William McGonagall

The subject of the segment, a poet and aspiring actor known for his poor performances.

“I'm obsessed with William McGonagall. I have so many questions. Who was this man? What does he teach us about art? And above all, how does a poem get to be this bad?”

A poet often dismissed as incompetent, but potentially a brilliant, intentional performer.

“It's a story that's been retold and remixed countless times. So here's another remix. What if William McGonagall isn't the pompous, talentless, sad victim of bullies that he seems to be? What if William McGonagall is the most brilliant clown who ever lived? An…”

An aspiring poet who walked to Balmoral Castle after being tricked by a fake letter of patronage.

“In the summer of 1878, Mcgonagall had been a poet for just a year when he received a letter from Queen Victoria's private secretary, Sir Thomas Biddulph, informing him that Her Majesty would like to become a patron of his poems. Mcgonagall seems not to have re…”

A poet who was widely mocked for his poor writing and suffered through numerous public pranks.

“William McGonagall died in poverty on the twenty-ninth of September, nineteen oh two. He was seventy-two years old, or seventy-seven. He was buried in a pauper's grave, having practiced the art of poetry for twenty-five years and having been mocked for every o…”

A weaver who transitioned into a poet after experiencing a sudden, intense creative awakening in 1877.

“What a shame that McGonagall's artistic sensitivities were not put to full-time use. He continued to work as a weaver for decades. Not to worry. Good things come to those who wait. He would eventually emulate William Shakespeare, the man he so admired. William…”

The central subject of the discussion, described as a poet whose performances were riotously successful despite his reputation as the worst poet in history.

“We'll never know what William McGonagall was really thinking as he took to the stage each night. Was he oblivious as he seems to be? A man with skin so thick that neither insults nor insights ever got through? Or was he far more tragic than the mythic figure o…”

A poet widely considered the worst in history, known for his poem about the Tay Bridge disaster.

“Thus begins a poem titled The Tay Bridge Disaster. It is widely regarded as the worst poem ever written, and its author, William McGonagall, is widely regarded as the worst poet.”

Described as the worst poet in the world, whose work is being re-evaluated by Tim Harford.

“You're about to hear an episode of Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford. Tim's podcast explores mistakes from history, and importantly, what we can learn from them. As you can imagine, there's a lot of disasters to choose from, but there's always an interesting a…”

A poet criticized for his poor writing style and often cited as an example of how not to write poetry.

“The poetry critics argue that McGonagall has an important lesson to teach us. He is the perfect example of how not to write poetry. If you must read him, be sure to do the opposite of whatever he does. Joseph Salemi, an award-winning poet, complains, I know fa…”