Main content

The EssayEpisodes

  1. Tomorrow21:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Death in DeptfordThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    1/10Jerry Brotton explores the short and turbulent life of Christopher ‘Kit’ Marlowe.

  2. Tuesday21:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Canterbury TalesThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    2/10Jerry Brotton visits Canterbury, the town of Kit Marlowe’s birth.

  3. Wednesday21:45
    BBC Radio 3

    MetamorphosesThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    3/10Jerry Brotton visits Corpus Christi College in Cambridge, where Kit Marlowe studied.

  4. Thursday21:45
    BBC Radio 3

    The Mighty LineThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    4/10Jerry Brotton explores Tamburlaine and Kit Marlowe’s ‘mighty line’.

  5. Friday21:45
    BBC Radio 3

    The Merchant of MaltaThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    5/10Jerry Brotton explores Marlowe's dark inspiration for Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice.

  6. Next Monday21:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Enter GhostThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    6/10Jerry Brotton reveals the enduring influence of Marlowe on Shakespeare.

  7. Tue 28 Apr 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    His Dark ArtsThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    7/10Jerry Brotton explores the dark side of Kit Marlowe's Dr Faustus.

  8. Wed 29 Apr 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Mad About the BoyThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    8/10Jerry Brotton explores Marlowe's taboo-breaking play Edward II.

  9. Thu 30 Apr 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Becoming the StoryThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    9/10Jerry Brotton explores Kit Marlowe's last play The Massacre at Paris.

  10. Fri 1 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    The ReckoningThe Death and Life of Christopher Marlowe

    10/10Jerry Brotton returns to Deptford to investigate the claims that Kit Marlowe was murdered.

  11. Mon 4 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    04/05/2026The Insect Singers

    A cultural dive into the high songs of love and loneliness in the insect world.

  12. Tue 5 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    05/05/2026The Insect Singers

    A cultural dive into the high songs of love and loneliness in the insect world.

  13. Wed 6 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    06/05/2026The Insect Singers

    A cultural dive into the high songs of love and loneliness in the insect world.

  14. Thu 7 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    07/05/2026The Insect Singers

    A cultural dive into the high songs of love and loneliness in the insect world.

  15. Fri 8 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    08/05/2026The Insect Singers

    A cultural dive into the high songs of love and loneliness in the insect world.

  16. Mon 11 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Episode 1 - Becoming David MunrowDavid Munrow - The Pied Piper

    5/5This series reveals how David Munrow changed how Britain listened to music.

  17. Tue 12 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Episode 2 - Popularising Early MusicDavid Munrow - The Pied Piper

    2/5Popularising Early Music in the 1960s made David Munrow a controversial figure, but why?

  18. Wed 13 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Episode 3 - The Amorous FluteDavid Munrow - The Pied Piper

    3/5For David Munrow, a musical maverick of the 1960s, the flute became a world of adventure.

  19. Thu 14 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Episode 4 - Radio 3's Pied Piper seriesDavid Munrow - The Pied Piper

    1/5What made David Munrow's long-running children's programmes so popular in the 1970s?

  20. Fri 15 May 202621:45
    BBC Radio 3

    Episode 5 - Leaving a legacyDavid Munrow - The Pied Piper

    4/5The sound of David Munrow's music for now.