So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye!

So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, goodbye!

From Tophole! by Deborah Lofas

June 2, 2026 · 25 min · Season 3 · Episode 17

About this episode

The episode discusses the Chalet School's final term and its potential influence on Roald Dahl's work.

A pivotal summer term book this time, as we look at the Chalet School's final term on St Briavel's - a book which might well have inspired Roald Dahl, given that it could be subtitled "The Chalet School and the Chocolate Factory". Subjects I had to google while researching this episode included how much milk a goat produces, 1950s university entrance requirements, the Allied occupation of Austria, and the actual definition of a step-sister. Please don't panic if the next episode is late - we are about to go on holiday a podcast research trip to Guernsey. Transcript available at https://topholepodcast.wordpress.com/2026/06/02/s3e17-so-long-farewell-auf-wiedersehen-good-bye/ You can find Tophole on Facebook, or email us at topholepodcast@gmail.com . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Deborah Lofas

Topics covered

  • Chalet School
  • Roald Dahl
  • 1950s education
  • Allied occupation
  • literature analysis
  • podcast research trip

Keywords

  • Chalet School
  • Roald Dahl
  • 1950s
  • Austria
  • literature
  • podcast
  • research trip

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Chalet School's final term on St Briavel's

Places: Austria, Guernsey

More episodes of Tophole!

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Tophole! podcast page.