List of In Our Time programmes

In Our Time is a discussion programme on the history of ideas; it has been hosted since 1998 by Melvyn Bragg on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom. Since 2011, the entire archive has been available to download as individual podcasts.

Programmes

2017–2018

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
9 February 2018	Frederick Douglass	Celeste-Marie Bernier, Professor of Black Studies in the English Department at the University of Edinburgh Karen Salt, Assistant Professor in Transnational American Studies at the University of Nottingham Nicholas Guyatt, Reader in North American History at the University of Cambridge
1 February 2018	Cephalopods	Louise Allcock, Lecturer in Zoology at the National University of Ireland, Galway Paul Rodhouse, Emeritus Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey Jonathan Ablett,Senior Curator of Molluscs at the Natural History Museum
25 January 2018	Cicero	Melissa Lane, Professor of Politics at Princeton University. Carlyle Lecturer at the University of Oxford Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics at the University of Glasgow Valentina Arena, Reader in Roman History at University College London
18 January 2018	Anna Akhmatova	Katharine Hodgson, Professor in Russian at the University of Exeter Alexandra Harrington, Reader in Russian Studies at Durham University Michael Basker, Professor of Russian Literature and Dean of Arts at the University of Bristol
11 January 2018	The Siege of Malta, 1565	Helen Nicholson, Professor of Medieval History at Cardiff University Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Kate Fleet, Director of the Skilliter Centre for Ottoman Studies and Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge
28 December 2017	Hamlet	Sir Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, University of Oxford Carol Rutter, Professor of Shakespeare and Performance Studies at the University of Warwick Sonia Massai, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at King's College London
22 December 2017	Ludwig van Beethoven	Laura Tunbridge, Professor of Music and Henfrey Fellow, St Catherine's College, University of Oxford John Deathridge, Emeritus King Edward Professor of Music at King's College London Erica Buurman, Senior Lecturer in Music, Canterbury Christ Church University
15 December 2017	Thomas Becket	Laura Ashe, Associate Professor of English at Worcester College, University of Oxford Michael Staunton, Associate Professor in History at University College Dublin Danica Summerlin,Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Sheffield
7 December 2017	Moby Dick	Bridget Bennett, Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds Katie McGettigan, Lecturer in American Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Graham Thompson, Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham
30 November 2017	Carl Friedrich Gauss	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford Colva Roney-Dougal, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Nick Evans, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Southampton
23 November 2017	Thebes	Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London Samuel Gartland, Lecturer in Ancient History at Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and A. G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge
16 November 2017	Germaine de Staël	Catriona Seth, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford Alison Finch, Professor Emerita of French Literature at the University of Cambridge Katherine Astbury, Associate Professor and Reader in French Studies at the University of Warwick.
9 November 2017	The Picts	Katherine Forsyth, Reader in the Department of Celtic and Gaelic at the University of Glasgow Alex Woolf, Senior Lecturer in Dark Age Studies at the University of St Andrews Gordon Noble,Reader in Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen
2 November 2017	Picasso's Guernica	Mary Vincent, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Sheffield Gijs van Hensbergen, Historian of Spanish Art and Fellow of the LSE Cañada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies Dacia Viejo Rose, Lecturer in Heritage in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge Fellow of Selwyn College
26 October 2017	Feathered Dinosaurs	Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Bristol Steve Brusatte, Reader and Chancellor's Fellow in Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Edinburgh Maria McNamara, Senior Lecturer in Geology at University College Cork
19 October 2017	Congress of Vienna	Tim Blanning, Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London John Bew,Professor in History and Foreign Policy at the War Studies Department at King's College London
12 October 2017	Aphra Behn	Janet Todd, Former President of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge University Ros Ballaster, Professor of 18th Century Literature at Mansfield College, University of Oxford Claire Bowditch, Post-doctoral Research Associate in English and Drama at Loughborough University
5 October 2017	Constantine the Great	Christopher Kelly, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Cambridge and President of Corpus Christi College Lucy Grig, Senior Lecturer in Roman History at the University of Edinburgh Greg Woolf, Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London
28 September 2017	Wuthering Heights	Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford John Bowen, Professor of Nineteenth Century Literature at the University of York Alexandra Lewis, Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Aberdeen
21 September 2017	Kant's Categorical Imperative	Alison Hills, Professor of Philosophy at St John's College, University of Oxford David S. Oderberg, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading John Callanan, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at King's College London

2016–2017

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
6 July 2017	Bird migration	Barbara Helm, Reader at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow Tim Guilford, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Tutorial Fellow of Zoology at Merton College, Oxford Richard Holland, Senior Lecturer in Animal Cognition at Bangor University
29 June 2017	Plato's Republic	Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield M.M. McCabe, Professor of Ancient Philosophy Emerita at King's College London James Warren, Fellow of Corpus Christi College and a Reader in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge
