macbeth podcast assignment

Understanding Macbeth

In this podcast we go through some of the key scenes from Shakespeare’s ’Macbeth’, translating the language, identifying literary techniques and useful quotes, and analysing the characters, structure and themes of the play in order to deepen your understanding and boost your confidence. My name is Gemma and I am a professional English Tutor, and I have created this podcast so that I can share my knowledge with you and help you prepare for your exams.

Friday Apr 08, 2022

Ep10 - Act 5 Scene 9

The final scene of the play - is all well? To find out more about my online Macbeth course or other tuition services please go to https://www.advanceacademic.co.uk

• Download 2.3K

Ep09 - Act 5 Scene 2

The Scottish nobles discuss their plans to overthrow Macbeth To find out more about my online Macbeth course or other tuition services please go to https://www.advanceacademic.co.uk

• Download 1.7K

Ep08 - Act 4 Scene 2

Lady Macduff fears for her safety in this scene, and Ross tries to reassure her. To find out more about my online Macbeth course or other tuition services please go to https://www.advanceacademic.co.uk

• Download 1.8K

Ep07 - Act 3 Scene 5

In this often-overlooked scene we meet Hecate, and she is not pleased with the witches! To find out more about my online Macbeth course or other tuition services please go to https://www.advanceacademic.co.uk  

Ep06 - Act 3 Scene 1

Macbeth is now the king but it's still not enough for him! To find out more about my online Macbeth course or other tuition services please go to https://www.advanceacademic.co.uk

• Download 2.2K

Ep05 - Act 2 Scene 4

Everything is topsy turvy in the natural world in this scene as a result of Macbeth's actions. To find out more about my online Macbeth course or other tuition services please go to https://www.advanceacademic.co.uk

• Download 2.1K

Ep04 - Act 2 Scene 1

In this episode we'll be looking at the famous 'dagger soliloquy'.    To find out more about my online Macbeth course or other tuition services please go to https://www.advanceacademic.co.uk

• Download 3K

Tuesday Apr 05, 2022

Ep03 Act 1 Scene 7

In this scene Macbeth is getting closer to making his decision, with the help of Lady Macbeth of course.  

• Download 3.8K

Ep02 - Act 1 Scene 3

We're back with the 3 witches again for today's episode as Macbeth and Banquo hear their prophecies

• Download 5.2K

Ep01 Act 1 Scene 1

How does Shakespeare introduce the key themes of the play in Act 1 Scene 1?

• Download 7.8K

This is the description area. You can write an introduction or add anything you want to tell your audience. This can help potential listeners better understand and become interested in your podcast. Think about what will motivate them to hit the play button. What is your podcast about? What makes it unique? This is your chance to introduce your podcast and grab their attention.

Exploring the greatest new and classic plays

SUPPORT OUR PODCAST BY BECOMING A PATRON CLICK HERE

James McArdle and Saoirse Ronan at the Almeida Theatre Photograph by Marc Brenner

038 – Macbeth, by William Shakespeare

Dec 1, 2021 | Podcast Episodes | 0 comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Follow the podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | TuneIn | RSS | More

Published 2nd December William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a tragedy of love, ambition and betrayal, full of relentless energy and shocking violence, infused by an air of the supernatural. With the ghostly witches, the plot of a thriller, and most of all the passionate partnership of the Macbeths and their doomed ambition, this has always been one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. It has some of the most memorable scenes in all of theatre: the witches chanting over their cauldron, the ghost of murdered Banquo haunting Macbeth at the banquet, Lady Macbeth sleepwalking and wringing her bloodless hands, and finally the avenging army approaching camouflaged by the branches of Birnam Wood.

The ‘Scottish play’ was written in 1606, in some way as a compliment to the new monarch and sponsor of Shakespeare’s theatre company, James I or James VI of Scotland. The three “weird sisters” may owe their creation to the king’s well-known obsession with witchcraft, and the story and consequences of a regicide echo the real-life assassination attempt by Guy Fawkes less than a year before.

Since the 17th century the parts of the central couple have attracted the greatest actors of the age, and the story has inspired multiple films, including those by Orson Welles, Akira Kurosawa, Roman Polanski and more recently in 2015 by Justin Kurzel, starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in the title roles. As we record this episode The Tragedy of Macbeth is also running on stage at the Almeida Theatre in London, directed by Yael Farber, with riveting central performances from James McArdle and Saoirse Ronan.​

I am joined in this episode by a familiar face, Professor Emma Smith, who teaches Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, Oxford. Emma was my expert guest in episode 17 of the podcast where we talked about another murderous Jacobean play, John Webster’s wonderful potboiler The Duchess of Malfi .

Professor Emma Smith

Professor Emma Smith teaches early modern drama at Oxford, with a special focus on Shakespeare, on which she has published a number of books, including The Cambridge Guide to Shakespeare , Shakespeare’s First Folio – Four Centuries of an Iconic Book, 30 Great Myths about Shakespeare and most recently This Is Shakespeare published by Penguin last year, and which was a Sunday Times bestseller. Her lectures on Shakespeare are also available as podcasts, which you can find on the Oxford university podcasts pages. She is reviewer for the Times Literary Supplement and most pertinently perhaps for our purposes, she also happens to have written the Arden Student Guide: Macbeth, Language and Writing.

Recommended Play

Emma recommended  Antigone  by Jean Anouilh

The Footnotes to our episode on  Macbeth  include observations on the unnatural, propulsive pace of the play, and on the origins and interpretations of Shakespeare’s three ‘weird’ sisters.

BECOME A  PATRON!

Since I launched The Play Podcast in April 2020, I have managed to eschew any form of advertising or sponsorship, and I would like to continue to produce the podcast without doing so. I therefore invite you to help me to continue to make the podcast by becoming a Patron. Additional benefits available to Patrons include Footnotes on the plays covered in the podcast, as well as exclusive access to The Play Review.

For details  click here

Thank you very much for listening and for your support. Douglas

If you are interested in buying the play text or other related books, we’d be delighted if you choose to purchase them by following the links below. We will earn a small commission on every book you purchase, which helps to keep the podcast going. Through our selected partners Bookshop.org and Blackwell’s you will also be supporting independent bookshops. Thank you.

Submit a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Submit Comment

079 – The Hills of California, by Jez Butterworth

Apr 19, 2024 | Podcast Episodes

Follow the podcast Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Amazon Music | Android | iHeartRadio | TuneIn | RSS | Follow the podcast

A new Jez Butterworth play is a theatrical event. The Hills of California is currently running at the Harold Pinter theare in London’s West End, directed by Sam Mendes. Do not be misled by the title, however, we are not in sunny California, but in the back streets of Blackpool, where four daughters come together to say goodbye to their dying mother. The play is a portrait of lost dreams, of deeply ingrained patterns of love and hurt within a family, and of suppressed and mutable memories.

I’m joined to explore this major new work by Sean McEvoy, author of Class, Culture and Tragedy in the Plays of Jez Butterworth.

078 – The Lover and The Collection, by Harold Pinter

Apr 5, 2024 | Podcast Episodes

We have a double-bill in this episode of two short plays written by Harold Pinter in the early 1960s: The Lover and The Collection , both of which explore sexual compulsion and the manipulation of truth within marriage or partnerships. As we record this episode a new production of both plays is playing at the Theatre Royal in Bath, directed by Lindsay Posner.

I’m delighted to welcome Lindsay back to the podcast to talk about these two Pinter gems.

