Joseph Delaney used to be an English teacher, before becoming the best-selling author of the Spook's series, which has been published in 30 countries and sold over 4.5 million copies worldwide. The first book, The Spook's Apprentice, was adapted into a major motion picture starring Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.

Joseph Delaney

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Sarah Dillon

Corin Throsby

Literary detectives Sarah Dillon and Corin Throsby investigate the stories behind the stories of nine great novels 
 
In this engrossing series, Drs Sarah Dillon and Corin Throsby set off on a quest to discover how some of our most famous, best-loved books were written. What was happening in the author's lives, and how did that influence the process of creation? Following the clues, they attempt to solve the mysteries of these great works of literature - uncovering a wealth of fascinating information along the way. 
 
Beginning with Great Expectations, Sarah asks why Dickens wrote it so quickly - in a mere 9 ½ months - and why he famously changed the ending right at the moment. She investigates why it took Jean Rhys 27 years to publish Wide Sargasso Sea, and reveals the story behind Jane Austen's last completed novel, Persuasion, and its posthumous publication. We hear of James Joyce's epic struggles to publish Dubliners - including battles with publishers, a fire at the printers and leaving Ireland for good - and trace the remarkable clandestine journey of EM Forster's gay love story Maurice, passed hand to hand from Cambridge to America by men who risked prosecution for possessing it. 
 
Sarah also discovers the story behind RL Stevenson's horror tale Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, a work he claimed was inspired by a dream, and shows how adultery, revolution and exile played a part in the writing of Victor Hugo's masterpiece Les Misérables. Next, Corin Throsby takes up the baton to divulge how Truman Capote met and befriended two psychopathic murderers to create the 'non-fiction novel' that would launch the true crime genre: In Cold Blood. The final literary pursuit explores how William Golding's Lord of the Flies was saved from the reject pile by lucky chance - and how it went on to become a modern classic. 
 
Copyright © 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. ? 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
Presented by Sarah Dillon and Corin Throsby 
Produced by Sara Conkey and Miles Warde 
Edited by James Cook 
Readers: Juliet John, Samuel West, Diana Quick, Jessica Raine, Damien Molony, Paul Chahidi, Aurélie Amblard and Matthew Bisson 
 
With guests including: Michael Slater, John Drew, Elaine Savory, Carole Angier, Diana Athill, Ruth Webb, Dr Kathryn Sutherland, Paula Byrne, Margaret Drabble, Timothy Young, David Norris, Terence Killeen, Wendy Moffatt, Philip Gardner, Peter Parker, Sir Christopher Frayling, Claire Harman, Jeremy Hodges, Professor Richard Dury, Jean-Marc Hovasse, Louis Hegarty Lovett, Vincent Gille, Florence Naugrette, Thomas Fahy, Brenda Currin, Ed Pilkington, James Linville, Ralph Voss, Ebs Burnough and Lawrence Elman 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3, 10 January 2016-22 March 2020

Literary Pursuits

The mysteries behind 9 classic books

Mark Lawson

Mark Lawson takes an international look at celebrated literary detectives, talking to their creators to explore how mystery fiction reflects society's trends and tensions 
 
'Masterly'' Gillian Reynolds, The Telegraph 
 
Throughout its long history, crime fiction has broadened our horizons, introducing us to unfamiliar places, people and cultures and showing us new ways of looking at the world. In this fascinating series, Mark Lawson takes a global tour of the genre, putting detective novels under the magnifying glass to examine how they have depicted - and predicted - social and political change. Focussing on famous fictional investigators - from Hercule Poirot, Jules Maigret, Van der Valk and Martin Beck; through Dalgliesh, Rebus, Jane Tennison and Harry Hole; to Benny Griessel, Tess Monaghan and Easy Rawlins - he explores what these iconic protagonists can tell us about the historic character of their nations. 
 
Through the framework of their cases, he pursues the shadows of the Second World War and the Cold War; conflicts between the politics of the left and right; the rise of nationalism; and the pressures caused by migration. He also finds out how crime novels have portrayed transitional societies in South Africa and Northern Ireland; examined the legacies of military rule in Argentina and the Castro revolution in Cuba; and tackled post-colonialism in Australia and Nigeria. 
 
Helping Lawson with his inquiries are authors including Andrea Camilleri, who discusses the effects of both the Mafia and Berlusconi on Italian society; Brian McGilloway, who talks about the Troubles and the wave of Irish crime fiction that the peace process has provoked; and Petros Markaris, whose detective series prophesied the Greek financial crisis. Plus, Laura Lippman and Walter Mosley reveal how they introduced the experience of women and black Americans into their work; Russian writer Boris Akunin and Ukrainian novelist Andrey Kurkov meditate on Dostoevsky, Putin, censorship and their different approaches to crime writing; and in a special episode on TV detectives, Lawson talks to creative talent from the ITV hit Broadchurch, the Danish show The Killing and the French success Spiral about the medium's suitability as a crime scene and the rise of female investigators. 
 
