Episodes

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2019 In Books20191231On New Year's Eve, we look back at some of the interesting books and stories from the year, with the help of Joe Haddow.

Joe hosts the Book Off podcast and has led the Radio 2 Book Club since it launched in 2010. Earlier this year, he hosted the Booker Prize podcast, interviewing the judges, authors and award winner Bernardine Evaristo.

The rapid rundown of the year features an interview with Caroline Criado Perez, whose assiduous research for her book, Invisible Women: Data Bias In A World Designed for Men, has been recognised with a Royal Society Book Prize and book of the year at the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards.

Liz Hyder talks about her debut novel which has been selected as The Times' Children's Book of the Year 2019.

Kemi Alemoru talks about gal-dem's young adult anthology, I Will Not Be Erased, a collection of stories in which writers of colour address their teenage selves.

We also meet newcomer Ronan Hession who sent Leonard and Hungry Paul into the world, and found a very warm welcome for his characters and story of kindness.

The other books discussed are:

Bernardine Evaristo - Girl, Woman, Other

Margaret Atwood - The Testaments

Lucy Ellman - Ducks, Newburyport

David Nicholls - Sweet Sorrow

Philip Pullman - The Secret Commonwealth

Angie Thomas - On The Come Up

Juno Dawson - Meat Market

Holly Bourne - The Places I've Cried In Public

Kit De Waal - Becoming Dinah

Kiran Millwood Hargrave - The Deathless Girls

Madeline Miller - Circe

Natalie Haynes - A Thousand Ships

Claire Adam - Golden Child

Elizabeth Macneal - The Doll Factory

Candice Carty-Williams - Queenie

Lemn Sissay - My Name Is Why

Elton John - Me

Brett Anderson - Afternoons With The Blinds Drawn

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

Interesting books and stories from the year, from best-sellers to indie debuts.

Amelia Bullmore2019120320200915/16 (BBC7)It's time to turn to crime on Telling Tales, with the multi-talented Amelia Bullmore.

After studying drama at Manchester University, Amelia landed a role on Coronation Street. It was her first job on television and many memorable roles have followed, including Kay Hope, Head of Sustainability in 2012, Alan Partridge's Ukrainian girlfriend Sonja, and DCI Gill Murray in Scott & Bailey.

After putting her writing on hold, Amelia was encouraged by Niamh Cusack to write a pilot, when she was pregnant. Though the resulting legal drama didn't get commissioned, it brought Amelia to the attention of the team behind This Life. She wrote several scripts for the second series, becoming part of a team that won the Writers Guild Award for best TV drama in 1997.

Amelia's move into crime began with another pilot for ITV: a drama about a fast-tracked female DCI in London, who is compromised by a personal secret. This pilot became a radio drama, set in Manchester and starring Maxine Peake, which eventually ran for five series on BBC Radio 4.

We hear a 45 minute drama from 2012, titled Craven: Looking For Mr King, in which Sue - the titular DCI -investigates a made-for-tabloid murder, involving a rich man, a sports car, and a well-known beauty spot.

Amelia talks about how acting informs her writing, and what she learned from working with the ground-breaking comedian Chris Morris, and later with Sally Wainwright on Scott & Bailey.

We also hear about Amelia's latest writing project, Traces, a crime thriller based in the world of forensics and based on an original idea by the best-selling Scottish author Val McDermid. It re-unites Amelia with Red Productions, who brought Craven to life for Radio 4.

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

It's time to turn to crime with the multi-talented writer and actor Amelia Bullmore.

Ben Moor2019021220200526/27 (BBC7)BBC Radio 4 Extra celebrates the very best in storytelling, showcasing different voices, and different genres, from the BBC archives and beyond.

The series will feature captivating drama, narrative comedy, and incredible factual storytelling, which can change the way you look at the world. And we'll hear from writers, performers and producers about the art of telling a good tale.

The first episode features Ben Moor, a writer and actor whose distinctive style of storytelling has been described as 'stand up theatre' and 'Jackanory for grown-ups.

Ben Moor talks about Coelacanth, which began life as a solo stage show, before he adapted it for Radio 4 in 2006. Named after an elusive fish, this tale is set in a fantastical world of competitive tree climbing. Coelacanth is both funny and poignant and has something to say about love and loneliness. The full story features in this episode of Telling Tales.

Presented and produced for Radio 4 Extra by Ali Gardiner.

First broadcast in 2019.

BBC Radio 4 Extra celebrates the very best in storytelling with Ben Moor.

Cathy Fitzgerald2019082720200818/19 (BBC7)This week's guest is a writer and producer who has made many award-winning features for the BBC.

Cathy FitzGerald's storytelling is rich in sound and, over the years, she's taken listeners on a magic carpet ride, out and about on the streets of modern day London with Charles Dickens, and invited us to look in the mirror and up at the sky.

