Episodes
| Series | Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 01 | Real Sex Lives In A Sexualised Society | 20130812 | In a world of Brazilian waxes, sexting and Fifty Shades of Grey what drives our sexual desire and how well do we understand it? A huge majority of us still aspire to the stability and companionship of monogamous relationships. So are we confused, embarrassed or plain indifferent to sex? Jane Garvey asks her guests how our understanding of sex has changed. Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: Susie Orbach Interviewed guest: Suzi Godson Interviewed guest: Kaye Wellings Interviewed guest: Benedict Garrett Interviewed guest: Phil Hilton Interviewed guest: Catherine Hakim Interviewed guest: Rosie Wilby Interviewed guest: Mark Brendon. Late-night conversation. Jane Garvey asks what role sex plays in our lives. |
| 01 | 02 | Fixing Professional Politics | 20130813 | Being cynical about politics has become a national sport - but is it with good cause? The media regularly captures public anger at politicians who are 'only out for themselves' and a political process where nothing ever changes. So, for those who believe politics can make a real difference to people's lives - what can be done? With electoral participation and party membership in long term decline, Hardeep Singh Kohli wonders if we've reached the end of the road with the political classes. Presented by Hardeep Singh Kohli Produced by Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: Professor Steven Fielding Interviewed guest: Jonathan Isaby Interviewed guest: Laurie Penny Interviewed guest: Alexandra Swann Interviewed guest: Matilda MacAttram Interviewed guest: Emma Burnell Interviewed guest: Trenton Oldfield. Hardeep Singh Kohli wonders if we have had enough of professional politicians. |
| 01 | 03 | 50 Shades Of Green | 20130814 | Evan Davis explores whether the temperature of the green movement is hotting up as much as global warming. In a late night discussion he finds out why Mark Lynas went from trashing GM crops in the 90s to powerful advocate of both GM and nuclear power a decade later. And how such treachery plays out in the Green Party, and with its one MP, Caroline Lucas. His other guests Solitaire Townsend, Matthew Sinclair and Mario Petrucci discuss the dangers of allying green issues with the left; whether environmentalism should abandon the ideological for the practical, and whether it's really seeking to save our souls, or the planet. Presenter: Evan Davis Producer: Katy Hickman Interviewed guest: Caroline Lucas Interviewed guest: Mark Lynus Interviewed guest: Solitaire Townsend Interviewed guest: Matthew Sinclair Interviewed guest: Mario Petrucci Interviewed guest: Sue Taylor. Evan Davis and guests take the temperature of the Green movement. |
| 01 | 04 | That's Not Funny | 20130815 | When should we laugh? And are there occasions when it is inappropriate? Laurie Taylor asks what is fair game for comedy and whether what we laugh at should be governed by aesthetic or political considerations. Guests including Howard Jacobson and Martin Rowson join him to explore humour, the offensive and taking offense. Presenter: Laurie Taylor Producer: Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: Howard Jacobson Interviewed guest: Natalie Haynes Interviewed guest: Martin Rowson Interviewed guest: Jane Bussman Interviewed guest: Owen Jones. Laurie Taylor explores what makes something funny and when it crosses the line. |
| 01 | 05 | Can We Control Addiction? | 20130816 | What is addiction, does it exist, and is it the same for everyone? Are some of us predisposed to overindulge, be it alcohol, drugs or food? And if there is a genetic explanation, does it mean the individual can evade responsibility? Is addiction a medical or a moral question? Mariella Frostrup asks whether we can control our impulses and how we might go about it. Presenter: Mariella Frostrup Producer: Andrea Kennedy Interviewed guest: Sally Marlow Interviewed guest: James Nicholls Interviewed guest: Andrew Samuels Interviewed guest: Tim Stampey Interviewed guest: Richard Graham Interviewed guest: Sam Willets. When it comes to addiction, Mariella Frostrup asks if we can control ourselves. |
