• Introducing Character Study
    May 15 2026

    If you liked The Tidal Year, you'll like author Freya Bromley's new podcast, Character Study.


    Everyone plays a character. But what does it really mean to turn your life into art? In this new podcast series, Freya explores how writers, artists and performers shape their character. Each episode, she’ll be talking to creatives of every discipline about the delicate art of finding inspiration in the everyday. From memoir to standup via autofiction and Instagram, what happens when we blur the lines between fact and fiction? These conversations explore how seeing yourself as a ‘character’ in your own story can unearth unexpected courage, compassion and curiosity. And maybe even a bit more self-reflection.


    This podcast isn’t just for writers, it’s for anyone trying to make sense of their own story.


    Series 1 guests include Emma Gannon, Hope Tala, Hannah Murray, Will Harris, Sharlene Teo, Sarvat Hasin, Ben Pope, Lucas Oakeley and more


    📲 Follow @freybromley on Instagram for updates and to ask your questions

    📚 Join Freya’s newsletter at freyabromley.substack.com for behind the scenes thoughts

    🎙️And hit subscribe wherever you get your podcasts

    https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/character-study/id1896655831


    #CharacterStudy #LiteraryPodcast #bookpodcast

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    2 mins
  • Leif Bersweden, Botanist
    Apr 5 2023

    When was the last time you stopped to notice the plants around you while you swam? This week's guest is Leif Bersweden, botanist and author of Where the Wildflowers Grow. We spoke about aquatic plants, where to find them and how to care for them.


    Follow:

    @freybromley #TheTidalYear 

    @leifbersweden

    @bsbibotany

    speciesrecoverytrust.org.uk


    Books:

    Buy Where the Wildflowers Grow: amzn.eu/d/dP1mS6W

    Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/ 


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    45 mins
  • Nina Mingya Powles, Author of Small Bodies of Water
    Nov 23 2022

    This week’s guest is the author of one of my favourite books of 2021: Small Bodies of Water. Nina’s writing is lyrical and poetic. She blends memoir with powerful writing on the natural world. I’m not the only one who thinks so as she’s the winner of the Nan Shepherd Prize. We spoke about nature writing in multiple languages, pools from our childhood and transitioning through the seasons by swimming. Oh and the bird we’ve spotted at Hampstead Ponds is a Mandarin duck! 


    Our chat becomes a little bit of a swimming book club, so I hope you’re looking for some reading recommendations including work by: Jessica J Lee, Mary Jean Chan, Hannah Lowe, Elizabeth-Jane Burnett, Polly Atkin and Robin Wall Kimmerer. 


    Follow:

    @freybromley #TheTidalYear

    @ninamingya


    You can buy Small Bodies of Water wherever you normally get your books.


    Pre-order The Tidal Year: amazon.co.uk/dp/1399709674/


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    53 mins