Claudie Blakley and David Morrissey in The Lover Photo by Nobby Clark

077 – An Enemy of the People, by Henrik Ibsen

Mar 7, 2024 | Podcast Episodes

Henrik Ibsen’s play An Enemy of the People is a fable of truth and lies, politics and power, and the challenge and costs of pursuing an unpopular crusade to speak truth to power. It’s a story of ‘fake news’, manipulation of the media, the dangers of populism, and the environmental cost of capitalism. No wonder it strikes a chord in our time, for as we record this episode there are two major new productions of An Enemy of the People on the world stage.

I’m delighted to welcome back to the podcast, Ibsen expert, Professor Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, who I was privileged to talk with in episode 74 on Ibsen’s play Ghosts . 

Matt Smith as Thomas Stockmann Duke of York’s Theatre, London Photo by Manuel Harlan

Murder and madness, witches and war: Macbeth, perhaps Shakespeare's best known tragedy. Macbeth, a general in King Duncan's army, is given a prophecy by a trio of witches: he himself will become king. Fired by ambition and goaded by his ruthless wife, he murders Duncan and assumes the throne. More killings follow as Macbeth attempts to retain his crown, until he discovers that prophecies are not always what they seem. View our full collection of podcasts at our website: https://www.solgoodmedia.com or YouTube channel: www.solgood.org/subscribe This is a Librivox Recording. All Librivox recordings are in the public domain.

The Tragedy of Macbeth William Shakespeare

• 4.8 • 5 Ratings
• MAR 29, 2022

Act 1 - The Tragedy of Macbeth

View our full collection of podcasts at our website: https://www.solgoodmedia.com or YouTube channel: www.solgood.org/subscribe

Act 2 - The Tragedy of Macbeth

Act 3 - the tragedy of macbeth, act 4 - the tragedy of macbeth, act 5 - the tragedy of macbeth.

• © public domain

Customer Reviews

I just love this play.

This helped me with school reading

Top Podcasts In Arts

You might also like.

Macbeth: Macbeth Assignment

• Macbeth Videos/Films
• Macbeth Prezis
• Macbeth Assignment
• Additional Macbeth assignments

Macbeth Assignment:

In groups of four, you may choose one of the following three assignments to develop and present to your peers.   The goal of the task is to research, explain and explore important themes, issues, conflicts and motifs that exist in the play in order to help yourselves, and your peers, better understand the deeper meaning of “Macbeth.”   You may choose your groups on your own; however there will be one group of five.  

Regardless of the task you choose, you must also complete the reflection page provided individually.

Some possible concepts to consider are:

• Gender conflicts
• Sleep and dreams
• Honour and courage
• Appearance vs. reality
• Or anything else you wish…

Possible Tasks:

Choose a song of your choice and replace the original lyrics with lyrics that your group rewrites.   The lyrics should speak to characters, setting, themes, issues and/or conflicts in the play.   Be creative… and funny!!   You may present this or make a video depending on what technology your group members have access to.   Incorporate costume, props and anything else you can come up with or imagine.   Most importantly… have fun!

Using well-known, modern characters, create a skit that parallels the issues, themes and conflicts in “Macbeth.”   Consider a modern issue in the media, or in history and make overt connections to the play thereby demonstrating how this play is archetypal (a recycled concept) in nature.   Consider the role of major characters on the plot, as well as the resolution at the end of the play.  

  Make a children’s book of “Macbeth” by re-writing each act and including pictures.    Find a way to maintain the major themes and issues while re-writing the end of the play to make it less violent and gory.   Try to include historical elements while making it fun for children and accurate for adults.   Include pictures of major scenes to add interest.   This can be laminated for your group before it is due to make a more polished finished product.  

Subject Guide

Word Document of the Assignment

• << Previous: Macbeth Prezis
• Next: Additional Macbeth assignments >>
• Last Updated: Oct 25, 2016 1:57 PM
• URL: https://sd57.libguides.com/macbeth
• Teacher Librarian: M. Price
• Teacher Librarian: L. Hickey
• Teacher Librarian: M. Bernard
• Library Secretary: T. Hubbard

PGSS - Library Learning Commons , Prince George, BC, Canada V2M 2S7 - We are located on the traditional, unceded territory, of the Lheidli T'enneh.

The Assignment with Audie Cornish

Each week on the assignment, host audie cornish pulls listeners out of their digital echo chambers to hear from the people whose lives intersect with the news cycle. from the sex work economy to the battle over what’s taught in classrooms, no topic is off the table. listen to the assignment every monday and thursday..

• Apple Podcasts

Back to episodes list

When Arizona’s Supreme Court upheld an 1864 law reinstating a near-total ban on abortion, it took most of the country by surprise. For plugged-in journalist Jim Small of AZ Mirror , this was the expected result of a deliberate effort by Republicans to arrive at precisely this outcome. Now that the great backpedal is underway, Small tells Audie how we got here and how Arizona politics will affect the elections in November.

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

‘Player Kings’ Review: Ian McKellen’s Juicy Assignment as Falstaff

In Robert Icke’s adaptation of Parts 1 and 2 of “Henry IV,” the veteran stage actor’s performance belies his age.

By Matt Wolf

The critic Matt Wolf saw the show in London.

There are two shows for the price of one at “ Player Kings ,” in which the director Robert Icke has combined both of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” history plays into a self-contained whole.

The production offers a compressed version of the royal accession story that, in this version, runs nearly four hours. It is an opportunity to experience Ian McKellen’s unbridled love of performance. At 84, the production’s leading man possesses an energy and vigor that belie his years.

“ Player Kings ” — which runs at the Noël Coward Theater through June 22, before touring England — is the latest in a wave of recent high-profile Shakespeare productions in London. Uniquely among the other great British theater actors of his generation, McKellen still returns year after year to the stage, recently tackling Lear for a second time and playing an octogenarian Hamlet .

Perhaps inevitably, there’s a feeling of the star vehicle to this production. In the “sweet creature of bombast” that is this play’s John Falstaff, McKellen has an especially juicy assignment — an outsized character whose appetite for life matches the actor’s own gusto. We’re told that the ample Falstaff hasn’t seen his own knees in years, and when he sits, it looks as if he may never stand up. His mouth, however, seems always in motion, as if chewing food for constant fuel.

He’s also a necessary soul mate to the carousing, drug-using Prince Hal (the excellent Toheeb Jimoh, an Emmy nominee for “ Ted Lasso ”), whose coming-of-age story — becoming, as he puts it, “more myself” — connects these two “Henry IV” plays. But the roustabout Hal’s dawning maturity costs him the companion he once held dear.

“Banish plump Jack, and banish all the world,” says a wary Falstaff in the production’s second half, instructions Hal follows in one of the most ruthless of all Shakespeare’s scenes. And Jimoh — who played a notable Romeo last year at the Almeida — once again shows a fluency with Renaissance language that bodes well for his own Shakespearean future.

Icke hasn’t directed Shakespeare in London since 2017, when Andrew Scott was his Hamlet . Like that show, “Player Kings” uses modern dress, but it forsakes video and hand-held cameras for a comparatively straightforward approach; Icke’s directorial hand is less obvious in this production. Captions appear now and again above the stage to tell us where we are, and Hildegard Bechtler’s brick wall set features curtains pulled across the breadth of the stage to change locations.

Contemporary resonances are inescapable. Watching the party boy Hal of the earlier scenes, whose devil-may-care recklessness will fall away with time, you can’t help but think of Britain’s own Prince Harry, and his onetime reputation as a royal bad boy.

The aging King Henry (an ashen Richard Coyle) is a fretful, anxious figure who might send any child into the contrastingly exuberant embrace of Falstaff, who is a far more pleasing father figure. (Referencing the vilifications of “base news-mongers,” Hal, too, could well be admonishing today’s tabloid press.)

