Main content
Small Talk
Pointless chit chat or vital social lubricant? Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright talk small talk with psychotherapist and writer Philippa Perry.
Pointless chit chat or vital social lubricant? Michael Rosen and Dr Laura Wright talk small talk with psychotherapist and writer Philippa Perry, author of 'How to Stay Sane'. Why do we bother with small talk? What are the rules of banter? And what are we really talking about when we talk about the weather?
Producer: Mair Bosworth.
Last on
Mon 3 Oct 201623:00
BBC Radio 4
Broadcasts
- Tue 27 Sep 201616:00BBC Radio 4
- Mon 3 Oct 201623:00BBC Radio 4
Seven ways to make your small talk big
Listen to Michael Rosen in conversation with The Open University
Explore the OU’s Cultural Idioms Guide
From blunk to brickfielder: our wonderful words for weather
Digital body language – how to communicate better online
Coinages that changed the world – and some that tried to...
Ittibitium, borborygmus, and Ba humbugi – 14 wonderful science words you’ve never heard of
Smiley face: Seven things you didn't know about emoji
The funny words that kids invent
Podcast
![]()
Word of Mouth
Series exploring the world of words and the ways in which we use them













