3. Robert Burns and Mental Health – with Moira Hansen

7. Auld Alliance and the Ideal of Frienship - with Clément Guézais

This episode's guest is Dr Clément Guézais, a French historian, lecturer at the University of Arras, and specialist of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. We discuss the alliance itself - its origins, its history, and its legacy - as well as the ways in which French and Scots have imagined, understood and misunderstood one another across the centuries. At its heart, this is a discussion about the possibility of genuine friendship between nations, rather than merely a relationship of political convenience. 02:00 - Clément's journey as a scholar and into Scotland 07:30 - The origins of the Auld Alliance 16:00 - Why was the "Alliance" called "Auld"? 23:27 - The alliance and medieval notions of riendship 26:30 - The alliance and the Hundred Years' War 35:45 - The "Garde Ecossaise" 38:20 - Why the Auld Alliance came to an end 47:15 - How the French understood the Scots in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance 57:37 - The legacy of the Auld Alliance 01:07:00 - "Distance Unites": Clément's Franco-Scottish identity and his future works

6. Writing Scotland in the Plural - with Robert Crawford

This episode’s guest is Robert Crawford, Emeritus Professor at the University of St Andrews and a distinguished poet. We discuss his work, which since the 1980s has played an important role in reshaping our understanding of Scottish literature in more multilingual and multicultural terms. We also speak about his engagement with Robert Burns and T. S. Eliot, as well as his interests in fields as varied as philosophy, computing, and the Japanese haiku. The result is a wide-ranging conversation on literature, influence, and the many directions Scottish writing and scholaship can take. 02.20 - Robert's origin story as a scholar of Scottish and English Literatures 09.30 - Crawford vs TS Eliot on Scotland's literary tradition 15.00 - Scottish literature, multilingualism and pluralism 27.30 - Robert's most influential essay: 'Devolving English Literature' (1992) 42.00 - Robert's work as an anthologist of Scottish verse and prose 50.45 - Robert answers some of his critics 1.01.00 - Robert's biographies of Robert Burns and TS Eliot 1.20.00 - Robert's forthcoming book on the Japanese haiku

5. Gaelic Revival: From Czechia to Gàidhealtachd - with Petra Johana Poncarová

This episode's guest is Dr Petra Johana Poncarová, a native speaker of Czech who has become a distinguished scholar of Gaelic literature and an emerging, award-winning poet in Gaelic. We begin with Petra’s journey into the Gaelic language, before turning to her work on Derick Thomson and Rùraidh Erskine, two key figures of the twentieth-century Gaelic revival. We finish by talking about the present and future of Gaelic — and by listening to Petra’s brand new poems, written between Czechia and the Gàidhealtachd . 02.10 - Petra's journey into Gaelic and tips for Gaelic learners 13.30 - Derick Thomson: icon of the twentieth-century Gaelic revival 20.30 - Derick Thomson's work on the Ossian controversy 31.00 - History and legacy of the Gaelic magazine Gairm 36.15 - Derick Thomson's poetry (with extracts) 48.40 - Ruraidh Erskine of Mar: Gaelic firebrand and early Scottish nationalist 55.30 - Thomson, Erskine and Petra's ideas for the Gaelic revival 1.05.15 - Petra's poetry in Gaelic 1.19.45 - Petra's ongoing and forthcoming works

4. Scottish Folksong and European Music - with Kirsteen McCue

This episode's guest is Kirsteen McCue, Professor of Scottish Literature and Song Culture at the University of Glasgow. We discuss the origins and history of Scottish folk music, and place particular emphasis on the Romantic era, when songs collected by figures such as Robert Burns became instrumental raw materials in the formation of modern music — from Haydn and Beethoven to the folk revival of the 1960s. 2.00 — Kirsteen's upbringing in one of Scotland's most distinguished musical families. 11.54 — Song collection in eighteenth-century Scotland (the example of George Thomson) 16.00 — The relationship between Robert Burns and Thomson 22.00 — The origins of Scottish folk music 28.00 — Scottish music and Enlightenment culture 34.50 — Musical Extract: 'O Poortith Cauld' arranged by Weber 38.00 — Scottish music and democratic culture 44.00 — Burns, Thomson, Haydn and Beethoven 54.00 — Musical Extract: "The Lovely Lass of Inverness", arranged by Beethoven 58.00 — The long-term influence of Scottish folk on Romantic and Modern music. 1.06.00 — From Beethoven to Bob Dylan 1.15.00 — Kirsteen's current and forthcoming research work. 1.22.00 — A final musical recommendation

3. Robert Burns and Mental Health – with Moira Hansen

This episode's guest is Dr Moira Hansen, whose PhD research explores the life and mental health of Robert Burns, Scotland’s national poet. We talk about Moira’s work on Burns, including her argument that he may have experienced bipolar disorder, and how this might have shaped his life, his relationships, and some of his best-known works — including "Tam o’ Shanter". It’s a thoughtful conversation about literature, mental health, and how we read figures like Burns today. 01:30 – Moira's background and journey into Burns studies. 05:30 – Diagnosing an eighteenth-century poet. 18:40 – Impact of Burns's mental health on his personal, social and creative life. 28:10 – The Irvine episode: Burns's first depression? 40:10 – How Burns understood his own condition. 46:10 – Frances Dunlop: Burns's correspondent and confidante. 57:10 – A new reading of "Tam o' Shanter". 65:30 – Addressing recent controversies about Burns and gender. 74:20 – Moira's influence on Alan Cumming's recent adaptation of Burns for the stage. 77:39 – Moira's forthcoming research work.