Children on Death The inevitability of death is something everyone has to face, not just our own but of those around us – friends, family, pets and loved ones. As adults, we struggle to cope with the impact of grief and bereavement, but as children we are often shielded from death. Adults are reluctant to explain the full ramifications of loss and what our mortality means, as if being young somehow exempts a person from reality.

As we examine the big questions, a group of children aged 9 to 17 from St Martins Youth Arts Centre join our host to lend their views on one of the biggest taboos of all – death. What information do young people have on death? How is their understanding of mortality formed? Are they afraid, or do they accept it? What can they teach us from their personal experiences of death?

A blush of boys What is it like to grow up as a boy in the second decade of the 21st century, and what sort of men are boys expected to become? As gender roles continue to evolve and are redefined, who are the role models for young males today, and what sort of message are they conveying to the next generation?

As part of our masculinities series, A Blush of Boys contrasts the experiences of two adult men with two boys from St Martins Youth Arts Centre. Two boys aged ten and eleven discuss how they feel about growing up, alongside actor and performer Paul Capsis and author Tony Birch.

Former journalist and politician Maxine McKew hosts this wide-ranging discussion about what advice boys of yesteryear found most useful while they were growing up and what pressures the boys of today are facing.