Rose

Brett Westwood looks into the heart of a rose. Its power lies in its infinite mutability - the rose symbolises everything from sex to socialism, romance to religious belief. It's not English, and it inspired the first punk single, as well as much of Persian poetry. David Austin Jr shows Brett around their rose garden, and cultural historian Jennifer Potter whizzes through roses from Sappho to Shakespeare.

Producer: Beth O'Dea

Contributors:

Narguess Farzad, Senior Fellow in Persian at SOAS, University of London

Jennifer Potter, author of The Rose: A True History

David Austin Jr, Managing Director, David Austin Roses

Readings

The Sick Rose by William Blake read by Lia Williams

Comical Roses in a Cubic Vase by George Szirtes, read by Iwan Rheon

Closing music:

Bright Blue Rose by Christy Moore