Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Repeated | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Dame Edith Sitwell | 20160929 | Ian McMillan begins a fifty-part series celebrating 70 years of Radio 3's recording of poets and poetry since it was launched as the Third Programme in September 1946. We start with the flamboyant Dame Edith Sitwell from a programme broadcast in 1947. She reads a section from Fa瀀ade, a series of poems Sitwell wrote to be recited over an instrumental accompaniment by composer William Walton. Then a complete change of tone with her poem Still Falls the Rain written in 1941. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Ian McMillan introduces poet Dame Edith Sitwell reading in an archive recording from 1947 Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 02 | Cecil Day-lewis: An Italian Visit | 20160930 | Fifty-part series celebrating 70 years of Radio 3's recording of poets and poetry since it was launched as the Third Programme in September 1946. Ian McMillan continues with former Poet Laureate, Cecil Day Lewis talking about the patronage of poets and reading an extract from his poem, An Italian Visit, unpublished at the time of broadcast in 1949. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, W.H. Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. In a broadcast from 1949, Cecil Day-Lewis reads from his poem An Italian Visit. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 03 | Louis Macneice | 20161003 | Ian McMillan continues the series with poet and Third Programme Producer, Louis MacNeice who reads two of his poems recorded in 1949, 'Snow' and 'Prayer Before Birth'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. A recording from 1949 in which Louis MacNeice reads his poems Snow and Prayer Before Birth Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 04 | Ts Eliot | 20161004 | Ian McMillan continues with two rare recordings by the Third Programme. T.S. Eliot reading The Journey of the Magi in 1946 and an extract from The Four Quartets. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recordings: TS Eliot reads The Journey of the Magi and part of The Four Quartets. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 05 | Dylan Thomas | 20161005 | Ian McMillan continues with the rich, dramatic voice of Dylan Thomas reading his then newly written poem 'In the White Giant's Thigh' from the Third Programme's Selected Poets, 1950. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. A 1950 archive recording of Dylan Thomas reading his poem In the White Giant's Thigh. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 06 | Edmund Blunden | 20161007 | 20161006 (R3) | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series. First World War Poet, Edmund Blunden who battled at Ypres and The Somme, reads his own poem Concert Party from a broadcast in 1957. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Edmund Blunden reads his own poem Concert Party in an archive broadcast from 1957. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work |
| 07 | Siegfried Sassoon | 20161006 | 20161007 (R3) | Ian McMillan with another episode and one of the leading poets of the First World War, Siegfried Sassoon, reads three of his own poems recorded by The Third Programme for a broadcast on 16th February 1955. While Cleaning my Old Six-Branched Candelabrum, My Past Has Gone to Bed and Brevities. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. A 1955 archive recording in which Siegfried Sassoon reads three of his own poems. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work |
| 08 | John Betjeman, William Empson | 20161010 | Ian McMillan with another episode and former Poet Laureate John Betjeman reads his poem Youth and Age on Beaulieu River followed by poet and critic William Empson reading his poem Missing Dates. Both from broadcasts in 1958. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recordings from 1958 made by poets John Betjeman and William Empson. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 09 | Jenny Joseph, Edwin Muir | 20161011 | Ian McMillan continues this fifty part series celebrating 70 years of Radio 3's recording of poets and poetry since it was launched as the Third Programme in September 1946. First Jenny Joseph reads her poem The Lost Sea and then the Scottish poet Edwin Muir reads The Two Brothers. Both from broadcasts in the late 1950s. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Norman McBeath. Archive recordings from the late 1950s made by poets Jenny Joseph and Edwin Muir. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 10 | Walter De La Mare | 20161012 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this series. From a Radio 3 broadcast on Christmas Day 1953, Walter de la Mare reads his poems England and The Little Salamander. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. An archive broadcast: Walter de la Mare reads his poems England and the Little Salamander. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 11 | Sylvia Plath | 20161013 | Ian McMillan continues with the mighty Sylvia Plath reading her poem Daddy recorded shortly before her death and broadcast on Radio 3 in September 1963. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. In an archive recording first broadcast in 1963, Sylvia Plath reads her poem Daddy. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 12 | Rs Thomas | 20161014 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series. Welsh poet and preacher R.S. Thomas reads two of his poems recorded by the Third Programme at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 1965. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcast from 1965 in which RS Thomas reads his poetry at the Edinburgh Festival. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 13 | Stevie Smith | 20161017 | Ian McMillan continues with Stevie Smith as she charms an Edinburgh audience with her poems which include the well-known 'Not Waving But Drowning' recorded in the Freemasons' Hall and broadcast August 1965. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcast from 1965 of Stevie Smith reading her poem Not Waving But Drowning. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 14 | Philip Larkin | 20161018 | Ian McMillan introduces Philip Larkin who reads his poem The Whitsun Weddings recorded in the 1960s and discovered in Words and Music: 40 Years of Poetry on Radio 3, broadcast three decades ago. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcast of Philip Larkin reading his poem The Whitsun Weddings. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 15 | Adrian Mitchell | 20161019 | Ian McMillan introduces one of the key poets of the 1960s, Adrian Mitchell, reading 'Nostalgia now threepence off' recorded by Radio 3 in 1962. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcast, with Adrian Mitchell reading his poem Nostalgia - Now Threepence Off. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 16 | Vernon Scannell | 20161020 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series. From Radio 3's The Poet's Voice, broadcast in 1960, Vernon Scannell reads 'Dejection' and 'A Case of Murder'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Alan Benson. Archive broadcast in which Vernon Scannell reads his poems Dejection and A Case of Murder. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 17 | Ted Hughes | 20161021 | Ian McMillan continues with former Poet Laureate Ted Hughes. Hughes reads an extract 'The Captain's Speech' from a verse drama broadcast in 1960 and from the 1970s, 'The Mackerel Song'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcasts by Ted Hughes: part of The Captain's Speech and also The Mackerel Song. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 18 | Wh Auden | 20161024 | Ian McMillan with another episode as W.H. Auden reads 'A Lullaby' and 'Song of the Devil' recorded at Poetry International on 21st August 1972, from Radio 3's programme Auden in London. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcast from 1972 of WH Auden reading his poems a Lullaby and Song of the Devil. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 19 | Dannie Abse | 20161025 | Ian McMillan continues the series with Dannie Abse who reads the first two parts from his nine part poem 'Funland' broadcast in a programme called Poetry Bang, May 1971. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcast from 1971 of Dannie Abse reading the first two parts of his poem Funland Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 20 | Seamus Heaney | 20161026 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series. Seamus Heaney talks about and reads 'Digging' from 1968 and 'The Ministry of Fear' from Radio 3's Poetry Cambridge programme, June 1978. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Seamus Heaney talks about and reads his poems Digging and The Ministry of Fear. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 21 | George Mackay Brown, Ws Graham | 20161027 | Ian McMillan continues with Scottish poets George Mackay Brown and W.S. Graham reading their poems about loss and memory. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Recordings of George Mackay Brown and WS Graham reading poems about loss and memory. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 22 | Geoffrey Hill | 20161028 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series celebrating 70 years of Radio 3's recording of poets and poetry since it was launched as the Third Programme in September 1946. From The Living Poet, August 1979, Geoffrey Hill reads a selection of his poems starting with 'History as Poetry'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: University of Leeds. An archive broadcast from 1979 by Geoffrey Hill, who reads a selection of his poems. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 23 | Douglas Dunn And Michael Longley | 20161031 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this series. From the 1970s and brand new or unpublished poetry series Poetry Now, Douglas Dunn reads his 'Ballad of the Two Left Hands' and Michael Longley reads 'Ash Keys' and 'Frozen Rain'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive poetry readings from the 1970s, from Douglas Dunn and Michael Longley. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 24 | Iain Crichton Smith | 20161101 | Ian McMillan continues with Iain Crichton Smith reading three of his poems from Poetry Now, October 1976 and September 1981. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcasts of Iain Crichton Smith reading his poems in Poetry Now in 1976 and 1981 Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 25 | Charles Causley | 20161102 | Ian McMillan with another episode and Cornish poet Charles Causley reading 'On Launceston Castle' dedicated to his county from The Living Poet, September 1981. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcast in which poet Charles Causley reads his work On Launceston Castle. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 26 | Christopher Reid, Craig Raine | 20161103 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series celebrating 70 years of Radio 3's recording of poets. Christopher Reid begins with his poem 'Arcadia' from June 1985 followed by Craig Raine with his 'A Martian Sends A Postcard Home' from a 1981 programme called Caxtons are Mechanical Birds. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recordings, with readings by poets Christopher Reid and Craig Raine. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 27 | Elizabeth Jennings | 20161104 | Ian McMillan continues with a recording from The Living Poet, May 1983, as Elizabeth Jennings reads 'Thunder and a Boy' and 'In a Garden'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. A 1983 recording of Elizabeth Jennings reading her poems Thunder and a Boy and In a Garden Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 28 | James Fenton | 20161107 | Ian McMillan with another episode in the series. From Radio 3's 1983 broadcast A Staffordshire Murder and Other Poems, James Fenton reads 'Prison Island'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. An archive broadcast from 1983 in which James Fenton reads his poem Prison Island. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 29 | Sean O'brien And Mick Imlah | 20161108 | Ian McMillan continues with poets of the personal and political. Sean O'Brien and Mick Imlah read their poems from broadcasts in the 1980s. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recordings from the 1980s in which Sean O'Brien and Mick Imlah read their poems. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 30 | Kamau Brathwaite | 20161109 | Ian McMillan continues with one of the leading figures in the creation of a Caribbean literature, Kamau Brathwaite. From The Living Poet, April 1982, Brathwaite reads his poems 'Calypso' and 'The Emigrants'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recording by Kamau Brathwaite, who reads his poems Calypso and The Emigrants. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 31 | Wendy Cope | 20161110 | Ian McMillan continues with Wendy Cope who reads three of her poems from programmes The Living Poet and Poetry Now, both broadcast in 1988. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive broadcasts from 1988 in which Wendy Cope reads three of her poems. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 32 | Fleur Adcock | 20161111 | Ian McMillan introduces Fleur Adcock who reads two of her poems subtly exploring stereotyping and sexual politics from The Living Poet 1985. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Jemimah Kuhfeld. Archive recording from 1985 by Fleur Adcock, who reads two of her poems. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 33 | Tony Harrison | 20161114 | Ian McMillan with a recording from 1983. Leeds born Tony Harrison reads 'Them and Us' and 'On Not Being Milton'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recording of Tony Harrison reading his poems Them and Us and On Not Being Milton. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 34 | Grace Nichols, John Agard And Fred D'aguiar | 20161115 | Ian McMillan continues with three poets originally from the Caribbean. Reading their new poems from Poetry Now 1982 Grace Nichols reads 'Night is Her Robe', John Agard 'Pan Recipe' and Fred D'Aguiar extracts from his 'Mama Dot' sequence. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Grace Nichols Photograph: Mike Park. Grace Nichols, John Agard and Fred D'Aguiar read their work in 1982 archive recordings. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 35 | Jo Shapcott | 20161116 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series and from the Radio 3 poetry programme New Voices, award-winning poet Jo Shapcott reads from her very first poetry collection Electroplating the Baby in 1989. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recording of poet Jo Shapcott reading from her collection Electroplating the Baby. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 36 | James Berry | 20161117 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series. James Berry reflects on his life as he reads a selection of his poetry from 'Reflections of a UK Caribbean' broadcast February 1982. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Sal Idriss. Archive broadcast: James Berry reflects on his life as he reads a selection of his poetry. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 37 | Carol Ann Duffy | 20161118 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series. Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy reads two of her poems, from two decades, 1988 and 1991. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Jemimah Kuhfeld. Archive recordings by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy, who reads two of her works. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 38 | Thom Gunn | 20161121 | Ian McMillan introduces Thom Gunn who reads from his anthology The Man with Night Sweats on the untimely death of friends from the horror of Aids. Broadcast in February 1993. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recording by poet Thom Gunn, who reads from his work The Man with Night Sweats. