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A monthly series in which broadcaster and acclaimed historical novelist Sarah Dunant delves into the past to help frame the present, bringing to life worlds that span the centuries.

Taking modern day anxieties as its starting point, the programme considers how certain questions are constant, yet also change their shape over time.

This month, Sarah is plunging into the world of personal debt. As present-day concerns rise about ever-increasing levels of consumer borrowing and the individual's vulnerability to predatory lenders, Sarah explores the complex history of debt, the opportunity and the risk it has represented to people over the years.

From the stories of indentured labourers seeking a new life in 19th century Guyana to the Scottish woman charging interest of King James VI, Sarah tries to glean a little light to guide us through today's murky world of money.

This month's guests are Professor Cathryn Spence from Vancouver Island University, Professor Jerry White from Birkbeck University of London, David Kynaston and Professor Clem Seecharan from London Metropolitan University.

Presenter: Sarah Dunant
Producers: Katherine Godfrey and Nathan Gower
Executive Producer: David Prest
Readers: Sabrina Carter and Peter Marinker
A Whistledown production for Â鶹ԼÅÄ Radio 4.