22 June 2017	Eugene Onegin	Andrew Kahn, Professor of Russian Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Edmund Hall Emily Finer, Lecturer in Russian and Comparative Literature at the University of St Andrews Simon Dixon, The Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London
15 June 2017	American Populists and the Guilded age	Lawrence Goldman, Professor of History at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London Mara Keire, Lecturer in US History at the University of Oxford Christopher Phelps, Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham
8 June 2017	Christine de Pizan	Helen Swift, Associate Professor of Medieval French at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Hilda's College Miranda Griffin, Lecturer in French and Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Marilynn Desmond, Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Binghamton University
1 June 2017	Enzymes	Nigel Richards, Professor of Biological Chemistry at Cardiff University Sarah Barry, Lecturer in Chemical Biology at King's College London Jim Naismith, Director of the Research Complex at Harwell. Bishop Wardlaw Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of St Andrews, Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Oxford
25 May 2017	Purgatory	Laura Ashe, associate professor of English and fellow of Worcester College at the University of Oxford Matthew Treherne, Professor of Italian Literature at the University of Leeds Helen Foxhall Forbes, associate professor of Early Medieval History at Durham University
18 May 2017	Louis Pasteur	Andrew Mendelsohn, Reader in the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London Anne Hardy, Honorary Professor at the Centre for History in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Michael Worboys, Emeritus Professor in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester
11 May 2017	Emily Dickinson	Fiona Green, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Jesus College Linda Freedman, Lecturer in English and American Literature at University College London Paraic Finnerty, Reader in English and American Literature at the University of Portsmouth
4 May 2017	Battle of Lincoln (1217)	Louise Wilkinson, Professor of Medieval History at Canterbury Christ Church University Stephen Church, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia Thomas Asbridge, Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary College, University of London
27 April 2017	Egyptian Book of the Dead	John Taylor, Curator at the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum Kate Spence, Senior Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at Cambridge University and Fellow of Emmanuel College Richard Parkinson, Professor of Egyptology at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Queen's College
20 April 2017	Roger Bacon	Jack Cunningham, Academic Coordinator for Theology at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln Amanda Power, associate professor of Medieval History at the University of Oxford Elly Truitt, associate professor of Medieval History at Bryn Mawr College
13 April 2017	Rosa Luxemburg	Jacqueline Rose, Co-Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, Birkbeck, University of London Mark Jones, Irish Research Council fellow at the Centre for War Studies, University College Dublin Nadine Rossol, Senior lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Essex
6 April 2017	Pauli exclusion principle	Frank Close, Fellow Emeritus at Exeter College, University of Oxford Michela Massimi, Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh Graham Farmelo, Bye-Fellow of Churchill College, University of Cambridge
30 March 2017	Hokusai	Angus Lockyer, Lecturer in Japanese History at SOAS University of London Rosina Buckland, Senior Curator of Japanese Collections at the National Museum of Scotland Ellis Tinios, Honorary Lecturer in the School of History, University of Leeds
23 March 2017	Battle of Salamis	Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Professor in Ancient History at Cardiff University Lindsay Allen, Lecturer in Greek and Near Eastern History, King's College London Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge
16 March 2017	Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum	Dame Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the British Antarctic Survey Mark Maslin, Professor of Palaeoclimatology at University College London Tracy Aze, Lecturer in Marine Micropaleontology at the University of Leeds
9 March 2017	Elizabeth Gaskell's novel North and South	Sally Shuttleworth, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford Dinah Birch, Pro-vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool Jenny Uglow, Biographer of Elizabeth Gaskell
2 March 2017	Kuiper belt	Carolin Crawford, Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy and Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Stephen Lowry, Reader in Planetary and Space Sciences, University of Kent
23 February 2017	Seneca the Younger	Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Alessandro Schiesaro, Professor of Classics at the University of Manchester
16 February 2017	Maths in the Early Islamic World	Colva Roney-Dougal, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Peter Pormann, Professor of Classics & Graeco-Arabic Studies at the University of Manchester Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey
9 February 2017	John Clare	Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the Worcester College, Oxford University Senior Lecturer in the English Faculty and fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge University Simon Kövesi, Professor of English Literature at Oxford Brookes University
2 February 2017	Hannah Arendt	Lyndsey Stonebridge, Professor of Modern Literature and History at the University of East Anglia Frisbee Sheffield, Lecturer in Philosophy at Girton College, University of Cambridge Robert Eaglestone, Professor of English at Royal Holloway, University of London
26 January 2017	Parasitism	Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College, London Wendy Gibson, Professor of Protozoology at the University of Bristol Kayla King, associate professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford
19 January 2017	Mary, Queen of Scots	David Forsyth, Principal Curator, Scottish Medieval-Early Modern Collections at National Museums Scotland Anna Groundwater, Teaching Fellow in Historical Skills and Methods at the University of Edinburgh John Guy, Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge
12 January 2017	Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality	Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy and a Fellow and Tutor at New College, University of Oxford Fiona Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Essex Keith Ansell-Pearson, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick
29 December 2016	Johannes Kepler	David Wootton, Professor of History at the University of York Ulinka Rublack, Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John's College Adam Mosley, associate professor in the Department of History at Swansea University
21 December 2016	Four Quartets	David Moody, Emeritus Professor of English and American Literature at the University of York Fran Brearton, Professor of Modern Poetry at Queen's University Belfast Mark Ford, Professor of English and American Literature at University College London
15 December 2016	The Gin Craze	Angela McShane, research fellow in History at the Victoria and Albert Museum and University of Sheffield Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th century literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Emma Major, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of York
8 December 2016	Harriet Martineau	Valerie Sanders, Professor of English at the University of Hull Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford Ella Dzelzainis, Lecturer in 19th Century Literature at Newcastle University
1 December 2016	Garibaldi and the Risorgimento	Lucy Riall, Professor of Comparative History of Europe at the European University Institute and Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London Eugenio Biagini, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Cambridge David Laven, associate professor of History at the University of Nottingham
24 November 2016	Baltic Crusades	Aleks Pluskowski, associate professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading Nora Berend, Fellow of St Catharine's College and Reader in European History at the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture
17 November 2016	Justinian's Legal Code	Caroline Humfress, Professor of Medieval History at the University of St Andrews Simon Corcoran, Lecturer in Ancient History at Newcastle University Paul du Plessis, Senior Lecturer in Civil law and European legal history at the School of Law University of Edinburgh
10 November 2016	The Fighting Temeraire	Susan Foister, Curator of Early Netherlandish, German and British Painting at the National Gallery David Blayney Brown, Manton Curator of British Art 1790–1850 at Tate Britain James Davey, Curator of Naval History at the National Maritime Museum
3 November 2016	Epic of Gilgamesh	Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at SOAS, University of London Frances Reynolds Shillito Fellow in Assyriology at the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford and Fellow of St Benet's Hall Martin Worthington Lecturer in Assyriology at the University of Cambridge
27 October 2016	John Dalton	Jim Bennett, Associate Former Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford and Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum Aileen Fyfe, Reader in British History at the University of St Andrews James Sumner, Lecturer in the History of Technology at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester
20 October 2016	The 12th Century Renaissance	Laura Ashe, associate professor of English at Worcester College, University of Oxford Elisabeth van Houts, Honorary Professor of Medieval European History at the University of Cambridge Giles Gasper, Reader in Medieval History at Durham University
13 October 2016	Plasma	Justin Wark, Professor of Physics and Fellow of Trinity College at the University of Oxford Kate Lancaster, research fellow for Innovation and Impact at the York Plasma Institute at the University of York Bill Graham, Professor of Physics at Queen's University Belfast
6 October 2016	Lakshmi	Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent, research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford Jacqueline Suthren-Hirst, Senior Lecturer in South Asian Studies at the University of Manchester Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University
29 September 2016	Animal Farm	Steven Connor, Grace 2 Professor of English at the University of Cambridge Mary Vincent, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Sheffield Robert Colls, Professor of Cultural History at De Montfort University
22 September 2016	Zeno's Paradoxes	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford Barbara Sattler, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews James Warren, Reader in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge

2015–2016

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
07 July 2016	The Invention of Photography	Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge Elizabeth Edwards, Emeritus Professor of Photographic History at De Montfort University Alison Morrison-Low, Research Associate at National Museums of Scotland
30 June 2016	Sovereignty	Melissa Lane, Class of 1943 Professor of Politics at Princeton University Richard Bourke, Professor in the History of Political Thought at Queen Mary, University of London Tim Stanton, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of York
23 June 2016	Songs of Innocence and of Experience	Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, University of Oxford Sarah Haggarty, Lecturer at the Faculty of English and Fellow of Queens' College, University of Cambridge Jon Mee, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of York
16 June 2016	The Bronze Age Collapse	John Bennet, Director of the British School at Athens and Professor of Aegean Archaeology at the University of Sheffield Linda Hulin, Fellow of Harris Manchester College and Research Officer at the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Oxford Simon Stoddart, Fellow of Magdalene College and Reader in Prehistory at the University of Cambridge
9 June 2016	Penicillin	Laura Piddock, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Birmingham Christoph Tang, Professor of Cellular Pathology and Professorial Fellow at Exeter College at the University of Oxford Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College London
2 June 2016	Margery Kempe and English Mysticism	Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London Katherine Lewis, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Huddersfield Anthony Bale, Professor of Medieval Studies at Birkbeck, University of London