Production credits 
Written and presented by Mark Lawson 
Produced by Robyn Read and Martin Williams 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Series 1 
Belgium - Hercule Poirot and Jules Maigret 22 October 2012 
With Val McDermid, Lord Grey Gowrie, Andrea Camilleri and David Suchet 
Germany - Inspector Barlach 23 October 2012 
With Josie Rourke, Simon McBurney, Jerzy Kromolowski, Mary Olson-Kromolowski, Katharina Hall and Ferdinand von Schirach 
Czechoslovakia - Lieutenant Boruvka 24 October 2012 
With Paul Wilson 
Netherlands - Commissaris Van Der Valk 25 October 2012 
With Lord Grey Gowrie and Saskia Noort 
Sweden - Inspector Martin Beck 26 October 2012 
With Jo Nesbø, Henning Mankell, Åsa Larsson, Camilla Lackberg, Jens Lapidus, Val McDermid and Gunnar Staalesen 
UK - Commander Dalgliesh and Chief Inspector Wexford 29 October 2012 
With PD James and Ruth Rendell 
Sicily - Inspector Rogas 30 October 2012 
With Paul Bailey, Gianrico Carofiglio, Andrea Camilleri and Petra Reski 
Spain - PI Pepe Carvalho 31 October 2012 
With Antonio Hill and Jason Webster 
Britain - DCI Jane Tennison 1 November 2012 
With Lynda La Plante, Saskia Noort, Ian Rankin and Val McDermid 
Italy - Inspector Montalbano 2 November 2012 
With Andrea Camilleri 
Germany - PI Kemal Kayankaya 5 November 2012 
With Jakob Arjouni 
Scotland - DI John Rebus 6 November 2012 
With Ian Rankin 
Sweden - Kurt Wallander and Lisbeth Salander 7 November 2012 
With Henning Mankell, Kenneth Branagh, Liza Marklund, Camilla Läckberg and Eva Gabrielsson 
Norway - Harry Hole 8 November 2012 
With Jo Nesbø, Liza Marklund and Gunnar Staalesen 
Russia and Ukraine - Erast Fandorin 9 November 2012 
With Boris Akunin, Ian Rankin and Andrey Kurkov 
 
Series 2 
Greece - Inspector Costas Haritos 8 July 2013 
With Petros Markaris 
Argentina - Superintendent Perro Lascano 9 July 2013 
With Ernesto Mallo and Claudia Pineiro 
Ireland - Inspector Benedict Devlin 10 July 2013 
With Brian McGilloway 
South Africa - Detective Captain Bennie Griessel 11 July 2013 
With Deon Meyer and Sifiso Mzobe 
Screenland - DS Ellie Miller, DI Sarah Lund, Captain Laure Berthaud 12 July 2013 
 
Series 3 
Cuba 17 November 2014 
With Leonardo Padura and Caroline Garcia-Aquilera 
USA 18 November 2014 
With Laura Lippman and Walter Mosley 
Poland 19 November 2014 
With Zygmunt Miloszewski and Joanna Jodelka 
Australia 20 November 2014 
With Peter Temple and Gabrielle Lord 
Nigeria 21 November 2014 
With Helon Habila and CM Okonkwo 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Foreign Bodies

Crime Fiction Around the World

Tim Key

Ever wondered just how much of life you can understand through poetry? 
 
Tim Key is never far from stage and screen - from Peep Show to Alpha Papa to Taskmaster. But now he's back doing what he does best - attempting to recite poetry whilst tormenting his friend and musician, the equally brilliant, and long suffering, Tom Basden. 
 
From ruminating on the meaning of family via his narrative poem The Godfather, attempting to get to the bottom of death via his poem The Boy Who Faked His Own Death, and also organising an impromptu stag party, Tim Key uses poetry to help him understand every situation. 
 
'In any other sphere apart from comedy, we'd probably class this way of looking at the world as certifiable. Here it feels like genius.' The Telegraph 
 
"The show... has a kind of artistry and strange beauty that makes it unlike any other hour of stand-up you are likely to see." The Observer 
 
'...You never know when Key will suddenly toss you a fantastic joke or startlingly well-constructed line.' Radio Times 
 
Audio updated April 2019

Tim Key's Late Night Poetry Programme: The Complete Series 1-4

The BBC Radio 4 comedy

Miles Jupp

Miles Jupp probes mysteries both fictional and autobiographical in these ten radio investigations 
 
Actor and comedian Miles Jupp puts his inquiring mind and talent for comic analysis to work, as he turns his quizzical gaze on the world of fiction. 
 
In these ten entertaining documentaries, he explores why some books, games and binge-watched box sets are, as they say, 'literally unputdownable'; peers into Plotto, an ingenious manual of story devices, to discover whether it really can make writing easy; takes a sideways look at some familiar characters from literature, including James Bond, Dracula, Fu Manchu and Carruthers; delves into the intricacies of the locked-room murder; and revisits his old prep school to find out whether a book of stirring 19th-century verse can work its magic on today's young people. And there's a shock in store for Miles as, researching his Huguenot ancestors, he finds cracks appearing in his family tree... 
 
Included in this collection are: 
Miles Jupp is Literally Unputdownable 
Miles Jupp and the Plot Device 
The Soviet James Bond 
The Woman Who Invented James Bond? 
The Trainspotter's Guide to Dracula 
Miles Jupp in a Locked Room 
Fu Manchu in Edinburgh 
By Jove, Carruthers! 
Miles Jupp's Muscular Lines 
Miles Jupp is Insufficiently Belgian 
 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Miles Jupp 
Produced by David Stenhouse 
Actor: David Jackson Young, with additional contributions from Crawford Logan, David Rintoul and Samantha Bond 
 
Miles Jupp is Literally Unputdownable first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 28 June 2020 
Featuring DJ Taylor; Paula Hawkins; Jed Mercurio; Will Storr and Frederick Forsyth 
 