Icke’s adaptation never lets us forget that war is raging in the background. Rebellion, battle and bloodshed are rarely far from view, and there’s a disturbing moment — not to be revealed — in which Falstaff’s capacity for cruelty comes to the fore.

Part 2, as written, is the longer of the plays and can be the more satisfying: more poetic and reflective, less of a rowdy action movie in embryo. That isn’t the case on this occasion, where cuts suggest a desire to speed through to the ending, and the female characters — Doll Tearsheet (Tafline Steen) and Mistress Quickly (Clare Perkins) — seem sidelined in particular.

You come to miss, too, the feral presence of Hotspur (Samuel Edward-Cook), Hal’s rival whose death brings Part 1 to its climax. (The charismatic Edward-Cook doubles as Falstaff’s swaggering sidekick, Pistol.)

These shortfalls are unlikely to matter much to playgoers drawn by the above-the-title star, who has waited a lifetime to play Falstaff after playing two other roles in Part 2 during his student days: Indeed, McKellen’s biography in the playbill cites only his Shakespeare credits — a singularly impressive list.

McKellen revels at every moment in the language that pours luxuriantly forth from Falstaff, whose fondness for verbal embellishment and exaggeration is part of his charm. But you equally feel the neediness that propels Falstaff to savor every experience, carnal ones included.

Why not, then, hand this role over to a life force of the English theater? “You bear your years very well,” Justice Shallow (Robin Soans) says in greeting the wild-haired Falstaff midway through Part 2. His audience would surely drink to that.

Player Kings

Through June 22 at the Noël Coward Theater in London, then touring; playerkingstheplay.co.uk .

Arts and Culture Across Europe

Our theater critics and a reporter discuss the big winne r —  Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Sunset Boulevard” — and the rest of the honorees at this year’s Olivier Awards .

New productions of “Macbeth” and “Hamlet” in Paris follow a French tradition of adapting familiar works . The results are innovative, and sometimes cryptic.

The internet latched on to 16-year-old Felicia Dawkins’ performance as The Unknown at a shambolic Willy Wonka-inspired event . Now she’s heading to a bigger and scarier stage in London.

When activists urged Tate Britain in London to take an offensive artwork off its walls, the institution commissioned Keith Piper  to create a response instead. The result recently went on display.

The new National Holocaust Museum in Amsterdam has been in the works for almost 20 years. It is the first institution to tell the full story  of the persecution of Dutch Jews during World War II.

At a retrospective of John Singer Sargent’s portraits in London, where the American expatriate fled after creating a scandal in Paris, clothes offer both armor and self-expression .

Podcasts for GCSE revision from BBC Bitesize and BBC Sounds

Part of Learn & revise

Podcasts from BBC Bitesize and BBC Sounds

Listen to Bitesize podcasts on BBC Sounds

Bitesize and BBC Sounds have teamed up to help you revise core GCSE Biology , GCSE Chemistry and GCSE Physics topics as well as GCSE English Literature set texts and poetry with our Bitesize podcasts. You can also get tips and advice with our Study Support podcasts to help your revision feel more manageable.

BBC Sounds is where you can catch the latest music tracks, discover binge-worthy podcasts or listen to live radio, all in one place.

Why not try a revision podcast episode?

Listen to an episode from one of our revision podcasts series here. You can find the full series on BBC Sounds .

This video can not be played

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Jean and Carl explore the themes of Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Audio Transcript Audio Transcript

Carl: Hello, and welcome to the Bitesize English literature podcast.

Jean: I'm Jean Menzies, author and ancient historian.

Carl: I'm Carl Anka, journalist and author.

Jean: We're here today to help you dive a little deeper into some of the texts in GCSE English literature.

Carl: It's worth noting that there will be spoilers in this as we look into each text as a whole. So if you're not quite finished reading, or you're not quite ready for spoilers, just come back later.

Jean: There's plenty here to get your teeth stuck into.

Carl: Now, you've clearly done something right, because you've made it here. If you want to hear all the episodes in this podcast, make sure you download the BBC sounds app.

Jean: And don't forget that whilst you're in the BBC sounds app, there's loads of other things you can use to help you with your revision – full versions of some of the texts you might be studying, revision playlists, and other Bitesize podcast series to help with different subjects. In this series, we'll be covering some of the key things you need to know about Macbeth: the plot, the characters, the themes, and the language Shakespeare uses.

Carl: In this episode, we're going to look at the plot of Macbeth and I'm going to tell you something now Jean - Macbeth is my text. This is one of my favourites and I'm very excited to take a closer look at some of these key moments. Is it weird to say Macbeth is one of my favourites?

Jean: Absolutely not - there is so much to keep you hooked in this play. I completely get it.

Carl: Let's get into this one then.

EXTRACT Macbeth: Speak, if you can: what are you? First Witch: All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Glamis. Second Witch: All hail, Macbeth, hail to thee Thane of Cawdor. Third Witch: All hail, Macbeth, that shalt be King hereafter. Banquo: Good sir, why do you start, and seem to fear things that do sound so fair?

Carl: Right, we've stepped inside the story. And straight into Act 1 scene 3, where Macbeth has encountered three witches for the very first time. Now, Macbeth is the Thane of Glamis. And I should probably say at this point in time that a thane is a nobleman who owns land that's been given to him by the king in exchange for his military services. Macbeth is on his way home from a battle with his best friend Banquo, where they've been successful against the Norwegians. Macbeth in particular has played a huge role in that success. He’s killed someone. He chopped him from his chin down to his belly button. So yeah, very early on, we find out Macbeth is a good fighter - big, strong lad. And on the way back with him and Banquo they meet the three witches who predict a number of things, including that Macbeth will one day become the King of Scotland.

Jean: I mean, seriously, what would you do? You're heading home today and three witches stop you and tell you that one of your greatest dreams is going to come true. I mean, you think they were trying to wind you up, wouldn't you?

Carl: Yeah, it would be my first thing. But then the witches tell them a number of things. They first greet him as the Thane of Glamis, which is what he already is. And then they predict he's going to be the Thane of Cawdor, and then they say he’s gonna be the King of Scotland afterwards. They also tell him that the sons of Banquo will be king one day as well, which is interesting. He doesn't think any of these predictions will come true. The first one comes true, like that - pretty much the moment he gets home, he finds that he's gonna be made the Thane of Cawdor when King Duncan awards it to him for his victory in the battle. So then Macbeth, the cogs start turning, Macbeth begins to wonder if the other predictions will become true.

Jean: And Macbeth is an ambitious man. So for this to feel like a possibility must be really exciting for him.

Carl: Macbeth’s wife, who is referred to as Lady Macbeth, is even more ambitious and ruthless than Macbeth is. So, once when Macbeth tells her about the witches’ prophecy, Lady Macbeth is fully on board with the plan for Macbeth to become king, which also includes a little spot of murder. She says, you know, maybe you should murder Duncan, when Duncan comes around to visit Macbeth in Macbeth’s castle.

EXTRACT Macbeth: Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.

Jean: You can’t discuss the plot of Macbeth without hearing this line - “Is this a dagger which I see before me”, one of the most famous lines of the play, and of Shakespeare's actually.

Carl: This is just at the point where Macbeth is on his way to do the deed and murder Duncan, when he sees a dagger pointing him in the direction of the king. We don't know if it's a hallucination, but moments after saying this Macbeth takes his own dagger from his belt and commits the deed. He murders Duncan. He hesitates just before he does it, but Lady Macbeth is very encouraging saying they have to go through with their plan.

Jean: Such a supportive spouse.

Carl: Of sorts…

Jean: So it's Macduff who finds Duncan murdered but Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are able to use the king's guard as a cover for their crime. Meanwhile, Duncan’s sons disappear as they're scared for their lives, which means…

Carl: Dun dun dun dun dun. Macbeth becomes the King of Scotland, just like the witches said he would.

