That's Entertainment...? Variety and Me

How Did They Do That? Magic and Mesmerism

Traditional Variety through the lens of a writer’s childhood fascination.

• 14 mins

A Circumnavigation of the British Isles in Five Traditional Boats

The Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Pilot Gig

Annamaria Murphy on the gig, which rowed out to approaching ships to get pilots aboard.

• 14 mins

A Circumnavigation of the British Isles in Five Traditional Boats

The Curach

The poet Keith Payne on the curach, the ancient, but still used, Irish skin boat.

• 14 mins

A Circumnavigation of the British Isles in Five Traditional Boats

Shetland Whillies, Yoals and Sixerns

Brian Wishart in Lerwick on Shetland's traditional boats, still influenced by the Vikings.

• 14 mins

A Circumnavigation of the British Isles in Five Traditional Boats

The Coble

Poet Katrina Porteous on the coble, the beach-launched working boat of the northeast coast

• 14 mins

A Circumnavigation of the British Isles in Five Traditional Boats

The Essex Smack

Malcolm 'Mac' MacGregor on the Essex Smack, boats he built and fished with under sail.

• 14 mins

Women of Substance

Frida Kahlo

What does the art of Frida Kahlo reveal about her addictions?

• 14 mins

Women of Substance

Billie Holiday

Billie Holiday sang about alcohol and broken hearts and went to prison for drug use.

• 14 mins

Women of Substance

Anna Kavan

Legally prescribed heroin by a psychiatrist, Anna Kavan’s writing reveals her addiction.

• 14 mins

Women of Substance

Andrea Dunbar

At 18 Andrea Dunbar was the youngest playwright ever at the Royal Court Theatre, London.

• 14 mins

Women of Substance

Nan Goldin

Nan Goldin beat heroin and Oxycontin. Her biggest fight was against the drug manufacturers

• 14 mins

Letters to the Overrated and the Underrated

1. Dear Katherine Mansfield...

Ian Sansom drops a line to late New Zealand-born author and critic Katherine Mansfield.

• 14 mins

Letters to the Overrated and the Underrated

2. Dear Joseph Conrad...

Ian Sansom pens imaginary missives to late Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad.

• 14 mins

Letters to the Overrated and the Underrated

3. Dear Clarice Lispector...

Ian Sansom fires off a quick line or two to late Brazilian novelist Clarice Lispector.

• 14 mins

Letters to the Overrated and the Underrated

4. Dear Octavia Butler...

Ian Sansom is sending imaginary dispatches to late American sci-fi writer Octavia Butler.

• 14 mins

Letters to the Overrated and the Underrated

5. Dear John le Carré...

Ian Sansom is writing uncoded messages to late English-Irish spy novelist John le Carré.

• 14 mins

Edith Piaf in Five Songs

1. Milord

Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five songs. 1 - Milord by Lucy O'Meara.

• 14 mins

Edith Piaf in Five Songs

2. L'Accordeoniste

The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart in five of her songs.

• 14 mins

Edith Piaf in Five Songs

3. Les Amants d'un jour

The French singer Edith Piaf - from her mouth to your heart, through five classic songs.

• 14 mins

Edith Piaf in Five Songs

4. Hymne à l'amour

Edith Piaf defined five songs. Myriam Phiro explores love and death in Hymne à l'amour.

• 14 mins

Edith Piaf in Five Songs

5. Non, je ne regrette rien

Edith Piaf in five songs. Elizabeth Alker on Piaf's 1960 classic Non, je ne regrette rien.

• 14 mins

A Museum in the Making

11/03/2024

V&A East director Gus Casely-Hayford shares his plans for crafting a new kind of museum.

• 14 mins

A Museum in the Making

12/03/2024

V&A East director Gus Casely-Hayford on trying to put a new kind of museum together.

• 14 mins

A Museum in the Making

13/03/2024

V&A East director Gus Casely-Hayford on trying to put a new kind of museum together.

• 14 mins

A Museum in the Making

14/03/2024

V&A East director Gus Casely-Hayford on trying to put a new kind of museum together.

• 14 mins

A Museum in the Making

15/03/2024

V&A East director Gus Casely-Hayford on trying to put a new kind of museum together.

• 14 mins

Call Me Mother

How the shape of words for mother helps babies eat their food. Rebecca Woods explains

• 14 mins

From algorithms to oceans

Kerry McInerney on the promises of the ‘sustainable AI’ movement and how AI may develop

• 13 mins

Gas, oil and the Essex blues

Sam Johnson-Schlee draws links between Dr Feelgood, Canvey Island and energy policies

• 13 mins

Unravelling plainness

Isabella Rosner explains why needlework challenges our idea of Quaker simplicity

• 14 mins