Slow Radio

Latest Episodes:

A Journey across the Steppes Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

A settlement first known as Almatu developed on the Silk Road from the 10th century onwards. In the 1920s, the new Soviet authorities renamed the place Alma-Ata ('Grandfather of the apple') and made it the capital of the Kazakh SSR (formerly in Kyzylorda).

We start our journey from one of Almaty's Soviet-era train stations, Almaty-2, built in the 1930s, with its paintings by Kazakh and Russian artists and the multi-lingual Tower of Babel representing the journey's start, in conversations and tannoy announcements.

We hear the old Soviet engines arriving into the station, disgorging their passengers before awaiting a new intake; we hear the slow steady rhythm of the train, as passengers in varied states of boredom chat to each other and eat meals; we hear the sound of scalding water being decanted from the samovar, to make the harsh tea beloved in these parts for so many years; in the dining car we hear passengers sharing food, drink and stories, as they eat 'Plov' and other traditional food.

We step out of the train at various points along the route, such as Turkistan (an ancient trade centre along the Silk Road) and Shymkent, where hawkers with their wares wait to sell food and drink.

After 33 hours on board a train, we arrive at Aralsk, a thriving fishing port until environmental degradation and diversion of rivers for agriculture saw the sea massively shrink. We journey by car across the former seabed, see camels at oases and hear the howling winds that sweep across the vast plains and desert, before finally arriving at the gently lapping Aral Sea, a shadow of its former self.

Producer: Michael Rossi

The Reindeer Dec 24, 2022

Show notes

The Reindeer follows the epic travels of a reindeer mother and her young.

Sounds of the Earth - Sanderlings on Shetland, Birds in Buenos Aires Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

Relax with a calming mix of music and natural sounds: sanderlings on a beach in Shetland, a farmyard in Shropshire, urban birds in Buenos Aires and the Red Burn in Argyllshire.

Wildlife recordings from Radio 3 Sunday Breakfast listeners Ian Reid, Barbara Petty, Susan Robinson and Bob Dickinson.

Sounds of the Earth - water falling, curlews calling Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

Relax with a calming mix of music and natural sounds. Cicadas in Portugal, sheep in Wensleydale and a magnificent dusk chorus in Wiltshire.

Wildlife recordings from Radio 3 Sunday Breakfast listeners Kate and John Livingston, Geoff and Christine Holland, and Ruth Taunt, plus Radio 3 producer Michael Rossi.

Sounds of the Earth - City sparrows, wallowing elephants Nov 08, 2022

Show notes

Relax with a calming mix of music and natural sounds. Sparrows in the heart of the City of London, birds on Shapwick Heath in Somerset, and frogs and elephants in the Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

Wildlife recordings from Radio 3 Sunday Breakfast listeners Vaughan Ives, Dora Thornton, Jeremy Warren and Ian Strange.

Underground Wales Oct 30, 2022

Show notes

Poet Owen Sheers explores the strange sound world of the underground spaces of Wales, from slate caverns to sea caves, from Snowdonia to the Gower peninsula. In a new poem, he contemplates these dark and hidden places integral to Welsh myth, industry and psyche.

Written and read by Owen Sheers Sound design by Catherine Robinson Produced by Emma Harding

Sounds of the Earth - Cows, Rain and a Wren Oct 04, 2022

Show notes

Relax with a calming mix of music and natural sounds. Cornish waves, Welsh cows, a wren in a walnut tree and rain in the Galician mountains, recorded by Radio 3 Sunday Breakfast listeners Adriana Flores, Sean Tobin, Penny Lawrence and Alex Lisle.

Fair Winds Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

The ever-present and changing sound of the wind on Fair Isle.

Sounds of the Earth - May Jul 22, 2022

Show notes

Relax with a calming mix of music and natural sounds. Featuring recordings of birdsong from Kelso to Senegal sent in by Radio 3 Breakfast listeners listeners Betsy Barker, Caroline Fiennes, Helen Boyles and Ros Bleach.

A Day in the Life of Honey the Dog Jul 03, 2022

Show notes

Join Honey, a 15-year-old fox-red labrador, as she goes about her day.