Understand

By BBC Radio 4News Government Politics

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Typical duration
15 min
per episode

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Understand episodes

October 22 The Growth Conundrum: Trailer
Every UK government, up to and including the current one, claims to want to achieve economic growth. But for almost 20 years not a single one has delivered sustained economic expansion. BBC Verify's Policy and Analysis Correspondent, Ben Chu asks why generating growth seems to be such a puzzle for us. In this three part series he looks at what growth actually is, what's holding it back, as well as what we can learn from other fast growing economies and where the UK's future growth potential lies.
3 min
October 09 Seven Ages of Man, with Michael Rosen: 7. Vittorio Angelone's in his 20s
In the final episode of Michael Rosen’s series on masculinity and manhood, can comedian and podcaster Vittorio Angelone, following his tumultuous 20s, find his way to being a man that he actually likes.
At the start of his 20s, Vittorio found himself adrift in London, unsure of who he was or who he wanted to be. He felt paralysed by the many conflicting models of maleness competing for his attention online – all of them just different costumes he was trying on.
How will he find his own path?

Presenter: Michael Rosen
Producer: Rich Power
Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
Sound Mixer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4
16 min
October 09 Seven Ages of Man, with Michael Rosen: 6. Marvin Sordell's in his 30s
What’s it like to be a man in your 30s? In Episode 6 of Michael Rosen’s series about masculinity and manhood, filmmaker and former Premier League footballer Marvin Sordell puts darkness behind him to write a new chapter in his life.
By the time he was in his 20s, Marvin had clawed his way to the top level of football, playing in the Premier League and representing his country. But behind the scenes, he was battling a severe mental health crisis brought on by the pressure of the game and the hypermasculine culture that prevented him from sharing his struggles.
After taking the brave decision to leave his lucrative career behind, Marvin is rebuilding himself as a man in his 30s.
Presenter: Michael Rosen
Producer: Rich Power
Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
Sound Mixer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4
16 min
October 02 Seven Ages of Man, with Michael Rosen: 5. Lias Saoudi's in his 40s
What’s it like to be a man in your 40s? In Episode 5 of Michael Rosen’s series about masculinity and manhood, singer and author Lias Saoudi reflects on his transition from chaos to fatherhood.
As the lead singer of the notoriously hedonistic band Fat White Family, Lias made a career out of chaos. But after a revelation during the covid lockdown, he makes a handbrake turn, cleaning up his life and having a baby with his best friend.
But as the realities of life as a new father bite, the old instincts bubble up. How will Lias respond to his new responsibilities?
Presenter: Michael Rosen
Producer: Rich Power
Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
Sound Mixer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4
15 min
October 02 Seven Ages of Man, with Michael Rosen: 4. Matthew Todd's in his 50s
What’s it like to be a man in your 50s? In Episode 4 of Michael Rosen’s series about manhood and masculinity, journalist, activist and writer Matthew Todd talks about his experience.
Matthew grew up feeling completely alienated from traditional masculinity. As a young gay man growing up during the HIV crisis of the 1980s, he felt the homophobia of mainstream culture deeply and developed a fear of straight men. But after decades of mental health problems and alcohol addiction, he finally was able to address his trauma. And now has found a new sense of himself as a man.
Presenter: Michael Rosen
Producer: Rich Power
Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
Sound Mixer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4
15 min
September 25 Seven Ages of Man, with Michael Rosen: 3. David Baddiel's in his 60s
What’s it like being a man in your 60s? In Episode 3 of Michael Rosen’s series about manhood and masculinity, comedian and writer David Baddiel shares his experience.
Like all of us, David has always ‘known’ he was going to die, but it’s only now that he truly believes it. As he considers what sort of man he wants to be in his old age and what mark he’ll leave on the world, he realises it’s family that comes above everything else. But what does being a ‘father’ really mean?
Presenter: Michael Rosen
