In this podcast, Antony Bell discusses the historical background to his novel A Penny a Shell, focusing on the 1916 Barnbow munitions factory explosion. He explores the lives of the women workers, known as the Barnbow Lasses, who laboured under dangerous and secretive conditions. The interview highlights the scale of the disaster, its impact on the local community and the broader role of women on the home front. Antony also reflects on the process of blending historical fact with fiction to bring these stories to a wider audience.