26 May 2016	The Gettysburg Address	Catherine Clinton, Denman Chair of American History at the University of Texas and International Professor at Queen's University Belfast Susan-Mary Grant, Professor of American History at Newcastle University Tim Lockley, Professor of American History at the University of Warwick
19 May 2016	The Muses	Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and A. G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy, University of Sheffield Penelope Murray, Founder member and retired Senior Lecturer, Department of Classics, University of Warwick
12 May 2016	Titus Oates and his Popish Plot	Clare Jackson, Senior Tutor and Director of Studies in History at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge Mark Knights, Professor of History at the University of Warwick Peter Hinds, associate professor of English at Plymouth University
5 May 2016	Tess of the d'Urbervilles	Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Impact at the University of Liverpool Francis O'Gorman, Professor of Victorian Literature at the University of Leeds Jane Thomas, Reader in Victorian and early Twentieth Century literature at the University of Hull
28 April 2016	Euclid's Elements	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck, University of London June Barrow-Green, Professor of the History of Mathematics at the Open University
21 April 2016	1816, the Year Without a Summer	Clive Oppenheimer, Professor of Volcanology at the University of Cambridge Jane Stabler, Professor in Romantic Literature at the University of St Andrews Lawrence Goldman, Director of the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London
14 April 2016	The Neutron	Val Gibson, Professor of High Energy Physics at the University of Cambridge and fellow of Trinity College Andrew Harrison, Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Light Source and Professor in Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Oxford
7 April 2016	The Sikh Empire	Gurharpal Singh, Professor in Inter-Religious Relations and Development at SOAS, University of London Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews Susan Stronge, Senior Curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum
31 March 2016	Agrippina the Younger	Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Alice König, Lecturer in Latin and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews Matthew Nicholls, associate professor of Classics at the University of Reading
24 March 2016	Aurora Leigh	Margaret Reynolds, Professor of English at Queen Mary University of London Daniel Karlin, Winterstoke Professor of English Literature at the University of Bristol Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at King's College London
17 March 2016	Bedlam	Hilary Marland, Professor of History at the University of Warwick Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London and President of the Historical Association Jonathan Andrews, Reader in the History of Psychiatry at Newcastle University
10 March 2016	The Maya Civilization	Elizabeth Graham, Professor of Mesoamerican Archaeology at University College London Matthew Restall, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Latin American History and Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University Benjamin Vis, Eastern ARC Research Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Kent
3 March 2016	The Dutch East India Company	Anne Goldgar, Reader in Early Modern European History at King's College London Chris Nierstrasz, Lecturer in Global History at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, formerly at the University of Warwick Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton
25 February 2016	Mary Magdalene	Joanne Anderson, Lecturer in Art History at the Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London Eamon Duffy, Emeritus Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Magdalene College Joan Taylor, Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College London
18 February 2016	Robert Hooke	David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Patricia Fara, President Elect of the British Society for the History of Science Rob Iliffe, Professor of History of Science at University of Oxford
11 February 2016	Rumi's Poetry	Alan Williams, British Academy Wolfson Research Professor at the University of Manchester Carole Hillenbrand, Professor of Islamic History at the University of St Andrews and Professor Emerita of University of Edinburgh Lloyd Ridgeon, Reader in Islamic Studies at the University of Glasgow
4 February 2016	Chromatography	Andrea Sella, Professor of Chemistry at University College London Apryll Stalcup, Professor of Chemical Sciences at Dublin City University Leon Barron, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science at King's College London
28 January 2016	Eleanor of Aquitaine	Lindy Grant, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Reading Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia Julie Barrau, University Lecturer in British Medieval History at the University of Cambridge
21 January 2016	Thomas Paine's Common Sense	Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Nicholas Guyatt, University Lecturer in American History at the University of Cambridge Peter Thompson, associate professor of American History at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Cross College
14 January 2016	Saturn	Carolin Crawford, Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy and Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge Michele Dougherty, Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London Andrew Coates, Deputy Director in charge of the Solar System at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London
31 December 2015	Tristan and Iseult	Laura Ashe, associate professor of English at Worcester College, University of Oxford Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the School of Welsh at Cardiff University Mark Chinca, Reader in Medieval German Literature at the University of Cambridge
25 December 2015	Michael Faraday	Geoffrey Cantor, Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at the University of Leeds Laura Herz, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford Frank James, Professor of the History of Science at the Royal Institution
17 December 2015	Circadian rhythms	Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford Debra Skene, Professor of Neuroendocrinology at the University of Surrey Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College London
