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BBC Radio 4

4.7 (157)
Society & Culture
Biweekly

Weekly discussion programme, setting the cultural agenda every Monday

1d ago

Global instability and the end of illusion

What happens when the certainties that underpinned the post-war international order begin to fall apart? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Naomi Alderman is joined by three guests examining the forces that shape global power and the legacies of conflict. The journalist and author Kim Ghattas discusses The Best Kind of American: Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East. Through an investigation into the assassination of Middle East scholar Malcolm Kerr in 1980s Beirut, she traces the origins of many of the conflicts and rivalries that continue to define the region today, linking warlords, revolutionaries and political leaders across four decades of turbulent history. Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs columnist at the Financial Times, talks about War is Interested in You: The Breakdown of International Order and the Threat of World War Three. Drawing on discussions with political and intelligence leaders around the world, he argues that an era of relative stability is giving way to a more dangerous and unpredictable age of geopolitical competition and conflict. And the historian and broadcaster David Runciman talks about his Radio 4 series 1956: End of Illusion, which tells the intertwined stories of the Suez Crisis and the Hungarian Revolution. Together, these events exposed the limits of British power, challenged assumptions about East and West, and reshaped the global political landscape of the post-war world. Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Oct 26

John Berger and another way of seeing

Can looking differently at the world help us imagine a better future? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Tom Sutcliffe is joined by three guests exploring ideas of art, community and social change. The writer and archivist Tom Overton discusses John Berger: From Life, his biography of the influential critic, novelist and broadcaster. Berger was born on November 5th 1926 and died aged 90. Drawing on Berger's archive and their years of friendship and collaboration, Overton examines a figure whose work transformed the way we think about art, culture, politics and the lives of ordinary people. (BBC Radio 4 is broadcasting Seeing John Berger on Tuesday 27th October at 4pm). Berger wrote extensively about the peasantry. The academic Maryam Aslany carries on that tradition in her new book, Peasants: Makers of the Modern World. Combining history, reportage and fieldwork across Asia, Africa and Latin America, Aslany argues that peasants still remain central to the global economy, food systems and environmental sustainability. And the curator of the William Morris Gallery in Walthamstow Rowan Bain talks about Morris and his circle and their belief that art and beauty could be agents of social change, offering a radical vision of a fairer and more sustainable society. Their current show Earthly Paradise: Radical Living in the UK looks at a range of artists' houses including Cedric Morris’s Benton End; Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage and William Morris’s Red House. Following its presentation at William Morris Gallery it will tour to Tŷ Pawb, Wrexham (April – September 2027), Blackwell – The Arts & Crafts house, Bowness-on-Windermere (October 2027 – February 2028) and Dovecot Studios, Edinburgh (March – September 2028). Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Oct 19

Napoleon’s marshals and President Trump’s civil servants

What happens when the relationship between leaders and those entrusted to implement policy breaks down? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Adam Rutherford is joined by three guests to explore power, loyalty and the often unseen people who make complex systems work. The bestselling writer Michael Lewis discusses Blockers: Rebels in the Deep State, his account of the civil servants who found themselves resisting attempts by the Trump administration to dismantle parts of the American state. He asks what happens when public service is devalued, and why we rarely notice the institutions around us until they are threatened. Jill Rutter, Senior Fellow at the Institute for Government reflects on the relationship between politicians and the civil service. Drawing on her experience in government, from HM Treasury and No.10 to DEFRA, she examines why civil servants have increasingly been characterised by some politicians as ‘the blob’, and what that tension reveals about the challenges of governing a modern state. Historian Andrew Roberts discusses Napoleon and His Marshals, about the men who helped build, sustain and ultimately undermine Napoleon's empire. Roberts argues that Napoleon's downfall owed as much to his troubled relationships with his closest lieutenants as it did to military defeat, offering a revealing study of leadership, rivalry and betrayal. Producer: Katy Hickman
Oct 12

Inheritance – from stories to genetics

What do we inherit from the past and what happens when old stories are told in new ways? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Naomi Alderman is joined by three guests exploring the traces the past leaves behind, in memory, mythology and our DNA. The writer Gillian Slovo discusses her new novel Inheritance, in which her protagonist returns home to South Africa after an unexpected legacy uncovers long-buried family secrets. Moving between London and a country still dealing with the horror of apartheid, the novel explores memory, forgiveness and the burdens passed from one generation to the next. The classicist Edith Hall talks about her book Medea: A Life, which reimagines one of mythology's most notorious women. By treating Medea as a historical subject rather than simply a villain, Hall offers a fresh perspective on an ancient story that continues to resonate today. And Pontus Skoglund, geneticist and leader of the Ancient Genomics Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute, explains how ancient DNA is transforming our understanding of human evolution, migration and disease. His research, and the Institute's exhibition We Go Way Back (until July 2027), reveal how genetic evidence can uncover forgotten lives and rewrite histories we thought we knew. Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Oct 5

