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Join two amateur Grimmologists round the fire to read and discuss the tales of the Brothers Grimm.
Episodes
Sunday Dec 21, 2025
Sunday Dec 21, 2025
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Tchaikovsky's "Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy" & "The Magical Castle in the Kingdom of Sweets" from The Nutcracker Suite from the music.org European Archive
Sunday Dec 14, 2025
Sunday Dec 14, 2025
Has Christmas always been wholesome? What did Halloween steal from Christmas? And what happens when you bump into a Krampus?
Join us for a special interview episode, where we talk to Sarah Clegg, author of "The Dead of Winter: The Demons, Witches and Ghosts of Christmas".
We discuss her run-ins with Christmas monsters, learn about the surprisingly unruly history of Christmas celebrations, and hear why Jacob Grimm may have a lot to answer for...
From wassailing to ghostly walks, this is Christmas in a whole new light.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Sunday Dec 07, 2025
Sunday Dec 07, 2025
An industrious woman dreams big, but how will her husband, Long Laurence react when she reveals her plans?
An unexpectedly brutal tale leads to an exploration of 'air castles', from Aesop to Leo Tolstoy, and a man getting a faceful of rice gruel...
This episode is Certified Grimm for adult themes and may not be suitable for all listeners.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Brahms' Piano Trio No.2, Op.87 performed by Edwin Fischer, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, & Enrico Mainardi // Brahms' String Quintet No.1, Op.88 performed by Musicians from Marlboro // Brahms' 7 Fantasien, Op.116 performed by Ivan Ilić
Sunday Nov 23, 2025
Sunday Nov 23, 2025
Evil wizards, crying stags, sharp-shooting damsels – prepare for a wild tale as the Grimms go full Indiana Jones with "The Glass Coffin".
A poor tailor seeks shelter from a storm in a forest cabin; little does he know his life is about to change forever. When a violent stag abducts him, the tailor finds himself in a mysterious cave complete with two glass boxes. What will he find? And why did the Edwardians go mad for glass caskets?
Find out all this and more in our latest episode.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Beethoven's Sonata, La major, Op.69 - I. Allegro ma non tanto.1 // Chopin's Fantasy-Impromptu No. 4 in C sharp minor, Op. 66
Sunday Nov 09, 2025
Sunday Nov 09, 2025
It’s a 2-4-1 deal at Grimm Castle today as we read TWO Brothers Grimm tales: “The Hurds” and “Looking For A Bride”.
What’s the correct way to choose your spouse? What does ‘hurd’ mean? And what’s the best way to prep cheese? All this and more will be revealed as we explore two short, sweet and sexist tales from the master storytellers.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Brahms' 2 Rhapsodies, Op.79 performed by Luis Kolodin // Brahms' Hungarian Dance No.2 in D minor performed by Caroline Goulding & Shuai Wang // Brahms' String Sextet No.1, Op.18 performed by Musicians from Marlboro
Sunday Oct 26, 2025
Sunday Oct 26, 2025
Things are getting spooky at Castle Grimm as we celebrate Halloween with the story “Koshchei the Deathless”, aka “Maria Morevna”.
Prepare to be whisked into a world of immortal evil wizards, battle-loving queens, and rivers of fire. There may even feature a brief cameo from an old friend…
Happy Halloween all!
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Aram Khachaturian's Masquerade Waltz // Liszt's Totentanz (Dance of the Dead) S. 126/2
Sunday Oct 12, 2025
Sunday Oct 12, 2025
We’re back for series 8!
Magic beds, secret raves, invisible soldiers - we kick things off with "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" aka "The Shoes That Were Danced To Pieces".
It’s a somewhat famous story and surprisingly magical and romantic for the Grimms, albeit overtly violent and deeply problematic.
So join us as we once more delve into the world of the Brothers Grimm, and chase this folk tale from ancient Babylon through Victorian England (via the story "Kate Crackernuts"), and ending unexpectedly at Barbie.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Strauss's Wiener Blut Op.354 Waltz // Tchaikovsky's Waltz in F sharp minor, no. 9 from Op. 40
Thursday Oct 02, 2025
Thursday Oct 02, 2025
The series is over, but were you listening? Join us for a live quiz where we ask questions on Series 7 trivia, and three lucky winners receive prizes.
Series 8 is coming on October 12th!
You can watch the live quiz on YouTube via this link.
Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Sunday Jun 01, 2025
Sunday Jun 01, 2025
Season 7 is in the bag! But which stories were the best and worst of the bunch?
