Know It All

From being told to stand in a dustbin in primary school because he struggled to spell, to earning 16 graduate degrees from some of the world's most prestigious universities, Benjamin Bolger's extraordinary journey is one of academia's most unconventional success stories.

In this series finale of Sideways, Matthew Syed follows Benjamin's remarkable path to explore what it really means to pursue knowledge. Does an insatiable curiosity lead to a life well lived? And how can a lifetime of information add up to genuine wisdom?

With contributions from Dr Benjamin Bolger; Dr Iain McGilchrist, psychiatrist, philosopher and bestselling author of The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World; and Professor Judith Glück, wisdom researcher and Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Klagenfurt, Austria.

Featuring a personal archive recording of Benjamin’s mother, Loretta.

Presenter: Matthew Syed

Producer: Vishva Samani

Editor: Katherine Godfrey

Production Manager: Joe Savage

Sound Design and Engineering: Daniel Kempson

Theme tune by Ioana Selaru

A Novel production for BBC Radio 4