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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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Now displaying: Page 3
Oct 30, 2017

In the second Cutting of season 2, Dave talks to his dad about living with dementia, his brother about making art about diagnosis, and with true storyteller Radcliffe Royds about addiction, past lives and what it's like to come back from the dead. These conversations explore the kinds of human experiences that might help us to understand the experiences of Changelings.

The Family Tree's Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism, religion and the arts.

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Find our Guests!

Tony Pickering: Pick-Art.com

Radcliffe Royds: The Radcliffe Episodes

Peter Pickering: Dave's essays about his father: Down to a sunless sea: memories of my dad

Oct 26, 2017

Dave is currently gathering new material for Season 2 of The Family Tree. But as a favour to Nathan, he's also putting out episodes of Nathan's new podcast, Thought Adventures, on The Family Tree podcast feed.

*

We think it's important not to believe everything we're told without thinking about it from all angles, even the ones that might not work the way we think angles work. That's why we've created the new podcast, Thought Adventures. In Episode Three, we discuss how Mum and Jocelyn are WRONG, reflect on the hypothesis that a humming bird is a broken egg, learn about how the very act of comprehending infinity breaks it, and compare the results of our time travel experiments. We also set up our next investigation: can we attract aliens to abduct us?

We do apologise for the severe delay in getting Episode Three out to you, Thought Adventurers. But fear not: now it’s time for a Thought Adventure! It's just like a thought experiment, but it's fun!

Best wishes,

Nathan and Nigel

*

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

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Oct 21, 2017

Melissa co-hosts her second episode with Dave, this time talking to her mum, Jane, about what she thinks and how she feels about the changelings and potential changelings in her family. Jane agreed to come on the show after a family argument; this episode is at times tense, but ultimately it contains more love than anger.

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

 

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Oct 12, 2017

Dave finds himself back in the Sullivan family home, talking to twins Melissa and Melanie. This episode is co-hosted by Melissa, whose idea it was talk to her sister on mic about what it’s like to be a changeling.

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

 

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Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Sep 24, 2017

In the first Cutting of season 2, Dave talks to Marlo Mack about her podcast How to Be a Girl and to Peter Wohlleben about his book The Hidden Life of Trees. From Marlo, he looks for guidance on balancing telling important true stories with protecting the lives of the people whose stories you're telling. And from Peter, he finds out how trees feel and communicate, and considers whether there is precedent for humans and trees communicating with each other.

The Family Tree's Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism, religion and the arts.

iTunes RSS

Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Find our Guests!

Marlo Mack:

How to Be a Girl

A little update from Marlo

Peter Wohlleben:

The Hidden Life of Trees

"The man who thinks trees can talk to each other"

Sep 12, 2017

With information going missing online, some of it now completely untraceable, Dave has decided to release episodes as they happen. As well as filling us in on the Sullivan family news, in this episode, he talks to Jocelyn, who has a remarkable story to tell. As it turns out, Melanie isn’t the only human changeling.

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

 

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Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Aug 24, 2017

Dave is currently gathering new material for Season 2 of The Family Tree. But as a favour to Nathan, he's also putting out episodes of Nathan's new podcast, Thought Adventures, on The Family Tree podcast feed.

*

We think it's important not to believe everything we're told without thinking about it from all angles, even the ones that might not work the way we think angles work. That's why we've created the new podcast, Thought Adventures. In Episode Two, we discuss time travel (and plan how we intend to do it ourselves), reflect on ‘dark maths’, lay down some proper changeling facts, and catch up with the results of last week’s brainwashing experiments.

We’re glad you’re back with us, Thought Adventurers. It’s time for a Thought Adventure! It's just like a thought experiment, but it's fun!

Best wishes,

Nathan and Nigel

*

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

iTunes RSS

Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Aug 15, 2017

Dave is currently gathering new material for Season 2 of The Family Tree. But as a favour to Nathan, he's also putting out episodes of Nathan's new podcast, Thought Adventures, on The Family Tree podcast feed.

