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In Praise of Idleness
Is the solution to busyness not to work harder but to indulge in a little idleness?
16 Sep 2016,·15 mins
Omnibus
Henry Ajder examines our synthetic future, starting with deepfake origins in pornography.
10 Jun 2022,·57 mins
Ralph Vaughan Williams
Composer Sir James MacMillan considers Vaughan Williams’ complex faith life.
30 Dec 2021,·28 mins
Introducing... The Collection: Peel Acres
Jarvis Cocker joins Tom Ravenscroft at Peel Acres the home of John Peel's music collection
16 Jan 2023,·9 mins
The Road to Nineteen Eighty-Four
What led avowed socialist George Orwell to write a novel that is beloved of the Right?
09 Feb 2013,·58 mins
Episode 5
The young Gentoo penguins prepare to enter the water for the first time.
05 Sep 2014,·15 mins
The Gesar of Ling
The story of King Gesar of Ling, the central epic poem of Tibet and much of Central Asia
26 Feb 2004,·25 mins
Series 1
Gentleman Jack Perkins
Des Lynam tells the story a turn-of-the-century boxing toff who never quite made it.
17 May 1995,·15 mins
Episode 3: Hope
Finding hope in the fight against county lines.
09 Dec 2024,·42 mins
Episode 2
Historian and broadcaster Dan Cruickshank goes off the beaten track in London.
14 Jul 2010,·13 mins
The First Year
A deeply personal story of guilt – how to live with it, and its power to transform us.
01 Aug 2025,·14 mins
The Legacy of Magna Carta
Melvyn Bragg examines the 800-year legacy of Magna Carta.
08 Jan 2015,·43 mins
10. An End in Sight
A desperate mother has tried so hard to find her daughter and waited so long to reunite.
27 Mar 2020,·38 mins
Sloth
Becky Ripley and Sophie Ward delve into the psychology of the seven sins. Last up: sloth.
02 Jan 2024,·28 mins
8. The Terminator
Musk fears a 'Terminator future', where robots destroy humans. So why is he creating AI?
08 Apr 2025,·28 mins
Part Five - The Industrial Age and Beyond
First broadcast in 2002. How the changes of the 18th century affected Islam
29 Mar 2002,·26 mins
Us and them
Tim Hayward looks at the potential of fungi to help the human body and mind.
21 Jan 2022,·28 mins
Millennials and business
Why are millennials so attracted to starting their own businesses?
03 Feb 2020,·23 mins
10. The Jungle Book & EPCOT
Mel Giedroyc explores Walt Disney’s final film, The Jungle Book.
29 Jun 2023,·28 mins
Omnibus (2)
Defence barrister Joanna Hardy-Susskind lifts the curtain on the criminal justice system.
17 May 2025,·57 mins
Bonus Episodes - Series 2
Bonus Episode 8. From Two to Three - Parents on the Couch: Dr. Orna Guralnik
India chats to Dr. Orna Guralnik about how the arrival of a child impacts a couple.
21 Jan 2026,·15 mins
Stealing Power
Meter tampering is dangerous and illegal yet reports of it are rising at an alarming rate.
30 Jul 2024,·28 mins
Pausing the Menopause
Lara Lewington explores the science of pushing back, pausing, or stopping the menopause.
18 Nov 2024,·28 mins
10. Wulver
Rhianna Pratchett encounters stories about a wolf-like beast - the Wulver
29 Dec 2023,·14 mins
6. Moral Courage
Diane Foley must decide whether to face a man linked to her son’s murder - or not.
10 Feb 2026,·31 mins
Nicolas Bourbaki
Professor Marcus du Sautoy argues that mathematics drives science.
25 Jun 2010,·15 mins
The Crowning Glory
News of the conquest of Everest reaches London on Coronation Day.
06 Jan 2023,·14 mins
Erland Cooper, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Caroline Bird, Testament
Moments of inspiration recalled by some of our best known artists.
10 Aug 2021,·28 mins
Fruit
Did you know your apple and pear trees belong to the rose family?
14 Dec 1998,·8 mins
Memory
Examination into the condition of Alzheimer's disease
15 May 2000,·24 mins
