Episode 2

Available for over a year

Insomnia is one of the great obsessions of our time. From Van Gogh to Dickens, Winston Churchill to Margaret Thatcher, our writers, artists, thinkers and leaders seem to have been in constant battle with sleep. But in our current 24-hour culture, insomnia, this ability to switch off, has become something of a modern obsession for us all. In this series, five night owls explore their own battles with sleeplessness, the rituals and frustrations as well as the occasional joys of being awake when the rest of the world sleeps. Today, literary critic and author John Sutherland on the rich history of insomnia in literature from Macbeth to Heathcliffe, and on the battle so many writers, including himself, seem to have with sleep. John Sutherland is Emeritus Lord Northcliffe Professor of Modern English Literature at University College, London. He is an acclaimed literary critic and the author of many award-winning memoirs and books on literary criticism. Producer: Justine Willett First broadcast in October 2011.