Author Olga Hughes

Olga Hughes

Olga Hughes has a BFA from the Victorian College of the Arts and a BA majoring in History and Literary Studies from Deakin University. She has also contributed to websites such as History Behind Game of Thrones. Her research interests include medieval and early modern history, folklore and fairy tales.

His Dark Materials Book to Screen Analysis: Episode 6 ‘The Daemon-Cages’

Olga Hughes

December 11, 2019

Books, Film & TV, His Dark Materials

Episode Six Spoilers The Daemon-Cages Philip Pullman once said that “There are some themes, some subjects, too large for adult fiction; they can only be dealt with adequately in a children's book.” Northern L... Read More...

His Dark Materials Book to Screen Analysis: Episode Five ‘The Lost Boy’

Olga Hughes

December 5, 2019

Books, Film & TV, His Dark Materials

Episode 5 Spoilers The Lost Boy Who is the ‘lost boy’? Titled for chapter twelve of Northern Lights, in which Lyra discovers what horrifying experiments the Oblation Board has been carrying out on children, T... Read More...

Kerblam? Can the Doctor Bounce Back After Series 11?

Olga Hughes

November 30, 2019

Whovian News

While we have been on a break at Nerdalicous, it has been quite some time since I really wanted to write about Doctor Who. I loved Peter Capaldi’s last season with Bill and Nardole and was gutted when it was an... Read More...

His Dark Materials Book to Screen Analysis: Episode Four ‘Armour’

Olga Hughes

November 27, 2019

Books, Film & TV, His Dark Materials

Episode Four Spoilers Armour We’re now four episodes in, and Armour revealed some small flaws in the thus-far polished veneer of His Dark Materials. Lee Scoresby, however, is not one of those. Lee will always... Read More...

His Dark Materials: On Gyptians

Olga Hughes

November 24, 2019

Books, Film & TV, His Dark Materials

The Gyptians of Philip Pullman’s ‘Brytain’ and the wider world were introduced in the first episode of His Dark Materials by way of a newly-seen coming-of-age ceremony. The community came together to celebrate ... Read More...

His Dark Materials Book to Screen Analysis: Episode Three ‘The Spies’

Olga Hughes

November 20, 2019

Books, Film & TV, His Dark Materials

Episode Three Spoilers The Spies For an episode that took place over a handful of days in even fewer locations, The Spies has been the most revelatory episode thus far. We are now entirely involved with the G... Read More...

Jane Seymour projected the persona people demanded of her: An interview with Adrienne Dillard

Olga Hughes

November 16, 2019

Books, History, Interviews

It is difficult to try and define which of Henry VIII’s queens have been the most maligned, because they have all been the victims of misogyny, stereotyping or scapegoating, often in the pursuit of entertainmen... Read More...

His Dark Materials Book to Screen Analysis: Episode Two ‘The Idea of the North’

Olga Hughes

November 13, 2019

Books, Film & TV, His Dark Materials

Episode Two Spoilers The Idea of the North In his lecture 'The Writer’s Responsibility', Philip Pullman quotes film director and playwright David Mamet, who says the basic storytelling question is ‘Where do I... Read More...

His Dark Materials Book to Screen Analysis: Episode One ‘Lyra’s Jordan’

Olga Hughes

November 5, 2019

Books, Film & TV, His Dark Materials

Episode One Spoilers Lyra's Jordan If, as a book fan, you had any reservations about His Dark Materials, the opening episode Lyra’s Jordan should have succeeded in smashing them. I had been completely confide... Read More...

His Dark Materials Book to Screen Analysis: ‘The Golden Compass’ and Pre-Show Thoughts

Olga Hughes

November 3, 2019

Books, Film & TV, His Dark Materials

The following is spoiler-free but references themes from the His Dark Materials book trilogy. The Golden Compass has its twelve year anniversary coming up shortly. I first saw it on its Boxing Day release in A... Read More...

For Halloween We Present ‘A Prisoner of This Tower’

Olga Hughes

October 31, 2019

Poet's Stage

For this year's Halloween poem I have chosen C.S. Hughes' A Prisoner of This Tower, for the eerie connection between the verse and those who perished in the Tower of London who have been on my mind of late. ... Read More...

Richard III before Bosworth Field by James Walton

Olga Hughes

May 30, 2017

History, Poet's Stage

I was walking on a local beach known for its dinosaur fossils, playing with pebbles and sea weed, thinking about the elapse of time in waves, and how the same amount of water has always existed, and... Read More...

My Name is Jane…Boleyn

Olga Hughes

May 19, 2017

History

“War and hate are their business, and one of their chief weapons is un-Naming—making people not know who they are. If someone knows who he is, really knows, then he doesn’t need to hate. That’s why we still nee... Read More...

Happy Holidays from the Nerds

Olga Hughes

December 25, 2016

Ridiculam Mundi

Merry Christmas from C.S. Hughes and Princess Ayonami, Over the Hills and Far Away Beary Christmas from Arthur, Amelia and Lord Cardigan (and Olga Hughes), The Willows Merry Merry C... Read More...

A Christmas Feast In The Court of Richard III

Olga Hughes

December 23, 2016

History, History of Food

On the eleventh day of Christmas we discuss what would have been served at a Christmas feast during the reign of Richard III An oft-repeated excerpt from The Crowland Chronicle Continuations claims that the... Read More...

The English Christmas Panto from the Regency to Its Roots by Kyra Kramer

Olga Hughes

December 21, 2016

History

On the ninth day of Christmas Kyra Kramer joins us to discuss the English pantomime. The Christmas panto is a very British tradition, one still embraced in some former colonial states and eschewed altogether... Read More...

Greensleeves by Adrienne Dillard

Olga Hughes

December 20, 2016

History

On the eighth day of Christmas Adrienne Dillard joins us to discuss the iconic Greensleeves. Greensleeves by Adrienne Dillard Let’s face it, whether you recognize it as Greensleeves or What Chil... Read More...