Seen & Unseen Aloud

This week, we slow down with Jessica Brown and consider the companionship to be found in reading with others; Henna Cundill asks whether loving our enemies (even within the political realm) can be beneficial for personal growth and Natalie Williams contemplates the extraordinary power of mercy within the workings of society

This week we take a close look at how we think: Graham Tomlin considers the different thought paradigms of Richard Dawkins and Ayaan Hirsi Ali; Simon Burton-Jones delves into the psychology of football fans and Barnabas Aspray thinks about what happens when political dialogue gives way to animal-like culture war.

This week, Yaroslav Walker argues that Democracy and Dairy just don't mix; Roger Bretherton explores the philosophy / theology of Netflix's The Three Body Problem and Jane Cacouris is moved by artist Hannah Thomas' visceral and moving portraits which offer a glimpse into suffering, and healing, souls.

This week, Bex Chapman unlock's Bridgerton's complex identity coding; Cameron Wiltshire-Plant advises his younger self not to believe in the messianic hype of politicians and Daniel Kim suggests that AI's dominance could unleash our very humanity

This week we think about leadership and humility as unlikely but essential bedfellows: Roger Bretherton exhorts us to look out for the outliers who bring something unique to the group; Graham Tomlin learns about humble leadership from Pope Francis and Elizabeth Wainwright calls out for a new style of leadership in a year of local, national and international elections.

This week we turn with Emerson Csorba to American politics - and James Baker in particular - to explore the messiness of life; we travel with John Clifton to Blackpool to find out how to make a place a home and Graeme Holdsworth asks what makes a journey into a pilgrimage?

This week we start with the infectious zeal of Simon Reeve's green agenda; we go to the Garrick Club with George Pitcher, comparing the vote for inclusion of women in its membership with the vote for ordaining women as priests in the Church of England; we close with Krish Kandiah's poignant telling of the parallel stories of Daniel Anjorin, Salman Rushdie and Bishop Mar Mari, highlighting the part words play in a world rife with knife crime.

Henna Cundill and a tutorial of students discuss the living martyrdom of marriage; George Pitcher unearths Trump & Putin's Christ complex and Graham Tomlin gives VAR a red card