Absolute Units

Send us Fan MailTurns out scheduling breaks are like London busses! Joe's come down with the flu, so we haven't had the chance to produce this week's episode in time for Thursday release. We'll be back with regular programming and return for our second episode with Guy Shrubsole in two weeks' time.Meanwhile: are there topics you'd like to hear about? Do you have a burning question? We've re-enabled our fan mail link, so please send anything that you'd like to share with us, and we'll be sure to cover them in future episodes!---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailIt's a simple three-word question. Yet the answer is extremely complicated, expensive, and concealed behind paywalls that run into hundreds of millions of pounds.How did we get here? And how do we get out of it?In this episode, Joe and Ollie are joined by the remarkable author and campaigner Guy Shrubsole (co-founder of Right to Roam) to explore the question of who really owns England. We chart the course of land management in England from the Norman conquest, through to the Tudors, and right up to the present day, with policy changes coming out as recently as 2026.Learn more about Right to Roam: https://www.righttoroam.org.uk/---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailHi folks! We're closed tomorrow for Easter (which is when we'd usually release our next episode). Ollie and Joe are also in and out of the office at the moment, so we're going to use this as a chance for a brief hiatus and we'll then be back to regular programming in 2 weeks' time. See you very soon!---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailContent warnings: infant mortality (indicated in the chapter list!) - skip from 14:38 to 19:33Today we turn 1 years old! A fine age for a growing podcast. Thanks to everyone who has tuned in, joined us in the booth, and supported us in these last 12 months.To celebrate, we decided yesterday afternoon to record an impromptu anniversary episode, taking listener questions via Bluesky. We talk about a range of topics, including: our favourite museums, what we're reading, spookiness, the definition of an oat, more haunting, cookbooks, horses, hogs, and hovercraft.Should we do more listener question episodes? Do you have any burning feedback? Can you shed any light about an oat? Please leave us a review to let us know what you think!Links:JC Niala's new book (congrats JC!): https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/jc-niala/the-new-eden/9781856755887/Nicola Chester's new book (congrats Nicola!): https://nicolachester.com/book/ghosts-of-the-farm-two-womens-journeys-through-time-land-and-community/Apotropaic objects: https://theconcealedrevealed.wordpress.com/---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailIn 2022, a report by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences analysed 14 European countries and ranked them for nature connectedness, bio diversity, and wellbeing. Britain ranked last in all three.So how do we better protect nature, care for wildlife, and look after each other? Adrian Lawson is an environmentalist, author and activist whose career and campaigns have been defined by these questions - whether in council meetings or camping out with Extinction Rebellion. Adrian is also a pivotal figure in a major community ecological project here in Reading, turning an abandoned meadow into the thriving Fobney Marsh, as a lead organiser of the Fobney Marshians.In this episode, we speak with Adrian about his love of land, wildlife, and humanity, and how we can do better better by all three. We also talk a lot about Reading and the joy of building a home and finding community. You should definitely visit Reading btw. Come for the marsh, The MERL, and the memes.Links:Adrian vs the IMO: https://oceanrebellion.earth/imo-omg-get-a-grip-poseidon-lectures-the-imo/Join the Fobney Marshians: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/absolute-units/qr-code-for-the-fobney-marshians/Wild Service: Why Nature Needs You, by Nick Hayes and Jon Moses: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/wild-service-9781526673299/Book your tickets for our Spring LATE: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/whats-on/spring-late/Come and visit us: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit/This episode features additional audio from Epidemic Sounds. The opening song is 'Journey to Mars' by Sayuri Hayashi Egnell. The song for the LATE is 'Pity Party' by Gamma Skies. The wetlands ambient sound was recorded by Lars Edenius and reused from xeno-canto.---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailOld Crockern returns! We're back for a second episode with the legendary giant of Dartmoor, plus giant maker and dancer Ruth Webb (of The Lost Giants) and storyteller and environmentalist Lisa Schneidau.Last time, we set the scene of Crockern's story and introduced a repetition of history, as Alexander Darwall sought to restrict wild camping on Dartmoor. This time we delve deeper into that story, coming almost right up to the present day, as we explore Crockern's return and what that meant for those who love Dartmoor and England's green spaces.View more video of Old Crockern at The MERL, plus Lisa and Ruth, via our Instagram or TikTok. Search 'The Museum of English Rural Life' across your chosen social media.