| 01 | 06 | Does Sport Matter? | 20130819 | Britain has become an elite sporting nation. The triumph of Team GB and Paralympics GB at London 2012 has been followed by British winners of the Tour de France, Wimbledon, the US Open and a first Lions series win for 16 years. England has recently retained the Ashes and we have the most commercially successful football league in the world. But some of us still have a problem with athletic excellence, be it through disliking competitive sport or preferring the amateur ethos. So why, Jane Garvey asks, do we still get sniffy about sport? Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: Katherine Grainger Interviewed guest: John Amaechi Interviewed guest: Emma John Interviewed guest: Matthew Syed Interviewed guest: Jonathan Overend Interviewed guest: Carrie Dunn. Late-night conversation. Jane Garvey asks whether sport matters. |
| 01 | 07 | A Sense Of Belonging | 20130820 | How important are the groups that we belong to and how free are we to choose between them? Race, class, gender, nationality and religion are all powerful labels - but how important are they really? And in the age of all-consuming social media, is deciding where we belong now something we do on our own? Hardeep Singh Kohli asks his guests what challenges our sense of identity in Britain today. Presenter: Hardeep Singh Kohli Producer: Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: Maajid Nawaz Interviewed guest: Lynsey Hanley Interviewed guest: Tim Stanley Interviewed guest: Hugh Muir Interviewed guest: Paris Lees Interviewed guest: Zoah Hedges-Stocks. Hardeep Singh Kohli asks whether the social groups that we belong to divide or define us. |
| 01 | 08 | What's The Point Of An Elite? | 20130821 | They caused this' was the common cry against the bankers and the politicians who presided over the crisis of 2008. So have we let our political, financial and cultural elites off the hook? And can we trust those who apparently let us down again. Evan Davis asks who the elite are, how they operate and what, if anything, should be done to check the behaviour of those who continue to enjoy the greatest share of wealth and power in society. Presenter: Evan Davis Producer: Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: Maurice Glasman Interviewed guest: Fraser Nelson Interviewed guest: Anthony Seldon Interviewed guest: Zoe Williams Interviewed guest: Stacy Hilliard. Evan Davis asks why our elites are so resilient and what purpose they serve. |
| 01 | 09 | Is Privacy Overrated? | 20130822 | Just how attached are we to our privacy? We're often told that social media is eroding our private lives, but many of us are happy to share our lives online, from photos to personal confessions. Today we are unwilling to let the law stop short of our front doors and the abuse that occurs in private homes is now open to scrutiny. Mariella Frostrup explores how we have set the boundaries between intimate and public spaces. Presenter: Mariella Frostrup Producer: Andrea Kennedy Interviewed guest: Joan Smith Interviewed guest: Gavin Phillipson Interviewed guest: Simon Davies Interviewed guest: Philip Dodd Interviewed guest: Christian Payne. Mariella Frostrup explores how we set boundaries between intimate and public spaces. |
| 01 | 10 | Do We Fear Boredom? | 20130823 | What lies behind our urge to fill our days with activity, noise and excitement? We seem to flee from boredom: from parents who constantly seek to keep their children occupied to TV executives who over-stimulate their audiences so they don't switch channels. So why do we stay busy rather than spend more time alone with our thoughts? Giles Fraser wonders why we're so scared of being bored. Presenter: Giles Fraser Producer: Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: Raymond Tallis Interviewed guest: Naomi Alderman Interviewed guest: Camila Batmanghelidjh Interviewed guest:Julian Baggini Interviewed guest: Lars Svendsen Giles Fraser wonders what lies behind our urge to fill our days with noise and excitement. |
| 02 | 01 | Social Media - Does The Retweet Empower Us? | 20140725 | Social media has connected us to each other throughout the day in ways that we could not have previously imagined. Now our smartphones don't just ring in our ears, they buzz with a constant feed of words and images. Through a stream of tweets, retweets, updates and selfies, we think of ourselves as more emotionally, socially and politically engaged than ever - but are we? In a week where graphic images from the site of a plane shot down in Ukraine and the casualties in Gaza have been shared in cyberspace, without inhibition - are we now learning that just because we can do something, that it doesn't mean we should? Can we dispense graphic and horrific images without facts, filtering or empathy? And what does it do to us when we do? Presenter: Jane Garvey Series Producer: Ruth Watts Producer: Jane Thurlow Interviewed guest: Alex Massie Interviewed guest: Felicity Morse Interviewed guest: Eamonn O'Neill Interviewed guest: Alison Phipps. Jane Garvey asks if we are better informed, but more powerless in the age of social media? |
