Faulks on Fiction - Season 1

Bestselling author Sebastian Faulks presents a major four-part series on the brilliance of the British novel and its characters. In this episode, Faulks looks at how the hero in literature and ideas of heroism have evolved over the last 300 years, from Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe to Martin Amis's John Self.

With contributions from Simon Armitage, Brian Keenan, Ruth Rendell, Robert Harris, Boris Johnson and Martin Amis.

In episode two of Sebastian Faulks's series on the English novel, he looks at how literary lovers have taught us the truth about love, from Jane Austen's Mr Darcy to Alan Hollinghurst's Nick Guest.

With contributions from Helen Fielding, John Carey, Adam Phillips, Alain de Botton, Simon Schama, Rowan Pelling and Alan Hollinghurst.

Sebastian Faulks looks at how novelists from Jane Austen to Monica Ali have used snobs as their secret weapon.

With contributions from Tim Lott, Alain de Botton, John Carey and Monica Ali.

Sebastian Faulks looks at villains and how they have evolved over the last three hundred years from theatrical rakes like Lovelace in Samuel Richardson's Clarissa to much more sinister yet much more ordinary characters like Barbara in Zoe Heller's Notes on a Scandal.