The Shakespop Podcast

Ep 19: Reading for Clues: Taylor Swift, Shakespeare, and the Rise of the Hyper-Engaged Audience

What do Swifties and Shakespeare audiences have in common? In this month's anchor episode, I explore how Taylor Swift fans decode lyrics, Easter eggs, and hidden meanings, and what that can teach us about the ways audiences have engaged with Shakespeare for over four centuries. From Samuel Pepys' theatre diaries to TikTok theories, this episode examines fandom, interpretation, and the pleasure of searching for clues. Featuring discussion of Taylor Swift, Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare's Sonnets, fan culture, and the Shakespeare multiverse. 🎧 Bonus content: Members of the Secret Shakespeare Society can unlock The Shakespeare Society Soundtrack, a curated Spotify playlist exploring Shakespeare's afterlives across popular music. I'd love to hear from you: What Taylor Swift lyric feels most Shakespearean—and why?

Ep 18: Adapting Shakespeare for a new audience with Samir Bhamra

In this episode of The Shakespop Podcast, I’m joined by theatre maker, writer, and director Samir Bhamra to discuss adapting Shakespeare through the lens of British Asian identity, language, music, and performance. We explore the creative and political possibilities of reimagining Shakespeare for contemporary multicultural Britain, from questions of audience and belonging to the legacy of British Asian theatre and the pressures of representation. Samir reflects on his career adapting Shakespeare across stage and musical forms, the role of humour and hybridity in his work, and what it means to inherit — and transform — Shakespeare today. The conversation also marks ten years since Indian Shakespeare Cinemas on Screen at the BFI Southbank, the landmark event co-created with Varsha Panjwani, Preti Taneja, and Thea Buckley — a reminder of how conversations around global and British Asian Shakespeare continue to evolve across theatre, film, and popular culture. If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing, leaving a rating or review, and sharing the podcast with fellow Shakespeare fans, theatre lovers, and adaptation enthusiasts. Follow the wider Shakespop project for essays, bonus content, and behind-the-scenes material via the Secret Shakespeare Society on Substack.

Cymbeline as a Manmohan Desai Epic Indian Film

Short clip from Epsiode 18: Interview with British Asian Theatremaker Samir Bhamra

Episode 17: Inherited Scripts: Who Owns Shakespeare in British Asian Culture?

Who owns Shakespeare—and who gets to speak him without explanation? In this episode of The Shakespop Podcast, Dr Koel Chatterjee marks the 10-year anniversary of the 2016 “Indian Shakespeares on Screen” event at BFI Southbank and Asia House, co-organised with Varsha Panjwani, Thea Buckley, and Preti Taneja. Reflecting on that moment a decade later, this episode traces a major shift in Shakespeare studies—from introduction to authority, from translation to assertion. Moving beyond ideas of “adaptation” or “representation,” the episode explores British Asian Shakespeare as a site of cultural negotiation, where questions of legitimacy, performance, and ownership are actively contested. Follow & Connect Instagram | TikTok | Substack: @Shakespop ⭐ If you enjoyed this episode, follow, rate, and review—it helps others find the showListen Next 🎭 Interview with Sameer Bhamra — British Asian theatre in practice📖 Shakesfic: Deep dive into We That Are Young

Episode 16: Blood Will Tell with Jennifer Miller

What happens when Shakespeare becomes the framework for telling a true crime story? In this episode of The Shakespop Podcast, I’m joined by journalist and podcaster Jennifer Miller to discuss her limited series Blood Will Tell — a case centred on identical twins, contested identity, and the unsettling question of who gets believed. From episode titles like “Fortune’s Fool” and “Readiness Is All,” Miller’s series doesn’t just reference Shakespeare — it uses him as a narrative blueprint. Together, we explore how Shakespearean tragedy continues to shape the way we understand crime, from ideas of fate and motive to performance, doubling, and moral ambiguity. Drawing on concepts from narrative criminology, this episode asks: Do we interpret crime through evidence — or through story?