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Capturing the nation in conversation. Fi Glover presents encounters from Wales and London and words from David Isay, who started it all.

Fi Glover presents an omnibus edition of Radio 4's series capturing the nation in conversation: in today's programme, we meet Sarah Jane and Philip, a brother and sister from Wales who talk frankly and, as only siblings can, with affection too, about the pressures and problems that Philip's period behind bars caused the family; from London Margaret and Barry, whose son Jimmy was murdered in a knife fight remember their beloved boy; and a chance to meet David Isay, the award-winning American documentary-maker who came up with the idea of these intimate conversations in the first place. He called it StoryCorps, and ten years on, it's become a US sensation; an initiative so successful that the 大象传媒 has, with David's blessing, brought it to Britain as ...The Listening Project.

The Listening Project is a new initiative for Radio 4 that aims to offer a snapshot of contemporary Britain in which people across the UK volunteer to have a conversation with someone close to them about a subject they've never discussed intimately before. The conversations are being gathered across the UK by teams of producers from local and national radio stations who facilitate each encounter. Every conversation - they're not 大象传媒 interviews, and that's an important difference - lasts up to an hour, and is then edited to extract the key moment of connection between the participants. Many of the long conversations are being archived by the British Library which they will use to build up a collection of voices capturing a unique portrait of the UK in the second decade of the millennium. You can upload your own conversations or just learn more about The Listening Project by visiting bbc.co.uk/listeningproject

Producer: Mohini Patel

(Repeat).

Available now

15 minutes

Last on

Wed 22 Aug 2012 09:30

Broadcasts

  • Sun 10 Jun 2012 14:45
  • Wed 22 Aug 2012 09:30

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.

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