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The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed

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The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed is a British podcast and BBC Radio 4 programme in which the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage speaks to an invited guest, usually in his writing-shed of his Yorkshire home. The first series of twelve hour-long broadcasts began in March 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, the second series of nine began in July 2021,[1][2][3][4][5] and the third series began in February 2023.[6] The programme broadcast on 27 May 2020 was recorded while Armitage was self-isolating during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was the last of the first series.[7]

The broadcasts were recorded in Armitage's writing shed in the garden of his home in West Yorkshire. The contents of the shed include "a harmonium, a pizza oven, a daybed, books on birdspotting, a decent spread of music cassettes, and an impressive collection of sherry",[8] and he has described it as "close to nature without camping on the lawn, it's half inside and half outside".[9] Armitage and his guest have a wide-ranging conversation, often touching on his ongoing translation of the medieval poem The Owl and the Nightingale, and the guest answers a series of quick-fire questions such as "night or day, north or south, Woman's Hour or In Our Time?" before being offered a glass of sherry.[10][11]

In series 3, broadcast in 2023, the podcast available on BBC Sounds was up to 60 mins long but only a shortened version of 30 mins was broadcast on Radio 4.

On 2024 Radio 4 announced that it would not re-commission the series, a decision that Armitage described as "utterly bewildering".[12] Speaking at the Oxford Literary Festival in April 2025, Armitage announced that the show would be revived with a different broadcaster, probably as a podcast.[13] He reiterated his dissatisfaction with the BBC's decision not to make another series:

And, for reasons that I don’t understand and I bellyache about, they didn't commission another series. I really don’t understand it. It's very cheap to make. And it's regional – you can't get much more regional than me sitting in the garden. It was just me and a lawnmower.[13]

Episodes

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Episodes
Series Episode number First broadcast Guest Notes
1 1 4 March 2020 Guy Garvey, singer, music presenter, birdwatcher [14][15]
2 11 March 2020 Kae Tempest, author [16][17]
3 18 March 2020 Testament, rapper and beatboxing champion[10] [18]
4 25 March 2020 Maxine Peake, actor [19]
5 1 April 2020 Antony Gormley, sculptor [20]
6 8 April 2020 Lily Cole, model and entrepreneur [21]
7 15 April 2020 Sam Lee, singer [22]
8 22 April 2020 Melanie Plimmer, judge [23]
9 6 May 2020 Jackie Kay, poet [24]
10 13 May 2020 Laura Ashe, historian [25][11]
11 20 May 2020 Chris Packham [26][27]
12 27 May 2020 No guest Recorded in self-isolation[7]
2 13 3 July 2021 Johnny Marr, guitarist and member of The Smiths [28][29]
14 10 July 2021 Amanda Owen, shepherdess [30][31]
15 17 July 2021 Imtiaz Dharker, poet [32]
16 24 July 2021 J. K. Rowling, writer [33]
17 31 July 2021 Jo Whiley, radio and television presenter [34]
18 7 August 2021 Gillian Burke, television presenter Recorded in Gyllyngdune Gardens in Falmouth.[35]
19 14 August 2021 John Tiffany, theatre director [36]
20 21 August 2021 Sabrina Verjee, vet and ultrarunner [37]
21 28 August 2021 Prince Charles, Prince of Wales Recorded in the Prince's "shed",
a barn at Llwynywermod in Wales.[38][39][40]
3 22 5 February 2023 Ian McKellen, actor [6][41]
23 12 February 2023 Lucy Beaumont, comedian [42]
24 19 February 2023 Simon Dobson, composer and conductor [43]
25 26 February 2023 Pam Ayres, poet [44]
26 5 March 2023 Loyle Carner, musician Recorded in Carner's studio in Hackney, London. [45]
27 12 March 2023 Olive Senior, poet

[46]

28 19 March 2023 Glyn Maxwell, musician [47]
29 26 March 2023 Julie Hesmondhalgh [48]

References

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  1. ^ "Simon Armitage invites guests for sherry in The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed". Financial Times. 12 April 2020. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  2. ^ "The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed returns to Radio 4". RadioToday. 16 June 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  3. ^ Maier, John. "Contains moments of spellbinding banality: Radio 4's The Poet Laureate has Gone to his Shed reviewed". The Spectator. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Guy Garvey - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed - ManchesterTheatres.com". Manchester Theatres. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  5. ^ "The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed". Listen Notes. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Ian McKellen". BBC. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  7. ^ a b "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Simon Armitage". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  8. ^ Johnson, Alex (12 March 2020). "A tour of Simon Armitage's writing shed". Shedworking. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  9. ^ Sherwin, Adam (4 March 2020). "Poet Laureate Simon Armitage launches BBC podcast from his garden shed". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Welcome to The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  11. ^ a b Wickham, Edward (5 June 2020). "Radio review: The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Analysis: Identity wars, and The Archers". www.churchtimes.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  12. ^ Sanderson, David (14 October 2024). "BBC should not have axed my shed show, poet laureate says". Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 February 2025.
  13. ^ a b Singh, Anita (6 April 2025). "Poet Laureate revives axed BBC Radio 4 show as podcast". The Telegraph. Retrieved 6 April 2025.
  14. ^ "Guy Garvey - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed - ManchesterTheatres.com". Manchester Theatres. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Guy Garvey: Nine things we learned when he spoke to Simon Armitage". BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  16. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Kate Tempest". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  17. ^ "Kate Tempest: 10 things we learned when she spoke to Simon Armitage". BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  18. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Testament". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  19. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Maxine Peake". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  20. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Antony Gormley". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  21. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Lily Cole". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  22. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Sam Lee". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  23. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Judge Melanie Plimmer". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  24. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Jackie Kay". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  25. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Laura Ashe". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  26. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Chris Packham". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  27. ^ "Chris Packham: Seven things we learned when he spoke to Simon Armitage". BBC.
  28. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Amanda Owen". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  29. ^ "Johnny Marr: 10 things we learned when he spoke to Simon Armitage". BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  30. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Amanda Owen". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  31. ^ "Simon Armitage does Haiku". Julie Mellor - poet. 12 July 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  32. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Imtiaz Dharker". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  33. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, JK Rowling". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  34. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Jo Whiley". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  35. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Gillian Burke". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  36. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, John Tiffany". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  37. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Sabrina Verjee". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  38. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, HRH Prince Charles". BBC. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  39. ^ "The Prince of Wales appears on 'The Poet Laureate Has Gone To His Shed'". www.princeofwales.gov.uk. Prince of Wales. 28 August 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  40. ^ Sherwin, Adam (11 August 2021). "Prince Charles invites Poet Laureate Simon Armitage into his garden shed for Radio 4 chat". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  41. ^ "Sir Ian McKellen: 10 things we learned when he spoke to the Poet Laureate". BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  42. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Lucy Beaumont". BBC. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  43. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Simon Dobson". BBC. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  44. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Pam Ayres". BBC. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  45. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Loyle Carner". BBC. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  46. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Olive Senior". BBC. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  47. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Glyn Maxwell". BBC. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  48. ^ "BBC Radio 4 - The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed, Julie Hesmondhalgh". BBC. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
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