EXTRACT Banquo: Thou hast it now: King, Cawdor, Glamis, all, As the weird women promised, and I fear Thou play'dst most foully for 't.

Carl: That extract that we just heard there - that is Banquo, Macbeth's best mate. He was there the day the witches told Macbeth about the prophecy, and he knows that everything isn't as what it seems.

EXTRACT Banquo: And I fear Thou play'dst most foully for 't.

Carl: Now, what does that mean? You may have heard the term foul play. That is a sentence that is all about violence and murder in certain crimes. Banquo is suggesting that he's suspicious about Macbeth’s involvement in the death of King Duncan. Now, we, the audience and the reader, know that Banquo's suspicions are correct. Macbeth did do a murder - Banquo's not totally sure. And then Macbeth decides something needs to be done about it.

Jean: He does another murder, obviously, because killing people is clearly what he does now.

Carl: Yeah. The first Macbeth that you meet when the play starts, Macbeth did murders but he was doing it in service of his king in battle. And this was described as noble, and to help his country of Scotland. But now, as things progress and Duncan has been murdered, and now that Banquo has been murdered, Macbeth is entirely self-serving. He's using violence and murder to push himself forward and to put others down. The whole play of Macbeth is about how ambition and the love of power can destroy someone and those around him. Right? This is something we're hearing unfolding every single scene. Banquo was Macbeth’s best friend. But Macbeth turns against him, because Macbeth’s need for power and the need to protect his own power warps him. And there's also Lady Macbeth, who helps convince him again and again that these deadly decisions are the right things to do.

Jean: And he has changed and started committing these acts of absolute evil since he heard the witches’ prophecy. But there's reasons to think that there could be guilt there, too. I mean, one of the interpretations is that he feels so guilty that he actually sees the ghost of Banquo later on. And because he's the only one who can see him, those around him start to wonder if he's imagining it, including Lady Macbeth.

Carl: There's a decent argument to be made that he doesn't actually feel guilty at all. And that he’s driven as a consequence of his sin of killing the king. People in the Jacobean era, which is the era between 1603 and 1625, believe that what behaviour was going on was punishment for Macbeth’s sin.

Jean: Either way, the witches have a lot to answer for, but Macbeth wants to know more from them.

EXTRACT Witches: Double, double toil and trouble. Fire burn and caldron bubble.

Carl: And there's the other famous line: “Double, double toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble.” I love this line, so so much. It's the one that a lot of people quote when you say, “Oh, I'm studying Macbeth.”

Jean: I'm not even sure everyone remembers it's from Macbeth. I mean, why would you, it's in so many other pieces of pop culture as well, but that is where it comes from. It's just a really popular line now that's synonymous with witches and spells. So Macbeth has come back to see the witches here, and they tell him three things. Beware Macduff, the Thane of Fife. None of woman born shall harm Macbeth. And Macbeth shall never vanquished be, until Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill shall come against him.

Carl: Now these are slightly more complex prophecies than the first batch. Especially because two and three are supposed to be logically and physically impossible. None of woman born can harm him and a forest physically moving location, so it can hurt Macbeth makes Macbeth feel safe. Well, those things certainly can’t happen. I'm absolutely cushty. But it's the first prophecy. Beware Macduff - that comes true quite quickly, because Macbeth finds out that Macduff, Thane of Fife, has gone to join Malcolm who is Duncan’s son, in England. So what'd you think Macbeth is gonna do about this prophecy?

Jean: Yep, you've got it. He does a murder. He seizes Macduff’s castle and has his wife and children killed. This in particular feels as if it's the most brutal murder up until this point in the play. But that does not prove to be a smart move, because Macduff is quite obviously devastated, and therefore vows to have revenge.

Carl: That's the thing about Macbeth. There is so much going on all the time.

Jean: Yeah, it really all is happening. And there's still a lot more to come. Because we haven't heard from Lady Macbeth for a while. That's because her own guilt has actually started to take its toll on her and she's sleepwalking around the castle, remembering all the evil things she's done.

Carl: Although that's the same thing we said about Macbeth. Some Jacobeans will believe that guilt is happening to Lady Macbeth. And some believe that this is insanity happening to Lady Macbeth as well.

EXTRACT Lady Macbeth: Out, damned spot; out, I say!

Carl: So that we just heard now, “Out, damned spot” - that is one of the most famous speeches from Lady Macbeth. It's Lady Macbeth referring to imaginary blood that she can see on her hands. She can't get away from the guilt and responsibility for all the deaths that have occurred, and she's having a breakdown. In Act 5, the final act of the play, Macbeth finds out that Lady Macbeth has died. It’s never fully explained how or why Lady Macbeth died. And Macbeth himself seems pretty resigned, uninterested. There is a small suggestion that Lady Macbeth may have taken her own life. And it's also some suggestion that basically, Macbeth doesn't care anymore. It is the tragic downfall, so we began this play with so much determination. But we know that Macbeth is all about ambition. And we know how love of power that motivated Macbeth and Lady Macbeth in the beginning is detrimental to both of them in the end.

Jean: Act 5 scene 6 - Malcolm and Macduff’s invasion has begun. At this point, Macbeth still thinks he's protected by the witches' predictions, but he's wrong. When the invading army cut down the trees in Birnam wood to use as camouflage as they move to Macbeth's castle in Dunsinane, it seems as though the trees themselves are moving, and thus making the third of the witches’ latest prophecies come true.

Carl: So they said that Macbeth will never be beaten until the woods moved, and here they are. Right?

Jean: Exactly. It's such a clever way to make that come about. I absolutely love that revelation in that moment in the play.

EXTRACT Macbeth: I bear a charmed life, which must not yield, To one of woman born. Macduff: Despair thy charm; And let the angel whom thou still hast served Tell thee, Macduff was from his mother's womb Untimely ripp'd.

Carl: It's one of the greatest twists ever written I think, this one, because when you read it, that he can't be harmed by someone born of woman, you have no idea where Shakespeare is going with that. Are the witches lying? Are they trying to bring him down? And then Macduff answers them easily. He was from his mother's womb untimely ripped.

Jean: I know, another seriously clever way to spin that that I never could have come up with. I remember the first time I read that. And you're right. It's that moment, like when you're watching a great thriller, and it takes an unexpected turn that has you shouting at the TV. So Macduff was untimely ripped from his mother's womb. So we can assume, delivered by Caesarean rather than born of woman in the traditional sense. So he's able to kill and behead Macbeth. Malcolm becomes the new King of Scotland and we hear how accepting the witches' prophecies leads directly to Macbeth's downfall.

Carl: So, thank you for listening to Episode One of the Bitesize English literature podcast. And joining us as we explored the plot of Macbeth.

Jean: Well, there's actually still a lot more to learn. So take a listen to the rest of the episodes of the Bitesize English literature podcast on BBC Sounds to find out more. In Episode Two we'll be taking a look at some of the characters from Macbeth, particularly Macbeth and Lady Macbeth.

James and Ellie talk through the topic of gravity.

ELLIE: Hello and welcome to the BBC Bitesize Physics podcast.

JAMES: The series designed to help you tackle your GCSE in physics and combined science. I'm James Stewart, I'm a climate science expert and TV presenter.

ELLIE: And I'm Ellie Hurer, a bioscience PhD researcher. We're covering lots of different aspects of forces in this series, so make sure to listen to the rest of the episodes too.

JAMES: Yeah, and they're really good. Okay, let's get started because today, I thought so, because today we're talking all about the force that keeps our feet on the ground, gravity.

