Listen to this ODNB podcast to learn about the life of Alan Turing (1912 - 1954); the pioneer of computing.

In the 1930s, Turing developed his 'universal Turing machine', which - as a single machine which can be turned to any task by an appropriate program - embodied the principle of the modern computer. During the Second World War, Turing worked at Bletchley Park where he led efforts to break the German Enigma code. Post-war Turing was convicted of homosexuality and was subject to a programme of chemical castration, prior to his death from cyanide poisoning in 1954. 

This biography of Alan Turing, written by Andrew Hodges, is taken from the 'Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'. Take a look at the ODNB Website to discover more about the people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond.

#ODNBPodcast

Image Credit: 'Alan Turing, aged Sixteen', from the turingarchive.org, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

Alan Turing (1912-1954), computer pioneer

Brought to you by Penguin.

What’s the most useful thing you could know about your own life?

In this era-defining book, developed from her groundbreaking Radio 4 essay series, Naomi Alderman turns her boundless curiosity and incisive thinking to a question that affects us all: how do we understand, and navigate, the epoch we’re living through? She calls this epoch the Information Crisis.

The internet has flooded us with more knowledge, opinions, ideas, opportunities, as well as verbal attacks and misinformation, than ever before. It lets us learn more quickly and also spread falsehood more quickly, it brings us together and also divides us in new ways, it is now the lens through which we perceive and understand the world. There is no going back. But we have been here before. In fact, this is humanity’s third information crisis.

The first, the invention of writing 5,000 years ago, and the second, the invention of the printing press 600 years ago, drastically reshaped our perceptions, interactions and mental landscapes in ways that feel acutely familiar. Overwhelmed by information, people become afraid and angry, unsettled and distressed, as well as more knowledgeable, educated and curious. By looking at those previous information crises, both the turmoil and the advances, Alderman asks what we can learn from the past to better understand our present, and prepare for our future.

Drawing on the work of philosophers and historians, Don’t Burn Anyone at the Stake Today explores how new technology opens up new ways of being and helps us chart a way forward (once again), through the turbulent seas of information overload.

An electrifying, thought-provoking exploration of how the digital era is reshaping our world, by bestselling, Women's Prize-winning writer Naomi Alderman

'Alderman is one of our most surprising and delightful public intellectuals, and this book grapples wonderfully with our current schisms and their historical precedents' JON RONSON

'Alderman helps us see the digital information crisis with fresh eyes, sharing profound wisdom and showing us how to avoid sacrificing our humanity for the sake of being right on the internet' OLIVER BURKEMAN

© Naomi Alderman 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Don't Burn Anyone At The Stake Today written and read by Naomi Alderman

Brought to you by Penguin.

A beautiful book combining poetry, topics of self-reflection and journalling prompts to help readers find joy all around them.

I always pay attention
When a small joy grabs me
Some say easily pleased
I say, frequently happy!


Life can often be stressful. Each day might seem like a struggle to get through. You may find yourself desperate to get to the weekend, or wishing time would pass more quickly.
David Larbi is here to show you how to see beauty in the everyday and build pockets of joy, inspiration and calm into your life. Combining poetry with weekly reflections, this book is designed to help you explore your emotions, seize opportunities to grow, and find happiness all year round.

With journalling and activity prompts for every season, Frequently Happy creates space for deep self-reflection and brings motivation and gratitude to the forefront.

'Filled with such personality and contagious optimism . . . I love this book' Matt Haig
'A vital handbook for navigating the seasons of life' Candice Carty-Williams
'This book is a ray of sunshine' Fearne Cotton

© David Larbi 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Frequently Happy written and read by David Larbi

Brought to you by Penguin.

The unfiltered truth about being a rugby player - from the horsey's mouth.

This book is not just about how I got back on my horse and went clippity-clop all the way to the World Cup final in Japan.

It's the story of how a fat kid who had to live up to the nickname Psycho grew up to play (and party) for over a decade with rugby's greatest pros.

From just about surviving the equivalent of 30 car crashes a game and crooning Adele for team spirit, to extensive field notes on the smell of the Scrum and the fine art of on-pitch relief. Then there's rugby's secret naked wrestling scene and how it was exposed.

