From reports of massacres and atrocities including beheadings in the Middle East to Ebola in West Africa the news has been full of horrific images. But such images and stories of despair and devastation hold our attention. And contemporary culture is saturated with violent imagery, from crime fiction to horror films. So what lies behind our fascination with the dark needs of our fellow men, both real and imagined: sensation, catharsis, the opportunity to sharpen our moral instincts - or something altogether darker?

Presenter: Jay Rayner
Producer: Ruth Watts
Interviewed guest: Val McDermid
Interviewed guest: Stewart Purvis
Interviewed guest: Adnan Sarwar
Interviewed guest: Cleo Van Velsen. Show less