Later this year I will be launching a Getting Better Acquainted mini series titled ‘Down to a Sunless Sea: Memories of my Dad’ about the my relationship with my dad, my dad's life story and his descent into dementia.The show will be be mixing clips from over 15 hours of interviews that I've done with my dad over the last 10 years with narrations based on these medium pieces: https://medium.com/@goosefat101 Additionally to the main thread of the show I've received The Pulse Award from the Wellcom...
Jan 30, 2020•5 min
This Christmas special functions as an epilogue, a coda, an outro and a final thought, for The Family Tree. Dave spends Christmas with Philip Beech and the Sullivans, and Jen reads a special Christmas story written by Mia. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron...
Dec 26, 2019•39 min•Season 3Ep. 30
In the final episode of the show, Dave and his brother go to visit their dad to say hello, and also to say goodbye: endings are more complex than a simple full stop. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron...
Oct 08, 2019•38 min•Season 3Ep. 29
In the last Cutting of Season 3, Dave reflects on accountability and forgiveness, and considers the best ways to end things by asking some big questions. We hear from past guests, new guests and listeners to the show, who talk about how they approach these issues. We also hear from Dave's partner, Jen, about how she has experienced the making of The Family Tree, and are introduced to a song written for the end of show by Martin Zaltz Austwick. The Family Tree ’s Cuttings discuss the real issues ...
Oct 01, 2019•1 hr 23 min•Season 3Ep. 28
Dave talks to Mark about his role in the trauma his family has experienced, and reflects on the importance of accountability and justice. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron...
Sep 17, 2019•43 min•Season 3Ep. 27
Family is about more than blood. Dave continues rounding up the end of Season 3 by catching up with the extended family. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron...
Sep 10, 2019•53 min•Season 3Ep. 26
As Season 3 starts to come to a close, Dave catches up with the Sullivan family to find out how they’re all doing and what the future holds for them. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron...
Sep 03, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 25
In the fifth Cutting of Season 3, Dave considers different elements of identity. He talks to Scout Pup about furries and puppies, and speaks to Alex Iantaffi about genograms, intergenerational trauma and mind plasticity. The episode features more clips from the Meg-John and Justin podcast, which consider hierarchies of love and relationships. CONTENT NOTE: trauma, holocaust, genocide and intimate partner violence. The Family Tree ’s Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with specia...
Aug 20, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 24
With no need to hide anymore and a firm plan for her future, Violita is finally ready to tell Dave exactly what happened when she became a liminal person. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Aug 13, 2019•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Sam is back from Australia, and eager to update listeners on their new life. They introduce their friend, Tee, and Dave witnesses a new kind of liminal lifestyle. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Aug 06, 2019•58 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Dave catches up with Ben and Kora, who discuss how things are working out for them in their new life as Ben, Kora, Nathan and jaguar. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Jul 30, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 21
In the fourth Cutting of Season 3, Dave considers different forms of and approaches to therapy; talks to poet, playwright and performer, Tanaka Mhishi about consent, masculinity and recovering from trauma; and plays some clips from the Meg-John and Justin podcast, which consider social and personal scripts, staying with our feelings, and power. CONTENT NOTE: rape, sexual assault, suicidal ideation, mental health issues, racism, violence, trauma The Family Tree ’s Cuttings discuss the real issues...
Jul 16, 2019•1 hr 28 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Dear Listeners, The conversation I’m sharing with you today is the first conversation I recorded with Melanie after her escapades with Ellie. I don’t mind telling you that I found the whole experience extremely distressing, and it was important to me that I communicated this to her. I was a little more confrontational than I generally like to be, but I think Melanie and I both feel that our friendship has benefitted from frank and open discussion. Please don’t judge her too harshly. We are all n...
Jul 09, 2019•19 min•Season 3Ep. 19
Dear Listeners, Mark was a very dear friend of mine a long time ago, and his friendship with the tree is also rooted deep in my consciousness. I do find it very difficult to reconcile this with my feelings about his actions, particularly now I have come to get to know Melanie better. In the conversation I’m sharing with you today, I had the opportunity to talk to him about his decision to change into her, and about his feelings about having multiple conciousnesses within him. I found the convers...