Miles Jupp and the Plot Device first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 December 2015 
Featuring Mike Ashley; Professor Paul Collins of the University of Portland Oregon; John Harvey; Jeffrey Marks; Val McDermid and Damon Rochefort 
 
The Soviet James Bond first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 December 2014 
Commissioned by BBC Radio 4 and produced by BBC Radio Scotland 
Featuring Professor Ian Christie of Birkbeck College; Mark Liederman, Professor of Russian Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder; Olga Semyonova; Vitali Vitaliev and Simon Winder 
 
The Woman Who Invented James Bond? first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 10 December 2016 
Featuring Pam Hirsch; John Pearson; Nigel West and Simon Winder 
 
The Trainspotter's Guide to Dracula first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 October 2017 
Featuring Sir Christopher Frayling; Andras Hlavacska; Zita Hummer; Tudor Salajan; Alexandru Simon and Dacre Stoker 
 
Miles Jupp in a Locked Room first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 21 May 2012 
Featuring Robert Adey; Mike Ashley; Paul Doherty; Jasper Fforde; Christopher Fowler; Paul Halter; Daniel Mallory; Denise Mina; John Pugmire and Soji Shamada 
 
Fu Manchu in Edinburgh first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 April 2010 
Featuring Sascha Auerbach; Paul Bailey; Alan Bennell; Grant Buttars; Owen Dudley Edwards; Bill Maynard; Dr Jonathan Murray; Matthew Sweet and Shenxiao Tong 
Reader: Crawford Logan 
 
By Jove, Carruthers! first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 May 2009 
Featuring Louis Barfe; Owen Dudley Edwards; Bruce Durie; Roger Johnson; Sam Llewellyn and Celia Mitchell 
 
Miles Jupp's Muscular Lines first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 3 January 2010 
Featuring Leslie Barr; Colonel Tim Collins, OBE; Owen Dudley Edwards; Sir Ranulph Fiennes and vox pops with pupils from St George's School, Windsor Castle 
 
Miles Jupp is Insufficiently Belgian first broadcast BBC Radio 4, 25 March 2015 
Written by Miles Jupp and David Stenhouse with additional material by James Kettle 
Featuring Nick Barrett; Bella Jupp, Gillian Jupp, Rob Jupp, Rupert Jupp, Thomas Jupp, Christine Sas and Lieven Schiere

Miles Jupp is Literally Unputdownable

Ten lively literary investigations

Jonathan Bate

Sir Jonathan Bate examines eight iconic poems inspired by great historical events - and explores the Romantics, John Clare and William Wordsworth 
 
'Mingles history and poetry ... in an accessible, thought-provoking way' Irish Times 
 
In this BBC Radio 4 series, eminent biographer and broadcaster Sir Jonathan Bate looks at major historical events through the poems they inspired, exploring how history influences poetry, and how poetry shapes the way we regard history. 
 
Bate interviews historians, scholars and writers to investigate the genesis of eight classic works. Beginning in Dublin, he looks at the history behind WB Yeats' Easter 1916, showing the impact of the Irish uprising on the poet. In Manchester, he discovers how the 1819 Peterloo Massacre sparked the creation of Shelley's The Mask of Anarchy, and in Westminster, he finds out what influence the English Civil War had on Marvell's An Horatian Ode. Visiting the village of Shamley Green and the roof of St Paul's Cathedral, he uncovers the links between TS Eliot's Four Quartets and the devastation of the Blitz. 
 
On the Essex coast, Bate delves into one of the classics of the Old English canon, The Battle of Maldon, written in the aftermath of the Anglo-Saxon army's failed attempt to prevent a Viking landing in 991. Coming right up to date, Bate talks to Linton Kwesi Johnson about his poem Di Great Insohreckshan, an account of the civil unrest that spilt on to the streets of Brixton in April 1981. Plague and fire ravaged England in 1666, yet for John Dryden, it was a 'year of wonders', as Bate explains in his analysis of Annus Mirabilis. Finally, he considers John Betjeman's Death of King George V, showing how it captures not only the passing of a monarch, but also a subtle shift in the Britain where Betjeman had grown up. 
 
Also included are two episodes of In Our Time, in which Jonathan Bate and Melvyn Bragg talk about the Romantics and John Clare respectively, and a 90-minute special, In Wordsworth's Footsteps, revealing the true story of the making of a creative and political radical who was so much more than the famous author of Daffodils. 
 
The Poetry of History 
Presented by Sir Jonathan Bate 
Produced by Julian May, Tom Alban and Martin Smith 
Readers: Jim Norton, Robert Glenister, Jim Durham, Dr Richard Dance, Julian Glover, Tom Durham, David Timson 
 
With guests including: Theo Dorgan, Anne Enright, Professor Diarmaid Ferriter, Tom Paulin, Clive Emsley, Professor Kelvin Everest, Professor Joad Raymond, Professor Kevin Sharpe, Professor José Harris, Ian Smith, Dr Katie Lowe, Dr Gareth Williams, Linton Kwesi Johnson, John Clare, Professor Justin Champion, Professor Valentine Cunningham, Candida Lycett Green, Hugo Vickers, AN Wilson 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 2-23 April 2006 (Series 1), 25 November-16 December 2007 (Series 2) 
 
In Our Time: The Romantics 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Charles Taylor 
With Sir Jonathan Bate, Professor Rosemary Ashton and Professor Nicholas Roe 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 12 October 2000 
 
In Our Time: John Clare 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Simon Tillotson 
With Sir Jonathan Bate, Dr Mina Gorji and Professor Simon Kövesi 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 February 2017 
 
