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Tophole!

The podcast about Elinor M Brent-Dyer, the Chalet School, and anything vaguely connected


Latest episode

  • 8. Victorian poets and no gym apparatus

    20:52||Season 3, Ep. 8
    We're starting 2026 with an EBD book that finishes on Christmas Day because we have been Rather Unwell and so we are Running A Bit Late. In this episode I'm talking about a Chalet connector, and one of EBD's best books to boot.Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/01/13/s3e8-victorian-poets-and-no-gym-apparatus/You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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  • 7. Pageants and carols

    27:26||Season 3, Ep. 7
    We're somewhat late with this episode (sorry), but we're here now and focussing on fun seasonal stuff! Which is your favourite - The Bells of Christmas, or Strangers at the Inn? I totally want to rush out and create a steaming boar's head prop now.Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/12/17/s2e7-pageants-and-carols/You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.
  • 6. The Leader of the Gang

    28:28||Season 3, Ep. 6
    Back to Switzerland this week, as we take a look at the 34th Chalet School book, Mary-Lou of the Chalet School.Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/12/02/s3e6-the-leader-of-the-gang/You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.
  • 5. Brown tunics and orange ties (2)

    24:09||Season 3, Ep. 5
    In which Hayley, Wendy and I conclude our discussion about which is better, Malory Towers or the Chalet School, and then I mop up the bits we didn't discuss and the things we got wrong!Transcript at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/s3e5-brown-tunics-and-orange-ties-2/We'd love to hear from you! You can find Tophole on Facebook, or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.
  • 4. Brown tunics and orange ties (1)

    20:42||Season 3, Ep. 4
    They wear the same uniform, so what's the difference between the Chalet School and Malory Towers? Well...Episode transcript at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/11/04/s3e4-brown-tunics-and-orange-ties-1/You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.comPart 2 in a fortnight!
  • 3. Back to the very beginning

    26:39||Season 3, Ep. 3
    Loads of spoilers in this consideration of EBD's first book, Gerry Goes to School, without which there would be no Chalet School... what an awful thought.Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/s3e3-back-to-the-very-beginning/You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.
  • 2. Shall we make the uniform more artistic?

    37:22||Season 3, Ep. 2
    In October 1925, a new school story arrived in bookshops: The School at the Chalet, by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. 100 years and 58 books later, here we are still talking about what she had created. Wendy and Hayley join in the conversation - as do several listeners, who shared what the Chalet School means to them.Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/s3e2-shall-we-make-the-uniform-more-artistic/You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.