Frank Turner's Tales From No Man's Land

SURPRISE!! You thought it was all over...well, sadly it is but before we part ways we thought we'd give you one final bonus episode to wrap up the Tales From No Man's Land series. Cast your mind back to those long, hazy summer days and reminisce with this live podcast recorded at Latitude Festival. Featuring live versions of songs from the album and a discussion about the album led by Frank.

To round off the series Frank is joined by the remarkable woman who inspired the final song on his album No Man's Land, Rosemary Jane, aka his mum! She might not be a historical figure just yet, but there’s still time! The pair discuss the album as a whole, the tales of each of the women who inspired it and Rosemary offers some choice memories from Frank's childhood - whether he likes it or not!

Frank is joined by writer and host of the Criminal Broads podcast Tori Telfer to discuss one of the more problematic characters of his album, Nannie Doss. Don't be fooled, she is not as innocent as her name suggests. She was in fact a serial killer who admitted to killing four of her five husbands – one of whom she found in the Lonely Hearts column of a magazine. It's suspected that she also killed her mother, sister, mother-in-law and grandson, although she never admitted to these. Her name the Giggling Granny came about after she showed no remorse for her crimes, simply commenting that she hadn’t met her “perfect mate” yet...

This episode is about a woman whose love of music was so powerful that she uprooted her life for it. Pannonica Rothschild, or 'Nica' became the black sheep of her famous banking family after she was consumed by a newfound passion for bebop. She ditched her family, relocated from France to New York, and spent the rest of her life as a jazz patroness; befriending many prominent jazz musicians such as Thelonius Monk and Charlie Parker. She was affectionately known as ‘The Jazz Baroness’.Joining Frank to discuss Nica's legacy is broadcaster and singer Jumoké Fashola.

Frank tells the tale of a young woman who drowned in the river Seine in Paris in the 1800's. As was common in this period a cast of her face, known as a 'death mask', was displayed in the morgue for her family to claim. Sadly she was never identified, but her story doesn't end there. Her peaceful expression captivated so many that very quickly moulds were made and her likeness was hung on the walls of homes across Paris. She became known as L'Inconnue de la Seine, or The Unknown Woman of the Seine. Years later, a toy maker discovered her death mask and used it as the face of the first CPR doll, which he named Rescue Annie. Frank meets Art Historian and Curator Katy Hessel to discuss the woman behind the mask.

Huda Sha’arawi was a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union. In 1923 she famously removed her full-face veil in front of a crowd at Cairo station, which sent a shockwave through the Arab world. Huda's actions became a landmark gesture for women’s rights activists in Egypt and she was often referred to as The Lioness. In this episode Frank speaks to Huda's granddaughter Sania Sharawi Lanfranchi, who has written a biography about her grandmother's life entitled 'Casting Off The Veil."

Frank meets with record producer Catherine J Marks at Assault and Battery studios in North-West London where he recorded his album No Man's Land. The pair breakdown the recording process behind the song Silent Key and the story of the woman who inspired it; astronaut and teacher Christa McAuliffe, who was killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster.You can buy and stream Frank's album No Man's Land hereThis episode was produced by Hayley Clarke and the executive producer was Peggy Sutton. There was additional production from Paul Smith, Steve Ackerman, Josh Gibbs and Charlie Caplowe. Tales from No Man’s Land is produced by Frank Turner, Xtra Mile Recordings and Somethin’ Else.

Frank is joined by poet, playwright and translator Sasha Dugdale to discuss the woman behind the song I Believed You, William Blake. Catherine Blake was the wife of the great visionary, painter and poet, who played a crucial role in his life. As well as running the household and keeping him (relatively) sane, she took an active role in his art; assisting with painting, printing and engraving. During his lifetime William Blake enjoyed very little success. It was Catherine who, after his death, began the process of his public rehabilitation and rise to fame. It’s perhaps down to her that we know about him at all.This episode features an extract from Sasha Dugdale's book Joy. Published by Carcanet Press, it received the 2016 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem.You can buy and stream Frank's album No Man's Land here.This episode was produced by Hayley Clarke and the executive producer was Peggy Sutton. There was additional production from Paul Smith, Steve Ackerman, Josh Gibbs and Charlie Caplowe. Tales from No Man’s Land is produced by Frank Turner, Xtra Mile Recordings and Somethin’ Else.