Anne McElvoy looks back to the Victorian age with Simon Heffer who argues it laid the foundations for modern society, from the evolution of British democracy, to new attitudes to education, religion and science. Professor of British Government, Anthony King, considers if the blunders of today's parliamentarians has anything on the antics of Gladstone and Disraeli. But the writer DJ Taylor believes it's the era's novels which have left a lasting impression. And the curator Sonia Solicari has created a miscellany of curiosities in her exhibition of contemporary artists influenced and inspired by Victoriana.Producer: Katy Hickman.

Stephanie Flanders talks to the Canadian poet Anne Carson about updating a three thousand year old myth, in which the red winged monster becomes a moody teenage boy. Daljit Nagra takes inspiration from poets across Asia for his own version of the ancient text, Ramayana. The sins of the father are revisited in Richard Eyre's version of Ibsen's Ghosts. And Celtic Europe is the setting for Graham Robb's latest journey, as he uncovers a lost map which reveals hidden meanings in an ancient civilisation.Producer: Katy Hickman.

On Start the Week Stephanie Flanders considers the impact of new technology on 'digital natives', a generation who have never known life without facebook and smartphones. Beeban Kidron's new film explores the lives of teenagers and the corporations that influence and manipulate their online lives for profit. The entrepreneur Jamal Edwards started filming his friends rapping when he was just 15, he's used the web to become a multi-million pound CEO. The academic Farida Vis researches the invisible algorithms that pervade the internet. And Adrian Hon attempts to predict the future - both human and technological - using the objects around us.Producer: Katy Hickman.

As Start the Week returns to Radio 4, Tom Sutcliffe talks to Margaret Atwood about her vision of the future. In the last of a trilogy of dystopian novels, Atwood charts the fortunes of a group of survivors after a man-made plague has devastated the world. There's more man-made corruption and savagery in Vicky Featherstone's first production as the new Artistic Director of the Royal Court Theatre: The Ritual Slaughter of Gorge Mastromas is a dark morality tale. But the philosopher A C Grayling goes back to the Greeks to explore the best of humanity - friendship.Producer: Katy Hickman.

On Start the Week Sue MacGregor asks what happens when the world's population reaches ten billion. The computer scientist, Stephen Emmott argues that time is running out for humanity unless we radically change our behaviour, but the geographer Danny Dorling believes that we should be preparing for the inevitable population decline. Jill Rutter explores the impact of differing scientific advice on politics, and the complexity of evidence-based policy. And with India's population set to exceed that of China, the Nobel prize-winning economist Amartya Sen lambasts political inaction in raising standards for the poorest in society. Producer: Katy Hickman.

On Start the Week Stephanie Flanders discusses social mobility. Zadie Smith's novel NW is a portrait of modern urban life in which characters try, but mostly fail, to escape their past. The Conservative Minister David Willetts and the columnist Owen Jones discuss what meritocracy and opportunity mean in today's society. And the social historian David Kynaston looks to the end of the 1950s when meritocracy became the buzz word of the day. Producer: Katy Hickman.

On Start the Week Jonathan Freedland talks to Hari Kunzru about his dystopian vision, where books and the act of remembering have been banned. Jane Rogers explains how her apocalyptic tale may be set in the future but points to today's abuse of scientific knowledge and the heroism of youth. Past real events are at the heart of James Robertson's latest novel which explores grief, justice and the truth. And the photographer Adam Broomberg asks how far images of war capture the truth.Producer: Katy Hickman.

On Start the Week Anne McElvoy talks to the Russian expert Fiona Hill about the many faces of Vladimir Putin, while Vladislav Zubok considers the impact of the past on the Russia of today. Oliver Bullough turns to drink to understand the soul of the nation and the historian Rachel Polonsky considers the cultural landscape of the post-Soviet era.Producer: Katy Hickman.

On Start the Week Allan Little grapples with super-symmetric particles, superstrings and multiverses with the help of Jon Butterworth. But the writer Jim Baggott dismisses many of the ideas of modern theoretical physics as mere fairy tales and fantasy. The sociologist Hilary Rose bemoans the commercialisation of biological sciences and warns against believing the hype. But the world-renowned stem cell scientist Stephen Minger believes recent developments show great promise for the treatments of many life-threatening diseases. Producer: Natalia Fernandez.

On Start the Week Emily Maitlis talks to the Executive Chairman of Google, Eric Schmidt about the digital future. A future where everyone is connected, but ideas of privacy, security and community are transformed. Former Wikileaks employee James Ball asks how free we are online. The curator Honor Harger looks to art to understand this new world of technology. And worried about this brave new world? David Spiegelhalter, offers a guide to personal risk and the numbers behind it.Producer: Katy Hickman.