Climate Change

Climate Change

Author: The Swinging Christies January 4, 2026 Duration: 56:30

New year, new us…new world? Since before the 1960s, scientists have been warning at the negative human impact on the world around us, but it’s a topic that really hit the headlines in the Swinging era. Interestingly, it’s a thread that can be traced through some of Agatha Christie’s 1960s writing too… Join Mark and Gray for a brand new year on The Swinging Christies! PLUS: an announcement!

You can find us on Instagram ⁠@Christie_Time⁠. We are also on Bluesky at ⁠ChristieTime.com. Our YouTube account is @TheSwingingChristies. 

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Our website is ⁠ChristieTime.com⁠.

This episode is dedicated to Chandra Maharaj.

The Swinging Christies is a Christie Time project by Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown.

00:00:00 - Dedication

00:00:44 - Opening titles

00:01:20 - Introductory chat

00:03:28 - An announcement 

00:06:09 - Climate Change in the 1960s

00:20:52 - In the Cool of the Evening from Star Over Bethlehem (1965)

00:32:47 - Case study: The Birds (1963)

00:42:22 - Enter Albert!

00:54:09 - Next episode, how to get in touch

00:55:42 - Closing titles

00:56:09 - Coda


Solutions revealed! - Hallowe'en Party

TW: the death of the planet


The Swinging Christies: Agatha Christie in the 1960s might seem like a contradiction, but that’s the fascinating territory this podcast explores. Hosted by Dr Mark Aldridge and Gray Robert Brown, it’s a deep and often surprising look at how the Queen of Crime’s later work intersected with a decade of radical change. Forget the stereotypical image of a cosy, unchanging writer; here, we examine how Christie’s stories from that era engaged with shifting attitudes towards youth culture, morality, and social upheaval. Each episode digs into a specific novel or theme, unpacking the subtle-and sometimes not so subtle-ways her writing reflected or reacted to the world of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a rad journey through time that treats her work with serious scholarly insight while embracing the vibrant spirit of the period. You’ll come away from this podcast with a completely refreshed perspective on one of history’s most prolific authors, hearing her familiar plots through a new, decidedly swinging lens.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 38

The Swinging Christies: Agatha Christie in the 1960s
Podcast Episodes
Echoes of the Disappearance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:44
Gray and Mark are sunning themselves in Puerto de la Cruz for Tenerife’s International Agatha Christie Festival! In the 1920s, Agatha came to this beautiful island to get away from it all, but even later, in the 1960s, t…
Hallowe’en 2025 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:51
Mwahahaha! It’s the now-traditional The Swinging Christies x Hallowe’en extravaganza, and this year Mark and Gray are talking about the recent film adaptation of Hallowe’en Party, A Haunting in Venice (2023). What do we…
Titles in Translation [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:38
Gray and Mark meet Mystery Steve who has travelled all the way from Australia! Steve has been examining the way Agatha Christie titles have been translated into other languages. Steve’s project has just hit the 1960s, so…
Interview with Jan Carson at the Belfast Book Festival [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:20
Gray and Mark head to beautiful Belfast to chat to novelist and Agatha Christie fan Jan Carson. Jan has been tackling the Troubles in her work for some time, and we want to discuss with her Christie’s Troubles references…
Agatha Christie and Shirley Jackson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:06:10
Two wickedly witty women writers, separated only by the Atlantic! This episode, Gray and Mark carry on their American adventures and discuss the similarities and differences between the works of Agatha Christie and Shirl…
Swinging USA: Washington DC (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:56
Mrs Christie went to Washington, and Dr Aldridge and Mr Brown are following suit! This episode, we get the train to Washington DC to uncover the truth about how an American Christie fan would REALLY have experienced a Sw…
Swinging USA: New York (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:22
Mark and Gray take Manhattan in the first in this very special miniseries recorded in the USA. In New York, Gray and Mark discuss Agatha’s 1960s connections to America, plus their discoveries in papers held at the Prince…
Swinging India [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:48:02
Mark and Gray travel to India (metaphorically) in search of the Queen of Crime! Along the way, they discuss various Hindi and Bengali adaptations, and meet with friend-of-the-podcast and expert adaptor/writer Ayeesha Men…
Swinging Marple [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:19:40
Miss Marple isn’t an old duffer - she’s a swinging cat! At least that’s what Mark and Gray discover this episode when they shine a light on Agatha Christie’s beloved sleuth. In particular we look at her 1960s outings, pl…