Last week Mole and Ratty were caught in a storm and now find themselves on Badger's doorstep. Will they receive a warm welcome after such a snowy adventure...? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale The Wind in the Willows - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9522/9780755500796 The Reluctant Dragon - https://uk.bookshop.org/...
Jun 14, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 159
Last week, we met the inimitable Mr Toad, whose current obsession is with his new motorcar. This week, Mole resolves to meet the Badger. What adventures await him on his way to the Wild Wood...? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale The Wind in the Willows - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9522/9780755500796 The Reluctant Dra...
Jun 07, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 158
Last week we met Mole who has moved to the peaceful riverbank and, with his new friend Ratty, is about to meet the most infamous toad of all time ... Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale The Wind in the Willows - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9522/9780755500796 The Reluctant Dragon - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9522/97814052...
May 31, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 157
This week we begin a new Tale, Kenneth Grahame's family friendly classic 'The Wind in the Willows'. Grahame wrote these stories for his son: tales of new fangled motorcars, messing about in boats, of Mole, Ratty, Badger and, of course, Mr Toad. These may be simpler times but there are lots of adventures to be had... Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors -...
May 24, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 156
This week, we have a short story from master of gothic fantasy horror, William Hope Hodgson. Famous in his lifetime for his novels 'The House on the Borderland' and 'The Night Land', this short story, 'The Voice in the Night', has arguably been his most influential. Dark, brooding, fantastical, it bears the hallmarks of Hodgson's style, and its themes can be traced to the modern day, with horror works such as 'The Last of Us'. Books - (buying books fr...
May 10, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 155
This week, we return to one of the English language's wittiest writers, Oscar Wilde. We have already dipped into his 1880 short story collection for children 'The Happy Prince and Other Tales', and this time we bring you the title story from that collection. It would be a few years before he wrote 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' and subsequently carve out his reputation as a playwright, but the brilliance Wilde would be known for is evident in these earlier stories. Books -...
Jan 25, 2023•22 min•Season 1Ep. 144
To celebrate the end of the Christmas season and the start of a New Year, we bring you this classic short story, 'The Gift of the Magi', by O. Henry. It is his first appearance on The Well Told Tale, but will not be his last - he is the veritable master of the short story, and this example is no exception. Traditionally, the Magi reached the baby Jesus 12 days after Christmas to bestow their gifts, bringing the Christmas season to a close. While this story is set at Christmas, it is a ...
Jan 06, 2023•14 min•Season 1Ep. 143
We have reached the finale of Jules Verne's '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' with a bumper episode. This week, our adventurers find themselves in freezing waters. Will our heroes finally escape the Nautilus? And will they discover the identity of the mysterious Captain Nemo..? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-to...
Dec 14, 2022•2 hr 50 min•Season 1Ep. 142
This week, we have the penultimate part of '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'. Our intrepid heroes are plotting their escape from the grip of Captain Nemo, but will he ever give them the opportunity? Will they ever learn who he really is... and what he really wants? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale Jules Vern...
Nov 23, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 141
We return to the Nautilus this week, where we are starting to learn more about the secretive Captain Nemo. What secrets will he reveal? And will he be able to keep his grip on his captives? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale Jules Verne: Seven Novels - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9522/9781435122956 20,000 Leagues Under...
Nov 09, 2022•55 min•Season 1Ep. 140
This week, we continue with our fantastic Tale under the sea. So much has befallen our heroes so far, but what do we really know of the mysterious Captain Nemo? Who is he really, and why has he taken to life under the water, shut away from the world on land? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale Jules Verne: Seven Novel...
Oct 26, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 139
After nearly two months of captivity at sea aboard the Nautilus, our heroes are finally about to set foot on dry land. They have been given permission to head to a small island by boat, but what will they do when they get there...? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale Jules Verne: Seven Novels - https://uk.bookshop.org...
Oct 12, 2022•58 min•Season 1Ep. 138
Last time, our hero Professor Aronnax had the opportunity to walk on the ocean floor with Captain Nemo, showing that his captivity aboard the Nautilus has its benefits. What wonders await him next? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists/the-well-told-tale Jules Verne: Seven Novels - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9522/9781435122956 20,000 Leagu...
Sep 28, 2022•36 min•Season 1Ep. 137
Our heroes are now aboard the mighty Nautilus, prisoners with no means of escape, but afforded the opportunity to come and go as they please. Captain Nemo was more than happy to give Professor Aronnax, our main protagonist, a full tour of the vessel, but what does Nemo have in store for his prisoners? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite authors - https://uk.bookshop.org/lists...
Sep 14, 2022•50 min•Season 1Ep. 136
Last week, our heroes Professor Aronnax, his manservant Conseil, and master harpooner Ned Land found themselves captured and brought aboard a mysterious submarine - the same machine which they realise has been behind the terror on the seas in recent months. Now, quite literally in the belly of the beast, will they finally get some answers? Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost to you): Books by our favourite ...
Aug 31, 2022•48 min•Season 1Ep. 135
Last week, we began our voyage '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea' with our narrator, Professor Pierre Aronnax, chasing what he suspects is an undiscovered narwhal of enormous size and strength, causing chaos on the high seas. The sailors aboard the steamship Abraham Lincoln have just sighted something, and master harpooner Ned Land is moving into position, much to Aronnax's excitement. Could this be the mysterious creature they have been searching for? Books - (buying books from our B...
