In Our Time cover art
Podcast · 46 episodes

In Our Time

by BBC Radio 4 · English

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.

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Archive: The War of 1812The In Our Time episode assesses the causes, course, and aftermath of the War of 1812 (Britain vs.24 Sep 2026 · 45 min · 24 chapters
Archive: Rosalind FranklinThis In Our Time archive episode examines Rosalind Franklin’s life and scientific work, arguing she was systematically overshadowed—especially in the DNA story.17 Sep 2026 · 52 min · 20 chapters
Archive: Plato's RepublicPlato’s Republic (c. 380 BC) as a foundation text for Western philosophy, focusing on justice, democracy’s risks, the ideal city-state ruled by philosopher-kings, the analogy between city and soul,…10 Sep 2026 · 51 min · 23 chapters
In Our Time Returns for a New SeriesThe episode is a promotional/intro segment for BBC’s In Our Time returning for a new series, describing the show’s format and scope—weekly seminar-style discussions on major ideas, people, and…7 Sep 2026 · 2 min
Archive: Empress Dowager CixiThe BBC In Our Time retrospective examines Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908), arguing she effectively ruled Qing China for nearly half a century while balancing conservative Confucian norms with…3 Sep 2026 · 51 min · 21 chapters
Archive: Plate TectonicsPlate tectonics—how the Earth’s crust is broken into moving plates; the evidence (continental fit, fossil/rock matches, mid-ocean ridges, magnetic striping, seafloor spreading, subduction/recycling);…27 Aug 2026 · 44 min · 17 chapters
Archive: HatshepsutHatshepsut, the longest-reigning female pharaoh (c. 1500 BC), who ruled about 15 years, reshaped pharaonic imagery, launched major building and trade/diplomacy initiatives, and was later…20 Aug 2026 · 48 min · 17 chapters
Archive: CoffeeThe global history of coffee and how it reshaped intellectual life, politics, commerce, and labor—from Ethiopian legend and Ottoman hospitality to London coffeehouses, colonial plantations, and…13 Aug 2026 · 57 min · 25 chapters
Pockets (from Here For The History)A history of women’s pockets vs men’s, arguing that pocket access reflects shifting ideas about gender roles, practicality, and women’s independence.7 Aug 2026 · 37 min · 15 chapters
Archive: Aphra BehnAphra Behn’s life and work—Restoration-era playwright/novelist/poet and an alleged spy—plus how her bawdy reputation, feminism, libertine ethics, and political loyalty shaped her legacy.6 Aug 2026 · 52 min · 25 chapters
SeashellsSeashells as products of mollusks—covering evolution, shell chemistry/structures, color and patterning, human uses, and modern threats.30 Jul 2026 · 53 min · 22 chapters
Vigée Le BrunElisabeth Vigée-Lebrun (1755–1842), the portrait painter who became a court favorite, especially for Marie Antoinette, and survived the French Revolution by relocating across European courts (Naples,…23 Jul 2026 · 56 min · 25 chapters
The Delian LeagueThe BBC In Our Time episode “The Delian League” explains how the Greek alliance formed in 478 BCE after the Persian Wars became an Athenian-led empire, how it was funded and enforced, and how it…16 Jul 2026 · 55 min · 27 chapters
Machado de AssisA BBC In Our Time discussion of Machado de Assis (1839–1908), his early life in Rio, and how his novels and short stories critique Brazilian slavery, elite entitlement, and “scientific” racism—while…9 Jul 2026 · 54 min · 19 chapters
The Global Story - The soft power superpower, with Roman MarsThe Global Story episode examines how US “soft power” and global influence were built through standardization—especially a tiny screw thread angle—during and after World War II.3 Jul 2026 · 27 min · 10 chapters
The Evolution of TreesThe episode explains how trees evolved from early land plants, what makes a “tree” (trunk, canopy, self-supporting trunk, wood/xylem), and how trees reshaped Earth’s climate and ecosystems.2 Jul 2026 · 55 min · 22 chapters
The Welsh MarchesThe Welsh Marches—how Norman marcher lords carved out semi-independent border lordships between England and Wales, how they governed with “a law of the march,” the culture that emerged, and why the…25 Jun 2026 · 52 min · 22 chapters
The LevellersThe Levellers in England (mid-1640s to 1649) and how their ideas of “natural equality,” popular sovereignty, religious toleration, and legal accountability were spread through print, petitions, and…18 Jun 2026 · 56 min · 24 chapters
The GaramantesThe Garamantes, an oasis-based society in the Sahara (c. 1000 BCE–600 CE) that built towns, temples, and large-scale underground irrigation (foggaras), enabling oasis agriculture and long-distance…11 Jun 2026 · 58 min · 24 chapters
Joseph RothThis In Our Time episode profiles Austrian-German writer Joseph (Josef) Roth (1894–1939), focusing on how Central Europe’s collapse after World War I shaped his life and fiction.4 Jun 2026 · 55 min · 23 chapters
CyberneticsThe episode traces the origins and spread of cybernetics (control and communication in animals and machines) from WWII radar and anti-aircraft prediction to later uses in organizations, cities,…28 May 2026 · 53 min · 28 chapters
Indian Indentured LabourAfter Britain abolished slavery in 1833, plantation owners in the Caribbean shifted to Indian indentured labour, transporting over a million people from India to colonies including Mauritius, British…21 May 2026 · 52 min · 20 chapters
M.C. EscherHow MC Escher’s art grew from early printmaking into mathematically driven images—tessellations, symmetry groups (17), and non-Euclidean geometries (spherical and hyperbolic)—and how mathematicians…14 May 2026 · 55 min · 30 chapters
Handel's MessiahHandel’s Messiah—its 1742 Dublin premiere, how Charles Jennens’s libretto shaped the work, Handel’s compositional methods (including borrowing), and why it became a worldwide choral staple despite…7 May 2026 · 54 min · 22 chapters