Podcasts about Hay Festival

The Guilty Feminist 437. Comedy and Freedom of SpeechDeborah Frances-White in conversation with Jen BristerRecorded 5 April 2025 at Brighton Komedia. Released 26 May.The Guilty Feminist theme composed by Mark Hodge. Get Deborah's new book with 30% off using the code SIXCONVERSATIONSPOD https://store.virago.co.uk/products/six-conversations-were-scared-to-haveMore about Deborah Frances-Whitehttps://deborahfrances-white.comhttps://www.instagram.com/dfdubzhttps://www.virago.co.uk/titles/deborah-frances-white/six-conversations-were-scared-to-have/9780349015811https://www.virago.co.uk/titles/deborah-frances-white/the-guilty-feminist/9780349010120More about Jen Bristerhttps://www.instagram.com/jenbristercomedyhttps://www.jenbrister.co.ukFor more information about this and other episodes…visit https://www.guiltyfeminist.comtweet us https://www.twitter.com/guiltfempodlike our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/guiltyfeministcheck out our Instagram https://www.instagram.com/theguiltyfeministor join our mailing list http://www.eepurl.com/bRfSPTOur new podcasts are out nowMedia Storm https://podfollow.com/media-stormAbsolute Power https://podfollow.com/john-bercows-absolute-powerCome to a live showDeborah and Desiree Burch at Hay Festival https://www.hayfestival.com/p-23604-deborah-frances-white-in-conversation-with-desiree-burch.aspxGuilty Feminist book club with Laura Bates https://www.waterstones.com/events/the-guilty-feminist-x-waterstones-book-club-laura-bates/london-piccadilly16 Postcodes with Jessica Regan https://museumofcomedy.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/shows/873655309Thank you to our amazing Patreon supporters.To support the podcast yourself, go to https://www.patreon.com/guiltyfeminist Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded live at Hay Festival, Adam and Alex look at whether President Trump has changed his mind about President Putin and how politician's use statistics. Plus, Newscast continues trying to work out if the goverment's change of policy on winter fuel allowance counts as a U-Turn. They are joined by Anne Applebaum, journalist, historian and author of Autocracy Inc, Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter statistician and author of The Art of Uncertainty, and comedian and broadcaster Marcus Brigstocke. If you want to come and see an episode of Newscast recorded live you can find us at Crossed Wires on the 4th July, Latitude on the 24th July, and at the Edinburgh Fringe from the 4th August!You can now listen to Newscast on a smart speaker. If you want to listen, just say "Ask BBC Sounds to play Newscast”. It works on most smart speakers. You can join our Newscast online community here: https://discord.gg/m3YPUGv9New episodes released every day. If you're in the UK, for more News and Current Affairs podcasts from the BBC, listen on BBC Sounds: https://bit.ly/3ENLcS1 Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming and Alex Forsyth. It was made by Anna Harris. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.Huge thanks to the BBC team at Hay, as well as Chris the festival organisers.

In front of an audience at the Hay Literary Festival Tom Sutcliffe talks to The archaeologist and presenter of the hit TV show, The Great British Dig, Chloë Duckworth, who explains how every object tells a story. She reveals how even the rubbish our ancestors threw away can offer a window on the past and forge a connection with the present day. Business journalist Saabira Chaudhuri's new book Consumed, examines how companies have harnessed single-use plastics to turbocharge their profits over the last seventy years. Consumer goods makers have poured billions of dollars into convincing us we need disposable cups, bags, bottles, sachets and plastic-packaged ultra-processed foods. Taking in marketing, commercial strategy and psychology, she explains just how we got here. The paleobiologist Sarah Gabbott is more interested in looking at how what we throw away today becomes the fossils of tomorrow. Discarded (co-authored with Jan Zalasiewicz) highlights the cutting-edge science that is emerging to reveal the far-future human footprint on Earth.Producer: Katy Hickman

