Dr Patrick French has an imagined conversation with the late writer Doris Lessing. French, who is Professor for the Public Understanding of the Humanities at Ahmedabad University, is currently writing her authorised biography and draws on his exclusive access to her diaries.

Series Background:
In 1991 Natalie Cole sang a duet with her long dead father, Nat King Cole. The result was Unforgettable. This is the radio equivalent. Producer Adam Fowler facilitates a real-time conversation between the two participants, using conversational snippets of the deceased from archive recordings. The guest has no advance knowledge of the excerpts, and the conversation can take unexpected turns.

Other pairings in the series include Victoria Wood in conversation with TV director Geoff Posner who directed her in classic comedies such as Dinner Ladies, Anita Roddick with her daughter Samantha Roddick, psychiatrist RD Laing with his son Adrian Laing, and Professor Stuart Hall with filmmaker and artist Isaac Julien.

Assistant Producer: Philippa Geering
Producer: Adam Fowler
An Overtone production for BBC Radio 4. Show less