In my world, you never know how the ball will bounce...

© Joe Marler 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

Loose Head written and read by Joe Marler

Brought to you by Penguin.

“I’m not sure anyone knows who I really am. So here it is.”

The real highs.
The real lows.
The Real Girl.

Mutya Buena was only thirteen when she became one third of the original line-up of the iconic girl band Sugababes.

As she launched into fame, her life became unrecognizable overnight. Suddenly, she was going straight from school to the studio, rubbing shoulders with music royalty and hearing fans scream her name.

But with the dazzle of stardom came the darker side: those who would take advantage of her naivety and her kindness, the constant taunting by the press and the lingering regret of missing out on being a real teenager.

Unflinchingly honest, Real Girl takes us through the highs of a spectacular career and the lows that came with a life in the limelight. For the first time, Mutya opens up about the struggles she kept hidden from the public eye when her life began to spiral out of control.

This is the story of the girl the tabloids never saw.

© Mutya Buena 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Real Girl written and read by Mutya Buena

Brought to you by Penguin.

The festive season is fast approaching.

Jane Austen fears that without her siblings at home, there won’t be much Christmas cheer in the Austen household this year.

But when she uncovers a skeleton in the cellar of Deane Rectory, Jane soon forgets her woes. Who needs merriment, when there’s a mystery to solve?

Her investigation leads her to the legend of a young bride who’s long been thought to haunt the woods nearby. After fleeing her wedding breakfast, the bride was never seen again.

Has Jane found her at last? Or is there more to this mystery than meets the eye?

Tis the season for Jane to embark upon festive delights, making merry, and solving murders…

© Jessica Bull 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Austen Christmas Murders written by Jessica Bull and read by Eleanor Yates

Brought to you by Penguin.

Secrets, murder and mayhem collide as this unlikely sleuthing duo - an under-butler and a foul-mouthed octogerian - hunt a killer in a manor sealed against the end of the world.

Cornwall, 1910. On a remote tidal island, the Viscount of Tithe Hall is absorbed in feverish preparations for the apocalypse that he believes will accompany the passing of Halley's Comet. The Hall must be sealed from top to bottom - every window, chimney and keyhole closed off before night falls. But what the pompous, dishonest Viscount has failed to take into account is the danger that lies within... By morning, he will be dead in his sealed study, murdered by his own ancestral crossbow.

All eyes turn to Steven Pike, Tithe Hall's newest under-butler. Fresh out of Borstal for a crime he didn't commit, he is the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unlikely ally? Miss Decima Stockingham, the foul-mouthed, sharp as a tack, 80-year-old family matriarch. Fearless and unconventional, she relishes chaos and puzzles alike, and a murder is just the thrill she's been waiting for.

Together, this mismatched duo must navigate secret passages, buried grudges and rising terror to unmask the killer before it's too late...

© Ross Montgomery 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Murder at The Worlds End written by Ross Montgomery and read by Derek Jacobi and Joe Jameson

Brought to you by Penguin.

A ritual killing. An ancient curse. What's myth... and what's murder?

After a bruising encounter with a terrorist group, Detective Kamil Rahman has decided to hand in his resignation to the Met and set up a detective agency with his friend Anjoli. But when his boss asks him to go to India to investigate the murder of a British engineer who was found with eighteen arrows stuck in his body, Kamil agrees to take the case, as long as Anjoli can accompany him.

When they arrive in Mumbai, they find someone is on a gruesome killing spree, striking down those connected to the engineer in increasingly macabre ways. Meanwhile, an old friend of Kamil’s gets in touch to beg for his help: he believes his family are cursed, and that he is going to die on his 47th birthday, just like his father and grandfather before him.

As the body count rises, Kamil is torn between solving a very real murder case and protecting his friend from a grisly – if far-fetched – fate. Can he catch a killer and prevent an ancient curse before more people lose their lives?