Fresh from her recent BAFTA success – the award-winning actress, writer and producer - Ruth Jones is with us. Ruth's latest book of fiction is a story where the main character embarks on one last investigation for a council's Unclaimed Heirs Unit... and along the way, the character discovers the importance of holding onto friendship and community.He's the architectural alchemist who has guided us through communities around the UK, where people who turn their creative dreams into homes. The TV presenter and writer - Kevin McCloud – is with us under the canvas of this delightful Hay Festival tent. And GT Karber is the mastermind behind the phenomenon – Murdle – a series of murder mystery puzzle books. Greg is the son of a judge and a civil rights attorney who grew up in the community of Arkansas in the United States. But he's taken a break from conjuring up his puzzling and logical creations to join us in the Hay-on-Wye countryside. Plus the Inheritance Tracks of the comedian Ivo Graham. Presenters: Huw Stephens and Kiri Pritchard-McLeanProducer: Gareth Nelson-Davies

Clive Anderson brings us Loose Ends from the Hay Festival. Joining Clive in front of a Hay audience are singer Paloma Faith who last year released her most personal album 'The Glorification of Sadness'. She also published her first book 'MILF' (no, not that one), a rousing call to arms for women to take up space, based on her experiences in the music industry, and as a mother. Welsh comedian Mike Bubbins is the star of the sitcom 'Mammoth', in which he plays Tony Mammoth, a PE teacher from the 70's who finds himself in 2024. Writer Frank Cottrell Boyce has an impressively diverse CV, having written films such as 24 Hour Party People, Hilary & Jackie, Code 46 as well as the 2012 London Olympics Ceremony. He's the author of many beloved children's books including Millions, and his latest 'The Blockbusters'. Historian Helen Carr is the author of the best-selling 'The Red Prince: The Life of John of Gaunt, the Duke of Lancaster and her new book 'Sceptred Isle: A new history of the fourteenth century'And there's music from Euros Childs and Kizzy CrawfodPresenter: Clive Anderson Producer: Jessica Treen

Elvira Liceaga es escritora y locutora. Es autora del libro de relatos Carolina y Otras Despedidas (Caballo de Troya, 2018), de la novela Las Vigilantes (Lumen, 2023; Las Afueras, 2025), y co-autora del libro Rituales para la Amistad (Almadía, 2024). Ha trabajado en el guión y dirección de documentales sonoros y audiovisuales sobre violencias contra las mujeres y defensa del territorio en Latinoamérica, como La Advertencia, Mujeres de Fuego y Las Guardianas. Trabajó con Natalia Lafourcade en el podcast y libro De Todas las Flores y con Lila Downs en su memoir. Es una voz familiar en la radio mexicana, ha conducido importantes programas culturales en los que ha entrevistado a escritoras, artistas y colectivas. Es colaboradora del Hay Festival y la UNAM, entre otras instituciones. Sus proyectos han sido nominados a diferentes premios literarios y periodísticos. Vive en la Ciudad de México con su pareja y su hija.Síguenos en redes:http://instagram.com/cableatierrapodhttp://facebook.com/cableatierrapodcasthttp://instagram.com/tanialicious Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Desde Jericó llega una conversación con Alejandro Gaviria en el marco del Hay Festival. Este fue un espacio sin tiempo en el que las risas y los contenidos profundos no se hicieron esperar."Esto no se lo he dicho a nadie"Los invitamos para que nos sigan en nuestras redes sociales:INSTAGRAM: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/⁠⁠deparcheconlasletras/⁠FACEBOOK: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/⁠⁠deparcheconlasletras/⁠X: ⁠https://twitter.com/deparcheletras⁠¿Te gustó este episodio? Compártelodeparcheconlasletras@gmail.com

Daniella Peled, managing editor of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting, joins Georgina Godwin to discuss the week's news and culture, including protests in Turkey, Israel embracing Europe's far-right and drones on Mount Everest. Plus: Hay Festival CEO, Julie Finch, joins the programme to discuss the 2025 spring lineup. Then: journalist and friend of Monocle Radio, Juliet Linley, joins from Zürich, where Monocle's Hanami Market kicks off, selling authentic Japanese goods and treats.

Philippa Interviews Heather Salisbury, Programme Manager of The Hay Festival.To book tickets for the Hay Festival and find out information about events click here: https://www.hayfestival.com/hay-on-wye/homeHeather's 3 book recommendations:Meditation for Mortals by Oliver BurkemanThe Peanut Jones series by Rob BiddulphConfessions by Catherine Airey Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We've all heard about Experiential Marketing, but this week we discover how you market an experience. Our guest is Christopher Bone, Communications Director for the hugely successful Hay Festival in the UK. 

Cristina Fuentes La Roche asegura que el Hay Festival es un espacio para todos, no solo para grandes lectores, sino para cualquier persona curiosa.

La autora de Autocracia S.A y colaboradora de The Atlantic habló con Hora20 en el marco del Hay Festival de democracia, autocracia, regímenes políticos y la coyuntura política con Donald Trump en el poder.

La autora de La izquierda no es woke habló con Hora20 en el marco del Hay Festival de la izquierda, el momento político que vive Estados Unidos y el peso de las ideas woke en la sociedad contemporánea.

Dr Chris van Tulleken shares stories from the making of his chart-topping podcast, Fed. In conversation with Leyla Kazim, at Hay Festival 2024.In Fed, Dr Chris van Tulleken, investigated the entangled web of forces that shape what ends up on our plates. And he focused his investigation around one foodstuff in particular. The most widely eaten meat on our planet, a staple of nearly every diet and a global food production phenomenon: the humble chicken, Chris dug into the history of our relationship with this extraordinary animal, to try to get to the truth of why we eat so much of it, and what that means for the birds, for us, and for the planet.In this lively conversation, recorded live at Hay festival 2024, Chris talks to Leyla Kazim about the hidden stories behind the globalised food networks of today. From industrial-scale farming, to food labelling, to ethical dilemmas, environmental quandaries, and the complexities of the world of fast food. Plus tales from the adventure that ran through the whole series: raising his own tiny flock of broiler chickens, in his back garden.

Joining Kiri this week in a literary special recorded at the Hay Festival is comedian Ignacio Lopez who heals family wounds through writing. Dr Paul Craddock explains how one of the most prestigious medical journals started as a scandal magazine, Miss Shabnam Parkar shares how poetry helps her perform surgery, and Professor Neil Frude walks Kiri through library bookshelves for mental health treatments.Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future. Each week Kiri challenges a panel of medical experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science, an obscure invention, an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it's origami surgical robots, life-changing pineapple UTI vaccines, Victorian scandal mags, denial, sleep, tiny beating organoid hearts, lifesaving stem cell transplants, gold poo donors or even crying - it's always something worth celebrating.Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLeanFeaturing: Dr Paul Craddock, Professor Neil Frude, Ignacio Lopez, Miss Shabnam Parkar Written by Edward Easton, Mel Owen, Pravanya Pillay, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Nicky Roberts and Ben RowseProducers: Tashi Radha and Ben WorsfieldTheme tune composed by Andrew JonesA Large Time production for BBC Radio 4

From the Hay Festival, James and a panel of experts explain what we can all do to help ourselves age well.We discover what's going on in our bodies when we age, the difference between biological and chronological age, as well as getting the audience moving for a physical test.James is joined by gerontologist Sarah Harper from the University of Oxford, biomedical scientist Georgina Ellison-Hughes from King's College London, and doctor Norman Lazarus to understand how exercise, diet, and mental health all have a part to play in how we age.

Fui a un cóctel que organizaba, creo, la Fundación BBVA Bancomer, en el contexto de las actividades del segundo día del reciente Hay Festival de Arequipa.

