Arts & Ideas

From undercover field operatives to online anonymity, via lives led in the closet and large scale infidelity, Matthew Sweet discusses the what can prompt people to lead double lives.
With:
Ashleigh Percival-Borleigh, Radio 4 New Generation Thinker, former soldier and historian, researching the lives of under-cover agents during WW2
Lawrence Scott, literary critic and commentator on social media and the double lives people lead online
Peter Parker, historian of gay life in Britain before homosexuality was decriminalized, has documented decades of lives lived in the closet
Clare Carlisle, philosopher and biographer of Soren Kierkegaard, who thought there’s always a difference between our inner selves and the face we present to the world
Plus the actress Ruth Wilson, whose 2018 drama Mrs Wilson unraveled the story of her own grandfather's multiple lives
Producer: Luke Mulhall

What does the phrase 'Victorian values' conjure today? Matthew Sweet and guests explore what we have inherited from that formative era in relation to political ideas, civic culture, aesthetics, and social and sexual mores. How does our view of the Victorian age match the historical reality? And can we move beyond stereotypes of repression and the stiff upper lip?
AN Wilson, writer, biographer and historian
Gisela Stuart, Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston, crossbench peer in the House of Lords
Sarah Williams, Research Professor in the History of Christianity at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada and author of When Courage Calls: Josephine Butler and the Radical Pursuit of Justice for Women
Fern Riddell, historian and writer. Her latest book is Victoria’s Secret: The Private Passion of a Queen (2025)
And Matthew Stallard, Research Associate from the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London.
Producer: Eliane Glaser

Are we addicted to novelty? What are the cultural settings that allow innovation to flourish? And are novelty and innovation things we've always valued?
Matthew Sweet is joined by writer and entrepreneur Margaret Heffernan, Professor of Innovation Tim Minshall, and historians Agnes Arnold-Forster, and Christina Faraday.
Tim Minshall is the author of Your Life is Manufactured.
Margaret Heffernan's most recent book is Embracing Uncertainty
Agnes Arnold-Foster has written Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion
Christina Faraday is the author of The Story of Tudor Art
Nick Hilton, presenter of The Ned Ludd Radio Hour podcast
Producer: Luke Mulhall

Are you planning your summer holiday? The first Saturday in January is called Sunshine Saturday because typically more holidays are booked on that day than on any other in the year. Today, planning a trip might involve consulting AI rather than reading a travel guide or visiting a travel agent. And the trip itself is more likely to involve an airplane than a stagecoach. But it's not just the practicalities of travel that have altered over the years. Reasons for travelling have changed, so have the meanings assigned to it. Was it ever a good vehicle for self discovery?
Shahidha Bari is joined by award-winning travel journalist Mary Novakovich, TV globe trotter Bettany Hughes, historian Alun Withey, literary historian Lucy Powell and philosopher Julian Baggini.
Producer: Luke Mulhall

Is idleness ever a virtue? In a world that seems to privilege utility and productivity above all else, Matthew Sweet considers whether we can rethink the importance of doing nothing. His guests for Radio 4's late night ideas discussion programme are:
Tom Hodgkinson, editor of The Idler and author of books including Idle Thoughts: Letters on Good Living, How to Live Like a Stoic: A Handbook for Happiness
Polly Dickson, a literary scholar at the University of Durham, who’s researching the art of doodling
Katrien Devolder, Professor of Applied Ethics at the University of Oxford
Gavin Francis, doctor and author of many books including The Bridge Between Worlds and coming in Feb 2026 The Unfragile Mind, Making Sense of Mental Health
Steve Connor, cultural historian, Director of Research of the Digital Futures Institute, King’s College, London.
Producer: Luke Mulhall