One To One

What constitutes success and failure, particularly in the creative industries? And who gets to make that judgement anyway? Rosie Millard has reported on people following their dreams and striving for success in the unpredictable world of the creative arts throughout her 30 years as an arts journalist and broadcaster. She says in many cases there is the same narrative arc, that luck and persistence will win the day. All you need to do is follow your dream, and success will be yours. But this is just a fairy tale, surely! So what does success and failure really mean in the artistic world? Many people don't ever achieve the success they wanted or expected, for others it’s just a long hard slog, and then there are many whose ambitions are reframed as they go through life. In this programme Rosie talks to Norwegian opera singer Patrick Egersborg, who has written a blog about the beginning of the end of his dream. Produced by Jo Dwyer for BBC Audio in Bristol

Rosie Millard has reported on people following their dreams and striving for success in the unpredictable world of the creative arts throughout her 30 years as an arts journalist and broadcaster. In the background, there lurks the same narrative arc: that luck and persistence will win the day. All you need to do is follow your dream, and success will be yours! But nothing's ever simple. Many people don't ever achieve the success they wanted or expected, for others it’s just a long hard slog, and then there are many whose ambitions are reframed as they go through life. Rosie explores what constitutes success and failure, particularly in the creative industries. And who gets to make that judgement anyway? In this programme, she asks author Debbie Bayne, who is in her early sixties and still unpublished, how and why she keeps on writing. Produced by Jo Dwyer for BBC Audio in Bristol

18 year old Mya-Rose Craig, aka Birdgirl is a very keen birdwatcher having seen over half the world’s’ birds in her global travels. What she doesn’t see as a British Bangladeshi are many like herself in the forests, fens, mountains and other rural landscapes in the UK. In recent years she has run Nature Camps to actively encourage Black and Visible Minority ethnic people outdoors. In this, the second of two programmes, she shares her experiences and challenges with Zakiya Mckenzie: postgraduate student, writer in residence with the Forestry Commission in 2019 and Ambassador for Black and Green- a group which works to connect Bristol’s African and Caribbean communities with the city’s environmental sector. Producer Sarah Blunt

In the first of two programmes exploring how we can increase diversity outdoors in the rural landscape, 18 year old Mya-Rose Craig, aka Birdgirl talks to Rhiane Fatinikun about Black Girls Hike which she founded about a year ago to enable black women to benefit from the comradery of other black women and enjoy the tranquillity of rural areas. Mya-Rose Craig is a very keen birdwatcher having seen over half the world’s birds in her global travels. But what she doesn’t see as a British Bangladeshi are many people like herself in the forests, fens, mountains and other rural landscapes in the UK. In recent years she has run Nature Camps to actively encourage Black and Visible Minority ethnic people outdoors. The two women share their experiences and views about how we can remove the barriers, challenge stereotypes and reinforce the message that the outdoors is for everyone. Producer Sarah Blunt.

Poet and runner Helen Mort talks to retired Olympic track and field athlete Anyika Onuora about body image in sport. In the last of three programmes about body modification and the relationship between how we present ourselves physically to the world and how we feel, Helen swaps experiences with Anyika about striving for ’the perfect image‘ and the effects training and competitive sport have on the body’s shape. Anyika reveals her lack of confidence about her body and how she managed this whilst living her life in the public eye in front of vast crowds and TV cameras. Producer Sarah Blunt

How significant is our hair when it comes to projecting an image of ourselves and how we feel? In the second of three programmes about body modification, poet Helen Mort talks to hair stylist Niamh Kavanagh about the role of hair in expressing our personality. Throughout her life Helen has changed the colour and style of her hair and also had her head shaved. She is fascinated by people’s responses to hair and what it says about them and us. Niamh has also experimented with her own hair as well as cutting and styling clients’ hair, which involves trust, empathy and skill. Producer Sarah Blunt

Tattooed poet Helen Mort talks to Tattooist Lou Hopper about “getting inked”. In the first of three programmes about body modifications, Helen explores the body as a canvas and tattoos as an art form. Why do people choose to decorate their skin with tattoos? How do they make the wearer feel? What responses do tattoos evoke ? Are tattoos a way of projecting our personality? What do visual modifications reveal about an individual? Producer Sarah Blunt

What are you: an introvert or an extrovert? Russell Kane is a comedian, so he has always assumed he's a textbook loud-mouthed extrovert. But now he's not so sure. Across this series of interviews, Russell explores exactly what we mean by the terms "introvert" and "extrovert". He questions whether it is useful to define people in this way and whether we have a cultural bias towards one personality type over the other. In this third and final interview, Russell talks to fellow comedian Angela Barnes about playing the extrovert for work. Is there a disconnect between her on-stage and off-stage versions of self? And if so, are both authentic? Producer: Becky Ripley

What are you: an introvert or an extrovert? Russell Kane is a comedian, so he has always assumed he's a textbook loud-mouthed extrovert. But now he's not so sure. Across this series of interviews, Russell explores exactly what we mean by the terms "introvert" and "extrovert". He questions whether it is useful to define people in this way and whether we have a cultural bias towards one personality type over the other. In this second of three parts, Russell talks to author Jessica Pan about her year of "living dangerously" as an introvert pretending to be an extrovert in order to open up her world. What did she learn? How did it change her? And what advice does she have for other naturally introverted people? Producer: Becky Ripley

What are you: an introvert or an extrovert? Russell Kane is a comedian, so he has always assumed he's a textbook loud-mouthed extrovert. But now he's not so sure. Across this series of interviews, Russell explores exactly what we mean by the terms "introvert" and "extrovert". He questions whether it is useful to define people in this way and whether we have a cultural bias towards one personality type over the other. In this first of three parts, Russell asks psychotherapist and author Mark Vernon about the origins of the terms "introvert" and "extrovert" as coined by psychoanalyst Carl Jung in 1921. How have Jung's definitions been interpreted over the last 100 years? And can his theories help us better understand ourselves? Producer: Becky Ripley

Having celebrated her 81st birthday this year and her 70th with a high speed boat ride down the River Thames, Diana Davies has no intention of leaving her own bungalow and moving in to a retirement home. Age she argues is a number not a condition. But how do you keep control of your life if very well meaning family and friends try to persuade you to be less independent as you get older? In this, the last of three conversations about taking control of your life, paralympic athlete and adventurer Karen Darke talks to Diana about her life choices, maintaining her independence and her hopes and fears for the future. Producer Sarah Blunt Photo of Diana Davies. Copyright Holly Hall.

