Artworks

Imaginative documentaries about culture and the arts from BBC Radio 4. Explore creativity from Michelangelo to Manga, and Beethoven to Beyoncé. Available only on BBC Sounds.

Radio 4,121 episodes

Episodes

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Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
1. The Orphan
Who was the real Marilyn Monroe? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
01 Jun 2026,15 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
2. The Dumb Blonde
Was Marilyn Monroe really just a 'dumb blonde'? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
02 Jun 2026,15 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
3. The Diva
Was Marilyn Monroe really difficult to work with? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
03 Jun 2026,15 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
4. The Sex Symbol
Did Marilyn Monroe like being a sex symbol? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
04 Jun 2026,15 mins
Bombshell: Five Faces of Marilyn Monroe
5. The Tragedy
Was Marilyn Monroe a victim? Celebrating 100 years of an icon.
05 Jun 2026,15 mins
Allen Ginsberg’s Last Soup
Ian Sansom tells the story of one of poet Allen Ginsberg's last great works - a fish soup.
02 Jun 2026,28 mins
LA: Rising from the Ashes
Jonathan Glancey meets architects leading LA's recovery from 2025's catastrophic fires.
26 May 2026,28 mins
Mother: 100 years of Martha Graham Dance
Is Martha Graham the mother of modern dance?
19 May 2026,28 mins
A Century in a Click: 100 Years of the Photobooth
Click, whirrrr, whoosh! Alan Dein celebrates a century of the photobooth in four snaps.
12 May 2026,29 mins
Uneasy Listening
Celebrating the challenging music of Stockhausen, Cage and Feldman and why it's overlooked
05 May 2026,28 mins
Band of Mothers
Can an all-female Oxfordshire band in their mid-50s recreate their student success?
03 Apr 2026,30 mins,
Stoppard at Work
Actors, directors and more share insights on working with the playwright Tom Stoppard.
31 Mar 2026,28 mins
The Last Sweeping Beams
Helen Mort explores the allure of the lighthouse as their sweeping beams are modernised.
24 Mar 2026,28 mins
Under a Cloud
The poet laureate, Simon Armitage, gets his head in the clouds.
17 Mar 2026,28 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
1. Decline and Fall - You're Not One of Us
Russell Kane delves into seven of Evelyn Waugh’s most important works - Decline and Fall.
02 Mar 2026,14 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
2. Vile Bodies - When the Party Stopped
Russell Kane delves into seven of Evelyn Waugh’s most important works: Vile Bodies.
03 Mar 2026,14 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
3. Black Mischief - Not Black and White
Russell Kane delves into seven of Evelyn Waugh’s most important works: Black Mischief.
04 Mar 2026,14 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
4. A Handful of Dust - The Cheating Game
Russell Kane delves into seven of Evelyn Waugh’s most important works: A Handful of Dust.
05 Mar 2026,15 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
5. Scoop - Who Is the Truth?
Russell Kane delves into seven of Evelyn Waugh’s most important works – Scoop.
06 Mar 2026,14 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
6. Brideshead Revisited - Not Quite Our Class Darling
Russell Kane delves into Evelyn Waugh’s most important works. 6: Brideshead Revisited.
09 Mar 2026,14 mins
Waugh: What Is He Good For?
7. Sword of Honour Trilogy - Boys with Guns
Russell Kane delves into seven of Evelyn Waugh’s most important works – Sword of Honour.
10 Mar 2026,14 mins
Landays: Poems of Afghan Rebellion
Lyse Doucet explores the verse form which Afghan women share to speak of love and hardship
10 Mar 2026,28 mins
Time and the Forest
The sculptor David Nash reflects on his decades-long collaboration with nature.
03 Mar 2026,28 mins
Baby, You Can Compose My Car
John Robins discovers who is designing the sounds of electric vehicles... and why.
17 Feb 2026,28 mins
Roleplay
Blanche DuBois
One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. Today: Blanche DuBois.
10 Mar 2025,29 mins
Roleplay
Fagin
One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. This time: Fagin.
03 Mar 2025,28 mins
Roleplay
Cleopatra
One big role. Actors who have played the part tell their stories. This time: Cleopatra
24 Feb 2025,28 mins
Roleplay
Waiting for Godot
Stories and reflections by actors from across the world who have all played the same part.
02 Mar 2023,28 mins
Roleplay
Peter Pan
Stories and reflections by actors from across the world who have all played the same part.
23 Feb 2023,28 mins
Roleplay
Lady Macbeth
Stories and reflections of actors from across the world who have all played the same part.
16 Feb 2023,28 mins