Darkness Visible
This week, novelist Francis Spufford explains why the Blitz proved fertile territory for fantasy and the occult; and Darra Goldstein on the hidden properties of kimchi and sourdough. 'Nonesuch', by Fr...
26 Feb 40min
A Cortège of Snails
This week, Peter Filkins, winner of the inaugural Freudenheim Translation Prize, joins us with chair of the judges Boyd Tonkin to talk about the mercurial genius of Elias Canetti; and a poem in praise...
19 Feb 39min
Great Balls of Fire
This week, Mary Beard dons her VR set to experience a Roman cataclysm; and Mary Hitchman on the history of humanity's fascination with the moon.'The Last Days of Pompeii: The immersive exhibition', Im...
12 Feb 51min
The Game's Afoot
This week, Nick Enfield explores the benefits of playing games - whether or not you keep score; and Mike Jakeman on how the football World Cup has got bigger and bigger.'The Score: How to stop playing...
6 Feb 50min
January Highlights: Conversations That Started 2026
As January draws to a close, we take a look back through some of the conversations we have had so far in 2026. First, publisher Alessandro Gallenzi joined us to reveal how he turned literary detective...
1 Feb 18min
Now You See Me
This week, Maria Scott on recently discovered photographs of Jeanne Duval, muse and lover of Charles Baudelaire; and Pratinav Anil weighs up the case for and against reparations.'Reparations: Slavery ...
29 Jan 46min
This Be The Verse
This week, Tristram Fane Saunders surveys the poetic landscape; and Toby Lichtig on a rediscovered slice of life in 1930s Berlin.'A History of England in 25 Poems', by Catherine Clarke'Rhyme and Reaso...
22 Jan 52min
Mind Games
This week, Joanna Kavenna explains why she invented a game to write her new novel; how to survive life online; and a new poem.'Seven', by Joanna Kavenna'This Is for Everyone', by Tim Berners-Lee with ...
15 Jan 45min
