The Essay Podcast
Leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond, themed across a week - insight, opinion and intellectual surprise.
Episodes to download
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Chalk on the Wall—Another Northern Ireland
Thu 9 Dec 2021
4/10 Writer Claire Mitchell peels back the layers of her hometown to find a radical history.
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The Art of Staying—Another Northern Ireland
Wed 8 Dec 2021
3/10 Poet MΓchΓ©al McCann navigates the careful etiquette of a rural Northern Irish wake.
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Searching with Shorelines—Another Northern Ireland
Tue 7 Dec 2021
2/10 Poet Gail McConnell on the inspiration of the sea in Louis MacNeice's work and her own.
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Traybakes—Another Northern Ireland
Mon 6 Dec 2021
1/10 Author Jan Carson on the women who kept her church supplied with tea and traybakes
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Journey to the Centre of the Earth—Sounds of Isolation
Fri 5 Nov 2021
5/5 From sea level to volcanic crater in search of the entrance to the centre of the earth.
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Voices in the Dark—Sounds of Isolation
Thu 4 Nov 2021
4/5 As wreathes of mist lift from a moorland, birdsong is captured in the darkness.
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The Wake—Sounds of Isolation
Wed 3 Nov 2021
3/5 The songs of invisible birds are captured in the isolation of a lake in Finland.
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Island Isolation—Sounds of Isolation
Tue 2 Nov 2021
2/5 A quest for nocturnal sounds at the pinnacle of an isolated sea rock as sirens sing below.
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The Great White Silence—Sounds of Isolation
Mon 1 Nov 2021
1/5 Chris Watson vividly recalls how he captured the sounds of 'The Great White Silence'.
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Himiko: Shaman Queen—Japan in Five Lives
Fri 30 Jul 2021
The early powerful ruler who summoned spirits as well as armies.
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Murasaki Shikibu: Imperial Insider—Japan in Five Lives
Thu 29 Jul 2021
The 11th-century courtier who wrote what is thought to be the world's first novel.
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Oda Nobunaga: Warlord—Japan in Five Lives
Wed 28 Jul 2021
The terrifying warlord who brought much of Japan under his control
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Tezuka Osamu: Godfather of Manga—Japan in Five Lives
Tue 27 Jul 2021
The creator of Atom Boy, who brought Japanese cartoons to the world.
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Daimatsu 'The Demon' Hirobumi—Japan in Five Lives
Mon 26 Jul 2021
The brutal coach who achieved a gold medal for Japan at the 1964 Olympics.
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Colin Grant on VS Naipaul—Caribbean Voices
Fri 2 Jul 2021
5/5 A personal memory of the controversial Nobel laureate, who began his career in radio.
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Jen McDerra on Gladys Lindo—Caribbean Voices
Thu 1 Jul 2021
4/5 The Jamaican woman of letters behind Henry Swanzy discovered hidden in the archives
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Kei Miller on Louise Bennett—Caribbean Voices
Wed 30 Jun 2021
3/5 A moving recollection of 'Miss Lou', maternal love and Jamaican dialect
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Paul Mendez on Andrew Salkey—Caribbean Voices
Tue 29 Jun 2021
2/5 Reimagining the man at the centre of the black literary scene in the mid-20th century
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Sara Collins on Una Marson—Caribbean Voices
Mon 28 Jun 2021
1/5 A personal search for the poetry and 'voice' of a trailblazing Jamaican broadcaster
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King Zog - And Time to Leave—In Albania
Fri 4 Jun 2021
5/5 Joanna Robertson is living in Albania and meets the king. But can she stay?
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Scoop—In Albania
Thu 3 Jun 2021
4/5 It's the mid-90s in Albania, all hell breaks loose and Joanna Robertson gets her scoop.
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North and South—In Albania
Wed 2 Jun 2021
3/5 It's the mid-90s and Joanna Robertson explores Albania's rural north and riotous south.
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Tirana—In Albania
Tue 1 Jun 2021
2/5 It’s the mid-90s, and Joanna Robertson explores life in Albania’s capital Tirana.
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Setting Off—In Albania
Mon 31 May 2021
1/5 It's the mid-1990s and Albania is in turmoil, so Joanna Robertson sets off to live there.
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Vera Hall—In Their Voices
Fri 14 May 2021
5/5 Peter Brathwaite shares his love of the voice of Vera Hall and why it is so special.
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Robert McFerrin—In Their Voices
Thu 13 May 2021
4/5 Peter Brathwaite shares his love of the voice of Robert McFerrin and why it is so special.
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Eric Bentley—In Their Voices
Wed 12 May 2021
3/5 Peter Brathwaite shares his love of the voice of Eric Bentley, and why it is so special.
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Leontyne Price—In Their Voices
Tue 11 May 2021
2/5 Peter Brathwaite shares his love of the voice of Leontyne Price and why it is so special.
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Marian Anderson—In Their Voices
Mon 10 May 2021
1/5 Peter Brathwaite shares his love of the voice of Marian Anderson and why it is so special.
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In Praise of Flatness—New Generation Thinkers
Fri 30 Apr 2021
Noreen Masud finds inspiration in fenlands, polished tables and Kazuo Ishiguro's novels.
Death in Trieste
A 1760s murder still informs ideas about aesthetics, a certain sort of sex, and death.
Watch: My Deaf World
Five compelling experiences of what it is like to be deaf in 21st-century Britain.
The Book that Changed Me
Five figures from the arts and science introduce books that changed their lives and work.
Download The Essay
Download all the episodes from the series and listen at your leisure.
