The Essay

Five writers recall a night they spent somewhere out of the ordinary.Colin Thubron is the first to report back. Thirty years ago he was in a Chinese town, unknown to the rest of the world. His time here was haunted by memories of a merciless leader, whose bed he will sleep in for one night only. One night is enough though ...Producer Duncan Minshull.

In this series of essays, five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Beginning with something quite tangible, each piece unfolds to tell a story that is deeply personal and also far-reaching.Poet and writer Salena Godden talks about her relationship with her skin and a particular line from a Leonard Cohen songProduced in Bristol by Siobhan Maguire.

In this series of essays, five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Lindsay Johns looks to a black & white photo at his desk for inspiration. The picture of athletes Tommie Smith, John Carlos and Peter Norman on the Olympic podium in 1968 reveals ideas that are central to his writing. Lindsay is a writer, broadcaster and Head of Arts and Culture at Policy Exchange.

In this series of essays, five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Writer and filmmaker Xiaolu Guo remembers the lessons she learned from her father as a young girl growing up in Zhejiang province, eastern China. They have stayed with her through her adult life, guiding creative endeavours and personal development, shaping the way that she understands the world.

Five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Glyn Maxwell looks at the words on his page and thinks about whether we've all become too black and white, too binary in our digital lives. It's possible that we lost something valuable in the spectrum of grays afforded by analogue.

In this series of essays, five writers talk about what black and white evokes for them. Beginning with something quite tangible, each piece unfolds to tell a story that is deeply personal and also far-reaching.Broadcaster and GP Farrah Jarral talks about what it means to be fluent in something you don't understand. It all starts with the little sticker that decorated the covers of her teenage CD collection.

Heather Jones explores the deadly symbolism of the Howth Mauser

Nicholas Rankin explores the emergence of the deadly 'force reducer' that is the sniper

John Gallagher duels with the noisy story of guns 300 years ago

Brian DeLay reveals the life & arms deals of the most dangerous man you've never heard of

Catherine Fletcher unveils handguns' explosive Renaissance origin

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and deeply-informed exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s.5.Billy LiarKeith Waterhouse's novel about Billy Fisher was turned into a film, starring Tom Courtenay, in 1963. The story of Billy's real life in a semi somewhere in the West Riding, and his vividly imagined alternative life in Ambrosia, lived to the accompaniment of a brass band, was unlike any film that had come before, but was it tragedy or comedy? Simon Heffer ends his account of the New Wave with this highly contentious film. Producer: Beaty Rubens.

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and deeply-informed exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s. 4.This Sporting LifeSimon Heffer examines the powerful film version of how David Storey's novel about Frank Machin, a talented rugby league player, hungry for success and love.

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and passionate exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s. Having explored the stereotyping of working class characters in his previous series of Essays on British film, Simon Heffer turns his gaze upon the films written and directed by a new generation of grammar school-educated young men, whose gritty depiction of the lives of ordinary working men and women was to shock and delight the cinema-going public in the 1960s.3.The Loneliness of the Long Distance RunnerSimon Heffer examines a second Alan Sillitoe novel, this time turned into a cinematic masterpiece by Tony Richardson: the story of Colin Smith, a boy whose chance to escape borstal and, possibly, to improve his life chances, depends on his talent as a cross-country runner. Producer: Beaty Rubens.

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and deeply-informed exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s. Having explored the stereotyping of working class characters in his previous series of Essays on British film, Simon Heffer turns his gaze upon the films written and directed by a new generation of grammar school-educated young men, whose gritty depiction of the lives of ordinary working men and women was to shock and delight the cinema-going public in the 1960s.2.Saturday Night and Sunday Morning Simon Heffer reveals how Alan Sillitoe's novel was turned into a stunning film, directed by Karel Reisz, produced by Tony Richardson, and starring Albert Finney as Arthur Seaton, the anti-hero whose motto is "Don't Let the bastards grind you down". Producer: Beaty Rubens.

Simon Heffer continues his highly-authored and deeply-informed exploration of British cinema by viewing five New Wave or so-called "Kitchen Sink" films of the late 1950s and 1960s. 1.Room at the TopHaving explored the stereotyping of working class characters in his previous series of Essays on British film, Simon Heffer turns his gaze upon the films written and directed by a new generation of grammar school-educated young men, whose gritty depiction of the lives of ordinary working men and women was to shock and delight the cinema-going public. John Braine's novel, Room at the Top, was a literary sensation when it was published in 1957 and caused further shock waves when it was released as a film two years later, starring Laurence Harvey as the determined Joe Lampton, determined to marry a rich man's daughter and live in the "Top" district of town. Producer : Beaty Rubens.

Poet Alyson Hallett is drawn to chalk landscapes and the large horse at Westbury in Wilts

Novelist Sarah Moss discusses basalt and dolerite, the fire rocks that underpin castles.

Writer Paul Evans traces a family line back through Shropshire's seams of coal.

Derbyshire poet and climber Helen Mort visits Stanage Edge, famed for its millstone grit.