A BBC Radio 4 Collection

In Our Time: 25 Explorations of Space

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the cosmos, from the origins of the universe to dark matter and dark energy 
 
'Consistently superb' John Banville 
 
In Our Time is a linchpin of the Radio 4 schedule, attracting over 2 million listeners a week since its launch in 1998. Erudite, edifying and enlightening, it tackles serious ideas succinctly, providing fascinating insight into subjects ranging from the Fibonacci Sequence to Frida Kahlo. 
 
In this special thematic anthology, we traverse the solar system, the galaxies and the multiverse, voyaging across space to explore 25 celestial objects and phenomena. Included are programmes on the universe, the sun, the moon, the stars and the planets - among them our near neighbours, Venus and Mars. Also featured are discussions on comets, asteroids and black holes, as well as eclipses, exoplanets and the mysterious, invisible substance known as 'dark matter'. Topping and tailing the collection are episodes dealing with the science of astronomy, examining Ptolemy's geocentric theory of the universe and the relationship between astronomy and the British Empire. 
 
Hosted by veteran broadcaster Melvyn Bragg, with contributions from expert scholars and academics including Sir Martin Rees, John Gribbin, Carolin Crawford and Sir Roger Penrose, these captivating colloquies will inspire anyone with a sense of wonder and a thirst for knowledge. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Natalia Fernandez, Thomas Morris, Simon Tillotson, Julia Johnson and Phil Tinline 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Ptolemy and Ancient Astronomy 17 November 2011 
The Multiverse 21 February 2008 
The Universe's Origins 20 May 1999 
The Universe's Shape 7 February 2002 
The Age of the Universe 3 March 2011 
Galaxies 29 June 2006 
The Sun 10 July 2014 
The Moon 3 November 2011 
Eclipses 31 December 2020 
The Planets 27 May 2004 
Venus 27 December 2018 
Mars 11 January 2007 
Saturn 14 January 2016 
The Kuiper Belt 2 March 2017 
Exoplanets 3 October 2013 
The Life of Stars 27 March 2003 
The Death of Stars 9 June 2022 
Black Holes 12 April 2001 
Asteroids 3 November 2005 
Comets 17 January 2013 
The Cool Universe 6 May 2010 
Dark Matter 12 March 2015 
Dark Energy 17 March 2005 
The Vacuum of Space 30 April 2009 
Solar Wind 23 January 2020 
Astronomy and Empire 4 May 2006 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

In Our Time: 25 Concepts and Theories in the History of Physics

Melvyn Bragg and guests explore the history of physics through its most important ideas and hypotheses 
 
'In Our Time is in a class of its own' New York Times 
 
Eclectic, erudite and entertaining, In Our Time is one of Radio 4's most successful programmes, regularly attracting an audience of over 2 million for its discussions on every subject under the sun: from oceanography to Ovid. 
 
In this special themed collection, Melvyn Bragg is joined by guest experts including Simon Schaffer, John Gribbin, Jim Al-Khalili and Sir Martin Rees to discuss 25 of the key laws, principles and problems of physics. Here are examinations of major concepts including plasma, radiation, matter and antimatter and the Second Law of Thermodynamics, as well as discourses on historical theories such as Zeno's paradoxes, the speed of light and relativity. Also featured are analyses of modern developments in physics, including the discovery and growing understanding of the proton, neutron and electron, the controversial breakthrough of nuclear technology, and the search for the holy grail of 20th century physics: the Grand Unified Theory. 
 
