In The Loop

- a circle has no beginning and no end. It represents rebirth and regeneration, continuity and infinity. From wedding rings to stone circles, in poetry, music and the trajectories of the planets themselves, circles and loops are embedded in our imaginations.

In this five-part series poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy' locations. He visits a stone circle, a roundabout and a rollercoaster to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying.

Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets, each one propelling him into a new loop of enquiry. And that's because a circle has no beginning and no end -

Paul's final circle is 27 kilometres in circumference and lies deep beneath the Swiss/French border. The Large Hadron Collider is a ring of supercooled magnets which accelerates subatomic particles to unimaginable speeds and smashes them together. Melissa Yexley and Simon Albright from CERN are Paul's guide to an extraordinary loop which is revealing the secrets of the Universe. Physicist Paddy Regan explains the cosmic forces which keep our planet locked in orbit around the Sun. And we close the loop with dance teacher Karen Michaelsen as we explore the power of linking hands and dancing in circles.

Paul Farley's circular journey brings him to the Large Hadron Collider.

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles to ask why human beings find them so symbolic.

Poet Paul Farley explores the significance of circles and loops. He completes his journey at the Large Hadron Collider, the circle which is unlocking the secrets of the universe.

[LISTEN NOW]

In this five-part series poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy' locations. He visits a traffic roundabout, a rollercoaster and a particle accelerator to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying.

The earliest civilisations were drawn to the idea of closing a circle and creating a loop; in human relationships we'd all rather be within the circle of trust; and in arts and music our eyes, ears and minds are inexorably drawn towards – and rebel against - the ‘strange loops' of Bach, Gödel and Escher.

As he puts himself in the loop – sometimes at the centre and sometimes on the circumference – Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets. Each one propels him into a new loop of enquiry. And that's because a circle has no beginning and no end -

The first episode brings Paul around to the 5000 year-old stone circle at Castlerigg in Cumbria – a ring of stones within a ring of hills. With archaeologists Gill Hey and Richard Bradley he considers what circles represented to our Neolithic forebears and how sites like Castlerigg informed their view of the Universe. And, with Eugenia Cheng, he discovers what a circle actually means to a mathematician .

Producer: Jeremy Grange

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles, beginning at Castlerigg Stone Circle in Cumbria.

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles to ask why human beings find loops and rings so significant and symbolic. He starts with a Neolithic stone circle at Castlerigg in Cumbria

[LISTEN NOW]

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy' locations. He visits a stone circle, a rollercoaster and a particle accelerator to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying.

The earliest civilisations were drawn to the idea of closing a circle and creating a loop; in human relationships we'd all rather be within the circle of trust; and in arts and music our eyes, ears and minds are inexorably drawn towards – and rebel against - the ‘strange loops' of Bach, Gödel and Escher.

As he puts himself in the loop – sometimes at the centre and sometimes on the circumference – Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets. Each one propels him into a new loop of enquiry. And that's because a circle has no beginning and no end -

Paul begins the second episode in orbit around one of the largest traffic roundabouts in Europe – the Coryton Interchange near Cardiff. He explores its interior with ecologist Elen Hall and roundabout enthusiast Kevin Beresford and discovers an island of the unexpected. Engineer John Parkin shares the secret of a good roundabout. And poet Paul Muldoon recalls a childhood memory of a special day out to visit the first one in Northern Ireland.

Producer: Jeremy Grange

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles. Today he's in orbit around a traffic roundabout.

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles to ask why human beings find loops and rings so significant. Today he's in orbit around one of the largest traffic roundabouts in Europe.

[LISTEN NOW]

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy' locations. He visits a stone circle, a roundabout and a rollercoaster to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying.

The earliest civilisations were drawn to the idea of closing a circle and creating a loop; in human relationships we'd all rather be within the circle of trust; and in arts and music our eyes, ears and minds are inexorably drawn towards loops and repetitions.