| 02 | 02 | Do All Conflicts Have More In Common Than We Might Think? | 20140801 | Conflict is everywhere and always with us, from the conflicts we have witnessed this week in Gaza, Syria, Northern Iraq and Ukraine to those we might experience in our daily lives. But from battles over territory to divorce, do all conflicts have more in common than we might at first suspect? Two sides argue over a fault line; be it a national border, a religious or ethnic tension, an economic interest or a relationship. Each becomes entrenched, fixated with their version of events, and unable to listen to the other. Are we too stubborn to avoid conflict? And, if it is an inevitable part of life, can we learn how to manage and resolve them? Presenter: Evan Davis Series Producer: Ruth Watts. Conflicts, big and small - what do they have in common? Evan Davis and guests discuss. |
| 02 | 03 | Ebola - 'keep Calm And Carry On'? | 20140808 | Pandemics, panics and is it a help or a hindrance that we're so fascinated by contagious diseases? The World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak of Ebola which began in West Africa a public health emergency. It is an horrific disease that kills up to 90 per cent of those it infects. The images of its victims are tough to watch on our television screens, but the story only got our full attention when a woman with a suspected case landed at Gatwick earlier this week. Though she did not have Ebola, it brought the panic surrounding the virus closer to home. But is panic always an unhealthy response to a crisis? Can it make us feel solidarity with others and spur us into action, be it scientific, medical or political? Or does the urge to panic betray our own selfish instinct to survive? Presenter: Aleks Krotoski Producer: Ruth Watts. Aleks Krotoski discusses pandemics, panics and our fascination with contagious diseases. |
| 02 | 04 | Comfort In Others' Shame | 20140815 | Jane Garvey asks why we appear to enjoy the shame and failure of others. Voyeuristic tales of those who fall short of the standards we hold up fill the pages of our daily newspapers. But, is it helpful to blame the overweight for the impact of obesity in society any more than it is to blame a holidaying Prime Minister for the course of complex international events? And when we talk about the 'shameless' family who rely on benefits, what is it that lies behind our fascination? Prurience or censoriousness, why do we take comfort in others being made to feel bad? Presenter: Jane Garvey Producer: Ruth Watts. Are we secretly reassured by the shame and failure of others? With Jane Garvey. |
| 02 | 05 | Does Size Matter? | 20140822 | Once again this week, Britain is considering its response to an international crisis - the growing threat of the Islamic State. So, why is it that we so often feel a moral obligation to act in the world, even when our national capacity to do so, may be stretched? Evan Davis asks whether it is better to be a big country or a small country in the world today, how far it is possible to choose - and, if we know which we are. Presenter: Evan Davis Producer: Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: David Aaronovitch Interviewed guest: Gisela Stuart Interviewed guest: Adrian Wooldridge Interviewed guest: Sir Ronald Sanders Interviewed guest: Joe Queenan Interviewed guest: Espen Aas. When it comes to being a successful nation, is it better to be a big one or a small one? |
| 02 | 06 | Do We Need Darkness In Our Lives? | 20140829 | From reports of massacres and atrocities including beheadings in the Middle East to Ebola in West Africa the news has been full of horrific images. But such images and stories of despair and devastation hold our attention. And contemporary culture is saturated with violent imagery, from crime fiction to horror films. So what lies behind our fascination with the dark needs of our fellow men, both real and imagined: sensation, catharsis, the opportunity to sharpen our moral instincts - or something altogether darker? Presenter: Jay Rayner Producer: Ruth Watts Interviewed guest: Val McDermid Interviewed guest: Stewart Purvis Interviewed guest: Adnan Sarwar Interviewed guest: Cleo Van Velsen. Jay Rayner asks what compels people to look at horrific things. |