Physicists, students of science and knowledge seekers will savour these wide-ranging, comprehensive and accessible discussions, which serve as a springboard to dive deeper into the fascinating fundamental principles that govern our universe. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Thomas Morris and Simon Tillotson 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Part I: Major Concepts 
States of Matter 3 April 2014 
Heat 4 December 2008 
Absolute Zero 7 March 2013 
The Second Law of Thermodynamics 16 December 2004 
Plasma 13 October 2016 
Magnetism 29 September 2005 
Radiation 12 November 2009 
The Physics of Time 18 December 2008 
Quantum Gravity 22 February 2001 
Antimatter 4 October 2007 
The Graviton 24 November 2005 
Optics 1 March 2007 
With Simon Schaffer, Jim Bennett and Emily Winterburn 
 
Part II: Historical Theories 
Zeno's Paradoxes 22 September 2016 
The Speed of Light 30 November 2006 
The Laws of Motion 3 April 2008 
Kinetic Theory 23 May 2019 
Relativity 6 June 2013 
The Physics of Reality 2 May 2002 
 
Part III: Modern physics 
Grand Unified Theory 24 February 2000 
The Electron 29 September 2022 
Nuclear Physics 10 January 2002 
Cosmic Rays 16 May 2013 
The Proton 26 April 2018 
The Neutron 14 April 2016 
The Neutrino 14 April 2011 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

In Our Time: 25 Theories and Thinkers in the History of Mathematics

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss 25 pivotal concepts, theorists and developments that have advanced the science of mathematics 
 
'Might be the best radio programme ever' Oliver Burkeman, The Guardian 
 
In Our Time is a Radio 4 phenomenon, a knowledge juggernaut that has informed and entertained over 2 million listeners each week since its first broadcast in 1998. In its 25 years on air, it has covered an astonishing array of topics, from the Second Law of Thermodynamics to the Sistine Chapel. 
 
Beginning with three introductory episodes, this specially curated collection explores 25 of the most important individuals, ideas and discoveries that have transformed our understanding of mathematics over the past 5,000 years. We learn how Indian mathematics provided the foundations for much of our modern thinking, discover why Euclid's Elements is the most influential textbook ever written and hear of the epic feud between Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz over who invented calculus. 
 
Plus, we are introduced to influential mathematicians including Pythagoras, Blaise Pascal, Emmy Noether and Alan Turing, as well as key concepts, problems and puzzles such as negative numbers, infinity, Fermat's Last Theorem, the Poincaré conjecture and P v NP. 
 
Enlightening, thought-provoking and inspiring, these wide-ranging discussions make abstruse ideas accessible and demystify mathematics, showing how it shaped our world and made us who we are. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Simon Tillotson, Thomas Morris and Natalia Fernandez 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Part I: Context 
Mathematics 6 May 1999 
Mathematics and Platonism 11 January 2001 
Mathematics' Unintended Consequences 11 February 2010 
 
Part II: History of Mathematics 
Indian Mathematics 14 December 2006 
Euclid's Elements 28 April 2016 
Maths in the Early Islamic World 16 February 2017 
Renaissance Maths 2 June 2005 
Calculus 24 September 2009 
 
Part III: Influential Mathematicians 
Pythagoras 10 December 2009 
Archimedes 25 January 2007 
Blaise Pascal 19 September 2013 
Emilie du Châtelet 4 February 2021 
Carl Friedrich Gauss 30 November 2017 
Ada Lovelace 6 March 2008 
Emmy Noether 24 January 2019 
Alan Turing 15 October 2020 
 
Part IV: Key Concepts 
Zero 13 May 2004 
Prime Numbers 12 January 2006 
Negative Numbers 9 March 2006 
e 25 September 2014 
Pi 2 September 2004 
Imaginary Numbers 23 September 2010 
Infinity 23 October 2003 
 
Part V: Problems and Puzzles 
Zeno's Paradoxes 22 September 2016 
Fermat's Last Theorem 25 October 2012 
The Poincaré Conjecture 2 November 2006 
Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems 9 October 2008 
P v NP 5 November 2015 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

In Our Time: 25 Iconic Poets and Poems in English

Melvyn Bragg and guests analyse 25 key poets and literary works, tracing the evolution of poetry over 550 years 
 
'The best programme coming out of the entire corporation these days' Sunday Telegraph 
 
Since its debut in 1998, In Our Time has amassed a dedicated following of more than 2 million listeners. Hosted by Melvyn Bragg, with a panel of guest experts, each show features a plethora of fascinating facts and inspirational discourse on topics ranging from democracy to dark matter. 
 
