Arts & Ideas Podcast
Leading thinkers discuss the ideas shaping our lives – looking back at the news and making links between past and present. Broadcast as Free Thinking, Fridays at 9pm on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Radio 4. Presented by Matthew Sweet, Shahidha Bari and Anne McElvoy.
Episodes to download
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New Thinking: Diverse Classical Music
Thu 28 Oct 2021
Digging into the music of composers Joseph Boulogne, Kikuko Kanai and Julia Perry
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Celebrating Buchi Emecheta
Wed 27 Oct 2021
Shahidha Bari leads a discussion of Nigerian-born novelist Buchi Emecheta (1944-2017).
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Green Thinking: Trees
Tue 26 Oct 2021
Is a Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winner on to a new sustainable energy source?
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Twilight
Tue 26 Oct 2021
Poet Pascale Petit, photographer Jasper Goodall, Alexandra Harris, composer Sally Beamish
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Green Thinking: Sustainable Development
Mon 25 Oct 2021
How can mangos, cocoa husks and rice be turned into fuel and impact climate change?
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The Language of Flowers
Thu 21 Oct 2021
Rebecca Solnit's book Orwell's Roses explores his interest in gardening
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Green Thinking: History of climate summits
Thu 21 Oct 2021
How could meetings like COP and the targets they set be organised differently ?
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Rationality & Tradition
Wed 20 Oct 2021
Steven Pinker on Rationality and Tim Stanley on Tradition - Anne McElvoy hosts
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Green Thinking: Landscapes
Wed 20 Oct 2021
How can understanding the history of landscape help planners, policies and people?
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New Thinking: Black British Theatre. An Afro-Cuban star
Tue 19 Oct 2021
From a Black Juliet in the 18th century to Ira Aldridge’s daughter Amanda + Rita Montaner
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Green Thinking: how we see nature
Fri 15 Oct 2021
How can we give nature a louder voice in climate change discussions?
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Frieze: Museums in the 21st century
Tue 12 Oct 2021
Anne McElvoy talks to the directors at London's National Gallery, Yale and New York's Met
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Green Thinking: Health
Fri 8 Oct 2021
How can we deal with the health challenges presented by the climate crisis?
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New Thinking: Black British Theatre
Wed 6 Oct 2021
From a Black Juliet in the 18th century to Ira Aldridge’s daughter Amanda.
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The British Academy Book Prize 2021
Wed 6 Oct 2021
New ways of thinking about global problems - Rana Mitter reads this year's shortlist.
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Breakfast
Tue 5 Oct 2021
Literally "breaking the fast" - Matthew Sweet moves from the Full English to Tiffany's.
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Green Thinking: Transport
Fri 1 Oct 2021
The impact of walking to school, the energy use of electric cars and should we fly less?
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Order & Chaos
Thu 30 Sep 2021
Clutter, indexes, and jazz improvisation. Ruth Ozeki and others join Shahidha Bari
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Thomas Mann
Wed 29 Sep 2021
Novelist Colm Toibin joins Anne McElvoy to discuss the German author's life and struggles
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New Thinking: Researching a House Through Time
Tue 28 Sep 2021
Producer Kat Feavers & house historian Melanie Backe-Hansen on preparing the TV show
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The continuing appeal of Tudor history
Tue 28 Sep 2021
Philippa Gregory tells Matthew Sweet why the Tudors are still so hot.
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Green Thinking: Soil
Thu 23 Sep 2021
Do we need to change the way we think about soil to make it sustainable?
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Hannah Arendt's exploration of Totalitarianism
Tue 21 Sep 2021
Why do Hannah Arendt's ideas continue to fire the imaginations of artists and thinkers?
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Belonging
Thu 16 Sep 2021
A teacher's view, a Frankenstein-inspired ballet, outside status and circus paintings
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Glitches
Wed 15 Sep 2021
Novelist Tom McCarthy joins Matthew Sweet to explore glitches and what they tell us