Muriel Zagha
@murielzagha.bsky.social
Writer & broadcaster; film specialist – BBC, TLS, ENGELSBERG IDEAS, APOLLO, SPECTATOR and others; Critics’ Circle; French Londoner
Garlic&Pearls podcast
@garlicandpearls.bsky.social
Instagram @murielzaghawriter
http://muckrack.com/muriel-zagha-3
Garlic&Pearls podcast
@garlicandpearls.bsky.social
Instagram @murielzaghawriter
http://muckrack.com/muriel-zagha-3
The Garlic&Pearls podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas.
8 December: CLUB MED! 🌴
Where I recount the story of ‘the antidote to civilisation’ born in traumatised post-war France and its fatal drift into exoticism.
8 December: CLUB MED! 🌴
Where I recount the story of ‘the antidote to civilisation’ born in traumatised post-war France and its fatal drift into exoticism.
December 8, 2025 at 9:17 AM
The Garlic&Pearls podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas.
8 December: CLUB MED! 🌴
Where I recount the story of ‘the antidote to civilisation’ born in traumatised post-war France and its fatal drift into exoticism.
8 December: CLUB MED! 🌴
Where I recount the story of ‘the antidote to civilisation’ born in traumatised post-war France and its fatal drift into exoticism.
The Garlic&Pearls podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas.
7 December: PANACHE!
@suzanneraine.bsky.social digs for the roots of French panache. Kingly pageantry! Cyrano! The emblem of the cockerel!
Tune in:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
7 December: PANACHE!
@suzanneraine.bsky.social digs for the roots of French panache. Kingly pageantry! Cyrano! The emblem of the cockerel!
Tune in:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
December 7, 2025 at 11:43 AM
The Garlic&Pearls podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas.
7 December: PANACHE!
@suzanneraine.bsky.social digs for the roots of French panache. Kingly pageantry! Cyrano! The emblem of the cockerel!
Tune in:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
7 December: PANACHE!
@suzanneraine.bsky.social digs for the roots of French panache. Kingly pageantry! Cyrano! The emblem of the cockerel!
Tune in:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
The @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas.
6 December: ECCENTRICS! I express admiration of anarchic creativity of British eccentrics and wonder if there is something in the water. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
6 December: ECCENTRICS! I express admiration of anarchic creativity of British eccentrics and wonder if there is something in the water. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
December 6, 2025 at 9:17 AM
The @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas.
6 December: ECCENTRICS! I express admiration of anarchic creativity of British eccentrics and wonder if there is something in the water. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
6 December: ECCENTRICS! I express admiration of anarchic creativity of British eccentrics and wonder if there is something in the water. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
This week on the @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast @suzanneraine.bsky.social answers the question ‘What goes ‘beep-beep’ all over the land and is typically British?’ Yes - it’s
METAL DETECTORS and the gentle army who wield them! Why is this so British?
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
METAL DETECTORS and the gentle army who wield them! Why is this so British?
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
December 5, 2025 at 1:53 PM
This week on the @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast @suzanneraine.bsky.social answers the question ‘What goes ‘beep-beep’ all over the land and is typically British?’ Yes - it’s
METAL DETECTORS and the gentle army who wield them! Why is this so British?
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
METAL DETECTORS and the gentle army who wield them! Why is this so British?
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
The Garlic&Pearls podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas, brought to you by me and @suzanneraine.bsky.social
5 DECEMBER: TOAST
An ode to distinctly British crisp buttered deliciousness, with extra true crime!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
5 DECEMBER: TOAST
An ode to distinctly British crisp buttered deliciousness, with extra true crime!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
December 5, 2025 at 10:15 AM
The Garlic&Pearls podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas, brought to you by me and @suzanneraine.bsky.social
5 DECEMBER: TOAST
An ode to distinctly British crisp buttered deliciousness, with extra true crime!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
5 DECEMBER: TOAST
An ode to distinctly British crisp buttered deliciousness, with extra true crime!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
The @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas, brought to you by me and @suzanneraine.bsky.social
4 DECEMBER:
THE 4-COLOUR BIC PEN
💙🖤❤️💚🖊️ Yes: it’s the ‘stealth bomber of Frenchness’!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
4 DECEMBER:
THE 4-COLOUR BIC PEN
💙🖤❤️💚🖊️ Yes: it’s the ‘stealth bomber of Frenchness’!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
December 4, 2025 at 10:18 AM
The @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas, brought to you by me and @suzanneraine.bsky.social
4 DECEMBER:
THE 4-COLOUR BIC PEN
💙🖤❤️💚🖊️ Yes: it’s the ‘stealth bomber of Frenchness’!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
4 DECEMBER:
THE 4-COLOUR BIC PEN
💙🖤❤️💚🖊️ Yes: it’s the ‘stealth bomber of Frenchness’!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
The @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas!
