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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Li Shizhen
Thu 28 Nov 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the heights of medical knowledge under the Ming dynasty
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Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem
Thu 21 Nov 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most powerful woman in the C12th Kingdom of Jerusalem
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Crime and Punishment
Thu 14 Nov 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Dostoevsky's novel. The hero thinks he's above the law....
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The Treaty of Limerick
Thu 7 Nov 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the treaty ending the Williamite War in Ireland in 1691
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Hybrids
Thu 31 Oct 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how parents from different species can reproduce
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Robert Burns
Thu 24 Oct 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the poetry, ideas and life of Robert Burns (1759-1796).
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The Time Machine
Thu 17 Oct 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the science and ideas in HG Wells' story of time travel.
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Rousseau on Education
Thu 10 Oct 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Jean-Jacques Rousseau's ideas on the education of children
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Dorothy Hodgkin
Thu 3 Oct 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the winner of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
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The Rapture
Thu 26 Sep 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the idea that believers will vanish from the world.
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Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow
Thu 19 Sep 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss why Napoleon's apparent victory turned to defeat in 1812.
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Lorca
Thu 4 Jul 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Spanish poet and playwright's work, life and death.
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Doggerland
Thu 27 Jun 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Stone Age human habitats now covered by the North Sea.
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The Mytilenaean Debate
Thu 20 Jun 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Athenians' change of mind in the Peloponnesian War.
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The Inca
Thu 13 Jun 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the advanced Andean empire, dominant until Pizarro arrived
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Sir Thomas Browne
Thu 6 Jun 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the physician with a curious mind in dangerous times
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President Ulysses S Grant
Thu 30 May 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Grant's role in reconstructing the USA after the Civil War
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Kinetic Theory
Thu 23 May 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how we know gas molecules move rather than keep still.
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Frankenstein
Thu 16 May 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Mary Shelley's Gothic story of a monster brought to life
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Bergson and Time
Thu 9 May 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Henri Bergson's ideas about our experience of time passing
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The Gordon Riots
Thu 2 May 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the causes of the violence of June 1780 and repercussions.
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Nero
Thu 25 Apr 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most notorious rulers of ancient Rome.
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A Midsummer Night's Dream
Thu 18 Apr 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Shakespeare's comedy, one of his most popular plays
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The Evolution of Teeth
Thu 11 Apr 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how teeth evolved in our toothless ancestors - and why.
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The Great Irish Famine
Thu 4 Apr 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the causes and consequences of the Famine of 1845-49.
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The Danelaw
Thu 28 Mar 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Danish impact on England in 9th and 10th centuries.
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Gerard Manley Hopkins
Thu 21 Mar 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss 'the only influential poet of the Victorian age'.
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William Cecil
Thu 7 Mar 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most powerful man in the court of Elizabeth I.
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Antarah ibn Shaddad
Thu 28 Feb 2019
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the poetry and context of this pre-Islamic Arabian knight
In Our Time podcasts
Download programmes from the huge In Our Time archive.
The In Our Time Listeners' Top 10
If you’re new to In Our Time, this is a good place to start.
Arts and Ideas podcast
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