Charlie and Paul McVeigh (I Hear You) discuss Paul's time writing stories for the BBC, being an emotional writer, and a traumatic medical experience that has had a big effect on some of his work.
Please note there are two incredibly mild swear words in this episode.
General references:
BBC Writers Room, now BBC Writers
Paul's play is called Big Man
Paul's blog post about tips from Heather Larmour
Books mentioned by name or extensively:
Kit de Waal: My Name Is Leon
Kit de Waal (ed.): Common People
Paul McVeigh: The Good Son
Paul McVeigh: I Hear You
Paul McVeigh (ed.) The 32
Paul McVeigh (ed.) Queer Love
Sarah Butler: Ten Things I’ve Learnt About Love
Sinéad Gleeson (ed.) The Art Of The Glimpse
Wendy Erskine: Sweet Home
Wendy Erskine: Dance Move
Release details: recorded 7th April 2025; published 28th July 2025
Where to find Paul online: Website || Instagram
Where to find Charlie online: Website || Instagram || TikTok
Discussions
01:28 Paul talks about being commissioned by the BBC to write the short stories now featured in I Hear You, as well as his success in doing so
07:03 Why publish these short stories in a collection now?
13:01 Did Paul's working class background have an affect on the resilience he's discussed?
16:37 The first story, Tickles. We also talk about Paul being an emotional writer
26:01 The second story, Cuckoo, which is heavily influenced by an operation Paul had
32:45 About the 10 linked stories, The Circus
38:23 Paul tells us about the short story collection he's currently writing
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com