The Hatchards Podcast

On this episode, we are joined by Edward Chisholm, author of our Non-Fiction Book of the Month for May, Murder in Paris ’68. This gripping French crime saga uncovers a vast criminal conspiracy surrounding cinema icon Alain Delon, who was once accused of murdering his friend and bodyguard, Stevan Marković.

The so-called 'Marković Affair' entangled figures ranging from organised crime to President Georges Pompidou, and Chisholm draws on still-classified material and the defining films of the era to revisit a moment of glamour, corruption, and cultural change.

Hosted by Ryan Edgington. Produced by Lily Woods and Matthew Hennessey.

On this episode, we’re joined by the author of our Fiction Book of the Month for April, Jean-Noël Orengo, whose novel, intriguingly titled You Are the Führer’s Unrequited Love, is an imagined portrait of the life and lies of Albert Speer, Hitler’s closest confidant and chosen architect for Nazi Germany.

Speer, who was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity at Nuremberg, successfully transformed his public image from that of a war criminal into that of the prototypical “Good Nazi,” becoming an international celebrity and one of the most prominent historical chroniclers of the Third Reich. Now, as we approach a time when almost no living witnesses remain, Orengo’s novel asks vital questions about who gets to write history and whether it can be relied upon.

Hosted by Ryan Edgington. Produced by Lily Woods.

On this episode, we're joined by Sir Antony Beevor, the bestselling military historian behind true classics of the genre like Stalingrad and The Second World War.
His new book, Rasputin and the Downfall of the Romanovs, is a deeply researched portrait of Russia’s notorious “mad monk,” and how a barely literate peasant rose to exert extraordinary influence over the Imperial family.
In our conversation, Beevor describes a social order on the verge of extinction, with Rasputin acting as its key accelerant. Tensions mount to the point where collapse feels inevitable—not a matter of if, but when. And it’s how each of the figures in this remarkable story responds to that sense of inevitability that ultimately seals their fate.
Hosted by Ryan Edgington. Produced by Lily Woods.

On this episode, we’re joined by Julian Sancton, the investigative journalist and author of Neptune’s Fortune, which brings us into the world of 20th-century treasure hunting and the search for a Spanish galleon containing over a billion pounds’ worth of gold and silver. At the center of this story is Roger Dooley, a larger-than-life Cuban American archaeologist who dedicated his life to finding it.

Julian tells us how he gained access to this world of colourful characters, why stories of the sea continue to motivate his writing life, and how he shaped a story that combines adventure, geopolitics, and centuries of maritime history.

Hosted by Ryan Edgington.

On this episode, we’re joined by an art world institution –– the American sculptor, Tom Sachs.
He joins us to discuss The Tom Sachs Guide, a visual retrospective of his work which aims to both contextualise and demystify his unique way of seeing the world, as well as the creative inspirations and working methods that drive his famous studio.
What motivates Tom’s work, and indeed this conversation, is the idea of contradiction.
By turning iconic brands into bricolage sculptures like ‘Prada Toilet’ or ‘Chanel Guillotine,’ he shows us how the aesthetic beauty of luxury objects can sit alongside their effects on consumer culture, without one idea essentially neutralising the other. It’s a refreshing perspective in today’s world of increased polarisation, and one that makes Tom a uniquely compelling guest.
His enormous body of work, which includes everything from sought-after Nike trainers to a full-scale replica of an Apollo spacecraft, has attracted both significant praise and some controversy throughout his near-40-year career.
Hosted by Ryan Edgington.