3 DECEMBER:
MY FAVOURITE A-ROAD 🚗
A kinetic tale of Romans, speed, resourcefulness and British modernism.
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
3 DECEMBER:
MY FAVOURITE A-ROAD 🚗
A kinetic tale of Romans, speed, resourcefulness and British modernism.
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
December 3, 2025 at 8:43 AM
The @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas!
3 DECEMBER:
MY FAVOURITE A-ROAD 🚗
A kinetic tale of Romans, speed, resourcefulness and British modernism.
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
3 DECEMBER:
MY FAVOURITE A-ROAD 🚗
A kinetic tale of Romans, speed, resourcefulness and British modernism.
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
Thrilled as ever to have written for the exceptional @engelsbergideas.bsky.social about a fascinating discarded French utopia - the Revolutionary calendar.
December 2, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Thrilled as ever to have written for the exceptional @engelsbergideas.bsky.social about a fascinating discarded French utopia - the Revolutionary calendar.
The @garlicandpearls.bsky.social advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas.
2 DECEMBER: ORANGINA
How a home-grown Algerian drink became a French icon!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
2 DECEMBER: ORANGINA
How a home-grown Algerian drink became a French icon!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
December 2, 2025 at 9:56 AM
The @garlicandpearls.bsky.social advent calendar - a high peak of Britishness or Frenchness every day until Christmas.
2 DECEMBER: ORANGINA
How a home-grown Algerian drink became a French icon!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
2 DECEMBER: ORANGINA
How a home-grown Algerian drink became a French icon!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
It’s Advent: let’s open the first window of the @garlicandpearls.bsky.social calendar, our compendium of peaks of Britishness and Frenchness brought to you by me and @suzanneraine.bsky.social
#1 SKI SUNDAY: How the British fell in love with skiing and made it fun!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
#1 SKI SUNDAY: How the British fell in love with skiing and made it fun!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
December 1, 2025 at 5:27 PM
It’s Advent: let’s open the first window of the @garlicandpearls.bsky.social calendar, our compendium of peaks of Britishness and Frenchness brought to you by me and @suzanneraine.bsky.social
#1 SKI SUNDAY: How the British fell in love with skiing and made it fun!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
#1 SKI SUNDAY: How the British fell in love with skiing and made it fun!
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
This week on the @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast, I open a surprising window into the French psyche and answer the following:
🇫🇷 Do French Presidents consult psychics?
👼 Who received phone calls from St Michael the Archangel?
♏️ Has astrology influenced French policy?
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
🇫🇷 Do French Presidents consult psychics?
👼 Who received phone calls from St Michael the Archangel?
♏️ Has astrology influenced French policy?
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
December 1, 2025 at 12:42 PM
This week on the @garlicandpearls.bsky.social podcast, I open a surprising window into the French psyche and answer the following:
🇫🇷 Do French Presidents consult psychics?
👼 Who received phone calls from St Michael the Archangel?
♏️ Has astrology influenced French policy?
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
🇫🇷 Do French Presidents consult psychics?
👼 Who received phone calls from St Michael the Archangel?
♏️ Has astrology influenced French policy?
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
This week on @garlicandpearls.bsky.social we raise an awkward question: in the land of Descartes and the cult of Reason, why is there such a close connection between FRENCH POLITICIANS AND CLAIRVOYANTS?
