Hwaet is the opening of the epic poem Beowulf, which I found online (although the exclamation mark used in the November feature’s title is just artistic licence on my part). The idea for a feature on the Anglo-Saxons came from an interview I heard on BBC Radio 4, where the Anglo-Saxons were described as being pushed from the curriculum.

Previous features have also been inspired by Radio 4 – hearing an interview with the parents of Mark ‘Insect Circus‘ Copeland on Home Truths led to Insects and Entomologists. And hearing Paul Scholfield reading part of The Waste Land on Radio 4 led to Hurry Up Please It’s Time.

If I was any good at geography, perhaps I’d do a feature inspired by the oddly evocative shipping forecast …