In Wordsworth's Footsteps 
Presented by Sir Jonathan Bate 
Produced by Beaty Rubens 
Featuring Alice Oswald, James Rebanks, Melvyn Bragg, Professor Lynn Hunt, Emily Woof and Adam Nicolson 
With Simon Russell Beale as Wordsworth and Laura Christy as Dorothy Wordsworth 
Music specially composed by Emily Levy 
Viola playing by Aby Vulliamy 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 January-12 February 2020

The Poetry of History

Michael Portillo

Specially selected history series presented by Michael Portillo, exploring the most significant events before, during and after the First and Second World Wars 
 
Journalist and broadcaster Michael Portillo has always been fascinated by the past. A former politician and history graduate, he has presented several TV documentaries, including Portillo's Empire Journey and Great British Railway Journeys. Now, in these fascinating radio programmes, he turns the spotlight on World War One and Two, examining the cultural, political and economic upheaval surrounding these devastating global conflicts. 
 
1913: The Year Before sees him challenging the notion that the Great War was responsible for seismic shifts in British society. Over 10 episodes, he looks at themes including the suffrage movement, the Irish question, the decline of the liberal party and the arts, and argues that to a great extent, Britain was already in the process of transforming itself by 1913. 
 
The 2-part series The Great War of Words finds Portillo revealing how our understanding of World War One has been distorted by historians, politicians and cultural commentators. He analyses Germany's invasion of neutral Belgium in August 1914, showing how it transformed Britain's war into a moral cause; and considers how arguments over the origins of the war and the issue of war guilt evolved into a fierce, high-stakes battle for meaning. A follow-up episode, The Great War of Words: Peace before Annihilation?, centres around the factors that prevented peace breaking out between 1914 and 1918, and the attempts that were made to achieve it. 
 
In four episodes from Things We Forgot to Remember, he delves into the First World War and the interwar years, reflecting on the Somme and the victories of 1918, the failings and successes of the League of Nations, the 1936 Nazi Olympics in Berlin and Neville Chamberlain's notorious 1938 declaration of 'peace for our time'. 
 
The aerial bombardment of Britain is the subject of The Blitz, in which Portillo chairs a discussion with leading historians about the strategy and legacy of Nazi Germany's decision to bomb and destroy key British cities. And in a concluding programme, Things We Forgot to Remember: Morgenthau Plan and post-war Germany, he recalls the short-lived precursor to the Marshall Plan, which aimed to destroy German industry and turn the country into an agrarian 'pastoral' society. 
 
Production credits 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
1913: The Year Before 
The Long Summer 10 June 2013 
Women's Rebellion 11 June 2013 
The Irish Question 12 June 2013 
The Tides of War 13 June 2013 
Cultural Upheaval 14 June 2013 
Labour Relations & the Triple Alliance 17 June 2013 
Poverty 18 June 2013 
Politics and the Tory Gamble 19 June 2013 
The Empire 20 June 2013 
The Great Change 21 June 2013 
Produced by Tom Alban 
 
The Great War of Words 
Episode 1 4 February 2014 
Episode 2 11 February 2014 
The Great War of Words: Peace before Annihilation? 28 April 2015 
Produced by Mark Burman 
 
Things We Forgot to Remember 
First World War 4 December 2006 
The League of Nations 15 December 2008 
Jesse Owens and the Nazi Olympics 22 November 2010 
Chamberlain and 'Peace for our Time' 1938 14 December 2009 
Morgenthau Plan and post-war Germany 4 June 2012 
Produced by Tom Alban, Joanne Cayford and Neil McCarthy 
 
The Blitz 8 September 2010 
With Juliet Gardiner, Sir Ian Kershaw and Terry Charman 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Michael Portillo: On the World Wars

A BBC Radio History Collection

Various

Part of BBC Radio 3's 'The Essay' strand, The Book That Changed Me features writers, academics and other eminent professionals discussing the literary works that have had the greatest impact on their lives. 
 
This fascinating selection contains some of the best episodes from the series, including legendary songwriter Steve Earle on Truman Capote's masterpiece In Cold Blood; academic Monica Siddiqui on Austen's Pride and Prejudice; and Tony Blair's onetime strategist Alastair Campbell on Flaubert's seminal Madame Bovary. 
 
Renowned film director Richard Eyre reveals how Angus Calder's social history The People's War evokes memories of his childhood; neurobiologist Colin Blakemore explains why he loves Darwin's lesser-known work, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals; visual artist Tacita Dean describes how Marguerite Yourcenair's Fires helped her find her voice as a writer, feminist and filmmaker; and David Simon, creator of TV's The Wire, relates how James Agee's Let Us Now Praise Famous Men made him realise the importance of reportage. 
 
Absorbing and enlightening, this entertaining collection sheds new light on the intellectual lives of a host of famous names, and celebrates the transformative power of literature. 
 
