Paris 1913

Cubism

Adam Gopnik discusses Cubism in 1913 Paris, considering it as a form of poetic realism.

• 15 mins

Five Portraits of Science

John Dee

Jonathan Sawday explores the cultural legacy of alchemist, astrologer and magus John Dee.

• 15 mins

Five Portraits of Science

Galileo

Writer Andrew Brown unpicks the narrative of Galileo's battle with the Roman Inquisition.

• 15 mins

Five Portraits of Science

Isaac Newton

Historian Patricia Fara on how Isaac Newton became the quintessential English genius.

• 15 mins

Five Portraits of Science

Marie Curie

Sunetra Gupta considers Marie Curie's reputation as self-sacrificing scientific saint.

• 15 mins

Five Portraits of Science

Albert Einstein

Writer Richard Hamblyn considers the cultural afterlife of Albert Einstein.

• 15 mins

Changing Climates

Turned Out Nice Again - On Living With the Weather

Richard Mabey tells the story of a lifetime of weather.

• 15 mins

Changing Climates

Air-Songs and Moon-Bows

Richard Mabey tells the story of a lifetime of weather.

• 15 mins

Changing Climates

Black Dog

Richard Mabey explores the downside of weather on our imaginations.

• 15 mins

Changing Climates

Halcyon Days

Richard Mabey on happy days made by the weather including the halcyon days of winter.

• 15 mins

Changing Climates

The Storm Clouds of the 21st Century

Richard Mabey asks what the weather means to us nowadays.

• 15 mins

Listener, They Wore It

Charles's Cap (Madame Bovary)

Julian Barnes on an unforgettable hat in Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary.

• 15 mins

Listener, They Wore It

Empress Elizabeth's Diamonds

Daisy Goodwin on diamonds in a portrait of Empress Elizabeth of Austria by Winterhalter.

• 15 mins

Listener, They Wore It

Gatsby's Suit

Writer Michael Bracewell discusses Jay Gatsby's suit in the novel The Great Gatsby.

• 15 mins

Listener, They Wore It

Alec Leamas's coat (The Spy Who Came in from the Cold)

Antonia Quirke on the coat worn by Richard Burton in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

• 15 mins

Listener, They Wore It

Patti Smith's Shirt

Susanna Frankel recalls a brilliant white shirt on the cover of an LP by Patti Smith.

• 15 mins

The Darkest Hour

Margaret Drabble

Author Margaret Drabble explores how insomnia has become something of an old friend.

• 15 mins

The Darkest Hour

Episode 2

Literary critic and author John Sutherland explores the history of insomnia in literature.

• 15 mins

The Darkest Hour

Episode 3

Author AL Kennedy explores why she has always found the nights too thrilling to sleep.

• 15 mins

The Darkest Hour

Episode 4

Poet Michael Symmons Roberts examines why he has been so fascinated by insomnia.

• 15 mins

The Darkest Hour

Episode 5

Actor Juliet Stevenson on why a creative life often means a life in want of sleep.

• 15 mins

Explaining the Explicit

Julian Barnes

Writer Julian Barnes asks 'Is writing about sex the same as writing about anything?'.

• 15 mins

Explaining the Explicit

David Bellos

Writer and academic David Bellos on why translating sex in literature is so difficult.

• 15 mins

Explaining the Explicit

Sarah Churchwell

Sarah Churchwell examines the tradition of depicting sex in popular fiction.

• 15 mins

Explaining the Explicit

Vicki Feaver

Vicki Feaver reflects on how the poet can explore their own sexuality.

• 15 mins

Explaining the Explicit

Rachel Johnson

Rachel Johnson asks if we are all too ready to leap to judgement about writing about sex.

• 15 mins

The Book that Changed Me

Homage to Catalonia

Alan Johnston explains how Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell inspired him.

• 15 mins

The Book that Changed Me

The Wrench

Potter and writer Edmund de Waal explains how Primo Levi's book The Wrench inspired him.

• 15 mins

The Book that Changed Me

The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals

Scientist Colin Blakemore praises a lesser-known work by Charles Darwin.

• 15 mins

The Book that Changed Me

Pride and Prejudice

Academic Mona Siddiqui explores her affection for Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice.

• 15 mins