Little Grey Cells & Formidable Aunts: Agatha Christie, PG Wodehouse and the Golden Age of the Short Story Magazine

Lecture 1: The Rise of the Illustrated Magazine

The end of the 19th Century saw the dawn of a new age in publishing with the arrival of the popular illustrated magazine, a format which showcased the work of countless writers and artists. This lecture looks at the development of several different titles, including the celebrated Strand Magazine which, by the 1930s, featured stories by Christie, Wodehouse and Sayers.

Lecture 2: Agatha Christie and     Dorothy L Sayers in London

How the two great Queens of Crime brought the metropolis to life and how Hercule Poirot and Lord Peter Wimsey found a home there. Both authors chronicled the rapidly-changing London between the wars, and had very particular views on where their characters should live and work; a revealing investigation in itself.

Lecture 3: PG Wodehouse in London – ‘Welcome Home, Jeeves!’

The remarkable way in which Wodehouse populated London with scores of characters, in one of the most elaborate overlapping fictional worlds ever created. Living in Mayfair for several years, he borrowed the addresses of family, friends and colleagues to root the likes of Uncle Fred, Lord Emsworth, and Psmith (not forgetting Bertie Wooster and Jeeves), in a real world which was vanishing even as he immortalised it.

Richard Burnip

Richard  combines acting, writing and lecturing. He has lectured in many venues including the National Army Museum and the Museum of London, and is currently presenting a variety of virtual lectures online. He has contributed to, among others, The Journal of Popular Film and Television, The Sherlock Holmes Journal, and the P G Wodehouse journal Wooster Sauce. A specialist in voice work, he has narrated numerous documentaries and 150 audiobooks. This will be Richard’s first visit to The Arts Society Fylde.