10 December 2015	Chinese Legalism	Frances Wood, Former Curator of the Chinese Collections at the British Library Hilde de Weerdt, Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University Roel Sterckx, Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History at the University of Cambridge
3 December 2015	Voyages of James Cook	Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge Rebekah Higgitt, Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Kent Sophie Forgan, Retired Principal Lecturer at the University of Teesside, and Chairman of Trustees of the Captain Cook Museum, Whitby
29 November 2015	The Salem Witch Trials	Susan Castillo, Harriet Beecher Stowe Professor of American Studies at King's College London Simon Middleton, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Sheffield Marion Gibson, Professor of Renaissance and Magical Literatures at the University of Exeter
19 November 2015	Emma	Janet Todd, Professor Emerita of Literature, University of Aberdeen, and Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, University of Cambridge John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Emma Clery, Professor of English at the University of Southampton
12 November 2015	Battle of Lepanto	Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Kate Fleet, Director of the Skilliter Centre for Ottoman Studies and Fellow of Newnham College, University of Cambridge Noel Malcolm, senior research fellow in History at All Souls College, University of Oxford
5 November 2015	P v NP	Colva Roney-Dougal, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Timothy Gowers, Royal Society Research Professor in Mathematics at the University of Cambridge Leslie Ann Goldberg, Professor of Computer Science and Fellow of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford
29 October 2015	The Empire of Mali	Amira Bennison, Reader in the History and Culture of the Maghrib at the University of Cambridge Marie Rodet, Senior Lecturer in the History of Africa at SOAS Kevin MacDonald, Professor of African Archaeology, Chair of the African Studies Programme at University College London
22 October 2015	Simone de Beauvoir	Christina Howells, Professor of French and Fellow of Wadham College at the University of Oxford Margaret Atack, Professor of French at the University of Leeds Ursula Tidd, Professor of Modern French Literature and Thought at the University of Manchester
15 October 2015	Holbein at the Tudor Court	Susan Foister, Curator of Early Netherlandish, German and British Painting at the National Gallery John Guy, a fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge Maria Hayward, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Southampton
1 October 2015	Alexander the Great	Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge Diana Spencer, Professor of Classics at the University of Birmingham Rachel Mairs, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Reading
24 September 2015	Perpetual Motion	Ruth Gregory, Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Durham University Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Oxford Steven Bramwell, Professor of Physics and former Professor of Chemistry at University College London

2014–2015

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
9 July 2015	Frida Kahlo	Patience Schell, Chair in Hispanic Studies at the University of Aberdeen Valerie Fraser, Emeritus Professor of Latin American Art at the University of Essex Alan Knight, Emeritus Professor of the History of Latin America at the University of Oxford
2 July 2015	Frederick the Great	Tim Blanning, Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Katrin Kohl, Professor of German Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College Thomas Biskup, Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Hull
25 June 2015	Extremophiles	Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Ian Crawford, Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London Nick Lane, Reader in Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London
18 June 2015	Jane Eyre	Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Liverpool Karen O'Brien, Vice Principal and Professor of English Literature at King's College London Sara Lyons, Lecturer in Victorian Literature at the University of Kent
11 June 2015	Utilitarianism	Melissa Lane, The Class of 1943 Professor of Politics at Princeton University Janet Radcliffe Richards, Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Oxford Brad Hooker, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading
4 June 2015	Prester John	Marianne O'Doherty, associate professor in English at the University of Southampton Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture Amanda Power, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Sheffield
28 May 2015	The Science of Glass	Paul McMillan, Professor of Chemistry at University College London Dame Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge and Master of Churchill College, Cambridge Jim Bennett, Former Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford and Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum
21 May 2015	Josephus	Tessa Rajak, Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, University of Reading Philip Alexander, Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies, University of Manchester Martin Goodman, Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Oxford and President of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies
14 May 2015	Lancashire Cotton Famine	Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews Emma Griffin, Professor of History at the University of East Anglia David Brown, Senior Lecturer in American Studies at University of Manchester
7 May 2015	Rabindranath Tagore	Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews Bashabi Fraser, Professor of English Literature and Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University John Stevens, Leverhulme Postdoctoral Fellow at SOAS, University of London
30 April 2015	The Earth's core	Stephen Blundell, Professor of Physics and Fellow of Mansfield College, University of Oxford Arwen Deuss, associate professor in Seismology at Utrecht University Simon Redfern, Professor of Mineral Physics at the University of Cambridge
23 April 2015	Fanny Burney	Nicole Pohl, Reader in English Literature at Oxford Brookes University Judith Hawley, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London.
