Michael Palin in Conversation with David Baddiel

Michael Palin will be at the MCT at Alleyn's this November discussing his new book Erebus.

Join the former Monty Python stalwart and much-loved television globe-trotter – as he discusses his books and writing, and brings to life the world and voyages of HMS Erebus. Michael will be in conversation with comedian, novelist and television presenter David Baddiel.

In Erebus Michael Palin charts the ship’s history from its construction in the naval dockyards of Pembroke, to the part it played in Ross’s Antarctic expedition of 1839–43, to its abandonment during Franklin’s ill-fated Arctic expedition, and to its final rediscovery on the seabed in Queen Maud Gulf in 2014. He explores the intertwined careers of the men who shared its journeys: the organisational genius James Clark Ross, who mapped much of the Antarctic coastline and oversaw some of the earliest scientific experiments to be conducted there; and the troubled Sir John Franklin, who, at the age of 60 and after a chequered career, commanded the ship on its final journey. And he’ll describe what life on board was like for the dozens of men who stepped ashore in Antarctica’s Victoria Land, and for the officers and crew who, one by one, froze and starved to death in the Arctic wastes as rescue missions desperately tried to track them down.

To research this story, Michael Palin travelled to various locations across the world – Tasmania, the Falklands, the Canadian Arctic – searching for local information, and experiencing at first hand the terrain and the conditions that would have confronted the Erebus and her crew.

This event is a live edition of the Penguin Podcast and is a unique opportunity to spend an evening with a master explorer and storyteller. The Penguin Podcast allows listeners to understand the origins and creative processes of constructing a story, and the experiences that influenced its development. Don’t miss this chance to be in the audience as Michael discusses five objects that inspired or shaped the writing of his book, telling us the stories behind his story.

A signed copy of Erebus: The Story of a Ship by Michael Palin is included with every purchase.

Supported by Village Books.