Shows / Mythmakers
Mythmakers
Mythmakers is the podcast for fantasy fans and creatives, brought to you by the Oxford Centre for Fantasy. In each episode, we embark on an exploration of the world of fantasy—both classic and contemporary. From the stories behind your favourite series to expert tips for aspiring writers, we dive into books, films, TV shows, and the creative process behind them. Brought to you from the heart of Oxford—home to literary greats like J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Lewis Carroll—we continue the…
Episodes
MythmakersSidecast - LOTR: An Author's Journey, Book 1 Chapter 2
We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it…
MythmakersThe War of the Rohirrim: New LotR Film
Have you heard about the new Lord of the Rings film? Not The Hunt for Gollum, but another from the Peter Jackson writing team! Philippa Boyens has teamed up…
MythmakersSidecast - LOTR: An Author's Journey, Book 1 Chapter 1
We are going on an adventure! Love The Lord of the Rings? Why not read along with us as we consider the books from the writer's point of view! Taking it…
MythmakersLucy Strange: The Island at the Edge of Night
Ever wondered what it would be like to be caught in a living nightmare and shipped off to a mysterious island to attend a lethal boarding school? You can find…
MythmakersThe Rings of Power, Season 2: Our Hopes and Fears
Amazon has released its teaser trailer and the first 'behind the scenes' video of The Rings of Power: Season 2. Join Julia Golding on today’s episode of…
MythmakersHunt for Gollum: What Might Be in Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis' New Film
Very excitingly, Peter Jackson and Andy Serkis have announced that they are teaming up for a new film: The Hunt for Gollum. Join us on today’s episode of…
MythmakersShould Dark Lords be Rationed? Evil in Fantasy - Part 2
Today on Mythmakers we enter into the second part of our discussion of evil in fantasy stories, progressing on to contemporary fantasy stories, and beginning…
MythmakersShould Dark Lords be Rationed? Evil in Fantasy - Part 1
Terry Pratchett famously said that “dark lords should be rationed” - but there is so much more to say about evil in fantasy than the cliche of the…
MythmakersTop 5 Moments in The Lord of the Rings
Join us on today’s episode of Mythmakers where we've boldly picked our top five moments in The Lord of the Rings novels! Have a listen as Julia Golding…
MythmakersHistorical v. Fantasy Fiction
Join in on today’s episode of Mythmakers as we dive into the surprising similarities between writing historical fiction and fantasy fiction. Julia…
MythmakersRomantasy: Rebecca Yarros and the Latest Fantasy Craze
What's all this fuss about romantasy? Accompany Julia Golding on today’s episode of Mythmakers on a quest for the origin of this sub-fantasy genre, and…
MythmakersCultural Takeover? 3 Body Problem and Other Adaptations
Netflix’s 3 Body Problem has raised some questions as to whether or not it is right to move a story’s adaptation to a different country. Is it…
MythmakersPercy Jackson... Our Verdict on the Adaptations
What makes for a good adaptation of a beloved book series? Today on Mythmakers, Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker discuss the latest fantasy series to undergo a…
MythmakersDamsels Not in Distress
On today’s episode of Mythmakers, Julia Golding reviews the latest Netflix fantasy film offering: Damsel, starring Millie Bobby Brown. Take a listen and…
MythmakersNew Zealand and Peter Jackson
What effect has Peter Jackson’s filming of two Tolkien trilogies had on New Zealand? Has New Zealand skewed our appreciation of Tolkien's works? What…
MythmakersThe Oscars and Fantasy Movies
The Oscars are fast approaching and we’re starting off Season 5 of Mythmakers with Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker discussing the intriguing history of…
MythmakersMythmakers Season 4 Wrap Up: Season Highlights
As 2023 — and our fourth season of Mythmakers — draw to a close, we’re taking a look back at our 5 most popular episodes of the season…
MythmakersUniverses - Good or Bad for Creativity
It would seem that every fandom is getting its own universe; First Marvel, then DC, Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter and now the Whoniverse. Is this…
MythmakersThe Dr Who Episode: Steve Cole and MG Harris - Part 2
Dr Who is celebrating 60 years and getting its own Whoniverse - thanks to the BBC link up with Disney. To celebrate this most British of time travellers, Julia…
MythmakersThe Dr Who Episode: Steve Cole and MG Harris - Part 1
Dr Who is celebrating 60 years and getting its own Whoniverse - thanks to the BBC link up with Disney. To celebrate this most British of time travellers, Julia…
MythmakersCS Lewis 60 Years On
60 years on from the death of CS Lewis how is his legacy viewed? We’ll look at him as writer, academic and as a Christian apologist. Join us to find out…
MythmakersDavid D. Levine: The Kuiper Belt Job – Part 2
We are set for outer space as Julia Golding talks to the award-winning science fiction writer David D. Levine. David shares his journey into science fiction…
MythmakersDavid D. Levine: The Kuiper Belt Job – Part 1
We are set for outer space as Julia Golding talks to the award-winning science fiction writer David D. Levine. David shares his journey into science fiction…
MythmakersVampires v. Werewolves - the Halloween Edition
As Halloween approaches Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker discuss the fantasy origins of two of our favourite spooky creatures - Vampires and Werewolves. Who…
MythmakersResult of the Oxford/Pushkin Children's Fantasy Prize
Join us for a very special episode of Mythmakers: an Inklings style reading of our finalists in the inaugural Oxford/Pushkin Children's Fantasy Prize. Meet all…
MythmakersFantasy Writing - Why Go Small?
