PODCAST · arts
We'd Like A Word
by We'd Like A Word
A podcast & radio show about words: writers, readers, books, poetry, lyrics, scripts, comedy, illustrators, agents & all things wordy.
Episodes
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38. Patricia Cornwell on Sharp Force & advice for authors
38. Patricia Cornwell talks to We'd Like A Word co-hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about her new thriller Sharp Force, plus how she writes, advice for new writers, the extreme lengths she goes to for research, & what she's working on next. She compares police hats with Steve & makes Paul an…
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37. Winner of the IGF Archer Amish Storytellers Award
37. Paul Waters talks to and hears about the winner and runners-up of the 2025 India Global Forum Archer Amish Award for Storytellers - including Jeffrey Archer, Amish Tripathi, Shalini Mullick, Nitya Neelakantan, Yogesh Pandey, & Amit Roy - the editor of the Eastern Eye newspaper. Dr Shalini...
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36. Banu Mushtaq & Deepa Bhashti at Jaipur Lit Fest London + more
36. International Booker prize winners, author Banu Mushtaq & translator Deepa Bhashti talk to co-hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy on the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast at the 2025 Jaipur Literature Festival at the British Library in London. We talk about Banu's short story…
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35. Indian & Pakistani authors at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival London 2025
35. Indian & Pakistani authors & poets talk to co-hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy on the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival London 2025 (which Paul also co-organises). We hear from Devike Rege on Indian politics, whether "home is a place where…
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34. Catalan Crime with Teresa Solana, Peter Bush & Marina Sofia
Catalan Crime in translation: We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from Barcelona-born author Teresa Solana; Peter Bush the translator of her crime thriller Black Storms - he's also Teresa's husband; and Marina Sofia the co-founder of Corylus publishers, which publishes crime...
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33. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 1) with Andrew Finkel
33. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 1): Author & foreign correspondent Andrew Finkel talks to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about his book The Adventure of the Second Wife - The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and the Ottoman Sultan. We also talk about how to decide where to...
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32. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 2) with Andrew Finkel
32. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 2): Author & foreign correspondent Andrew Finkel talks to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about his book The Adventure of the Second Wife - The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and the Ottoman Sultan. We also talk about how to decide where to...
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31. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 3) with Andrew Finkel
31. Sherlock Holmes in Turkey (part 3): Author & foreign correspondent Andrew Finkel talks to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about his book The Adventure of the Second Wife - The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes and the Ottoman Sultan. We also talk about how to decide where to...
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30. Stand Up Comedy (part 1) with Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood
30. How to write & perform stand up comedy (part 1): Comedians Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood talk to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about Ian's new book To Be Someone about his love affair with The Jam & surviving the 1970s. We also talk about comic timing, how to write a joke,...
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29. Stand Up Comedy (part 2) with Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood
29. How to write & perform stand up comedy (part 2): Comedians Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood talk to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about Ian's new book To Be Someone about his love affair with The Jam & surviving the 1970s. We also talk about comic timing, how to write a joke,...
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28. Stand Up Comedy (part 3) with Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood
28. How to write & perform stand up comedy (part 3): Comedians Ian Stone & Phoebe Haywood talk to We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan, about Ian's new book To Be Someone about his love affair with The Jam & surviving the 1970s. We also talk about comic timing, how to write a joke,...
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27. Peter James & Tina Payne at Chiltern Kills crime fest 2024
27. Peter James & Tina Payne at the Chiltern Kills crime writing festival 2024: We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from Peter James, the bestselling author of the Roy Grace detective series, and also from new crime fiction sensation Tina Payne aka TM Payne. And lots more from...
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26. History & lies (part 1) with Subhadra Das, author of Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West
26. History & lies (part 1): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She…
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25. History & lies (part 2) with Subhadra Das, author of Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West
25. History & lies (part 2): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She…
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24. History & lies (part 3) with Subhadra Das, author of Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West
24. History & lies (part 3): We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan chat & laugh with Subhadra Das, writer, historian, broadcaster, comedian & curator, about her book, Uncivilised: Ten Lies That Made The West. Subhadra looks at the relationship between science & society. She…
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23. IGF Archer-Amish Award for Literature
23. Announcing the new IGF Archer-Amish Award for Literature: We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from bestselling authors and prize judges Jeffrey Archer & Amish Tripathi about the new IGF (India Global Forum) Archer-Amish Award for Literature. The prize is $25,000 & it's not...
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22. Jaipur Literature Festival London 2024
22. We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy interview stars of Indian & Irish literature and film making at the 2024 Jaipur Literature Festival at the British Library in London. (It's possible that Paul repeatedly referred to it as the Jaipur Literary Festival, but let's not…
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21. Khushwant Singh Lit Fest: Indian, Pakistani & Bangladeshi authors
21. Khushwant Singh Lit Fest: Indian, Pakistani & Bangladeshi authors - In this special We'd Like A Word India episode at the Khushwant Singh Literary Festival, co-hosts Paul Waters & Jonathan Kennedy (standing in for Stevyn Colgan) hear ideas from top authors of fiction, non-fiction, memoir &...
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20. John Hegley at Milton's Cottage, poetry & music
20. John Hegley at Milton's Cottage: The BBC radio & Edinburgh Fringe favourite, British national treasure, poet, musician & comedian, John Hegley joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to perform & chat in front of an intimate live audience inside Milton's Cottage in Chalfont…
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19. Book cover design with Mark Ecob (Part 1)
19. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 1): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable...
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18. Book cover design with Mark Ecob (Part 2)
18. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 2): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable...
