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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Time
Thu 30 Dec 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of mankind’s attempt to understand the nature of time.
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Medical Ethics
Thu 16 Dec 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the technological advances and ethics of modern medicine.
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Childhood
Thu 9 Dec 1999
Melvyn Bragg looks at how perceptions of childhood have changed over the last 100 years.
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Tragedy
Thu 2 Dec 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines whether the ancient genre of tragedy has a place in our own time.
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Consciousness
Thu 25 Nov 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines why ideas about consciousness preoccupy philosophers and scientists.
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Progress
Thu 18 Nov 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines whether mankind has made as much moral as material progress.
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The Novel
Thu 11 Nov 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests consider the development and the future of the novel.
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Education
Thu 4 Nov 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history and the modern purpose of education.
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Atrocity in the 20th Century
Thu 28 Oct 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the widespread and chilling inhumanity of the 20th century.
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The Individual
Thu 21 Oct 1999
Melvyn Bragg explores the concept of the individual from the Renaissance to today.
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The Nation State
Thu 14 Oct 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss whether it is appropriate to think of the UK as a nation.
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Utopia
Thu 7 Oct 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss why we are as enthralled as ever by the idea of a Utopia.
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Maths and Storytelling
Thu 30 Sep 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines whether it is possible to apply mathematical logic to literature.
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Pain
Thu 22 Jul 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the causes and our mechanisms of coping with pain.
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Truth, Lies and Fiction
Thu 15 Jul 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss whether it matters if memoirs aren’t entirely truthful.
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Africa
Thu 8 Jul 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the roots of Africa's current political and social crises.
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Intelligence
Thu 1 Jul 1999
Melvyn Bragg explores the origins, manifestations and possibilities of intelligence.
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Capitalism
Thu 24 Jun 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of capitalism from Marx to the collapse of Communism.
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The Great Disruption
Thu 17 Jun 1999
Melvyn Bragg looks at the 20th century shift from industrial to information society.
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The Monarchy
Thu 10 Jun 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the enduring strengths and current role of the British monarchy.
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Just War
Thu 3 Jun 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines where the idea of a just war originated and if it can still exist.
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Memory and Culture
Thu 27 May 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines how our collective and individual ways of remembering have changed.
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The Universe's Origins
Thu 20 May 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the history of what we know about the origins of the universe.
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Multiculturalism
Thu 13 May 1999
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the 20th century’s vast population and cultural shifts.
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Mathematics
Thu 6 May 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the importance of mathematics in relation to other sciences.
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Artificial Intelligence
Thu 29 Apr 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines whether we are near to achieving the thinking, feeling computer.
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Fundamentalism
Thu 22 Apr 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the roots and the consequences of religious fundamentalism.
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Evolution
Thu 15 Apr 1999
Melvyn Bragg examines the future of gene therapy and advances in evolutionary biology.