We hear highlights from Cathy's career, including Little Volcanoes, a series of intimate conversations recorded with the patients and staff of Pilgrims Hospice, Margate, back in 2013.

There are extracts from two other BBC documentaries, both made by Cathy's White Stiletto production company: 2017's Little Shop Of Colours for Radio 4 and 2015's Burn Slush! The Reindeer Grand Prix for the BBC World Service.

We head up into the sky with a paraglider, in Skylarking, a memorable moment from Radio 3's Between The Ears in 2014 which was produced with Matt Thompson and features original music by Joe Acheson.

Finally, we hear about Strange & Charmed, Cathy's school for for people who tell stories in sound.

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

Lessons and stories in sound from the award-winning producer Cathy FitzGerald.

Daniel Lawrence Taylor2019041620200616/17 (BBC7)One of BAFTA'S Breakthrough Brits of 2018, the writer, actor and comedian Daniel Lawrence Taylor, joins us to talk creativity and time travel.

Daniel saw himself playing dramatic roles but after winning laughs in comic plays and sketch shows at university, he formed the double act Ginger and Black, with Eri Jackson.

He writes and stars in the television comedy series Timewasters, which first transported a struggling jazz quartet back to 1920s London, via a South London lift. Series two brings the band mates into the 1950s, with the newly settled Windrush generation, and the dawn of rock ‘n' roll.

Race is an important issue in Daniel's work. When Timewasters was commissioned, he commented that you didn't see that many black people in period dramas, or in time machines, so he decided to write about both - with award-winning results!

We also revisit a drama which Daniel wrote for Radio 4, and made its debut in February 2019. Titled Black Boy Fly, and set in London, the thoughtful and comic drama looks at community and gentrification. It was directed by Jonquil Panting.

Produced and presented by Ali Gardiner for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

First broadcast in 2019.

The writer, actor, comedian and BAFTA Breakthrough Brit talks creativity and time travel.

Danny Robins2019061820201006/07 (BBC7)This week's episode takes a trip to the unpronounceable village of Yxsjö with the writer, comedian and self-confessed Swedophile Danny Robins.

From comedy revue beginnings, performing alongside Marcus Brigstocke and Dan Tetsell at Bristol University, Danny has gone on to write numerous sketches, as well as scripts for sitcom, stage and documentaries.

One early live show, The Museum Of Everything, became a Sony-nominated series for Radio 4. And he's since become a radio regular, writing for Dead Ringers, Hudson & Pepperdine, Armando Iannucci, and co-creating Rudy's Rare Records with Lenny Henry; while his television work includes Young Dracula and The Basil Brush Show.

Danny's most recent radio sitcom takes creative inspiration from his own experiences as a Brit indoctrinated by his Swedish wife. It is recorded on location; with Adam Riches starring alongside a cast of Swedish comic actors, and a fifth series has been commissioned for Radio 4.

In The Cold Swedish Winter, Danny mines a rich comic seam of cultural differences, exploring language, tradition and national characteristics, without resorting to cliché. The featured episode, New Swedes, also explores the country's attitude towards immigration, a subject he explored further in the 2017 radio drama The Most Wanted Man In Sweden.

Both dramas are produced by Frank Stirling for the Unique Broadcasting Company.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

We head to Yxsj\u00f6 with the writer, comedian and self-confessed Swedophile Danny Robins.

Elif Shafak2019043020200630 (BBC7)
Elif Shafak has published seventeen books – fiction and non-fiction – and taught at academic institutions around the word.

Born in France, Elif has lived in Turkey, Jordan, and the United States, and currently divides her time between Istanbul and London. A passionate proponent of internationalism and cosmopolitanism, Elif has said that if she had to choose one homeland, then it would be storyland, where characters are complex and readers can learn from walking in other people's shoes.

In this episode of Telling Tales, Elif talks about her love for Istanbul, and shares the sights, sounds, smells and tastes of Turkey's cultural capital in the documentary, Reimagining The City. It is a Falling Tree production that first broadcast on Radio 4 in 2013.

With writing very politicised in Turkey, Elif also remembers the surreal experience of being put on trial for words uttered by fictional characters in her 2006 novel, The Bastard Of Istanbul, which was dramatised for Radio 4 in 2018.

We hear about the cemetery which inspired Elif's new novel, 10 Minutes and 38 Seconds in this Strange World, which has since been nominated for the prestigious Booker prize.

Elif also talks about the six stories shortlisted for the Wellcome Book Prize, which help promote empathy and understanding – a mission that is very close to Elif's heart.

Produced and presented for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Ali Gardiner.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.

Elif Shafak talks about the power of storytelling to promote empathy and understanding.

