In this episode, Charlie and Rosie are joined by our friend and very special guest, Eleanor Barraclough, as we explore the roles that media work can play in academic and academic-adjacent career paths.

Eleanor shares and reflects on her (extensive) experiences in working with radio, TV, and print media, and we explore topics such as: the challenges of getting into media work; the benefits and sometimes also the drawbacks of working with media outlets while also following an academic career; and we ask what role media work has in an academic career in general.

Eleanor (https://eleanorbarraclough.com) began her career in media by being appointed as a BBC New Generation Thinker in 2013, and since then, she has made content for BBC Radio 3 and radio 4, BBC channels including BBC Four, she’s written various trade articles and books – which ties in nicely about what we were talking about the other week with Lizzie Boyle - and she has been on LOTS of different History podcasts. She’s also just written a brand-new book on the Vikings, called Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age, which was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction.

Some links:
New Generation Thinkers scheme: https://www.ukri.org/opportunity/new-generation-thinkers-2025/
Eleanor's new book:https://eleanorbarraclough.com/activity/embers-of-the-hands-hidden-histories-of-the-viking-age-profile-2024/