Jessica unpicks the profound role that forests play in our imaginative life. We know of course that they feature heavily in the fairy tales and myths we use to navigate life as children, and as we hear from writers like Max Porter, Richard Powers and Melissa Harrison, they also offer ways of understanding the complexities of desire, politics and history in our adult lives. Poet Carl Phillips describes how forests mirror the wilderness within us, while Jinni Reddy tells of how she found beauty in the forest through facing down her fears.

Forest sounds appear courtesy of the 'Sounds of the Forest' project

Original musical composition: Erland Cooper

Spells written by Robert Macfarlane and these are read by Maxine Peake and the Bird sisters

Photo credit: Geoff Bird Show less