Why the Sussex town of Rye inspired authors old and new
Poet and academic John Wedgwood Clarke takes a trip through Whitby and Scarborough towards Hull, following in the footsteps of Bram Stoker, the Brontes, Winifred Holtby and Philip Larkin and discovering how they were inspired by the beautiful Yorkshire coast. On his journey, he meets novelist Val Wood, whose books explore the coast's fishing heritage, and he shows how swimming in the North Sea helps provide the inspiration for his own poetry.
Chris Donald turns the pages on books that capture the spirit of the north east and asks why so few local writers are championed by London-based publishers.
Simon O'Brien goes on the trail of some of our best-loved children's authors and discovers the stunning north west landscape that inspired their tales of adventure.
PD James, Nicci French and many other top crime writers have used East Anglia as a setting for their books. Martha Kearney investigates why this unique landscape has caught the imagination of so many authors.
Could Birmingham really have been the inspiration for Middle Earth? Qasa Alom sets out to find out.
Suggs delves into his favourite pieces of fiction that tell the story of being a stranger in the capital. From Oliver Twist to Sam Selvon's Lonely Londoner, he explores the novels that have been written through the eyes of newcomers as they make the city their home.
Craig Henderson celebrates the remarkable Sussex landscapes that have inspired generations of writers, as he journeys from the mud and unpredictable tides of Chichester harbour to the South Downs national park. Among the authors offering unique insights into how writers capture a sense of place are best-selling novelists Kate Mosse and Jane Rusbridge.
Chris Packham travels the length of the stunning Cornish coastline to tell the story behind five classic books set there, including Poldark and Daphne Du Maurier's Frenchman's Creek.
Book lover and Radio 1 presenter Gemma Cairney is joined by three authors to explore Bristol, the city that inspired their writing. Books include Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island, Melvin Burgess' Junk, Where's My Money by Mike Manson and A Respectable Trade by Philippa Gregory - well-known works of fiction based on the city's sea-faring, slave-trading and contraband past.
Radio 1 DJ Alice Levine goes back to her roots for Books That Made Britain - Rebel Writers of The East Midlands. The programme features three books which caused a sensation when they were first published - Saturday Night and Sunday Morning by Alan Sillitoe, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend and Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence.
