Episode notes
The adventurer and author Phoebe Smith takes Martha Kearney to her favourite mountain, Tryfan in Eryri, also known as Snowdonia, in Wales. She grew up near the mountain but never went into the countryside until a decision by her mum ended up changing the course of her life. Producer Beth O'Dea
Podcast
This Natural Life
BBC Radio 4 · Tech & Science · English
Martha Kearney explores the importance of the natural world in the lives of her guests. Each person she meets takes her to a location which means something to them, and describes the role nature has played in their life, explaining how it has shaped, influenced or fascinated them. In the process s
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6 Aug 2026 · 24 min
Tracey Emin
Where once she had a reputation for wild living, the artist Dame Tracey Emin introduces Martha Kearney to the place where she says her wildness comes out today. Since having life-saving surgery for bladder cancer in 2020, she swims almost every day in the sea in Margate. The waves and the landscape hold many memories for her going back to her childhood, but today it is the place she says heals her - the place where she says she feels invincible. Produced by Polly Weston
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30 Jul 2026 · 24 min
Patrick Barkham
The nature writer Patrick Barkham takes Martha Kearney on a butterfly-spotting trip in Foxley Wood, Norfolk. This is Norfolk's largest ancient woodland, which has been undergoing restoration since the 1980s. Seven summers ago, it saw the return of the rare purple emperor butterfly, which had become extinct in the region. Patrick tells Martha why this place is so special to him, connecting him to his late father, an ecologist who played a key role in helping to save the wood. He reflects on how they shared a deep bond through butterfly spotting together and how the final years of his father's…
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23 Jul 2026 · 24 min
Roma Agrawal
The writer and structural engineer behind The Shard, Roma Agrawal, takes Martha Kearney to Kilburn Grange Park in north-west London. The park was an oasis for Roma during some of the most difficult periods of her life. Roma shares how she sees the world through the lens of a structural engineer, reflecting on materials, society and the ways we organise our cities. She tells Martha about her upbringing in Mumbai, India, and the natural world that surrounded her there, comparing it with the landscapes she experiences in the UK today. The pair also visit a special spot in the park – the rose…
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16 Jul 2026 · 24 min
Peter Lord
Aardman Animations co-founder Peter Lord takes Martha Kearney to the magical mediaeval Whitcliff Deer Park in Berkeley, Gloucestershire. It's his favourite place to walk in nature and watch the wild fallow and red deer herds that live there inside the old walls, on land that's been left wild for centuries. Producer Beth O'Dea
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9 Jul 2026 · 24 min
Judi Dench
Judi Dench is one of the nation's best loved actors, but she is also well-known for her love of trees. In this programme, Martha Kearney meets Judi at her woodland garden in Surrey, where she learns that every time a friend dies, Judi plants a tree in their memory. Judi gives Martha a tour of the woodland, and talks about the many references to the natural world which can be found in Shakespeare's plays. She points out some of the trees in her woodland which hold special significance for her. Producer: Emma Campbell
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