Join Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker as they discuss the issue of scale when writing fantasy. Starting small by thinking of smaller than average people at the…
MythmakersAnna Waterworth - The Girl Who Grew Wings
Internationally acclaimed fantasy author, Anna Waterworth, pays a visit to the Mythmakers studio to talk about her latest book, The Girl who Grew Wings. She…
MythmakersWhy it is dangerous to study Tolkien?
It is a dangerous business going out of your front door, according to Bilbo - but so is studying Tolkien! On today’s episode, Julia Golding reports on…
MythmakersAn Evening with the Inklings - JRR Tolkien
Today’s episode of Mythmakers is the third part of our series looking into four of the main Inklings members. In the second part of our Inklings Evening…
MythmakersAn Evening with the Inklings - Owen Barfield
Have you ever wished that you could be a fly on the wall at a meeting of the original Inklings? We certainly have! Last year we invited four experts to…
MythmakersThe Rings of Power v. The Lord of the Rings Musical
We interrupt our 4-part Inklings series to bring you our honest review of the Lord of the Rings musical on today’s Mythmakers episode! Join us as Julia…
MythmakersAn Evening with the Inklings - Meet the Inklings Experts
Today’s episode of Mythmakers is part one of a four-part special deep dive into four of the legendary Inklings: J.R.R. Tolkien, represented by Colin…
MythmakersTolkien's Faith - a Spiritual Biography
Professor Holly Ordway returns to Mythmakers on today’s episode to discuss her new book on Tolkien's Faith. Having been first an agnostic, then an…
MythmakersAndy Serkis Reads The Silmarillion - The Verdict (Season 4 Premiere!)
Welcome to Mythmakers Season 4!! Since April of 2022 Andy Serkis has been working his way through Tolkien's books, producing audio versions of The Lord of the…
MythmakersMythmakers Season 3 Finale: The Tolkien Top 5
As Season 3 of the Mythmakers podcast draws to a close, we are commemorating this milestone by highlighting our top 5 Tolkien themed podcasts that we have…
MythmakersBest and Worst Fathers in The Lord of the Rings
As we look forward to celebrating Father's Day, on today’s episode of Mythmakers we’ll take a look at the best and worst fathers in The Lord of the…
MythmakersCelebrating Fantasy Illustrators - John Tenniel
Let's celebrate the contribution to fantasy by our favourite illustrators! Today we start by taking a look at the grandfather of Oxford Fantasy Illustration…
MythmakersFrom Colours to Makeovers – Mythmakers Ask us Anything
If you have had a question for the Oxford Centre for Fantasy, you won’t want to miss this episode of Mythmakers! In this episode, Julia Golding answers…
MythmakersTolkien's Modern Reading with Holly Ordway
We are used to thinking of Tolkien being all about the past - old languages, old stories and no post-Shakespearean literature going into his cauldron of…
MythmakersThe Hobbit Tea Party - Readathon Livestream
As our Readathon of The Hobbit drew to a close, we celebrated our journey to the Lonely Mountain and back again with a Hobbit Tea Party Livestream event! Julia…
MythmakersBehind the Scenes at the Oxford Centre for Fantasy – Part 2: Where Next?