Jul 02, 2019•24 min•Season 3Ep. 18
After Jane’s conversation with Mark, the recorder is left on, and accidentally captures Nathan meeting his father for the first time since his return. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Jun 25, 2019•25 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Mark visits Jane, who finally gets to confront him about the effect his decision has had on their family. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Jun 18, 2019•32 min•Season 3Ep. 16
After meeting Ellie, Melanie is open to the idea of allowing Mark to the surface. Along with Ben, Kora, Melissa and Shajahan, she and Dave return to Goldsmith’s to attempt to bring Mark back. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Jun 11, 2019•1 hr 12 min•Season 3Ep. 15
In the third Cutting of Season 3, Dave talks to Philosophy Tube’s Oliver Thorn, witchcraft scholar Dr. Alice Tarbuck, and historian Dr Robert Poole about the history, philosophy and ideology of persecution. Dave also considers how the legacy of Lancaster Castle, his own family tree, and an excellent twitter thread by Dr Clare Askew fit within idea that ‘we are the heirs of the witch hunters.’ This episode follows on from the last Cutting, which looked at Magic – http://thefamilytreepodcast.co.uk...
May 28, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Dear Listeners, I hardly know how to present this episode to you. I thought about telling you all about it, but I think you may find some value in experiencing the surprise the way that Melanie and I did in this conversation. I would like to reassure you all, though, that I am very much alive and well, so please don’t be concerned about anything like that. Goodness me, what a strange world we find ourselves in. Best wishes, Phillip -------------------------------------- The Family Tree is a magi...
May 21, 2019•27 min•Season 3Ep. 13
In the second part of a very personal part of the story for Dave, he visits his dad for the first time since he began his changing journey. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
May 12, 2019•41 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In the first part of a very personal part of the story for Dave, he talks to his dad, who plans to become a changeling. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
May 07, 2019•40 min•Season 3Ep. 11
In the second Cutting of Season 3, Dave talks to Dr. Alexander Cummins and Dr. Alice Tarbuck about magic and its role in society from the past to the present. And the creators of The Boy Who Hasn’t Lived , CJ Bruce and Arlie Adlington, discuss their families’ perceptions of magic as they were growing up, as Arlie prepares to introduce CJ to the Harry Potter series. The Family Tree ’s Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism, religion and...
Apr 23, 2019•1 hr 7 min•Season 3Ep. 10
Following an enigmatic voice message, Dave facilitates a meeting between Nathan and Nigel. It’s the first time they’ve seen each other since Nathan’s change, and they have a lot of catching up to do. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Apr 16, 2019•48 min•Season 3Ep. 9
Dear Listeners, I hope my last recording was of some help to some of you. I find myself frequently revisiting Azariah’s thoughtful advice. Every good answer leads to a new question in my experience, but I trust in God to guide us towards a path that is right. I may have believed that They had only one path for us at one time, but I feel that things may be very much more complicated than that. Melanie and I have taken the decision to begin recording our conversations again, and this is what I hav...
Apr 09, 2019•28 min•Season 3Ep. 8
Following a message from Skarbek, Dave meets up with her on Gallions Hill. What she has to tell him is the information that encouraged the Sullivan family to continue recording The Family Tree . In this conversation, Dave learns both encouraging developments and some tragic news. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Apr 02, 2019•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Dear Listeners, I hope this finds you well. It truly is a pleasure to be writing to you again, and I’m delighted to be able to connect with you through The Family Tree. It perhaps won’t surprise you to learn that I have faced many challenges since David and I had our little excursion to St James’s Park to visit the oak tree. I find I am quite changed, and I don’t mind telling you, I’ve found it rather difficult to process some of the thoughts and feelings I’ve had since I became a changeling, or...
Mar 26, 2019•21 min•Season 3Ep. 6
In the first Cutting of Season 3, Dave talks to Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad and Philosophy Tube’s Oliver Thorn, discussing philosophical questions around transition, change and belief. The Family Tree ’s Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism, religion and the arts. Find our Guests! Professor Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad – publications - https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=Chakravarthi+R...
Mar 12, 2019•1 hr 6 min•Season 3Ep. 5
In the aftermath of Nathan’s return, Dave catches up with Kora, Melissa, Nathan, Ben and Melanie as they all process their feelings about the change, and reflect on Ben and Nathan sharing a body. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Mar 05, 2019•42 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Leaving the others to process what just happened, Dave accompanies Nathan back to visit Jane and sets up his recording equipment. Jane and Nathan catch up and discuss their feelings about Nathan’s circumstances. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Feb 26, 2019•43 min•Season 3Ep. 3
Dave catches up with Melanie and Kora, and with Melissa and Ben after their journey to the rainforest. In a controlled experiment at Goldsmith’s, University of London, and with the help of Shajahan, they attempt to bring Nathan back. The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity. iTunes RSS Spotify Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron ....
Feb 19, 2019•55 min•Season 3Ep. 2
