Young Again

BBC Radio 4
  • 4.7 (25)
  • PERSONAL JOURNALS
Young Again

Kirsty Young asks fascinating people what advice they would give their younger self. Authors, artists, actors and film-makers are among those revisiting the moments that made them.

  1. 18. Malcolm Gladwell

    NOV 12

    18. Malcolm Gladwell

    Kirsty Young asks the writer and podcaster Malcolm Gladwell what advice he would give his younger self. Gladwell's writing, in books such as The Tipping Point and Outliers, successfully distil complex ideas for a mass audience, and he has worked as a staff writer for The New Yorker. His podcasts include Revisionist History, which reconsiders things both overlooked and misunderstood. Gladwell recalls his childhood in a largely Mennonite community in rural Canada, reflects on the shared culture of his English father and Jamaican mother, and shares his joy at becoming a parent later in life. A BBC Studios Audio production.

    43 min
  2. 17. Irvine Welsh

    NOV 5

    17. Irvine Welsh

    Kirsty Young asks the author Irvine Welsh what advice he would give his younger self. Welsh became a literary sensation when his first novel, Trainspotting, was published in 1993. The film adaptation that followed made him a star. But before that he'd gone from being a punk in London to a turn into administrative work for his local council, via a brush with heroin addiction. He looks back at his childhood in Edinburgh, his parents' romance and a first arrest at just eight years old. A BBC Studios Audio production.

    47 min
  3. 16. Gloria Steinem

    OCT 29

    16. Gloria Steinem

    Kirsty Young asks the activist and writer Gloria Steinem what advice she would give her younger self. Through the last seven decades, Steinem has been a singular voice and influential thinker for the causes of feminism and equality in the USA. She discusses her breakthrough as a young journalist going undercover as a Playboy Bunny, founding the hugely successful feminist magazine Ms., and her personal stake in the fight for the legalisation of abortion. She also reflects on her unconventional childhood with a father who never wore a hat or had a job and a mother whom she became a carer of at a young age. A BBC Studios Audio production.

    36 min
  4. 15. Miranda Hart

    OCT 22

    15. Miranda Hart

    Kirsty Young asks comedian and actor Miranda Hart what advice she would give her younger self. A decade ago Hart was starring in her own hit BBC sitcom, Miranda, and selling out stadium tours. But then she suffered a collapse and was forced into a career break. She discusses how years of low level illness built up to a major health crisis, and how an overdue diagnosis and writing her new book helped on her journey back towards fitness. She also reveals the perils of fame, the joy of playing the same venue as Beyoncé, and why her book had an unexpected happy ending. A BBC Studios Audio production.

    44 min
  5. 14. Gabor Maté

    OCT 15

    14. Gabor Maté

    Kirsty Young asks physician Gabor Maté what advice he would give his younger self. Maté was born to Jewish parents in terrible circumstances in Hungary in 1943. His grandparents were killed in the Auschwitz concentration camp, his father was in forced labour and his mother was suffering from jaundice. He reveals how his own understanding of the long-term affects of childhood trauma connects to this personal history. He also discusses his work with drug addicts and his relationship with his wife and children. A BBC Studios Audio production.

    40 min
  6. 13. Minnie Driver

    OCT 8

    13. Minnie Driver

    Kirsty Young asks actor Minnie Driver what advice she would give her younger self. Driver has fashioned a 30-year career in the entertainment industry since becoming a Hollywood star in movies including Circle of Friends and Grosse Pointe Blank. She was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Good Will Hunting, and she revisits that famous Oscar night with Kirsty. Driver also discusses her unconventional childhood, being left to fend for herself in Miami as an 11 year old, sexism and misogyny in the film industry, and the teacher who inspired her. A BBC Studios Audio production.

    46 min
  7. Introducing a new series of Young Again

    OCT 1

    Introducing a new series of Young Again

    Kirsty Young asks fascinating people what advice they would give their younger self.

    3 min
  8. 12. Philip Pullman

    MAR 19

    12. Philip Pullman

    Kirsty Young talks to the author Philip Pullman about what he’s learned from his life so far. Pullman is the acclaimed novelist behind global bestsellers like His Dark Materials. He recounts the story of his own childhood, how he still contemplates the mystery of his father’s death, and why he owes his literary success to hard work. If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what would you tell them? In Young Again Kirsty takes her guests back to the pivotal moments in their lives. Reflecting on what they wish they’d known at the time, and what they’ve learned along the way, she discovers the honest – and surprising – advice they’d give their younger selves. Producer: Sam Peach Content Editor: Richard Hooper Executive Editor: Alice Feinstein Senior Technical Producer: Duncan Hannant Presenter: Kirsty Young A BBC Audio Production

    50 min
See All (21)

Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
25 Ratings

About

Kirsty Young asks fascinating people what advice they would give their younger self. Authors, artists, actors and film-makers are among those revisiting the moments that made them.

Information

  • Creator
    BBC Radio 4
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2024
  • Episodes
    21
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © (C) BBC 2024
  • Show Website
    Young Again

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