Legacies of 1619

Isaac

Daina Ramey Berry reflects on Isaac, whose life ended in a final act of defiance.

• 14 mins

Legacies of 1619

Sarah Forbes Bonetta

David Olusoga on the life of a girl sold into slavery and gifted to Queen Victoria.

• 14 mins

Legacies of 1619

Mary Prince and Sally Hemings

Author Anne Bailey reflects on two remarkable women, Mary Prince and Sally Hemings.

• 14 mins

Legacies of 1619

John Ocansey

Caryl Phillips reflects on young African John Ocansey exercising his freedom in Liverpool.

• 14 mins

Open Endings

Ian Rankin on Lord of the Flies

Ian Rankin chooses William Golding's Lord of the Flies.

• 14 mins

Open Endings

Bernardine Evaristo on Mrs Dalloway

Man Booker Prize winner Bernardine Evaristo chooses Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway.

• 14 mins

Open Endings

AL Kennedy on The Wind in the Willows

AL Kennedy chooses Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows

• 14 mins

Open Endings

Elif Shafak on Anna Karenina

Elif Shafak chooses Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.

• 14 mins

Open Endings

Philippa Gregory on Jane Eyre

Historical author Philippa Gregory writes a new end for Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre.

• 14 mins

Beneath the Night

The Great Sky Above

Can we find meaning in the stars? Astronomer Dr Stuart Clark searches for answers.

• 14 mins

Beneath the Night

Omens in the Heavens

In his second essay, astronomer Dr Stuart Clark takes a journey back in time.

• 14 mins

Beneath the Night

Cosmic Revelations

Astronomer Dr Stuart Clark continues to explore our relationship with the night sky.

• 14 mins

Beneath the Night

Touching the Night

Can we have a better future among the stars? Dr Stuart Clark investigates.

• 14 mins

Beneath the Night

Above the Night

Has our relationship with the night sky changed forever? Dr Stuart Clark thinks so.

• 14 mins

My Life in Music

The Lamb by John Tavener

Visits to a bird hide are accompanied by this song for singer-songwriter Kitty Macfarlane.

• 14 mins

My Life in Music

Rockin' in Rhythm by Duke Ellington sung by Ella Fitzgerald

In an airhead moment, Soweto Kinch needs Ellington’s sonic reminder that joy is essential.

• 14 mins

My Life in Music

Disko Partizani by Shantel

Composer Roxanna Panufnik discovers an earworm in duty free at Tel Aviv airport.

• 14 mins

My Life in Music

The Protecting Veil by John Tavener

Steven Isserlis recalls the impact of a commission and his friendship with its composer.

• 14 mins

My Life in Music

Now, oh now I needs must part by John Dowland arranged by Percy Grainger

Kenneth Hamilton's mind is filled with Dowland's song of parting at his mother's death.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

1: The Poet

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

2: The Boxer

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

3: The Most Hated Art Critic in France

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

4: The Living Artwork

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

5: The Deserter

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

6: The Persona

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

7: The Love Story

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

8: The Echo

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

9: The Missing

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

The Escape Artist

10: The Resurrection

The extraordinary life of Arthur Cravan and his influence on modern art.

• 14 mins

Between the Essays Retrospective

Episode 1

Audio producers from around the world bring a touch of Between the Ears to The Essay.

• 14 mins