News
Howard’s End
Essays on the small, underappreciated aspects of famous artistic pieces. Read more
now playing
The Little Secrets of Great Works
Essays on the small, underappreciated aspects of famous artistic pieces.
Spirited Away
Ulysses
Leoš Janáček’s Sinfonietta
Vivaldi - A Man for All Seasons
The seeds of a revival
Phil Hebblethwaite uncovers how a lost composer returned to fame.
Monks, music and Mussolini
A classic of Italian music
Let's murder Vivaldi
Going digital
New Generation Thinkers 2024
Technicolor Wars
Kirsty Sinclair Dootson on the dark side of colour film.
A Philosophical Forgery?
Jonathan Egid tells the story of a mysterious Ethiopian thinker named Zera Yacob.
Losing Yourself in Books
Janine Bradbury questions our motivation when choosing what to read.
Birth Stories
From 'lying in' to bedside cots: Emily Baughan traces childbirth changes.
The intimacy of radio
Jacob Downs considers what it means to listen closely to the radio.
Land Cinema
Becca Voelcker describes experiments in filmmaking in China, Japan and the Philippines
Mothers on trial
Shona Minson explores the pardoxical thinking around sending mothers to prison
The crime of creation
Jack Symes considers how we value life and face death
Workplace performance
Jaswinder Blackwell-Pal looks at “service with a smile”
Digging for Words
Jade Cuttle explores new words in nature writing
Erland Cooper's Mythic Mountains
Mount Qaf
Erland and author Elif Shafak take an imaginary trip to explore the magic of Mount Qaf
Kunlun Shan
An imaginary adventure in China, exploring the mythical Kunlun mountain.
Hnitbjorg
A late night journey to a mountain from Norse mythology, in search of the mead of poetry
Mount Killaraus
A medieval voyage to Ireland, in search of the origins of Stonehenge
Bald Mountain
A late night visit to Bald Mountain on the witches' sabbath
Books for Brighter Blackouts
1. Publishing in flames on Paternoster Row
Five surprising stories about books and reading during World War Two.
2. A brief encounter with reading on the home front
Emma Smith reveals five surprising stories about books and reading during World War Two.
3. Paperbacks for servicemen and women
Emma Smith uncovers five surprising stories about books and reading during World War Two
4. Prisoners of war: escapism and escape
Emma Smith uncovers five surprising stories about books and reading during World War Two.
5. Tasting ration book recipes
The Song Detectorists
1. Norfolk
Matthew Bannister travels across England finding out about music discovered in archives.
2. Wakefield
