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 成人快手 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鈥檙e looking to explore the history of religion, from Buddhism鈥檚 early teachings to the Protestant Reformation.
If you鈥檙e 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鈥檚 famous Sunflowers. From Gothic architecture to the works of Shakespeare, each episode of In Our Time offers new insight into humanity鈥檚 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鈥檚 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
-
Albert Einstein
Thu 14 Sep 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Einstein's astonishing impact on theoretical physics.
-
-
Elizabeth Anscombe
Thu 22 Jun 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the influential 20th-century moral philosopher.
-
-
Oedipus Rex
Thu 8 Jun 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests on Sophocles' tragedy, sometimes called the best play ever written
-
Mitochondria
Thu 1 Jun 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the power-packs within cells in all complex life on Earth.
-
Louis XIV: The Sun King
Thu 25 May 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and reign of the French king who built Versailles
-
Virgil's Georgics
Thu 18 May 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Roman poet's celebration of agriculture and rural life
-
The Shimabara Rebellion
Thu 11 May 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 1637-8 Christian uprising in Japan.
-
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Thu 4 May 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Biblical texts and documents found in the late 1940s.
-
Walt Whitman
Thu 27 Apr 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the innovative and highly influential American poet.
-
Linnaeus
Thu 20 Apr 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas and legacy of the pioneering Swedish botanist.
-
The Battle of Cr茅cy
Thu 13 Apr 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 1346 conflict between the armies of France and England
-
Cnut
Thu 6 Apr 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Dane who became a powerful King of England in 1016.
-
A Room of One's Own
Thu 30 Mar 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Virginia Woolf's essay on women and literature.
-
Solon the Lawgiver
Thu 23 Mar 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the statesman who transformed Athens in the 6th century BC
-
Mercantilism
Thu 16 Mar 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the idea which dominated European economies for 300 years.
-
-
Megaliths
Thu 2 Mar 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss what we know about ancient stones placed in the landscape.
-
Paul Erd艖s
Thu 23 Feb 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of the prolific Hungarian mathematician.
-
Stevie Smith
Thu 16 Feb 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the writer best known for her poem Not Waving But Drowning
-
Chartism
Thu 9 Feb 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 19th-century campaign for greater democracy.
-
Tycho Brahe
Thu 2 Feb 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 16th-century astronomer, renowned for his accuracy.
-
Superconductivity
Thu 26 Jan 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss why some materials lose all electrical resistance.
-
Rawls' Theory of Justice
Thu 19 Jan 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss John Rawls' influential ideas on liberty and equality.
-
John Donne
Thu 12 Jan 2023
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the priest who was one of England's finest love poets.
-
The Great Stink
Thu 29 Dec 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 1858 crisis from the flow of sewage into the Thames.
-
Persuasion
Thu 22 Dec 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Austen's last complete novel, published after her death.
-
Citizen Kane
Thu 15 Dec 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Orson Welles' celebrated and influential film from 1941.
-
The Irish Rebellion of 1798
Thu 8 Dec 2022
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the causes and early consequences of the 1798 rebellion.
In Our Time podcasts
Download programmes from the huge In Our Time archive.
The In Our Time Listeners' Top 10
If you鈥檙e new to In Our Time, this is a good place to start.
Arts and Ideas podcast
Download the best of Radio 3's Free Thinking programme.