What Is English Culture? A New Series Revisits Stuart Hall’s Vision

A new ten-part series sets out to explore one of the most complex and contested questions in modern intellectual life: what is English culture? Guided by the work of pioneering cultural theorist Stuart Hall, the programme offers a deep dive into the formation of national identity, the politics of representation, and the shifting terrain of class and power.

Hosted by critic and writer K. Biswas, the series draws on previously unheard archival recordings from seminars Hall delivered in Naples during the mid-1980s—a period shaped by the social and political upheavals of Thatcherism, a term Hall himself popularised. These recordings provide a rare window into Hall’s thinking at a critical historical moment, as Britain grappled with rapid economic change, rising inequality, and ideological transformation.

Each episode pairs these archival insights with contemporary discussion. Recorded in the Resonance studio, conversations feature a mix of Hall’s contemporaries and newer voices influenced by his work, creating a dialogue that bridges generations of cultural analysis. Together, they revisit Hall’s theories while interrogating their relevance to the present day.

Episode One: What Is Cultural Studies?

The opening episode traces the origins of Cultural Studies in the 1960s, a field that Hall helped to define and expand. It examines how questions of “Englishness” have historically been tied to ideas of respectability, and how these notions intersect with class structures and systems of power.

Joining Biswas for the discussion are feminist writer and activist Hilary Wainwright and literary critic Leo Robson, alongside regular contributors Nick Beech and Daniel McNeil. Their conversation ranges widely—from the influence of academic institutions on popular culture to the political legacy of the Greater London Council—while also engaging with the pleasures and politics of reading and interpretation.

The episode sets the tone for the series: rigorous yet accessible, grounded in historical context but alive to contemporary concerns. It invites listeners to reconsider familiar assumptions about culture and to reflect on how identities are shaped, contested, and reproduced.

The series has been made possible through collaboration with the Stuart Hall Archive Project at the University of Birmingham, which continues to preserve and share Hall’s extensive body of work. Through this partnership, the programme not only revisits Hall’s intellectual legacy but also ensures that it remains part of ongoing conversations about culture, politics, and society.

As the series unfolds, it promises to offer both an introduction for newcomers and a rich re-engagement for those already familiar with Hall’s work—demonstrating why his ideas remain vital to understanding the complexities of English culture today.