The Poet Laureate Has Gone to His Shed

Pam Ayres

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Episode notes

If the poets of the past sat in their garrets dipping their quills in ink , waiting for inspiration to strike, our current Poet Laureate Simon Armitage has a more mundane and domestic arrangement. From his wooden shed in the garden, surrounded on all sides by the Pennine Hills, he's been working on a new kind of poem he's invented - the Flyku - inspired by the moths and butterflies he sees around him. Any distraction is welcome, even encouraged, to talk about creativity, music, art, sheds, music, poetry and the countryside. This week, poet, songwriter, comedienne and TV presenter Pam Ayres joins Simon in the shed . Their conversation ranges from Pam's first TV appearance on Opportunity Knocks in the 70's, to her love of performing to live audiences, writing her latest book of poems, her passion for wildlife and nature and her latest TV series The Cotswolds and Beyond with Pam Ayres. Produced by Susan Roberts