This specially curated collection celebrates the rich diversity of poetry in English, focussing on 25 major works and writers from the mediaeval era to the 20th Century. Opening with a programme on Geoffrey Chaucer, often called the father of English literature, it encompasses some of the greatest poets of all time, including John Donne, Pope, Milton, Emily Dickinson, Christina Rossetti, W B Yeats and Wilfred Owen. 
 
Among the influential poems discussed are Shakespeare's sonnets, Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Coleridge's 'The Rime of the Ancient Mariner', Wordsworth's 'The Prelude' and the epic that made Byron famous, 'Childe Harold's Pilgrimage'. Also featured is a bonus episode, 'The Sonnet', exploring the most enduring form in the poet's armoury and how its fourteen lines have exercised poetic minds. 
 
Packed with stimulating ideas and spellbinding rhetoric, this absorbing anthology is guaranteed to bring unfettered enjoyment to all lovers of the written word. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Simon Tillotson, Thomas Morris and Natalia Fernandez 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Chaucer 9 February 2006 
Piers Plowman 29 October 2020 
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight 13 December 2018 
Shakespeare's Sonnets 24 June 2021 
John Donne 12 January 2023 
Milton 7 March 2002 
Pope 9 November 2006 
Songs of Innocence and of Experience 23 June 2016 
Lyrical Ballads 8 March 2012 
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner 4 March 2021 
Childe Harold's Pilgrimage 6 January 2011 
The Prelude 22 November 2007 
John Clare 9 February 2017 
Emily Dickinson 11 May 2017 
Christina Rossetti 1 December 2011 
The Charge of the Light Brigade 10 January 2008 
Tennyson's In Memoriam 30 June 2011 
Aurora Leigh 24 March 2016 
William Morris 5 July 2018 
Gerard Manley Hopkins 21 March 2019 
Walt Whitman 27 April 2023 
Thomas Hardy's Poetry 13 January 2022 
Yeats and Mysticism 31 January 2002 
Yeats and Irish Politics 17 April 2008 
Wilfred Owen 27 October 2022 
The Sonnet 21 June 2001 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

In Our Time: 25 Figures and Events in Christian History

Melvyn Bragg and guests chart 1,500 years of Christianity through its most influential movements, events and historical figures 
 
In Our Time has been the cornerstone of broadcasting on BBC Radio 4 since its launch in 1998. Presented by one of Britain's greatest champions of the arts, Melvyn Bragg, the show explores ideas across history, religion, philosophy, science and culture. With a vast array of contributors from the world of academia, such as Mary Beard, Angie Hobbs and Diarmaid MacCulloch, it is one of Radio 4's most successful programmes. 
 
Collected in this thematic anthology are 25 episodes focusing on notable events and individuals in Christian history, from the third century AD to the founding of Methodism, that have transformed the history of the world. Included are saints such as St Paul, Mary Magdalene, St Augustine, St Hilda, St Cuthbert, the Venerable Bede and St Thomas Aquinas, and other notable Christian figures, such as John Wyclif, William Cecil, John Foxe, Titus Oates and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Also featured are programmes on key religious movements, among them Catharism, the Jesuits, Greyfriars and Blackfriars, as well as major historical events including the Schism, the Spanish Inquisition, the Diet of Worms and the Dissolution of the Monasteries. 
 
Packed with thought-provoking facts and informed debate, this fascinating collection of specially collated programmes will captivate In Our Time fans, students of religion and anyone with an interest in theology and the Christian church. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Victoria Brignell, Julia Johnson, Thomas Morris and Simon Tillotson 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Part I: Saints 
St Paul 28 May 2009 
Mary Magdalene 25 February 2016 
Augustine's Confessions 15 March 2018 
St Hilda 5 April 2007 
Saint Cuthbert 28 January 2021 
The Venerable Bede 25 November 2004 
St Thomas Aquinas 17 September 2009 
 