Fi Glover2019031920200519/20 (BBC7)Fi Glover helps illustrate that life is sometimes stranger than fiction or, at the very least, just as compelling,

Fi has presented The Listening Project since it launched, in partnership with The British Library, back in 2012. Since then, a team of BBC producers based all around the UK, have been capturing the nation in conversation.

Over 1,600 conversations have been recorded, with tales of love, divorce, parenthood, grief, strange twists of fate, happy happenstance, and more.

We revisit some standout moments from the series, including an unforgettable poem about Auschwitz, a marriage proposal, and a question about birds on electrical wires.

This episode also features insights from producer Louise Pepper, who's got a great nose for a story; and Listening Project alumna Janet Hoggarth, whose post-divorce experience of communal living led to a book deal.

Produced by Ali Gardiner for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

First broadcast in 2019.

Fi Glover helps illustrate that life is sometimes stranger than fiction.

Frank Cottrell-boyce20190226This week's episode of Telling Tales explores the art of the short story, with the award-winning writer Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

Frank is a screenwriter, and children's novelist, who wrote the 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony – Isles Of Wonder - with Danny Boyle.

He is also one of the judges for Radio 2's 500 WORDS story-writing competition, which was conceived and launched by Chris Evans in 2011. 30,000 children, aged 5 to 13, entered the very first competition and just seven years later, in 2018, there were 135,000 entries.

Frank shares insights into the art of creating a good story, and we re-visit the tale of how he became a writer, which he shared with an audience at the 2015 Hay Festival.

We also catch up with Roxy Toyne, who took the top prize with her story The Starlings Of West Pier, and hear her story read at the 2013 final by the BAFTA and Globe Award-winning actress Miranda Richardson.

BBC Radio 4 Extra explores the art of short story writing with Frank Cottrell-Boyce.

Jack Rooke2019040920200602/03 (BBC7)The comedian, writer and mental health campaigner shares an insight into his very personal brand of storytelling.

Jack's first stand-up show, Good Grief, reflects on the unexpected death of his father, when he was just a teenager. Co-written with his Nan, the show met with critical acclaim at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival, and was recorded for BBC Radio 4 a few years later.

We listen to Jack's poignant and funny debut, and talk to him about his subsequent work, which includes an exploration of male mental health, and a quest to track down Mathangi Arulpragasam – AKA the British artist M.I.A. - who inspired Jack to turn adversity into hope. We hear a clip from Mamma M.I.A.: Influence of an Icon, which was a 2018 Boom Shakalaka production for Radio 4.

Produced and presented by Ali Gardiner for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

First broadcast in 2019.

The comedian shares an insight into his very personal brand of storytelling.

Jad Abumrad2019021920200428/29 (BBC7)BBC Radio 4 Extra celebrates factual storytelling with Jad Abumrad. Back in 2002, Jad created Radiolab, a radio show which explores our weird and wonderful universe, with awe-inspiring tales.

This episode features a universal tale from the Radiolab, titled The Primordial Journey. In fact, we couldn't get much more universal in this week's theme, because our protagonists are the stem cells of the species.

The story begins in the very early stages of embryonic development and an epic struggle plays out, as a pugnacious band of cells marches toward a mysterious destiny, with the future of humanity resting on their shoulders.

As a factual storyteller, Jad prefers to let listeners experience something for themselves, rather than explain. Whilst Radiolab might sound conversational, each episode is meticulously produced, and Jad gives us an insight into his award-winning methods.

Jad also reflects on the evolution of Radiolab, from a one-man passion project, to a community of curious programme-makers, creating stories for millions of fans.

Produced and presented by Ali Gardiner.

First broadcast on Radio 4 Extra in 2019.

BBC Radio 4 Extra celebrates factual storytelling with Radiolab's Jad Abumrad.

Jeremy Dyson2019122420201222 (BBC7)
/7) (BBC7)
In the run up to Christmas, settle in for some ghost stories and strange tales with the award-winning author, director and screenwriter Jeremy Dyson.

Jeremy talks about the authors who inspired him, not least Robert Aickman, who preferred the term “strange tales ? to “ghost stories ? and had a deep reverence for things we cannot understand.

Jeremy began writing his own strange tales when he was still working in a Leeds bookshop, scribbling down notes as he came up with ideas, and selling his first short story to a customer.

But then The League Of Gentlemen took off, the comic and occasionally grotesque stage show starring Mark Gatiss, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith, which transferred to radio, and then television - with award-winning results.

He remembers The League Of Gentlemen Christmas Special in 2000, an anthology of spooky stories which deliver drama, comedy and fear. Jeremy considers it the apotheosis of this series, which celebrated its 20th anniversary with three new episodes and another live tour in 2017.

Jeremy talks about his writing and projects away from Royston Vasey. These include Ghost Stories, the long-running stage show Jeremy co-wrote and directed with Andy Nyman, which was adapted for the big screen last year. The production draws upon all the tricks in the book, to conjure fear in the audience, as the stories unfold.

