Adventures in Journalism

Author: Martin Hesp

This podcast follows award-winning British journalist Martin Hesp as he travels the world enjoying the sights, tasting the food and booze, and meeting people from all walks of life.
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Language: en-gb

Genres: Arts, Food, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

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Battlegore and Bronze: A Million Words of West Country War and Peace
Tuesday, 10 March, 2026

Battlegore and Bronze: A Million Words of West Country War and Peace In this episode, Martin Hesp reflects on a staggering career milestone: 26 years of weekly 900-word columns for the Western Morning News and Western Daily Press. With over 1.17 million words written for his Saturday readers, Martin explores the responsibility of being the "eyes and ears" of the region since 1999. Digging into his personal archives, Martin connects the modern anxieties of global conflict with his childhood in West Somerset—a landscape literally built on "Battlegore." From the silent, trauma-worn teachers of the 1950s to the cinematic Saxon slaughter of Vikings at Countisbury, this episode examines how history and local legend shape our understanding of the present. It's a journey through the Somerset marshes, the high hill-forts above Lynmouth, and the evolution of a journalist who has spent a lifetime turning the "rough draft of history" into a legendary Saturday staple.