ELLIE: While we often think about space and astronauts when we talk about gravity, gravity actually acts all around us every single day. Because the definition of gravity is a force of attraction between two objects.

JAMES: The gravitational field is the area around an object where another object will feel a force of gravitational attraction from it.

Gravitational field strength is measured in newtons per kilogram, written out as ‘n’ forward slash ‘kg’.

ELLIE: And the size of the gravitational field strength affects the force of gravity acting on an object in that gravitational field. The other thing that affects the size of gravity is the object's mass. The bigger the mass, the greater the force of gravity.

JAMES: So one key thing to know that a lot of people misunderstand is that weight and mass are actually two different things.

ELLIE: Yeah, so when we say, oh, this loaf of bread weighs 400 grams, we're actually saying that the mass of the loaf of bread is 400 grams.

JAMES: Because mass is about the amount of matter, whereas weight is a force and is the heaviness due to gravity.

ELLIE: Exactly. So let me tell you about the equation you need to calculate the force of weight of an object.

JAMES: Yeah, I'm gonna get my pen and paper out for this one, so if you're listening, please feel free to do the same thing and write along as we go through this.

ELLIE: So, weight equals mass multiplied by the gravitational field strength.

JAMES: Weight is measured in newtons. Mass is measured in kilograms and gravitational field strength is measured in newtons per kilogram.

ELLIE: So to calculate the weight of an object in newtons, you multiply its mass in kilograms by the strength of the gravitational field in newtons per kilogram.

JAMES: That was a lot. Don't panic. Let's just hear that again.

ELLIE: So weight equals mass multiplied by the gravitational field strength.

JAMES: Weight is measured in newtons, mass is measured in kilograms, and gravitational field strength is measured in newtons per kilogram.

ELLIE: So, to calculate the weight of an object in Newtons, you multiply its mass in kilograms by the strength of the gravitational field in Newtons per kilogram.

JAMES: Right, let's try out some examples then. And if you don't have your pen and paper just yet, now would be the perfect time to grab them and you can write down these calculations with us as we go along.

ELLIE: Let's say we want to find out the force of gravity, their weight, acting on your physics teacher as they stand at the front of the classroom.

JAMES: Good image. Now first, you would need to find out their mass. Now let's say it's 80 kilograms, then you need to know the gravitational field strength of the planet they're standing on, which for the planet of Earth is 9.8 newtons per kilogram.

ELLIE: So to measure the force of weight acting on them, you would write down their mass of 80 kilograms and then multiply it by the Earth's gravitational field strength of 9.8 newtons per kilogram to get the answer 784.

JAMES: And because weight is measured in newtons, their weight would be 784 newtons downward. We always have to include those units. And because weight is a force, which is a vector quantity (more about that in episode one), we also have to say the direction it is in, which in this case is downwards.

ELLIE: In those instances, the weight of an object and its mass are directly proportional. So let's say if something had a bigger mass, its weight would be higher. And if something had a smaller mass, its weight would be lower.

JAMES: Exactly. And when we're measuring weight in terms of gravity, we don't use regular kitchen scales. We use something called a newton meter, also known as a calibrated spring balance.

ELLIE: And when we do that, we say that the weight of an object, or in this case, person, acts at a single point. The object or person's centre of mass. The force of gravity, weight, always acts from the middle of an object, straight down.

JAMES: Okay, that was a lot, but I hope that helped you understand gravity a little bit more.

ELLIE: So, let's recap the three main points.

Firstly, gravity is a force of attraction between two objects. The next point is, mass is the amount of matter in an object. However, weight is the force of gravity acting from the middle of the object straight down.

And finally, the equation to find out an object's weight is mass multiplied by gravitational field strength equals weight.

There's your key points about gravity. In the next episode of Bitesize Physics, we're going to dig into work done and energy transfer, and I cannot wait.

JAMES: I believe you. Thank you for listening to BBC Physics. If you found this helpful, and hopefully you did, please do go back and listen, make some notes, so you can come back here and always have this as your point to revise from.

JAMES: Thank you, bye!

ELLIE: Bye!

Dr Alex Lathbridge explores the structure of cells.

Hello, I’m Dr Alex Lathbridge and this is Bitesize Biology.

In this podcast I’m going to take you through the main things you need to know for your GCSE Biology exam.

I’m going to be talking about things as small as cells, as big as rainforests and everything in-between.

There’s going to be a lot for you to remember. And as we go through all of the topics, there will be a few key terms that you’re going to need to learn off by heart. But don’t worry, I did it, you can do it too.

This is the is the first episode of a nine-part series on The Cell, let’s go.

All living things are made of cells, which is why they’re called the building blocks of life.

Plants are made of cells, animals are made of cells, humans are animals so even you, yes you, are made of cells.

In fact, right now, you are a giant, complex container made out of trillions of cells all working together, to learn about cells.

Anyway, today we’re going to take it back to basics and find out about the structure of the cell and the two main types that you are going to need to know.

The thing about cells is that they are small, like really, really small.

Anything between 0.01 and 0.1mm across.

This means they are too small to see with the naked eye. In order to study them properly, scientists first had to invent really powerful microscopes in order to see what’s inside them.

If this is all new to you, don’t worry, scientists like me are learning stuff all the time too.

Nearly all cells have four key things in common:

They have a membrane. This holds the cell together, keeps its contents inside and controls what can enter and exit the cell. Think of it like a balloon that can let things in and out.

They have a cytoplasm, which is kind of like a really useful jelly. It’s where all the chemical reactions take place in the cell. Think of it like water inside that balloon.

They have DNA. DNA is genetic material. And it contains all the information that tells the cell what to do, your cells following all these instructions is how you develop and grow.

They have ribosomes. These are sort of like mini-robots which make proteins based on the instructions found in DNA.

So, you could say that a simple cell is just a tiny a water balloon, filled with instructions and little protein-making robots.

Or, if you want to pass your exams, you could say that a cell is between 0.01 and 0.1mm across and made of a cell membrane containing cytoplasm, DNA and ribosomes.

Now, there are two types of cells you’ll need to know about:

Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells.

You are a eukaryotic organism. This means that you are made up of lots of different types of cells, most of which have a nucleus.

These kinds of cells, the ones that work together with lots of other kinds of cells to make up a plant or animal or human, are called eukaryotic. Easy to remember: because you are eukaryotic.

Let’s think about most eukaryotic animal cells. As well as the stuff we’ve just talked about (that water balloon) most eukaryotic cells also have a nucleus.

Remember that cells always contain DNA? Well, in eukaryotic cells, the genetic material is kept inside a nucleus. Think of it like a little folder.

And they have Mitochondria. This is where cells release the energy they need, that’s where respiration takes place. Think of them like little batteries.

So, when it comes to most eukaryotic animal cells, we’ve got our water balloon (a membrane filled with cytoplasm), containing instructions to make proteins inside a little folder (DNA inside a nucleus), robots to synthesise the proteins (ribosomes) and batteries to power the whole thing (or mitochondria).

And just because things are never that simple, in animals red blood cells are the exception because they don’t have a nucleus.

It’s worth drawing it out, I've always found it useful, even just a quick doodle. Remember, there are lots of diagrams on the Bitesize website. It might be useful to look at those while you listen.

Now, although you might think you are a little bit more interesting than a lettuce, most eukaryotic cells in plants have some extra stuff on top of all that. So, plant cells have a membrane, cytoplasm, DNA, a nucleus and mitochondria and:

They have an extra layer outside of the cell membrane called the cell wall. Plants need a cell wall because they need to stand up straight, but they don’t have a skeleton, and this is where the cell wall comes in, it helps keep plants upright.

