On this episode of the&nbsp;New Statesman's&nbsp;new culture podcast,&nbsp;The Back Half, Tom Gatti and Kate Mossman discuss the BBC's torture-heavy Guy Fawkes drama Gunpowder. Then we hear an excerpt from Tom's conversation with Man Booker prize-winning novelist George Saunders, and finally celebrate the noniversary of the immortal Coolio song "Gangsta's Paradise".Get in touch on Twitter and send us your noniversary suggestions via&nbsp;<a href="http://www.twitter.com/ns_podcasts" target="_blank">@ns_podcasts</a> or <a href="https://create-beta.acast.com/episodes/8f2a1933-9878-4781-aa4a-58053e8b7ca7/www.twitter.com/tom_gatti" target="_blank">@tom_gatti</a>.Relevant links:<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p05j1cg8/gunpowder-series-1-episode-1" target="_blank">Watch Gunpowder on the BBC iPlayer.</a><a href="http://amzn.to/2gCNuFq" target="_blank">Get a copy of George Saunders' Lincoln in the Bardo.</a><a href="https://subscribe.newstatesman.com/" target="_blank">Subscribe to the New Statesman now or buy a copy from your local newsagent.</a>Our theme music is "God Speed" by Pistol Jazz, licensed under Creative Commons.<hr> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

The Goldsmiths Prize Shortlist Special

Join Tom Gatti and Kate Mossman for the best of the New Statesman's arts and books pages, in your ears every other Thursday. Send noniversary suggestions and other comments to thebackhalfpodcast@gmail.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.