Arts

The Island of Brilliant!

by Frank Cottrell Boyce and Nadia Shireen

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Latest episodes

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October 8, 2026 · 1 hr 0 min

Well I for one have rarely seen Nadia and Frank quite so excited about a book as 'The Worst Thing That Could Possibly Happen' by Guy Bass and David Roberts, though Frank very nearly blows his chance of chatting with the pair when he fails…
A. M. Dassu

September 11, 2026 · 56 min

Frank's post-laureate slump is well and truly un-slumped by the arrival of A. M. Dassu, a benign force of nature to match anything he and Nadia have experienced on the island before. She appears from the waters to regale the pair with…
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August 3, 2026 · 50 min

What's that coming over the dune, is it a monster? It is, a grizzly slimy sea monster, and look who it's vomited up onto the otherwise spotless sand on the Island of Brilliant seafront! Jack Meggitt-Phillips, the wunderkind author of the…
Our new Laureate!

July 7, 2026 · 44 min

"The Old Order Changeth And Maketh Way For New" - but not without a fight. As Frank gives in to the inevitable, with the encouragement of some restraining techniques, he welcomes the magnificent Patrice Lawrence to his old job as…
Chris Riddell

June 6, 2026 · 59 min

He's behind some of the most celebrated and beloved books of recent times - Goth Girl, The Edge Chronicles, Ottoline and a gazillion more - and he's also, it turns out, the captain of the Mellow Submarine! Which is excellent news for Frank…

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Patience Agbabi

May 6, 2026 · 51 min

Frank's been tipping out talcum powder on the sand, Nadia's spent hours ironing patches onto her bell-bottom jeans. It can only mean one thing - Patience Agbabi is on her way to the island to talk about her amazing new book, Wonderland…
Angie Thomas

April 2, 2026 · 50 min

When you're one of the most important writers of the 21st Century you think you'd have people looking out to make sure you didn't end up in a whale.. but that's exactly where the phenomenon that is Angie Thomas has found herself…
Ramzee

March 11, 2026 · 54 min

Stepping out of his helicopter onto the golden sands of the island, it's only flipping Ramzee, cartoonist, storyteller and owner of some truly cracking jumpers. He tells Nadia and Frank about the genesis of his fabulously popular Cheat…
Three Men in a Boat

February 5, 2026 · 22 min

Nadia's busy scribbling - so busy she hasn't even had chance to read the book she was set as part of the Island's National Year of Reading challenge, 'Three Men In A Boat'. Frank decides it might help her engage if he becomes her own…
National Year of Reading

January 13, 2026 · 50 min

13th January marks the official launch of the National Year of Reading, and Nadia and Frank have set their coconut alarm to make sure they're up and ready for it after their annual hibernation. Of course they're reluctant to actually wake…
Phil Tite

December 11, 2025 · 56 min

With Christmas just a short sleigh-ride away, we've done the impossible - created a ripple in that allows an actual teacher to have chance to visit the island even though it's their busiest time of the year. Phil Tite is an inspirational…
Michael Rosen

November 6, 2025 · 55 min

What's that in the blue yonder? Could it be a submarine - carrying precious cargo? It could and it is - the Nautilus itself, skippered by no-one other than Michael Rosen, who's come to the island to tell Frank and Nadia all about the…

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About the show

Nadia Shireen and Frank Cottrell Boyce have been shipwrecked on the Island of Brilliant with nothing but a pair of hammocks, a pile of children’s books and the world’s greatest ukulele band (The Ukulele Uff Trio) to keep them going. Everyone wants the best for their children. Everyone should know that reading for pleasure not only increases educational attainment but also helps build happiness and resilience. If you’re going to read for pleasure you need choice. Nadia and Frank will be chatting about what’s new and brilliant in children’s writing with the help of visitors to the island and reviews delivered via sea-shell from the doyen of children’s literature critics, Emily Drabble from Book Trust. Music: The Ukulele Uff Trio Producer: Geoff Bird