Loads of spoilers in this consideration of EBD's first book, Gerry Goes to School, without which there would be no Chalet School... what an awful thought.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/10/21/s3e3-back-to-the-very-beginning/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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In October 1925, a new school story arrived in bookshops: The School at the Chalet, by Elinor M Brent-Dyer. 100 years and 58 books later, here we are still talking about what she had created. Wendy and Hayley join in the conversation - as do several listeners, who shared what the Chalet School means to them.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/10/07/s3e2-shall-we-make-the-uniform-more-artistic/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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New school year, new series - and we're starting with a cracker. Stand by for an explosive - and surprisingly musical - episode!

The usual provisos apply with respect to pronunciation, spoilers and bonkersness. In particular, I use a very English pronunciation of the name 'Thekla' all through this episode - sorry not sorry. Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/09/23/s3e1-marie-loses-her-temper/

I've created a Spotify playlist of (almost all) the music referenced in the book - it's called Exploits of the Chalet Girls. There are a couple of tunes missing and you'll need to go to YouTube for Ivor Novello's A Page's Road Song.

There's still time to send us your thoughts on why the Chalet School is important to you - you can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at Topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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It's a Wendy week - woo! - and we're having a discussion about aunties at the Chalet School.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/07/22/s2e23-aunties/

This is the last episode of season 2 - we'll be back towards the end of September. In the meantime, please do get in touch to let us know what the Chalet School means to you. You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com. If you're happy for your voice to be included in our 100 Years of the Chalet School celebration episode in the autumn, please send a voice note.

Have a lovely summer!

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It's the summer term, which means reviewing a summer term book, and it can only be The School at the Chalet in this, its centenary year. 'Dreary' and 'drivel', or a modern classic?

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/07/08/s2e22-if-only-i-knew-what-to-do-with-you-girls/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or contact us at topholepodcast@gmail.com. Please do contact us, because I'd like to make a special episode next term about what the Chalet School means to modern readers (that's you!). If you're happy to have your voice included in the podcast, please send a voicenote, but written words are fine. Thank you!

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Kit and I went on holiday to the Austrian Tirol in May 2025. I didn't manage an audio diary, but here's my account - with a Chalet School slant on everything we saw, of course!

If you listen to the very end, you'll hear the full recording I made from our hotel balcony: the church bells of Zell am Ziller again, and then some birdsong, and then the railway crossing bell, and eventually a train.

Transcript and also photos at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/06/24/s2e21-a-holiday-in-the-austrian-tirol/

You can find Tophole on Facebook, or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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Hayley's back! And this time we're talking about travelling within the UK to the Chalet School in Armishire and South Wales.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/06/10/s2e20-the-school-run-2/

You can find Tophole on Facebook, or you can email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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Special guest Hayley joins me on this episode, as we discuss the trains the Chalet girls took to get to and from school on the continent.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/06/10/s2e19-the-school-run-1/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com

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A non-Chalet EBD book this week, although it includes a Chalet character (not that you'd recognise her) and reference to a Swiss sanatorium.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/05/13/s2e18-high-heels-and-a-hand-grenade/

You can contact Tophole via Facebook or at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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Wendy and I discuss some of the top bonkers moments and situations in the Chalet School Series. There are plenty to choose from, so if your particular favourite isn't here, please do get in touch. You can find Tophole on Facebook, or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/04/29/s2e17-bonkers/

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Back in wartime Armishire for a review of Lavender Laughs at the Chalet School.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/04/15/s2e16-i-need-nine-frocks/

You can contact Tophole via Facebook or at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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It's that time of year when we finish varnishing our scrapbooks and stuffing our toy animals, and encourage our friends and family to get out their purses and spend, spend, spend at THE SALE! Are we organising the stalls by forms, groups, or houses? Do we need a Sale Committee or shall we skip it for this year? Readers participate in 13 sales of work at the Chalet School - here's a recap of each one.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/04/01/s2e15-our-highest-total-ever/

You can contact Tophole via Facebook or at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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Let's spend a year or so in Guernsey, catching up with friends. Or, if you've never read any of the La Rochelle books, let's get hugely confused by dozens of characters. Either way, settle down for an authentic portrait of the first year of married life.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/03/18/s2e14-a-romance-for-older-girls/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or contact us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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Second half of our discussion of Armada paperbacks - second style covers from 1972 to 1985.

You can see most (although not all) of the covers we discuss at https://uk.pinterest.com/deborahlofas/chalet-school/2nd-style-pb/

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/03/04/s2e13-paperback-writer-2/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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It's a Wendy week (woo-hoo!) and we're discussing Armada books, and particularly their covers. You can see most of these on the boards at https://uk.pinterest.com/deborahlofas/chalet-school/. Obviously this took us hours so part 2 of our conversation will come next time.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/02/18/s2e12-paperback-writer-1/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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Delayed for technical reasons (for which apologies) - in this episode I consider Prunella Davidson's arrival at the School, and refrain from wondering what exactly 'It' is. I also don't talk much about the arrival of Bruno because we covered that last time.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/02/04/s2-e11-this-one-started-with-antonia-forest/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at at Topholepodcast@gmail.com - I do get round to reading the emails eventually...

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The long-promised episode where Wendy and I discuss dogs in EBD's books, and what we learn about training and caring for them. We talk about Rufus and Bruno in the Chalet School books, as well as They Both Liked Dogs, The Lost Staircase, and Kennelmaid Nan - and there are, of course, spoilers, but it is absolutely still worth reading Kennelmaid Nan for yourself if you get the chance.

Where I refer to 23 November 'this year', actually I mean 2024!

You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at Topholepodcast@gmail.com.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2025/01/14/s2e10-woof-i-quite-agree-barked-rufus/

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It's that time of year, so there's really only one Chalet book to talk about!

Brittany can be found here

You can find Tophole on Facebook, or email us on topholepodcast@gmail.com (and I promise I will get to the emails this week).

Episode transcript available here

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Third time lucky for recording this particular episode, which is about backs and back problems (a) at the Chalet School (b) elsewhere in children's literature and (c) across the whole of recorded time. We are nothing if not ambitious.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/12/17/s2e8-oof/

You can find Tophole on Facebook or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com.

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An overview both of Girlguiding, and the Chalet School's experience of it.

Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2024/12/03/s2e7-on-my-honour/

You can find Tophole on Facebook, or email us on topholepodcast@gmail.com. 

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