We reveal the winners and losers of the series, share some porridge updates, hear what listeners have to say, and set up the start of series 8.
QUIZ! Saturday 28th June 7pm (BST)
Link to the Series 7 Live Quiz so you can subscribe and join in the fun.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Dvořák's String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat Major // Dvořák's Humoresque
Sunday May 11, 2025
Sunday May 11, 2025
Three friendly bachelor bears decide to take a walk while their porridge cools. Little do they suspect that an opportunistic young lady called Goldilocks will break in and help herself to breakfast.
Will the bears catch her in the act or will she get away? What’s the best way to have porridge? And where do Aristotle and Stephen Hawking fit into all this?
Join us for the series seven finale as we read Goldilocks and the Three Bears - and then share the history of how the story developed.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Dvorak's Legends, Op.59 - 2. Molto moderato (G major) // Beethoven's Piano Sonata no.15 in D major op.28 Pastoral - IV. Rondo. Allegro ma non tropp, performed by Karine Gilanyan
Sunday Apr 27, 2025
Sunday Apr 27, 2025
Creepy villains, elderly princesses, troublesome beards - this is not your average fairy tale.
In Old Rinkrank, a princess gets imprisoned in a glass mountain by an evil creature and given an unpleasant new name. Will she be able to save herself? And will her fiancé have waited for her? Find out in the penultimate episode of the season!
After the story, we attempt to ascend our own glass mountain and identify the tale's place in the canon of folklore, leading us to Poland and Norway where things get, you guessed, nice and weird.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Beethoven's Piano Sonata no. 14 in C#m 'Moonlight', Op. 27 no. 2 - III. Presto // Beethoven's 13 Sonata No. 8 in C Minor Pathétique, Op. 13 - III. Rondo-Allegro
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
Sunday Apr 13, 2025
When a horned owl takes up residence in a barn, the townsfolk slowly lose their minds as they try to oust the intruder. Will the townsfolk come to their senses and the owl escape? Or is the owl to meet a grisly end?
From owls to algorithms, killer trains to Puerto Rican pirate vessels, this episode takes us on a wild ride through some of the stranger corners of history as we dig into what exactly this story means.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Camille Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33 - I. Allegro non troppo // Franz Schubert's Sonata in B Flat Major, D. 960 - IV. Allegro ma non troppo, performed by Paul Pittman
Sunday Apr 06, 2025
Sunday Apr 06, 2025
This is the full episode of our latest Grimmflix - a special Patreon series where we review grimmesque movies. We enjoyed it and wanted to share with everyone.
In this episode of Grimmflix, we review the 1987 cult classic movie, The Princess Bride.
Will Adam love it? Was it worth the wait? We share our thoughts on the movie before awarding our Grimms.
We then explore the making of the film and share some behind-the-scenes stories, thanks to Cary Elwes' memoir, As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride.
For more episodes of Grimmflix, and other special episodes and perks, check out our Patreon. And you can also join in on our Princess Bride book club too!
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Theme music: Also Sprach Zarathustra, by Richard Strauss
Other music: Chopin's Valse No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 64, No. 1 ('Minute' Waltz)
Sunday Mar 23, 2025
Sunday Mar 23, 2025
A king is dying. But which of his three sons shall inherit the kingdom? There’s only one way to decide…
Things get sluggardly and etymological in this episode as we read The Three Sluggards by The Brothers Grimm.
After the story, before we know what’s hit us we’re discussing everything from Sussex slang words, slugs, our old friend Straparola, and Kim Jong Un.
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Duchess Anna Amalia of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel's Erwin and Elmire: Overture. Peter Gulke, conductor.
Sunday Mar 09, 2025
Sunday Mar 09, 2025
When a farmer grows a giant turnip and is rewarded by the king, his jealous brother plots to murder him. How will he escape his assassins? And does the titular turnip have anything to do with the plot?
Find out in this episode, where we read The Turnip by the Brothers Grimm!
After the story, we're led across a world of culture - from Pulp Fiction to Serbian hip-hop to the UK's obsession with giant vegetables.
If you want to grow your own giant veg along with us, check out giantvegseeds.com.
And here's a link to Rep Repa, for your listening pleasure.
Patrons, don't forget to vote for the series finale!
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Theme music: Bicycle Waltz by Goodbye Kumiko
Other Music: Dvorak's String Quintet No. 3 in E-flat Major // Rokeri s Moravu's Rep Repa