Production credits 
Produced by Smita Patel 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the following dates: 
 
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell 14 March 2011 
With Alan Johnston 
The Wrench by Primo Levi 15 March 2011 
With Edmund de Waal 
The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin 17 March 2011 
With Colin Blakemore 
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 18 March 2011 
With Mona Siddiqui 
Othello by William Shakespeare 25 October 2011 
With Musa Okwonga 
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens 20 January 2014 
With Alan Johnson 
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 19 January 2015 
With Steve Earle 
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 20 January 2015 
With Jude Kelly 
What a Carve-Up! by Jonathan Coe 21 January 2015 
With Jon Ronson 
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 22 January 2015 
With Lolita Chakrabarti 
Let Us Now Praise Famous Men by James Agee 31 October 2016 
With David Simon 
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 1 November 2016 
With Pauline Black 
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X 2 November 2016 
With Ben Anderson 
Fires by Marguerite Yourcenair 3 November 2016 
With Tacita Dean 
The People's War by Sir Richard Eyre 4 November 2016 
With Angus Calder 
Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys 2 April 2018 
With Afua Hirsch 
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy 3 April 2018 
With Henry Marsh 
The Arabian Nights translated by Richard Francis Burton 4 April 2018 
With Zarah Hussain 
Madame Bovary by Gustav Flaubert 5 April 2018 
With Alastair Campbell 
Pyramids by Terry Pratchett 6 April 2018 
With Inua Ellams 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

The Book That Changed Me: 20 Essays on Influential Literature

A BBC Radio 3 Collection

Melvyn Bragg

Melvyn Bragg and guests tell the story of the novel over 400 years, via key literary works and movements 
 
'One of Radio 4's quiet jewels in its crown' The Guardian 
 
In 1998, a brand new culture show was launched on Radio 4, featuring Melvyn Bragg and a panel of leading academics discussing the ideas, individuals and events that have shaped our world. In Our Time rapidly became one of radio's most well-loved programmes, regularly attracting over 2 million listeners eager to learn more about the topic of the week - which could be asteroids, Zoroastrianism or anything in between. 
 
This specially curated collection charts the evolution of the novel as a literary form throughout the past four centuries, analysing 25 works ranging from Cervantes' 17th century epic Don Quixote to George Orwell's 1945 political fable Animal Farm. Some of the best books of all time are examined and elucidated here, including Robinson Crusoe, Tristram Shandy, Emma, Frankenstein, Jane Eyre, Crime and Punishment, Ulysses and Mrs Dalloway. Three additional programmes, on 'The Novel', 'Victorian Realism' and 'Literary Modernism', set these masterpieces in their historical context. 
 
Devotees of fiction, In Our Time fans and the intellectually curious will love these dynamic, stimulating discussions, which open the door to a whole world of classic literature and invite us to venture in. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Olivia Seligman, Natalia Fernandez, Thomas Morris, Simon Tillotson, Julia Johnson, Luke Mulhall 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Part I: The Early Novel 
 
The Novel 11 November 1999 
With D J Taylor and Gillian Beer 
 
Don Quixote 16 March 2006 
With Barry Ife, Edwin Williamson and Jane Whetnall 
 
Robinson Crusoe 22 December 2011 
With Karen O'Brien, Judith Hawley and Bob Owens 
 
Voltaire's Candide 3 May 2012 
With David Wootton, Nicholas Cronk and Caroline Warman 
 
Tristram Shandy 24 April 2014 
With Judith Hawley, John Mullan and Mary Newbould 
 
Emma 19 November 2015 
With Janet Todd, John Mullan and Emma Clery 
 
Frankenstein 16 May 2019 
With Karen O'Brien, Michael Rossington and Jane Thomas 
 
Eugene Onegin 22 June 2017 
With Andrew Kahn, Emily Finer and Simon Dixon 
 
Part II: The Victorian Novel 
 
Victorian Realism 14 November 2002 
With Philip Davis, AN Wilson and Dinah Birch 
 
A Christmas Carol 16 December 2021 
With Juliet John, Jon Mee and Dinah Birch 
 
Jane Eyre 18 June 2015 
With Dinah Birch, Karen O'Brien and Sara Lyons 
 
Wuthering Heights 28 September 2017 
With Karen O'Brien, John Bowen and Alexandra Lewis 
 
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall 30 September 2021 
With Alexandra Lewis, Marianne Thormählen and John Bowen 
 
Moby Dick 7 December 2017 
With Bridget Bennett, Katie McGettigan and Graham Thompson 
 
North and South 9 March 2017 
With Sally Shuttleworth, Jenny Uglow and Dinah Birch 
 
Aurora Leigh 24 March 2016 
With Margaret Reynolds, Daniel Karlin and Karen O'Brien 
 
Crime and Punishment 14 November 2019 
With Sarah Hudspith, Oliver Ready and Sarah Young 
 
Middlemarch 19 April 2018 
With Rosemary Ashton, Kathryn Hughes and John Bowen 
 
Tess of the d'Urbervilles 5 May 2016 
With Dinah Birch, Francis O'Gorman and Jane Thomas 
 
The Time Machine 17 October 2019 
With Simon Schaffer, Amanda Rees and Simon James 
 
Part III: The Modernist Novel 
 
Literary Modernism 26 April 2001 
With John Carey, Laura Marcus and Valentine Cunningham 
 
Heart of Darkness 15 February 2007 
With Susan Jones, Robert Hampson and Laurence Davies 
 
James Joyce's Ulysses 14 June 2012 
With Steven Connor, Jeri Johnson and Richard Brown 
 
The Great Gatsby 14 January 2021 
With Sarah Churchwell, Philip McGowan and William Blazek 
 
Mrs Dalloway 3 July 2014 
With Hermione Lee, Jane Goldman and Kathryn Simpson 
 
Kafka's The Trial 27 November 2014 
With Elizabeth Boa, Steve Connor and Ritchie Robertson 
 
Decline and Fall 21 February 2013 
With David Bradshaw, John Bowen and Ann Pasternak Slater 
 
Animal Farm 29 September 2016 
With Steven Connor, Mary Vincent and Robert Colls 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios 
Distribution Ltd.

