Words, Words, Words | Sonnet 17
Sonnet 17
Actor Ian McKellen presents his personal choice of poetry and prose. These include 'Words' by Edward Thomas, 'When I have Fears' by John Keats, ‘Sonnet 17’ by William Shakespeare, ‘Samuel Johnson's Letter to Lord Chesterfield’, ‘Preface to Kubla Khan’ by S.T. Coleridge, 'Thoughts About the Person From Porlock' by Stevie Smith, 'In My Craft and Sullen Art' by Dylan Thomas, 'East Coker' by T.S. Eliot, 'Prose Poem Towards A Definition of Itself' by Brian Pattern and 'The Voyeur' by Tom Leonard.
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Desert Island Discs | Sir Leon Brittan
Britain's EC Trade Commissioner and former Conservative Home Secretary talks to Sue Lawley about his life and career, and chooses his favourite music. His choices include Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, the commentary on England winning the Ashes in 1953, `When I was a Lad' from HMS Pinafore, his wife reading Shakespeare's Sonnet No 16, 'Eternal Father Strong To Save', Don Carlos by Verdi, Dvorak's Cello Concerto, and Mozart's 'Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail'.
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Adventures in Poetry | Shakespeare's Sonnet
Richard Wilson explores some of the hidden meanings and resonances of Shakespeare's famous and much loved sonnet, and asks: 'Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?' Produced by Sara Davies.