Radio Times

Review by:

David Crawford

Oxford professor Theodore Zeldin wants to change the way we talk to each other, to strip away social conventions of everyday conversation and reveal our deepest thoughts and feelings. In this fascinating documentary, Olivia O’Leary follows his experiment to get the whole of the London Borough of Lewisham talking frankly to complete strangers, which he believes will help break down isolation and alienation, and create even more satisfying jobs. O’Leary questions some of Zeldin’s more grandiose claims, but the professor’s forceful personality makes you wish him at least some success.

About this programme

Olivia O'Leary follows historian and philosopher Theodore Zeldin as he tries to change how people converse. The project begins in the London borough of Lewisham, where he speaks to a range of people including former MPs, pilates teachers and unemployed teenagers, in a bid to encourage people to speak about who they are and what they want from life.

Cast and crew

Crew

Producer

Brian King

Share this episode