Here we pose and answer key questions regarding the context of The History Boys including What contexts are there in the play, how does Bennett’s personal context affect the play and what contexts does Bennett use and to what effect? The contexts include social context: class, female to male ratios, 1980s England, Leeds and educational institutions. Literary context: comedy, naturalistic and realistic drama, epic theatre, meta-theatrical and wider literary context: songs, films and poetry

This audio tutorial introduces The History Boys, asks why it is considered such a great play and what genres does it fit into?

This audio tutorial looks at the what are the main events during the History Boys and, importantly, what is the purpose of these events in the play? It also examines what conventions of theatre does Bennett use and why, it considers the different time frames in the play, the juxtaposition of key events to create effect and how characters address the audience directly.

What is each teacher’s role in the play? What does each character represent? We examine the relationships between teachers and boys and analyse the different teachers including Irwin, Hector, Mrs Lintott and the Headmaster. We look at how each represent a different philosophy of education.

Here we pose and answer key questions about the characters of the boys in The History Boys. What are Posner, Dakin, Scripps and Rudge’s roles? How do their characters develop? Are the other four boys’ characters established and the boys’ relationships with Hector and Irwin. It discusses Posner’s homosexuality, Dakin's confidence, how Scripps is religious and Rudge being the least intelligent. It also analyses how future jobs show life progression, whilst the other boys are not very established characters which is reflected in future professions.

This audio tutorial looks at the key themes The History Boys. How does each teacher represent contrasting educational philosophies? We examine how Hector, Irwin and Mrs Lintott teach and how the boys respond to their different methods of teaching. How is the theme of history explored in the play? We examine how time jumps around in the play and discussions about historical events. Does Bennett give a bleak view of sex and sexuality? How relationships and love are described and affect the characters and the role of Mrs Lintott in an all male dominated play.

This audio tutorial looks at the major themes of Jekyll and Hyde, including primitivism and violence, rationality and science, respectability and the creation of the ‘other’ through language and physical descriptions. It explores the difference between public and private selves, not only the duality of persons but also spaces – the city, private rooms, public streets, laboratory. Finally it looks at critical responses to the novella, including a few key quotes regarding ‘Monster theory’, Gothic fiction and detective fiction.

This audio tutorial will examine the kinds of context within Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and why context is useful when understanding the novella. It gives a brief background of major issues of Victorian period, including scientific advancement, social control and colonialism and how the author harnesses these contexts. It also addresses the issues of public vs private selves, the duality of man, Darwinian contexts and the Victorian ideals of society.

This audio tutorial examines the structure and form of Jekyll and Hyde and why this is important in light of your GCSE. We also ask the questions of what makes a narrator un/reliable and how are the letters used to help progress/complicate the narrative? The plot of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is delivered through multiple narratives, making it both compelling and sometimes confusing. The tutorial introduces the concept of the unreliable narrator and highlights the multiple narrative perspectives of the novella. It examines the mixture of first person and unidentified narrative voices, supernatural content, lack of trust, suspense etc. It defines the epistolary form and the Gothic and discusses the circulation of ‘truth’ through content of letters, the will and cheques, relating to concepts of evidence in detective fiction.

This audio tutorial examines the main characters of Jekyll and Hyde. It looks at the allegorical function of characters, including the opposition of private and public selves; reputation and civility; materialism vs mysticism; science and rationalism; corruption and the supernatural. It analyses Utterson as embodiment of Victorian ideals of upper class, masculinity, control, suppression and order. Dr Lanyon as a minor plot character, but key in terms of character opposition to Dr Jekyll regarding materialism/rationality vs. Mysticism/sensation. Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde analysis including the function of the doppelganger motif: contrast, duality, sadism, urban life, scientific advancement, the Other, civility etc.

This audio tutorial discusses the historical context of Of Mice and Men, including the Roaring Twenties, the American Dream and the Great Depression, giving you insights into when Steinbeck's classic was written.

Why has ‘Of Mice and Men’ remained popular with readers for over 70 years? This audio tutorial gives details of Steinbeck’s biography; why he wrote the novella; its public reception and enduring popularity.

Detailed analysis of 2 of the poems in the AQA Love and Relationships cluster. Great for students and teachers to listen to to gain an in-depth understanding of these poems.

This podcast on the structure and form of Frankenstein discusses the epistolary form, the two unreliable narrators and the framing of the narrative. The podcast provides a detailed analysis, as well as being full of music and sound effects to create a compelling and informative listen.

Listen to a narration of Mother, Any Distance recited by a professional actor. Very useful for students to listen to and to play in class. Courtesy of Audiopi

Listen to the Marshall plan being explained and how the USA gave economic assistance to Europe to try and stall the threat of the spread of communism. Designed for those studying GCSE History as an alternative way of learning by using the power of audio.

This podcast looks at how the USA attempted to contain the spread of Communism and it discusses Containment theory, Isolationism and the spread of Communism in Eastern Europe. Great for both teachers and students who are looking at an alternative way of learning via listening.

In this podcast we the question why did the Americans blockade Cuba? What options were available to Kennedy and why did he choose the blockade. The podcast is an alternative way to learn about this fascinating piece of history and can be played both inside and outside the classroom, in helping prepare for a class or for revision purposes.

Welcome to our introduction to Frankenstein. This is a great resource for those who wish to listen and learn about Frankenstein, especially for those teaching and taking English Literature GCSE. In this introductory podcast we at the genre of Frankenstein and explores Gothic Horror, Science Fiction and Romanticism. It looks at how it was originally conceived as part of a ‘ghost story content’ between friends, how we define Gothic Horror and what is ‘The Modern Prometheus’? The podcast can be played at the start of a lesson or students can listen to it before a class to prepare them. It is also a great revision tool.

This podcast examines both the personal and external context of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Get students to listen before a class so they are prepared or play out loud. This is part of the Frankenstein series which has been specifically written for GCSE English Literature.