CATCH-cast

Mark Explores the history of Travel on The Isle of Wight

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Episodes

• CATCH-cast 48: Railways, Radio 4 & Me (Sim Harris)

  Friday, 10 April 2026

  32 minutes

  Former Radio 4 announcer & rail journalist Sim Harris confesses he was scared of steam trains as child but came to appreciate the beauty of the railway.

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• CATCH-cast 47: HS2, GBR & Me (Christian Wolmar)

  Friday, 3 April 2026

  23 minutes

  Distinguished journalist, broadcaster and author of many railway book, Christian Wolmar, shares his thoughts on High-Speed rail (both here and in China), Great British Railways and why he wanted to be Mayor of London!

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• CATCH-cast 46: TravellingArtGallery (Greg Norden)

  Friday, 27 March 2026

  23 minutes

  Remember those beautiful artworks in old train compartments? Bucolic scenes of Britains idyllic landscapes? Greg Norden has the largest collection of them!

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• CATCH-cast Replay 7: Inter-railing Across Europe (Brendan James)

  Friday, 20 March 2026

  24 minutes

  Ever wanted to just drop everything and whiz across Europe by train. No itinerary, just jump on the first one that comes along! That's Inter-railing! One ticket: as many trips as you like! Expert Brendan James tells us how it works.

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• CATCH-cast: 150th Anniversary of the Phone (Replay 6)

  Friday, 13 March 2026

  24 minutes

  It's 150s years since Alexander Graham Bell patented the Telephone. A device that has transformed our lives! We celebrate by replaying the first CATCH-cast interview with Emeritus Professor Nigel Linge.

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• CATCH-cast 45: Timetables & Maps (Matthew Shaw)

  Friday, 6 March 2026

  25 minutes

  How are huge maps put online? What's the process to scan an entire timetable? Matthew Shaw explains to joys of collecting and displaying transport timetables and maps on his website timetableworld.com

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• CATCH-cast 44: LGBT Rail History

  Friday, 27 February 2026

  29 minutes

  For the culmination of LGBT History Month, National Railway Museum Curator Ashlynn Hudson-Welburn introduces her new project: "People Pride Progress".

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• CATCH-cast 43: Transport Treasury (Robin Fell)

  Friday, 20 February 2026

  23 minutes

  What would you do with half a million train photos? That was the task facing Robin Fell who set up the UK's largest privately owned archive of transport images. Find out how he did it on today's CATCH-cast.

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• CATCHcast 42: Bus Map Rise & Demise (John Davies)

  Friday, 13 February 2026

  25 minutes

  You may use them then discard them, but bus maps are well designed pieces of cartography and have become collectors items for John Davies. He also loves old Soviet Military Maps too! 

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• CATCH-cast: Marconi's Needles Signal Anniversary (Steve Cownley)

  Friday, 6 February 2026

  24 minutes

  125 years ago this year, Marconi sent the first radio signal over the horizon from The Needles to The Lizard (Cornwall). Isle of Wight Radio Society chair explains why it was a pivotal moment and the joys of being a radio ham.

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• 21: CATCH cast 41: Life After Cars (Sarah & Doug)

  Friday, 30 January 2026

  37 minutes

  With 40,000 killed on American roads every year and 22-lane highways still being built...how can they be weened off automobiles? Sarah Goodyear and Doug Gordon believe there is a Life After Cars and are inspired by some European lessons.

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• CATCH-cast 40: Rail Books & Trainspotting (Julian Holland)

  Friday, 23 January 2026

  24 minutes

  One of the UK's most prolific authors on railway books, Julian Holland, talks about his early trainspotting, background in design, Isle of Wight's closed railways and how met Jimi Hendrix!  

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• CATCH-Cast 39 - Trains on TV with Tim Dunn

  Friday, 16 January 2026

  28 minutes

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• CATCH-cast 38 David Lawrence (Designing Public Spaces)

  Friday, 9 January 2026

  32 minutes

  Motorway Service Stations, Holiday Camps, Railway Station Platforms and Buildings, the Underground...these are spaces we take for granted - but as David Lawrence reveals they have all be carefully designed. Hear from a Doctor who knows...and one with a mercurial Pirate past too! 

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• CATCH-cast 37: Daniel Wright (Beauty Of Transport)

  Friday, 2 January 2026

  26 minutes

  Can public transport be beautiful? Daniel Wright runs a whole website claiming it certainly can! From architecture to typefaces, posters to tickets...the charm and good design of our buses, stations, trains, ferries and airports is under the microscope here and at Daniel's excellent blog: thebeautyoftransport.com 

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• CATCH-cast REPLAY 4: Mobile Phones

  Friday, 26 December 2025

  28 minutes

  How the mobile phone evolved, including the role played by Hollywood's Hedy Lamarr during WW2! Islander Roger Wilkins explains his role in their development.