In Our Time: 25 Classic Novels

A BBC Radio 4 Collection

Lemn Sissay

Award-winning writer Lemn Sissay explores the idea of uniqueness across different aspects of his life 
 
'Creative, surprising - and unique' The Telegraph 
 
If you Google 'Lemn Sissay', all the results will be about him - he's the only person in the world with that name. But that's not the only thing that makes him unique. In this fascinating series, he mixes stand-up, poetry and interviews to explore four more situations in his life where he stood out, alone, and examines how that uniqueness made him feel. 
 
'The Only Poet on the Bill' finds Lemn considering his formative years on the 1980s comedy circuit, and chatting to fellow poet Tony Walsh about performing his poem 'This is the Place' at the vigil for the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. In 'The Only Non-Graduate at the Graduation', he reflects on being appointed Chancellor at Manchester University, and giving out degrees despite not having one himself. He also speaks to the Lord Mayor of Manchester, Donna Ludford, about how she felt becoming a councillor without having attended university. 
 
'The Only Black Man in the Village' sees Lemn drawing on his experience of growing up in an all-white town, and talking to Oscar-nominated writer/director Cornelius Walker about his documentary Black Sheep. And in 'The Only Foster Child in the House', he discusses his adolescence in children's homes and his lifetime of advocacy for young people raised in the care system, as well as speaking to campaigner and care leaver champion Terry Galloway. In each episode, Lemn is joined by Henry Normal, who interrupts at will to ask questions about the show. 
 
Comprising Lemn's signature blend of artistic yet extraordinarily honest comedy, this absorbing series explores issues of race, class, education and lack of empowerment, asking thought-provoking questions about how we define ourselves, and why it matters. 
 
Cast and credits 
Written and performed by Lemn Sissay 
With Tony Walsh, Donna Ludford, Cornelius Walker, Terry Galloway 
Commentary: Henry Normal 
Recorded by Jerry Peal 
Sound mixing by Rich Evans 
Produced by Ed Morrish 
A Lead Mojo production for BBC Radio 4 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 3-24 March 2023 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Lemn Sissay is the One and Only

A BBC Radio 4 Series

Lenny Henry

A collection of BBC radio shows presented by comedian and actor Lenny Henry. 
 
Stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, TV presenter: Lenny Henry is a multi-talented Renaissance man with a wide range of interests. But there are a few things (and people) he just doesn't get, despite their iconic status - and in What's So Great About...?, he explores them to find out what makes them so appealing. He questions the mystique surrounding Method Acting; discusses the benefits of Life Coaches with Phill Jupitus; hears about the joy of Maths from Carol Vorderman and asks Simon McBurney and Fiona Shaw to persuade him of the genius of Samuel Beckett. He also investigates the art of Jackson Pollock, meets stars from the world of Snooker to discover the lure of the cue and chats about Chaucer with Terry Jones. 
 
Lenny was once sceptical about Shakespeare too, but he's now a passionate convert. In Lenny Henry Plays Othello, we follow him as he embarks on his first straight stage role and first Shakespearean role, playing one of theatre's most tragic characters. From voice coaching to first night nerves, we eavesdrop on his journey from comedian to tragedian. 
 
In August Shines, inspired by his theatrical success in August Wilson's Fences, Lenny travels to Pittsburgh to tell the story of the Pulitzer Prize-winning African-American playwright. The city was also home to the bad-boy pop artist whose work Lenny explores in Andy Warhol: Time Regained. Visiting the Warhol Museum, he learns about the 'Time Capsules' - an artwork consisting of 300,000 eclectic objects assembled across the last 13 years of Warhol's life - and joins the audience for the unboxing of the mysterious Capsule 528... 
 
Finally, in the compelling 10-part series Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen, Lenny traces the long, painful road that black Britons have travelled on stage and screen, from the overt racial discrimination of the 19th Century, via the veiled slurs that persisted throughout the 20th, to today's more equal society. Talking to playwrights such as Kwame Kwei-Armah, and actors and directors including Carmen Munroe, Yvonne Brewster and Steve McQueen, he tells the story of black drama and the influential artists who have shaped it over the past century, and looks to the future to examine the prospects for young black British talent. 
 
Published by Penguin Random House Ltd 
Licensed by BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
© 2021 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd 
MCPS 
Presented by Lenny Henry 
 
What's So Great About...? 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Ellen Burstyn, James Lipton, Phill Jupitus, Carol Vorderman, Celia Hoyles, Professor Brian Butterworth, Simon McBurney, Fiona Shaw, John Calder, James Knowlson, Brian Sewell, Julian Joseph, Steve Davis, Stephen Hendry, Dennis Taylor, John Virgo, John Parrott, Terry Griffiths, Ardis Butterfield, Mike Poulton, Terry Jones 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 5 July 2008-11 June 2011 
 
Lenny Henry Plays Othello 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 20 February 2009 
 
August Shines 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Chris Rawson, Professor Larry Glasco, Kim Ellis, Jeff Folino, Sala Udin, Nelson Harrison 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9 October 2014 
 
Andy Warhol: Time Regained 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
With Ben Harrison, Rick Armstrong, Tim Marlow, Erin Byrne, Benjamin Liu, Donald Warhola 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 11 September 2014 
 
Raising the Bar: 100 Years of Black British Theatre and Screen 
Presented by Lenny Henry 
Produced by Simon Elmes 
Series Consultant: Dr Michael Pearce 
Featuring: Bola Agbaje, Yvonne Brewster, Michael Buffong, Lolita Chakrabarti, Isaac Julien, Kwame Kwei-Armah, Mustapha Matura, Steve McQueen, Carmen Munroe, Horace Ové, Winsome Pinnock, Paulette Randall, Roy Williams 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 9-20 November 2015

Lenny Henry's What's So Great About...?

