Free Thinking Episodes Episode guide
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Frederick Forsyth, Emotion in Art
Presented by Matthew Sweet. With novelist Frederick Forsyth and a discussion on emotions.
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William Kentridge, William Boyd, Photography
South African artist William Kentridge and novelist William Boyd talk to Philip Dodd.
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Chalke Valley History Festival: Heroism v Failure
David Starkey, Amanda Foreman and Saul David debate heroism and failure in history.
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Slung Low's Camelot, Penny Woolcock, Bryan Stevenson, Go Set a Watchman
Philip Dodd on Camelot: The Shining City in Sheffield. Plus a review of the new Harper Lee
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French Thought, Thomas the Rhymer
Anne McElvoy discusses French intellectual traditions with Sudhir Hazareesingh.
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Law, Language and Legal Aid. Gore Vidal v William F Buckley Jr
Philip Dodd discusses law and language and reviews a new play by Rebecca Lenkiewicz.
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Landmark - Jaws: Sharks and Whales
Matthew Sweet discusses the film Jaws with writer Will Self and shark expert Gareth Fraser
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Pather Panchali, Sunjeev Sahota, Invalidism
Rana Mitter discusses Pather Panchali with Tariq Ali and talks to novelist Sunjeev Sahota.
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2015 Art Fund Prize for Museum of the Year Debate
Anne McElvoy chairs the 2015 Museum of the Year directors' debate at Tate Modern in London
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Touch and Emotion, Siobhan Davies, Public
Philip Dodd on the links between dance, art and the brain. Plus the meaning of 'public'.
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Spy Fiction, Worrying, Joseph Cornell
AL Kennedy, Virginia Ironside and Francis O'Gorman discuss worrying in literature and life
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Tales of Scotland: A Nation and its Literature
Anne McElvoy talks to Janice Galloway about explorations of Scottishness.
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Community, The Amber Collective, Poet Claudia Rankine
Philip Dodd discusses community with Toby Young and looks at historic images of Newcastle.
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Political and Bardic Traditions in Wales
Matthew Sweet examines Welsh politics and poetry with Gwyneth Lewis and Iain Sinclair.
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Muriel Spark, Digital Life, Diversity in British Poetry
New Generation Thinker Laurence Scott talks to Rana Mitter about living in a digital world
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Jonathan Sacks, Milan Kundera Novel, Stephen Adly Guirgis Play
Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks talks to Philip Dodd about confronting religious violence.
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John Boorman
Director John Boorman talks about his film-making career with Matthew Sweet.
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Fighting Art, Othello at the RSC, Hans Magnus Enzensberger
Anne McElvoy on a new history painting exhibition at Tate Britain. Plus a new Othello.
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Landmark: Saul Bellow's Herzog
Martin Amis, Zachary Leader and Sarah Churchwell discuss Saul Bellow's novel Herzog.
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Fairgrounds and Freaks, Carsten Holler
Matthew Sweet explores Carsten Holler's art and discusses the idea of the 'freak'.
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Susan Abulhawa, Napoleon, Eugenia Cheng on Maths
Dr Eugenia Cheng discusses maths and playing the piano with Anne McElvoy.
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Kate Grenville
Rana Mitter is joined by novelist Kate Grenville, who talks about her new book.
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Johanna Hamilton on 1971, Male Friendships: Steve Toltz, AD Miller, Richard Bean
Playwright Richard Bean joins Matthew Sweet to discuss male friendships.
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New Generation Thinkers 2015 Launch at the Hay Festival
Rana Mitter introduces the 2015 New Generation Thinkers.
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Hay Festival: David Brooks, Azar Nafisi, Tom Holland
Rana Mitter and guests Azar Nafisi, David Brooks and Tom Holland discuss humility.
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Theodore Zeldin, Mona Eltahawy
Philip Dodd is joined by scholar Theodore Zeldin and journalist Mona Eltahawy.
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Fulfilment, Beowulf, The Beaux' Stratagem
Including a debate about fulfilment, actor Julian Glover and the play The Beaux' Stratagem
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Alain Mabanckou, Joseph Stiglitz
With novelist Alain Mabanckou on growing up in the Republic of Congo. Plus Joseph Stiglitz
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Colm Toibin on Elizabeth Bishop, Mammoth Cloning, Fareed Zakaria
Colm Toibin on the poetry of Elizabeth Bishop and Beth Shapiro on cloning mammoths.
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High Society, Xinran and China's One-Child Policy, Decisive UK Elections
Anne McElvoy presents a review of High Society at the Old Vic. Plus Chinese writer Xinran.