The Essay

Radio 3 presenter Tom Service celebrates a composer whose music has particularly inspired him - Arnold Bax, whose music reflects his love of the remarkable landscape of northwest Scotland, where Tom spent his childhood summer holidays.

Radio 3 presenter Sarah Walker celebrates a composer whose music has particularly inspired her: 'English Experimentalist' John White - who, as well as being a dedicated opponent of "seriosity" in classical music, is the spitting image of Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson.This is the first of five editions of The Essay in which Radio 3 classical music presenters celebrate lesser-known composers whose 'secret admirers' they are. Coming up from Tuesday to Friday: Tom Service on Arnold Bax Lucie Skeaping on Thomas Ravenscroft Martin Handley on Malcolm Arnold Sara Mohr-Pietsch on Hildegard of Bingen.

A series of five essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day 10th March and tackle the past, present and future of this unique international organisation.Tolu Ogunlesi, poet and author from Nigeria looks at whether young people in Lagos can relate to the Commonwealth.

A series of five essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day 10th March and tackle the past, present and future of this unique international organisation.Farah Ghuznavi from Bangladesh has been Writer in Residence for Commonwealth Writers. She saw the Commonwealth as an irrelevance in her early life. Here she explains what changed her mind.

A series of five essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day, 10th March, and tackle the past, present and future of this unique international organisation.Author Noah Richler writes from a Canadian perspective. The Queen still appears on the bank notes of Canada as she is the head of state. The role is largely ceremonial, so why the need for ties like the Commonwealth in such an advanced country?

A series of five essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day, 10th March, and tackle the past, present and future of this unique international organisation.Fakir Aijazuddin, author and historian from Lahore, comments on Pakistan's chequered relationship with the Commonwealth. He reflects on his own dealings with what he describes as a typically British invention, the 'gentleman's club'.

The first of five Essays from writers around the Commonwealth which start on Commonwealth Day, 10th March, and scrutinise the destiny of this unique international body.Dr Sue Onslow of the School of Advanced Studies, University of London looks at the history of the Commonwealth and its web of committees and forums. She asks whether they have made a difference in world politics in the past and whether the organisation has a future.

The Islamic Golden Age (c. 750-1258 CE) rediscovered through portraits of key figures and events. In tonight's essay, award-winning writer Kamila Shamsie looks at the life of Lubna of Cordoba. She leaves traces in fragments of records: one says she was the royal library acquisitions expert, another suggests she was private secretary to al-Hakam II. What's not in doubt is that she had a fine and piercing intellect and moved in some of the most interesting circles of the day.Producer: Sarah Taylor.

Radio 3 continues its twenty-part series looking at the five-hundred-year period, the Islamic Golden Age. We've heard about some of the great architects, philosophers, scientists and leaders of the period. In this evening's essay, Narguess Farzad explores the life and work of the Persian poet, Al-Rumi.Producer: Mohini Patel.

'Men grieved for him as they grieve for prophets. I have seen no other ruler for whose death the people mourned, for he was loved by good and bad, Muslim and unbeliever alike.' 'Abd al-Latif, 1193Historian Jonathan Phillips reassesses the influence of 12th-century hero Saladin - a man whose legacy has been admired and appropriated by an extraordinary range of people through the ages. In the past few years he's been the subject of a ballet in Damascus, a musical in Lebanon and he's seen in a children's cartoon (on al-Jazeera TV) where his morality and good character are used as an exemplar for young people to emulate.Given his role in defeating and removing Western invaders, his legacy has immense symbolism in the Middle East. Arab Nationalist leaders such as Nasser of Egypt, Saddam Hussein, and the Assad dynasty in Syria have all embraced his achievement. Yet he appeals to Islamists too: Osama bin Laden praised Saladin's wisdom and his use of the jihad to succeed in defeating the West; to the head of the CIA unit hunting bin Laden, his opponent's personal piety, generosity and sharing of hardships with his men meant 'he is an Islamic hero, as the faith's ideal type, and almost as a modern-day Saladin'.Jonathan questions why Saladin has maintained such an incredibly broad appeal down the centuries.Producer: Mohini Patel.