The Essay Episodes Available now
The Entrepreneur—New Generation Thinkers, 2011
1/5 Philip Roscoe asks whether our expectations of the lone entrepreneur are unrealistic.
Dunkirk—British War Films of the 50s
Simon Heffer on one of the last and best-loved films of the post WWII era: Dunkirk.
Carve Her Name with Pride—British War Films of the 50s
Writer Simon Heffer celebrates the 1958 film Carve Her Name with Pride.
The Dam Busters—British War Films of the 50s
Simon Heffer discusses the depiction of British heroism in the film The Dam Busters.
The Colditz Story—British War Films of the 50s
Simon Heffer discusses the film The Colditz Story, which celebrated British resilience.
The Cruel Sea—British War Films of the 50s
Simon Heffer on the film The Cruel Sea, about the price of victory in World War Two.
Justin Cartwright - Christmas—The Writer's Dickens
5/5 Justin Cartwright reflects on the place that Christmas occupies in Charles Dickens's work.
Alexander McCall Smith - Episodic Writing—The Writer's Dickens
4/5 Writer Alexander McCall Smith salutes Charles Dickens's mastery of the episodic form.
AL Kennedy - No Hope of Return—The Writer's Dickens
3/5 AL Kennedy explores Dickens' literary response to the themes of poverty, misery and death.
Romesh Gunesekera - The Orphan Eye—The Writer's Dickens
2/5 Romesh Gunesekera on how Dickens addresses the move from childhood into the world beyond.