Producer: Rich Power
Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
Sound Mixer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4
15 min
September 25 Seven Ages of Man, with Michael Rosen: 2. Colm Tóibín's in his 70s
What is it like being a man in your 70s? In Episode 2 of Michael Rosen’s series about manhood and masculinity, celebrated author and poet Colm Tóibín shares how he feels less and less sexual energy as he ages, especially after surviving testicular cancer. But he’s far from depressed about it. In fact, he’s busy putting that energy to other uses.
In this episode, Colm speaks to the visceral realities of aging, but also the new opportunities for physical and creative self-discovery.
Presenter: Michael Rosen
Producer: Rich Power
Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
Sound Mixer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4
16 min
September 25 Seven Ages of Man, with Michael Rosen: 1. Michael Palin's in his 80s
Michael Palin doesn’t feel like a ‘man’ anymore in his 80s. But what does that mean and does it bring a new freedom?
In conversation with Michael Rosen – who has recently turned 80 himself – Palin reflects on the fading of those competitive instincts that motivated him as a young star of Monty Python. And how he has learned to embrace an entirely ‘unmale’ worldview in his later years.
The two Michaels discuss how, as we age, the things that feel so important to many young men are put into stark perspective by grief. Just as he entered his 80s, Palin lost Helen, his wife of 60 years. Together they consider how to hold onto the sense of who we are in the face of such world-shaking blows.
Presenter: Michael Rosen
Producer: Rich Power
Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
Sound Mixer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Commissioning Editor: Dan Clarke
A Loftus Media Production for BBC Radio 4
15 min
September 22 Seven Ages of Man, with Michael Rosen: Trailer
What does being a ‘man’ really mean? From Michael Palin in his 80s to comedian Vittorio Angelone, just turned 30, seven men share their deeply personal experiences of manhood.
After almost dying of covid-19, our host and guide Michael Rosen has just reached the ripe old age of 80. It’s got him thinking about what kind of man he’s been so far across his long life, and what that label even means to him anyway.
Because today we’re surrounded by many conflicting ideals of manhood. Men should be strong and silent, but also in touch with their emotions. They should be aggressive and competitive, while shielding those weaker than them from harm. They should be radiating sex appeal, while setting an example as a family man. The older Michael gets, the more confusing he finds it.
So in this series he’s putting aside all the notions of what a man ‘should’ be, to look at the real thing. The awkward thing. The funny thing. The tender thing we don’t quite know how to talk about.
Michael speaks to seven men, each in a different decade of life, from wise elders Michael Palin and author Colm Tóibín, to sprightly middle-aged youngsters comedian David Baddiel and journalist Matthew Todd, right down to veritable toddlers - singer Lias Saoudi, former footballer Marvin Sordell, and comedian Vittorio Angelone.
Presenter: Michael Rosen
Producer: Rich Power
Executive Producer: Dave Anderson
Sound Mixer: Dan King
Editor: Kirsten Lass
Production Manager: Emily Duffy
Commissioning Editor for BBC Radio 4: Dan Clarke
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4
4 min
September 16 The Value Crisis: 3. Prompting a Crisis?
In this episode, Ros Atkins asks whether AI is solving our ‘value crisis’, or making it worse.
He takes the optimistic case seriously - that AI could deepen our relationship with the world around us, unlock new forms of creativity, strengthen human intimacy, and help us solve big problems.
Then he tests each claim. If AI brings us closer to each other, what happens when that closeness is manufactured rather than real? If it can make us more creative, what happens when it's built on other people's work, taken without payment or consent? If it can solve our biggest problems, who benefits when the technology itself is owned by a handful of companies? And if it does our thinking for us, what becomes of the expertise we spent years building?
Featuring economist Daniel Susskind, futurist Amy Webb, businesswoman Alex Mahon, New Yorker writer Kyle Chayka, writer John Lanchester, research adviser Roberta Pierfederici, musician Holly Herndon, Baroness Beeban Kidron, digital anthropologist Caia Hegel and sociologist Sherry Turkle.
A Tempo & Talker production for BBC Radio 4
42 min