J. G. Ballard was a writer who ‘saw terror and poetry in the city landscape’ and who loved edgelands. Whether it was writing about Shanghai, modern Britain, the suburbs, shopping centres, modern architecture, Ballard made a ‘Ballardian’ world, defined as ‘dystopian modernity, bleak man-made landscapes and the psychological effects of technological, social or environmental developments’. Political philosopher John Gray joins author Will Self to discuss Ballard’s work, his cities and his legacy.