BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction

Synopsis

Coverage of the literary awards, presented by Mishal Husain. Before the winner's name is revealed, there are profiles of the six books that made it to the judges' shortlist. They are:

Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed
Bad Science by Ben Goldacre
The Lost City of Z by David Grann
Leviathan by Phillip Hoare
The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes
Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality by Manjit Kumar

There is also discussion with the judging panel who had the task of compiling the shortlist and chosing a winner from the six finalists. The judges are Jacob Weisberg, one of America's leading political journalists and commentators; Dr Mark Lythgoe, neuroscientist and director of the Cheltenham Science Festival; Tim Marlow, writer, broadcaster, art historian and director of exhibitions at White Cube; Munira Mirza, director of policy, arts, culture and the creative industries at the Mayor of London's office; and Sarah Sands, deputy editor of the London Evening Standard.

Mishal Husain will also interview the winning author who, as well as receiving a cheque for 20,000 pounds, will be joining writers such as Antony Beevor (for Stalingrad), Anna Funder (for Stasiland) and Kate Summerscale (for The Suspicions of Mr Whicher) on the prestigious list of winners of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize.

Credits

Presenter

Mishal Husain

Producer

Graham Mitchell

Executive Producer

Edward Morgan

Broadcasts

1. Tue 30 Jun 2009
   23:20
   BBC Two (England, Scotland, Wales only)
2. Tue 30 Jun 2009
   23:50
   BBC Two (Northern Ireland only)