Fathers And Sons

Ian McMillan, The Bard of Barnsley, has some competition in the form of his son Andrew, whose debut poetry collection won several awards.

In this three-hour special, Ian and Andrew McMillan dig through the BBC archives to explore father-son relationships, exploring masculinity, inheritance and asking how you bring up a boy. The pair reflect on their own relationship and consider the generation gap, as well as the difficulties that some men have with saying I love you.

Writer Luke Kennard joins the pair to discuss failing to live up to his father's kindness, and how to bring up boys in the 21st century.

Fathers and Sons includes an episode of Tom Wrigglesworth’s Hang-ups from 2013, while Michael Sellers reflects on life with the comic actor Peter Sellers, in 2005’s Dad Made Me Laugh.

We also hear a segment from Karl Ove Knausgård's fictionalised autobiography, A Death In The Family, as well as a snippet from Howard Cunnell’s memoir Fathers and Sons. Both were adapted for Radio 4 in 2017.

• Presenters: Ian McMillan and Andrew McMillan
• Producer: Jessica Treen
• Made for BBC Radio 4 Extra

Publicity contact: Radio 4 Publicity