Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | William Fiennes - The Bowel | 20160404 | 20170313 (R3) | In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, Wellcome Collection's Reading Room is the setting for a series of 'The Essay' devoted to the bodily organs. 'Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our mental and emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. William Fiennes is recipient of the Hawthornden Prize and Somerset Maugham Award for his book The Snow Geese, and more recently a tender account of growing up in the family estate with his epileptic brother Richard in The Music Room. A sufferer of Crohn's disease, William focuses on his bowel. Author William Fiennes, a sufferer of Crohn's disease, discusss the bowel. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, Wellcome Collection's Reading Room is the setting for a series of 'The Essay' devoted to the bodily organs. 'Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our mental and emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. William Fiennes is recipient of the Hawthornden Prize and Somerset Maugham Award for his book The Snow Geese, and more recently a tender account of growing up in the family estate with his epileptic brother Richard in The Music Room. A sufferer of Crohn's disease, William focuses on his bowel. Author William Fiennes, a sufferer of Crohn's disease, discusss the bowel. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |
| 02 | A Body Of Essays: Chibundu Onuzo - The Fire Of Life: The Thyroid | 20160405 | 20170314 (R3) | One of the youngest authors ever to be published, Chibundu Onuzo takes up her pen to investigate the goldilocks nature of the thyroid in this evening's essay. In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, Wellcome Collection's Reading Room is the setting for a series of 'The Essay' devoted to the bodily organs. 'Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our mental and emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. Chibundu Onuzo is the author of the novel The Spider King's Daughter. Author Chibundu Onuzo investigates the 'goldilocks' nature of the thyroid gland. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. One of the youngest authors ever to be published, Chibundu Onuzo takes up her pen to investigate the goldilocks nature of the thyroid in this evening's essay. In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, Wellcome Collection's Reading Room is the setting for a series of 'The Essay' devoted to the bodily organs. 'Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our mental and emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. Chibundu Onuzo is the author of the novel The Spider King's Daughter. Author Chibundu Onuzo investigates the 'goldilocks' nature of the thyroid gland. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |
| 03 | A Body Of Essays: Philip Kerr - Breaking Brain | 20160406 | In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, Wellcome Collection's Reading Room is the setting for a series of 'The Essay' devoted to the bodily organs. 'Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our mental and emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. New York Times best selling author Philip Kerr is the creator of Bernie Gunther, an unflinching private eye. Philip immerses himself in the real world to inform what he puts on the page whether fiction or fact - in this essay we accompany him into a brain surgery operating room. The complete list of essayists: Monday William Fiennes, author, writes about the bowel. Tuesday Chibundu Onuzo, young author, writes about the thyroid Wednesday Philip Kerr, crime author, writes about the brain Thursday Annie Freud, poet and visual artist, writes about the kidneys. Friday Thomas Lynch, poet-undertaker, writes about the uterus. Crime writer Philip Kerr explains how brain surgery has advanced over the years. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 04 | Annie Freud - The Kidneys | 20160407 | 20170315 (R3) | In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, the Wellcome Collection's Reading Room is the setting for a series of Radio 3's 'The Essay', in this case devoted to the bodily organs. Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. Annie Freud won the the Dimplex Prize for New Writing for her first poetry collection The Best Man That Ever Was and her most recent collection, The Remains, showcases her skill as both a poet and a visual artist. Annie brings a powerful, pungent, perfumed physicality to everything she sets out to write about; this evening's serving of kidneys being no exception. Poet and artist Annie Freud discusses the kidneys, the body's most hard-working organs. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, the Wellcome Collection's Reading Room is the setting for a series of Radio 3's 'The Essay', in this case devoted to the bodily organs. Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. Annie Freud won the the Dimplex Prize for New Writing for her first poetry collection The Best Man That Ever Was and her most recent collection, The Remains, showcases her skill as both a poet and a visual artist. Annie brings a powerful, pungent, perfumed physicality to everything she sets out to write about; this evening's serving of kidneys being no exception. Poet and artist Annie Freud discusses the kidneys, the body's most hard-working organs. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |
| 05 | Thomas Lynch - Whence And Whither: Some Thoughts On Uteri, On Wombs | 20160408 | 20170316 (R3) | In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, the Wellcome Collection Reading Room is the setting for a series of 'The Essay' devoted to the bodily organs. 'Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our mental and emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. Thomas Lynch is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently The Sin-Eater: A Breviary. His hyphenated life as both poet and undertaker has led him to being the subject of two award-winning documentaries - PBS's 'The Undertaking' and the BBC's 'Learning Gravity'. Michigan-based undertaker and poet Thomas Lynch reflects on the uterus. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. In an ongoing collaboration with BBC Radio 3, the Wellcome Collection Reading Room is the setting for a series of 'The Essay' devoted to the bodily organs. 'Body of Essays' invites five writers to ruminate on a different organ of the body. This strange proposition has a mysterious allure: the organs are hidden, buried from view, and yet are at the very core of our physical functioning as well as our mental and emotional world. Suctioned together in dark flesh, the organs can be all the more puzzling and intriguing. Thomas Lynch is the author of five collections of poetry, most recently The Sin-Eater: A Breviary. His hyphenated life as both poet and undertaker has led him to being the subject of two award-winning documentaries - PBS's 'The Undertaking' and the BBC's 'Learning Gravity'. Michigan-based undertaker and poet Thomas Lynch reflects on the uterus. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |