Samuel Johnson Shorts Episode Guide

Episode Guide

• Churchill

  Roy Jenkins discusses his book Churchill, the story of the eponymous PM's time in office

• The Contenders

  Chair of the judges for the BBC4 Samuel Johnson Prize, Sue Macgregor presents profiles of the six books competing for the award

• The Devil That Danced on the Water

  Aminatta Forna's the Devil That Danced on the Water, the first book to be shortlisted for the non-fiction prize, about a girl's quest to find out the truth about her father's death

• Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation

  The discussion of the books shortlisted for the literary prize continues with Olivia Judson's Dr Tatiana's Sex Advice to All Creation, in which she takes a humourous journey through animal sexuality in the guise of the eponymous zoological agony aunt

• The Invention of Clouds

  Richard Hamblyn discusses The Invention of Clouds, his account of the 19th-century meteorologist who named the clouds, which has been nominated for this year's Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction

• Istanbul: Memories of a City

  Profile of shortlisted work Istanbul: Memories of a City, by Orhan Pamuk, describing the author's family life in the city

• A Life Backwards

  A selection of authors short-listed for the prize discuss their work

• Like A Fiery Elephant

  Profile of nominee Like a Fiery Elephant, Jonathan Coe's biography of BS Johnson

• Natasha's Dance

  A selection of authors short-listed for the prize discuss their work

• Nelson - Love and Fame

  Shortlisted author Edgar Vincent's Nelson's Love and Fame, chronicling the rise of the British naval hero

• Peacemakers

  Margaret Macmillan discusses her book Peacemakers : winner of this year's non-fiction prize : which tells how the map of the world was decided by three men following the end of World War One

• Pushkin

  TJ Binyon's biography of influential Russian poet Pushkin

• Roy Jenkins on Churchill

  Roy Jenkins discusses his book Churchill, the story of the eponymous PM's time in office

• Samuel Pepys : The Unequalled Self

  Examination of Claire Tomalin's novel Samuel Pepys: The Unequalled Self, which explores the diarist's private life

• A Short History of Nearly Everything

  A selection of authors short-listed for the prize discuss their work

• The Snow Geese

  William Fiennes' book The Snow Geese, charting the species' annual migration from Texas to the Arctic, which was shortlisted for the prize

• Stasiland

  Australian lawyer Anna Funder discusses her book Stasiland, which is set in the former communist East Germany and examines the corrosive effects of totalitarianism

• The Unfinest Hour

  Brendan Simms talks about his book Unfinest Hour : a shocking analysis of the incompetence and hypocrisy in British foreign policy in Bosnia during John Major's term in office

• The Voices of Morebath

  Eammon Duffy talks about The Voices of Morebath, his book charting the effect of the Reformation on a small village in Devon, which has been short-listed for the prize