In February 1910, the future Virginia Woolf played the most famous practical joke in British military history. Blackening her face and masquerading as an Abyssinian prince, the young writer and her friends conned their way onto HMS Dreadnought, the Empire’s most powerful battleship. 'The Girl Prince' is a tantalisingly fresh take on the iconic writer and her deeply problematic stunt, as well as her ideas on race and empire.

In this episode, listen to award-winning author and scholar Danell Jones and Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies in the Faculty of Arts at McGill University Tabitha Sparks discuss what happened aboard the ship, Woolf’s involvement in the hoax, the immediate aftermath and how the narrative surrounding the ‘practical joke’ has changed over the years.

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Born in Kolkata shortly before Indian independence, Mihir Bose still feels enormous gratitude towards Mr Crombie of the UK’s Home Office, who confirmed his permanent resident’s rights in 1975.

In this episode, join Mihir, the BBC’s first sports editor and first non-white editor, and Sarah Sands, author and Deputy Chair of the British Council, in conversation about his book ‘Thank You Mr Crombie’.

You'll hear Mihir take us back to life in 1960s Britain, a time when Indian food was shunned, not adored. Landladies wouldn’t rent him a room and he suffered several assaults, fearing for his life. Reflecting on migration, race and British society, he looks at how far the country has come and how its sometimes deeply shameful past must still be addressed.

To buy the book and for more information, visit hurstpublishers.com

In an increasingly dystopian world, 'Negotiating with the Devil' by Pierre Hazan takes readers inside the world of armed conflict mediation, offering insight into the political and ethical ‘red lines’ that shape talks with armed interlocutors, be they states or insurgents.

In this episode, listen to Pierre and Victor Mallet in conversation about the high-stakes process of conflict mediation, the role of a peace negotiator, Pierre’s own thoughts about what makes a good mediator, and the grey areas as well as the shifting political imperatives impacting conflict mediation today.

To buy the book and for more information, visit hurstpublishers.com

'The Great Indian Food Trip' is an entertaining, erudite adventure of eating, drinking and travelling. This is how Swedish novelist, rock musician and author Zac O’Yeah has come to understand the Indian subcontinent, his home of thirty years.

In this episode, listen to Zac in conversation with writer and journalist Samanth Subramanian about the book, Zac’s love of food, his most memorable meals during his travels across India, and unique insight into the country’s delicacies, their origins and locales.

To buy the book and for more information, visit hurstpublishers.com

We are in a new age of terror, with self-radicalising, hard-to-categorise individuals planning violence. Since the Westminster Bridge attack in 2017, more than 40 terror attacks have been foiled by the security services. 'Plotters' by journalist Lizzie Dearden is an eye-opening account of the British terror attacks you’ve never heard of—because the perpetrators were caught in time.

In this episode, listen to Lizzie in conversation with fellow journalist and writer Tam Hussein to discuss the changing face of modern terrorism, the common factors that led to the would-be attackers being stopped and what each one caught tells us about British society.

To buy the book and for more information, visit hurstpublishers.com

As floods and fires rage across the planet, more people are embracing nonviolent action to achieve political change. Can it work?

In ‘Sorry for the Inconvenience But This Is an Emergency’ doctor and aid worker Lynne Jones offers a compelling, ground-level account of the last five years of UK protests, exploring how and why ordinary citizens have adopted extraordinary methods to confront the climate and nature crises.

In this episode, listen to Lynne in conversation with Fiona Godlee, doctor, and former Editor-in-Chief of the British Medical Journal, about Lynne’s experiences, from Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp to her involvement in movements like Extinction Rebellion today. They will also discuss the most effective kinds of protest, and what compels people to break the law in the name of justice.

For more, visit hurstpublishers.com

From Brazilian favelas and campgrounds in Nigeria to megachurches in Ukraine and South Korea, Pentecostal Christianity is taking over the world.

‘Beyond Belief’ by writer and journalist Elle Hardy exposes the Pentecostal agenda and its sway over politics and society around the world.

In this episode listen to Elle in conversation with journalist and author Katherine Stewart about how Pentecostalism evolved into a multi-million megachurch industry, why it’s attracting so many people, and what the movement’s explosion means for the world.

For more visit hurstpublishers.com

You cannot understand the historic events of 2022 without understanding Volodymyr Zelensky. But the Zelensky effect is less about the man himself than about the civic nation he embodies: what makes Zelensky most extraordinary in war is his very ordinariness as a Ukrainian.

‘The Zelensky Effect’ by Olga Onuch and Henry E. Hale tells the story of Ukraine through the journey of the man who has come to symbolise his country.

In this episode, listen to Henry in conversation with Shaun Walker, the Guardian’s Central and Eastern Europe correspondent and writer, as they discuss how its now-iconic president reflects the hopes and frustrations of Ukraine’s first ‘independence generation’.

For more visit hurstpublishers.com

Please note that this episode contains graphic depictions of violence, racism, and sexual assault, which listeners may find disturbing.

Rohingya men, women and children have been fleeing their homes for forty years and are now almost entirely in exile.

‘I Feel No Peace’ by Guardian journalist Kaamil Ahmed is the first book-length exploration of Rohingya lives abroad, drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews and long-standing relationships within the diaspora.

In this episode, listen to Kaamil in conversation with his fellow Guardian journalist and writer Amelia Gentleman about the complex and heart-breaking lives of the individuals who shared their stories with Kaamil, the lesser-known experiences of the Rohingya before the 2017 atrocities, and the complicity of the UN, international NGOs and the Bangladeshi state in the refugees’ plight.

This episode was recorded in March 2023. For more visit hurstpublishers.com