Robert Macfarlane on the revelations to be found underground episode artwork

EPISODE · Mar 31, 2026 · 42 MIN

Robert Macfarlane on the revelations to be found underground

from Front Row · host BBC Radio 4

Writer Robert Macfarlane on the world underground as a new documentary, Underland, inspired by his award-winning book of the same name is released in cinemas. The film explores how mankind has often explored some of the spaces miles beneath our feet.Dancer and choreographer Meryl Tankard on creating a new work, Echoes of '78, which pairs the original dancers of a work created by German choreographer Pina Bausch with their younger selves.Singer Hak Baker and journalist Ludovic Hunter-Tilney on the evolving nature of the protest song plus a live performance from Hak of his song Windrush Baby.Translator and judge Sophie Hughes on the International Booker Prize shortlist 2026 which was announced today. The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan The Witch by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin KingArtist Glen Baxter remembered.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Ekene Akalawu

Writer Robert Macfarlane on the world underground as a new documentary, Underland, inspired by his award-winning book of the same name is released in cinemas. The film explores how mankind has often explored some of the spaces miles beneath our feet.Dancer and choreographer Meryl Tankard on creating a new work, Echoes of '78, which pairs the original dancers of a work created by German choreographer Pina Bausch with their younger selves.Singer Hak Baker and journalist Ludovic Hunter-Tilney on the evolving nature of the protest song plus a live performance from Hak of his song Windrush Baby.Translator and judge Sophie Hughes on the International Booker Prize shortlist 2026 which was announced today. The Nights Are Quiet in Tehran by Shida Bazyar, translated by Ruth Martin She Who Remains by Rene Karabash, translated by Izidora Angel The Director by Daniel Kehlmann, translated by Ross Benjamin On Earth As It Is Beneath by Ana Paula Maia, translated by Padma Viswanathan The Witch by Marie NDiaye, translated by Jordan Stump Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zǐ, translated by Lin KingArtist Glen Baxter remembered.Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Ekene Akalawu

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Robert Macfarlane on the revelations to be found underground

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Writer Robert Macfarlane on the world underground as a new documentary, Underland, inspired by his award-winning book of the same name is released in cinemas. The film explores how mankind has often explored some of the spaces miles beneath our...

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