What's our story? It’s time to get to know the Oxford Centre for Fantasy. Find out how we emerged from an effort to buy Tolkien's house, but ended up…
MythmakersTop Ten Fantasy Royals - Coronation Special
As King Charles III is crowned in the first coronation in most people's living memory, we take this opportunity to look at our top 10 fantasy royals. We trawl…
MythmakersBehind the Scenes at the Oxford Centre for Fantasy – Part 1: How We Got Here
What's our story? It’s time to get to know the Oxford Centre for Fantasy. Find out how we emerged from an effort to buy Tolkien's house, but ended up…
MythmakersDungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves - Our Verdict
It started with a board game in the 1970s and now has become a major motion picture. If you are thinking of watching Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves…
MythmakersAI Revolution: What should writers and artists do? Part 2: Text
The tidal wave of AI art and AI generated text is upon us. What should writers and artists do about it? Author Julia Golding talks to Pete Williamson, an…
MythmakersAI Revolution: What should writers and artists do? Part 1: Images
The tidal wave of AI art and AI generated text is upon us. What should writers and artists do about it? Author Julia Golding talks to Pete Williamson, an…
MythmakersEggs! Cracking open Myths and Legends
Ever wondered why we have a bunny collecting eggs at Easter? In this seasonal podcast Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker take a crack at the long history of eggs…
MythmakersTolkien and Creativity: Creation as Jazz - Part 2
One of the most inspiring aspects of Tolkien's work is his thinking about creativity. Following a question from a listener, Jacob Rennaker and Julia Golding…
MythmakersTolkien and Creativity: Creation as Jazz - Part 1
One of the most inspiring aspects of Tolkien's work is his thinking about creativity. Following a question from a listener, Jacob Rennaker and Julia Golding…
MythmakersKatherine Livesey: Girls in Love
Katherine Livesey, writer of the Sisters of Shadow trilogy, got her first deal at 26. Hear about her steps to becoming an author and how her search for stories…
MythmakersJennifer Hayashi Danns: Adventures with Gender
Today we present you with something very different! Jennifer Hayashi Danns tells us about her journey to being an author and describes her innovative fantasy…
MythmakersH.S. Norup: Do Faeries Need a Makeover?
H.S. Norup, author of Into the Faerie Hill, The Missing Barbegazi and The Hungry Ghost, uses her world travel to inspire her fantasy. In her latest book she is…
MythmakersLilly Inkwood and the Fantasy Spy Thriller
One of the things we love at Mythmakers is to meet new fantasy authors. Germany-based author, Lilly Inkwood, originally from Easter Europe and who writes in…
MythmakersThe Problem with Orcs
We need to talk about...orcs. Where do they come from? Are they ruined elves, or something else? What is the history of Tolkien's own thoughts on the subject?…
MythmakersTolkien 50 Years On
In September we will be commemorating 50 years since the death of Tolkien. In this episode Julia Golding and Jacob Rennaker look at the changing fortunes of…
MythmakersSeason 3 Premiere! - Rabbits in Fantasy
Welcome to the Mythmakers Season 3 premiere! Please share and tell a friend...we're so glad you're along for the journey! 22nd January ushers in the Year of…
MythmakersMythmakers Season 2 Finale - Seasonal Round-Up
As we approach the end of the year, we reach the end of Season 2 of our Mythmakers podcast. Today’s episode highlights this year’s most popular podcasts…
MythmakersBramble Fox - Prize-Winning German Fantasy Writer, Kathrin Tordasi, and Portal Fantasy
Kathrin Tordasi is a prize-winning German writer whose first book for children, Bramble Fox, has just been translated into English by Cathrin Wirtz. Julia…
MythmakersRetelling Fairytales - A Lost Writer We Need To Rediscover - Madame D'Aulnoy
History has not remembered some fabulous women writers - even the woman who gave us the term 'fairy tale' to start with! Meet Madame D'Aulnoy and hear about…
MythmakersThe Silmarillion Readathon Livestream Event
Julia Golding and Tolkien experts Jacob Rennaker and Paula Kalamaras hosted the second exclusive Readathon livestream event on completion of our latest…