

One to One
BBC Radio 4
Series of interviews in which broadcasters follow their personal passions by talking to the people whose stories interest them most
Episodes
Mentioned books

Mar 19, 2019 • 14min
Mourning – traditions in Judaism
Euella Jackson meets Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis to hear about the structured approach to mourning offered in Judaism which aims to guide the mourners through their loss and ease them back into the world beyond grief. Having a Jamaican heritage, and a tradition of mourning called Nine Nights, Euella is keen to find out what we can learn from other cultures and faiths to help us through the grieving process. Producer Sarah Blunt

Mar 12, 2019 • 14min
Mourning - Nine Nights
Euella Jackson explores how we navigate grief with fellow Jamaican Maaureesha Shaw as they discuss the tradition of nine nights - the period that is spent in mourning prior to the funeral. Do rituals help? What can we learn from the rituals and traditions of other cultures and beliefs? Producer Sarah Bunt

Mar 5, 2019 • 14min
Rachel Johnson talks to Absent Mothers: Sarah
Rachel Johnson is fascinated how mothers are often judged more harshly for their parenting choices than men. She meets Sarah, who chose to live away from her two children for some months in order to deal with her drug-taking.
This is something Rachel knows something about as her own mother left the family home during an episode of mental illness when she was a child. Rachel explores the effect of this separation on both the children and the mother.
Produced in Bristol by Sara Conkey

Feb 19, 2019 • 14min
Working Too Hard? Busy and important
The New Statesman's Helen Lewis meets Brigid Schulte from the Better Life Lab, and author of "Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time". Brigid argues that we confuse being busy with being important, and that a lot of our so-called work time is time wasted. So what's the alternative?Producer: Chris Ledgard

Feb 12, 2019 • 13min
Working Too Hard? The Gig Economy
Helen Lewis, associate editor of the New Statesman, meets Deliveroo and Uber Eats rider, Aaron Tatlow. What's it like to work for an app on your phone, when your boss is an algorithm? Some customers are very friendly, Aaron says - one man just lowers a basket for the food from his second floor window. And what about the dangers of the job, and the physical demands? Last year, Aaron cycled more than 10,000 miles delivering food to customers in York. Producer: Chris Ledgard

Feb 5, 2019 • 14min
Working too hard? The four-day week
Helen Lewis meets the distinguished economist Robert Skidelsky, who's been asked by the Shadow Chancellor to lead an inquiry into a four-day working week. Lord Skidelsky is a biographer of John Maynard Keynes, who predicted we'd be working 15 hours a week by 2030. So what has happened to the Keynesian dream? And, as he approaches his 80th birthday, why is Lord Skidelsky still working so hard?Producer: Chris Ledgard

Dec 18, 2018 • 14min
MSN Messenger
Tech journalist Jack Dearlove grew up with Microsoft Messenger. Back in the early 2000s, it was vital for teen communication. Jack is nostalgic about it, and he’s not alone. Here he speaks to software developer Jonathan Kay who has tried to keep MSN Messenger alive even after Microsoft tried to kill it off.Producer: Jolyon Jenkins

Dec 18, 2018 • 14min
The last space shuttle
In 2011, tech journalist Jack Dearlove was at university and won a competition to go to the Kennedy Space Center to "live tweet" the last American Space Shuttle. As a self-confessed space nerd, it was one of the most exciting - and emotional - days of his life. But what was it like for the astronauts on board? Here he talks to Doug Hurley, one of the four on board. Now in his fifties, Doug is still planning one last mission into space, with Elon Musk's new generation of space craft. If successful, it will allow American astronauts once again to go into space from American soil.Producer: Jolyon Jenkins

Nov 27, 2018 • 14min
Lynne Truss on travel: Walk or Pilgrimage?
In the last of three programmes exploring our experiences of travel and why we do it, Lynne Truss joins Will Parsons, co-founder of the British Pilgrimage Trust on a short pilgrimage along the Old Way in East Sussex. They begin under the ancient Yew tree in Mary and St Peter’s Church in Wilmington and walk via the Long Man and Saint Peter of Vincula in Folkington to St Andrews’ Church in Jevington. The journey offers Lynne a chance to discover what a pilgrimage is and how it differs from a walk. Aided by her pilgrim’s staff it proves to be a journey of unexpected encounters and experiences for Lynne - unnerving, calming, reflective and enjoyable. Producer Sarah Blunt

Nov 20, 2018 • 14min
Lynne Truss on travel: A year in a camper-van
In the second of three programmes about travel and why we do it, Lynne Truss talks to Jillian Moody about her experiences of travelling across the world in a campervan with her husband and three young daughters. The family bought a second-hand campervan prior to the trip which had no shower and no toilet and after a terrible first night, reality took its toll as they realised their itinerary would have to change. They were faced with many challenges en route but after 38,000 miles, there's no doubt it was a life-changing experience for Jillian. Producer Sarah Bunt.


