Talk! Talk! Talk!: This city could win a gold medal for conversation

‘Morning in the Streets’ on the joy of eavesdropping

Dear members — long before smartphones, MP3 players and cassette players existed, there was an ancient form of entertainment that took place when you rode the bus or walked down the street: other people’s conversations. You could be regaled by secrets in the queue for the post office, snatch snippets on street corners. Today, Sophie Atkinson goes deep on the fun of eavesdropping in a documentary which you can watch after reading the essay on BBC iPlayer.

But first — was Elle Edwards’ father rejected entry to a hotel on the basis of his accent? The hotel owners deny it — and more, in our news briefing.