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• CATCH-cast 36: 20thCenturyPosters (David Bownes)

  Friday, 19 December 2025

  25 minutes

  From war and transport to sports and concerts, 20th Century posters have become collectors items. Do you have one rolled up in the loft? Former museum curator and collector David Bownes explains why 20thCentury Posters are all the rage! 

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• CATCH-cast 35: Richard Marks (Industry Past)

  Friday, 5 December 2025

  27 minutes

  From British Rail Engineering to steam tramways...Richard Marks is an expert on our industrial past. He also explains how football was crucial to WW1. 

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• CATCH-cast 34: Andrew Mead (Making Stations Arty)

  Friday, 28 November 2025

  31 minutes

  Who makes a station look more like an art gallery? And why? Today's guest is one of the Worlds most prominent commissioners of art in metro stations, Andrew Mead.

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• CATCH-cast 33: Transit Map Symposium Hong Kong

  Friday, 21 November 2025

  31 minutes

  Ever wondered what it takes to design a map of a transport system? A gathering of map and way finding designers got together in Hong Kong to discuss their works - and Mark Ovenden was there to speak to them!

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• 25: CATCH-cast REPLAY 1: Maps Vs Diagrams (Lloyd & Booth)

  Friday, 31 October 2025

  23 minutes

  The most popular CATCH-cast podcast replayed: how America's biggest subway was mapped. With Cameron Booth and Peter Lloyd, NYC Subway map experts. 

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• 18: CATCH-cast 32: Reading On Trains (Andrew Martin)

  Friday, 24 October 2025

  27 minutes

  How one of the Britain’s most prolific writers on railway subjects…kicked off an exciting Substack about Reading On Trains. Also: his new book The Moquette Mystery which brings its protagonist to the Isle of Wight.

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• 18: CATCH-cast 32: Reading On Trains (Andrew Martin)

  Friday, 24 October 2025

  27 minutes

  How one of the Britain’s most prolific writers on railway subjects…kicked off an exciting Substack about Reading On Trains. Also: his new book The Moquette Mystery which brings its protagonist to the Isle of Wight.

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• 1: CATCH-cast 31: Designing Metro Maps (Abe Dein)

  Thursday, 16 October 2025

  23 minutes

  Ever fancied the idea of redesigning a transport map for a city? Football fan, Francophile, film-loving cartographer Abraham Dein...did just that! Find out how here on the CATCH cast! 

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• CATCH-cast 30: Damien Saunder (Maps On Vinyl)

  Friday, 10 October 2025

  28 minutes

  Cartographer Damien Saunder has collected 100s of album covers...with maps on them! His research shows 1 in every 500 covers has some kind of cartographic image and he discuss his new book Maps On Vinyl and how music and mapping has been his passions since childhood.

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• CATCH-cast 29: Ben Schneider (Transit & Cities)

  Friday, 3 October 2025

  25 minutes

  Most American urban areas are difficult to navigate without a car. Benjamin Schneider considers the state of the North American built environment in his new book The Unfinished Metropolis. And he joins us from New York City to explain how things can improve.

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• CATCH-cast 28: John Scott Morgan (Railway Books)

  Friday, 26 September 2025

  27 minutes

  For the Railway200 celebrations we ask: do you have a book in you? Author turned publisher John Scott Morgan has almost 40 titles to his name, and guides us through the railway book research, production and commissioning.  

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• CATCH-cast 27: Untold Railway Stories

  Friday, 19 September 2025

  26 minutes

  Ten writers (including Vectis Radio presenter Mark Ovenden) contributed to this new compendium. CATCH-cast interviews two of the authors, Jack Curtis (Carbonjacked.com) and Felicity Spector (C4 News). Jack went 6000km by train from London to Baku, Felicity tells of how Ukraine repairs its railways and stays punctual!

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• CATCH-cast 26: Roger Wilkins (Mobile Phones)

  Friday, 12 September 2025

  28 minutes

  Ever wondered how that marvellous mobile works? Island resident Roger Wilkins was involved in much of the early development of them. Find out how it was achieved. (Image courtesy of the Mobile Phone Museum on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mobphonemuseum/) 

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• CATCH-cast 25: Simon Turner (Rail Auctions)

  Friday, 5 September 2025

  27 minutes

  Roy from Coronation Street and Pete Waterman are both collectors of 'Railwayana' - vintage relics of bygone train travel. Auctioneer Simon Turner (www.gwra.co.uk) explains what these old items can be worth, and how the process works. Photo by Jack Boskett.

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More episodes...