Lost in Lullabies – Documentary – BBC Radio 4
Matt Edmonds is trying to sing his child to sleep. It’s not working.
From Rock-a-bye Baby to Brahms to AI… What happened to the lost art of the lullaby?
What is a lullaby? What gives it its magic? The tune? The words? The rhythm? The very act of delivery? In this programme, we join Matt Edmonds – writer, musician and father – as he falls down a rabbit hole searching for the perfect lullaby for his reluctant child.
During Lullaby Hour at a neonatal unit, Matt hears first-hand the impact live lullabies have on premature babies. He talks to Roxana Vilk – whose lullabies project gathers songs from all over the world – to see if she can help. And he meets his friends, musicians Johnny and Lillie Flynn, to hear what musical tricks they use to compose and sing lullabies.Returning to his wide-awake son, he realises there’s been missing something all along…
With special thanks to Mica Bernard, Irena Meza, Dr Aniko Deierl, Music in Hospitals & Care. Cuban, Japanese and Iranian Lullabies songs recorded and mixed by Roxana Vilk and Peter Vilk at Vilk Collective studios. © [2025] [Roxana Vilk]
Lost in Lullabies was featured on BBC Radio 4’s prestigious Pick of the Week! A listener even wrote in to say that Matt Edmonds and his son deserved an “audio Oscar” for their performances – and it’s hard to disagree. Presenter Jon Kay also noted that, on the morning Lost in Lullabies was broadcast, Radio 4’s flagship programme Broadcasting House ended with a piano rendition of Brahms’ Cradle Song, played by none other than BBC Moscow correspondent Steve Rosenberg.
Press for Lost in Lullabies
Lost in Lullabies was first broadcast on Sunday 16th November 2025 at 7:15pm on BBC Radio 4
It was produced by Jenny Dare and stars Matt Edmonds
