Short Cuts

Blue skies, a rainbow of strangers and lipstick shades weave through today's short documentaries about colour. Josie Long explores how it affects the way we experience the world. Blue Featuring Laura Barton Lipstick Featuring Davia Nelson Produced by Benjamen Walker I Know Light Now Featuring Vanessa Potter Produced by Leila Hussain Ring a Rainbow Produced by Dennis Funk Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

From an island which resists invasion to a beloved city in which you can't be free - Josie Long presents a series of short documentaries where the landscape becomes a character. Ribbon Gums Produced by Sophie Townsend Resistance Featuring Lars Christian Kofoed Romer and Viola Produced by Rikke Houd Mosul Eye Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Love lost and found, a lingering goodbye and the after image of a loved one - Josie Long presents stories of holding on. From the echoes of a partner that linger after their death to an extraordinary tale of love regained after fifty years apart. Her Name Was Jean Featuring Dennis Vinar, Karen Lehmann Vinar and Jean Voxland Produced by Andrea Rangecroft The Awkward Goodbye Produced by Duncan Cowles After Image Featuring Dr Jacqueline Hayes Produced by Edward Lawrenson Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

A two-decade long commitment to writing a new Christmas standard, an Icelandic documentary fairytale and the comedian Mark Thomas feature in Josie Long's festive documentary special. The Night Before the Night Before Christmas Featuring Seymour Sarnoff Song performed by Jennifer Sheehan, arranged by Peter Millrose and written by Seymour Sarnoff Produced by Alex Lewis Solla Decorates for Christmas Produced by Rikke Houd Dad's Christmas Featuring Mark Thomas Produced by Sarah Cuddon Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long explores the way our collections and accidental archives define us. Diving into a head full of palindromes, love letters, artistic accidents and family recipes. Featuring the writer Nikesh Shukla, the illustrator Ralph Steadman, love letter writer extraordinaire Janet Gallin, and Martin Clear, the winner of the World Palindrome Championship. Janet Gallin Interview by Lina Misitzis Originally broadcast in The Heart episode Love Letters produced by Kaitlin Prest http://www.theheartradio.org/audio-smut/loveletters Ralph Steadman: Better than Being in a Tent Featuring Ralph Steadman Produced by Leo Hornak Yoko Is Not a Palindrome Featuring Martin Clear Produced by Miyuki Jokiranta Family Recipe Featuring Nikesh Shukla Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Falling from a great height and last words across a telephone line - Josie Long hears stories of relationships stretched across space. From the crossover between skydiving, Soren Kierkegaard and falling in love, to the final words uttered into the ear of a loved one on another continent. Rafadan Yumurta Produced by Phil Smith On Top Produced by Maria Donvang Alfred and Katie Featuring Dr Alfred Aidoo and Katie Stakolich Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long hears stories from within hidden worlds - a doctor living in quarantine, the founder of a time travellers convention and a radio DJ offering a lifeline to prisoners. On The Inside Featuring Bruce Aitken Produced by Eliza Lomas The Time Traveller's Convention Produced by Jeff Emtman Originally made for KCRW's Here Be Monsters Music by The Black Spot https://www.hbmpodcast.com Quarantine Featuring Dr Adaora Okoli Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long hears stories spell craft, poetry and art coming to life. What can a poet learn from a consultant sorcerer? Ross Sutherland explores the poetic possibilities of spell craft. A fragment of Sappho's poetic longing is unpicked alongside a reading by Anne Carson. And at night, in a gallery, art springs to life. Incantations Featuring Ross Sutherland and Dr Alexander Cummins After Fragment 31 Featuring Anne Carson and Jennifer Metsker Produced by Stephanie Rowden and Jennifer Metsker Nocturne Produced by Neville Edwards and Cathy FitzGerald On behalf of Antenna International for The National Gallery, London Original poetry by Jacob Sam-La Rose and Aoife Mannix Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long hears stories which come out of nowhere. A story of creation, time and disappearance; a writer takes a precarious drive down an icy road imagining the dive into nothing at the edge of her vision, and the unexpected kindness of a stranger pulls a man back from the brink. Thin Air Feat. Laura Barton The Water Produced by Rikke Houd Originally broadcast on CBC's Love Me http://www.cbc.ca/radio/loveme/the-island-and-the-sea-1.4234588 The Kindness of Strangers Produced by Claire Crofton Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