---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailThere's an ancient spirit who rules over Dartmoor, an uplands region in South West England. His face is granite grey. His eyes are dark as peat pools. His name is Old Crockern. And right now, he's at The Museum of English Rural Life.In the first of two episodes, we're joined by environmentalists and activists Ruth Webb (of The Lost Giants) and Lisa Schneidau (storyteller and author). We explore the mythology of Old Crockern, his 19th century origins, and what's brought him back in recent years to defend access to Dartmoor.Old Crockern arrives at the Museum as part of Radical Rural, our new gallery trail celebrating the people, movements, and forces defending access to rural England and championing England's green and wild spaces. Plan your visit on our website.Radical RuralVoices of the Countryside: 100 Years of the Campaign to Protect Rural EnglandCrockern arrives at The MERLThe Lost GiantsLisa's websiteThis episode uses audio from Epidemic Sounds and Freesound.Special thanks to Philip Goddard for the clip 'In Fernworthy Forest, on Dartmoor — ambience in a stand of Sitka spruce' from https://freesound.org/s/671088/ (License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0)---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailContent warning: This episode contains references to antisemitism and prejudice. Listener discretion is advised.---Last episode we talked about the founding year of The Museum of English Rural Life. But what was our significance within wider museum practice? How did our founding relate to Britain's waning empire? And what does the future hold for The MERL?In this second episode marking our 75th anniversary, Joe and Ollie delve deeper into the theory and politics of our making.---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailOn 1 January 1951, on the same day that the first episode of iconic radio drama The Archers aired on the radio, academics at the University of Reading officially founded The Museum of English Rural Life.What inspired these storied scholars to make a museum? What did establishing a museum involve? And why aren’t all our team dressed up in smocks?On this episode, Joe and Ollie chat about The MERL’s earliest years.Fair warning: there is a long intro where we ramble and catch up after not seeing each other in about 2 months. If you’d like to get right to the action, listen from 5:58. Enjoy the show!---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailJane Austen’s novels are classic books of the English countryside. Yet they reveal so much more about English culture, industry and society than simply presenting prettified scenes of village life.In this episode, we're back with Professor Paddy Bullard (University of Reading) and Isabel Hughes (The MERL) to talk about how Jane Austen’s novels explore space in rural and urban England: how it was used, developed, and destroyed. We also discuss Austen’s own experiences of living in rural and urban settings.---Join the Fobney Marshians' Christmas stomp: https://whatsonreading.com/venues/reading/whats-on/massive-marshian-stomp-fobney-marshRead the latest blogpost by Reading's Fobney Marshians: https://ruralreading.com/2025/12/16/1906/------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailIt is a truth universally acknowledged that every podcast about the history of the English countryside must do an episode on Jane Austen.In the first of two conversations, Joe and Ollie are joined by Professor Paddy Bullard (University of Reading) and Isabel Hughes (MERL Associate Director) to explore Jane Austen's links to farming, as found in her personal biography and her literature.We're back on Tuesday 16 Dec for a second episode on the Austen theme, marking the date of Austen's birthday.------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailHow does the history of enclosure surface in England today and in Britain's former colonies? How can we de-enclose to create access for all?In this episode, Joe and Ollie continue last time's conversation with the legendary author and activist George Monbiot, about how does the history of capitalism and colonialism interlink to England's urban and rural spaces.Learn more about George Monbiot's work at https://www.monbiot.com/------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailThroughout history people have pitted life in the city against the countryside, comparing urban corruption with an innocent rural idyll.Where does this comparison come from? What is its relevance today? And how do we resist these ideas to imagine a more equitable and sustainable future for town and country alike?Joining Joe and Ollie today is the best-selling author, activist and journalist George Monbiot. In this first of two episodes, we discuss the significance of contrasting town and the country, challenges of farming and agriculture for our environment, and the significance of the rural to England's national identity. George Monbiot's website: https://www.monbiot.com/The Bluesky thread we refer to: https://bsky.app/profile/georgemonbiot.bsky.social/post/3m4ulbf7hrs2gWe'll be back with the second part of this conversation in two weeks' time. See you then.