The Inspiration

Behind the Podcast

“There are two Timbuktus. One is the administrative centre of the Sixth Region of the Republic of Mali… And then there is the Timbuktu of the mind —  a mythical city in a Never-Never Land, an antipodean mirage, a symbol for the back of beyond or a flat joke. ‘He has gone to Timbuktu,’ they say, meaning ‘He is out of his mind’.”

— Bruce Chatwin, Anatomy of Restlessness

  • Gone To Timbuktu comprises 30-to 45-minute conversations with people who make us think a little differently about the art of travel — in fiction, journalism, photography, film and more. The podcast explores physical journeys and inner landscapes, creative influences and new ideas.

    It is published fortnightly, and is available on all major streaming platforms, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

  • Sophy Roberts is a British journalist and author who podcasts from her home in Dorset, as well as when she is on the road for the Financial Times, among other publications. Her interests combine travel, literature, history and photography.

    Sophy’s first book, The Lost Pianos of Siberia — a Times Book of 2020 — is published in 11 languages. Her next book, A Training School for Elephants, will be published in 2024.

  • Guests include authors, poets, journalists, photographers, musicians and filmmakers with a passion for travel, and its complexities: witnessing, adventure, ‘othering’, exclusion.

    Their work explores history, modern geopolitics, climate change, migration, holy pilgrimage, the picturesque and more.

  • The podcast is edited and produced by Stingray & Freunde in Berlin.

    The photography used for the podcast’s website and promotional material is by Michael Turek.

    The music is ‘Morin Khuur Concerto No. 1’ by Ulziibayar Shatar. Munkhbayar Erdenebaatar plays the morin khurr, and Odgerel Sampilnorov is the pianist.