And 4 other BBC documentaries

Alan Ayckbourn

Alan Ayckbourn is a multi-award-winning playwright, whose plays have been seen in the West End, on Broadway and worldwide. In this collection we hear - in his own words - about his family and upbringing; on being a writer and director, as well as those who influenced him. He discusses the characters he creates and his time in Scarborough, and also his childhood and his love of theatre. Alan also talks about his relationships - on and off stage - and touches on his personal life. 
 
 The interviews on this collection include: Today, BBC Radio 2 (first broadcast 2 March 1979); Saturday Review, BBC 2 (first broadcast 4 June 1980); The Levin Interview, BBC 2 (first broadcast 1 July 1984); Kaleidoscope, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast 21 November 1984); The Michael Parkinson Programme, BBC Radio 2 (first broadcast 28 May 1987); Meridian, BBC World Service (first broadcast 5 September 1989); Omnibus, BBC 1 (first broadcast 13 February 1990); Alan Ayckbourn in Conversation, BBC Radio 4 (first broadcast May 1991); Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 2 (first broadcast 24 January 2010); Imagine, BBC 1 (first broadcast 15 November 2011). 
 
 Due to the age and nature of this archive material, the sound quality may vary. 
 
©2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

In His Own Words

Robert Macfarlane

Deborah Levy

Jenn Ashworth

Kamila Shamsie

Michael Donkor

Michèle Roberts

Lucy Hughes-Hallett

Ross Raisin

Owen Sheers

Nicholas Shakespeare

Nat Segnit

Sophie Coulombeau

Christopher Hope

Scarlett Thomas

Erica Wagner

Nicola Barker

Ian Samson

Kirsty Gunn

Philip Hoare

22 writers talk about their memorable excursions and the act of walking, and share their creative observations 
 
In these six series, taken from BBC Radio 3's The Essay, an array of novelists, poets, journalists and biographers chart the varied and inspiring walks they have taken around Britain and elsewhere. Here are treks taken at daybreak and after dark; in winter and in spring; in the footsteps of the past; and - in the case of Robert Macfarlane - along the ridges of the South Downs. 
 
Dawnwalks and Night Walks find Nicholas Shakespeare, Nicola Barker, Kamila Shamsie, Ian Sansom, Lucy Hughes-Hallett, Owen Sheers, Janice Galloway and John Walsh taking early morning and late-night strolls around locations ranging from their back garden and local cemetery to Manhattan, Paris, Tasmania and the Antarctic. 
 
Springwalks and Winterwalks feature Michele Roberts, Ross Raisin, John Walsh, Kirsty Gunn, Philip Hoare, Deborah Levy, Christopher Hope, Scarlett Thomas, Erica Wagner and Owen Sheers, as they sample the transforming qualities of spring and the wonders of winter. From Poland and the Languedoc to Hampstead Heath and the Yorkshire Wolds, they delight in the details of the landscape and reflect on what it means to them. 
 
Strange Strolls sees Jenn Ashworth, Michael Donkor, Stephanie Victoire, Nat Segnit and Sophie Coulombeau embarking on walks of entertaining eccentricity, revisiting favourite places including Wandsworth Bridge, the Blue Ridge mountains of Appalachia and Ibiza. 
 
And in A Five-Day Journey, Robert Macfarlane walks the length of the South Downs in monsoon rain and in sunshine, discovering its chalk trails and its ghosts. He ponders the relationship between paths and stories; explores the poet Edward Thomas' love affair with tracks; considers the concept of the Aboriginal Australian songline; re-imagines the life of artist Eric Ravilious; and contemplates the sometimes eerie relationship between walking, collecting and creation. 
 
Intimate, evocative and immersive, these 30 uplifting programmes transport us to a wealth of wonderful places, and offer fascinating personal insight into the inner worlds of our walker-writers. 
 
Production credits 
Produced by Duncan Minshull, Ciaran Bermingham and Tim Dee 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on the following dates: 
 
Dawnwalks 
Nicholas Shakespeare 28 March 2016 
Nicola Barker 29 March 2016 
Kamila Shamsie 30 March 2016 
Ian Sansom 31 March 2016 
Lucy Hughes-Hallett 1 April 2016 
 
Night Walks 
Nicholas Shakespeare 27 October 2008 
Owen Sheers 28 October 2008 
Janice Galloway 29 October 2008 
Kamila Shamsie 30 October 2008 
John Walsh 31 October 2008 
 
Springwalks 
Michele Roberts in Poznan 31 March 2014 
Ross Raisin in the Yorkshire Wolds 1 April 2014 
John Walsh 2 April 2014 
Kirsty Gunn in Sutherland 3 April 2014 
Philip Hoare in Sholing 4 April 2014 
 
Winterwalks 
Deborah Levy on Hampstead Heath 18 February 2013 
Christopher Hope in Languedoc 19 February 2013 
Scarlett Thomas 20 February 2013 
Erica Wagner 21 February 2013 
Owen Sheers in Poland 22 February 2013 
 