Joining Kiri this week at the Hay Festival is comedian Zoe Lyons who tells Kiri how running helps with the stress associated with her alopecia - and how she survived getting rammed by a badger. Dr Matt Morgan explains how kangaroo vaginas held the key to developing IVF and whales' hearts inspired new heart treatments for humans, Dr Fotios Sampaziotis unveils innovative new treatments that could repair livers before a transplant is needed, and ethnobotanist James Wong unearths the benefits of horticulture and how it can benefit health and bring hope.Best Medicine is your weekly dose of laughter, hope and incredible medicine. Award-winning comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is joined by a funny and fascinating panel of comedians, doctors, scientists, and historians to celebrate medicine's inspiring past, present and future. Each week, Kiri challenges a panel of medical experts and a comedian to make a case for what they think is 'the best medicine', and each guest champions anything from world-changing science or an obscure invention, to an everyday treatment, an uplifting worldview, an unsung hero or a futuristic cure. Whether it's origami surgical robots, life-changing pineapple UTI vaccines, Victorian scandal mags, denial, sleep, tiny beating organoid hearts, lifesaving stem cell transplants, gold poo donors or even crying - it's always something worth celebrating. Hosted by Kiri Pritchard-McLeanFeaturing: Zoe Lyons, Dr Matt Morgan, Dr Fotios Sampaziotis and James WongWritten by Laura Claxton, Edward Easton, Charlie George, Kiri Pritchard-McLean, Nicky Roberts and Ben RowseProducers: Tashi Radha and Ben WorsfieldTheme tune composed by Andrew JonesA Large Time production for BBC Radio 4

Are your super-sociable new neighbours just a bit too much? Are you a photographer who's been booked for the wedding of the girl who bullied you in school? Does your husband's desire to expose his perineum to the sun fill you with dread? (Are you, like Marian, not even sure if you have a perineum?)Well, this is the edition of Now You're Asking for you. And even if it's not, you might learn a thing or two as pearls of comic wisdom fall from the mouths of our hosts. All this, and Marian and Tara also tackle some questions direct from the audience, gathered for this special recording in a tent at Hay Festival 2024.This is the first edition in a new series of Now You're Asking. Previous series were welcomed by listeners and critics: "Both are warm and kind enough to not only be funny but also offer genuinely thoughtful, if left-field, advice." (Miranda Sawyer, The Observer) "Keyes and Flynn are my new favourite double-act." (Jane Anderson - Radio Times) "I found their compassion endlessly soothing." (Rachel Cunliffe - The New Statesman)Marian Keyes is a multi award-winning writer, with a total of over 30 million of her books sold to date in 33 languages. Her close friend Tara Flynn is an actress, comedian and writer. Together, these two friends have been through a lot, and now want to use their considerable life experience to help solve the biggest - and smallest - of the things that keep us awake at night.We have been inundated with emails since the last series but everything gets read and we're always on the lookout for new questions, queries and conundrums to include on the show.Got a problem you want Marian and Tara to solve? Email: marianandtara@bbc.co.uk.Producer: Steve Doherty. A Giddy Goat production for BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds

Dr Chris van Tulleken shares stories from the making of his chart-topping podcast, Fed. In conversation with Leyla Kazim, at Hay Festival 2024.In Fed, Dr Chris van Tulleken, investigated the entangled web of forces that shape what ends up on our plates. And he focused his investigation around one foodstuff in particular. The most widely eaten meat on our planet, a staple of nearly every diet and a global food production phenomenon: the humble chicken, Chris dug into the history of our relationship with this extraordinary animal, to try to get to the truth of why we eat so much of it, and what that means for the birds, for us, and for the planet.In this lively conversation, recorded live at Hay festival 2024, Chris talks to Leyla Kazim about the hidden stories behind the globalised food networks of today. From industrial-scale farming, to food labelling, to ethical dilemmas, environmental quandaries, and the complexities of the world of fast food. Plus tales from the adventure that ran through the whole series: raising his own tiny flock of broiler chickens, in his back garden.

Abdulrazak Gurnah (premio Nobel 2021), Irene Vallejo, Luis García Montero, Agustina Bazterrica, Liliana Colanzi, Gabriela Wiener entre muchos más se dan cita en Arequipa este 6, 7, 8 y 9 de noviembre en la décima edición del Hay Festival 2024. No te pierdas este programa de Letras en el Tiempo para enterarte de todos los detalles para asistir en vivo o cómo seguir las charlas en streaming. Gracias por escucharnos.

