‘The Human at Play’, produced by Giles Edwards, starts out with the anecdotal observation that it seems suddenly more acceptable for adults to play, compared to a few decades ago, when adults sitting in a board game café for hours would almost certainly have raised eyebrows.
Driven by anthropological and intellectual curiosity, Dr Jarral explores the contemporary ‘politics of play’ by speaking with academics, play advocates and activists at the London Toy Fair and in Bristol.
Questions such as ‘What constitutes play?’ lead the way to observations about why finding the time and place to play for children seems to be increasingly under pressure.
The programme looks at why opportunities to play are more available for the wealthy, and at the multi-layered battle for play that socio-economically disadvantaged children experience today.
Tune in this Friday at 11am or download from BBC iPlayer Radio here.
