Season 4 switches things up again. This time, we invite Dr Joseph Khoury, a guest from our last season to join us for a series of conversations with Dr Peter Hodges. Meanwhile, host Dr Julian Ng and series regular expert, Carol Paxton, will comment on the conversations.
Dr Khoury is Professor and Chair of the Department of English at St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia (Canada). Dr Hodges, of course, is the author of Marlowe’s Complaint – the book that kick-started all of this.
You can follow the series on YouTube as well as on podcast (ACast, Spotify, Apple Podcasts). The visual version will show verses, quotes and other images to enhance the understanding of what we say. Episodes will drop every Tuesday at 11am GMT from 3 February 2026.
Season 4 again looks to the Sonnets commonly attributed to William Shakespeare to see if they provide any clues about the infamous ‘Rival Poet’.
Episode 1: Why Be Rivals? A Retread
In Episode 1 of Season 4, we invite Dr Khoury back for a conversation with Dr Hodges. Who might the Rival Poet be and can we find any clues in the sonnets?
Episode 2: Eyewitness Testimonies
In this episode, Dr Hodges presents what he calls ‘eyewitness testimonies’ to bolster his case for the identity of the Rival Poet. Will Dr Khoury challenge these testimonies?
Episode 3: Musaeus, Darling
Dr Khoury and Dr Hodges look at what may have inspired the rivalry in Episode 3 of Season 4 of the HIPS podcast.
Episode 4: Who’s The Complainant?
In this Episode 4 of Season 4, the discourse turns to who is the person complaining about the so-called Rival Poet in those famous Sonnets, commonly attributed to William Shakespeare.
Episode 5: Painting a Picture
What does the famous extant portrait of Christopher Marlowe have to do with The Rival Poet? Dr Peter Hodges tries to convince Dr Joseph Khoury, while Dr Julian Ng and Carol Paxton comment on the discussion.
Episode 6: Confirmation Bias?
In our 6th episode of Season 4 of #HIPSPodcast, we investigate confirmation bias – are prevailing beliefs the reason that research is skewed to support something that is wrong? Join Dr Peter Hodges, Carol Paxton, Dr Julian Ng and Dr Joseph Khoury as we double down on this, in relation to the Rival Poet sonnets.
Episode 7: Case Closed?
As we come to the final episode of this Season 4, will the #HIPSPodcast team be able to convince our Stratfordian friend, Dr Joseph Khoury, of the identity of the Rival Poet and the person complaining about him?