16 April 2015	Matteo Ricci and the Ming dynasty	Mary Laven, Reader in Early Modern History at the University of Cambridge Craig Clunas, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Oxford Anne Gerritsen, Reader in History at the University of Warwick
9 April 2015	Sappho	Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College, London Margaret Reynolds, Professor of English at Queen Mary University of London Dirk Obbink, Professor of Papyrology and Greek Literature at the University of Oxford
2 April 2015	The California Gold Rush	Kathleen Burk,[1] Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Jacqueline Fear-Segal,[2] Reader in American History and Culture at the University of East Anglia Frank Cogliano,[3] Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh
26 March 2015	The Curies	Patricia Fara, [4] Senior Tutor of Clare College, University of Cambridge Robert Fox, Emeritus Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Steven T Bramwell, [5] Professor of Physics and former Professor of Chemistry at University College London
19 March 2015	Al-Ghazali	Peter Adamson, [6] Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Carole Hillenbrand, [7] Professor of Islamic History at Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities Robert Gleave,[8] Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter
12 March 2015	Dark matter	Carolin Crawford, [9] Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge and Gresham Professor of Astronomy Carlos Frenk, [10] Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics and Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the University of Durham Anne Green,[11] Reader in Physics at the University of Nottingham
5 March 2015	Beowulf	Laura Ashe, [12] Associate Professor in English at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Worcester College Clare Lees,[13] Professor of Medieval English Literature and History of the Language at King's College London Andy Orchard, [14] Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford
26 February 2015	The Eunuch	Karen Radner,[15] Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London, Shaun Tougher,[16] Reader in Ancient History at Cardiff University, Michael Hoeckelmann,[17] British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at King's College London
19 February 2015	Wealth of Nations	Richard Whatmore,[18] Professor of Modern History and Director of the Institute of Intellectual History at the University of St Andrews, Donald Winch,[19] Emeritus Professor of Intellectual History at the University of Sussex, Helen Paul,[20] Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton
12 February 2015	The Photon	Frank Close, [21] Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Oxford, Wendy Flavell,[22] Professor of Surface Physics at the University of Manchester, Susan Cartwright,[23] Senior Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield.
