PS: if you haven't seen the affectionate spoof of Schama by his student, you should. It's on youtube and it's hysterical. Supposedly, Schama approved.

I regularly podcast "In Our Time" with Melvyn Bragg, and it's great. The two distinct shows are both excellent, in their own way. But I actually prefer listening to Leonard Lopate. Thanks, Leonard, and thanks WNYC.

Actually I take it back....Shirley Maclaine got more comments but the comments are mostly negative...so it seems her segment irked people enough that they were motivated to write.

Simon didn't come off as a curmudgeonly loon...so...I reiterate: There should have been less Shirley and more Simon!

What a disgrace to have Shama not be able to say anything interesting -- I think he was warming up to go into the topic of the East India Company money men for wrecking British politics when cut short -- while Shirley fills us in on magnetic alignments. Who cares about Smith, Burke, and Gibbon when we have the Mayan calendar to ponder?

I don't blame Leonard, of course. He actually made her interview somewhat bearable and saved a potential disaster. You know things are tough when the guest says she can't remember most of the stories in her book.

There is a really really good BBC radio show entitled "In Our Time" with Melvyn Bragg which we need here. Bragg gets scholars for fascinating 40-45 minute rambles on the most amazing topics which you can listen to on the Internet. Definitely worth checking out for those who don't know about it.

WNYC should accept that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery and copy "In Our Time" format pronto since everything is going to end in 2012 anyway and there is such little time left. I think the show airs just once a week as well so it wouldn't be that impossible to produce.

Not much...

...or maybe something very very sad about our society

probably the latter actually....sigh....

Ah, but Shirley's interview got 28 comments, Simon's has (so far) gotten only 6. What does that say?

Waaay too short...I think maybe Shirley should have been cut down; Simon Schama is far more interesting.

Too bad that horrible Shirley MacLaine got more time than Simon Schama--sad move.

Now, this should be a good interview, Simon Schama is always interesting.

I love Mr.Schama's series "The Power of Art" and "A History of Britain"...both are excellent!

I would be fascinated to hear what Mr. Schama thinks of Pope Benedict. Thanks.

Please ask Mr. Schama what he knows of the great British-Jewish boxer Kid Lewis, referred to in Hemingway's wonderful short story "50 Grand" Strangely Lewis became a bodyguard for the notorious fascist and anti-Semite, Oswald Mosely.