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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Laws of Nature
Thu 19 Oct 2000
Melvyn Bragg considers whether what is true in physics is true in all areas of existence.
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The Romantics
Thu 12 Oct 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideals, exponents and legacy of Romanticism.
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Hitler in History
Thu 5 Oct 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany though historiographical theories.
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London
Thu 28 Sep 2000
The history of London from its Neolithic origin to the digitalised capital city of today.
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Imagination and Consciousness
Thu 29 Jun 2000
Melvyn Bragg investigates how neuroscience can explain the enigmas of consciousness.
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Biography
Thu 22 Jun 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines why the public is fascinated with the private lives of individuals.
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Inspiration and Genius
Thu 15 Jun 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the true meaning of genius and whether it is born or made.
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The Renaissance
Thu 8 Jun 2000
Melvyn Bragg explores the veracity of modern claims about the culture of the Renaissance.
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The American Ideal
Thu 1 Jun 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests examine the ideals that underwrite the idealism of America.
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Chemical Elements
Thu 25 May 2000
Melvyn Bragg explores chemistry's ongoing mission to understand irreducible substances.
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The Wars of the Roses
Thu 18 May 2000
The 15th century wars of the royal Houses of Lancaster and York.
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Shakespeare's Work
Thu 11 May 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines what it is about Shakespeare’s work that makes it universal.
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Death
Thu 4 May 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines the development of Western rituals and attitudes to death.
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Englishness
Thu 20 Apr 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the characteristics of the English identity.
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New Wars
Thu 13 Apr 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines whether we are in a new era in the history of modern warfare.
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The Natural Order
Thu 6 Apr 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines the science of taxonomy; the classification of the natural world.
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History and Understanding the Past
Thu 30 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines whether we can ever predict the future by understanding the past.
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Materialism and the Consumer
Thu 23 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the development and future of material culture.
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Lenin
Thu 16 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg investigates what drove the Soviet leader Lenin, and enabled his successes.
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The Age of Doubt
Thu 9 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines the spread of religious doubt over the last three centuries.
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Metamorphosis
Thu 2 Mar 2000
Melvyn Bragg explores the enduring appeal of the Roman poet Ovid’s work Metamorphoses.
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Grand Unified Theory
Thu 24 Feb 2000
The 20th century pursuit in physics for the ultimate theory of everything.
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Goethe and the Science of the Enlightenment
Thu 10 Feb 2000
Melvyn Bragg assesses the scientific legacy of the 18th century German poet Goethe.
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Republicanism
Thu 3 Feb 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines how English republicanism has developed from Cromwell to today.
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Economic Rights
Thu 27 Jan 2000
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the relationship between democracy and capitalism.
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Masculinity in Literature
Thu 20 Jan 2000
Melvyn Bragg investigates the changing ideals of masculinity in 20th century literature.
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Information Technology
Thu 13 Jan 2000
Melvyn Bragg explores the social and economic consequences of the information revolution.
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Climate Change
Thu 6 Jan 2000
Melvyn Bragg examines predictions and solutions for global warming and rising sea levels.

