Showing results by publisher "BBC Audio" in Relationships, Parenting & Personal Development

For years they thought it was just them. Irritated and tormented by everything around them from call centres to nose studs, from speed bumps to ring tones. Then along came the BBC2 series Grumpy Old Men, and the subsequent best-selling book, and they knew they were not alone.

Bestselling author Oliver Burkeman is well known for his books and radio programmes exploring how we can lead meaningful and productive lives in an age of overwhelm. This time, he brings his keen sense of the ridiculous to bear on our obsession with convenience, looking at the hidden pitfalls of a life of ease. In these five episodes, Oliver attempts to assess the consequences of our reliance on convenience.

One of the most important and influential books of the past half-century, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance tells the iconic story of a father and son's motorcycle trip across America in the 1960s.

Award-winning journalist and author Oliver Burkeman has written three bestselling books on happiness, productivity and time management. Now, in this thought-provoking radio series, he looks at the way we consume and obsess over the news, and why it's so bad for us. Tracing the origins of the modern news cycle, from the first mass production of newspapers in the 19th century to 24-hour rolling news and the alluring interactivity of social media, he shows how we have gone from a scarcity to a superabundance of information.

Adam Buxton takes a sideways look at some of our confusing modern ideas and explains why you're definitely doing it all wrong. Across five episodes he explores the worlds of work, parenting, diet, the environment and family. Is the idea of a 'dream job' - one that inspires and fulfils us and makes our lives worth living - really possible? Does your toddler eat strictly rationed organic produce, or are they allowed to eat what they want? Does installing solar panels and despairing over plastic bottles make a difference if we continue to jet off on holidays and eat imported guava?!

Oliver Burkeman explores why people are often more successful - as are organisations, armies and governments - when they focus on reasons they are likely to fail; asks where happiness comes from, and whether we look for it in the wrong places; explores a phenomenon that has come to be called 'fungineering' – attempts to boost happiness in the workplace; and confronts what many of us see as the most negative of all experiences: death.

Susan Calman is the least relaxed person she knows. She has no downtime, no hobbies (unless you count dressing up your cats in silly outfits), and her idea of relaxation is to play Assassin's Creed, an hour into which she is in a murderous rage with sky-high blood pressure. Her wife had to threaten to divorce her to make her go on holiday, and she's been told by the same long-suffering wife that unless she finds a way to switch off, and soon, she's going to be unbearable. Susan decided her best bet was to try to immerse herself in the pursuits that her friends find relaxing.

Isy Suttie is our guide to all things love-related in these five fantastic series. Come with her as she shares her relationship stories, talks about the couples she's tried to bring together, evokes bittersweet memories of her childhood and adolescence, and shares a couple of the weird and wonderful things that give her pleasure.

Dustin Lance Black, the Oscar-winning screenwriter and activist, explores attitudes towards surrogacy. He shares his own journey to have a child, with husband Tom Daley, through surrogacy. Dustin beautifully and thoroughly explores how the question of surrogacy links to wider societal questions: how much control do women legally have over their body? Do we have a right to know our genetic history? How can LGBTQ+ couples shield their children from homophobia?

We seem to have forgotten how to argue about important things without descending into tribalism, insults and generally thinking the worst of our opponents. This is no good. We'll never get out of the bitter divisions cleaving society if we don't learn to disagree fruitfully. In this series, Timandra Harkness explores the best ways to disagree with other people - constructively.

Being creative is a state of mind. Techniques may help, though some, like brainstorming, can, surprisingly, do more harm than good. And the climate at work and play matters too. But essentially, creativity is an attitude. We either meet life's challenges with a spirit of adventure, or we keep trying to make it fit old habits that don't work any more.

Tracing Your Roots explores one of the UK's most popular pastimes: researching family history. Best-selling author Sally Magnusson follows the genealogy trail back in time, uncovering facets of social history through personal stories and giving you the information you need to add branches to your own family tree. With the right tools, you can not only find lost ancestors, but discover what they did for a living, what their lives were like and maybe even what kind of people they were.

We all want to do the best for our little darlings but what exactly is 'best'? Mariella Frostrup hosts debates with families, experts and policy-makers asking these very questions as part of BBC Radio 4's long-running series Bringing Up Britain. Parenthood is fraught with questions. How do you teach them about the value of money and when should you start giving them pocket money? If you have to tell your kids that you're separating how honest should you be with them? Can you boost your child's IQ or is intelligence inherited and fixed at birth?

Confidence is a much sought after, but often elusive, quality. Most of us are confident in some aspects of our lives, and in these areas we generally take it for granted, but when we feel self doubt we start to question ourselves. In concise steps this audiobook offers the complete guide to enjoying a confident life through easy to-use techniques and the most up-to-date strategies.

From climate change, fake news and vaccine hesitancy to mental health, addiction and domestic violence, there are no shortage of societal problems facing the UK right now. But while we are aware these challenges exist, without personal experience it is hard for us to understand what it is like to struggle with them, and harder still to envision potential solutions. These compelling documentaries introduce us to a range of individuals who have confronted various hardships, telling their stories and following them as they ask difficult questions and endeavour to drive positive change.