Part II: Other Christian Figures 
Wyclif and the Lollards 16 June 2011 
William Cecil 7 March 2019 
Foxe's Book of Martyrs 18 November 2010 
Robert Boyle 12 June 2014 
Titus Oates and his 'Popish Plot' 12 May 2016 
Dietrich Bonhoeffer 27 September 2018 
 
Part III: Religious Movements 
Arianism 15 April 2021 
Catharism 17 January 2022 
Greyfriars and Blackfriars 10 November 2005 
Covenanters 12 March 2020 
The Jesuits 18 January 2007 
John Wesley and Methodism 10 December 2020 
 
Part IV: Historical Events 
Early Christian Martyrdom 28 April 2022 
The Pelagian Controversy 21 April 2011 
The Schism 16 October 2003 
The Spanish Inquisition 22 June 2006 
The Diet of Worms 12 October 2006 
The Dissolution of the Monasteries 27 March 2008 
 
© 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

In Our Time: 25 Perspectives on the Visual Arts

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss 25 explorations of the visual arts, including artistic and architectural styles, historic movements, notable artworks and visual artists 
 
Radio 4's In Our Time has established itself at the pinnacle of essential conversation on a wide range of subjects from science, history, philosophy and the arts. The programme, which celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2023, is presented by Melvyn Bragg with contributors from the diverse worlds of academia. 
 
Opening with four contextual episodes - The Artist, Imagination, The Muses, and Architecture and Power - this thematic anthology contains 25 programmes on the history of visual art. Included are artistic styles and movements, from Avant Garde to Bohemianism, and great cultural figures such as Hans Holbein the Younger, Katsushika Hokusai, Frida Kahlo, Michelangelo and William Morris. Also featured are episodes on Baroque, Bauhaus and Surrealism, as well as such iconic artworks as Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People, Turner's The Fighting Temeraire, Munch's The Scream and Picasso's Guernica. 
 
How did the artist become a special kind of human being? Why is architecture such a powerful form of expression? These, and many other topics, are discussed in this release. Whether you're an arts student or simply want to broaden your horizons, this enlightening and entertaining compilation will provoke thoughts and debate long after you have finished listening to it. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Natalia Fernandez, John Goudie, Thomas Morris, Luke Mulhall and Simon Tillotson 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Part I: Context 
The Artist 28 March 2002 
Imagination 28 November 2002 
The Muses 19 May 2016 
Architecture and Power 31 October 2002 
 
Part II: Styles and Movements 
Cave Art 24 September 2020 
Vitruvius and De Architectura 15 March 2012 
The Baroque Movement 20 November 2008 
Bohemianism 9 October 2003 
The Decadent Movement 18 November 2021 
Bauhaus 10 November 2022 
Surrealism 15 November 2001 
The Avant Garde's Decline and Fall in the 20th Century 25 February 1999 
 
Part III: Visual Artists 
Albrecht Dürer 12 November 2020 
Holbein at the Tudor Court 15 October 2015 
Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists 27 May 2010 
Hokusai 30 March 2017 
Berthe Morisot 13 October 2022 
Frida Kahlo 9 July 2015 
William Morris 5 July 2018 
 
Part IV: Art and Architecture 
The Lindisfarne Gospels 20 February 2003 
Judith beheading Holofernes 14 February 2019 
Angkor Wat 23 June 2022 
The Sistene Chapel 31 March 2022 
The School of Athens 26 March 2009 
Bruegel's The Fight Between Carnival and Lent 15 January 2015 
Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People 20 October 2011 
The Fighting Temeraire 10 November 2016 
Munch and The Scream 18 March 2010 
Picasso's Guernica 2 November 2017 
 
© 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2023 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Melvyn Bragg

Various

Melvyn Bragg and guests chart the development of Christian thought, looking at 25 fundamental concepts that emerged throughout history 
 
'In Our Time is a digital Library of Alexandria, a rich seam of commute-enhancing, dinner-party-reviving wisdom' The Economist 
 
Launched into the Thursday morning 'death slot' in 1988, In Our Time defied expectations to become one of Radio 4's best-loved and most popular programmes. In the 25 years it has been on air, it has built up an audience of over 2 million listeners and covered over 1,000 topics, from the Berlin Conference to bird migration. 
 