We also enjoy two unsettling short stories from Jeremy's debut collection, Never Trust A Rabbit, which was published in 2000 and adapted for BBC Radio 4.

Produced and presented by Ali Gardiner for Radio 4 Extra.

First broadcast in 2019.

Settle in for some ghost stories and strange tales with Jeremy Dyson.

Jessica Hynes2019040220200609/10 (BBC7)Jessica Hynes joins us to talk writing, deadlines and her big screen directorial debut.

The BAFTA Award winning actor is known for her comic roles in The Royle Family and W1A, as well as films like Shaun Of The Dead, Son Of Rambow and Paddington 2.

She is also a writer, who co-wrote Spaced with Simon Pegg; and is adding director to her CV with The Fight.

Jessica talks about the box fit class which inspired her tale of triumph, over everyday adversity.

We also revisit a drama that Jessica wrote for Spike Milligan's birth centenary, and which she performed onstage in Hull, as part of the BBC's Contains Strong Language Festival.

Titled Deadline, Jessica's story colourfully conjures the stress of an unfinished and overdue script, something she has experienced first-hand. It first broadcast on BBC Radio 3 in 2018.

Produced and presented by Ali Gardiner for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

First broadcast in 2019.

John Finnemore2019071620201020/21 (BBC7)John Finnemore always wanted to write for radio and, since that first commission, his output has been prolific.

He created the popular sitcom Cabin Pressure, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Roger Allam, and the long-running Souvenir Programme sketch series, which is now in its eight series.

Along the way, he's picked up multiple awards, seen a cast member become a Hollywood star, and taken control of the Radio 4 airwaves, as the Lord Of Misrule for Twelfth Night 2017.

John has added comedy two-handers to his CV, with two series of Double Acts, taken Souvenir Programme out on the road (retitled John Finnemore's Flying Visit), and even finds time to create the occasional cryptic crossword.

This programme features an episode of Double Acts, titled The Queen's Speech. A Pozzitive Production for BBC Radio 4, which first broadcast in 2017.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

The prolific, award-winning sketch and sitcom writer John Finnemore.

Josie Long2019080620200804/05 (BBC7)We look at fact and fiction, and the blurring of both genres, with the comedian, writer and actor Josie Long.

Josie's stand-up career began when she was still at school and she picked up her first award (the BBC New Comedy Award) whilst still a teenager.

After a brief hiatus, studying English at Oxford University, Josie's prolific output has included eight Edinburgh shows (three of which were nominated for Best Comedy), appearances on television and radio, several podcasts, two film shorts and a full-length feature titled Super November.

All three films are set in Glasgow - an indie theme park of a city beloved by Josie - with returning characters. And the two shorts were adapted into the series Romance & Adventure, for Radio 4, back in 2016.

Josie talks about her Glaswegian series and drawing on real-life experiences for fiction. We hear the first episode, which first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2016.

We also look at Short Cuts, an award-winning Radio 4 programme and podcast made by Falling Tree productions, which experiments beautifully with genre and sound. The featured story, by the poet Ross Sutherland, cuts up a recording of journalist John Humphrys with brilliantly creative results.

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

Fact, fiction, and the blurring of both genres, with the comedian and writer Josie Long.

Karine Polwart2019030520200505/06 (BBC7)An exploration of the art of storytelling in song, with the musician and writer Karine Polwart.

Karine has won six BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, including 2018 Folk Singer of The Year. Her seventh album, Laws Of Motion, was released in October, with songs spanning moments from history and her own life.

One song, which she first performed at Celtic Connections in 2017, addresses Donald Trump from the point of view of the ancient, metamorphic rock lying beneath the Isle Of Lewis.

In 2016, Karine wrote, musically directed, and performed in Wind Resistance, a critically acclaimed theatrical meditation on midwifery, ecology, sanctuary, and solidarity.

Karine's radio work, meanwhile, includes several compositions for the BBC's ground-breaking Radio Ballads series, which marked the centenary of the end of the First World War - as we feature Hospitals broadcast on Radio 2 as part of The Ballad Of The Great War: 1917.

We also revisit an essay Karine delivered on BBC Radio 3, My Life In Music: Craigie Hill, which reflects on family, loss, memory and the power of a good song.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in March 2019.

Exploring storytelling in song with the musician and writer Karine Polwart.

Katherine Jakeways2019070220201013/14 (BBC7)Katherine Jakeways is an actor and writer, whose brilliant character comedy in North By Northamptonshire led to a Radio Times declaration that she was “the new Victoria Wood. ?

Her popular Radio 4 series, which began life as an Edinburgh show with Katherine playing all the parts, was first heard in 2010. The all-star cast includes Penelope Wilton, Felicity Montagu, Mackenzie Crook, Kevin Eldon and Sheila Hancock as the narrator.

