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The Family Tree

When podcast producer Dave Pickering is approached by his dad with a mystery from the life of a long-forgotten friend, he decides to investigate it in the only way he knows how: by having conversations. Mark Sullivan, who went missing 15 years ago, has been found dead. His body still has the arm he should have lost in a car accident and seems to have died eight years before he disappeared. In a series of 12 episodes, Dave tries to uncover this mystery through conversations with Mark’s family and friends. As he gets to know them, his questions lead to more questions… the mystery runs deeper than anyone imagined. The Family Tree is a magical realist drama about family, belonging, change and identity.
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The Family Tree
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Now displaying: Category: general
Jan 30, 2020

Later this year I will be launching a Getting Better Acquainted mini series titled ‘Down to a Sunless Sea: Memories of my Dad’ about the my relationship with my dad, my dad's life story and his descent into dementia.The show will be be mixing clips from over 15 hours of interviews that I've done with my dad over the last 10 years with narrations based on these medium pieces: https://medium.com/@goosefat101

Additionally to the main thread of the show I've received The Pulse Award from the Wellcome Trust and British Podcast Awards to make some episodes that look at the science behind the issues covered which include dementia, heart conditions, mental health and euthanasia.

https://fund.britishpodcastawards.com/news/50k-awarded-to-uk-podcasters/

As part of the requirements for this funding I'd really appreciate it if people who have listened to Getting Better Acquainted at some point since it launched in 2011 could fill in this survey:

http://podcastviews.com

It shouldn't take too long to fill in and you can select an option to be entered into a draw to get a pair of tickets to this year's awards ceremony.

Aug 13, 2019

With no need to hide anymore and a firm plan for her future, Violita is finally ready to tell Dave exactly what happened when she became a liminal person.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Aug 6, 2019

Sam is back from Australia, and eager to update listeners on their new life. They introduce their friend, Tee, and Dave witnesses a new kind of liminal lifestyle.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Jul 30, 2019

Dave catches up with Ben and Kora, who discuss how things are working out for them in their new life as Ben, Kora, Nathan and jaguar.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Jul 9, 2019

Dear Listeners,

The conversation I’m sharing with you today is the first conversation I recorded with Melanie after her escapades with Ellie. I don’t mind telling you that I found the whole experience extremely distressing, and it was important to me that I communicated this to her. I was a little more confrontational than I generally like to be, but I think Melanie and I both feel that our friendship has benefitted from frank and open discussion. Please don’t judge her too harshly. We are all navigating this situation the best we can, and while, in many ways Melanie and I are something more than human, we are also only human.

Best wishes,

Phillip

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The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Jul 2, 2019

Dear Listeners,

Mark was a very dear friend of mine a long time ago, and his friendship with the tree is also rooted deep in my consciousness. I do find it very difficult to reconcile this with my feelings about his actions, particularly now I have come to get to know Melanie better. In the conversation I’m sharing with you today, I had the opportunity to talk to him about his decision to change into her, and about his feelings about having multiple conciousnesses within him. I found the conversation quite difficult at times, but ultimately, I think it was valuable, and I hope you will find it of use if you too are struggling with a changeling experience.

Best wishes,

Phillip

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The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Jun 25, 2019

After Jane’s conversation with Mark, the recorder is left on, and accidentally captures Nathan meeting his father for the first time since his return.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Jun 18, 2019

Mark visits Jane, who finally gets to confront him about the effect his decision has had on their family.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Jun 11, 2019

After meeting Ellie, Melanie is open to the idea of allowing Mark to the surface. Along with Ben, Kora, Melissa and Shajahan, she and Dave return to Goldsmith’s to attempt to bring Mark back.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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May 21, 2019

Dear Listeners,

I hardly know how to present this episode to you. I thought about telling you all about it, but I think you may find some value in experiencing the surprise the way that Melanie and I did in this conversation. I would like to reassure you all, though, that I am very much alive and well, so please don’t be concerned about anything like that. Goodness me, what a strange world we find ourselves in.