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 39 | Lavinia Greenlaw And Kathleen Jamie | 20161122 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series celebrating 70 years of Radio 3's recording of poets. Lavinia Greenlaw reads her then unpublished poem 'Akhmatova in Lambertville' from a Young Poet's programme in 1996. A title which changed before publishing to 'Reading Akhmatova in Midwinter'. Then Kathleen Jamie reading 'Ultrasound' a poem commissioned for Radio 3's earlier celebration 'Five Poems for Fifty Years'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Kathleen Jamie Photograph: Eamonn McCabe. Archive Radio 3 recordings by poets Lavinia Greenlaw and Kathleen Jamie. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 40 | Peter Reading | 20161123 | Ian McMillan continues with a special commission written to mark Five Poems for Fifty Years broadcast in October 1996. Peter Reading reads an extract from his poem Three, in part, an elegy for those who had died since the launch of the Third Programme and his own birth. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recording by Peter Reading, who reads an excerpt from his poem Three. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 41 | Norman Maccaig, Sorley Maclean | 20161124 | Ian McMillan continues with two Scottish poets in this episode. Norman MacCaig reads his poem 'A Birthday Card' and Sorley MacLean reads his 'The Cry of Europe'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive readings by Scottish poets Norman MacCaig and Sorley MacLean. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 42 | Simon Armitage | 20161125 | Ian McMillan continues this fifty part series with a search for silence as Simon Armitage reads a specially commissioned poem recorded in Iceland in 1995 plus an extract from 'Goalkeeper with a Cigarette'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Readings by Simon Armitage, including excerpt from his poem Goalkeeper with a Cigarette. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 43 | Ua Fanthorpe | 20161128 | Ian McMillan continues with a recording from a Proms Interval programme broadcast in 2000, U.A. Fanthorpe reads two of her poems on the subject of Youth and Age. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: R.V. Bailey. Ian McMillan introduces an archive radio broadcast from 2000 by poet UA Fanthorpe. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 44 | Gillian Clarke | 20161129 | Ian McMillan with another episode in the series introducing former National Poet of Wales, Gillian Clarke reading her poems 'The Beginning' and 'Flood' from a Twenty Minutes Poetry Prom broadcast in 2002. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Adrian Pope. Archive broadcast by poet Gillian Clarke, who reads her works The Beginning and Flood. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 45 | Paul Durcan | 20161130 | Ian McMillan continues with Paul Durcan reading two of his poems 'Diarrhoea Attack' and 'Sign of Peace' from an appearance on The Verb in 2009. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Archive recording in which Paul Durcan reads his poems Diarrhoea Attack and Sign of Peace. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 46 | Liz Lochhead | 20161201 | Ian McMillan with a poem specially commissioned for an interval programme from Liz Lochhead, former Makar - the Scottish National Poet. Recorded on location in Glasgow in 2006. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Alastair Cook. A specially commissioned poem by former Scottish national poet Liz Lochhead. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 47 | Robert Crawford | 20161202 | Ian McMillan with another episode in this fifty part series. From a Night Waves episode in 20003, Scottish poet Robert Crawford reads two of his poems 'The Tip of My Tongue' and 'Credo'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Scottish poet Robert Crawford reads his poems The Tip of My Tongue and Credo. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 48 | Jean 'binta' Breeze | 20161205 | Ian McMillan continues with Jean Binta Breeze who reads two poems recorded by the Verb in 2004, 'The Month of March' and 'The Fifth Figure'. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Tehron Royes. Jean 'Binta' Breeze reads her poems The Month of March and The Fifth Figure. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 49 | Gwyneth Lewis | 20161206 | Ian McMillan with Former National Poet of Wales, Gwyneth Lewis, who reads two of her poems recorded at the Hay Festival in 2004 by Radio 3's The Verb. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Keith Morris. Ian McMillan presents an archive broadcast by former national poet of Wales Gwyneth Lewis. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work | |
| 50 | Paul Muldoon | 20161207 | Ian McMillan presents the final programme in this fifty part series celebrating 70 years of Radio 3's recording of poets and poetry since it was launched as the Third Programme in September 1946. Paul Muldoon reads his new poem 'The Loaf' from the series Work in Progress, 2001. ~Three Score And Ten features archive recordings from the last seven decades of the Third Programme and Radio 3, with 70 remarkable poets reading their own poems. Amongst them T.S. Eliot, Dylan Thomas, Sylvia Plath, WH Auden, Seamus Heaney and Carol Ann Duffy. Plus ten brand new poems by contemporary poets commissioned specially for the series and broadcast on The Verb. Producer: Sharon Sephton; Research by Caitlin Crawford. Photograph: Norman McBeath. With Paul Muldoon reading his poem The Loaf from the series Work in Progress in 2001. Ian McMillan presents archive recordings of remarkable poets reading their own work |