Use BBC.com or the new BBC App to listen to BBC podcasts, Radio 4 and the World Service outside the UK.

Find out how to listen to other BBC stations

Artworks

Imaginative documentaries about culture and the arts from BBC Radio 4. Explore creativity from Michelangelo to Manga, and Beethoven to Beyoncé. Available only on BBC Sounds.

Radio 4,88 episodes

Episodes

ListGrid

Poems on the Underground
A programme to mark the 40th anniversary of London's Poems on the Underground scheme.
06 Jan 2026,29 mins
The Poetry Detective
Are the Kids Alright?
Vanessa Kisuule unearths the poems that speak to the big issues we're all grappling with.
30 Dec 2025,28 mins
The Poetry Detective
Overwintering
Vanessa Kisuule unearths the poems that offer us insight into the issues that ail us most.
23 Dec 2025,28 mins
The Poetry Detective
Doomscrolling
Vanessa Kisuule unearths poems that offer us insight into the issues that ail us most.
09 Dec 2025,28 mins
The Poetry Detective
Wedding Poems
Vanessa Kisuule investigates the best and worst of wedding poetry.
05 Nov 2024,28 mins
The Poetry Detective
The Angry Penguins Hoax
Vanessa Kisuule explores the incredible story of one of Australia's most celebrated poets
29 Oct 2024,28 mins
The Poetry Detective
Not in Love Poems
Stories of the poems that go with us through life. With Vanessa Kisuule.
11 Dec 2022,28 mins
The Poetry Detective
Poems for Turbulent Times
Stories of the poems that go with us through life. With Vanessa Kisuule.
04 Dec 2022,28 mins
The Poetry Detective
The Secret of the Rocks
Stories of the poems that go with us through life. With Vanessa Kisuule.
27 Nov 2022,28 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
David Baddiel on the invention of the modern novel
Writers and thinkers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. First, David Baddiel.
15 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Katherine Rundell on Austen's teenage writings
Well-known writers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Katherine Rundell
15 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Val McDermid on suspense and psychology in Northanger Abbey
Writers and thinkers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Val McDermid.
16 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Kate Atkinson on morals, meaning and Mansfield Park
Writers and thinkers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Kate Atkinson.
16 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Andrew Davies on Darcy, Darwin and Desire
Writers and thinkers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Andrew Davies
17 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Amy Heckerling on confidence, Clueless and Emma
Writers and thinkers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Amy Heckerling.
17 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Gurinder Chadha on class, cleverness and Pride and Prejudice
Writers and artists tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Gurinder Chadha.
18 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Marlon James on villains and Georgians
Writers and thinkers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Marlon James.
18 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Colm Tóibín on Persuasion, the Navy, and a special letter
Writers and thinkers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Colm Tóibín.
19 Dec 2025,14 mins
When I Met Jane Austen
Philippa Perry on Austen's psychology, letters and last days
Writers and thinkers tell Dr Paula Byrne when they met Jane Austen. Today, Philippa Perry.
19 Dec 2025,14 mins
Do You Call That Singing?
Why do many great singers speak their songs? Adrian Goldberg on the power of sprechgesang.
02 Dec 2025,29 mins
Omid's Tapes: The Afghan Memory Keeper
Afghan-American archivist Omid races to save rare Afghan cassettes from the Taliban.
25 Nov 2025,29 mins
Okay Computer? Music in the Age of AI
Famed producer Giles Martin wades into the murky waters of AI in music.
18 Nov 2025,28 mins
Unesco: From Cultural Diplomacy to Culture Wars
What does the United Nations cultural body tell us about the value of soft power today?
11 Nov 2025,29 mins
Painting with Scissors
The revolutionary history of collage. How cut and paste shaped 20th-century culture.
04 Nov 2025,29 mins
Queen Victoria's Nightmares
Presented by Matthew Sweet. A new discovery about the unconscious mind of Queen Victoria.
28 Oct 2025,29 mins
When Kevin Met Sadie
Chris Page explores the influence of Joan Lingard’s Kevin & Sadie novels on young readers.
21 Oct 2025,28 mins
Who is the Door-to-Door Poet?
Spend the day with the world’s first door-knocking poet.
14 Oct 2025,28 mins
Ways of Not Seeing
Exploring how blind approaches to art description bring galleries to life for everyone.
07 Oct 2025,29 mins
For FUZZ Sake
John Robb explores how the sound of fuzz changed the world.
30 Sep 2025,28 mins
Iris Barry, First Lady of Film
Delve into the world of Iris Barry – pioneering film critic, curator and preservationist.
23 Sep 2025,27 mins