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
November 28, 2025 at 8:44 AM
This week on @garlicandpearls.bsky.social we raise an awkward question: in the land of Descartes and the cult of Reason, why is there such a close connection between FRENCH POLITICIANS AND CLAIRVOYANTS?
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
@suzanneraine.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/g...
My essay on Powell and Pressburger’s I Know Where I’m Going is available on this week’s Spectator Out Loud podcast, in distinguished company and read out in my best broadcasting voice. Tune in and then watch this marvellous film.
#ikwig #mull #powellpressburger #iknowwhereimgoing
#ikwig #mull #powellpressburger #iknowwhereimgoing
November 26, 2025 at 11:28 AM
My essay on Powell and Pressburger’s I Know Where I’m Going is available on this week’s Spectator Out Loud podcast, in distinguished company and read out in my best broadcasting voice. Tune in and then watch this marvellous film.
#ikwig #mull #powellpressburger #iknowwhereimgoing
#ikwig #mull #powellpressburger #iknowwhereimgoing
On @garlicandpearls.bsky.social we ask: where did those 11 days go when the British year was gouged in the 18th century? 🤔 @suzanneraine.bsky.social has the answers! Tune in!
November 25, 2025 at 7:12 PM
On @garlicandpearls.bsky.social we ask: where did those 11 days go when the British year was gouged in the 18th century? 🤔 @suzanneraine.bsky.social has the answers! Tune in!
We at @garlicandpearls.bsky.social - myself and @suzanneraine.bsky.social
are so grateful for all your feedback. We’re very encouraged. Onwards and upwards!
are so grateful for all your feedback. We’re very encouraged. Onwards and upwards!
November 25, 2025 at 9:17 AM
We at @garlicandpearls.bsky.social - myself and @suzanneraine.bsky.social
are so grateful for all your feedback. We’re very encouraged. Onwards and upwards!
are so grateful for all your feedback. We’re very encouraged. Onwards and upwards!
This week on @garlicandpearls.bsky.social an ASTONISHING account of THE BRITISH TAX YEAR by @suzanneraine.bsky.social
opens a vertiginous crack in time! A story of mathematics and astrology, Popes, bishops and archbishops, Catholicism and the Reformation, and, of course, Acts of Parliament!
opens a vertiginous crack in time! A story of mathematics and astrology, Popes, bishops and archbishops, Catholicism and the Reformation, and, of course, Acts of Parliament!
November 21, 2025 at 11:37 AM
This week on @garlicandpearls.bsky.social an ASTONISHING account of THE BRITISH TAX YEAR by @suzanneraine.bsky.social
opens a vertiginous crack in time! A story of mathematics and astrology, Popes, bishops and archbishops, Catholicism and the Reformation, and, of course, Acts of Parliament!
opens a vertiginous crack in time! A story of mathematics and astrology, Popes, bishops and archbishops, Catholicism and the Reformation, and, of course, Acts of Parliament!
Very interesting discussion last night at St Bartholomew the Great with Fergus Butler-Gallie,
author of Twelve Churches. Opened avenues of thought about sense of place, beauty and imperfection, the importance of the physical, and possible antidotes to online addiction (guilty!).
author of Twelve Churches. Opened avenues of thought about sense of place, beauty and imperfection, the importance of the physical, and possible antidotes to online addiction (guilty!).
November 21, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Very interesting discussion last night at St Bartholomew the Great with Fergus Butler-Gallie,
author of Twelve Churches. Opened avenues of thought about sense of place, beauty and imperfection, the importance of the physical, and possible antidotes to online addiction (guilty!).
author of Twelve Churches. Opened avenues of thought about sense of place, beauty and imperfection, the importance of the physical, and possible antidotes to online addiction (guilty!).
For @thespectator1828.bsky.social I wrote about a pilgrimage to the Western Isles with fellow fans of Powell and Pressburger’s 1945 sophisticated romance I Know Where I’m Going! Monochrome beauty, sense of place, a complex emotional heft - it is at once eerie and comforting - and visual trickery!
November 21, 2025 at 10:21 AM
For @thespectator1828.bsky.social I wrote about a pilgrimage to the Western Isles with fellow fans of Powell and Pressburger’s 1945 sophisticated romance I Know Where I’m Going! Monochrome beauty, sense of place, a complex emotional heft - it is at once eerie and comforting - and visual trickery!