Jon Ronson: men unravelling

From crumbling buildings to collapsing certainties, are we living through an age of unravelling? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Tom Sutcliffe is joined by three guests reflecting on the changing cultural forces that shape our sense of self and what happens when those foundations start to fall apart. Jon Ronson discusses The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unravelling Men, an investigation into the lives of men searching for belonging amid confusion about masculinity, purpose and identity. What begins as a mystery becomes a wider portrait of a changing world and those struggling to find their place within it. Michael Landy's exhibition Future Ruins (at Sir John Soane's Museum,14 October 2026 – 17 January 2027) imagines celebrated buildings, political monuments and personal landmarks reduced to decay. It’s a quarter of a century since Landy’s celebrated art work, Breakdown, in which he systematically destroyed all his possessions. And Roisín Kiberd discusses The Most Normal Woman: Essays on Appearances, exploring the endless pursuit of normality and perfection, and the pressure to conform. Through personal experience and cultural criticism, she examines how standards of beauty are created, enforced and resisted. Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Debbie Kilbride
Sep 28

Contains Strong Language Festival in Salford

In front of an audience at the Contains Strong Language Festival in Salford Tom Sutcliffe is joined by three guests to celebrate poetry ancient and new and to explore the latest innovations in hearing the spoken word. The Poet Laureate Simon Armitage discusses his new verse translation of the ancient epic poem Gilgamesh, a timeless adventure story of power, love and loss. The poet and academic Jade Cuttle celebrates found objects - from Mesopotamian tablets to mudlarking treasure troves. Professor Trevor Cox from the University of Salford’s world-renowned Acoustics Innovation Institute explains the latest science behind hearing, listening and making yourself heard. Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Sep 21

Carlo Rovelli: complexity and value

What can we really know about the world around us and our place within it? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Adam Rutherford is joined by three guests who explore the values that shape our lives and the things that still matter even when they cannot easily be counted, explained or priced. The theoretical physicist and internationally acclaimed writer Carlo Rovelli discusses his new book On the Equality of All Things: Physics and Philosophy (translated by Simon Carnell). Drawing on modern physics and philosophical inquiry, he explores the relationships between minds and matter, ideas and objects, and asks us to reconsider how we understand the world and our place within it. The poet and writer Lavinia Greenlaw has drawn on science in her work. She talks about On Difficulty (and Poetry), her exploration of why difficult experiences, ideas and works of art can be so rewarding. She argues that resistance and complexity are not obstacles to understanding but can open up new ways of seeing and thinking. And the award-winning playwright James Graham discusses The Standard of Living, his new play about the economist John Maynard Keynes. Set amid economic crisis and social change, it asks what makes a good life and whether art, love and human connection might matter more than wealth and power. Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez
Sep 14

Living with uncertainty

How do we navigate a world where simple answers are often the most seductive and the least reliable? On Radio 4's weekly discussion programme, Naomi Alderman is joined by three guests who explore how we search for certainty, why we are drawn to stories and what we can learn from doubt. Drawing on philosophy, medicine and fiction, they ask how we can live with uncertainty rather than trying to escape it. Dr Xand van Tulleken - who hosts the Radio 4 podcast What's Up Docs? with his brother, discusses his book Make Me Well: A Quest to Understand the Confusing World of Wellness. As health advice becomes increasingly entangled with supplements, wearable technology and personalised testing, he investigates the promises of the booming wellness industry and asks how consumers can distinguish evidence from marketing. The philosopher Lani Watson is the author of Q: The Hidden Power of Questions in a World That Wants Answers. She argues that modern life places too much value on certainty and solutions, and not enough on curiosity and inquiry. Drawing on philosophy, psychology and neuroscience, she makes the case for questioning as one of our most important human skills. Daniel Mason is a psychiatrist as well as an award-winning novelist. His new novel Country People was picked out as one to read this summer. It follows a family who move to rural Vermont, where eccentric neighbours, local folklore and a mysterious legend blur the boundaries between fantasy and fact. With warmth, humour and an eye for the absurd, Mason explores why people cling to stories, misconceptions and beliefs, and how imagination, playfulness and community help us make sense of an uncertain world. Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez

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Andrew Marr

Host

4.7

out of 5

157 Ratings

Great discussion

12/24/2017

SquareBiz539

Great arts round table discussion show, especially when hosted by Andrew Marr or Tom Sutcliffe.
Fascinating

11/02/2017

Johnshyama

Wonderful discussion and real experts! What can be better?
Much Better with Andrew Marr

03/31/2013

kensinsd

My thoughts and prayers are with Andrew Marr and his family as he recovers. It might have been better if they had let this show go on hiatus during his illness, as the guest moderators, great as they may be in their fields of expertise, cannot direct and guide the discussions with the expertise that Andrew Marr could.
Egbert Souse

03/19/2012

EgbertSouse

I, too, learned of this outstanding program from an endorsement by Stephen Metcalf of Slate's Culture Gabfest, and it's now one of my three must-listen shows each week. Civil, engaging, stimulating conversation with a host adept at his work.