This specially curated collection sees Melvyn Bragg and his panel of experts considering some of the central tenets of the Christian faith. Its wide-ranging scope incorporates key concepts including Heaven, Hell and Purgatory, angels and devils, prayers and miracles, the Fall of Man, the Apocalypse, the Trinity and the Nicene Creed. Also discussed are the most significant historical developments that shaped and influenced Christianity today, among them Gnosticism, Deism, Calvinism and Fundamentalism, the ontological argument, The Book of Common Prayer, papal infallibility and the Rapture. 
 
Full of fascinating ideas and lively, accessible discussions, this comprehensive compendium will delight religious scholars, theologians and autodidacts alike. 
 
Production credits 
Presented by Melvyn Bragg 
Produced by Thomas Morris, Simon Tillotson, Julia Johnson 
 
First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the following dates: 
 
Part I: Key Concepts 
The Trinity 13 March 2014 
With Janet Soskice, Martin Palmer and Graham Ward 
 
Heaven 22 December 2005 
With Valery Rees, Martin Palmer and John Carey 
 
Angels 24 March 2005 
With Martin Palmer, Valery Rees and John Haldane 
 
The Devil 11 December 2003 
With Martin Palmer, Alison Rowlands and David Wootton 
 
Hell 21 December 2006 
With Martin Palmer, Margaret Kean and Neil MacGregor 
 
The Fall 8 April 2004 
With Martin Palmer, Griselda Pollock and John Carey 
 
Prayer 23 December 1999 
With Russell Stannard and Andrew Samuels 
 
Miracles 25 September 2008 
With Martin Palmer, Janet Soskice and Justin Champion 
 
Redemption 13 March 2003 
With Richard Harries, Janet Soskice and Stephen Mulhall 
 
Duty 13 November 2003 
With Angie Hobbs, Annabel Brett and Anthony Grayling 
 
The Apocalypse 17 July 2003 
With Martin Palmer, Marina Benjamin and Justin Champion 
 
The Nicene Creed 27 December 2007 
With Martin Palmer, Caroline Humfress and Andrew Louth 
 
Purgatory 25 May 2017 
With Laura Ashe, Matthew Treherne and Helen Foxhall Forbes 
 
Part II: Historical Developments 
 
Gnosticism 2 May 2013 
With Martin Palmer, Caroline Humfress and Alastair Logan 
 
The Ontological Argument 27 September 2012 
With John Haldane, Peter Millican and Clare Carlisle 
 
Medieval Pilgrimage 18 February 2021 
With Miri Rubin, Kathryn Rudy and Anthony Bale 
 
The Book of Common Prayer 17 October 2013 
With Diarmaid MacCulloch, Alexandra Walsham and Martin Palmer 
 
Deism 8 October 2020 
With Richard Serjeantson, Katie East and Thomas Ahnert 
 
Calvinism 25 February 2010 
With Justin Champion, Susan Hardman Moore and Diarmaid MacCulloch 
 
Papal Infallibility 10 January 2019 
With Tom O'Loughlin, Rebecca Rist and Miles Pattenden 
 
The Rapture 26 September 2019 
With Elizabeth Phillips, Crawford Gribben and Nicholas Guyatt 
 
The Oxford Movement 13 April 2006 
With Sheridan Gilley, Frances Knight and Simon Skinner 
 
The Age of Doubt 9 March 2000 
With A N Wilson and Victoria Glendinning 
 
Science and Religion 25 January 2001 
With Stephen Jay Gould, John Haldane and Hilary Rose 
 
Fundamentalism 22 April 1999 
With Karen Armstrong and Tariq Ali 
 
&copy; 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2024 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd.

Melvyn Bragg

Books by Melvyn Bragg

Series by Melvyn Bragg

In Our Time

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