5 February 2015	Ashoka the Great	Jessica Frazier, [24] Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Naomi Appleton,[25] Chancellor's Fellow in Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Richard Gombrich, [26] Founder and Academic Director of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies and Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford
29 January 2015	Thucydides	Paul Cartledge, [27] Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge, Katherine Harloe,[28] Associate Professor in Classics and Intellectual History at the University of Reading, Neville Morley,[29] Professor of Ancient History at the University of Bristol
22 January 2015	Phenomenology	Simon Glendinning, [30] Professor of European Philosophy in the European Institute at the London School of Economics Joanna Hodge,[31] Professor of Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University Stephen Mulhall, [32] Professor of Philosophy and Tutor at New College, Oxford
15 January 2015	Bruegel's The Fight Between Carnival and Lent	Louise Milne,[33] Lecturer in Visual Culture in the School of Art at the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier University Jeanne Nuechterlein,[34] Senior Lecturer in the Department of History of Art, University of York Miri Rubin, [35] Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History and Head of the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London
18 December 2014	Truth	Simon Blackburn, [36] Fellow of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and Professor of Philosophy at the New College of the Humanities Jennifer Hornsby, [37] Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Crispin Wright, [38] Regius Professor of Logic at the University of Aberdeen, and Professor of Philosophy at New York University
11 December 2014	Behavioural ecology	Steve Jones, [39] Emeritus Professor of Genetics, School of Life and Medical Sciences at University College London Rebecca Kilner,[40] Professor of Evolutionary biology at Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge John Krebs, [41] Principal at Jesus College Oxford
4 December 2014	Zen	Tim Barrett,[42] Emeritus Professor at Department of the Study of Religions, SOAS, University of London Lucia Dolce,[43] Numata Reader in Japanese Buddhism at SOAS, University of London Eric Greene,[44] Lecturer in East Asian Religions at the University of Bristol
27 November 2014	Kafka's The Trial	Elizabeth Boa,[45] Emeritus Professor of German, University of Nottingham Steve Connor,[46] Professor of English, Peterhouse, Cambridge Ritchie Robertson, [47] Taylor Professor of the German Language and Literature, The Queen's College, Oxford
20 November 2014	Aesop	Pavlos Avlamis,[48] Faculty of Classics Research Lecturer, Trinity College, Oxford, Lucy Grig,[49] Senior Lecturer in Roman History at the University of Edinburgh, Simon Goldhill, [50] Professor of Greek Literature and Culture, Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at King's College, Cambridge
13 November 2014	Brunel	Julia Elton,[51] Past President of the Newcomen Society, Ben Marsden,[52] Senior Lecturer, School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen, Crosbie Smith,[53] Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Kent
06 November 2014	Hatshepsut	Elizabeth Frood,[54] Associate Professor of Egyptology; Fellow of St Cross College the University of Oxford, Kate Spence,[55] Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, Campbell Price, Curator of Department of Egypt & Syria, Manchester Museum (The University of Manchester)
30 October 2014	Nuclear Fusion	Philippa Browning,[56] Professor of Astrophysics, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester Steve Cowley,[57] Professor in Plasma Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics Imperial College, London Justin Wark,[58] Professor of Physics, University of Oxford
23 October 2014	The Haitian Revolution	Kate Hodgson, [59] Doctor of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies, University of Liverpool Tim Lockley,[60] School of Comparative American Studies, University of Warwick Karen Salt,[61] Research Fellow at School of Divinity, History and Philosophy, University of Aberdeen
16 October 2014	Rudyard Kipling	Howard Booth,[62] Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Manchester Daniel Karlin,[63] Research Fellow in English, William Wills of English, University of Bristol Jan Montefiore,[64] Professor of 20th Century English Literature, University of Kent
9 October 2014	The Battle of Talas	Hilde de Weerdt,[65] Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University, Michael Höckelmann,[66] British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at King's College London, Hugh Kennedy, [67] Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London.
2 October 2014	Julius Caesar	Christopher Pelling, [68] Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Oxford, Catherine Steel, [69] Professor of Classics at the University of Glasgow Maria Wyke, [70] Professor of Latin at University College London.
25 September 2014	e	Colva Roney-Dougal,[71] Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews, June Barrow-Green, [72] Senior Lecturer in the History of Maths at the Open University, Vicky Neale, [73] Whitehead Lecturer at the Mathematical Institute and Balliol College, Oxford.

2013–2014

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
10 July 2014	The Sun	Carolin Crawford, [74] Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College, Yvonne Elsworth, [75] Professor of Helioseismology, Poynting Professor of Physics at the University of Birmingham. Louise Harra, [76] Professor of solar physics at Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL
3 July 2014	Mrs Dalloway	Dame Hermione Lee, [77] President of Wolfson College, Oxford Jane Goldman,[78] Reader in English Literature at the University of Glasgow Kathryn Simpson,[79] Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
26 June 2014	Hildegard of Bingen	Miri Rubin, [80] Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History and Head of the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London, William Flynn,[81] Lecturer in Medieval Latin at the University of Leeds, Almut Suerbaum,[82] Lecturer in German, Fellow of Somerville at the University of Oxford
19 June 2014	The Philosophy of Solitude	Melissa Lane, [83] Professor of Politics at Princeton University Simon Blackburn, [84] Fellow of University of Cambridge John Haldane, [85] Professor of Philosophy at University of St Andrews
12 June 2014	Robert Boyle	Simon Schaffer, [86] Professor the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, Michael Hunter, [87] Professor at the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck College, University of London Anna Marie Roos,[88] Senior Lecturer in Faculty of Media Humanities and Performance at the University of Lincoln.
