https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-george-bernard-shaw-library--7292008
Shaw wrote to entertain, certainly. But also to irritate, unsettle, contradict, and make his audience think. Here you can hear his words as they were meant to unfold: not as quotations or summaries, but whole, alive, and given room to argue their case.

Enter for the wit, stay for the trouble.]]>enDramaPublic domainhttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/c7b11b8a3a9e614f8d32dbb36c714baf.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-george-bernard-shaw-library--7292008Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:30:14 +0000George Bernard ShawGood Old Classicsfeeds@spreaker.comThe George Bernard Shaw Library presents the works of George Bernard Shaw in full: plays, prefaces, arguments, provocations, and all the inconvenient ideas respectable society might prefer to leave unopened. Shaw wrote to entertain, certainly. But...
Shaw wrote to entertain, certainly. But also to irritate, unsettle, contradict, and make his audience think. Here you can hear his words as they were meant to unfold: not as quotations or summaries, but whole, alive, and given room to argue their case.

Enter for the wit, stay for the trouble.]]>falsec62b56e5-57de-5499-8f11-1f18cc787274serialhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/arms-and-the-man-act-1--74922537https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922537Sun, 06 Sep 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a night of martial excitement and uneasy peace unfolds in the private chamber of a Bulgarian lady, where the romantic ideals of heroism clash with the prosaic realities of warfare as a dishevelled, desperate Servian soldier seeks refuge under...2687false11fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/arms-and-the-man-act-2--74922538https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922538Tue, 08 Sep 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which the tranquil spring garden of Major Petkoff’s household becomes the stage for the return of its war-weary residents, whose interactions reveal the tangled loyalties and pretensions simmering beneath the genteel surface. The uneasy peace and...2730false12fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/arms-and-the-man-act-3--74922539https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922539Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which the tranquil domesticity of a Bulgarian country house is playfully disrupted by the arrival of military orders, wagers on missing coats, and a lively tangle of romantic misunderstandings and rivalries that mingle with the practicalities of...3487false13fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/candida-act-1--74922540https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922540Sat, 12 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a conscientious clergyman's quiet suburban morning is disrupted by the arrival of his formidable father-in-law and a shy young poet whose passionate declarations stir the calm order of the household; amid clashing temperaments and spirited...3183false21fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/candida-act-2--74922541https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922541Mon, 14 Sep 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a young and hesitant poet, Eugene Marchbanks, attempts to navigate the complexities of love and social propriety amidst the bustling household of the eloquent clergyman James Morell and his spirited wife, Candida. Through tender yet probing...2190false22fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/candida-act-3--74922542https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922542Wed, 16 Sep 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a tender and somewhat fraught evening unfolds as Candida navigates the competing affections of two very different men by her fireside, each laying bare their souls in a contest of love and sincerity. The scene delicately balances wit,...1887false23fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-never-can-tell-act-i--74922544https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922544Fri, 18 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a fledgling dentist of modest means encounters the spirited and unconventional Clandon family at a seaside resort, revealing their complex relationships and undisclosed histories with a mixture of wit and candour. His interaction with their...3281false31fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-never-can-tell-act-ii--74922570https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922570Sun, 20 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which the quiet Marine Hotel terrace becomes the scene of delicate revelations and delicate tensions, as an unexpected reunion toys with notions of family, respectability, and social pretence, all punctuated by the irrepressible tact of a certain...4408false32fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-never-can-tell-act-iii--74922572https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922572Tue, 22 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which the Clandon family’s tea-time unfolds amidst sharp revelations and delicate power plays, with Mrs. Clandon addressing matters of love and honour—themes somewhat alien yet pressing in their quiet domestic theatre. The company contends with the...2458false33fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-never-can-tell-act-iv--74922574https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922574Thu, 24 Sep 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a formidable lawyer arrives to unravel the intricate social fabric of the Clandon family, navigating disputes over names, appearances, and proprieties with relentless logic and quiet menace amid a festive masquerade. Under his uncompromising...3023false34fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-1--74922579https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922579Sat, 26 Sep 2026 18:30:03 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a reflective mind traces the gradual dawn of evolutionary thought from ancient murmurs to the Neo-Darwinian ascendancy, while lamenting the political and educational failings that blight contemporary civilisation. Herein lies an exploration...1988false41fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-2--74922580https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922580Mon, 28 Sep 2026 18:30:06 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which the principles of Lamarckian evolution are carefully elucidated, illustrating how the desires and repeated efforts of living beings may bring forth new faculties, and how these acquired habits interplay mysteriously with heredity and...1946false42fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-3--74922581https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922581Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:30:05 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a spirited discourse