As he puts himself in the loop – sometimes at the centre and sometimes on the circumference – Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets. Each one propels him into a new loop of enquiry. And that's because a circle has no beginning and no end -

Today Paul is on location in a location that doesn't exist. At the top of a building a procession of monks climb a staircase while another line of monks comes down. Yet the top of the staircase somehow – impossibly - loops back round to the bottom. M.C. Escher's print Ascending and Descending is an example of a ‘strange loop', a loop which ascends through different levels yet still comes back to its starting point. Paul explores strange loops in art, maths and music with Mark Veldhuysen from the Escher Foundation and mathematicians Marcus du Sautoy and Eugenia Cheng.

Producer: Jeremy Grange

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles. Today he finds himself in a strange loop.

Poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles. Today he's on location in a location that can't exist - created by the artist MC Escher - as he explores the phenomenon of strange loops.

[LISTEN NOW]

In this five-part series poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy' locations. He visits a stone circle, a roundabout and a particle accelerator to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying.

The earliest civilisations were drawn to the idea of closing a circle and creating a loop; in human relationships we'd all rather be within the circle of trust; and in arts and music our eyes, ears and minds are inexorably drawn towards loops and repetitions.

Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets, each one propelling him into a new loop of enquiry. And that's because a circle has no beginning and no end -

This week Paul is in the loop at the Grand National rollercoaster which has been drawing thrill-seekers to Blackpool Pleasure Beach for nearly 90 years. He talks to Andy Hine from the Rollercoaster Club of Great Britain to explore this addiction to ‘airtime'. Paul also discovers that the Grand National isn't just an entertainment. It's also a mathematical phenomenon: a Möbius Loop. Another rollercoaster fan is composer Anna Meredith. Paul meets her to reflect on the importance of loops and repetition in her music.

Poet Paul Farley is in the loop at the Grand National rollercoaster in Blackpool.

Poet Paul Farley explores the significance of loops and circles in our lives. This week he's is in the loop at the Grand National rollercoaster at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

[LISTEN NOW]

In this five-part series poet Paul Farley goes walking in circles in five very different ‘loopy' locations. He visits a stone circle, a roundabout and a rollercoaster to ask why human beings find rings and circles so symbolic, significant and satisfying.

Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets, each one propelling him into a new loop of enquiry. And that's because a circle has no beginning and no end -

Paul's final circle is 27 kilometres in circumference and lies deep beneath the Swiss/French border. The Large Hadron Collider is a ring of supercooled magnets which accelerates subatomic particles to unimaginable speeds and smashes them together. Melissa Yexley and Simon Albright from CERN are Paul's guide to an extraordinary loop which is revealing the secrets of the Universe. Physicist Paddy Regan explains the cosmic forces which keep our planet locked in orbit around the Sun. And we close the loop with dance teacher Karen Michaelsen as we explore the power of linking hands and dancing in circles.

Paul Farley's circular journey brings him to the Large Hadron Collider.

Poet Paul Farley explores the significance of circles and loops. He completes his journey at the Large Hadron Collider, the circle which is unlocking the secrets of the universe.

[LISTEN NOW]

Paul has circular conversations with mathematicians and physicists, composers and poets, each one propelling him into a new loop of enquiry. And that's because a circle has no beginning and no end -

Paul's final circle is 27 kilometres in circumference and lies deep beneath the Swiss/French border. The Large Hadron Collider is a ring of supercooled magnets which accelerates subatomic particles to unimaginable speeds and smashes them together. Melissa Yexley and Simon Albright from CERN are Paul's guide to an extraordinary loop which is revealing the secrets of the Universe. Physicist Paddy Regan explains the cosmic forces which keep our planet locked in orbit around the Sun. And we close the loop with dance teacher Karen Michaelsen as we explore the power of linking hands and dancing in circles.

Paul Farley's circular journey brings him to the Large Hadron Collider

Poet Paul Farley explores the significance of circles and loops. He completes his journey at the Large Hadron Collider, the circle which is unlocking the secrets of the Universe