Showing results by author "BBC Radio 4" in All Categories

Panel game in which the contestants are challenged to speak for one minute without hesitation, deviation or repetition on any subject that comes up on the cards

Dara O Briain and Isy Suttie discover strange-but-true tales as they’re drip-fed nuggets of narrative by a special guest expert with an often surprising link to the story.

The story of Elon Musk, the way it's often told, makes him sound like a fictional character, a comic-book superhero – or, especially lately, a supervillain. As the world's richest man, the US President’s right-hand man, and the owner of X, he’s possibly the world’s most powerful man. Musk wants to build robots and colonise Mars and appears to be dismantling sizable parts of the US government. His vision of the future seems to stem from the science fiction that has fueled his imagination since he was a boy. But what's the real story, the true history, behind Musk’s sense of destiny?...

In Human Intelligence, Naomi Alderman dissects the minds of brilliant thinkers from the past; examining the myriad ways in which humans think and realising that great minds don't, in fact, think alike.

Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UKSomething about this doesn't add up. In Hertfordshire towns, people who live alone are disappearing. Their neighbours are wondering why they've not seen them, or if they might have died. Giving someone else control of your finances and decisions - through Lasting Power of Attorney - is meant to come with a guarantee that they always act in your best interest. In this series, BBC investigative reporter Sue Mitchell explores a widespread business practice where some people are moved out of their homes and left with no idea ...

Humanity's journey to understanding the body has been a gory one; littered with unethical experiments, unintended consequences and unimaginable endurance. It's the story of catastrophic failures, at great human cost - but also successes which made history and saved countless lives.In The Human Subject, Dr Adam Rutherford and Dr Julia Shaw investigate the threads connecting modern day medicine to its often brutal origins. With every episode they explore some of that dark history and ask - is our present day knowledge worth the suffering it took to get us here?

In this BBC Radio 4 podcast, Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken are on a mission to help us take better care of ourselves.Although they are identical twins, Chris and Xand are very different and they never stop thinking and arguing about science and health. They want to lead healthy, happy lives and as doctors, they want this for everyone. Yet they tussle over how best to get there.When it comes to looking after our own health, it can be confusing. Medicine and science produce amazing new treatments and diagnostics every day and we are bombarded with so many headlines and pieces of advice; but ...

Campaigning journalist, broadcaster and historian Alex Renton shines a light into the dark corners of British society.

In this new series, Martha Kearney explores the importance of the natural world in the lives of her guests. Each person she meets takes her to a rural location which means something to them, and describes the role nature has played in their life, explaining how it has shaped, influenced or fascinated them. In the process she gains surprising new insights into some well-known faces – from Cate Blanchett, who talks about her love of bee-keeping, to Martin Clunes, who takes Martha on a walk with his five dogs before rolling up his sleeves to scrub his horse’s hooves in preparation for the ...

The story of Banksy's rise, the stunts, the culture and the story of how the work became so valuable.

An entertaining guide to some of our commonest and most curious coastal wildlife. Brett Westwood is joined by naturalist Phil Gates in this informative and entertaining guide to a variety of common coastal wildlife. Recorded in early summer along the coast of Northumberland, each programme focuses on a different habitat - rock pools, sandy beaches, sea cliffs, strandlines and mudflats adjoining saltmarshes.

In this new series, Helen Lewis and Armando Iannucci investigate which political buzzwords are strong and stable and which are a crock of covfefe.Each week Helen and Armando will crack open the political phrasebook and attempt to decode the doublespeak. Why does everything now have to be 'turbo-charged'? What's the difference between a 'pledge' and a 'mission'? Why has my local MP been 'weaponised' and should I be worried?You'll be treated to a crash course in the dark arts of political language from two people both baffled and beguiled by it. They'll walk you through the various verbal ...

Reactive features from Radio 4, exploring what's really happening behind the headlines and unearthing untold stories, both at home and abroad.

In an era of fake news and new fault lines in global politics, millions of listeners turn to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme each morning to help them make sense of the world around them. The first ever book from the iconic programme marks 60 years of programming with 60 world-changing stories. Covering everything from the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Anti-Apartheid Movement to the emergence of Brit Art and space exploration, artificial intelligence and machine learning, Today explores events as they happened and reveals how they changed the world around us.

Presenter James Crawford looks at an author's latest work and delves further into their creative process by learning about the three other texts that have shaped their writing.

How do other cultures handle the universal problems that we face here at home? Something to Declare is here to find the answer. Join Jack Boswell as he explores the roots of global cultural practices and how people are interpreting them today, from Japanese Wabi Sabi philosophy to the Sacred Geography of Andean tribes.

Politically is BBC Radio 4's home for insightful, inside takes on how politics and power really work. Step into a world steeped in ambition and intrigue... a world that demands tough decisions and delicate compromises. And let those who've walked the corridors of power reveal how they believe them best navigated, through the frank and illuminating series you'll find in this feed.

In 2023, Jon Holmes was diagnosed with cancer - which came as a bit of a surprise because quite frankly he was far too busy for all of that nonsense. After a very odd, intense, unexpected, ridiculous year, Jon realised that men don't tend to talk openly about the preposterous indignity of dealing with cancer. So he decided he would, with other men who've been through it. So here - inevitably - comes his new chatty podcast. Across the series Jon will be joined by the comedians Stephen Fry, Mark Steel, Richard Herring, Matt Forde, and Eric Idle, actors Colin McFarlane and Ben Richards, rock star...