In Our Time Podcast
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.
Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time from 麻豆官网首页入口 Radio 4 is essential listening for the intellectually curious. In each episode, host Melvyn Bragg and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.
History fans can learn about pivotal wars and societal upheavals, such as the rise and fall of Napoleon, the Sack of Rome in 1527, and the political intrigue of the Russian Revolution. Those fascinated by the lives of kings and queens can journey to Versailles to meet Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV the Sun King, or to Ancient Egypt to meet Cleopatra and Nerfertiti. Or perhaps you鈥檙e looking to explore the history of religion, from Buddhism鈥檚 early teachings to the Protestant Reformation.
If you鈥檙e interested in the stories behind iconic works of art, music and literature, dive in to discussions on the artistic genius of Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and Van Gogh鈥檚 famous Sunflowers. From Gothic architecture to the works of Shakespeare, each episode of In Our Time offers new insight into humanity鈥檚 cultural achievements.
Those looking to enrich their scientific knowledge can hear episodes on black holes, the Periodic Table, and classical theories of gravity, motion, evolution and relativity. Learn how the discovery of penicillin revolutionised medicine, and how the death of stars can lead to the formation of new planets.
Lovers of philosophy will find episodes on the big issues that define existence, from free will and ethics, to liberty and justice. In what ways did celebrated philosophers such as Mary Wollstonecraft and Karl Marx push forward radical new ideas? How has the concept of karma evolved from the ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism to today? What was Plato鈥檚 concept of an ideal republic, and how did he explore this through the legend of the lost city of Atlantis?
In Our Time celebrates the pursuit of knowledge and the enduring power of ideas.
Episodes to download
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The Irish Rebellion of 1798
Thu 8 Dec 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the causes and early consequences of the 1798 rebellion.
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The Nibelungenlied
Thu 1 Dec 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the medieval German epic The Song of the Nibelungs.
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The Challenger Expedition 1872-1876
Thu 24 Nov 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great global Victorian voyage of scientific discovery.
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Demosthenes' Philippics
Thu 17 Nov 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the speeches that set the standard for political attacks.
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Bauhaus
Thu 10 Nov 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the influential German school founded by Walter Gropius.
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The Morant Bay Rebellion
Thu 3 Nov 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the events in Jamaica in 1865 and their consequences.
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Wilfred Owen
Thu 27 Oct 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the outstanding poets of the First World War.
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The Fish-Tetrapod Transition
Thu 20 Oct 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the great stages in the evolution of life on Earth.
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Berthe Morisot
Thu 13 Oct 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the innovative artist at the heart of French impressionism
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The Knights Templar
Thu 6 Oct 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the rise and abrupt fall of the famous military order.
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The Electron
Thu 29 Sep 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the atomic particle that's proved a gateway to modernity.
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Plato's Atlantis
Thu 22 Sep 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Plato's story of the great, lost island of Atlantis.
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Nineteen Eighty-Four
Thu 15 Sep 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Orwell's novel on totalitarianism, truth and surveillance.
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John Bull
Thu 30 Jun 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins and evolution of the satirical everyman figure
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Angkor Wat
Thu 23 Jun 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great Cambodian temple complex, begun 900 years ago.
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Dylan Thomas
Thu 16 Jun 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the poems, plays and persona of the prominent Welsh writer
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The Death of Stars
Thu 9 Jun 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how the ends of stars can lead to new planets and new life
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Hegel's Philosophy of History
Thu 26 May 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Hegel's ideas on the consciousness of freedom.
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Comenius
Thu 19 May 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 17th-century Czech educator committed to toleration.
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Tang Era Poetry
Thu 12 May 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Li Bai and Du Fu from the Golden Age of Chinese Poetry.
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The Davidian Revolution
Thu 5 May 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the lasting impact of David I, King of Scotland c1084-1153
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Early Christian Martyrdom
Thu 28 Apr 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Eusebius of Caesarea and his stories of Christian martyrs.
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Olympe de Gouges
Thu 21 Apr 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the author of The Declaration of the Rights of Woman, 1791
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Homo erectus
Thu 14 Apr 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the two-million-year span of our most adaptable ancestor.
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Polidori's The Vampyre
Thu 7 Apr 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 1819 work that inspired two centuries of vampire tales
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The Sistine Chapel
Thu 31 Mar 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Michelangelo's iconic frescoes in Renaissance Rome.
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Antigone
Thu 24 Mar 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Sophocles' tragedy of an autocrat who defies family ties.
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Charisma
Thu 17 Mar 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Max Weber's idea of charismatic authority in leadership
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Seismology
Thu 10 Mar 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how the study of earthquakes helps reveal Earth's secrets.
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In Our Time is now first on 麻豆官网首页入口 Sounds
Fri 4 Mar 2022
New episodes will now be available first on Sounds for 28 days before other podcast apps.
In Our Time podcasts
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