Purity
Matthew Sweet and guests look at ideas of purity in political ideology, religion, anthropology and the experiences of teenage girls.
From spiritual cleanliness to purity spirals: Matthew Sweet is joined by guests including David Aaronovitch; Catherine Coldstream, author of Cloistered – My Years as a Nun; Linda Woodhead, Professor of the Sociology of Religion at King's College, University of London; Izabella Scott, author of The Bed Trick; and Louise Brangan, author of The Fallen: The Magdalene Laundries and Ireland’s Legacy of Silence. They’ll be discussing ideas of purity in political ideology, religion, anthropology and the experiences of teenage girls.
Producer Luke Mulhall
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Broadcast
- Fri 24 Apr 2026 21:00BBC Radio 4
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Free Thinking
The ideas shaping our lives today - with artists and thinkers in debates and interviews.


