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In Our Time

BBC Radio 4

#13 in History this week

A world-class seminar, every week. In Our Time explores the ideas, people and discoveries that have shaped our world, spanning history, philosophy, religion, science, literature, art and culture. On Thursdays, hear brand-new episodes hosted by Misha Glenny and leading academics. On Mondays, discover Misha's Archive Picks: classic conversations from the In Our Time archive, originally presented by Melvyn Bragg. Recent episodes have featured topics as wide-ranging as the Roman Arena, Handel's Messiah, John Keats, On Liberty and the Mariana Trench, bringing expert insight to pivotal events, influential thinkers and remarkable discoveries. Throughout the archive, you can hear discussions on historical figures such as Marie Antoinette, Nefertiti, Mary Wollstonecraft, Karl Marx and Albert Einstein; explore great works of literature such as Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and the poetry of John Donne; uncover the stories behind cultural masterpieces including Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel; or journey from Jupiter and the death of stars, to the theories of Plato and Aristotle. In Our Time celebrates the pursuit of knowledge and the enduring power of ideas.

Play
  • 28 episodes
  • weekly
  • Avg 49 min
  • English
Counted on this page — what you have heard stays on this device, so it is not something the list can be paged by.
  • Thursday · 51 min

    Archive: Rosalind Franklin

    Misha Glenny picks a classic In Our Time episode: the eminent scientist Rosalind Franklin

  • August 27 · 44 min

    Archive: Plate Tectonics

    Misha Glenny’s choice from In Our Time’s archive:the theory the Earth’s surface is moving

  • August 20 · 47 min

    Archive: Hatshepsut

    Misha Glenny picks an episode from In Our Time’s archive: the female pharaoh Hatshepsut.

  • August 13 · 56 min

    Archive: Coffee

    Misha Glenny picks a classic episode from the In Our Time archive: the history of coffee

  • August 6 · 52 min

    Archive: Aphra Behn

    Misha Glenny introduces a classic In Our Time episode: the playwright and spy Aphra Behn.

  • July 30 · 53 min

    Seashells

    The familiar sight in the sand that reveals the diversity and intricacy of marine life.

  • July 23 · 56 min

    Vigée Le Brun

    The woman who became Marie Antoinette's official portraitist and won fame across Europe.

  • July 16 · 54 min

    The Delian League

    The ancient alliance initially formed to protect Greek city states from the Persian Empire

  • July 9 · 53 min

    Machado de Assis

    The great Brazilian novelist, whose satires of slave owners transcend time and place.

  • July 2 · 54 min

    The Evolution of Trees

    How trees first arose from small plants and changed the world, and why new trees emerge.

  • June 25 · 52 min

    The Welsh Marches

    How the Norman invasion of Britain created semi-independent warlord territories in Wales.

  • June 18 · 55 min

    The Levellers

    The political movement during the English Civil War committed to a new idea of equality.

  • June 11 · 57 min

    The Garamantes

    The ancient civilisation which thrived in the Sahara Desert over 2,000 years ago.

  • June 4 · 55 min

    Joseph Roth

    One of the great writers on Central Europe after WW1 and author of Radetzky March.

  • May 28 · 52 min

    Cybernetics

    The origins and lasting influences of the study of communication in animals and machines.

  • May 21 · 51 min

    Indian Indentured Labour

    How slavery's abolition led to Indian workers being recruited to work in British colonies.

Showing 1–20 of 28 episodes