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17. Book cover design with Mark Ecob (Part 3)
17. Mark Ecob on book cover design (part 3): The award-winning book cover designer, Mark Ecob, aka Mecob, tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. We also talk about in this 3 part episode: Ben Okri & Tiger Work, Alexander McCall Smith, Piers Torday, sustainable...
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16. Chiltern Kills crime writing festival with Frederick Forsyth
16. Chiltern Kills crime writing festival with Frederick Forsyth & many more top authors: Thriller writing icon Frederick Forsyth tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about his legacy & his first ever appearance at a literary festival in this one-part episode. It was recorded...
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15. Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (Part 1)
Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 1): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He...
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14. Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (Part 2)
Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 2): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He...
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13. Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (Part 3)
Jeffrey Archer on storytelling (part 3): The globally bestselling (more than 300m books sold) storyteller Jeffrey Archer tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how he does it. Jeffrey takes research to extremes - he been to prison, been an MP and is now in the House of Lords. He...
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12. Win a Google Pixel Fold (part 1) + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing
Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 1): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series.…
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11. Win a Google Pixel Fold (part 2) + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing
Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 2): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series.…
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10. Win a Google Pixel Fold (part 3) + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing
Win a Google Pixel Fold phone + Ajay Chowdhury on AI & writing books (part 3): Crime author & tech entrepreneur Ajay Chowdhury tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how he uses artificial intelligence tools to help him write his excellent Detective Kamil Rahman series.…
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9. Amish (part 1) on writing Indian history as bestselling fiction
Amish (part 1) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than...
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8. Amish (part 2) on writing Indian history as bestselling fiction
Amish (part 2) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than...
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7. Amish (part 3) on writing Indian history as bestselling fiction
Amish (part 3) on writing Indian history as fiction: Diplomat, TV star & author Amish tells We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing new versions of classic Indian epics like the Ramayana. He shares how he creates bestselling series that sell millions of copies faster than...
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6. Romance (part 1): Movie star Michael Douglas, Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter
Romance (part 1): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a...
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5. Romance (part 2): Movie star Michael Douglas, Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter
Romance (part 2): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a...
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4. Romance (part 3): Movie star Michael Douglas, Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter
Romance (part 3): Movie star Michael Douglas, authors Georgina Moore & Becky Hunter tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about writing romance, authors supporting other authors, & reading to counter depression. Hollywood star & double-Oscar-winning Michael Douglas has had a...
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3. Climate Change Fiction (part 1): Peter May & Paul Hardisty (Season 3)
Climate Change Fiction (part 1): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul...
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2. Climate Change Fiction (part 2): Peter May & Paul Hardisty (Season 3)
Climate Change Fiction (part 2): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul...
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1. Climate Change Fiction (part 3): Peter May & Paul Hardisty (Season 3)
Climate Change Fiction (part 3): Peter May & Paul Hardisty tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about bringing our climate emergency into mainstream popular fiction. Peter May's new crime thriller A Winter Grave (published by riverrun), & is set in Scotland in 2051. Paul...
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63. Writing dynasties (part 1): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant, Rajmohan Gandhi
Writing dynasties (part 1): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on...
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62. Writing dynasties (part 2): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant, Rajmohan Gandhi
Writing dynasties (part 2): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on...
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61. Writing dynasties (part 3): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant, Rajmohan Gandhi
Writing dynasties (part 3): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on...
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60. Writing dynasties (part 4): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant, Rajmohan Gandhi
Writing dynasties (part 4): Felix Francis, Andrew Child/Grant & Rajmohan Gandhi tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about taking on a big book brand or carrying on a family writing tradition. It's different from continuation novels, they say, like when Anthony Horowitz took on...
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59. Writing history & India (part 1): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple
Writing history & India (part 1): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a...
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58. Writing history & India (part 2): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple
Writing history & India (part 2): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a...
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57. Writing history & India (part 3): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple
Writing history & India (part 3): Shashi Tharoor & William Dalrymple tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan about how they write history, how they got started, why history is important, how history is used as a weapon in today's culture wars, & who has the right to write a...
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56. Diversity & short story anthologies (part 1): Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow
Diversity & short story anthologies (part 1): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse...
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55. Diversity & short story anthologies (part 2): Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow
Diversity & short story anthologies (part 2): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse...
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54. Diversity & short story anthologies (part 3): Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow
Diversity & short story anthologies (part 3): Authors Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow tell We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan how they edited their recently published short story anthologies. Vaseem is co-editor (With Maxim Jakubowski) of The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories from Diverse...
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53. Independent Bookshop Week with Conn Iggulden, Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow
53. Independent Bookshop Week with Conn Iggulden, Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow: In this one-part minisode of the We'd Like A Word books & authors podcast, hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan hear from writers Conn Iggulden, Vaseem Khan & Ivy Ngeow about their favourite indie bookshops, and visit Sheryl...
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52. Will Carver (part 1) & the nature of evil - at Milton's Cottage Museum
52. Cult author Will Carver (part 1) joins We'd Like A Word hosts Paul Waters & Stevyn Colgan to discuss the nature of evil, in front of a live audience inside the historic & beautiful Milton's Cottage in Chalfont St Giles, where John Milton dictated the epic poem, Paradise Lost. This event was…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does We'd Like A Word have?
We'd Like A Word currently has 166 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is We'd Like A Word about?
A podcast & radio show about words: writers, readers, books, poetry, lyrics, scripts, comedy, illustrators, agents & all things wordy.
How often does We'd Like A Word release new episodes?
We'd Like A Word publishes regularly with 166 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
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We'd Like A Word is created and hosted by We'd Like A Word.
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