Heidi Colthup, Deputy Head of English Language and Linguistics in the School of European Culture and Languages, was the first female opinion columnist for ‘Farmers Weekly’ magazine.

In this gripping interview, the latest in the Nostalgia podcast series, Heidi talks to Dr Chris Deacy about working as a freelance journalist; training as a primary school teacher; combining driving tractors with fine art; why through reading one gets to lead a thousand lives; trashy novels and Fifty Shades of Grey; her Scottish ancestry; the time when the only copy of her grandfather’s memoirs were cremated with him; why we write diaries and who we write them for; video games; being a huge Stephen King fan; teaching in the Department of English Language and Linguistics at the University of Kent; aspiring to be Prime Minister; wanting to make a difference; and why Heidi doesn’t believe in either looking back or looking forward.