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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The Second Law of Thermodynamics
Thu 16 Dec 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines the Second Law of Thermodynamics from steam to the Big Bang.
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Machiavelli and the Italian City States
Thu 9 Dec 2004
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the political philosopher Niccolo Machiavelli.
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The Venerable Bede
Thu 25 Nov 2004
The life and work of the Venerable Bede who revolutionised Christian scholarship.
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Higgs Boson
Thu 18 Nov 2004
The history of the quest to find the Higgs Boson, also known as the 'God Particle'.
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Zoroastrianism
Thu 11 Nov 2004
The history of Zoroastrianism, claimed to be the first monotheistic religion.
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Rhetoric
Thu 28 Oct 2004
Melvyn Bragg and guests discusses rhetoric; supported by Aristotle but reviled by Plato.
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The Han Synthesis
Thu 14 Oct 2004
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Han Synthesis philosophies of China.
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Sartre
Thu 7 Oct 2004
The life and work of French novelist, playwright and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre.
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Politeness
Thu 30 Sep 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines the cultural effect of the eighteenth century idea of Politeness.
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The Origins of Life
Thu 23 Sep 2004
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss when and how life on earth originated.
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Agincourt
Thu 16 Sep 2004
The history and legacy of the English army's defeat of the French at Agincourt in 1415.
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The Odyssey
Thu 9 Sep 2004
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the monster filled epic, Homer’s Odyssey.
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Pi
Thu 2 Sep 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of the longest and most detailed number in nature.
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Washington and the American Revolution
Thu 24 Jun 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines the first President of the US and what drove him to revolution.
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Renaissance Magic
Thu 17 Jun 2004
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Renaissance obsession with Magic.
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Empiricism
Thu 10 Jun 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines the 17th century idea that all knowledge arises from experience.
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The Planets
Thu 27 May 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines our knowledge of the planets in both our and other solar systems.
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Toleration
Thu 20 May 2004
Melvyn Bragg looks at the politics behind the rise of religious freedom in England.
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Zero
Thu 13 May 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines the number between 1 and -1, once denounced as the devil's work.
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Heroism
Thu 6 May 2004
Melvyn Bragg explores what defines a hero, and their place in classical society.
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Hysteria
Thu 22 Apr 2004
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how emotional experiences can become physical symptoms.
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The Later Romantics
Thu 15 Apr 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines the poetry, tragedy and idealism of Byron, Shelley and Keats.
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The Fall
Thu 8 Apr 2004
Melvyn Bragg examines the concept of original sin and its influence in Christian Europe.
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China's Warring States period
Thu 1 Apr 2004
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the astonishing productivity of the Chinese Golden Age.

