Gone To Timbuktu

British writer Rob Cowen speaks about his new book, The North Road, collapsing over 7,000 years of history with the present moment on a 400-mile journey through Britain. Along the way, he encounters bones, bigotries, highwaymen and literary influences from Patrick Leigh Fermor to T.S. Eliot, while raising voices from the dead and excavating his family’s fascinating biography. 

Filmmaker Bruce Parry talks about his return to the BBC with a new three-part series named after his original breakthrough TV documentary ‘Tribe’. He explores how much there is still to learn from Indigenous peoples — and how modern living divorces us from the animism and ancestors that hold other cultures strong.

Norwegian polar explorer, author and publisher, Erling Kagge, speaks about his new book, The North Pole: The History of an Obsession. In a lively conversation, he and Sophy discuss the difference between Norwegian and British approaches to exploration and Erling reveals an unexpected parallel between legendary Norwegian explorer Fridjtof Nansen and dating app, Tinder.

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Writer Noreen Masud discusses her book, A Flat Place, delving into how level landscapes – from Pakistan to England’s Suffolk coast — can echo the psychology of complex trauma.

James Rebanks, a farmer and Sunday Times-bestselling writer from the Lake District, discusses his new book, The Place of Tides, revealing a moving story of courage and determination on a remote Norwegian island.  

Jeff Young, a Liverpudlian writer for screen, stage and radio, discusses his recent book, Wild Twin, and paints a moving portrait of memories gained and lost. He highlights the vibrant influence of a host of artistic and musical giants, from Joseph Cornell to David Bowie and Werner Herzog.

The American novelist and travel writer Paul Theroux discusses his latest book, Burma Sahib — and describes a life spent on the move from Myanmar, to Malawi, to Mexico. He unpicks the evolution of travel writing, his friendship with Bruce Chatwin, and how age has changed his work.

Sophy Roberts in conversation with author and journalist Jon Lee Anderson about his life of reportage, from Central America to Liberia to singing to reindeer in Alaska.

Author Laura Beatty discusses her book, Looking for Theophrastus, delving into Greece, the interconnectedness of space and time, the concept of wonder, and why we should care about someone who lived 2,400 years ago. 

Leon McCarron discusses his epic source-to-sea river journey through Turkey, Syria and Iraq. He unravels what deep history, beauty and ecological collapse really look like on the River Tigris.