------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailPumpkins, carved. Candles, lit. Units, absolute. Welcome to a special Halloween bonus podcast by The Museum of English Rural Afterlife.This time, ghosts Ollie and Joe welcome fiend-of-the-show Mark Norman (author, host of the Folklore Podcast, and founding curator of the Folklore Library and Archive) for a candle-lit walk through the history of Halloween. Join us as we cycle through the origins of Halloween, the challenges of collecting folklore (and intangible cultural heritage), the crossovers between the conventionally spooky and the rural, and what Scooby Doo can teach us about all these, and more.Listen now —  if you dare! And should you brave our audio feast to its final course, please remember to leave us a glowing review praising how scary and charming we are.Also, politely ask your neighbour to remove that garlic from their front porch. It’s, um, causing quite the stench, and our visitors are starting to complain.Listen to the Folklore Podcast: https://www.thefolklorepodcast.com/---Special thanks to Kevin MacLeod for the recording of J. S. Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License.------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailIn our last episode, Tim Jerrome (now, University of Brighton; previously, The MERL) shared with Joe and Ollie how he's using The MERL archives to research queer lives and same-sex relationships in England's rural past.Today, Tim shares examples of the stories and relationships that he's been able to trace so far. We talk about the challenges of piecing together people's lives from fragmentary and coded evidence, the difficulties of applying categories to relationships that far predate modern terminology, and the issues of encountering problematic queer relationships and representing them for modern audiences.Please note this episode contains references to homophobia and problematic relationships. Listener discretion is advised.------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailQueer histories of England have predominantly focused on the country's urban centres and cities - especially London. Yet queer and same-sex relationships have always existed throughout English life. Rural England is no exception.In the first of two podcasts, Joe and Ollie welcome onto Absolute Units former MERL colleague Tim Jerrome (University of Brighton), whose PhD explores the history of same-sex relationships in rural England.Learn about the challenges of finding queer histories in farm archives, the issues of archivist objectivity, and how museums can develop their practices to better surface and represent stories and relationships that were hidden in the past.Relevant links:Horseman's Word: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/blog/2021/03/horsemans-word-secret-society-horse-wizards/The Tractor Whisperers: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/blog/2021/04/tractor-whisperers/Queer Constellations: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/explore/online-exhibitions/queer-constellations-histories-rural-gay-men/Queer Constellations (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxCUMyOGc9w------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailThroughout modern English history, people have protested against the movements to enclose and limit access to green spaces.Their reasons have varied dramatically – from deadly agricultural protests like the Swing Riots, to 90s raves, and druids campaigning for access to Stonehenge. Yet each moment of resistance gives us new insight into the complex and contested relationships we have with the world around us.In this episode, we continue our conversation with Katrina Navickas (Professor of History at the University of Hertfordshire) to explore the modern history of contesting the commons, ahead of the release of Katrina’s upcoming book, Contested Commons.Pre-order Contested Commons by Katrina Navickas: https://reaktionbooks.co.uk/work/contested-commons-----Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan Mail"The law locks up the man or woman who steals the goose from off the common / But leaves the greater villain loose: who steals the common from the goose."In this episode, Joe and Ollie speak with Professor Katrina Navickas (University of Hertfordshire) about the history of the commons: the shared resources that communities depended upon for their livelihoods. Learn about the historical processes that encroached upon the commons, and the public resistance to get those resources back.Katrina's next book, Contested Commons: A History of Protest and Public Space in England, is published by Reaktion Books this autumn.Lantern Slides of the Open Spaces SocietyUntitled Goose Game------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailModern farming is full of digital