Leigh Turner writing

Nov 29 2024 59 ep. 15 mins 8
Leigh Turner writing Podcast artwork

Former ambassador and writer Leigh Turner reads his books and explores the art of writing.

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59. Lessons in Diplomacy Chapter 2: How to Tackle Terrorism

Nov 29 2024 11 mins  
"Should you ever get a chance to take part in a counter-terrorism exercise, step forward... but never volunteer to be a hostage." From Chapter 2 of "⁠⁠Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties⁠⁠": "How to Tackle Terrorism".

58. Lessons in Diplomacy Chapter 1: How to Survive a Crisis

Nov 17 2024 11 mins  
"A bomb has exploded in Ankara. A big one. City centre." My colleague from the British embassy in the capital of Turkey, five hours' drive to the east, sounded shaken. "Should we declare a crisis?" From Chapter 1 of "⁠Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties⁠": "How to Survive a Crisis".

57. Lessons in Diplomacy: Prologue

Nov 02 2024 6 mins  
Meet Ray: "a shambling, swarthy, sunken-eyed bear of a man... the first thing I saw when I peered into the cab was his butcher's arms: broad and sheened with sweat". One of a host of fascinating characters who taught me the lessons in the book "Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties".

56. A complete short story

Sep 16 2024 41 mins  
"The Two Rooms" is one of my "Hotel Stories". It features Ms N, the most brilliant and occasionally homicidal hotel managers in the world, and her beautiful, smart but naive colleague, Tatiana. I'm afraid I'm not brilliant at accents - particularly US accents! But I hope you enjoy the story. Any voice actors out there who fancy doing a better version? Get in touch! I first recor

55. How to be invited to the King's Birthday Party

Aug 30 2024 5 mins  
How do get invited to the King's Birthday Party in a British Embassy overseas? Find out more in my new book ⁠⁠Lessons in Diplomacy⁠. It might be easier than you think! I hope you enjoy the book. #diplomacy #ambassador #ambassadors #diplomats #diplomat

54. How to become an ambassador

Aug 13 2024 13 mins  
How do you become an ambassador? My new book ⁠Lessons in Diplomacy⁠ explores what diplomacy can teach us all. Here is a run-through of the main chapters and sections, from "How to become an ambassador" through "How to survive a crisis", "How to handle politicians" and "How to drink wine and know things" to "How to make diplomacy reflect our changing world" I hope you enjoy the

53. The Tunnel Under the World

Jun 30 2024 5 mins  
Are the conspiracy theories right? What if the entire world, as we perceive it, is controlled by shadowy forces? A 1955 short story helped begin a strong tradition of tales exploring alternative realities. You can find the story on which this podcast is based on my blog, here. Other blog posts mentioned in the podcast are The Machine Stops and Vintage Season. I recommend them both.

52. When leaders think they're invincible

Jun 15 2024 10 mins  
Why did Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin allow Vladimir Putin to kill him after Prigozhin's mutiny in 2023? Prigozhin might have taken more care if he'd seen the classic early 1990s Russian movie Burnt by the Sun. More about this in my book Lessons in Diplomacy.

51. The Perfect Pimm's

May 31 2024 6 mins  
From my book "Lessons in Diplomacy": How to make the perfect Pimm's. Order "Lessons in Diplomacy" here. Or watch the video of Antonio making a mouthwatering Pimms at https://rleighturner.com/perfect-pimms/.

50. The Three-Body Problem

Apr 11 2024 29 mins  
"The Three-Body Problem" is out on Netflix. Some Chinese critics are reportedly angered by the series' depiction of China. I can see why. Let's look at the book, and how the Netflix version compares. You can read the blog post on which this podcast is based on my rleighturner.com website.