Guest presenter Kofi Smiles with strangers, friends and relatives in conversation.

This week strangers Roger and Gill reflect back on being awarded MBEs and why one of them chose to accept and the other decline; Maisie and Tommi, both in their early 20s, share stories of challenges of living with Tourette Syndrome; and mountain rescuer Ian and adventuring enthusiast Tayo talk about their passion for the great outdoors.

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: Mohini Patel