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 Arthashastra
Thu 3 Mar 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ancient Indian Sanskrit text the Arthashastra.
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Peter Kropotkin
Thu 24 Feb 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the prominent Russian anarchist and his idea of Mutual Aid
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Romeo and Juliet
Thu 17 Feb 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Shakespeare's tragedy of young star-crossed love in Verona
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Walter Benjamin
Thu 10 Feb 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most influential thinkers of the last century.
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The Temperance Movement
Thu 3 Feb 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the enthusiasm in Britain for abstaining from alcohol.
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Colette
Thu 27 Jan 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss a major force in French culture in the 20th century.
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The Gold Standard
Thu 20 Jan 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss what happened when world currencies were tied to gold
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Thomas Hardy's Poetry
Thu 13 Jan 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Hardy's goal of being a great poet and how he succeeded.
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Fritz Lang
Thu 30 Dec 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss a giant of cinema in Weimar Germany and Hollywood.
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The Hittites
Thu 23 Dec 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the great powers of the Late Bronze Age.
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A Christmas Carol
Thu 16 Dec 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Charles Dickens' celebrated story of Scrooge's redemption.
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The May Fourth Movement
Thu 9 Dec 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas and protests in 1919 that shaped modern China.
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The Battle of Trafalgar
Thu 2 Dec 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Nelson's famous victory and death on 21 October 1805.
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Plato's Gorgias
Thu 25 Nov 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Plato's exploration of the nature of power and freedom.
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The Decadent Movement
Thu 18 Nov 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Beardsley, Wilde and art for art's sake in the 1890s.
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William and Caroline Herschel
Thu 11 Nov 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the siblings at the forefront of 18th-century astronomy
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The Song of Roland
Thu 4 Nov 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss a masterpiece of French epic poetry from the 12th century.
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Corals
Thu 28 Oct 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the simple animals which form the now-threatened reefs.
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Iris Murdoch
Thu 21 Oct 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the philosophy of the celebrated author of The Bell.
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The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Thu 14 Oct 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Europe's largest republic, before its partition in 1772.
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The Manhattan Project
Thu 7 Oct 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the race to build an atom bomb before anyone else in WW2
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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Thu 30 Sep 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Anne Bronte's novel of a woman's fight for independence.
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Herodotus
Thu 23 Sep 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Greek writer known as the father of history.
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The Evolution of Crocodiles
Thu 16 Sep 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the land animals of the Triassic that dominated dinosaurs.
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Shakespeare's Sonnets
Thu 24 Jun 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss some of the greatest and most challenging poems in English
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Edward Gibbon
Thu 17 Jun 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the author of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
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Booth's Life and Labour Survey
Thu 10 Jun 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Charles Booth's landmark survey of London's poor and rich.
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Kant's Copernican Revolution
Thu 3 Jun 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Kant's insight into how we relate to the world around us.
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The Interregnum
Thu 27 May 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the upheavals of 1649-60 in the British Isles
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Journey to the West
Thu 20 May 2021
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the great novel from the Ming Era, with its heroic Monkey.
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