As we prepare to usher in a new cracking episode tomorrow, here’s a regal-looking Agatha Christie in 1962, cutting a 10-year celebration cake for The Mousetrap. Note the cake, shaped like a giant mousetrap - and the dashing use of a sword!
@pennymordaunt.bsky.social
@pennymordaunt.bsky.social
November 20, 2025 at 10:38 AM
As we prepare to usher in a new cracking episode tomorrow, here’s a regal-looking Agatha Christie in 1962, cutting a 10-year celebration cake for The Mousetrap. Note the cake, shaped like a giant mousetrap - and the dashing use of a sword!
@pennymordaunt.bsky.social
@pennymordaunt.bsky.social
This week on @garlicandpearls.bsky.social it’s the EXTREMELY DRAMATIC second part of our theatrical diptych or face-off. Last week @suzanneraine.bsky.social presented THE MOUSETRAP. My turn to discuss THE BALD PRIMADONNA, Ionesco’s Absurdist success story. How on earth? Link in response post …
November 19, 2025 at 12:59 PM
This week on @garlicandpearls.bsky.social it’s the EXTREMELY DRAMATIC second part of our theatrical diptych or face-off. Last week @suzanneraine.bsky.social presented THE MOUSETRAP. My turn to discuss THE BALD PRIMADONNA, Ionesco’s Absurdist success story. How on earth? Link in response post …
Meanwhile, may I direct you all to two masterpieces of French cinema about adultery? La femme d’à côté/The Woman Next Door by Francois Truffaut and La femme infidèle/The Unfaithful Wife by Claude Chabrol. Once seen, never forgotten.
November 18, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Meanwhile, may I direct you all to two masterpieces of French cinema about adultery? La femme d’à côté/The Woman Next Door by Francois Truffaut and La femme infidèle/The Unfaithful Wife by Claude Chabrol. Once seen, never forgotten.
Delighted to have appeared on Times Radio Drive with John Pienaar to discuss a French dating website promoting adultery and what this says about the French. Are we an immoral people? Not entirely! Are we more forgiving of pleasure-seeking lapses? Quite possibly.
November 18, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Delighted to have appeared on Times Radio Drive with John Pienaar to discuss a French dating website promoting adultery and what this says about the French. Are we an immoral people? Not entirely! Are we more forgiving of pleasure-seeking lapses? Quite possibly.
So many lovely reviews of @garlicandpearls.bsky.social coming from our listeners! Suzanne and I are delighted and very grateful. Do keep them coming - it really, really helps!
November 18, 2025 at 2:35 PM
So many lovely reviews of @garlicandpearls.bsky.social coming from our listeners! Suzanne and I are delighted and very grateful. Do keep them coming - it really, really helps!
In the second part of our nail-biting theatrical diptych on THE GREATEST PLAY EVER, I fly the flag for THE BALD PRIMADONNA, the longest running play in France. Tune in and find out how this Absurdist prank bedded into the repertoire, and what it says about 🇫🇷!
@theatre-huchette.bsky.social
@theatre-huchette.bsky.social
November 14, 2025 at 2:03 PM
In the second part of our nail-biting theatrical diptych on THE GREATEST PLAY EVER, I fly the flag for THE BALD PRIMADONNA, the longest running play in France. Tune in and find out how this Absurdist prank bedded into the repertoire, and what it says about 🇫🇷!
@theatre-huchette.bsky.social
@theatre-huchette.bsky.social
In the first part of our nail-biting theatrical diptych on THR GREATEST PLAY EVER, @suzanneraine.bsky.social makes a fine case for THE MOUSETRAP, the longest running play in Britain. Tune in and find out about the play, its historical hinterland and meaning about 🇬🇧!
November 10, 2025 at 10:26 AM
In the first part of our nail-biting theatrical diptych on THR GREATEST PLAY EVER, @suzanneraine.bsky.social makes a fine case for THE MOUSETRAP, the longest running play in Britain. Tune in and find out about the play, its historical hinterland and meaning about 🇬🇧!