It is a masterclass in how to mine the rich comic scene of middle England, set in the fictional town of Waddenbrooke, where everybody knows each other's business and the supermarket manager uses the public address system to overshare.

Katherine's radio plays include a slow-burn romantic drama, which began with 2016's Where This Service Will Terminate and reached a fourth chapter in 2019, with Where This Service Will Separate.

This episode of Telling Tales features the first instalment and the couple's “meet-cute ? is a disagreement over a train seat reservation, as Suzie and David get to know each other, on the journey from London to Penzance. The drama stars Justin Edwards and Rosie Cavaliero, with a cameo from Katherine Jakeways herself, and was produced by James Robinson.

Produced by Ali Gardiner for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

First broadcast in 2019.

Capturing Middle England in a sitcom and a romantic drama that begins on a train.

Katy Brand2019111920200901/02 (BBC7)There are two stars of this week's Telling Tales: the writer, actor and comedian Katy Brand and Baby Houseman, a beloved screen character, who inspired Katy's latest work.

Her book, I Carried A Watermelon, is named after a memorable line from Dirty Dancing, the 1987 coming-of-age story, that placed its young female lead firmly in the foreground.

We hear Katy read an extract from the audiobook, in which she describes watching the film for the first time, aged 11, and falling under the spell of Baby.

Katy reflects on the importance of female representation in film and the message at the centre of Dirty Dancing, which screenwriter Eleanor Bergstein had to fight to retain.

We also hear about a variety of Katy's work, from the sketches and parodies of pop culture in Katy Brand's Big Ass Show, to a very personal stand-up show that changed the direction of her career.

Finally, after tackling feminism, it would have been remiss to overlook her parody podcast, Women Like Us, which re-unites Katy with her long-time friend and collaborator Katherine Parkinson. We hear an early incarnation, via 2008's Mouth Trap, before enjoying the pair laughing live on stage at the London Podcast Festival.

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

Katy Brand shares her love for Baby Houseman, the screen character who inspired a book.

Kit De Waal2019073020201027/28 (BBC7)After a career in criminal and family law, Kit De Waal started writing in her mid-40s and she was 51 when she finally went to university, completing an MA in Creative Writing.

My Name Is Leon, her debut novel, draws on Kit's mixed race, working class background, as well as the insights she gained into adoption and the care system. After a six-way auction between publishers, Kit signed a lucrative book deal, and My Name Is Leon became an international bestseller in 2016.

Kit has just published her third novel, Becoming Dinah, her first foray into YA fiction and the debut for a new publishing imprint focused on female voices. It is a coming-of-age tale, and a re-imagining of the American classic Moby Dick, in which a female character comes to the fore.

Whilst her own story is of one of extraordinary success, Kit began to speak up about the lack of opportunity for working class writers and the need for a change in the stories appearing on bookshelves.

Kit also acted upon what she saw, setting up a creative writing scholarship for people from disadvantaged backgrounds, and compiling an anthology of working-class writers, titled Common People.

This episode features a short story recorded for Radio 4 in 2015, titled The Beautiful Thing, as well as a 2017 documentary which asks Where Are All The Working Class Writers?

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

The working class voice and better representation in stories with Kit De Waal.

Lemn Sissay2019061120200707/08 (BBC7)Lemn Sissay is a writer and broadcaster who self-published his first book of poetry, when he was just 18 years old.

As a child of the state, he was named Norman after one of the many social workers he encountered whilst growing up, and Greenwood after the Lancashire family who initially fostered him.

When Norman Greenwood left foster care, there were five different children's homes. Then, at the age of 17, he was given two bits of paper which changed his life. One was a letter from his Ethiopian birth mother, Yemarshet Sissay, the other was a birth certificate which revealed that his true name was Lemn.

Since then, Lemn has been exploring his own history, sharing his tales, in poetry, documentaries and on stage.

This episode of Telling Tales features the 2009 Radio 4 documentary Child Of The State, in which Lemn tracks down people and stories from his time in care. It was produced by Jo Wheeler, for Above The Title.

We hear a short extract from Lemn's one man play, Something Dark, which was recorded for Radio 3 in 2004 and is now studied in schools as part of the national curriculum.

Lemn also talks about his BAFTA-nominated television documentary Superkids; and an upcoming “memoir with a message ? titled My Name Is Why.

Presented and produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Ali Gardiner.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.

The writer, poet and documentary-maker talks about personal storytelling.

Michael Goldfarb2019062520200714/15 (BBC7)Michael Goldfarb is a broadcast journalist and author, whose search for stories has taken him to more than 20 countries.

His favourite medium is the radio essay and we learn more about Michael's upbringing in New York, via two standout episodes of Trip Sheets, which he recorded for BBC Radio 3's The Essay.

