Sir Mark Elder conducts a production of Fidelio recorded at the Royal Opera House in 2011. The Essay Episode guide
Life in Fragments: Stories from the Cairo Genizah
Series about the Cairo Genizah, a collection of documents from the synagogue in Old Cairo
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Wagner's Philosophers
Series exploring the philosophical influences on Wagner
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Living Abroad
Frederic Raphael reads essays about his time living abroad across Europe since the 1940s
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Unknown Cities
Series in which five writers recall a favourite city that is off the beaten track
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A Taste for the Baroque
Series in which writers discuss aspects of the Baroque
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Explaining the Explicit
Series in which writers considers the motivations for and challenges in writing about sex
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Winterwalks
Writers' observations while walking in a landscape that had been transformed by the cold
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Listener, They Wore It
Writers examine how an item of clothing or an accessory figures memorably in a work of art
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Changing Climates
Richard Mabey tells the story of a lifetime of weather
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Five Portraits of Science
Series considering how five real-life scientists have been portrayed in culture
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Paris 1913
Series exploring why 1913 was an annus mirabilis for French and European culture
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A New Cycle of Mystery Plays
New Testament stories revisited and set in present-day pre-Christmas London
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The Meaning of Trees
Fiona Stafford explores the symbolism, importance, topicality and surprises of trees
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Napoleon and Me
Series in which five people explore how aspects relating to Napoleon have affected them
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Why Poverty?
Series focusing on different aspects of the subject of poverty as part of a BBC season
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TV Dinners to Roadside Diners
Leading American writers write about the cultural history of their favourite comfort food.
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Painting Genesis
Four personal responses to Michelangelo's Genesis paintings in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.
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Anglo-Saxon Portraits
Portraits of ground-breaking Anglo-Saxon men and women from the era between 550 and 1066AD
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Inspirations of Visual Art
Talks about artistic insprations delivered by artists based in Scotland
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At the Speed of Thought
Series of reflections on what has been called 'liquid modernity'
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The Piano in Five Pieces
Series of programmes focusing on the piano
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Beyond 'Silent Spring'
Key figures in the world of environmentalism consider important writing on the subject
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A Sporting Lexicon
Series in which five authors choose a word to suggest sporting endeavour
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Strange Justice
South African lawyer Albie Sachs discusses the work of his country's Constitutional Court.
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What Is a Nation?
Michael Goldfarb considers the definition of the 'nation' for the globalised 21st century.
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Shakespeare Around the Globe
Writers from around the world explain the importance of Shakespeare in their own countries
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Here's Looking at Me
Series exploring five paintings hanging in the National Portrait Gallery in London
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How Pleasant to Know Mr Lear
Series about Edward Lear's poetry and art, and the influence of 'nonsense' on modern life
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Shakespeare and Love
Exploring Shakespeare's relationship to love and how his work affects perceptions of love.
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Bram Stoker
Series examining the life and work of Irish novelist Bram Stoker
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