Abdulrazak Gurnah (premio Nobel 2021), Irene Vallejo, Luis García Montero, Agustina Bazterrica, Liliana Colanzi, Gabriela Wiener entre muchos más se dan cita en Arequipa este 6, 7, 8 y 9 de noviembre en la décima edición del Hay Festival 2024. No te pierdas este programa de Letras en el Tiempo para enterarte de todos los detalles para asistir en vivo o cómo seguir las charlas en streaming. Gracias por escucharnos.

I speak to Helen Bagnall, Head of Programmes and Engagement at The Hay Festival about the special Winter Weekend later this year. For more information and to book tickets: https://www.hayfestival.com/winter-weekend/homeHelen recommends:The How by Yrsa Daley-WardPandora's Jar by Natalie Haynes Dancing In The Streets By by Barbara Ehrenreich Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Flyfishers' Club has been men-only since its foundation in 1884. A chance remark by Marina Gibson at the Hay Festival sparked a media storm that has forced club members to vote on whether to allow women members. Marina explains to Charlie Jacoby and an audience at the Carter Jonas Game Fair Theatre 2024 the reasons she is right. Click here for more about Marina For more ways to listen to this, visit FieldsportsChannel.tv/fieldsportschannelpodcast98

Ian McMillan presents poets in performance from the Hay Festival for The Verb's performance wing - The Adverb. This week's guests include the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, the National Poet of Wales Hanan Issa, former Children's Poet Laureate Joseph Coelho, Professor of Creativity Owen Sheers - and Jazz Money, an Australian poet of Wiradjuri heritage. They share poetry of nail varnish, snow, rivers, labyrinths and the heart.

From the Hay Festival, James and a panel of experts explain what we can all do to help ourselves age well. We discover what's going on in our bodies when we age, the difference between biological and chronological age, as well as getting the audience moving for a physical test. James is joined by gerontologist Sarah Harper from the University of Oxford, biomedical scientist Georgina Ellison-Hughes from King's College London, and doctor Norman Lazarus to understand how exercise, diet, and mental health all have a part to play in how we age. Presenter: James Gallagher  Producer: Gerry Holt Editor: Holly Squire

Pedro Mairal es un escritor argentino nacido en Buenos Aires en 1970. En 2007 fue nombrado uno de los 39 mejores jóvenes escritores latinoamericanos por el Hay Festival de Bogotá. Ha publicado las novelas 'Una noche con Sabrina Love', 'El año del desierto', 'Salvatierra' y 'La uruguaya', que se publicó en 2016. 

This week, Anna Katharina Schaffner on a top-to-tail exploration of deportment; and Toby Lichtig in conversation with novelist Hari Kunzru at the Hay Festival.'Slouch: Posture Panic in Modern America', by Beth Linker'Blue Ruin', by Hari KunzruProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jon Ronson's second season of unexpected human stories from the culture wars focused on the divisions that erupted in the wake of the Covid lockdown. It was a number 1 hit podcast and received five star reviews. In a fun, free-flowing live discussion from the Hay Festival in Wales, Jon turns the tables on himself and asks his audience to ask him anything they like.Series Producer: Sarah Shebbeare

