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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.
  • May 14 · 55 min

    M.C. Escher

    The graphic artist's amazing paradoxical world, and the interplay between maths and art.

  • May 7 · 54 min

    Handel's Messiah

    The origin and development of Handel's great sacred oratorio, premiered in Dublin in 1742.

  • April 23 · 52 min

    Silicon

    The role of silicon from chips to glass to the balance of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere

  • April 16 · 50 min

    Dadaism

    How, in 1916 in Zurich, artists responded to the absurdity of war by creating absurd art.

  • April 9 · 53 min

    Archaea

    How a discovery in the 1970s changed the theory of the origin of complex life on earth.

  • April 2 · 54 min

    Margaret Beaufort

    How one woman helped her son survive the Wars of the Roses to become the first Tudor king.

  • March 26 · 52 min

    The Columbian Exchange

    The impact of the spread of animals, crops and diseases between continents after 1492.

Showing 21–28 of 28 episodes