麻豆社

Playwright and critic Bonnie Greer was a frequent panellist on programmes such as Newsnight and Question Time where she took part in one of its most contentious episodes. Kirsty spoke to Judith Antell who was Bonnie's agent and friend for over 20 years. They discuss how Bonnie's father being stationed in the UK during World War 2 shaped her view on the country; the surprising backlash Bonnie faced after appearing on a 2009 edition of Question Time with the then leader of the British National Party, they also discuss the project Bonnie was most proud of in her later career.

Jeremy Thomas was a film producer whose 80 plus films ranged from the Oscar Award-winning The Last Emperor to the hugely controversial 'Crash'. He also produced wartime drama Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, the gangster thriller Sexy Beast and the adaptation of William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch. Mark Cousins wrote and directed 鈥淭he Storms of Jeremy Thomas鈥� which documented his eclectic career. He tells Kirsty how through his films Jeremy "wanted to dig deeper into human life, his films are about the biggest questions". (Please note: In the introduction to this item we incorrectly stated that Mark was the producer of 'The Storms of Jeremy Thomas'. Mark was the writer and director.)

Wendell Berry, the Kentucky farmer and environmental campaigner who warned for many years of the excesses of industrial society. As a writer, he published hundreds of essays, poems and more than forty books. Wendell argued for most of his life that small-scale agriculture was essential to the preservation of the land and culture. Writer Paul Kingsnorth has been reading Wendell's work since the 90s and recently worked with him to compile a series of his essays into a book. He discusses Wendell's philosophy to farming, the environment, the wider community and how they are all intrinsically linked together. Wendell famously never owned a computer and only wrote with a pencil, which presented challenges, and unexpected joys, for Paul when editing the book.

Frances Stonor Saunders was a historian who exposed secret CIA attempts to manipulate public opinion through popular culture during the cold war. Her 1999 book 'Who Paid the Piper' was hugely successful and groundbreaking in its work. It was said that it "single-handedly established a new branch of sub-history" and is to be republished in 2026. Frances' brother Alexander Stonor Saunders explains how she was able to uncover the range of CIA activities, they included the production of an animated version of George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Presenter: Kirsty Lang
Producer: Ed Prendeville
Assistant Producer: Ribika Moktan
Researcher: Jesse Edwards

ARCHIVE:
Conversation Piece, 麻豆社 Radio 4, 01/12/1988; Start the Week, 麻豆社 Radio 4, 28/06/1999; The Food Programme, 麻豆社 Radio 4, 25/08/2002; Fast Food Nation, 麻豆社 Film Network, 03/05/2007; Question Time, 麻豆社 One, 22/10/2009; Front Row, 麻豆社 Radio 4, 09/12/2010; Belief, 麻豆社 Radio 4, 31/12/2010; GMT, 麻豆社 News / World News, 21/11/2011; The Film Programme, 麻豆社 Radio 4, 16/10/2014; My Food Hero: Ella McSweeney Meets Wendell Berry, 麻豆社 Radio 4, 24/08/2015; Front Row, 麻豆社 Radio 4, 29/07/2024; Era of Reclamation (Ep. 1: In Search of Black History), British Museum