Green cells in plants’ stems and leaves have chloroplasts, which contain chlorophyll and the enzymes needed for photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is really important and we’re going to come back to it later in the series, but for now what you need to know is that chloroplasts contain the stuff that plant cells use to store energy from sunlight. Think of it like a little solar panel.

They also have a permanent vacuole. You can basically think of it like a little pocket inside of the cell, filled with something called cell sap that helps to keep the cell in shape.

And remember how red blood cells don’t have a nucleus? Most plant root cells don’t have chloroplasts, so they’re white not green.

Ok, so that was eukaryotic cells. Now let’s look at prokaryotic cells

Prokaryotic cells are always single celled organisms.

Like bacteria. The whole organism is just one tiny cell that does it all.

But just because it’s small doesn’t mean it’s not important. We need bacteria in our guts, to help us break down food and the environment is the same, the life cycle of things dying, and their nutrients being returned to the earth depends on bacteria.

This is why you should be very pro prokaryotic cells.

Like all cells, prokaryotes have a cell membrane, cytoplasm, DNA, and ribosomes.

However, there are two main differences:

Firstly, the DNA isn’t inside a nucleus, instead it floats free inside the cytoplasm in a single circular loop of DNA, with some extra little bits of circular DNA called plasmids.

Secondly, prokaryotes also have a cell wall, outside of the membrane.

And yeah, all cells are microscopic but there’s a big difference between eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells.

So eukaryotic cells, plant cells and animal cells, can be anything from 10 to 100x larger than prokaryotic cells, found in single celled organisms like bacteria.

I’m Dr Alex Lathbridge and this is Bitesize Biology. To hear more, search Bitesize Biology on BBC Sounds.

Dr Sunayana Bhargava and Tulela Pea look at the history of the atomic model.

SUNAYANA: I’m Dr Sunayana Bhargava, a scientist and poet.

TULELA: And I’m Tulela Pea, a science communicator and podcaster.

SUNAYANA: And this is Bitesize Chemistry. This is the second episode in an eight-part series on atomic structure and the periodic table. In this episode, we’re going to look at the history of the atom and how that model has developed over the centuries.

TULELA: We’ll look at how this led to our understanding that atoms are made up from protons, neutrons and electrons.

SUNAYANA: And we’ll end with a quick summary of the main important facts for you to take away because life is just so darn busy these days.

TULELA: But also because that’s why we’re here after all - to help revise GCSE chemistry and combined science.

SUNAYANA: Our chat bot NNICK is with us again.

NNICK: Oh, I love Chemistry, I adore it, divine chemistry!

SUNAYANA: Before we unleash NNICK, what I like about the history of the structure of the atom is that it’s a really good example of how science works. You come up with a new idea or hypothesis, devise an experiment to test the hypothesis and if the evidence backs up your predictions then it becomes a better theory. And our understanding is a little better than it was before. And this is exactly true with how the model of the atom has developed throughout history.

TULELA: Totally! So if we begin say only 200 years ago, back then what we thought an atom looked like was actually quite basic, tiny.

SUNAYANA: Very, very tiny.

TULELA: Very, very, tiny spheres that can’t be divided. This idea was proposed by a scientist from Manchester called John Dalton in 1804.

SUNAYANA: Actually, it kinda goes all the way back to the ancient Greeks and the word atom comes from the Greek ‘atomos’ – which means uncuttable.

TULELA: Nice trivia, Sunayana! But since then, we now know that atoms are composed of electrons, protons and neutrons arranged in a particular way.

SUNAYANA: So how did we get from there to our understanding today? NNICK, can you give us a quick history of the structure of the atom?

NNICK: The history of ideas about atoms. The most sensible, mature and adult way to discuss the history of ideas about atoms is through the medium of song.

SONG Mr John Dalton imagined that atoms Were miniature spheres that you cannot divide And then JJ Thomson, who probably liked snacking Described them as a plum pudding with electrons inside

Rutherford, who was Ernest, suggested a nucleus Which no one had ever considered before And around that were shells filled with orbiting electrons According to that fascinating fellow Niels Bohr

Experiments suggested the existence of protons Which contribute to the nucleus in a positive way Add to those the neutrons discovered by Chadwick And that's the atomic model which we still use today, OK!

SUNAYANA: Thanks, NNICK! Lots to unpack there but sounds like there are some key moments in this history of the atom that we should explore a little. And each one has progressed our understanding. First up, JJ Thomson. From his experiments, he concluded that atoms weren’t solid spheres and he proposed that they looked more like a plum pudding.

TULELA: Who even eats plum pudding these days?

SUNAYANA: Sounds like the kind of dessert they’d have had in 1904 when JJ Thomson came up with the idea. His plum pudding model could be thought of as a positively charged dough spread out evenly in which negatively charged electrons…

TULELA: …the plums…

SUNAYANA: …were embedded. Quite simple, but an advance from the solid spheres model.

TULELA: Anyway, JJ Thomson’s plum pudding model of the atom didn’t last very long because only about a decade later, along comes Ernest Rutherford who tested Thomson’s theory and proved that the plum pudding was way past its sell-by date. And he did this by showing that the positive charge in the atom wasn’t spread out evenly and was in fact concentrated in the centre – the nucleus – where most of the mass of the atom is. And his evidence came from firing positively charged alpha-particles at a very thin sheet of gold foil.

SUNAYANA: Which I shall now demonstrate in the Bitesize studio purely by the magic of sound effects! If Thomson’s plum pudding model was correct then when I fire some alpha particles at the gold foil…

TULELA: Whoa! Careful with that sound effect, Sunayana!

SUNAYANA: Because the positive charges in the gold atoms were thought to be evenly spread out, all the alpha-particle bullets would simply pass straight through – or deflected just a tiny amount if they travelled close to an electron in the plum pudding.

But what they found is that although, yes, most of the alpha particle bullets did indeed pass straight through the foil undeflected, that a few alpha particles were deflected by extreme angles or even reflected backwards as if ricocheting from something.

TULELA: Whoa! Be careful!

SUNAYANA: And this could not have happened with the Thomson plum pudding model.

TULELA: Nice shooting, Sunayana. So, from this experiment, the new model of the atom was now one of mostly empty space where a positively charged mass or nucleus is concentrated at the centre and around this are the electrons. End of story?

SUNAYANA: Not quite yet! Because Rutherford’s model only answered some questions but not all. It didn’t tell us anything more about the electrons. To resolve those questions, we had to wait until Niels Bohr. We had to wait ‘til he proposed a new development of the previous model of the atom. In this, the electrons orbit in particular shells – or energy levels to give them their correct name – which are precisely fixed distance from the nucleus. Again, his experimental observations agreed with his theorical calculations, updating the science and our ideas.

TULELA: So what does that mean, orbiting electrons in shells of a precise distance?

SUNAYANA: I like to think of them as if I were a gymnast twirling a baton over my head and I could choose a different length baton. The electrons are in the ends of the baton spinning around as I dance. They can’t get any closer or further unless I change the baton size – which is like being in a different shell.

TULELA: Baton twirling and alpha particle sharp-shooter – you’d be so talented.

SUNAYANA: Thanks! But we’re not finished yet – because even Niels Bohr’s model needed refining and later experiments from Rutherford again led to the idea that the positively charged nucleus in the atom could be subdivided into a whole number of smaller particles called protons, with each proton having the same amount of positive charge.

TULELA: The end?

SUNAYANA: Not quite – because finally about 20 years after Rutherford’s nuclear model, in 1932 James Chadwick put the final (for the moment) missing pieces into our model of the atom when he proved the existence of neutrons – chargeless particles, also within the atom’s nucleus.

