Jon Ronson On... Spying

Writer and documentary maker Jon Ronson returns for another series of fascinating stories shedding light on the human condition.

Jon Ronson talks to comedian Josie Long who found herself in a situation where she had to make a choice on whether to spy on someone's life... did morality step in? Writer Danny Wallace recalls the days when a spy was sent to his home to spy on his father, a leading expert on East German literature.

Johnny Howorth, rookie documentary maker, was also in a situation where he was asked by US Marshals to spy on the couple Ed and Elaine Brown who were convicted of tax crimes. As he naively got more deeply involved, he feared another Wako and had to make a difficult decision... John Symonds, a so-called 'romeo spy' also tells his sometimes shocking story.

Producers: Laura Parfitt and Simon Jacobs
An Unique production for BBC Radio 4.

Jon Ronson On... Voices in the Head

Writer and documentary maker Jon Ronson returns for another 5 part series of fascinating stories shedding light on the human condition.

Eleanor Longden started to hear voices in her head when she was at university and was diagnosed as a schizophrenic - a label she totally rejects. Now she is a high achieving academic. What started the voices and how did she get to a point where she not only lives happily with the voices that still exist but also works with others who have the same experience? With contributions from writer Graham Linehan and comedian Josie Long.

Producer: Laura Parfitt and Simon Jacobs
An Unique production for BBC Radio 4.

Jon Ronson On... Ambition

The writer Jon Ronson asks how our driving ambitions shape us.

By interviewing several people at different points in their lives, he sees how ambition can make and break people. He talks to an 11-year-old-boy who has plans to be a world-class architect, a young woman who has set her sights on being prime minister, and an ambitious stockbroker whose success led him down a dangerous path towards a high security prison in the US.

Jon Ronson On... Being Alone

The writer Jon Ronson asks if we are more ourselves or less ourselves when we are alone.
He confronts David Quantick, who Jon noticed avoiding him in the street one day. Father Ted writer Graham Linehan reveals the moment he was ignored. Yoshiro Nakamatsu, the world's most prolific inventor, talks about the moment he invents - alone and under water. Finally Jon hears from the British man who was jailed in Japan and wasn't allowed to speak to anyone in his daily life for nearly three years.

Jon Ronson On... Living in a Movie

This week he asks why he can't seem to leave a particular incident in the past behind when he was thrown into a lake by school friends. Jon confronts his bullies at his school reunion as Father Ted writer Graham Linehan remembers his own bully. Comedians Dan Tetsell and Robert Popper also discover they have parallel stories one has a Nazi as a grandfather, the other a Jewish evacuee as a grandmother.

Jon Ronson On... When Small Talk Goes Wrong

Jon Ronson talks to Denis Fillion, who was behind one of the first major internet hoaxes.

Denis used to post threads and make small talk on a technical forum called Anandtech. Irritated by the misogyny he found on the site, he invented a female character to join in the chat. Soon he found himself flirting with his own character and weaving a tale so believable that the character took on an air of reality, even for him. As the relationship deepened, Denis was forced to take drastic action to get out of his own hoax.

With additional contributions from comedian Josie Long and Charlie Brooker.

Music

Philip Glass
"Vessel"
Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance

Philip Glass
"Prophecies"
Koyaanisqatsi: Life out of Balance

Kraftwerk
"The Robots"
The Mix

Kraftwerk
"Pocket Calculator"
The Mix

Kraftwerk"
Computer Love"
The Mix

A Man Called Adam
"Estelle"
Café Del Mar

Florence and The Machine
"Cosmic Love"
Lungs

Jon Ronson On... Fear of Flying

Jon Ronson looks at one of our deepest fears.

When Vicky Coren realised her fear of flying was stopping her travelling, she sought help from a specialist councillor. He cured her - only to die a year later in an air crash. Mike Thexton tells Jon of his ordeal on board a hijacked plane, waiting for 12 hours to be shot. Comedian Danny Robins is terrified of death - so terrified that Jon decides to send him to a near death experience festival in Spain to try to cure his phobia. Finally, Jon finds a scientist who is working on finding an answer to eternal life.

Music

Chris O’Shaughnessy
"Altitude Strings"
specially composed

Philip Glass
"Sheba & Steven"
Notes on a Scandal, film score

Frank Sinatra
"Come Fly With Me"
Come Fly With Me

Frank Sinatra
"Theme from New York, New York"
Sinatra Reprise: The Very Good Years

Chris O’Shaughnessy

"Building Violas"
specially composed

Pepe Romero / Academy of St Martin In The Fields / Sir Neville Marriner
"Trois Petites Pieces: 1. Ya Se Van Los Pastores” by Joaquin Rodrigo"
Concierto De Aranjuez (Phillips)

Penguin Café Orchestra
"Nothing Really Blue"
Preludes Airs and Yodels