The Follycast - a Rivers Of London podcast
A fan-led book club podcast dedicated to a spoiler-conscious, book-by-book read-along of Ben Aaronovitch's 'Rivers of London' series.
This is an audio book club for a single, ongoing fantasy series. Four British fans, two long-time readers and two newcomers, discuss the plot, characters, and world-building of each installment in chronological order. The tone is enthusiastic and analytical, like a friendly pub conversation between knowledgeable readers.
“Its singular, deep focus on one author's universe sets it apart from broader fantasy literature podcasts. The 'read-along' format, with its deliberate pacing and spoiler management, creates a communal reading experience.”
Who hosts this show
The Follycast is a read-along podcast for the 'Rivers of London' book series by Ben Aaronovitch, hosted by fans Margaret Holborn, Richard Marks, Jan Trott, and Jennie Beck. Each episode focuses on a specific book, novella, or graphic novel from the universe, released roughly a month apart to give new readers time to catch up. The discussions are spoiler-free for subsequent books, with dedicated spoiler sections at the end for deeper series analysis.
Credentials & credits
- Margaret Holborn: Head of secondary and higher education at the Guardian Foundation, former secondary school teacher with 20+ years in media literacy programs.
Other ventures
- Richard Marks: Produces the podcast for UncertainSmile productions.
When new episodes drop
- 01Follycast Episode 18 Stone & SkyJul 27, 2025 · 52 min
- 02The Follycast Episode 17 The Christmas QuizDec 16, 2024 · 43 min
- 03The Follycast episode 16 - Winter's Gifts & The Masquerades Of SpringOct 28, 2024 · 48 min
- 04The Follycast episode 15: In conversation with Ben AaronovitchAug 21, 2024 · 1h 07m
- 05The Follycast Episode 14 - Amongst Our WeaponsMay 1, 2022 · 40 min
- 06The Follycast Episode 13: Monday, Monday and Amongst Our Weapons previewMar 3, 2022 · 46 min
- 07The Follycast Episode 12 False ValueSep 7, 2021 · 46 min
- 08The Follycast Episode 11 - What Abigail Did That SummerJun 21, 2021 · 37 min
Notable episodes
- 01The Follycast 15 – In conversation with Ben Aaronovitch
The hosts interview the creator of the 'Rivers of London' universe, discussing the origins of the series, the novels, and future plans.
- 02Follycast Episode 1: Rivers Of London
The first episode, which establishes the show's format by introducing two series veterans and two new readers to discuss the first book.
- 03The Follycast Episode 17 The Christmas Quiz
A special holiday episode that breaks from the usual format, featuring a seven-round quiz testing the hosts' deep knowledge of the series.
- 04Follycast Episode 18 Stone & Sky
A review of the 10th novel in the series, notable for its discussion of the shift in setting and the first use of a dual-narrator structure in the novels.
What you'll be asked on this show
This is a co-hosted roundtable discussion, not an interview show. The hosts (typically 3-4 per episode) pose questions to each other, analyze plot points, and incorporate listener feedback. Occasionally, they break format for special episodes, such as a multi-round Christmas quiz based on series trivia.
Signature segments
- · Spoiler Zone: A specific segment at the end of episodes for discussing series-wide implications.
- · The Christmas Quiz
- · Reading listener feedback
- · Hosts introduce themselves with their first name and location
Topics covered repeatedly
Who gets booked here
Guests are extremely rare. The only notable guest has been Ben Aaronovitch, the author of the book series being discussed.
- Ben Aaronovitchon The Follycast 15 – In conversation with Ben Aaronovitch
Where to find this show
Audience & reach
No sponsors or advertisements were detected in the episodes; the podcast appears to be a non-commercial fan production.
Subscriber and view counts are pulled live from YouTube and re-verified on a 30-day cycle. Listener estimates for the RSS feed aren't published here unless they're host-verified.
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People also ask
- Who are the hosts?
- The podcast is hosted by Margaret Holborn, Richard Marks, Jan Trott, and Jennie Beck.
- What is the format of the show?
- It's a book club-style roundtable discussion. The hosts review one book, novella, or graphic novel from the 'Rivers of London' series per episode. It is not an interview show.
- Is this podcast still active?
- Yes, though it releases episodes occasionally rather than on a strict weekly or monthly schedule. The most recent episode was published in July 2025.
- Is it safe for new readers?
- Yes. The hosts are careful to only discuss spoilers for the book featured in the episode. Spoilers for the wider series are confined to a clearly marked section at the end.
- Where can I listen to the podcast?
- The Follycast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Soundcloud, and Audible.
Built from the show's public RSS feed, YouTube, the host's own websites, and the cited sources below. Computed and AI-extracted fields are labelled. Facts only — no private info, no fabrication, no transcripts republished.
Sources & how this page was built
This page is AI-assisted, grounded in the public sources cited below, and host-verifiable. We publish facts only; we do not republish transcripts. If anything here is wrong, the host can claim and correct the page above.Model: gemini-2.5-pro · high confidence
- [01]The Follycast - a Rivers Of London podcast - YouTubeyoutube.com
- [02]The Follycast on Apple Podcastspodcasts.apple.com
- [03]The Follycast - Podnewspodnews.net
- [04]News & media literacy, courses and resources from the Guardian Foundation - with Margaret Holbornyoutube.com
- [05]The Follycast - Podcasts on Audibleaudible.com
- [06]Follycast Episode 1 Rivers Of London - YouTubeyoutube.com
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