TULELA: And that is the model we use to visualise the atom today. A nucleus of protons and neutrons, with orbiting electrons at specific distances from the nucleus.

SUNAYANA: And if you decide to study chemistry or physics at a higher level, you’ll see how even that model becomes more exciting and extraordinary.

TULELA: And an exciting and extraordinary career in science awaits everyone – every nationality, every gender, every background.

SUNAYANA: I couldn’t agree more.

SUNAYANA: Time for a quick interactive quiz. Three questions, 5 seconds each – here goes…

TULELA: Question 1. Who came up with the plum pudding model of the atom?

SUNAYANA: Answer - JJ Thomson.

TULELA: Question 2. Who showed that this plum pudding wasn’t correct and what was the experiment that proved this?

SUNAYANA: It was Ernest Rutherford who fired alpha particles at gold foil and updated the atom with his nuclear model.

TULELA: And Question 3. How did Niels Bohr’s model update the nuclear model further?

SUNAYANA: He brought in the idea of electrons orbiting the nucleus in energy shells.

TULELA: OK, Sunayana, quick summary?

SUNAYANA: Sure thing.

TULELA: Let’s go. From the ancient Greeks until about 200 years ago, the atom was thought of as tiny solid spheres.

SUNAYANA: Then JJ Thomson comes up with his plum pudding model.

TULELA: Rutherford fires alpha particles at gold foil and shows JJ Thomson was wrong. His nuclear model is one with a positive nucleus.

SUNAYANA: Bohr’s orbiting electron shells helps modify Rutherford’s model.

TULELA: Protons are discovered by Rutherford. Neutrons are discovered by Chadwick and the current model of the atom is in place.

SUNAYANA: And all these developments are a really good example of how science progresses though theory, experiment and evidence.

TULELA: And now I’m hungry. Plum pudding, anyone?

SUNAYANA: In episode three of this series, we’ll be looking at the structure of the atom in more detail its size – its parts, charge and its mass.

I’m Dr Sunayana Bhargava.

TULELA: And I’m Tulela Pea.

SUNAYANA: To hear more, search ‘Bitesize chemistry’ on BBC Sounds.

TULELA: Say bye, Sunayana.

SUNAYANA: Bye Sunayana.

TULELA: Thanks for listening.

GCSE English Literature Revision Podcasts

Supercharge your GCSE English literature revision by listening to these podcasts on set texts.

Dive into GCSE English set texts, including Macbeth , A Christmas Carol and An Inspector Calls as well as poetry . Explore the plot, themes and characters with key quotes, get to grips with analysing poems as well as top tips for answering exam questions.

Listen to all the GCSE English Literature podcasts on BBC Sounds .

Poetry. podcast Poetry

A Christmas Carol. podcast A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

Macbeth. podcast Macbeth

by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet. podcast Romeo and Juliet

Blood Brothers. podcast Blood Brothers

by Willy Russell

An Inspector Calls. podcast An Inspector Calls

by JB Priestley

Frankenstein. podcast Frankenstein

by Mary Shelley

Jane Eyre. podcast Jane Eyre

by Charlotte Bronte

Anita & Me. podcast Anita & Me

by Meera Syal

GCSE Chemistry Revision Podcasts

Revise core GCSE Chemistry topics with science experts Tulela Pea and Dr Sunayana Bhargava.

Episodes within the series explain the key points on you need to know for your GCSE in Chemistry or Combined Science - including atomic structure , bonding and chemical changes . Listen to all the GCSE Chemistry podcasts on BBC Sounds .

Atomic structure and the periodic table. podcast Atomic structure and the periodic table

GCSE CHEMISTRY PODCASTS

Bonding, structure and properties. podcast Bonding, structure and properties

Chemical changes. podcast Chemical changes

GCSE Physics Revision Podcasts

Revise core GCSE Physics topics with hosts James Stewart and Ellie Hurer in this series of podcasts.

Episodes within the series explain the key points on Physics topics including forces , electricity and energy . Listen to all the GCSE Physics podcasts on BBC Sounds .

Forces. podcast Forces

GCSE PHYSICS PODCASTS

Electricity. podcast Electricity

Energy. podcast Energy

GCSE Biology Revision Podcasts

Take a deep dive and revise core GCSE Biology topics with host Dr Alex Lathbridge in this series of podcasts.

The podcast episodes explain the key points on biology topics including cell biology, photosynthesis and homeostasis and get top tips for your science exams . Listen to all the GCSE Biology podcasts on BBC Sounds .

The cell. podcast The cell

GCSE BIOLOGY PODCASTS

The organisation of plants and animals. podcast The organisation of plants and animals

Infection and response. podcast Infection and response

Homeostasis. podcast Homeostasis

Inheritance, variation and evolution podcast Inheritance, variation and evolution

Ecology. podcast Ecology

Science exam techniques podcast Science exam techniques

GCSE SCIENCE PODCASTS

GCSE Revision Study Support Podcasts

Influencer Ibz Mo shares tips and tricks to help your exam revision in Bitesize Study Smart . Dr Radha and guests help you keep calm and study on in Bitesize Exam Survivors .

Study Smart. podcast Study Smart

STUDY SUPPORT PODCASTS

Exam Survivors. podcast Exam Survivors

Listen to all the Study Support podcasts on BBC Sounds .

More from Bitesize

The Bitesize Careers Podcast: Where can my subjects take me? video The Bitesize Careers Podcast: Where can my subjects take me?

Katie Thistleton and special guests chat about your career options.

GCSE exam-style quizzes

Improve your exam skills

Revision: Top revision tips

Smart revision advice from those who've been there.

The exam boards - AQA , Edexcel , Eduqas and OCR

Exam dates for 2024

Carol Kane and Michaela Watkins share their funniest family dinner ‘nightmares’

• Show more sharing options
• Copy Link URL Copied!

Welcome to Screen Gab, the newsletter for everyone whose parents have mortified them over a meal.

“Dinner With the Parents” stars Carol Kane and Michaela Watkins have been there and share funny tales from their own family dinners — plus a slew of wonderful viewing recommendations — in this week’s Guest Spot.

Also in Screen Gab No. 128, we highlight two Peacock titles to stream and celebrate the 25th anniversary of “Family Guy.”

You are reading Screen Gab newsletter

Sign up to get recommendations for the TV shows and streaming movies you can’t miss, plus exclusive interviews with the talent behind your favorite titles, in your inbox every Friday

You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.

Must-read stories you might have missed

The honeymoon is over: ‘The Golden Bachelor’ and his bride call it quits after 3 months : Just over three months after tying the knot on live television, Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announced their divorce on “Good Morning America.”

Commentary: ‘The Golden Bachelor’ divorce turns a TV success story into a cautionary tale : The recent split marks an abrupt reversal of fortune for “The Golden Bachelor,” a breakout hit show that was supposed to revive the reality franchise.

Gen Z is watching ‘Sex and the City’ for the first time. Our discovery? Carrie is a terrible friend : “Sex and the City” is now on Netflix, allowing younger audiences to discover the hit show. And many are taking issue with Sarah Jessica Parker’s iconic character.

How ‘Bluey’ special ‘The Sign’ was created: ‘It’s one of the most beautiful episodes we’ve made’ : Executive producer Daley Pearson and “Bluey” voice actors Melanie Zanetti and Dave McCormack explain how the highly anticipated 28-minute special was made.

