Paradise Lost

Patrick McGuinness

Poet and critic Patrick McGuinness marks the 350th birthday of Milton's epic poem.

• 15 mins

Trip Sheets 2 - An Actor's Life

Broadway Bound, Very Nearly

Michael Goldfarb finds himself working with Mike Nichols and almost making it to Broadway.

• 14 mins

Trip Sheets 2 - An Actor's Life

Cab Driving Dog Days

Michael Goldfarb remembers the hard slog of cab driving in an industry about to change.

• 15 mins

Trip Sheets 2 - An Actor's Life

Submission to Stella Adler

Michael Goldfarb tells the story of his, and Marlon Brando's, acting teacher.

• 14 mins

Trip Sheets 2 - An Actor's Life

Acting, Kissing, Fighting and Getting Paid

Michael Goldfarb on becoming an actor, which involved fighting and kissing lots of girls.

• 14 mins

Trip Sheets 2 - An Actor's Life

Broadway Bound, Finally

Michael Goldfarb tells the story of his last shot at Broadway glory.

• 14 mins

Five Poems I Wish I Had Written

Seamus Heaney's 'The Underground'

Poet Don Paterson reflects on Seamus Heaney's 'The Underground'.

• 15 mins

Five Poems I Wish I Had Written

Elizabeth Bishop's 'Large Bad Picture'

Poet Don Paterson reflects on Elizabeth Bishop's 'Large Bad Picture'.

• 15 mins

Five Poems I Wish I Had Written

Michael Donaghy's 'The Hunter's Purse'

Poet Don Paterson reflects on Michael Donaghy's 'The Hunter's Purse'.

• 15 mins

Five Poems I Wish I Had Written

Sylvia Plath's 'Cut'

Poet Don Paterson reflects on Sylvia Plath's poem 'Cut'.

• 15 mins

Five Poems I Wish I Had Written

Robert Frost's 'Design'

Poet Don Paterson reflects on Robert Frost's 'Design'.

• 15 mins

Stuff Happens

Moving House

Why does stuff have such an emotional hold on us? Joanna Robertson on moving house.

• 14 mins

Stuff Happens

Tidy Home, Tidy Mind

Joanna Robertson aims for a 'tidy home, tidy mind'.

• 14 mins

Stuff Happens

Decluttering

Decluttering is all the rage - so how do the stylish Parisians go about it? Or do they?

• 14 mins

Stuff Happens

Books and Letters

Getting rid of stuff is hard at the best of times, but books and personal letters?

• 14 mins

Stuff Happens

My Mother's House

How do you deal with the stuff from your late mother's house while in the depths of grief?

• 14 mins

The Strangeness of Memory

Touching the Void

Adam Zeman on the void of amnesia and how it impacts identity and consciousness.

• 15 mins

The Strangeness of Memory

False Memories

Psycologist Chris French looks at childhood memories and asks how reliable they are.

• 15 mins

The Strangeness of Memory

The Fallibility of Memory

Forensic psychologist Fiona Gabbert explores the strength and weaknesses of human memory.

• 15 mins

The Strangeness of Memory

The Tricks of Memory

How do we remember facts or details? Professor David Shanks tells us the secret techniques

• 15 mins

The Strangeness of Memory

Memory and the landscape

Catherine Loveday explores the relationship between memory loss and landscape.

• 15 mins

Stories That Sing

Julian Barnes: Opera - Coming to it Late

Opera used to baffle Julian Barnes, then something happened and everything changed.

• 14 mins

Stories That Sing

Patricia Duncker: How I Fell in Love with Opera

Patricia Duncker on the dangerous and seductive ways opera can overwhelm the senses.

• 14 mins

Stories That Sing

David Threlfall

Actor David Threlfall ponders his ambivalent responses to opera.

• 14 mins

Stories That Sing

Rachel Cooke

Rachel Cooke examines the trappings that surround opera-going.

• 14 mins

Stories That Sing

Garth Greenwell

The journey of an awkward teenager in Kentucky towards opera and literature.

• 14 mins

The Meaning of Flowers - Series 2

Bluebells

Bluebells are a British icon, voted our favourite flower but now a besieged Brexit symbol.

• 14 mins

The Meaning of Flowers - Series 2

Orchids

Fiona Stafford studies orchids, the largest flowering plant family, and a UK favourite.

• 14 mins

The Meaning of Flowers - Series 2

Daffodils

Fiona Stafford reveals that daffodils are awash with literary surprises, and are not Welsh

• 14 mins

The Meaning of Flowers - Series 2

Lavender

Fiona Stafford explores why Lavender is now more popular than ever after 2000 years.

• 14 mins