Sunday Feature: The Silence Of My Pain

Part of the BBC's focus on disability in November, marking the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act.

For 15 years, Radio 3 presenter and musician Hannah French has lived with chronic pain in her leg, stemming from a genetic condition called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It’s an ever-present feature of her life but despite talking about music on the radio, she shies away from using it to help manage the pain. Could this all change? Art has the ability to conjure the agonies of pain of all sorts, but it’s hugely subjective. Theatre Director Rachel Bagshaw leads Hannah into a world in which she’s channelled pain into a creative space, and at Goldsmiths University of London, Professor Joydeep Bhattacharya helps her to explore the medical science behind the phenomenon of Fascination - in which painful sensations might be suppressed long enough to give a performance.

Producer: Les Pratt

A BBC Radio 3 Production Manchester

Publicity contact: BBC Radio 3 Publicity