technology. Nobody knows this better than Amy Bateman, a prize-winning photographer and sheep farmer who uses digital tech in both lines of work (even using the same kit to take photos and to run the farm).In this episode, Joe and Ollie continue chatting with Amy about technology and diversification on modern farms: from tech's opportunities for developing farms and improving farmers' lives, to the risks and challenges that technology presents to rural communities.Links:Amy Bateman wins photography award for lamb photo: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-cumbria-47091514360-degrees VR shepherding: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-913nvaQMRU&feature=youtu.beForty Farms video: https://youtu.be/oOlzZWg58SY------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailIn 2020, award-winning photographer and sheep farmer Amy Bateman set out to document the stories of forty farms in Cumbria. From Lake District hill farms, to the Solway marshes. Amy's photographs present a captivating picture (literally!) of Cumbrian farming in a period of profound societal and technological change. We've been fortunate enough to display them in our 2025 exhibition, Forty Farms, based on Amy's gorgeous book of the same name.In this episode, Joe and Ollie chat with Amy about her work and perspective as a farmer and photographer. What motivated Amy to create Forty Farms? What did she learn from the project? And as myriad challenges continue to impact English farmers, where are those forty farms five years later?Links:Forty Farms: https://amybatemanphotography.com/forty-farms/A Landscape for All: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXMrTTifpw8The Wanderlust Women: https://www.thewanderlustwomen.co.uk/-----Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailMan in the Woods makes art about parts of rural England that you wouldn’t normally think about – and definitely wouldn’t find in Wordsworth. From hastily-printed dog poo posters, to portraits of massive cows framed in pubs.In this episode, Joe and Ollie continue last week’s conversation with Man in the Woods. We discuss his artistic career, his interests, and the modern history of people interpreting and distilling the rural world.Links:AniMERL Crossing: A Gallery of SmocksMan in the Woods (Instagram)🐑🐑🐑---Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailSeven years ago on a Friday, artist Scott (best-known on social media as Man in the Woods) set off for a walk to no particular destination. The next Friday, he started a new walk where the previous week's ended. He's been doing that every Friday ever since, documenting his travels on social media while producing beautiful artworks that reflect his finds and the connections he builds to where he explores.In this episode, Joe and Ollie speak with Man in the Woods about what inspired the Friday walks, where it's taken him, and how exploring England's rural landscapes has helped him reimagine his relationship with English cultural identity. Topics range from psychogeography and rural flaneurs, to pubs, Peckham, and the pooing pigeon that now represents London Museum.View images that accompany this episode on our website: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/blog/2025/07/the-friday-walks-with-man-in-the-woods/------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailContent warning: This episode contains references to animal slaughter, antisemitism, and injury to children. Listener discretion is advised.Joe and Ollie continue their deep-dive into the history of pigs with Professor Dolly Jørgensen (University of Stavanger, Norway). This time, we explore the symbolism of pigs: from their significance in our myths and religious texts, to their use as a foil for thinking through what it is to be human.Delve deeper into Dolly's work in her book, The Medieval Pig: https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781837651689/the-medieval-pig/See visuals from our discussion with Dolly in Dolly's Bluesky thread: https://bsky.app/profile/dollyjorgensen.bsky.social/post/3lsjukzwkzk2sThis episode contains audio from Epidemic Sound.-----Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailContent warning: This episode contains references to animal slaughter and blood. Listener discretion is advised.In medieval England, all roads led to pigs. They lived side-by-side with humans, and were a common sight in daily life.In this episode, Ollie and Joe speak to historian Dolly Jørgensen (Professor of History at University of Stavanger, Norway) about what it was like to live with pigs in medieval England: from pigs' place in homes and food systems, to the challenges required to maintain pig populations.We'll be following up with Dolly in two weeks' time for another episode, exploring the symbolism of pigs, and what they have represented historically and today.Delve deeper into Dolly's work in her most recent book, The Medieval Pig: https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781837651689/the-medieval-pig/See visuals from our discussion in Dolly's Bluesky thread: https://bsky.app/profile/dollyjorgensen.bsky.social/post/3lsjukzwkzk2sThis podcast contains audio from Epidemic Sound, plus freesound_community via Pixabay.