Main content

Walking the Tightrope

Capturing the nation in conversation, in partnership with the British Library, to build a unique picture of our lives today. Presented by Fi Glover.

Fi Glover presents friends, relatives and strangers in conversation.

This week: Veteran comic Chris and new stand-up Katie swap advice and opinions on negotiating the comedy circuit; Jane, mother of five, and Nicola, who has two sons, share their experiences of bringing up young boys to respect young girls; following their mums’ chat, Jane’s daughter, Mairi, and Nicola’s son, Karl, debate the lessons they’ve learnt growing-up; and Fi talks to Jonnie Robinson, the man in charge of The Listening Project archive at the British Library, about 10 years of capturing the nation in conversation.

The Listening Project is a Radio 4 initiative that offers a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moments of connection between the participants. Most of the unedited conversations are being archived by the British Library and used to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in this decade of the millennium. You can learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Jane Wilkinson

Available now

28 minutes

Last on

Sun 15 May 2022 13:30

Broadcast

  • Sun 15 May 2022 13:30

Animated conversations

Listening project conversations brought to life by talented young animators.

Fi Glover and Jane Garvey

Fi Glover and Jane Garvey roam the fields of broadcasting talking to interesting people.

Find a conversation

Broadcast across Radio 4 and on local radio stations across the UK and Northern Ireland.

Podcast