Illuminated Podcast
ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4's home for creative and surprising one-off documentaries that shed light on hidden worlds. New episodes are available weekly on Sunday evenings.
Illuminated is ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4's home for creative and surprising one-off documentaries that shed light on hidden worlds.
Welcome to a place of audio beauty and joy, with emotion and human experience at its heart. The programmes you will find in this feed explore the reality of contemporary Britain and the world, venturing into its weirdest and most wonderful aspects.
This is a chance to meet voices that are not normally heard, open secret doors into concealed chambers and, above all, be transported by the art and inventiveness of the very best programme makers. Just press the switch.
New episodes are available weekly on Sunday evenings. Subscribe on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Sounds to make sure you don't miss an episode.
Episodes to download
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The Cat Killer Detectives
Yesterday
A couple from London find themselves caught up in the search for the Croydon cat killer
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The Watch Case
Sun 24 Aug 2025
Watchmaker Rebecca Struthers has come to see the world's oldest watch - but is it real?
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Into the West
Sun 17 Aug 2025
Horatio Clare goes in search of the bird he’s loved since childhood: the red-billed chough
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A Taste of ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½
Sun 3 Aug 2025
We unbox care packages to explore flavours from China, India, Ireland and the Philippines.
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Don't Lose Your Head!
Sun 27 Jul 2025
A vicar takes on a church and discovers there's a decapitated head in the vestry.
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Target Girls
Sun 20 Jul 2025
Pull back the curtain on the hidden world behind the target girl’s silent, singular image.
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All Under One Magnetosphere
Sun 13 Jul 2025
Discover the magic of ‘natural radio’ - a hidden electromagnetic soundscape.
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Still Me
Sun 6 Jul 2025
Tracey Okines - locked-in, not locked down - living boldly with humour, honesty and spirit
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The Frozen Light
Sun 22 Jun 2025
The world’s northernmost community celebrates the sun's return after months of darkness.
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Lost and Found
Sun 15 Jun 2025
Illuminated enters the world of a missing Jack Russell Terrier in St Neots, Cambridgeshire
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You've Got Worms
Sun 8 Jun 2025
Sink into the dirt to meet the hidden worms that squelch through the darkness.
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Doctor Dolittle and the Exploding Trout
Sun 18 May 2025
The environmental protest that shook Hollywood and saved a village.
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A Map of the Moon
Sun 11 May 2025
Producer and artist Siddharth Khajuria meets competing human imaginations for the moon.
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The Organ Symphony
Sun 4 May 2025
Five peoples' stories about their relationship with an internal organ - set to music.
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The Big Ask
Sun 13 Apr 2025
How many questions have you asked today? Were any of your questions meaningful?
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Nobody to Call
Sun 6 Apr 2025
A moving online post leads Kevin Core into the world of 'lonely death' funeral appeals.
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The Story of Solent City
Sun 16 Mar 2025
Owen Hatherley presents the extraordinary story of the Solent City plan.
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The Endemic Truth
Sun 2 Mar 2025
As reports of child sexual abuse rise, survivors unite for meaningful action.
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Robben Island’s Hallelujah
Tue 18 Feb 2025
The story of Handel's famous chorus performed on Robben Island.
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The Memory Catcher
Sun 26 Jan 2025
Can taking a photograph keep hold of the person you love even when they have no memory?
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Anger and Us
Sun 19 Jan 2025
Siblings Sam and Bon Stone are angry. For the first time, they explore how they feel.
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In Pieces
Sun 12 Jan 2025
In this sound-rich, tender meditation, Hana Walker Brown examines burnout.
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God Next Door
Thu 9 Jan 2025
Meet the Manchester man who believes he is God - and the people who share his belief.