Strange Strolls 
Jenn Ashworth - The Abiding Mental Riches of Preston 10 February 2020 
Michael Donkor - On Westminster Bridge 11 February 2020 
Stephanie Victoire - Dark Hollow Falls 12 February 2020 
Nat Segnit - The Other Ibiza 13 February 2020 
Sophie Coulombeau - Walking Matilda 14 February 2020 
 
A Five-Day Journey 
Marking 2 November 2009 
Haunting 3 November 2009 
Singing 4 November 2009 
Flying 5 November 2009 
Collecting 6 November 2009 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Writers on Walks: A BBC Radio 3 Collection

30 Reflections from Exploring on Foot

Natalie Haynes

Four more series of Natalie Haynes' BBC Radio 4 show taking a comic look at the ancient world 
 
Author, broadcaster and 'rock star classicist' Natalie Haynes is a little bit obsessive about Ancient Greece and Rome. In these four series, she explores some of the most prominent historical and mythological figures from the classical world, telling their stories through a mix of stand-up comedy and conversation. 
 
Series 5 asks how much Aristotle knew about elephants' tongues and bivalves on Lesbos; introduces us to Claudia Severa and other Roman-British women;and investigates Suetonius - biographer of the Caesars - and why Augustus used hot nuts to soften the hair on his thighs. Natalie also recounts the original epic story of Homer's The Iliad from memory (complete with magic bra and a very sulky Achilles). 
 
In Series 6, Natalie stands up for Helen of Troy (expect new insights into feathery sex); Penthesilea, Amazon warrior queen, (with a natty line in ankle boots); Eurydice (chased by a sex pest and killed by a snake on her wedding day); and Penelope (lots of suitors, but fortunately an adept weaver). 
 
Natalie also discusses Medusa, beloved sister and mother (but a hairdresser's nightmare); gives us the lowdown on Pandora (she of the box, which turns out to be a jar);tells the story of Jocasta (still spellbindingly shocking today); and asks whether Clytemnestra was the worst wife in Greek mythology (she murdered her husband, but was a good mother). 
 
Guests include Dr Adam Rutherford, Professor Edith Hall, Professor Llewelyn Morgan, Dr Paul Roberts, Anita Anand, and Chris Riddell. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Natalie Haynes 
Music by Sarah Gabriel and Sarah Angliss 
Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery 
 
Special guests: Dr Adam Rutherford, Professor Edith Hall, Professor Llewelyn Morgan, Dr Paul Roberts, Anita Anand, and Chris Riddell 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 23 December 2019-13 January 2020 (Series 5), 17 May-7 June 2020 (Series 6), 18 May-8 June 2021 (Series 7), 13 September-4 October 2022 (Series 8) 
 
© 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2022 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Natalie Haynes Stands Up for the Classics: Series 5-8

More comical tales from Ancient Greece and Rome

Bill Bryson

An anthology of BBC Radio documentaries featuring the bestselling author 
 
Bill Bryson is the world's funniest travel writer, and a master of comic observation. His hugely popular books, spanning topics from linguistics to Shakespeare to the human body, have sold over 16 million copies and been translated into 30 languages, and his 2003 science book A Short History of Nearly Everything won the prestigious Aventis and Descartes prizes. 
 
This sparkling collection features seven BBC Radio programmes that collectively illuminate his personal passions. In The Art of Travel, he talks to Annette Kobak about his memorable journeys around the USA; while in the 6-part series Divided by a Common Language, he scours American history in an attempt to find out why Americans talk and behave differently from British people. Journeys in English, based on his acclaimed book Mother Tongue, sees him romping through the history of Britain in six episodes, to reveal how English became the complex yet world-beating language it is today. 
 
Ramblings: Windsor Great Park finds Bill heading out across the royal park in the company of Clare Balding, as he discusses his love for walking and exploring. As a castaway on Desert Island Discs, he shares the soundtrack of his life with Sue Lawley; and in With Great Pleasure, he selects some of his favourite writing, including Evelyn Waugh's Scoop, a Hardy Boys classic and Three Men in a Boat. Finally, in Bookclub, he chats to James Naughtie and an audience of readers about A Short History of Nearly Everything. 
 
Contents 
 
The Art of Travel: Bill Bryson 
Divided by a Common Language 
Journeys in English 
Ramblings: Windsor Great Park with Bill Bryson 
Desert Island Discs: Bill Bryson 
With Great Pleasure: Bill Bryson 
Bookclub: Bill Bryson 
 
Production credits 
 
The Art of Travel: Bill Bryson 
Presented by Annette Kobak 
Produced by Kate McAII 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 27 January 1991 
 
Divided by a Common Language 
Presented by Bill Bryson 
Produced by Brian King 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 29 July-2 September 1995 
 
Journeys in English 
Written and presented by Bill Bryson 
Produced by Brian King 
 
First broadcast as Mother Tongue on BBC Radio 4, 13 December 1997-17 January 1998 
 
Ramblings: Windsor Great Park with Bill Bryson 
Presented by Clare Balding 
Produced by Lucy Lunt 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 24 September 2015 
 
Desert Island Discs: Bill Bryson 
Presented by Sue Lawley 
Produced by Angie Nehring 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 31 January 1999 
 
With Great Pleasure: Bill Bryson 
Readers: Kerry Shale and Bill Wallis 
Produced by Mary Ward-Lowery 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 30 September 1999 
 
Bookclub: Bill Bryson 
Presented by James Naughtie 
Produced by Dymphna Flynn 
 
First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 6 February 2005 
 
©2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

The Bill Bryson BBC Radio Collection

Divided by a Common Language, Journeys in English and more

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