What can we learn from the humanity of others? From seeing ourselves reflected in someone else? Josie Long presents stories of role models. "You know, vampires have no reflections in a mirror? There's this idea that monsters don't have reflections in a mirror. And what I've always thought isn't that monsters don't have reflections in a mirror. It's that if you want to make a human being into a monster, deny them, at the cultural level, any reflection of themselves... Part of what inspired me, was this deep desire that before I died, I would make a couple of mirrors. That I would make some mirrors so that kids like me might see themselves reflected back and might not feel so monstrous for it." - Junot Diaz Water Fleas Featuring Akira Sakata Produced by Phil Smith Mirrors Featuring Nikesh Shukla Nadia Produced by Sophie Townsend Intolerants Not Welcome Featuring Mark Thompson Produced by Alan Hall Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Secret languages, loving acts of translation and musical instruments with an unrecognised power - Josie Long presents new documentaries about translation. From the man who introduced a poet to Iran through a tender act of love for his father, to a debate about breaching the peace. The Stash Featuring Lou Savelli Music by the Cabinet of Living Cinema Produced by Sarah Cuddon Be Myself Featuring Joe Benjamin Produced by Tayo Popoola Days of Razors, Nights Full of Rats Featuring Sahand and Ali Sahebdivani Produced by Maartje Duin Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Escape artists, losing control of your body and losing yourself in water - Josie Long takes a twilight stroll across Hampstead Heath while she presents stories of movement. Pond Featuring Jessica J Lee Movement Featuring Ian Waterman Produced by Rachel Simpson Original interview recorded for the Empathy Museum Lake Featuring Jessica J Lee Einstein Produced by Rikke Houd Sea Featuring Jessica J Lee Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

A disembodied voice, digital ghosts and the contraptions we build that alter our humanity - Josie Long presents new short documentaries about machines. We hear from the voice of Siri in the UK about losing control of what you say. Also - the story of a digital version of yourself outliving you and our relationship to the tools we build and the scars they leave. Daniel Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Replika Produced by Charles Maynes and Mika Golubovsky 15 Years Produced by Shereen Ashman, Michelle Macklem and Daniel Guillemette Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long hears stories of heartbreak. Difficult love, women encoded in music and rebuilding yourself after you've been broken. Laura Barton offers a tender exploration of complex, enduring love, Natalie Kestecher rebuilds herself after a sudden shock and we dive into the sound of heartache. Tough Love Featuring Laura Barton Twenty-Three Produced by Alan Hall Kintsugi Dog Produced by Natalie Kestecher Mix by Steven Tilley Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long hears stories of duets, the perfect conversational dance and gatecrashing honeymoons. She also talks to the other half of her long-running comedy partnership - Robin Ince. The poet John Osborne delves into late night radio phone in conversations, the artist Duncan Speakman invites the listener to engage in a duet and Phil Smith intrudes on a romantic moment. Towards Produced by Phil Smith A Duet for Here and There Written and produced by Duncan Speakman With conceptual development by Tineke De Meyer Late Night Radio Phone In Written by John Osborne Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

A memory caught in a childhood drawing and a repeat encounter which offers hope at a point of despair - Josie Long explores the afterimage left by moments that touch us. We hear from Sion Jair who climbs mountains as a way to cope with disappearing memories. Sophie Townsend finds an image from her daughter's childhood, which captures a difficult moment from their past. And Dylan Park, five years after his first deployment to Iraq, finds an unexpected reminder of his first tour in Arizona. Brahim Featuring Dylan Park Mr Fix-It Produced by Sophie Townsend Mountains Featuring Sion Jair Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long hears stories of bearing witness - from glimpsing the moment a parent changes to escaping a violent storm. Witness Featuring Lois Gibson Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Tornado Featuring David Walker, Lindsay Martindale and Tobey Walker Produced by Ibby Caputo Music SFX from theming, digifishmusic, wjoojoo, davethetech, fridobeck, InspectorJ and Robinhood76 Scaffold Featuring Mark Thomas Produced by Sarah Cuddon Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Josie Long hears stories of our desire to pause - from dismantling a house which seems stopped in time to the difficulties of watching your child grow up. The House by the Creek Produced by Sophie Townsend Pony Produced by Ibby Caputo Private Black Motherhood and Public White Protest Originally made for the Hope Chest podcast https://stacialbrown.com/tag/hope-chest-podcast/ Produced by Stacia Brown Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Defiantly staring down neo-Nazis, unwanted family portraits and a photographer searching for his subject years later - Josie Long presents new short documentaries inspired by images. (Photo credit: Nathan Edwards/News Corp Australia) Woman in the Photo Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Resistance Featuring Tess Asplund Produced by Andrea Rangecroft Family Portrait Featuring Chimene Suleyman and Recep Süleyman Şehitoğlu Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.

Personality tests, tests of character and knowing how to cheat. Josie Long presents stories of people testing their mettle. The writers Ross Sutherland and Joe Dunthorne examine the Sutherland-Dunthorne luck index to see why one's success seems to mean the other's failure. James Acaster embarks on a quest in search of connection and oversized novelty letters, and we hear the story of two men who knew how to deceive the people examining them. The Wow Scenario Featuring James Acaster Project Alpha Featuring Mike Edwards Produced by Claire Crofton The Sutherland-Dunthorne Inverse Proportional Luck Index Featuring Joe Dunthorne and Ross Sutherland Series Producer: Eleanor McDowall A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4.