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

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.

An Omnibus edition of the first five of ten episodes

1. Lancelot and Lady Phelot in Thomas Malory’s Morte D’Arthur: Dr Hetta Howes from City, University of London
2. Beatrice and Benedick in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing: Dr Will Tosh from The Globe Theatre
3. Adam and Eve in Milton’s Paradise Lost: Dr Joe Moshenska from the University of Oxford
4. Pamela and Mr B in Samuel Richardson’s Pamela: Dr Rebecca Bullard from the University of Reading
5. Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice: Professor John Mullan from University College, London

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