"My first reaction to 1984 was the same as most people, 'it's a really gloomy book'. Later I realised he put this coda at the end. The message is, 'it's gone'." Reading George Orwell’s 1984 at a young age gave author Margaret Atwood a lifelong interest in authoritarian regimes and dictatorships, how they get going... and how they fall apart. Atwood's This Cultural Life interview with John Wilson is on @bbciplayer and BBC Four on Monday at 10pm. | BBC Arts

The interview | Classic films

During his last interview with the BBC, George Orwell discussed the possibility of his novel "1984" actually coming true. How close have we gotten to the dystopia he described? Are we past the point of no return? #georgeorwell #dystopian #society #Orwellian #politics #politicians #narrative #healthwithoutrisk | Health Without Risk

Unmasking the brilliance of George Orwell's '1984'! Orwell's chilling depiction of surveillance, government oppression, and the manipulation of information feels eerily relevant in our modern world. | Andy Andrews