***

We think it's important not to believe everything we're told without thinking about it from all angles, even the ones that might not work the way we think angles work. That's why we've created the new podcast, Thought Adventures. In Episode One, we introduce ourselves, challenge the Changeling Hypothesis, consider the possibilities of brainwashing, introduce Alternative Maths and have a lovely old time.

Thought Adventurers, its time to join us on our Thought Adventures! It's just like a thought experiment, but it's fun!

Best wishes,

Nathan and Nigel

***

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

iTunes RSS

Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Jul 20, 2017

In this special mini episode, Dave talks about how he now feels about Season 1 of The Family Tree, gives an update on some of the things that have been happening since then, considers the ethics of his previous editorial decisions and announces a new approach for The Family Tree Season 2. 

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

iTunes RSS

Help The Family Tree to grow by becoming a Patron.

Jun 22, 2017

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

Season 2 is coming in August 2017.

Dec 15, 2016

The final Cutting of Season 1 gives you an extra slice of the drama: Dave takes the Sullivans aside as the cheesecake is served and asks them about their experiences since the podcast has aired.

Dec 11, 2016

In the season finale, Dave catches up with the Sullivan family. He’s eager to know how they’re all coping with the new information in their lives.

The Family Tree is a magical realist drama about family, belonging, change and identity.*

iTunes RSS

* We recommend starting at the beginning of the series to enjoy the full experience of the mystery.

Dec 8, 2016

In Monday’s episode, Dave talked to Sam. When they finished recording, they asked him to turn the mic back on so they could explain what being non-binary means. This week’s Cutting takes that as its starting point, and Dave talks to CN Lester and Sez Thomasin about being non-binary. Featuring poetry by Sez Thomasin.

Find our Guests!

Sez Thomasin: Twitter

CN Lester: Twitter, Trans Like Me: A Journey for All of Us, music

Dec 4, 2016

Dave talks to the twins’ cousin Sam about their views on the mystery and finds out how Melanie’s been coping in the month since his last recording.

The Family Tree is a magical realist drama about family, belonging, change and identity.*

iTunes RSS

* We recommend starting at the beginning of the series to enjoy the full experience of the mystery.

Dec 1, 2016

In this week’s Cutting, Dave plays clips from the series so far to members of his family and is as surprised and concerned about their reactions as they are about what they hear.

Find our Guests!

Peter Pickering

Tony Pickering: Twitter

Nov 27, 2016

Until this episode, every conversation on this show has been arranged in advance. But this one begins with an unexpected ring on the doorbell: Melanie wants to tell her side of the story…

The Family Tree is a magical realist drama about family, belonging, change and identity.*

iTunes RSS

* We recommend starting at the beginning of the series to enjoy the full experience of the mystery.

Nov 24, 2016

As the podcast audience widens and the Sullivans reveal more and more personal information, Dave’s concern about protecting their privacy grows. In this week’s Cutting, he talks to Alix Fox and Girl on the Net, both of whom regularly share personal information online, about maintaining privacy in a public forum.

Find our Guests!

Alix Fox: Close Encounters podcast, The Modern Mann podcast

Girl on the Net: Twitter, books

Also mentioned: Brook

Nov 20, 2016

Still in shock from Jane’s revelation, Dave arranges a conversation with the twins. He’s never conducted an interview like this before, and he’s nervous about how it will turn out. But only one of the girls turns up…

The Family Tree is a magical realist drama about family, belonging, change and identity.*

* We recommend starting at the beginning of the series to enjoy the full experience of the mystery.

Nov 17, 2016

Since Jane’s shocking revelation, Dave has been thinking about the impact of sharing true stories in public spaces. In this week’s Cutting, he talks to Joanna Yates, Kevin Allison, Andre Radmall and Azariah France-Williams about the importance and ethics of true storytelling.

The Family Tree's Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism and the arts. They are also a space to platform listener information. If you know anything about what happened to Mark, you can call 0203 290 0592. Please be aware that your message may be played on the show.

Find our Guests!

Joanna Yates: Spark London

Kevin Allison: RISK!

