In Our Time Podcast
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the ideas, people and events that have shaped our world.
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 to download
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Cynicism
Thu 20 Oct 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Cynics, the performance artists of philosophy.
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Mammals
Thu 13 Oct 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the rise of the mammals which began 65 million years ago.
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The Field of the Cloth of Gold
Thu 6 Oct 2005
Melvyn Bragg examines the Field of the Cloth of Gold, and Tudor conspicuous consumption.
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Magnetism
Thu 29 Sep 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history and mysterious force of magnetism.
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Marx
Thu 14 Jul 2005
The life and ideas of Karl Marx who changed the world with his Communist Manifesto.
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Marlowe
Thu 7 Jul 2005
Melvyn Bragg examines the life of glittering Elizabethan playwright Christopher Marlowe.
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Merlin
Thu 30 Jun 2005
Melvyn Bragg examines Merlin, prophet, magician, king maker and the mad man of the woods.
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The KT Boundary
Thu 23 Jun 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the KT Boundary and the extinction of the dinosaurs.
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Paganism in the Renaissance
Thu 16 Jun 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the return of classical pagan thought in the Renaissance.
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The Scriblerus Club
Thu 9 Jun 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the satirical 18th century Scriblerus Club.
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Renaissance Maths
Thu 2 Jun 2005
Melvyn Bragg explores Renaissance Mathematics, when maths moved from an art to a science.
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The French Revolution's reign of terror
Thu 26 May 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the reign of terror during the French Revolution.
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Beauty
Thu 19 May 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the qualities of beauty and the history of aesthetics.
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Abelard and Heloise
Thu 5 May 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the medieval tale of Abelard and Heloise.
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Perception and the Senses
Thu 28 Apr 2005
Melvyn Bragg examines perception: how the brain reacts to the mass of data crowding it.
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The Aeneid
Thu 21 Apr 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss ‘The Aeneid’, Virgil's great epic poem about Rome.
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Archaeology and Imperialism
Thu 14 Apr 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the link between archaeology and imperialism.
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Alfred and the Battle of Edington
Thu 7 Apr 2005
Melvyn Bragg examines King Alfred and the defeat of the Vikings at Battle of Edington.
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John Ruskin
Thu 31 Mar 2005
The life and work of one of the most influential figures of the Victorian era.
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Dark Energy
Thu 17 Mar 2005
Melvyn Bragg examines recently discovered 'dark energy' and its effect on the universe.
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Modernist Utopias
Thu 10 Mar 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the mad, bad world of modern utopias.
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Stoicism
Thu 3 Mar 2005
Melvyn Bragg explore Stoicism, the most influential philosophy in the Ancient World.
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Alchemy
Thu 24 Feb 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Alchemy, the ancient science of transformations.
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The Cambrian Period
Thu 17 Feb 2005
Melvyn Bragg examines the Cambrian period, when there was an explosion of life on Earth.
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The Mind/Body Problem
Thu 13 Jan 2005
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of thought about the mind/body problem in philosophy.
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Tsar Alexander II's assassination
Thu 6 Jan 2005
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the assassination of Tsar Alexander II in 1881.
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The Roman Republic
Thu 30 Dec 2004
The rise and eventual downfall of the Roman Republic which survived for 500 years.

