Richard Dadd was a chocolate-box style painter destined to be forgotten, until he tragically went insane and murdered his own father in 1843. After he was transferred to Bedlam, Dadd’s paintings became labyrinthine, masterful, and incredibly dark. Over a period between six to nine years, he created his astonishing masterpiece, ‘The Fairy-Feller’s Master-Stroke’. With its strange disruptions of scale and perspective, its intricate detail and its myriad characters, the work is an astonishing display of a haunted imagination. Richard Dadd’s work has had a big impact on writer Neil Gaiman, as well as on many other authors. In this podcast, he discusses its effects on his literary imagination and its lasting influence. He also discusses other moments of inspiration. In this fascinating interview with Janina Ramirez, we delve behind the scenes of Gaiman’s creative process and learn about the work and man that inspires him to this day.
Avi Shlaim is Emeritus Professor of International Relations at St Antony's College, Oxford. Here he discusses his life - from his birth in Baghdad, to studying in Britain and his ongoing historical research.
In the first ever episode of our new topical history show, Dan Snow covers subjects from North Korea, to the Tudors, and Santa.
Janina Ramirez meets renowned author Philip Pullman.
