Illuminated

Illuminated is BBC Radio 4's home for creative and surprising one-off documentaries that shed light on hidden worlds. New episodes are available weekly on Sunday evenings.

Radio 4,100 episodes

Episodes

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Voices from the Beach
Chance encounters and unexpected conversations on the beach with poet Saili Katebe.
31 May 2026,28 mins
My Sister’s Daughter
Love by other means. A kinship care story.
24 May 2026,28 mins
Tarot and the Art of Creativity
What will the tarot cards reveal for creatives Ben Okri, Lola Kirke and Jessica Knappett?
17 May 2026,28 mins
The East Light
Margot McCuaig ascends The East Lighthouse, illuminating the voices that dwell there.
10 May 2026,29 mins
Strong Women
World champion Strongwomen redefine power and what it really means to be strong.
03 May 2026,28 mins
Me, Myself and the MRI
A hospital visit, going inside a MRI scanner - that talks back.
26 Apr 2026,28 mins
Andy Mycock: Named, Unashamed
Reflections on life with a terrible surname.
19 Apr 2026,29 mins
Journey through a cow
Join a farmer, a cheesemaker, a philosopher and a scientist on a guided tour through a cow
12 Apr 2026,28 mins
Harrier Angels
Robert Macfarlane on C16th carvings of angels based on the wings of hen and marsh harriers
29 Mar 2026,28 mins
Outpatient
In 2018, Harriet Madeley found out she was going to die. Then again, aren't we all?
22 Mar 2026,28 mins
Swimming with Jimmy
There’s joy and peace in the depths of a swimming pool, if only you can learn to let go.
15 Mar 2026,28 mins
The Alpenpost: A Girl's Guide to Fighting Hitler and Stalin
The Alpenpost: both a love letter to a distant father and a chronicle of European darkness
08 Mar 2026,31 mins
Cannon Fodder
Memory, myth and meaning from lives shattered in a global conflict that resonate still.
01 Mar 2026,29 mins
The Extractor
Hilik Magnus reflects on the values that inspire him to rescue people for a living.
22 Feb 2026,29 mins,
A Lemur’s Song
What can a critically endangered species of lemur tell us about the origins of music?
15 Feb 2026,28 mins
Functioning
Two women share a rare insight into their secret lives as 'functioning alcoholics'.
08 Feb 2026,28 mins
Bolton: The Happiest Town on Earth?
Does Bolton hold the secret to happiness?
01 Feb 2026,29 mins
Dreaming the Third Reich
The story of Charlotte Beradt's subversive dream project under Nazi rule.
25 Jan 2026,29 mins
The Metaphor Consultant
The poet Jack Underwood offers his services as a metaphor consultant, for a reasonable fee
18 Jan 2026,28 mins
Into the Owambe
A vibrant exploration of a Nigerian party that helped a generation call Britain home.
11 Jan 2026,29 mins
Bass Notes
Jah Wobble explores a life immersed at the low end of the sonic spectrum.
28 Dec 2025,28 mins
A Very British Christmas
A headlong dive into Christmas Day 2024, made up entirely from phone-recorded voice notes.
21 Dec 2025,29 mins
CS Lewis, the Evacuee and the Wardrobe
Emma Freud sits down with her mother to hear the fascinating tale of her link to CS Lewis.
14 Dec 2025,29 mins
Art Class
Reflections on the conflicting values we invest in art.
07 Dec 2025,29 mins
Hearing Aids
Poet Paul Farley faces up to the fact that it’s time to address his hearing loss.
23 Nov 2025,28 mins
Lost In Lullabies
When his son refuses his bedtime songs, Matt Edmonds wonders what magic lullabies hold.
16 Nov 2025,29 mins
The Little Box Which Contains the World
Emily Berry's exploration of agoraphobia.
09 Nov 2025,28 mins
The Piano Boat
The Piano Boat: navigating grief in music and water.
02 Nov 2025,28 mins
Problems with Julia Masli
There are so many problems in the world. Julia Masli has been trying to solve them.
26 Oct 2025,28 mins
The Findhorn Garden
In search of sonic transmissions from the nature spirit realm.
19 Oct 2025,29 mins