Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | The Liverpool Poets | 20211203 | Poetry is booming as never before, with audiences flocking to live events and poetry collections flying off the shelves. But how has poetry become a place for anger, protest and passion?
Lemn Sissay traces the roots of revolution back to the 1960s, when the Liverpool poets pushed aside the poetry establishment and started performing live in bars and clubs. Roger McGough and Brian Patten explain how the direct connection they forged with audiences changed poetry and opened up space for new voices to be heard.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
Lemn Sissay explores how the Liverpool poets launched a revolution by performing live. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? | |
| 01 | The Liverpool Poets | 20211203 | 20220207 (R4) | Poetry is booming as never before, with audiences flocking to live events and poetry collections flying off the shelves. But how has poetry become a place for anger, protest and passion?
Lemn Sissay traces the roots of revolution back to the 1960s, when the Liverpool poets pushed aside the poetry establishment and started performing live in bars and clubs. Roger McGough and Brian Patten explain how the direct connection they forged with audiences changed poetry and opened up space for new voices to be heard.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
Lemn Sissay explores how the Liverpool poets launched a revolution by performing live. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? |
| 02 | The Political Poets | 20211210 | When poets started to perform their work live, they made space for voices outside the mainstream to make themselves heard. But when the unheard becomes heard, that's a political act.
Lemn Sissay explores how poets in the 1970s performed alongside reggae groups and punk bands, telling the stories of the streets in language the streets understood.
Attila the Stockbroker remembers skirmishing with skinheads, while Benjamin Zephaniah explains why writing about racism was a matter of life and death.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
Lemn Sissay discovers how spoken word poets made space for politics in their work. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? | |
| 02 | The Political Poets | 20211210 | 20220208 (R4) | When poets started to perform their work live, they made space for voices outside the mainstream to make themselves heard. But when the unheard becomes heard, that's a political act.
Lemn Sissay explores how poets in the 1970s performed alongside reggae groups and punk bands, telling the stories of the streets in language the streets understood.
Attila the Stockbroker remembers skirmishing with skinheads, while Benjamin Zephaniah explains why writing about racism was a matter of life and death.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
Lemn Sissay discovers how spoken word poets made space for politics in their work. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? |
| 03 | The Slam Poets | 20211217 | Since it was invented in 1986, the poetry slam has spread all over the world. But what is it about putting one poet up against another that makes it so successful?
Lemn Sissay examines the natural drama at the heart of the slam and asks whether poetry can survive the judgment of the crowd. Kat Francois explains how winning the UK national slam transformed her career, while Marc Smith insists that the competition he invented was only ever meant as a game.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
Lemn Sissay explores the biggest innovation in poetry of the last 50 years - the slam. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? | |
| 03 | The Slam Poets | 20211217 | 20220209 (R4) | Since it was invented in 1986, the poetry slam has spread all over the world. But what is it about putting one poet up against another that makes it so successful?
Lemn Sissay examines the natural drama at the heart of the slam and asks whether poetry can survive the judgment of the crowd. Kat Francois explains how winning the UK national slam transformed her career, while Marc Smith insists that the competition he invented was only ever meant as a game.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
Lemn Sissay explores the biggest innovation in poetry of the last 50 years - the slam. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? |
| 04 | The Establishment Poets | 20211224 | The poetry establishment belittled and dismissed performance poetry right from the start. But as audiences swelled in the 1990s, spoken word poets became impossible to ignore.
Lemn Sissay returns to his first ever paid gig, and charts how voices outside the mainstream made themselves heard. Joelle Taylor recalls the rising tide of live poetry, while Simon Armitage explains how it became possible to straddle the divide between stage and page.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
How have the rebel poets stormed the establishment? Lemn Sissay charts their rise. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? | |
| 04 | The Establishment Poets | 20211224 | 20220210 (R4) | The poetry establishment belittled and dismissed performance poetry right from the start. But as audiences swelled in the 1990s, spoken word poets became impossible to ignore.
Lemn Sissay returns to his first ever paid gig, and charts how voices outside the mainstream made themselves heard. Joelle Taylor recalls the rising tide of live poetry, while Simon Armitage explains how it became possible to straddle the divide between stage and page.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
How have the rebel poets stormed the establishment? Lemn Sissay charts their rise. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? |
| 05 | The Internet Poets | 20211231 | Spoken word poets have revolutionised poetry since the 1960s, by making direct connections with new audiences. Now the internet has opened up a new route for poets to connect with the crowd. But has social media changed poetry?
Lemn Sissay discovers how poets are taking things into their own hands and posting their work online. Hollie McNish recalls how Reddit took her career to a whole new level, Michael Schmidt asks if social media is obscuring the best work, while Simon Armitage looks ahead to the next generation of rebel poets.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
Lemn Sissay explores how poets have found a new route to audiences - the smartphone. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? | |
| 05 | The Internet Poets | 20211231 | 20220211 (R4) | Spoken word poets have revolutionised poetry since the 1960s, by making direct connections with new audiences. Now the internet has opened up a new route for poets to connect with the crowd. But has social media changed poetry?
Lemn Sissay discovers how poets are taking things into their own hands and posting their work online. Hollie McNish recalls how Reddit took her career to a whole new level, Michael Schmidt asks if social media is obscuring the best work, while Simon Armitage looks ahead to the next generation of rebel poets.
Written and presented by Lemn Sissay
A Bafflegab production for BBC Radio 4
Lemn Sissay explores how poets have found a new route to audiences - the smartphone. How did performance poetry conquer the poetry world? |