unfolds on the riddle of creation, tackling the entanglement of belief and scepticism with a mix of wit and gravitas, whilst grappling with profound questions of design and chance in the cosmos. The narrative traces the...2104false43fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-4--74922582https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922582Fri, 02 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which the discourse gently unmasks the blind alleys and cruelties spawned by an unyielding belief in Circumstantial Selection, wistfully lamenting the eclipse of imagination and humane insight under strict Darwinian orthodoxy. It also reflects upon...1847false44fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-5--74922583https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922583Sun, 04 Oct 2026 18:30:03 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which the triumph of Darwinism and Marxism unseats traditional moral and social certainties, unveiling a world governed by brutal economic and natural laws that embolden both profiteers and revolutionaries alike. Yet amidst this upheaval, the old...2082false45fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-6--74922584https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922584Tue, 06 Oct 2026 18:30:05 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which Mr Shaw contemplates the uneasy dance between superstition and science, urging the shedding of literalist dogmas in favour of a shared, allegorical spirituality capable of uniting a diverse and democratic polity. He then turns his keen eye to...1867false46fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-7--74922585https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922585Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a pair of primordial beings confront the unsettling reality of mortality and the burden of endless existence, grappling with the voice of an ancient serpent whose subtle wisdom challenges their understanding of life, death, and creation. The...2403false47fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-8--74922586https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922586Sat, 10 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which the primordial family grapples with the ceaseless struggle between creation and destruction, embodied by the aged Adam's digging and the warlike Cain's boasting of conquest and death, whilst Eve, caught between them, mourns the fading of...2199false48fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-9--74922587https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922587Mon, 12 Oct 2026 18:30:03 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which two scholarly brothers, one a former clergyman and the other a biologist, engage in lively discourse about the prospects of extending human life and the challenges of modern faith, science, and politics within a sunlit Hampstead study. The...3333false49fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-10--74922588https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922588Wed, 14 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a spirited debate unfolds among characters of varying temperaments on the prospects of Socialism, the nature of human longevity, and the interpretation of ancient myths as scientific truth, all conducted with the polite scepticism and keen...3394false410fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-11--74922589https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922589Fri, 16 Oct 2026 18:30:03 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a group of distinguished personages debate the curious extension of human life and the social perturbations it brings, revealing profound changes in governance and society with a genteel blend of scepticism and wit. Through a series of lively...2911false411fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-12--74922591https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922591Sun, 18 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a small assembly of government officials confronts the astonishing reality of unnaturally prolonged life, pondering its implications with a mixture of levity, dread, and political intrigue, all the while grappling with their own youthful...2880false412fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-13--74922592https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922592Tue, 20 Oct 2026 18:30:03 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a discussion of prudence and mortality leads to a technological invitation, abruptly declined for reasons both practical and personal, and an elderly Englishman, garbed in remnants of a bygone era, arrives in a stony Irish landscape where he...2500false413fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-14--74922593https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922593Thu, 22 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a sprightly and long-lived interlocutor named Zoo engages in a spirited dialectic with a staid elderly gentleman about the nature of life, progress, and the divergent perspectives born of difference in longevity, touching upon science,...2354false414fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-15--74922594https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922594Sat, 24 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a grim dialogue unfolds between a wizened oracle and a fiercely self-assured emperor, revealing a society where longevity breeds contempt for past glories and warlike ambition, while outsiders wrestle uneasily with rites and revelations too...2583false415fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-16--74922595https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922595Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:30:04 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a solemn delegation confronts the eerie spectacle of an ancient oracle in a temple suspended over a fathomless abyss, wrestling with the futility of seeking prophetic guidance amidst political uncertainty. The tension between sincere...1144false416fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-17--74922597https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922597Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:30:03 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a lively company of youths and ancients debate the restless nature of growth, affection, and the fleeting pleasures of youth amid a timeless woodland temple, while a newborn maiden rapidly confronts the solemn realities of life and power....2884false417fullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/back-to-methuselah-section-18--74922598https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74922598Fri, 30 Oct 2026 18:30:02 +0000George Bernard ShawIn which a debate unfolds among artists and scientists about the creation of artificial human beings, culminating in the presentation of mechanical automata that mimic life yet lack true vitality. These synthetic figures, though marvels of craft and...2489false418full