How do you take control of your life when you find yourself facing a crisis or unexpected events turn everything that is familiar and certain upside-down? In the second of three conversations about taking control of your life, Paralympic athlete and adventurer Karen Darke talks to single mother and property developer Justine Shuttleworth. Six years ago Justine became very ill. She sought medical advice but her condition didn't improve. She felt isolated and fearful as the physical and mental effects got worse. Over the course of 18 months she saw 14 doctors, nine psychiatrists and a hormone specialist. Eventually she was diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease. Here, she shares her experiences and describes how she regained control of her life. Producer Sarah Blunt

How do you take control of your life when you find yourself facing a crisis or unexpected events turn everything that is familiar and certain upside-down? Paralympic cyclist and athlete Karen Darke began her working life as a geologist until a climbing accident resulted in her paralysis from the chest down. Overnight her life radically changed but today she’s a full time athlete and became Paralympic Champion in Rio in 2016. In the first of three conversations about taking control of your life she talks to former Syrian Banker and author of 'Lessons from a Warzone', Louai Al Romani. When the war broke out in Syria in 2011, Louai was Head of Finance and Strategy at Banque Bemo Saudi Fransi. Here, Louai describes what he learned about coping in such difficult conditions, and how he developed the resilience and skills to ensure the bank not only survived the first 4 years of the Syrian crisis, but even thrived in the most challenging of times. Producer Sarah Blunt.

Since she was a university student, Katya Adler has been fascinated by the idea of personality - how personalities are formed, how they can change, and whether we even really have a fixed set of characteristics. For the third and final part of this One to One series about personality, Katya speaks to Wiebke Bleidorn, professor of social and personality psychology and head of the Personality Change Lab at the University of California, Davis. Wiebke talks to Katya about how the field of personality psychology has evolved, discusses her research into how stable personality traits are and reveals whether it is possible to change someone's personality. Producer: Camellia Sinclair

For the second in this interview series about personality - what it is, how it's formed and how it can change - Katya Adler talks to Simon Hattenstone, features writer at The Guardian newspaper. For over two decades, Simon has interviewed famous personalities, pulling back their masks to reveal the essence beneath - what motivates them, what drives them, what they are really like. Katya talks to Simon about how he tries to get under the skin of his interviewees, how the personalities of his interviewees change and what place there is in the interview for the personality of the person asking the questions. Producer: Camellia Sinclair

For more than twenty years, from war zones to the seats of political power, Katya Adler has interviewed, observed, told people's stories. And she's always been fascinated by what makes people tick - their personality. Can we change or fake it? In the first of three programmes, Katya meets Olympic athlete and Vice President of Headway, James Cracknell, who suffered an injury to the brain a decade ago which caused some of his personality traits to change. Katya and James discuss the impact of the injury on James's personality, the extent to which personality is observed by people around us and how our personalities can evolve. Producer: Camellia Sinclair

Elsie Owusu meets Lord Chris Smith, the former Secretary of State for Culture and chair of the Millennium Commission, to discuss what he feels is his architectural legacy: from the Eden project to the Dome and beyond. Across three editions of One to One, Elsie - an architect - has been exploring the connection between architecture, art and justice. In today's discussion Lord Smith mulls over his time in office and discusses what he's proudest of: the reintroduction of free museum entrance, and what he's perhaps less happy to recall: the Millennium Dome. Producer: Karen Gregor

The artist, Yinka Shonibare CBE, talks to the architect Elsie Owusu about his ambitious and challenging project in Nigeria where he is building two residential centres for artists. One will be in Lagos, the other in the rural setting of Ijebu, which will be based on a working farm. Yinka is a wheelchair user, and he discusses his idea of "enabling architecture", as well as the importance of providing employment for local people, and spreading the word about Nigeria's vibrant cultural life. Producer: Karen Gregor

Architect Elsie Owusu discusses the refurbishment of the Supreme Court building with Lady Hale. The creation of the Supreme Court in 2009 was a defining moment in UK legal history. And in architectural history, too. It was decided to refurbish the century-old Middlesex Guildhall which stands in London's Parliament Square. At the time it housed seven Crown Courts and was, according to Lady Hale, 'cluttered and gloomy'. Lady Hale, who has recently retired as the first female President of the Supreme Court, was involved in the renovation process, and worked alongside Elsie Owusu who was one of the architects. Just over 10 years on, they get together to discuss what they wanted to achieve: a building of 'light and transparency' which would mirror the aims of the Supreme Court itself. Producer: Karen Gregor

What happens when you become obsessed by words? What happens when this obsession becomes so severe that your life becomes a frenzied narrative filling your every waking moment ? How do you escape? Verity Sharp meets Tim Parks who shares his experiences of a painful chronic condition brought about by a constant mental and physical tension, related to his work as a writer. When doctors couldn’t explain his symptoms, he was forced to look elsewhere. He didn’t give up writing. He has learned to be idle. Producer Sarah Blunt.