The “Friend” Podcast, Featuring “A Marked Man”


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The first season of our story podcast, “Reading Between The Lines”, has nearly come to an end!

We’re very pleased with the stories we’ve unearthed. And we’re just as pleased with the reaction of our readers, who’re have been listening in their droves. And even leaving us reviews!

We released our penultimate episode this week, which features a great little story from 1911.

“A Marked Man” follows a stern judge named Sir Gregory Dale. One fairly routine evening, Sir Gregory discovers a man he sentenced has recently been released, and is seeking revenge . . .

It’s a dramatic tale! But its writer shows an impressive self-restraint. He establishes his characters quickly and effectively, and drops just enough hints at the life outside the “action” to add depth and texture to what we’re reading.

I didn’t come away with particularly positive feelings about the main character here, putting me at odds with the rest of the panel (Production Ed JudeyMarion from the Features team and David from our Archives). Regular listeners will know that’s not the first time this has happened!

Historical context

Thanks to Marion’s research, we learned that the story’s author, Paul Herring, had quite a prolific writing career. Despite this, it seems like “A Marked Man” was the only story he submitted for publication in “The People’s Friend”.

I can’t help but feel like we missed out a little!

Give our episode a listen below, and let us know what you think on Facebook or Twitter.

And if you’re looking for the rest of our podcast episodes, you can find them here.

Our sponsor

Friendship society the Oddfellows sponsors “Reading Between The Lines”.

If you’re looking to make new friends or find new activities, visit oddfellows.co.uk, or call 0800 028 1810 today for a free information pack.

Terms and conditions apply to all member benefits and services.


For more from the DC Thomson Archives, click here.

Iain McDonald

Iain is Digital Content Editor at the "Friend", making him responsible for managing flow of interesting and entertaining content on the magazine's website and social media channels.