Best wishes,

Phillip

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The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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May 12, 2019

In the second part of a very personal part of the story for Dave, he visits his dad for the first time since he began his changing journey.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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May 7, 2019

In the first part of a very personal part of the story for Dave, he talks to his dad, who plans to become a changeling.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Apr 16, 2019

Following an enigmatic voice message, Dave facilitates a meeting between Nathan and Nigel. It’s the first time they’ve seen each other since Nathan’s change, and they have a lot of catching up to do.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Apr 9, 2019

Dear Listeners,

I hope my last recording was of some help to some of you. I find myself frequently revisiting Azariah’s thoughtful advice. Every good answer leads to a new question in my experience, but I trust in God to guide us towards a path that is right. I may have believed that They had only one path for us at one time, but I feel that things may be very much more complicated than that.

Melanie and I have taken the decision to begin recording our conversations again, and this is what I have to share with you this week. I hope that you may find it interesting, and that it may help those in need.

Best wishes,

Phillip

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The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Apr 2, 2019

Following a message from Skarbek, Dave meets up with her on Gallions Hill. What she has to tell him is the information that encouraged the Sullivan family to continue recording The Family Tree. In this conversation, Dave learns both encouraging developments and some tragic news.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Mar 26, 2019

Dear Listeners,

I hope this finds you well. It truly is a pleasure to be writing to you again, and I’m delighted to be able to connect with you through The Family Tree.

It perhaps won’t surprise you to learn that I have faced many challenges since David and I had our little excursion to St James’s Park to visit the oak tree. I find I am quite changed, and I don’t mind telling you, I’ve found it rather difficult to process some of the thoughts and feelings I’ve had since I became a changeling, or a liminal person, as David likes to call us now.

David very kindly put me in touch with his friend Azariah, a fellow man of the cloth, and with him I talked through some of the difficulties I’m having. I found his counsel to be very valuable, and I want to share our conversation with you, with the hope that it may serve to help others as much as it helped me.

Yours Faithfully,

Philip

P.S. My parishioners have often preferred to address me as ‘Reverend Beech’, or simply ‘Beech’. I think it has allowed them a separation from me that they’ve found useful, and over time, I’ve found myself thinking of myself that way too. But I think I would like to try being a little less separate, and from here on will sign my letters to you with my Christian name, if that’s alright with you. I find it extremely poignant to see how I titled this episode; Azariah’s comfortableness with his first name while I shelter behind my surname.

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The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Mar 5, 2019

In the aftermath of Nathan’s return, Dave catches up with Kora, Melissa, Nathan, Ben and Melanie as they all process their feelings about the change, and reflect on Ben and Nathan sharing a body.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Feb 26, 2019

Leaving the others to process what just happened, Dave accompanies Nathan back to visit Jane and sets up his recording equipment. Jane and Nathan catch up and discuss their feelings about Nathan’s circumstances.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Feb 19, 2019

Dave catches up with Melanie and Kora, and with Melissa and Ben after their journey to the rainforest. In a controlled experiment at Goldsmith’s, University of London, and with the help of Shajahan, they attempt to bring Nathan back.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Feb 12, 2019

New information about changelings has surfaced. Dave speaks to previous Cuttings guest, Jackie Hagan and her partner, Klara, and learns information that will have a huge impact on the Sullivan family and other changelings he’s met while documenting The Family Tree.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Apr 22, 2018

In the final episode of Season 2, Melissa calls Dave and asks him to meet her and Ben at Paddington Station. They share a worrying plan with him, and when he gets home and listens to his voicemail, things get even worse.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Mar 27, 2018

In the aftermath of Nathan’s death, Reverend Beech comes to talk to Dave. Together, they share their grief and talk about an important change to Melissa’s understanding of herself as a changeling.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Mar 22, 2018

An anonymous caller leaves a series of panicked messages for Dave. Is The Family Tree putting the Sullivan family in danger?

Content Note: This episode touches on issues around homophobia, rape and child sexual abuse

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Mar 11, 2018

After receiving some tragic news, Dave talks to Thought Adventures co-host, Nigel, about what has happened to Nathan.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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Feb 25, 2018

Dave meets Violita, who views it as a blessing to have become a changeling. She clearly has a lot more story to tell than she shares in this conversation, but nonetheless, her very particular lineage has a lot to tell us about what happens to someone when they take on the memories of other creatures.

The Family Tree is a magical realist dramatic fiction about family, belonging, change and identity.

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