Shadow World - Anatomy of a Cancellation: 1. Kate’s Story
Download Anatomy of a Cancellation: 1. Kate’s Story
When prize-winning author Kate Clanchy is accused of racism she asks her online followers for help. She’s shocked by the reaction. We hear the story from Kate’s perspective.
In Shadow World: Anatomy of a Cancellation, the BBC’s Culture Editor Katie Razzall revisits a story that rocked the UK’s publishing industry in 2021. It led to what some saw as the unjustified cancellation of a prize-winning writer and teacher - but to others, was a long overdue reckoning for the world of publishing. It grew into a culture war about race, class, and who has the right to say what.
Anatomy of a Cancellation explores a range of different perspectives to consider how people now view one of the most controversial literary rows in recent memory.
We have used clips from the following sources:
The Simpsons, Gracie Films and 20th Television
“The myth of the climate ‘apocalypse,’” The Spiked podcast, 13 Aug 2021
“What Happened? Kate Clanchy's Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me” - Josie Alford Youtube channel, 14 Aug 2021,
'When I came from Nepal', by Mukahang Limbu
Presenter: Katie Razzall
Producer: Charlotte McDonald
Additional production: Octavia Woodward
Production co-ordinators: Sophie Hill and Katie Morrison
Sound design and mix: James Beard
Story editing: Meara Sharma
Series producer: Matt Willis
Senior news editor: Clare Fordham
Commissioning executive: Tracy Williams
Commissioning editor: Dan Clarke
It was a BBC Long Form Audio production for Radio 4.
Published on Friday, 7th November 2025.
Available Podcasts from Shadow World
We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Shadow World webpage.