Arts, Culture & the Media

The Norwegian Hancock
Paul Merton explores Galton and Simpson’s unexpected Scandinavian success.
20 Oct 2022,28 mins
The Medal Makers
Allison Curbishley looks at judging sporting events - including the Olympics.
04 Jul 2008,30 mins
Archaeology of a Storyteller
Excavating author Alan Garner’s inspiration in the small patch of Cheshire he calls home.
28 Mar 2022,30 mins
The Art of Survival
Stories of homelessness shared as an art project.
03 Feb 2020,28 mins
What We Leave We Carry: The Legacy of John la Rose
Burt Caesar on John La Rose, founder of Britain's first black publishing house.
11 Jan 2011,30 mins
Diane Arbus: Intimate Portraits
What is the unique vision and contested legacy of photographer Diane Arbus?
11 Jul 2023,28 mins
Midnight Feasts and Lashings of Ginger Beer
Why is British children's fiction so preoccupied with feasting? Sheila McClennon explores.
12 Jan 2010,30 mins
I See You: Poetry, Porn and Me
Poet Helen Mort reflects on being the object of deepfake pornography.
20 Feb 2022,28 mins
John Burnside: From the Other Side
How a recent near-death experience has influenced poet John Burnside's life and work.
30 Oct 2022,28 mins
A Career in Music with Harmony Samuels
Musician and producer Harmony Samuels reveals how to have a successful career in music.
25 Aug 2022,28 mins
Reading the Air
Writer Chris Yates looks to the skies in search of the wintering hen harrier.
23 Oct 2022,28 mins
A Dyeing Wish
Facing his own mortality, an artist collaborates with a farmer to transform toxic dyes.
13 Dec 2023,28 mins
Pilgrimage for a Pint
Julie Fowlis and Karine Polwart journey to the most remote pub in mainland Britain.
24 Dec 2023,28 mins
Group Chat
Poppy and Mobeen talk Race and Relationships
Poppy and Mobeen talk Race and Relationships with comedian Nabil Abdul Rashid.
28 Jul 2020,43 mins
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Edward Thomas and the Song of the Path
Robert Macfarlane and Johnny Flynn with Edward Thomas's Poems and Songs for the Open Air.
18 Dec 2022,28 mins
House, Bridge, Fountain, Gate, Pitcher, Fruit-Tree, Window
A radio hymn to the things around us inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke’s Duino Elegies.
17 Nov 2022,28 mins
Sea Border
Author Jan Carson with stories from a changing sea between Scotland and Northern Ireland.
21 Mar 2019,28 mins
Up Close And Personal
Clarke Peters follows the croon and practitioners of the art including Rudy Vallee.
17 Sep 2016,30 mins
Living with the News
23/12/2022
Oliver Burkeman argues we need to pay less, not more, attention to the news.
23 Dec 2022,14 mins
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The Lost Art of the TV Theme
Comedian and musician Richard Morton recalls the heyday of the classic TV theme.
09 May 2015,30 mins
21st Century Relaxation Tape
A hypnotic half-hour of aural bliss taking you inside the world of 'wellness sound'.
09 Apr 2023,28 mins
Idle Talk: Wales's Oral Tradition
You’re invited to an open mic in the Middle Ages.
06 Jun 2023,28 mins
Classics Illustrated: The Comic Book Unbound
Bill Paterson marks the 70th anniversary of the Classics Illustrated comic book series.
25 Oct 2011,30 mins
In Search of Barney Bubbles
The hunt for the truth about the most influential and enigmatic of graphic designers.
30 mins
Hotel Room Art
Ian McMillan gets close to the art in hotel rooms.
26 Dec 2023,28 mins
The Hidden History of the Mantelpiece
Rachel Hurdley explores the story of the mantelpiece and how it reveals our secret selves.
24 Mar 2020,28 mins
The Snow
Dame Siân Phillips delves into Dafydd ap Gwilym's centuries-old poem To the Snow.
06 Dec 2024,28 mins
A Year in the Life of the Swinging Sixties
James Peak and Joan Bakewell find incredible archive from 1963. Wait! Is that The Beatles?
20 Aug 2024,28 mins
Arts and Africa
Cry Freedom
Reactions to 'Cry Freedom', Richard Attenborough defends his film about Steve Biko
01 Jan 1998,30 mins
More episodes
Conversation Piece in Hollywood - Mel Brooks
Sue MacGregor meets Hollywood film director Mel Brooks.
27 Dec 1988,30 mins