The Examined Mind
Robin Ince, Kate Williams, Byron Vincent, Emma Barnett, Will Self, Felicity Ward
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  • Published: 12 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781787537187
  • Imprint: BBC DL
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 6 hr 30 min
  • Narrators: Robin Ince, Emma Barnett, Felicity Ward

The Examined Mind

A BBC radio collection exploring the history, philosophy and science of self-help

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Collection of BBC programmes exploring our constant quest to be better people.

This collection brings together history, science, philosophy and comedy to explore our age-old search for meaning. We live in an age of self-improvement and self-examination - lifehacking, wellbeing, self-care, mindfulness retreats - but this seemingly very modern phenomenon is a pursuit that dates back for millennia.

Join comedian Robin Ince to explore how the ancient Greeks aimed to get happier, healthier and richer.
Will Self asks some of Britain's key scientists, philosophers and faith leaders to share their conclusions on the meaning of our existence.
Historian Kate Williams investigates the Grandfather of Self-Help, Samuel Smiles' 1859 book Self Help, and its lasting influence.
In 'Hell is Other People', performer Byron Vincent attempts to overcome his paralysing fear of social situations.
Emma Barnett traces the multi-billion dollar mindfulness industry to its Buddhist roots to discover whether it's just another health fad.
Comedian Felicity Ward tries to solve her mental health issues, one app at a time.
Sian Williams presents a practical guide to boosting brain power through exercise, relaxation, stimulation, sleep and diet.

From the ancient Greeks to the present day and even into the future, The Examined Mind provides an unique insight into our constant quest to be better people.
  • Published: 12 November 2020
  • ISBN: 9781787537187
  • Imprint: BBC DL
  • Format: Audio Download
  • Length: 6 hr 30 min
  • Narrators: Robin Ince, Emma Barnett, Felicity Ward
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About the authors

Kate Williams

Kate Williams is an author, social historian and broadcaster. She fell in love with history whilst studying for her BA and DPhil at the University of Oxford and has MAs from Queen Mary and Royal Holloway. She is a Professor of History and appears regularly on television – she recently presented The Stuarts, is the in-house historian and royal expert for CNN, and has appeared on programmes from The Great British Bake Off to election coverage and comedy panel shows. She has written five historical biographies and a series of historical novels, and loves nothing more than a spending her time in dusty archives.

Will Self

Will Self is the author of three short-story collections, The Quantity Theory of Insanity (winner of the 1992 Geoffrey Faber award), Grey Area and Tough Tough Toys for Touch Tough Boys; a dyad of novellas, Cock and Bull, and a third novella, The Sweet Smell of Psychosis; and four novels, My Idea of Fun, Great Apes, How the Dead Live (shortlisted for the Whitbread Novel of the Year 2000) and The Book of Dave.

Together with the photographer David Gamble, he produced Perfidious Man, a sideways look at contemporary masculinity. There have been three collections of journalism, Junk Mail, Sore Sites and Feeding Frenzy. Will Self has written for a plethora of publications over the years and is a regular broadcaster on television and radio. His latest work is a collection of pieces entitled Liver: A Fictional Organ with a Surface Anatomy of Four Lobes.