------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailEpisode 4 marked the end of our pilot series, produced by a group of extremely talented students from the University of Reading. Now, we're at the wheel planning future episodes. The tractor wheel of our mind and our dreams.In the meantime: for a shorter bonus adventure, join hosts Dr Ollie Douglas (curator) and Joe Vaughan (social media manager) as they reflect on the podcast to date. We talk about what we've learned, what we've loved, and what we're looking forward to for the future. Plus, follow us down some random tangents like the US-UK trade deal, our memories of meeting up for a socially-distanced coffee in Ollie's garden, and the correct terminology to describe sharing your hog on the Internet.References:Katrina Navickas' Open Spaces Society mapGuy Shrubsole with a cool map at The MERLThe Medieval Pig, by Dolly Jørgensen------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailHow has our understanding of ecology in farming changed in time? What makes a pest a pest? And is an aphid chimney as metal as it sounds?Join Dr Alice Mauchline (University of Reading) to learn about changes in modern farm management. We course from the green revolution of the 1950s (the same era our work began) to the present day.This episode is introduced by Dr Ollie Douglas (MERL curator) and Joe Vaughan (MERL social media manager) - we forgot to say! The main discussion features Ollie and Katie Bergen (our former Digital Engagement Officer).This is the final episode of our podcast pilot series! We'll be back with regular programming from late June. Or early July depending on the direction of travel. Future episodes hosted by Ollie and Joe. More to come when we have it!------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailWhat do documentary makers and museum have in common? How do we choose which stories to tell, and how to tell them? Join Dr Shweta Ghosh, Lecturer in Screen Practices and Industries at the University of Reading, as we discuss storytelling, film-making, spices and tea, and rural connections between India and England.Visit Shweta's website: https://shwetaghoshdotcom.wordpress.com/films/Shweta's staff profile, University of Reading: https://www.reading.ac.uk/film-theatre-television/staff/shweta-ghosh------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailWhy did people in the past make paintings of impossibly big animals? What does art teach us about the history of the countryside? And how do we work with artists today to explore the past, present and future of rural England?Here to unpack these questions and guide you through our art collections is Dr Hannah Lyons, Curator of the University of Reading Art Collection.See some of the artworks referenced in this episodeAn online version of Sire, an exhibition exploring selective breedingShop our livestock portraiture merchLearn more about the University of Reading Art Collection------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailIn April 2018, we shared a photo of a very large sheep on Twitter with the caption 'look at this absolute unit'. Before we knew it, this sheep had changed our museum's fortunes forever.For our first-ever episode of Absolute Units, we're joined by Adam Koszary – former MERL social media manager from 2012 to 2019 and father of the Absolute Unit post–to revisit the story behind our most viral moment. What did it take for a museum to go viral on the Internet? What was its role in our history? And what did it mean for our future?Episode produced by students at the University of Reading's Department of Film, Theatre, and Television. Intro produced by Joe Vaughan.P.S. We hope to offer transcripts for future episodes! We're a very small team and trying to figure out the best way of providing these.------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/

Send us Fan MailEPISODE 1 NOW LIVEIt's just like all the other podcasts you love, but instead of trying to sell you mattresses and underwear we're explaining everything you always wanted to know about the history of rural England but never knew to ask.Why the name? Well, we're known for the Internet's most famous sheep, an 'absolute unit' who first went viral in 2018. But ask any of our staff and they'll tell you everything at The MERL is worth that level of fuss. So join us for a very special pilot season, coming mid-to-late March. We'll be covering topics ranging from square cows to big hogs, to how a museum is like a documentary, and why farmers are using infrared technology to count insect wingbeats in their fields.--------Absolute Units is the official podcast of The Museum of English Rural Life. This series is made possible through the generous support of Arts Council England and Museums Partnership Reading, a partnership of The MERL with Reading Museum. Themetune by Tai Dawson.Co-hosts: Ollie Douglas and Joe VaughanProducer: Joe VaughanShop MERL merch: https://merl-shop.co.uk/shop/absolute-unit.htmlSupport the pod: https://merl.reading.ac.uk/visit-us/donate/