In these essays, Michael documents a city in flux. In the first essay from 2013, we see New York through the eyes of a cab driver, passing burning buildings, as crime in the city escalated. He also recalls the powerful allure of Broadway, to an aspiring actor not yet ready to be the author of his own scripts, in an essay from 2017's An Actor's Life.

Now based in London, with his field reporting days largely behind him, Michael presents a podcast which reflects on the history he's reported, written and lived. Titled FRDH - The First Rough Draft of History – recent topics include Brexit, Iran War Fever, the Democrat dilemma, and a declining life expectancy in North America.

In an extract from a 2014 episode of FRDH, titled 9/11 Live: On Air, we hear Michael hosting a live NPR talk show in Boston, as the north tower fell on 11th September 2001. And he reflects on this extraordinary experience, as well as the very real danger to reporters, and the civilians who engage with them, in conflict zones.

We also hear short clips of Ahmad's War, the 2003 NPR documentary which became the subject of a book, as well as Return To Kurdistan, the 2008 follow-up for the BBC World Service.

Presented and produced for BBC Radio 4 Extra by Ali Gardiner.

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 2019.

Thoughts on factual storytelling from the broadcast journalist, essayist and historian.

Natalie Haynes2019121720200929/30 (BBC7)The writer and broadcaster Natalie Haynes combines a love of classical history and myth, with a background in teaching and stand-up.

In her first novel, The Amber Fury, a grief-stricken teacher turns to Greek tragedies and finds that the tales of fate, family and vengeance speak directly to her pupils. The Children of Jocasta followed, a re-imagining of the Oedipus myth; while Natalie's most recent book, A Thousand Ships, re-tells the story of the Trojan War from the perspective of women (both mortal and immortal).

In this book Natalie highlights “the pain of the women who have always been relegated to the edges of the story, victims of men, survivors of men, slaves of men. ? Natalie draws on two of the world's oldest poems, Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, imagining Penelope's fidelity to her questing husband, stretched to its very limits, in a series of letters.

We re-visit a previous incarnation of Odysseus' wife, in The Two Penelopes, a story commissioned by Writing West Midlands, which first broadcast on Radio 4 in 2014. In this short tale, Natalie sneaks in references to Homer's epic poem, while imagining a latter day Penelope, knitting to while away the hours in a Birmingham care home.

Natalie also talks about standing up for the classics in her titular Radio 4 series. In the upcoming fifth series, she will turn once again to the foundational poems of Homer, with an impressively concise re-telling of The Iliad. All 24 books, recorded live at the BBC Radio Theatre, in 24 minutes.

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

Natalie Haynes shares her love of classical history and myth.

Nikesh Shukla2019112620200908/09 (BBC7)This week, we talk about language, boxing, role models, multi-cultural representation and more, with the writer Nikesh Shukla.

Nikesh remembers the publication of his first short story and the joy of seeing his name printed alongside people he respected, in a book, with a bar code on the back. This achievement prompted Nikesh to focus on writing, instead of a “mediocre ? rapping career. Although some of his earliest lyrics do feature in his debut novel, Coconut Unlimited, which was shortlisted for the Costa Award in 2010.

This novel features the adventures of three hip hop-obsessed school boys, growing up in Harrow in the 1990s. Nikesh was initially told by literary agents and publishers that there wasn't a market for Coconut Unlimited. More preposterously, one agent said that he didn't find the characters “authentically Asian ?.

Nikesh proved that, not only was there a market for his novel, but there was also an appetite for The Good Immigrant, a crowd-funded showcase for writers of colour. This 2016 anthology took just three days to fund and was so successful that it's been succeeded by an American edition, a journal, and a literary agency to prioritise writers from marginalised backgrounds.

Nikesh believes in a multi-cultural Britain and he wants to have big conversations about what that looks like. It can't just be the elite that tell our stories. They've been telling stories for centuries and books can change the course of who you are.

We hear Namaste, Nikesh's meditation on language and identity which is addressed to his baby daughter, and was recorded for BBC Radio 4 when The Good Immigrant was published.

We also hear Nikesh interview Dr Deborah Jump about boxing for the Radio 4 series One To One. His interest in boxing was precipitated by a racist incident on a late night train in 2016. The impact of racially-motivated violence, the influence of role models and upbringing, and the debate about boxing, are all explored in his latest book, The Boxer, a work of YA fiction that Nikesh wrote in just three months and was published earlier this year.

We delve into language, boxing and multi-cultural representation, with Nikesh Shukla.

Patrick Gale2019111220200825/26 (BBC7)~Telling Tales heads to Penzance to meet Patrick Gale, the self-titled “last novelist in England ? who writes heartfelt novels on his farm near Land's End.

Since publishing two books on the very same day, at the age of 22, Patrick has authored 16 novels and released several collections of short stories.

