Ian Sansom Is Falling

Sherlock Holmes is falling.

James Stewart is falling.

Alice. Dorothy. Martha Graham.

King Kong. Thelma and Louise.

Gandalf. Dumbledore.

Mufasa in The Lion King.

Luke Skywalker is falling.

From the fall of Icarus, who fell when he ignored his father's warnings and flew too high on his wings of wax and feathers; to Phaethon, who fell when he was struck by Jupiter's thunderbolt - Ian Sansom investigates the true meaning of falling in art, literature, dance and music.

With the backdrop of an eerie descent into falling dreams - created from electronic sound and recorded testimonies by BBC Radiophonic Workshop pioneer, Delia Derbyshire - Ian meets dream expert Ian Wallace, who reveals what falling dreams could mean and why they are among the most common we experience. He speaks to US artist Kerry Skarbakka, whose performance based photographs capture our existential anxieties through the act of falling. And he asks psychologist Roger Bailey why the fear of falling is so hard-wired into the human psyche.

The sound of the rushing air, the inevitability of descent...it goes on and on.

Producer: Steven Rainey.

Ian Sansom reaches diminuendo as he explores the meaning of falling in literature and art.