Revolution, in my opinion one of the most fascinating events in all of history, is, as with Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy, brought to life with such exquisite detail that you almost feel you are living it. It’s the perfect book for all lovers of literature and history.
This book is my guilty pleasure…
Dominic: The Flashman books by George MacDonald Fraser. Not only are they tremendously funny and immensely wise, they are, word-for word, some of the most perfectly judged and best written books you’ll ever read.
This book is my comfort blanket…
Tabby: Emma by Jane Austen. It draws you into its safe little world where the stakes aren’t high, and yet before long you are gasping at every social faux pas and longing, as if your life depended upon it, for the ball to come off. Emma is a refreshingly brattish heroine, and it’s just so funny. We’ve all met a Mrs Eliot in life – if you know, you know.
I wish I’d written this book…
Dominic: I think Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov is the cleverest book ever written. It’s a bonkers detective story and a blackly comic intellectual puzzle disguised as a commentary on a poem.
I can’t stop talking about this book right now…
Tabby: East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I’m rereading it right now and slightly lost in that hard Californian country. And given that there’s a new TV show coming, I’m constantly imagining how they will translate this or that, so it’s frequently on my mind.
I can’t wait for this book to hit the shelves…
Dominic: I’m a massive fan of the Irish writer Sebastian Barry and I’m really looking forward to his book The Newer World, set in 19th century America.
I recommend this book to anyone and everyone who will listen…
Tabby: Music and Silence by Rose Tremain. It sounds like a hard sell – a musician in the court of Christian IV of Denmark in the 17th century, but one of these days I’ll find someone who loves it as much as I do.
The Book Club
Hosted by Dominic Sandbrook and Tabby Syrett, new episodes of The Book Club land every Tuesday wherever you get your podcasts.
The first episode, about Wuthering Heights, is available to stream now.