In a lot of his writing, Patrick draws on personal experience and family history, imagining alternative adventures, backstories, and brand new tales that capture the complexities of relationships.

For listeners not yet familiar with Patrick's work, we revisit a short story originally written for a BBC series titled Father Figures. Gentleman's Relish first broadcast in 2003 and is read by Robert Bathurst.

Patrick discusses the cello lessons which provided fertile ground for his most recent novel, Take Nothing With You, a coming-of-age tale which celebrates the transformative power of music.

We also look at Patrick's screenwriting, which began with the Emmy Award-winning Man In The Orange Shirt, a two part drama for the BBC's Gay Britannia Season.

Patrick is currently working on a screen adaptation of A Place Called Winter, his 2015 novel which was sparked by an intriguing family mystery.

This interview was recorded in The Edge Of The World, on Bookshop Day, Saturday 5th October.

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

~Telling Tales heads to Penzance to meet Patrick Gale.

Peter Curran2019082020201103/04 (BBC7)This week's guest is a writer, broadcaster, failed drummer and former carpenter, who loves to make radio shows.

Peter's first break in broadcasting was at GLR in the early 90s, answering the phones and making tea for Tommy Vance. He taught himself to edit on reel-to-reel tape, before landing his own daily show, and then leaving the BBC to make documentaries and audiobooks.

Since those early days, Peter calculates that he's interviewed 10,000 people - across local, national and international radio. Latterly some of these interviews have been conducted in the unconventional setting of a bunk bed, thanks to his critically-acclaimed show with Patrick Marber.

The format and furniture lends itself brilliantly to the kind of storytelling that emerges late at night, when you can relax and allow your mind to wander. We listen to an episode from the second series, which covers Voltaire, Spike Milligan, Antony Burgess and more. It is produced by Peter's own company Foghorn Productions.

Peter remembers encounters with the famous, including the last interview with Sir Kingsley Amis, and Cate Blanchett's low-key appearance on the pull-out mattress for Bunk Bed.

He also reflects upon the more personal storytelling in the live show Some Kind Of Man, which was recorded for Radio 4 by Giddy Goat Productions in 2017; and Collecting The Troubles At The Ulster Museum, Peter's 2018 documentary which looks at the creative response to conflict in his hometown of Belfast.

Producer: Ali Gardiner

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in 2019.

Freewheeling conversation, interviews and storytelling, from a Bunk Bed to Belfast.

Phoebe Judge2019072320200728/29 (BBC7)Phoebe Judge is the host and creator of two independently-produced shows, Criminal and This Is Love, which are part of the Radiotopia podcast network. Her favourite thing in the world is to ask questions.

Phoebe got her start in radio in 2007, covering a Nantucket murder trial whilst still an intern. Since then, she's reported from all over the world, and produced and hosted shows on National Public Radio.

When Phoebe decided to make Criminal, with Lauren Spohrer, the podcasting landscape was very different - Serial hadn't yet launched never mind become a cultural phenomenon. They began making Criminal in their free time, finding real characters – scammers, scoundrels and crime fighters – and asking why they do what they do.

In 2018 Phoebe celebrated the 100th episode of Criminal, with the tale of Martin McNally, whose decision to hijack a plane led to an extraordinary series of events. She also launched a second podcast, This Is Love, on Valentine's Day.

The podcast shares tales of love, in all its varieties, and the third season led Phoebe to Italy, where she spent ten days capturing cats, priceless violins, and communities who share a passion. We play the first episode, Ugly Club, in which Phoebe heads to the small town of Piobbico, where everyone is a member of the Club dei Brutti.

Presented and produced by Ali Gardiner.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra in 2019.

Stories of crime and love with the ever curious Phoebe Judge.

Salena Godden2019070920200721/22 (BBC7)Salena Godden is an author and poet, whose latest publication declared that Pessimism Is For Lightweights.

Livewire, a collection of studio recordings spanning nearly 25 years, was shortlisted for the Ted Hughes Award in 2016.

Salena is also a regular on radio and, in 2018, Radio 4's Mrs Death Misses Death captured the creation of a new experimental work, in which death is personified as a woman.

We hear this documentary, as well as an earlier gender swapping poetic creation titled A Valentine At Waterloo, which broadcast on Radio 4 as part of an episode of Verse Illustrated in 2011.

Finally, Salena talks about protest and hope, and reads the title poem Pessimism Is For Lightweights, from her latest collection for Rough Trade.

Presented and produced by Ali Gardiner for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

First broadcast on Radio 4 in 2019.

The author and poet talks about gender swapping creativity, protest and hope.

Simon Garfield2019042320200623/24 (BBC7)Simon Garfield joins us for a look at letters and a love story that unfolded during the Second World War.

