Thomas Hegghammer‘s new book, The Caravan, is a compelling biography of Abdullah Azzam, the Palestinian cleric who led the mobilization of Arab fighters to Afghanistan in the 1980s and played a crucial role in the internationalization of the jihadi movement. Killed in mysterious circumstances in 1989, Azzam remains one of the key jihadi idealogues of all time.

Frank Gardner, the BBC’s Secuity Correspondent, will be chatting to Thomas about the book. He is also the bestselling author of action-packed espionage thrillers Crisis and Ultimatum and we eagerly expect Outbreak later this year.

Thomas Heghammer is Senior Research Fellow at the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment.

Following his sparkling biography of Princess Margaret Ma’am Darling, prolific author and journalist Craig Brown brings us a kaleidoscopic, hilarious and fascinating biography of the Fab Four. Here are the Beatles in all their glory and also the bizarre and often unfortunate tales of the disparate and colourful people within their orbit. Mixing diaries, interviews, fan letters, party lists and more One Two Three Four joyously echoes the frenetic hurly-burly of an era and we can’t wait to hear more.

BBC broadcaster and journalist James Naughtie brings his unique and inquisitive eye to the country that has fascinated him and drawn him across the Atlantic for half a century. In looking at America, from Presidents Nixon through to Trump, he tells the story of a country that is grappling with a dream. What has it come to mean in the new century, and who do Americans now think they are? James will be here to tell us.

Following the popular Radio 4 series, the much-anticipated book The Ratline is published in April. Philippe Sands‘ new book follows the Nazi fugitive Otto Freiherr von Wachter who hid in the Austrian Alps for three years and was then taken in by a Vatican bishop in Rome for three months. While preparing his escape along the ‘ratline’ to Argentina, Wachter died unexpectedly and in mysterious circumstances. As well as Wachter’s story, through the lens of his death Philippe gives us a fascinating insight into American and Soviet spies in Rome at the very start of the Cold War. Philippe Sands is the author of East West Street, which was garlanded with awards including the Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-fiction.

It is our great pleasure to welcome novelist Ali Smith to chat to Philippe about the book. Spring, the third part of her bestselling seasonal quartet, will be out in March.