Praise for the Detective Kamil Rahman novels:

'Outstanding' SUNDAY TIMES

'Hugely entertaining' ANN CLEEVES

'A rip-roaring mystery that's engrossing from start to finish' ABIR MUKHERJEE

© Ajay Chowdhury 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

The Shadow written by Ajay Chowdhury and read by Mikhail Sen and Layla Chowdhury

In this episode, we are unpacking how effective COP30 really was, did the promises match the expectations and  where did world leaders deliver or fall short . COP 30 was held in Belém, the gateway to the Amazon. From extreme heat and climate-driven floods and fires to the political symbolism of choosing the Amazon over Rio, the setting shaped everything. 

The expectations were high this year. Brazil promised a ‘forest-first COP,’ with more youth engagement, significant inclusion of indigenous communities and major moves on finance and fossil fuels. Our host Simon Chin Yee, from UCL’s School of Public Policy and one of our guest Elena, Climate Reality Project Central and Eastern Europe, both of whom attended COP30 shares their biggest takeaways from Belem.

Our other guest, Susannah Fisher, is a leading researcher and author whose new book on climate adaptation, Sink or Swim, was published in August (Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sink-Swim-world-changing-climate/dp/1399414054/). In this episode, she explains why adaptation is a crucial part of the COP agenda and why it can’t be overlooked.

The episode also features the recent National Emergency Briefing on climate, and its important call to action to sign their petition to ask the government and all public service broadcasters to hold an urgent televised briefing so that everyone understands the profound risks this crisis poses to themselves and their families.
https://www.nebriefing.org/open-letter-keir
 
Credits:
Date of episode recording: 28th Nov 2026
Duration: 39:38
Language of episode: English 
Presenter: Professor Mark Maslin and Dr Simon Chin-Yee
Producer: Adam Batstone

Guests:
Susannah Fisher – Author and Principal Research Fellow at Department of Risk and Disaster Reduction, UCL.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sink-Swim-world-changing-climate/dp/1399414054/
Elena-Alexandra Miron – Central and Eastern Europe Regional Organiser, Climate Reality Project.

Season 5, Episode 12 - The COP Verdict: What Went Right and Wrong

What makes a thriller truly unputdownable? Which novels have a sense of place that feels like its own character? What are your favourite darker reads for winter nights. We answer these questions and more on our latest episode of Ask Penguin. 

We’re joined by best-selling author, Paula Hawkins, who discusses art, love and remote islands in her latest thriller, The Blue Hour, as well as answering your latest questions with plenty of book recommendations to help you find your next read.

Paula Hawkins worked as a journalist for fifteen years before writing her first novel. Born and brought up in Zimbabwe, she moved to London in 1989. Her first thriller The Girl on the Train became a global phenomenon, selling over 23 million copies. Published in over fifty languages, it was a No.1 bestseller around the world and a box-office-hit film starring Emily Blunt.

Paula's subsequent thrillers have all been instant Sunday Times bestsellers. In 2021 A Slow Fire Burning was nominated for Thriller of the Year at the British Book Awards, and in 2025 The Blue Hour was voted the Good Housekeeping Good Books winner.

What makes a setting feel so vivid it becomes a character? With Paula Hawkins

In this episode, Professor Philip Schofield sits down with Dr Jane Gilmour, Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant Clinical Psychologist, to debunk the myths around the condition. Dr Gilmour offers a fresh perspective on Tourette's: sharing insights into treatment, and championing how society should not condemn what causes no harm.

About the series How much do we understand the human mind? This question is at the heart of Beautiful Minds- The Greatest Good. Uncover facts about the mind as our expert speakers challenge misconceptions of autism, clear up common myths about Tourette's Syndrome and propose strategies for making our society more inclusive.

Credits:

Date of episode recording: 2024-12-01
Duration: 00:29:11
Language of episode: English
Presenter: Professor Philip Schofield
Guests: Dr Jane Gilmour
Producer: Stevie Doran
Director: Justin Hardy (IOE - Culture, Communication & Media, UCL)  
Commissioners: Professor David Docherty OBE & Dr Paul Ayris (Pro-Vice-Provost LCCOS: Library, Culture, Collections and Open Science, UCL) 

Season 2, Episode 6 - Tourette’s Mythbusting, featuring Dr Jane Gilmour

Oxford University Press’s academic insights for the thinking world combine authority, innovation, and excellence.  We share audio resources for students, scholars, and researchers.

Alan Turing (1912-1954), computer pioneer

Oxford Academic (OUP)

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