Laura Wade eavesdrops on conversations between men and women from the past to examine some of today's thorniest gender issues

5. Professor John Mullan from University College London decodes Darcy's proposal and Elizabeth's refusal in Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and considers contemporary expectations of marriage

Recent high profile campaigns around thorny subjects such as sexual consent, harassment and assault, the pay gap and power imbalances between men and women have encouraged many of us to re-examine everyday gender relations. In ten programmes covering the last 500 years, Laura Wade eavesdrops on literary encounters between men and women to explore some of today’s most pressing issues.

Readings by real-life couple Adrian Lester and Lolita Chakrabarti

Laura Wade is an Olivier award-winning playwright - author of “Posh" “Home, I’m Darling” and a recent adaptation of Jane Austen's The Watsons

Producer; Beaty Rubens Show less