On September 5th 1943, Chris Barker, a Signalman stationed in Libya decided to write to a former work colleague, Bessie Moore, back in London. The unexpected warmth of Bessie's reply changed their lives forever.

Chris and Bessie's love letters first appeared in Simon Garfield's book To The Letter. They have since been shared with audiences as part of Letters Live and published in their own book, My Dear Bessie.

This episode includes the 2015 Radio 4 dramatisation of these letters, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Louise Brealey. It was adapted for radio by Sara Davies and produced by Gemma Jenkins.

Produced by Ali Gardiner for BBC Radio 4 Extra.

First broadcast in 2019.

Simon Garfield joins us for a look at letters and a Second World War love story.

Sofie Hagen2019081320200811/12 (BBC7)This week's guest is a Danish comedian, podcaster and fat activist, who has just published her very first book.

Sofie Hagen's literary career began early, with hilariously naive fan fiction dedicated to the Irish band Westlife. After sharing some of these tales with audiences in her 2015 Edinburgh Fringe show, Sofie took home the prize for Best Newcomer.

But these stories also helped Sofie deal with depression. A fact she has shared in her stand-up shows and her other work, including the 2019 book Happy Fat, which she has recorded as an audiobook for Audible.

We hear an extract from Sofie's book, which is part memoir and part social commentary, with advice and cultural history dotted in between. Of particular interest to Sofie is how fat women are represented fictionally, in books and on screen.

Plus, we delve further into the history of food, and its long-established cultural connection to morality, with an extract from a documentary Sofie made with 7digital for Radio 4 in 2019, titled, The Unexpected History Of Clean Eating.

The comedian, writer, podcaster and activist talks about better representation in fiction.

Tenx9 Storytelling2019121020200922/23 (BBC7)We turn to the truth this week, celebrating the art of live storytelling in Belfast.

The journalist Paul Doran and poet Pádraig Ó Tuama launched Tenx9 as a small monthly gathering, in the front room of the Black Box, in Belfast's Cathedral Quarter.

The event has now expanded to 15 cities, and festivals, around the world, and selected stories have featured in the BBC Radio Ulster series, Tell Tales, which is presented by Kathy Clugston.

Kathy introduces her favourite story, which recalls a young couple's memorable night in a Parisian bistro. The other tales from the Tenx9 archives cover friendship and fear during The Troubles, a work appraisal that led to award-winning acceptance, a secret pregnancy, and a young band's compelling live debut.

Paul and Pádraig also share a few storytelling tips and reflect upon the power of stories to promote healing and understanding.

Made for Radio 4 Extra.

Celebrating the art of live storytelling with Tenx9's Paul Doran and P\u00e1draig \u00d3 Tuama.

The Moth2019032620200421/22 (BBC7)A look at live storytelling, with Catherine Burns and Meg Bowles of The Moth.

The Moth Radio Hour is a weekly series which launched in 2009. It features true stories told live on stage without scripts, notes, props, or accompaniment.

Some of the storytellers that step up to the mic are writers by trade. But many aren't and Catherine and Meg are practised in the art of helping bring these voices and stories to a wider audience.

The pair share insights into the art of telling a good story well, with some highlights from The Moth archives performed by David Montgomery, Hasan Manhaj and Dawn Ross.

We also head backstage, at the Moth's latest event in London, to meet the poet and journalist Bridget Minamore, one of the storytellers brave enough to take to the stage and deliver a tale.

Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra and first broadcast in March 2019.

The art of live storytelling with The Moth's Catherine Burns and Meg Bowles.

Tim Key2019031220200512/13 (BBC7)This week's episode takes a delightfully surreal turn, with the award-winning writer and comedian Tim Key.

Tim won the 2009 Edinburgh Comedy Award with a show that combined poetry, stand-up and film, and drew praise for the beauty peeping through the silliness.

As well as appearing on stage and screen - most recently as Sidekick Simon, on Mid Morning Matters, alongside Alan Partridge - Tim has been a radio regular since 2006. He has starred in sketch shows, dramas and documentaries which have explored first lines in literature and Russian writers.

We'll delve into the archives to enjoy highlights, including Tim's Late Night Poetry Programme. Since it first aired in 2012, and over four series, Tim has taken listeners on adventures from the studio, to the Shard, St Albans and space. All while sharing poems, quips, and the regular torment of Lord, a long-suffering musician played by Tom Basden.

We hear an episode from 2018, titled Cars, in which Tim picks up a hitchhiker whilst heading to a boutique hotel with Lord. It's a A BBC Cymru Wales Production, directed by James Robinson. Plus, we briefly explore Russian absurdist poetry, with a short clip from his 2016 documentary Tim Key Delves Into Danill Kharms And That's That.

Made for Radio 4 Extra by Ali Gardiner.

First broadcast in 2019.

Surreal and poetic adventures with the comedian and writer Tim Key.