Millions leave school unable to read properly. This four-part podcast uncovers the hidden literacy crisis, its human cost, and the solutions that can change lives.
This problem has inflicted incalculable harm and blighted lives with misery. The worst part is that this is unnecessary – we have the knowledge we need to teach all children and young people to read. The solutions are far cheaper than the ongoing costs of illiteracy.
In this four-part podcast, you will hear from headteachers and principals, teachers, charity leaders, researchers and academics, literacy teaching specialists, and most importantly, young people and adults who have struggled with their reading. We tell the story of their pain and frustration, and the incredible power that learning to read confers when they finally get the help that they need.
Kathy Rastle is Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Royal Holloway University of London. Her research, writing and communication with education practitioners has made her one of the most important academic voices in the world on the teaching of reading.
10 Sept 2026
In Conversation with Pamela Snow
Distinguished Professor Pamela Snow is renowned internationally for her advocacy of evidence-based reading instruction, and has a profound grasp of the barriers to implementing educational change to ensure that all children learn to read well. In this wide-ranging interview, she talks about educational fallacies, the instructional provision that students deserve, and where change needs to start.
21 Aug 2026
In Conversation with Tony Giles
Tony Giles is principal of Mahurangi College in North Auckland, New Zealand. We discussed the recent changes to New Zealand's curriculum and what is needed to deal with NZ's wide achievement gap in literacy.
17 Aug 2026
In conversation with Mike Mercanti-Anthony
Mike is principal of Antonia Pantoja Preparatory School in South Bronx, New York. We discussed the challenges his students face, the liberating power of reading and what it takes to really have an impact through education.
7 Aug 2026
In Conversation with Carole Herman
Carole Herman is executive director of the Association of Secondary Heads in Essex, known as ASHE, and has previously been headteacher at two secondary schools. We spoke about her time at Shenfield High School in Essex, where she brought about major changes to the school's approach to literacy and the life chances of her students.
24 Jul 2026
In Conversation with Vic Goddard
Vic Goddard is a veteran headteacher at Passmores Learning Community, and star of Educating Essex. In this episode we discussed his school's transformation in its approach to literacy, and what he's learned along the way.
21 Jun 2026
4. Hope
A key theme of this series is that there is hope. Reading problems are solvable, and in this episode, we explain what it takes to do that, and that we can achieve far more than is usually thought possible. For people who mastered reading as children, it can be difficult to imagine the life-changing power that learning to read brings. The stories you’ll hear will make clear the radical changes in people’s lives when they finally learn to read after struggling for years.
For more on Thinking Reading, visit https://thinkingreading.com
Inside the Reading Gap is a Thinking Reading and Made by DBM co-production
Written and created by James and Dianne Murphy
Narrator: Emilie Carrington
Editing, audio production, script supervision: Rob Birnie at Made by DBM https://madebydbm.com/podcasts
Additional interviews: Alice Ball and Emilie Carrington
Administrative assistance: Charlene Johnstone
21 Jun 2026
3. Reading: Second Nature?
As a society, we have a wide range of explanations for why so many can’t read after eleven years of formal education, including deprivation, lack of intelligence, poor motivation, and presumed disabilities. In this episode, we show how those beliefs don’t hold water and instead show that teaching is the solution. We look at what can be done in schools to prevent literacy problems at the scale we currently see in our society.
For more on Thinking Reading, visit https://thinkingreading.com
Inside the Reading Gap is a Thinking Reading and Made by DBM co-production
Written and created by James and Dianne Murphy
Narrator: Emilie Carrington
Editing, audio production, script supervision: Rob Birnie at Made by DBM https://madebydbm.com/podcasts
Additional interviews: Alice Ball and Emilie Carrington
Administrative assistance: Charlene Johnstone
21 Jun 2026
2. Locked Out
The correlation between imprisonment and poor literacy is strong. While correlation is not cause, there is no doubt that poor literacy increases the chances of incarceration, and that it makes it much harder for prison to have a positive impact. In this episode, you’ll hear experts describe the links between poor literacy and imprisonment, the challenges of the prison environment for improving literacy skills, and what it will take to make things better.
For more on Thinking Reading, visit https://thinkingreading.com
Inside the Reading Gap is a Thinking Reading and Made by DBM co-production
Written and created by James and Dianne Murphy
Narrator: Emilie Carrington
Editing, audio production, script supervision: Rob Birnie at Made by DBM https://madebydbm.com/podcasts
Additional interviews: Alice Ball and Emilie Carrington
Administrative assistance: Charlene Johnstone
21 Jun 2026
1. The Silent Epidemic
The number of people who lack basic literacy skills is of epidemic proportions, but most able readers will never know that friends, colleagues or relatives can’t read properly. In this episode, we explore what ‘functional’ illiteracy means, the multi-faceted impacts on all aspects of their lives, and the costs to us as a society. And all this raises the question: how did we get to this place, when we fund education for every child to the age of at least 16?
For more on Thinking Reading, visit https://thinkingreading.com
Inside the Reading Gap is a Thinking Reading and Made by DBM co-production
Written and created by James and Dianne Murphy
Narrator: Emilie Carrington
Editing, audio production, script supervision: Rob Birnie at Made by DBM https://madebydbm.com/podcasts
Additional interviews: Alice Ball and Emilie Carrington
Administrative assistance: Charlene Johnstone
19 Jun 2026
Inside the Reading Gap - Trailer
Coming soon, a 4-part podcast looking at the causes and the solutions surrounding illiteracy.
More info: Thinking Reading
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
9 ratings
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