This week, Lily Herd on a child's-eye view of rockstar royalty; and Toby Lichtig talks to novelist Chigozie Obioma at the Hay Festival.'My Family and Other Rock Stars', by Tiffany Murray'The Road to the Country', by Chigozie ObiomaProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian McMillan is joined by poets and poetry lovers for this celebration of language recorded at this year's Hay Festival. The actor, Harry Potter star, Dickens virtuoso and national treasure Miriam Margolyes shares one of her favourite poems, the 19th century poet Robert Browning's 'My Last Duchess'. Miriam invites listeners to imagine the Duke, who is the speaker in the poem, as being like 'Hannibal Lecter' from 'The Silence of the Lambs' - a good planner, who has killed his wife.Irish novelist Kevin Barry has written three novels and four collections of short stories - a master of dialogue, and a beloved voice in the New Yorker magazine. He explores the poetry of the language in his most recent novel 'A Heart in Winter'.Gwenno has won awards and acclaim for her haunting and groundbreaking song-writing and performances. Gwenno's albums Le Kov and Tresor are in Cornish (she has a Welsh mother and a Cornish father). She joins Ian to share her love of the Welsh artist and poet Edrica Huws, who achieved fame late in life as a visual artist. Her poem 'Vingt-et-un' has stayed with Gwenno, and she explains why Edrica is a creative inspiration.The poet Owen Sheers explores a poem with a stand-out line (what we call on The Verb the 'Neon Line'). This week the poem explored is 'The Lake Isle of Innisfree' by the Irish poet W.B. Yeats. Is it the 'bee-loud glade' that has caught Owen's attention, or something else? Ian finds out. Owen has an acute ear for language, with writing often inspired by his interviews with real people, for books like 'The Green Hollow'.

Are the latest ear plugs better for gigs, focus and sleep?In this special edition of Sliced Bread, recorded at the Hay Festival in South Wales, Greg Foot investigates the newer style of ear plugs. He's joined by listener Marni who's seen adverts for brands like Loop, which promise to protect your hearing at higher volumes while still allowing you to enjoy music at gigs. Other models in their range claim to give you better focus, shutting out extraneous noise but still allowing you to hear conversation. Or, in the case of their 'Quiet' model, sleep better.As ever Greg's joined by two experts to deep-dive into the science and find out if the evidence backs up the marketing claims. And with the help of a special dummy head fitted with microphones, they carry out a series of tests to hear the difference between traditional foam ear plugs and the newer models. If you have seen a wonder product that claims to make you happier, healthier or greener and want to know if it is SB or BS then please do send it over on email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or drop us a message or voicenote on Whatsapp to 07543 306807PRESENTER: Greg Foot PRODUCERS: Kate Holdsworth and Simon Hoban

Are the latest ear plugs better for gigs, focus and sleep?In this special edition of Sliced Bread, recorded at the Hay Festival in South Wales, Greg Foot investigates the newer style of ear plugs. He's joined by listener Marni who's seen adverts for brands like Loop, which promise to protect your hearing at higher volumes while still allowing you to enjoy music at gigs. Other models in their range claim to give you better focus, shutting out extraneous noise but still allowing you to hear conversation. Or, in the case of their 'Quiet' model, sleep better.As ever Greg's joined by two experts to deep-dive into the science and find out if the evidence backs up the marketing claims. And with the help of a special dummy head fitted with microphones, they carry out a series of tests to hear the difference between traditional foam ear plugs and the newer models. If you have seen a wonder product that claims to make you happier, healthier or greener and want to know if it is SB or BS then please do send it over on email to sliced.bread@bbc.co.uk or drop us a message or voicenote on Whatsapp to 07543 306807PRESENTER: Greg Foot PRODUCERS: Kate Holdsworth and Simon Hoban

Lynda la Plante discusses her final Jane Tennison novel, Whole Life Sentence and discusses the enduring legacy of Prime Suspect.Lea Ypi remembers the late Albanian writer and poet Ishmail Kadare, author of The General of the Dead Army and The Palace of Dreams.How is AI impacting music copyright? Hayleigh Bosher of Brunel University London, Reader in Intellectual Property Law and the music business journalist Eamonn Forde discuss.And Julie Finch, CEO of Hay Festival, discusses the future of books festival funding.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

This week, we accompany Stephen Sawyer on a speeded-up saunter through the arrondissements; and Toby Lichtig in conversation with Rory Stewart at the Hay Festival.'Impossible City: Paris in the Twenty-First Century', by Simon Kuper'The Zone: An Alternative History of Paris', by Justinien Tribillon'Politics on the Edge', by Rory StewartProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Recorded at the Hay FestivalSHUGGIE BAIN by Douglas Stewart ON THE BLACK HILL by Bruce Chatwin AGAINST NATURE by Joris-Karl HuysmansHarriett Gilbert takes to the stage in the BBC Marquee at the Hay Festival for a special edition of the programme recorded in front of an audience. Actor and writer Doon Mackichan known for her outrageous character Cathy in the sitcom Two Doors Down chooses Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stewart as her good read. It's a touching but heartbreaking tale of a young Glaswegian boy's desperate efforts to save his mother Agnes from the alcoholism that ruins and degrades her. It won the Booker Prize in 2020. As we're in Wales Harriett's fitting choice is Bruce Chatwin's On The Black Hill an account of rural Welsh life in the mid 20th century. It's the story of two brothers' lives over 80 years and their connection to land and community. Bruce Robinson actor, director and writer of the hit film Withnail and I which has been adapted for stage chooses a book that features in the final scene of the film. The I character places two books in a suitcase at the end of the film, one of which is A Rebours - Against Nature by Joris-Karl Huysmans. Bruce confesses that he's not the book's biggest fan but the ensuing discussion provides an entertaining insight into books we might read when we're younger and how differently we feel about them in later life. It's the story of an eccentric recluse Jean des Esseintes in 19th century France who loathes people and creates a fantasy world for himself but ultimately suffers from his self-inflicted pretentious ennui. "I wish I hadn't chosen this book" proclaims Bruce Robinson as he introduces it. "I wish you hadn't chosen it" agrees Doon Mackichan. They then elicit a lot of audience laughter from their deconstruction of this seminal French novel that all three find pretentious.This is a longer version of the broadcast programme.Producer: Maggie Ayre

It will soon be time to vote in the General Election. A moment for us all to play our part in democracy. The theory is that politicians do their best to get elected, and then do all the right things so they are re-elected next time round. But in practice it can be difficult for governments to do what really needs to be done and still stay in power. A good example is climate change: There is a broad consensus that very urgent action is needed, and yet as the election nears, there's little from the major parties promising radical, decisive action, because they fear that voters don't really want it.If liberal democracy can't solve our problems, can it at least unite us around the principle that everyone's point of view is worth hearing?  Well no, not any more.  For every listener to good old Radio 4 there are many more who get their news from social media and their opinions from their silo of friends.  Is it too cynical to suggest that voters are short-sighted, selfish and stubbornly wrong-headed?  And what about the quality of our leaders? Does anyone think our political system is serving up the nation's finest?Some say our democracy isn't democratic enough.  They fear excessive influence by lawyers, quangos, peers, and press barons.  Others applaud activists for challenging the worst excesses of a corrupt Commons. Three cheers, they say, for the unelected European Court of Human Rights and the judges who go easy on civil disobedience while thwarting the Home Office over asylum policy.Do we still believe that our democracy is morally the least-worst system, when it seems incapable of producing long-term solutions to the most urgent problems?  Can we learn anything at all from authoritarian states that seem better at simply getting things done? In this special edition of the Moral Maze, recorded at the Hay Festival, we ask - what is the moral basis for claiming that our version of democracy is superior?  Presenter: Michael Buerk Producers: Jonathan Hallewell, Peter Everett and Ruth Purser Editor: Tim Pemberton

Michael's last interview, How to Live a Good Life, is with psychologist Paul Bloom. It was recorded in the BBC tent at the Hay Festival on 25 May, 2024.Paul is Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Cognitive Science at Yale and Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto and he shares with Michael his top five tips for living a good life. And we hear Michael at his best - full of warmth, insight and enjoying his time with the audience and sharing some of his reflections on his life, career and the importance of family.Presenter: Michael Mosley with Chris Van Tulleken Producer: Nija Dalal-Small Series Producer: Geraldine Fitzgerald Executive Producers: Helen Thomas and Sasha Feachem Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Studio Engineer: Richard Ward

The vets using IVF to improve dairy herds, and could a new 2-stage planning system help kickstart the rural economy? We hear from the CLA on what it wants from the next government. In a special episode of On Your Farm recorded at the Hay Festival, Kate Humble explains how she accidentally ended up buying a council farm in the beautiful Wye Valley in Wales.Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

Recorded at the Hay Festival 2024. Mordant topical satire from the usual team with voices by Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Duncan Wisbey and Jess Robinson.With writing from Tom Jamieson, Nev Fountain, Laurence Howarth, Ed Amsden & Tom Coles, Rob Darke, Edward Tew, Sophie Dixon, Sarah Campbell, Cody Dahler, Joe Topping, Rachel Thorne and Christopher Donovan.Producer: Bill Dare Exec Producer: Richard Morris Production Coordinator: Dan Marchini Sound Designer: Rich Evans

Join us for at the Hay Festival for a conversation encompassing portals to other worlds, rock bands, improbable giraffes and the travails of the M4.'Impossible Creatures', by Katherine Rundell'One Ukrainian Summer: A Memoir About Falling in Love and Coming of Age in the Former USSR', by Viv GroskopProduced by Charlotte Pardy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michael meets fellow children's author Michael Morpurgo - author of over 150 books - including Kensuke's Kingdom, Private Peaceful and Warhorse. They talk words, writing, books and language and why it's so important that children learn to love reading at an early age.Producer: Maggie Ayre

In front of an audience at the Hay Literary Festival Adam Rutherford talks to the botanist and Native American Robin Wall Kimmerer. In her book, Braiding Sweetgrass she shows the importance of bringing together indigenous wisdom and scientific knowledge, to increase understanding of the languages and worlds of plants and animals. Hugh Warwick is an expert on hedgehogs but in his latest book, Cull of the Wild, he focuses on animals less native, and beloved. From grey squirrels in Anglesey to cane toads in Australia he explores the complex history of species control, and the ethics of killing in the name of conservation.The writer Olivia Laing turns her attention to the efforts to create paradise on earth. In The Garden Against Time she retells her own attempts to restore a walled garden in Suffolk while investigating the long history of gardens – real and imagined, follies and pleasure grounds.Producer: Katy Hickman

We get an update on Mexico's elections before our in-house Friday show turns to South Africa, the Trump verdict and a report from the literary Hay Festival. Plus: a look at the Faroe Islands, one of the EU's most remote constituencies.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Have South Africa's elections marked the end of the ANC's political dominance? We head to Prague for an informal Nato summit with foreign ministers, take a look back at the Bratislava Summit 2024 and assess the South Korea-UAE trade deal. Plus: the latest news from the world of aviation and a check-in from the Hay Festival.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In a special edition of Front Row recorded at this year's Hay Festival, school children and young people put questions to four giants of Young Adult Fiction.Anthony Horowitz has written books for both adults and younger readers, but here discusses his iconic creation Alex Rider. Manon Steffan Ros won last year's Carnegie Medal, the first translated book to read the prize having originally been written in Welsh. Alex Wheatle is the author of the hugely popular Crongton Knights series, having written his first novel Brixton Rock in prison. And Frances Hardinge is the only children's author other than Phillip Pullman to win the Costa Prize Book of the Year with the Lie Tree, as well as being the other behind other much loved YA novels including Fly By Night.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Ciaran Bermingham

We get the latest from George Parker as the UK's prime minister, Rishi Sunak, sets the date for a general election. Also in the programme: Nina dos Santos discusses Emmanuel Macron's visit to New Caledonia following violence in the French territory. Plus: business news with Rachel Pupazzoni and we speak to Julie Finch of Hay Festival as the hallowed literary gathering begins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In today's podcast we're joined by Damian Collins MP, whose new book - Rivals in the Storm -, charts the political career of David Lloyd George, the man credited popularly with winning the First World War. In this episode we explore the radical liberal Chancellor and later Prime Minister whose ability to focus on the key challenges of the war saw him eclipse Herbert Asquith in 1916. We examine his complex relationships with both the Liberal and Conservative Parties and his political downfall in 1923.You can hear Damian speak at the Hay Festival on May 28th, tickets are available here.You can grab your copy of Rivals in the Storm Here Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/explaininghistory. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.