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 ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ 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’re looking to explore the history of religion, from Buddhism’s early teachings to the Protestant Reformation.
If you’re 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’s famous Sunflowers. From Gothic architecture to the works of Shakespeare, each episode of In Our Time offers new insight into humanity’s 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’s 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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Chemical Elements
Thu 25 May 2000
Melvyn Bragg explores chemistry's ongoing mission to understand irreducible substances.
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The Wars of the Roses
Thu 18 May 2000
The 15th century wars of the royal Houses of Lancaster and York.
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Shakespeare's Work
Thu 11 May 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines what it is about Shakespeare’s work that makes it universal.
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Death
Thu 4 May 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines the development of Western rituals and attitudes to death.
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Englishness
Thu 20 Apr 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the characteristics of the English identity.
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New Wars
Thu 13 Apr 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines whether we are in a new era in the history of modern warfare.
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The Natural Order
Thu 6 Apr 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines the science of taxonomy; the classification of the natural world.
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History and Understanding the Past
Thu 30 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines whether we can ever predict the future by understanding the past.
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Materialism and the Consumer
Thu 23 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the development and future of material culture.
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Lenin
Thu 16 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg investigates what drove the Soviet leader Lenin, and enabled his successes.
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The Age of Doubt
Thu 9 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines the spread of religious doubt over the last three centuries.
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Metamorphosis
Thu 2 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg explores the enduring appeal of the Roman poet Ovid’s work Metamorphoses.
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Grand Unified Theory
Thu 24 Feb 2000
The 20th century pursuit in physics for the ultimate theory of everything.
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Goethe and the Science of the Enlightenment
Thu 10 Feb 2000
Melvyn Bragg assesses the scientific legacy of the 18th century German poet Goethe.
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Republicanism
Thu 3 Feb 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines how English republicanism has developed from Cromwell to today.
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Economic Rights
Thu 27 Jan 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the relationship between democracy and capitalism.
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Masculinity in Literature
Thu 20 Jan 2000
Melvyn Bragg investigates the changing ideals of masculinity in 20th century literature.
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Information Technology
Thu 13 Jan 2000
Melvyn Bragg explores the social and economic consequences of the information revolution.
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Climate Change
Thu 6 Jan 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines predictions and solutions for global warming and rising sea levels.
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Time
Thu 30 Dec 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of mankind’s attempt to understand the nature of time.
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Medical Ethics
Thu 16 Dec 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the technological advances and ethics of modern medicine.
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Childhood
Thu 9 Dec 1999
Melvyn Bragg looks at how perceptions of childhood have changed over the last 100 years.
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Tragedy
Thu 2 Dec 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines whether the ancient genre of tragedy has a place in our own time.
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Consciousness
Thu 25 Nov 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines why ideas about consciousness preoccupy philosophers and scientists.
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Progress
Thu 18 Nov 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines whether mankind has made as much moral as material progress.
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The Novel
Thu 11 Nov 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests consider the development and the future of the novel.
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Education
Thu 4 Nov 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history and the modern purpose of education.
In Our Time podcasts
Download programmes from the huge In Our Time archive.
The In Our Time Listeners' Top 10
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Arts and Ideas podcast
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