A weekly reflection on a topical issue.
Radio 4,·821 episodes
Stephen Smith muses on HS2 and his grandfather's job on the railways.
Howard Jacobson on the 'horrid fascination' of celebrity.
AL Kennedy reflects on the intoxicating nature of hate.
Zoe Strimpel ponders the current resurgence of ghost stories.
Will Self on the 'pernicious practice' of bucket lists.
Megan Nolan explores the trend of the 'trad wife'.
John Gray argues the case for monarchy.
Sara Wheeler reflects on the concept of limbo.
Sarah Dunant ponders how historic cities deal with unprecedented numbers of tourists.
Stephen Smith on our fascination with the belongings of the rich and famous.
As a seasoned protester, Trevor Phillips explores what’s wrong with protest today.
Adam Gopnik reflects on the truths our dogs can teach us.
Michael Morpurgo reflects on age as he approaches his 80th birthday.
AL Kennedy ponders how we deal with a never-ending cycle of bad news.
Will Self reflects on mirrors, narcissism and human imperfection.
As Midsummer Day approaches, Rebecca Stott examines our complex relationship with colour.
Zoe Strimpel on the perils of treating youth as a commodity.
John Connell reveals how his love for his lawn gave way to letting the grass run wild.
Howard Jacobson says an attack on Eric Gill's sculpture is a failure to understand art.
Tom Shakespeare bemoans the fashion for being asked to rate everything we buy or do.
Rebecca Stott ponders the nature of dust, as spring sunshine sharpens the sight of it.
Sara Wheeler ponders what the new Carolean age will bring forth.
Sarah Dunant explores how the UK can tackle its demographic timebomb.
Will Self on the fad of creating ever more 'cultural quarters' in our towns and cities.
Adam Gopnik says foreign TV shows helped him appreciate the universal language of satire.
Sara Wheeler says writing a biography has proved a reminder not to judge people.
Megan Nolan says she was an insecure teenager, and millennial adulthood is just as uneasy.
John Gray makes the case for proportional representation as a means to revive our politics
Howard Jacobson on why a flower has suddenly trumped exotic chocolates in his affections.
Zoe Strimpel explores what lies behind her new-found impulse to collect art.