Andre Radmall and Azariah France-WilliamsThe ShapeShifters

Nov 13, 2016

Dave begins his second conversation with Jane planning to tell her about the oak tree and what he has learned about her late husband. He’s prepared for it to be a difficult conversation, but he’s not prepared for what she will reveal to him.

The Family Tree is a magical realist drama about family, belonging, change and identity.*

iTunes RSS

* We recommend starting at the beginning of the series to enjoy the full experience of the mystery.

Nov 10, 2016

Dave talks to his mum, June Hoy, about her experiences running an adventure playground in the seventies and about how she remembers Mark Sullivan. He also asks both his parents The Big Questions.

The Family Tree's Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism and the arts. They are also a space to platform listener information. If you know anything about what happened to Mark, you can call 0203 290 0592. Please be aware that your message may be played on the show.

Find our Guests!

June Hoy: Quiet Canvas

Peter Pickering

Nov 9, 2016

If you've been listening to the first half of Season 1 of The Family Tree, you'll have heard podcast producer Dave Pickering investigating Mark Sullivan's mysterious disappearance by having conversations with his family.

In Episode 6 everything changed. If you haven't heard the story so far, you might want to listen to the past episodes of the show before clicking play on this teaser, as it contains spoilers and suggests where this revelation might take Dave and what kind of answers he has uncovered so far.

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. Dave has found out that Mark isn't who everyone thought he was. Well, almost everyone. It seems that Reverend Beech knew more about this than he let on in the beginning...

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

 

Nov 6, 2016

This week, we take a breath to process last week’s revelations and try to get to know Mark. This conversation continues on from the one in Episode 1, in which Dave talks to his dad and Tony, and they read through Mark’s letters and talk about his relationship with Peter.

The Family Tree is a magical realist drama about family, belonging, change and identity.*

iTunes RSS

*Last week, Dave finally got some answers, and this episode contains spoilers. We recommend starting at the beginning of the series to enjoy the full experience of the show.

Nov 3, 2016

Since Beech’s revelation, questions about humanity have been playing heavily on Dave’s mind. In this week’s Cutting, he asks his guests the big questions: ‘What does it mean to be human?’ and ‘What is Consciousness?’ In this episode, you’ll hear voices from both past and future Cuttings.

The Family Tree's Cuttings discuss the real issues raised in the show with special guests from podcasting, journalism and the arts. They are also a space to platform listener information. If you know anything about what happened to Mark, you can call 0203 290 0592. Please be aware that your message may be played on the show.

Find our Guests!

Helen ZaltzmanThe AllusionistAnswer Me This!

Martin Zaltz Austwick: The Sound of the LadiesSong by SongGlobal LabBrain Train

Andre Radmall and Azariah France-WilliamsThe ShapeShifters

Sonja Todd: Erwin (a comic about Erwin Blumenfeld)

 Charlie Phillips: The Guardian, Article about PopCo

Jackie Hagan: Some People Have Too Many Legs

Samantha Asamadu: Media Diversified, The Feminist Filmmaker, twitter

Musa Okwonga: twitter

Alix Fox: Close Encounters podcast, The Modern Mann podcast

Girl on the Net: Twitter, books

Zoe Prosser & Gary Blake: Zoe & Gary on Getting Better Acquainted

Rusty Quill: The Rusty Quill Gaming Podcast, Rusty Quill Twitter

Dean Haglund & Phil Leirness: The Truth is out There, Chillpak Hollywood Hour, Dave on Chillpak Hollywood Hour, Chillpak Hollywood Hour Twitter, The Lady Killers

Joanna Yates: Spark London

Kevin Allison: RISK!

Sez Thomasin: Twitter

CN Lester: Twitter, Trans Like Me: A Journey for All of Us, music

Oct 30, 2016

Before their scheduled meeting, Reverend Beech leaves a message for Dave asking him to meet him at St James’ Park. There are “one or two things it might be useful for you to see,” he says. In this episode, Dave finally gets some answers.*

*If you’re new to The Family Tree, we suggest going back to Episode 1 before you listen to this. From here on, there’ll be spoilers you can’t unknow!

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

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