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Free Thinking Episodes

  1.

    Alan Hollinghurst

    Alan Hollinghurst talks to Anne McElvoy about his new novel The Sparsholt Affair.

  2. The importance of networks; the art of dance

    Niall Ferguson argues for a less hierarchical history. Degas' images of the human body.

  3. Landmark: Andrew Marvell's To His Coy Mistress

    Michael Symmons Roberts, Helen Mort and Stewart Mottram join Matthew Sweet in Hull.

  4. Simon Heffer. Social Conservatism. Sibelius. D'Oyly Carte.

    Rana Mitter and guests look back to Edwardian England and at conservative thinking now.

  5. Kamila Shamsie: John Kasmin. Dido

    Philip Dodd looks at postcards of beggars, the love and scorn of Dido and radicalisation.

  6. Bernard MacLaverty. Immigration. Christian destruction of Classical World

    Author Bernard MacLaverty talks to Anne McElvoy about his new novel Midwinter Break.

  7. Royal Society Science Book Prize. Adrian Owen. Science in India.

    Matthew Sweet looks at the writing of science and the Royal Society Science Book Prize.

  8. Diplomacy: Sir John Jenkins, Gabrielle Rifkind, Michael Burleigh, Dr Beyza Unal.

    Philip Dodd and guests explore the art of negotiation and discuss JT Rogers' play Oslo.

  9. Russian Nationalism. Scythians. Hull and Port Talbot on stage.

    Anne McElvoy talks to Anne Applebaum and Serhii Plokhy about Russian-Ukrainian history.

  10. Kathe Kollwitz, John Ashbery, Social Conservatism in US and Europe

    Art and irony - Philip Dodd and Joanna Kavenna on the Kathe Kollwitz show in Birmingham.

  11. Washing in Public. Sir Peter Hall (1930 - 2017)

    Public pools, the 'steamie' and the Turkish bath are explored by Matthew Sweet and guests.

  12. Partition: Novelists' views of India and Pakistan now

    Neel Mukherjee, Preti Taneja, Mohsin Hamid and Nadeem Aslam talk to Anne McElvoy.

  13. Landmark: Matthew Arnold's Culture and Anarchy

    Matthew Sweet and guests debate the contemporary relevance of ideas of poet Matthew Arnold

  14. Art in the Age of Black Power, History of Racist Ideas in US

    Including the art of the black power movement and the history of racist ideas in the US.

  15. Queer Icons: Plato's Symposium. Part of Gay Britannia

    Shahidha Bari discusses LGBTQ in the history of philosophy. Plus the 2017 Caine Prize.

  16. Writing Love: Jonathan Dollimore, Heer Ranjha, Sappho

    Including the Punjabi Romeo and Juliet and the Centre for the Study of Sexual Dissidence.

  17. Philip Hoare and Elizabeth Jane Burnett on wild swimming, Jake Arnott on Joe Orton

    Philip Hoare and Elizabeth Jane Burnett discuss the literary power of the sea.

  18. Food

    Matthew Sweet and his guests explore the joys of food.

  19. Canada 150: Sydney Newman and British TV, Vahni Capildeo, Shubbak Festival 2017

    Matthew Sweet discusses the Canadian producer who transformed British TV drama.

  20. Canada 150: Identity - Robbie Richardson, Alison MacLeod, Deborah Pearson, Rupi Kaur and Kevan Funk

    New Generation Thinkers Shahidha Bari and Laurence Scott on Canada in TV, poems and art.

  21. Canada 150: Robert Lepage, Katherine Ryan

    Philip Dodd's guests are comedian Katherine Ryan and playwright/performer Robert Lepage.

  22. Man and Machine, Wyndham Lewis, Simon Beard

    Philip Dodd explores AI with Garry Kasparov. Plus vorticism and overpopulation.

  23. Terrorism

    Rana Mitter and guests debate fact and fiction as they explore how terrorism works.

  24. Tom McCarthy, Jacobitism, Satirical Indexes, A Museum of Modern Nature

    Anne McElvoy hears about new exhibitions on Bonnie Prince Charlie and nature.

  25. Churchill, Pocahontas, The Idiot

    Anne McElvoy considers Churchill on the big screen and the legacy of Pocahontas.

  26. Narcissism: Will Storr, Olivia Sudjic, Tom Jackson and Sophie Scott

    Shahidha Bari and Laurence Scott explore our perceived obsession with the self.

  27. Will Self, RD Laing, Mandy

    Will Self talks to Matthew Sweet about his new novel. Plus a film about RD Laing.

  28. Political Sketch Writing, Enclosure Acts, Emma Butcher on Branwell Bronte, Pushkin House Book Prize

    Anne McElvoy and guests explore the style of the election and the job of sketch writers.

  29. Revenge: My Cousin Rachel, Natalie Haynes, Islam Issa

    Matthew Sweet discusses the film My Cousin Rachel and explores revenge in Shakespeare.

  30. Arundhati Roy

    The Man Booker Prize-winning author and campaigner is in conversation with Philip Dodd.

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