Aug 24, 2022•47 min•Season 1Ep. 134
We embark on an epic voyage with this week's Tale, plunging "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" by master of early sci-fi, Jules Verne. This fantastical Tale originally appeared in a serialised form over 1869 to 1870 in a fortnightly periodical, and was subsequently published as a novel the year later. It has been an enduring classic ever since. We begin our story with speculation about a great sea creature causing shipwrecks across the world - what could be the true nature of these ca...
Aug 17, 2022•55 min•Ep. 133
This week, we have a classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm, 'Hansel and Gretel.' As with many of Grimm's fairy tales, this story most likely came from the oral tradition of storytelling in the region, before the brothers wrote them down and widened their appeal. In the spirit of this tradition, it is perhaps not surprising that the brothers amended their tales in subsequent editions of their books, meaning this version may contain some elements with which you are less familia...
Aug 03, 2022•18 min•Season 1Ep. 132
Last week, we left Murilo, a nobleman, running into a problem. He planned to free Conan, and bargained with him to rid him of the Red Priest, Nabonidus, his rival for power in this unnamed city state, but due to a misunderstanding, he believes that Conan has failed to escape and carry out his task. Conan, however, has freed himself, and true to his word, is on his way to the house of Nabonidus, where Murilo has already entered, and things have not gone to plan... If you'd like to support Th...
Jul 13, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 129
We return this week with another visit to the Hyborian Age with a Conan Tale from Robert E. Howard. 'Rogues in the House' is earlier in Conan's chronology - he's still very much a barbarian, but here we see glimpses of his own moral code that he lives by. Expect gore, but beautifully written gore... If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps suppor...
Jul 06, 2022•22 min•Season 1Ep. 128
This week brings us the finale of 'The Marvelous Land of Oz' by L. Frank Baum. Our heroes are stuck in a jackdaw nest, but they have a plan to fly and meet Glinda, the Good Witch. If anyone can sort out this mess, it's Glinda...isn't it? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cos...
Jun 29, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 127
We return to Oz again this week, where Tip has amassed quite a group to challenge the invaders for the Scarecrow's crown. Mombie, the cruel witch, has tried her best to stop them reaching the Emerald City, but has been foiled with help from old friend, the Queen of the Field Mice. Now Tip, Jack Pumpkinhead, the wooden Saw-Horse, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the magnified Wogglebug approach the city gates, but will they be able to reclaim the throne for the Scarecrow? If you'd lik...
Jun 22, 2022•54 min•Season 1Ep. 126
We return to Oz this week, where our heroes have been driven out of the Emerald City by an army of girls who have deposed the king, our old friend, the Scarecrow from "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". They are on their way to get help from the Tin Man, now the emperor of a nearby kingdom. But what dangers will befall them on their journey? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying books from our Boo...
Jun 15, 2022•53 min•Season 1Ep. 125
Last week, we began our second journey into the Marvelous Land of Oz, and met Tip and his inadvertent companion, Jack Pumpkinhead. These characters may seem familiar if you have ever seen Disney's 1985 film 'Return to Oz', a much darker sequel to the classic 'The Wizard of Oz'. Jack Pumpkinhead plays a pivotal role in the film, which takes elements of this Oz story and the next in the series, 'Ozma of Oz,' and throws in some other ideas to create a film that, w...
Jun 08, 2022•43 min•Season 1Ep. 124
This week brings us another Tale, and magical sequel, "The Marvelous Land of Oz," by L. Frank Baum. Having written "The Wizard of Oz," a Tale we have previously told, Baum was frequently contacted by excited children asking for more stories about the Land of Oz. He decided to finally give them what they wanted, with this sequel detailing the further adventures of the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman. What other characters will we meet in this instalment? If you'd like to su...
Jun 01, 2022•44 min•Season 1Ep. 123
Our protagonist has been learning of some terrible events that, if town drunkard Zadok Allen is to be believed, explain some of the strange goings-on at Innsmouth. Fantastical tales of creatures from the deep, interbreeding with humans, sacrifices to the Old Ones... could any of it be true? Our hero knows he needs to get out of Innsmouth, but will the residents let him? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (...
May 18, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 121
This week, we return to the mysterious and decaying town of Innsmouth. Our narrator has spied town drunkard, Zadok Allen, and has heard that the old man might know a lot about the town's dark history,. However, he gets the sense that Innsmouth folk don't like outsiders talking to old Zadok for too long... If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support th...
May 11, 2022•38 min•Season 1Ep. 120
This week, we start a new Tale from one of our favourite writers, H. P. Lovecraft. 'The Shadow Over Innsmouth' was the only novella published in Lovecraft's lifetime, and although it forms a central part of his Cthulhu Mythos, Lovecraft didn't actually like it when it was finished, and it was only published after his friend August Derleth got involved. The original run of books was a mere 200 bound copies, and have become a sought-after rarity in collector's circles. If ...
May 03, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 119
We return for the final part of 'Alice Through the Looking Glass'. Alice has almost made it to the last row of the Looking Glass Land chessboard, where Alice will apparently become a Queen. What does this mean for her? And will she ever get home? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also supporting local bookshops, at no cost...
Apr 27, 2022•52 min•Season 1Ep. 118
This week, we return to Alice trying to navigate her way through Looking Glass Land. After successfully dealing with Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee, Alice has moved on, and will shortly encounter Humpty Dumpty and the Lion and the Unicorn. How will Alice deal with these colourful characters? If you'd like to support The Well Told Tale, please visit us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thewelltoldtale Books - (buying books from our Bookshop.org shop helps support this channel while also suppo...
Apr 20, 2022•35 min•Season 1Ep. 117
