Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Loss | 20081110 | 20090601 (R3) | Richard Mabey considers how looking at nature can be a way to cope with loss. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |
| 01 | Tenderness | 20071119 | Kate Clanchy discusses tenderness and how tender images make us feel. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 01 | Tenderness | 20080505 | Kate Clanchy discusses tenderness and how tender images make us feel. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 02 | Ambition | 20081111 | 20090602 (R3) | Novelist Meg Rosoff asks what, if anything, is wrong with being ambitious. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |
| 02 | Patience | 20071120 | Sean O'Brien reflects on the life of his grandmother from Hull in his essay about patience Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 02 | Patience | 20080506 | Sean O'Brien reflects on the life of his grandmother from Hull in his essay about patience Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 03 | Courage | 20081112 | 20090603 (R3) | Playwright John Godber discusses what courage means to him and his family. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |
| 03 | Guilt | 20071121 | Lavinia Greenlaw explores the feeling of guilt. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 03 | Guilt | 20080507 | Lavinia Greenlaw explores the feeling of guilt. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 04 | Bitterness | 20081113 | 20090604 (R3) | Novelist Naomi Alderman discusses bitterness and how we are all prey to it. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |
| 04 | Courage | 20071122 | Tahmima Anam questions what exactly is meant by courage. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 04 | Courage | 20080508 | Tahmima Anam questions what exactly is meant by courage. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. | |
| 05 | Pride | 20081114 | 20090605 (R3) | Adam Thorpe on pride and how it can switch between being a valuable and corrosive feeling. Essays from leading writers on arts, history, philosophy, science, religion and beyond. |