In 1768, the Fortitude set sail from the famous port of Damprot, the Jewel of the Gravy Isles; a journey that was to have influence far beyond those shores, as they encounter treacherous butterflies, plant-worshipping religious zealots, boiling oceans, cannibalistic sausages, and perhaps even the very source of pleasure itself, Heaven's Clover.
"One of the most enthralling auditory experiences in the podcasting world." (AV Club)
"Fruity botanic satire so good you’ll soil yourself" (Karl Puschmann, NZ Herald)
"Equal parts Around the World in 80 Days, 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, and a sort of terrifying Dr Seuss set on a sailing ship in an alternate reality." (Melissa Locker, The Guardian)
INTERVIEW with the creators’ Duncan Sarkies, James Milne and Stephen Templer on RNZ’s Culture101 here.
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 1 - Cheese Dreams in the Gravy Isles
20 Aug 2023In episode one, Lord Joseph Banks is an idle opportunity squandering squillionaire botanist. A chance encounter with a certified cheesemonger sets him off on a pathway to pleasure that will change… Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium Ep 2 - The Dangers of Pleasure
27 Aug 2023In episode two, Lord Joseph Banks assembles a crew for a noble mission: to go to the very source of pleasure, in order to destroy it... Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 3 - The Enemy of the Aristocracy
In episode three, an ominous warbler brings news that the dreaded Anderlugians seek a rendezvous, but Lord Joseph Banks faces a greater enemy within his own ranks... Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 4 - The Curse of the Shantyshucker
10 Sep 2023In episode four, Lord Joseph Banks negotiates with the Anderlugians, ramping up tensions in the process. But his efforts at diplomacy are not appreciated by all... Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 5 - The Miracle Admiral
10 Oct 2023In episode five, The Miracle Admiral Lord Joseph Banks makes the HMS Fortitude set course for a mountainous island for a highly important mission to catch a rare butterfly... Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 6 - Consternation on Butterfly Island
10 Oct 2023In episode six, the weather turns foul and Lord Joseph Banks' mood turns even fouler when a higher authority threatens his chances of catching an Admiralis Mirabilis... Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 7 - The Trial of the Monocle
1 Oct 2023In episode seven, Lord Joseph Banks scours the port of Batavia in search of his Uncle Bertie. A clue leads him to Arthur C Oldham Burroughs, an expatriate writer with controversial views on Lord… Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 8 - The Disrespectful Expatriate
8 Oct 2023In episode eight, Arthur C Oldham Burroughs hosts Lord Joseph Banks to a night of reverie that leads to dangerous temptations and forces him to question the morality of his much loved Uncle Bertie...
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 9 - Sacrilege in Batavia
15 Oct 2023In episode nine, Lord Joseph Banks scours the port of Batavia in search of his Uncle Bertie. A clue leads him to Arthur C Oldham Burroughs, an expatriate writer with controversial views on Lord Banks'… Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 10 - Temptation in the Bubbles
22 Oct 2023In episode ten, Lord Joseph Banks and his crew bravely set forth for a journey that will probably result in certain death: traversing the treacherous Boiling Ocean...
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 11 - Encounter with the Anderlugians
29 Oct 2023In episode eleven, Encounter With The Anderlugians - As the Anderlugians host the crew of the Fortitude to an evening of glogg and salty pudding, Lord Joseph Banks has to contend with an insubordinate… Read more Audio
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The Mysterious Secrets of Uncle Bertie's Botanarium: Ep 12 - Revenge of the Towels
5 Nov 2023In this final episode of season one, tensions escalate when a dispute between Lord Joseph Banks and his Anderlugian hosts over a conical hat and some towels spirals out of control, with dramatic… Read more Audio
