Illuminated

BBC Radio 4

Illuminated is BBC Radio 4's home for creative and surprising one-off documentaries that shed light on hidden worlds.

Welcome to a place of audio beauty and joy, with emotion and human experience at its heart. The programmes you will find in this feed explore the reality of contemporary Britain and the world, venturing into its weirdest and most wonderful aspects.

This is a chance to meet voices that are not normally heard, open secret doors into concealed chambers and, above all, be transported by the art and inventiveness of the very best programme makers. Just press the switch.

New episodes are available weekly on Sunday evenings. Subscribe on BBC Sounds to make sure you don't miss an episode.

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21 episodes
weekly
Avg 28 min
English

Episodes 21

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August 23 · 28 min
Ringing the Bullring
Arguably best in the world, will Birmingham win the 2026 12-Bell Striking Contest?
August 16 · 28 min
The Grand North Atlantic Home Video Archive
Séamas O'Reilly unravels the mystery of his father's unusual film archive.
August 9 · 28 min
James Hutton and The Restless Earth
Plunge into the abyss of deep geological time with Karine Polwart.
August 2 · 28 min
Precious Stones
A journey through stone, memory, and the traces we leave behind.
July 26 · 28 min
Unreliable Narrator
After a violent assault left him with no memory, Stephen McAll pieces together his story.
July 19 · 28 min
A Most Magickal Encounter
In which one Dee has a most magical encounter with another.
July 12 · 29 min
Dear Gilbert, Dear Gordon
Olly Alexander reads from letters about the experience of gay men in wartime Britain.
July 5 · 29 min
Later Life Letter
A love letter to one of the most important letters anyone can receive
June 28 · 28 min
July Morning
We await sunrise at Bulgaria’s July Morning festival – named after a British rock song.
June 21 · 28 min
If We Can Walk Together
Two men scarred by conflict unite to champion peace across the Israeli-Palestinian divide.
June 14 · 28 min
A Body of Water
What pulls so many of us to rivers and oceans at moments of rupture or change?
June 7 · 28 min
The House in the Hole
Why did a County Durham killer come to be seen by some as a folk hero?
May 31 · 28 min
Voices from the Beach
Chance encounters and unexpected conversations on the beach with poet Saili Katebe.
May 24 · 28 min
My Sister’s Daughter
Love by other means. A kinship care story.
May 17 · 28 min
Tarot and the Art of Creativity
What will the tarot cards reveal for creatives Ben Okri, Lola Kirke and Jessica Knappett?
May 3 · 28 min
Strong Women
World champion Strongwomen redefine power and what it really means to be strong.
April 26 · 28 min
Me, Myself and the MRI
A hospital visit, going inside a MRI scanner - that talks back.
April 19 · 29 min
Andy Mycock: Named, Unashamed
Reflections on life with a terrible surname.
April 12 · 28 min
Journey through a cow
Join a farmer, a cheesemaker, a philosopher and a scientist on a guided tour through a cow
March 27 · 28 min
Harrier Angels
Robert Macfarlane on C16th carvings of angels based on the wings of hen and marsh harriers

Showing 1–20 of 21 episodes