BBC Radio 4 · Education

In Our Time

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.

Episodes

This BBC podcast episode of "In Our Time" features Melvyn Bragg leading a discussion with Bruce Cameron Reed, Cynthia Kelly, and Frank Close about the Manhattan Project. The conversation covers the scientific discoveries that led to the project, the key figures involved like General Groves and Robert Oppenheimer, the m...

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

30 Sep 2021

49m

Herodotus

23 Sep 2021

52m

The Evolution of Crocodiles

16 Sep 2021

53m

Shakespeare's Sonnets

24 Jun 2021

52m

AI processed

This BBC podcast episode of "In Our Time" features Robert Douglas-Fairhurst leading a discussion with Hannah Crawforth, Don Paterson, and Emma Smith about Shakespeare's Sonnets. The discussion covers the sonnets' historical context, publication, and form, including the Elizabethan sonnet tradition and the impact of Jam...

Edward Gibbon

17 Jun 2021

52m

Booth's Life and Labour Survey

10 Jun 2021

48m

Kant's Copernican Revolution

03 Jun 2021

53m

The Interregnum

27 May 2021

52m

Journey to the West

20 May 2021

51m

Longitude

13 May 2021

50m

AI processed

This podcast episode of "In Our Time" features Melvyn Bragg leading a discussion with Jim Bennett, Rebekah Higgitt, and Simon Schaffer about the historical problem of determining longitude at sea. The conversation covers early navigation techniques, the challenges faced by mariners, and the scientific and technological...

The Second Barons' War

06 May 2021

56m

Ovid

29 Apr 2021

49m

The Franco-American Alliance 1778

22 Apr 2021

50m

AI processed

In this episode of In Our Time, host Michael Rapport and guests Frank Cogliano, Michael Rapport, and Kathleen Burk discuss the Franco-American Alliance of 1778. They explore the historical context leading up to the alliance, including the Treaty of Paris in 1763 and the American Revolution, and examine France's motivat...