The Sounds between the Words

This week Testament - poet, theatre-maker and world-record-breaking human beatboxer, explores the meaning and power of the sounds we make between words, including sighing and laughing - with spoken word artist and writer Polar Bear (Steven Camden) , 'Wild' author Jay Griffiths, and poets Shirley May and John McAuliffe.

Polar Bear presents a brand new commission for our series celebrating the BBC's centenary ('Something Old, Something New') which includes the sounds of his childhood home, John McAuliffe shares poems of deep sighs and his work inspired by the experiences of organ donors and recipients, Jay Griffiths lets us into the way our fellow creatures take pleasure in sound and the importance of wild sound to humans, and Shirley May explores the importance of breath in her work, and the role of the body in performance - something she teaches as artistic director of 'Young Identity' - the youth spoken word collective.