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Communicating across a divide

Capturing the nation in conversation, in partnership with the British Library, to build a unique picture of our lives today. Presented by Fi Glover.

Fi Glover presents friends, relatives and strangers in conversation.

This week: Andrew, a Protestant nationalist and Arthur, a Catholic unionist, discuss what it's like to defy societal expectations with their beliefs; hairdresser Mike and travel blogger Sophie compare the pleasures of foreign and UK travel; mother and daughter Lucy and Katie explore what mothers can, and should, be telling their daughters in order to keep them safe from unwanted male attention; and artist Linda Ingham tells Fi how conversations between mothers and daughters on The Listening Project inspired her to make a deeply personal piece of work.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moments of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in this decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Ellie Bury

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Sun 18 Apr 2021 13:30

Broadcast

  • Sun 18 Apr 2021 13:30

Animated conversations

Listening project conversations brought to life by talented young animators.

Fi Glover and Jane Garvey

Fi Glover and Jane Garvey roam the fields of broadcasting talking to interesting people.

Find a conversation

Broadcast across Radio 4 and on local radio stations across the UK and Northern Ireland.

Podcast