The Essay

Writer and scholar Lauren Elkin describes the very particular grey of a rainy Paris in the time of year that the French revolutionary government called Pluviôse, the month of rain. She talks about the way a particular quality of grey sheen was captured by the French Impressionists, and with it a sense of melancholy. It's a vision that recurs in art and film, from Gustave Caillebotte's 1877 Paris Street, Rainy Day, to the recent Christophe Honore film, Les Chansons d'Amour. Elkin describes the latter as appearing to have been shot through a very realistic grey-green "Paris in the rain" filter, which gives it a power and mood rooted in its setting.

In the third of her curated series of essays about the way rain is experienced across the globe, Nandini Das introduces the Australian poet and environmentalist Mark O'Connor. Mark explores the uniquely Australian experiences of rain, which include the vivid smell of it. The word petrichor was coined by Australian scientists to try and capture the odour of rain on arid lands, but there's more than just petrichor in the air, and there's also great variety in the ways in which different parts of Australia experience rain, from the flash downpours and run-offs in the so-called 'Top End', to the agonising expectation of the farms in the south and the exultant rain chorus of Queensland frogs.

When the rains of the fifth month, samidare, arrive in Japan it seems they'll never stop. In the second of Nandini Das's curated series of essays on rain and the way it's experienced across the globe, she invites art historian Timon Screech to introduce us to the rains of Japan where he now lives.The rains that flood country and city alike are also known as the plum rains, plumping up the fruit in time for the later ripening and harvest. He talks about rain depicted in Japanese literature, particularly the Haiku, in which the sound of rain is experienced in terms of taste - the bitterness of the plum rains. And we discover the significance and symbolism of the umbrella in Japanese culture and art, including their place in nightmare imagery.

Nandini Das, Professor of Early Modern Literature and Culture at Oxford, brings us stories and personal experiences of rain and the way it informs and combines with different cultures across the globe. Each of the five essays takes a particular sense and location as focus, beginning with Nandini's native India and the sound of rainfall. She recalls the deafening, thundering rains of the monsoon season in Kolkata, and the language that captured its power. She recalls how the inherited myths and stories of India have always been informed by the uneasy balance of the country's rain and searing heat. And she recounts the musical dramas in which raags are used to call the rains and Bengali nursery rhymes carry its sound, 'brishti porey tupur tapur' (pitter-patter falls the rain).

Legendary broadcaster James Burke reveals unexpected connections between his twin passions of science and classical music. In this final essay he leads us, via steam engines, precision instruments, waterworks and iron coffins, to the modern orchestra.

Legendary broadcaster James Burke reveals unexpected connections between his twin passions of science and classical music. Today's essay ranges from Carolina pine trees, chintz, bowler hats and skyscrapers - and ends on the ivories.

Legendary broadcaster James Burke reveals unexpected connections between his twin passions of science and classical music. Today’s essay includes Italian electricity, a German baron and his séances, French carpet-making and your fridge. All on the way to the compositions of Claude Debussy.

Legendary broadcaster James Burke reveals unexpected connections between his twin passions of science and classical music. In this essay he links planetary orbits, new kinds of arithmetic, the teeny-weeny, and of course fake Scottish literature arriving naturally enough at the Romantic movement.

Legendary broadcaster James Burke reveals unexpected connections between his twin passions of science and classical music. In this first exploration he brings together such arcane stuff as organisms that might not exist, Newton and colour, French encyclopedias and a freemason’s opera.

Geoffrey Colman invites us to join him on a walk through a day as an acting coach.Geoffrey is an acting coach, educator, broadcaster and former professor of acting at the Royal Central School of Speech of Drama, and in this series of Essays he takes listeners inside the rehearsal rooms and onto the stages of his professional life to address key questions about acting.In this final Essay, Geoffrey describes a series of interactions inside the world of acting - a pop star trying to get in to the business, an actor trying to perfect a role, a stage star who keeps getting stuck on a particular line, and an out of work actor who's obviously struggling. As he does, he brings together all the ideas from this series of Essays, to present a picture of acting and the acting industry today.Producer: Giles Edwards