Episode
Geoffrey Chaucer (Radio Edit)
- Podcast
- You're Dead to Me
- Published
- May 29, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1681
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0nh0x1x
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/you-re-dead-to-me-646788/episodes/geoffrey-chaucer-radio-edit/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/you-re-dead-to-me-646788/geoffrey-chaucer-radio-edit.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
Greg Jenner is joined in medieval England by Professor Marion Turner and comedian Mike Wozniak to learn all about Geoffrey Chaucer, author of the Canterbury Tales. Since the 15th century, Chaucer has been referred to as the father of English literature. He was one of the first authors to champion the use of Middle English for poetry instead of Latin, and after the invention of the printing press, his works became the foundation of the English literary canon – long before Shakespeare ever put quill to parchment. But Chaucer’s life was as extraordinary as his legacy, living as he did through the Black Death, the Hundred Years’ War between England and France, and the Peasants’ Revolt. In this episode, Greg and his guests explore Chaucer’s dramatic biography: growing up the son of a wine merchant in fourteenth-century London, his work for the royal court and long career as a medieval civil servant, his relationship with John of Gaunt through his mistress Katherine Swynford, and his travels throughout Europe. They also examine the poets that influenced him – including Petrarch, Bocaccio and Dante – and take a deep dive into the famous Canterbury Tales. This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Rosalyn Sklar Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars