Series: General

General guff

This Union: Two Kingdoms – Creation of the Union 1/3

Allan Little presents This Union: Two Kingdoms, for BBC Radio 4. The epic story of how and why Scotland entered into union with England, of why that Union endured for so long, and of the historic changes that have brought Scotland closer to independence than it’s been since 1707.

Having witnessed the emergence of new independent states from the Balkans to the Soviet Union and across Africa, Allan Little explores his homeland, Scotland, tracing the powerful and deep-rooted forces which are now changing – and might yet end – Scotland’s place in the UK.

In a sweeping history of national pride, ingenious character, passionately held values and political plots, Allan uncovers the people who drove the creation, development and now the unravelling of the Union.

From the catastrophe that cost Scotland half its national wealth, the sticks and carrots that the Crown used to draw Scotland into England’s embrace, to the building of a new British national identity and mythology – this is a story about the emergence of a powerful partnership forged in Empire, industry and war that some now feel is falling apart. Allan reveals the shared national enterprises that shaped the United Kingdom, and the tensions and conflicting values that might now end it.

Allan finds the hidden qualities and shared values that once bound Scotland powerfully to its British destiny, and what happens when those values diverge and then clash. with profound consequences for millions of people on both sides of the border.

Presenter: Allan Little
Producers: Jonathan Brunert and Caitlin Smith

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000zkpy

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This Union: Two Kingdoms - Creation of the Union 1/3
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This Union: Two Kingdoms – Cementing the Union 2/3

Allan Little presents This Union: Two Kingdoms, for BBC Radio 4. The epic story of how and why Scotland entered into union with England, of why that Union endured for so long, and of the historic changes that have brought Scotland closer to independence than it’s been since 1707.

Having witnessed the emergence of new independent states from the Balkans to the Soviet Union and across Africa, Allan Little explores his homeland, Scotland, tracing the powerful and deep-rooted forces which are now changing – and might yet end – Scotland’s place in the UK.

In a sweeping history of national pride, ingenious character, passionately held values and political plots, Allan uncovers the people who drove the creation, development and now the unravelling of the Union.

From the catastrophe that cost Scotland half its national wealth, the sticks and carrots that the Crown used to draw Scotland into England’s embrace, to the building of a new British national identity and mythology – this is a story about the emergence of a powerful partnership forged in Empire, industry and war that some now feel is falling apart. Allan reveals the shared national enterprises that shaped the United Kingdom, and the tensions and conflicting values that might now end it.

Allan finds the hidden qualities and shared values that once bound Scotland powerfully to its British destiny, and what happens when those values diverge and then clash. with profound consequences for millions of people on both sides of the border.

Presenter: Allan Little
Producers: Jonathan Brunert and Caitlin Smith

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000zsfv

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This Union: Two Kingdoms - Cementing the Union 2/3
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This Union: Two Kingdoms – Crossroads 3/3

Allan Little presents This Union: Two Kingdoms, for BBC Radio 4. The epic story of how and why Scotland entered into union with England, of why that Union endured for so long, and of the historic changes that have brought Scotland closer to independence than it’s been since 1707.

Having witnessed the emergence of new independent states from the Balkans to the Soviet Union and across Africa, Allan Little explores his homeland, Scotland, tracing the powerful and deep-rooted forces which are now changing – and might yet end – Scotland’s place in the UK.

In a sweeping history of national pride, ingenious character, passionately held values and political plots, Allan uncovers the people who drove the creation, development and explores its current divergence.

From the catastrophe that cost Scotland half its national wealth, the sticks and carrots that the Crown used to draw Scotland into England’s embrace, to the building of a new British national identity and mythology – this is a story about the emergence of a powerful partnership forged in Empire, industry and war that some now feel is falling apart. Allan reveals the shared national enterprises that shaped the United Kingdom, and the tensions and conflicting values that could end it.

Allan finds the hidden qualities and shared values that once bound Scotland powerfully to its British destiny, and what happens when those values diverge and then clash, with profound consequences for millions of people on both sides of the border.

Presenter: Allan Little
Series Producers: Caitlin Smith and Jonathan Brunert

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00101ll

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This Union: Two Kingdoms - Crossroads 3/3
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Scott Mills – Go Mimi!

Mimi Webb reviews her Live Lounge Performance and really gets into it! Also, Chris has made an awful fuel song and Andy and Beth are on, but is Andy Beth’s Brother or Lover?

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Scott Mills - Go Mimi!
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Something Understood – Mantras

Released On: 28 Oct 2018
Available for 29 days

Musician Jahnavi Harrison examines the ancient practice of mantra recitation and charts the spread of mantras from their Eastern origins to Western pop-culture. The origin of the word ‘mantra’ lies in the ancient Sanskrit language. It means literally ‘mana’ or mind/heart and ‘tra’ to transport or transcend. In a religious context, Jahnavi explains, a mantra is a sacred sound formula – an arrangement of words with meaning, that have the power to connect the reciter with a specific spiritual goal. But the meaning need not necessarily be understood in order to have an effect, just as you don’t need to know about all the ingredients in cough syrup to feel it doing something. Om, believed by Hindus to be a ‘primordial sacred sound’ is perhaps the most well known of the traditional Eastern mantras. Jahnavi introduces us to an extraordinary recording of 10,000 people chanting Om as part of a project organised by the Rubin Museum of Art in Manhattan. We also hear the music of George Harrison which features this ancient chant. The belief of Hindus and Buddhists, that reciting mantras can transform the body and mind, are now the subject of much scientific study which has shown that regular chanting brings about changes within the brain. In addition to reaping the spiritual and cognitive benefits, Jahnavi explains that she chants daily in order to put on a suit of “sonic armour” that seems to protect her from the noise and intensity of the urban environment. Presenter: Jahnavi Harrison Producer: Max O’Brien A TBI production for BBC Radio 4

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Something Understood - Mantras
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Jonathan Miller: Lost Memories

William Miller’s moving portrait of his father, whose extraordinary and unique memory would eventually be stolen by the thing he feared most – Alzheimer’s.

Broadcaster and director Sir Jonathan Miller, one of the greatest minds of his generation, believed the most important cognitive function humans possess is memory. Without it, you can’t learn or know who or where you are. Without a functioning memory, you wouldn’t be able to recognise, recall or retrieve a thing. In fact, without it, you simply wouldn’t exist.

Tragically, Jonathan died of Alzheimer’s in 2019 before he got to make the one series he’d always wanted to present on the workings of human memory.

In this programme, William Miller embarks on a journey to uncover the story of his father’s life as told through his extensive archive, and pieces together the documentary Jonathan was going to make with his producer, Richard Denton, that would have explored memory – what it is, where it is and how our memories define us. He talks to family and friends who share their own memories of Jonathan, including his Beyond the Fringe co-star Alan Bennett. And he seeks to learn more about Alzheimer’s, the disease that killed his grandmother and father and still haunts his family today.

Writer and television producer William Miller is the author of the bestselling memoir about growing up with his father, Gloucester Crescent: Me, My Dad and Other Grown Ups.

Producers: Eve Streeter and Richard Denton
A Greenpoint/Raconteur/116 Production for BBC Radio 4

Photo credit: Judith Aronson

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000yt7f

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Jonathan Miller: Lost Memories
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Emily Alison and rapport – The Spark

“Emily Alison and rapport” from The Spark by BBC Radio 4. Genre: Factual.

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Emily Alison and rapport - The Spark
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