In the Studio: Robyn Weintraub
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 4 September 2023
⏱️ 27 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Robyn Weintraub is a leading crossword designer who writes clues and fills in cells for the New York Times, famous for its challenging daily puzzles. She also creates for the New Yorker, People Magazine and the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament. Robyn is known for her distinct style, and keen readers recognise a “Robyn Puzzle” from the quotes and sayings she uses as hints.
Tara Gadomski follows Robyn over three intense days as she constructs a new crossword puzzle from blank page to completed grid. We get a glimpse of her long word lists and her daily puzzle-writing routine, and experience Robyn’s final verification - by pencil and paper - to make sure the puzzle is satisfying for the millions of people who will try to solve it then we discover whether Robyn’s puzzle has been accepted for publication by the New York Times
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Unexpected Elements is the podcast shining a light on the science lurking behind the news. |
| 0:05.8 | We know lots of scientists and we're not afraid to call them up. |
| 0:09.4 | Unexpected Elements from the BBC World Service find it wherever you get your BBC podcasts. |
| 0:16.4 | My least favorite part is getting started because it is just that blank white page in front of you and you know what am I going to do with it. |
| 0:25.0 | My favorite part is I guess probably writing the clues. |
| 0:30.0 | The process of editing the clues and making them more and more fun or clever. |
| 0:36.0 | This is Robin Whiterobe. |
| 0:38.0 | She's one of the most well-known and well-liked crossword puzzle constructors in the United States. |
| 0:45.0 | She's been a regular in the New York Times since 2011 and has messages from Broadway stars and even a US president |
| 0:53.0 | telling her how much they enjoyed solving her puzzles. |
| 0:56.0 | I'm Tara Gadomsky. |
| 0:58.0 | Hello and welcome to the documentary in the studio from the BBC World Service. |
| 1:03.0 | This is the series that meets some of the world's most creative people and finds out how they work and think. |
| 1:12.0 | Good morning. |
| 1:14.0 | How are you? |
| 1:16.0 | Thank you. |
| 1:18.0 | Day one. |
| 1:19.0 | Shall we head upstairs to the office? |
| 1:21.0 | Thanks. |
| 1:22.0 | I'm spending a week with Robin as she creates a new crossword puzzle to submit to the New York Times. |
| 1:28.0 | She makes puzzles as a freelancer on a speculative basis so publication is not guaranteed. |
| 1:34.0 | But she has a passion for puzzle constructing and puts in many days of work with the hopes her puzzle will be accepted by the newspaper. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.