Eighth along on the Sgt Pepper cover, and we come to the master of the macabre, the sovereign of spooky, the uncle of the uncanny, Edgar Allan Poe. A writer, poet, and critic who died, like John Lennon, at the age of 40 — and was name-checked by Lennon in the lyrics of “I Am the Walrus”.

An overnight success who laboured in obscurity for most of his working life, Poe can be seen as the originator of the detective genre, but is also the quintessential Southern Gothic author, and a purveyor of horror stories that were frequently focused on people being buried alive.

Join Elodie and me as we sit in the summer garden and discuss Poe’s life and debts. The usual health warning about the night sounds (bats! a Chihuahua with a chainsaw! hosepipes!), although we think the baby sparrows had fledged by this time. Elodie wrote the script and I chip in whenever it’s inappropriate.

This is the penultimate episode of the first season of the Lonely Hearts Clubhouse.