Free Thinking Episodes Episode guide
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18th-Century Crime and Punishment
Philip Dodd explores 18th-century attitudes to the law, crime and punishment.
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Mandeville's View of 18th-Century Economics
Matthew Sweet on the lessons about finance outlined in Mandeville's Fable of the Bees.
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18th-Century Power Politics
With Anne McElvoy. Historians including Amanda Foreman on 18th-century monarchy and power.
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Are We Living Through a New 18th Century?
Philip Dodd explores the parallels between the 18th-century London and now.
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Originality
Nicholas Penny, Simon Stephens and Geoff Mulgan join Philip Dodd to discuss originality.
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Betty Balfour Profile, James Lovelock, Peter Buwalda
Lucy Porter and Bryony Dixon profile silent film star Betty Balfour with Matthew Sweet.
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Is War Good for Us?
Anne McElvoy explores the impact of war, Afghan elections and childhood violence.
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Orhan Pamuk
Orhan Pamuk talks to Philip Dodd about his writing career and his views of modern Turkey.
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Policing: Fact and Fiction
Matthew Sweet explores depictions of policing and corruption with playwright Roy Williams.
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Live at Southbank Centre: Contemporary Curating, World Thinkers, The Language of Peace
With Anne McElvoy on displaying art and design, World Thinkers and the language of peace.
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Live at Southbank Centre: EM Forster
South African novelist Damon Galgut joins Rana Mitter to discuss the career of EM Forster.
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Landmark: Seven Samurai
Matthew Sweet and guests including Ian Christie and SF Said on Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.
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Live at Southbank Centre: A Charm Offensive
Stephen Bayley, Rachel Johnson, AL Kennedy and Philip Dodd discuss what we mean by charm.
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Live at Southbank Centre: Childhood
Frank Field MP joins Philip Dodd for a discussion about different aspects of childhood.
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Blithe Spirit, Strong Leadership and Military Intervention, Brain Surgery
Samira Ahmed discusses Blithe Spirit, military intervention and brain surgery.
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Jonathan Lethem, Gary Shteyngart
American authors Jonathan Lethem and Gary Shteyngart are in conversation with Samira Ahmed
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Riba: The Brits Who Built the Modern World
From Riba, the architects whose work redefined the world's cities discuss their careers.
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David Grossman
Matthew Sweet is in conversation with Israeli novelist David Grossman.
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Flora Thompson Biography, Ruins at Tate Britain, Ravel
Richard Mabey discusses his biography of Flora Thompson, author of Lark Rise to Candleford
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Julian Schnabel, Michael Goldfarb on pianist Alice Herz-Sommer
Philip Dodd meets artist Julian Schnabel. Plus Michael Goldfarb on Alice Herz-Sommer.
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Vikings, Seafaring and Navigation
Matthew Sweet visits the British Museum's Vikings exhibition.
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Amy Chua, Versailles by Peter Gill, Spitting Image
Writers Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld talk to Anne McElvoy about what determines success.
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Wim Wenders on Peace, Richard King on Taking Offence
Film director Wim Wenders and philosopher Mary Zournazi discuss peace with Philip Dodd.
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Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Danny Dorling
Samira Ahmed considers scoundrels in culture and also the housing market.
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France and Algeria, Birds, Augustus
Anne McElvoy discusses France and its former colonies, plus bird mating systems.
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Landmark: Charlie Chaplin's City Lights
Matthew Sweet hosts a discussion about Chaplin recorded at the Bristol Slapstick Festival.
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Shelagh Delaney's A Taste of Honey, Class in Britain, An Eton Education
With a review of Shelagh Delaney's play A Taste of Honey at the National Theatre.
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Stuart Hall
An archive broadcast from 2004 to mark the death of cultural historian Stuart Hall.
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Jane Eyre versus Anne of Green Gables, Parent Power, Georg Baselitz, Flooding in Literature
Anne McElvoy discusses parent power, literary heroines, artist Georg Baselitz and floods.
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Atheism and Belief
Philip Dodd discusses religious belief with Terry Eagleton, Peter Watson and Roger Scruton
