The Quiet Carriage

First broadcast 20070811.

Amidst the racket of MP3 players, ringtones and raised voices, Geoff Dyer seeks tranquility on Britain's rail network in the supposed calm of the Quiet Carriage.

Designed as a place of refuge from the relentless din of 21st-century life, the Quiet Carriage is a place where Scandinavian notions of civic behaviour might take root in rowdy modern Britain. As he sways through the aisles, Geoff explores changing ideas of privacy, personal space and good manners and discovers that peace and quiet is hard to find.