Loneliness and Inner Voices
Andrew Marr discusses the inner voice with Charles Fernyhough, Olivia Laing, Alistair McDowall and Frances Wilson.
On Start the Week Andrew Marr talks to the psychologist Charles Fernyhough about the inner speech in our heads. But what if it's a lone voice? The writer Olivia Laing explores what it's like to be lonely in a bustling city, while the playwright Alistair McDowall explores what happens when you're abandoned on a distant planet with no sense of time. The biographer Frances Wilson writes a tale of hero-worship, betrayal and revenge through the life of Thomas De Quincey, a man who modelled his opium-habit on Coleridge and his voice and writing on Wordsworth.
Producer: Katy Hickman.
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Frances Wilson
Frances Wilson is a critic, journalist and author.
Guilty Thing: A Life of Thomas De Quincey is published by Bloomsbury.
Olivia Laing
Olivia Laing is a writer and critic.
The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone is published by Canongate.
Charles Fernyhough
Charles Fernyhough is a writer and a part-time professor in psychology at Durham University.
The Voices Within: The History and Science of How We Talk to Ourselves is published by Profile Books in association with Wellcome Collection.
Alistair McDowall
Alistair McDowall is a playwright.
X is on at the Royal Court Theatre in London until Saturday 7 May.
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Andrew Marr |
| Interviewed Guest | Charles Fernyhough |
| Interviewed Guest | Olivia Laing |
| Interviewed Guest | Alistair McDowall |
| Interviewed Guest | Frances Wilson |
| Producer | Katy Hickman |
Broadcasts
- Mon 11 Apr 2016 09:00BBC Radio 4
- Mon 11 Apr 2016 21:30BBC Radio 4
Podcast
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Start the Week
Weekly discussion programme, setting the cultural agenda every Monday