Recommendations from the film and TV experts at The Times

‘Hapless’ (Peacock)

Gary Sinyor’s very funny British sitcom, whose two seasons have landed here, has regularly been compared to “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and certainly there are plotlines that would have served that series well. And, like Larry David, Paul Green (Tim Downie) has a tendency to get the short end of whatever stick he’s waving. But where Larry is a rich celebrity with too much time on his hands, Paul attacks the world from a less privileged position. A harried, middle-aged, low-grade reporter for “the fourth-largest Jewish publication in the U.K.,” he treats his banal assignments with a contemptuous lack of interest, even as he has a habit of questioning everything — even, or especially, things not worth questioning. (“The Jewish Enquirer” was the series’ original name.) Notable for the cultural specificity of its humor — I don’t know where else you’ll find jokes about wrapping tefillin — it can be, one might say, awkwardly timely. In one episode, Paul’s nephew is upset because “some kid in his school called him a racist Jew Zio.” “Doesn’t he go to a Jewish school?” Paul asks his sister. “Yes,” she replies. “I do know that. It’s on trend.” You just have to laugh. — Robert Lloyd

‘Drive-Away Dolls’ (Peacock)

“Drive-Away Dolls” may not be entirely good, but it certainly is a lot of fun. For his first fiction feature made without his brother, Joel, Ethan Coen collaborated with wife Tricia Cooke to craft an outrageously flaky crime tale of two lesbian friends (Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan) who inadvertently end up driving a car with a severed head and a briefcase full of bespoke sex toys in the trunk. (Guess which causes them more trouble?) Despite brief supporting appearances by Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon, Bill Camp and Beanie Feldstein, the movie really belongs to the sweet chemistry between Viswanathan and Qualley: It’s at its best when it’s just the two of them hanging out. Plus, any longtime Coen brothers fans will want to check out the bawdy absurdity of Ethan’s solo effort as a point of comparison to Joel’s austere “The Tragedy of Macbeth” to attempt to unravel who was responsible for what in their indelible filmography together. — Mark Olsen

Everything you need to know about the film or TV series everyone’s talking about

How often do we watch “Family Guy” at my house? Let’s just say my son now instinctively runs to the screen the moment the theme song starts playing, giggling as he sees the animated characters descend the golden staircase (I know, it’s not for kids, but we indulge him with the intro). It has long been a comfort show for me, ever since I started watching the series in the early aughts on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

What makes “Family Guy” good is that it’s silly, crass, satirical and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I never mind when it’s on because I know something in an episode will make me laugh. But what makes it great is its range, from zany musical numbers like “ A Bag of Weed ” to thoughtful explorations of its characters — the Season 8 bottle episode “ Brian & Stewie ” comes to mind.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of “Family Guy,” a major milestone considering how the show faced cancellation more than once. It is now one of the longest-running American animated series, behind stalwarts like “The Simpsons” and “South Park.” And now marks a good time to reflect on the series and how it has become a part of the pop culture zeitgeist. It just wrapped Season 22 on Wednesday, and the season finale is available to stream on Hulu .

This week, we published an interview with the showrunners and lead voice cast of “Family Guy,” including Alex Borstein, Seth Green, Mila Kunis and creator Seth MacFarlane. They spoke at length about their time on the show and how it’s the best job ever, and that’s what comes through in every episode — everyone is still having fun. MacFarlane said he doesn’t see a reason to stop, which is good news for fans of the show because we have plenty of reasons to keep watching. — Maira Garcia

READ MORE: ‘It’s the best job ever’: ‘Family Guy’ cast reflects on 25 years of irreverent humor

A weekly chat with actors, writers, directors and more about what they’re working on — and what they’re watching

If you have watched TV comedy in the last 10 years, chances are Michaela Watkins and Carol Kane have made you laugh. In an array of recurring roles and guest spots, plus respective star turns in Hulu’s lovingly crafted family portrait “Casual” and Netflix’s gonzo joke factory “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,” the pair have been omnipresent, but never together. Until now: “Dinner With the Parents , ” which premiered Thursday on Amazon Freevee, unites these forces for hilarity for the first time, along with Dan Bakkedahl, Jon Glaser and more. Based on the popular British series “Friday Night Dinner,” this version follows the Langers, including matriarch Nana (Kane) and her daughter, Jane (Watkins), as they assemble every Friday for a completely, totally normal family get-together. (Think “New Girl’s” True American transported to a suburban gated community.) Watkins and Kane stopped by Screen Gab in advance of the premiere to tell their own funniest dinner-with-the-parents stories, what they’re watching, and more. — Matt Brennan

What have you watched recently that you are recommending to everyone you know?

Watkins: I’ve been going back and rewatching movies that blew my mind when I saw them in the theater the first time. Perhaps the current state of our world is so chaotic, I’m longing for a time that I wasn’t so drained by knowing everything happening in our world all the time. “Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind” [Starz], “The Ice Storm” [Max], “Time Bandits” [Max]. I finally saw the film “The King of Comedy” [Fubo]. That is an amazing movie. Sandra Bernhard — Oh my goodness! What a performance. A new show I’ve been watching lately and enjoying is “Palm Royale” [Apple TV+]. Everything all those actresses do is golden , but Kristen Wiig is always going to be the most intricate comedienne I have ever seen on screen.

Kane: I would say that TCM saves me in a special way. When I am able to see a movie in black-and-white I am somehow soothed and transported and inspired at the same time. The lighting can be so intricate and artful. I am an enormous admirer of Bette Davis, Claude Rains, Gary Cooper, Mary Astor. Davis has always been a great inspiration to me, because of her bravery and honesty on screen. Julie Harris in “Member of the Wedding” is so moving, breathtaking. Ethel Waters. Young Brandon de Wilde.

What is the movie or TV show you go back to again and again?

Kane: I cherish the works of John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands. “A Woman Under the Influence,” “Opening Night.” [Both available on Max and Criterion Channel.] There is always more to see and learn there from both of them, as well as Peter Falk and Ben Gazzara! The cinematography of Al Ruban is in some way shattering. It’s so intimate. For a great comedy, I love “Annie Hall” [Prime Video, Fubo, MGM+] — Diane Keaton. Not to mention “Reds” [Pluto TV]. How can we even talk about anything directed by Martin Scorsese starring the magnificent Robert De Niro; they are my bucket list. I am forever grateful to have gotten to work with Mike Nichols, Hal Ashby and Cassavetes. I better stop now, i know your readers don’t have ALL DAY!

Watkins: “When Harry Met Sally” [VOD, multiple platforms]. I was in Budapest last year when I got COVID and the only thing that could give me any relief was watching it on my computer. It’s a perfect film. Start to finish.

Describe the most hilarious/embarrassing/wacky thing that ever occurred at dinner with your own parents.

Kane: My dad came to the dinner table in Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1950s dressed as Marcel Marceau in white long johns and full clown-white Marceau makeup!

Watkins: When I was in my early 20s, my sister hosted Thanksgiving at her apartment in New York City. My whole family came, as well as her in-laws. I even invited my boyfriend so he could meet everyone for the first time. After countless hours in the oven, the turkey was still frozen. By the time we sat down to eat it, it was almost 10 p.m. My nervous boyfriend hadn’t eaten anything all day except a bottle of scotch. When he finally spoke, he stood up and yelled/slurred “I HOPE EVERYONE NOTICED I TOOK OFF MY HAT.” The look on my mother’s face still gives me nightmares.

The complete guide to home viewing

Get Screen Gab for everything about the TV shows and streaming movies everyone’s talking about.

More From the Los Angeles Times

Company Town

‘Sesame Street’ writers reach tentative contract deal, averting strike

April 19, 2024

Giancarlo Esposito thought, at his lowest, about how his own murder might benefit his kids

Eric Braeden of ‘Young and the Restless’ nominated for first Daytime Emmy in 20 years

Mandisa, ‘American Idol’ star and Grammy-winning Christian music singer, dies at 47