5 June 2014	The Bluestockings	Karen O'Brien,[89] Professor of English Literature at King's College London, Elizabeth Eger, [90] Reader at King's College London Nicole Pohl,[91] Reader in Early Modern Literature and Critical Theory at Oxford Brookes University
29 May 2014	The Talmud	Philip Alexander,[92] Professor of Post-Biblical Jewish Literature at the University of Manchester Norman Solomon, [93] Rabbi Laliv Clenman,com_qcontacts/catid,10551/id,362/view, contact/ Lecturer in Rabbinic Literature at Leo Baeck College.
22 May 2014	The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam	Charles Melville,[94] Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge Daniel Karlin,[95] Winterstoke Professor of English at the University of Bristol Kirstie Blair,[96] Professor at the University of Stirling
15 May 2014	Photosynthesis	Sandra Knapp, [97] the Natural History Museum, London, Nick Lane, [98] at University College London, John F Allen,[99] Professor of Biochemistry at Queen Mary, University of London.
8 May 2014	Second Sino-Japanese War	Rana Mitter, [100] Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China; Fellow of St Cross College University of Oxford, Barak Kushner,[101] University of Cambridge, Tehyun Ma,[102] Lecturer in Chinese History at University of Exeter.
1 May 2014	The Tale of Sinuhe	Richard B. Parkinson, [103] Professor of Egyptology and Fellow of The Queen's College, Oxford, Roland Emmarch,[104] Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool, Aidan Dodson,[105] Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol.
24 April 2014	Tristram Shandy	Judith Hawley,[106] Royal Holloway, University of London, John Mullan, [107] University College London, Mary Newbould,[108] University of Cambridge.
17 April 2014	The Domesday Book	Stephen Baxter,[109] Reader in Medieval History at King's College London, Elisabeth van Houts,[110] Honorary Professor of Medieval European History at the University of Cambridge, David Bates, [111] Professorial Fellow in Medieval History at the University of East Anglia.
10 April 2014	Strabo's Geographica	Paul Cartledge, [112] A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge, Maria Pretzler,[113] Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at Swansea University, Benet Salway, [114] Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at University College London,
3 April 2014	States of Matter	Andrea Sella, [115] Professor of Materials and Inorganic Chemistry at University College London, Athene Donald, [116] Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge, Justin Wark,[117] Professor of Physics and Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford
27 March 2014	Weber's The Protestant Ethic	Peter Ghosh, [118] Fellow in History at St Anne's College, Oxford Sam Whimster,[119] Honorary Professor in Sociology at the University of New South Wales Linda Woodhead, [120] Professor of Sociology of Religion at Lancaster University.
20 March 2014	Bishop Berkeley	Peter Millican, [121] Gilbert Ryle Fellow and Professor of Philosophy at Hertford College, Oxford, Tom Stoneham, [122] Professor of Philosophy at the University of York, Michela Massimi,[123] Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh.
13 March 2014	The Trinity	Janet Soskice, Professor of Philosophical Theology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture, The Reverend Graham Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford and a Canon of Christ Church.
6 March 2014	Spartacus	Mary Beard, [124] Professor of Classics Newnham College, Cambridge Maria Wyke, [125] Professor of Latin, co-director of the Centre for Research into the Dynamics of Civilisation, University College London Theresa Urbainczyk,[126] Associate Professor of Classics (Scoil na gClasaicí UCD), University College Dublin
27 February 2014	The Eye	Patricia Fara, [127] Senior Tutor and Director of Studies Clare College, Cambridge William Ayliffe,[128] FRCS PhD, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Lister Hospital, London, Professor at Gresham College Robert Iliffe [129], Professor of Intellectual History and History of Science, University of Sussex.
20 February 2014	Social Darwinism	Adam Kuper, [130] Centennial Professor of Anthropology at the LSE, University of London Gregory Radick,[131] Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Leeds, Charlotte Sleigh,[132] Reader in the History of Science at the University of Kent
13 February 2014	Chivalry	Miri Rubin, [133] Professor of Early Modern History at Queen Mary University of London, Matthew Strickland,[134] Professor at School of Humanities / Sgoil nan Daonnachdan, University of Glasgow, Laura Ashe, [135] University Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow Worcester College, University of Oxford
6 February 2014	The Phoenicians	Mark Woolmer,[136] at Durham University Josephine Quinn,[137] Martin Frederiksen Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Worcester College, Oxford, Cyprian Broodbank, [138] at University College London.
30 January 2014	Catastrophism	Andrew Scott,[139] Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London, Jan Zalasiewicz,[140] Senior Lecturer in Geology at the University of Leicester, Leucha Veneer,[141] Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester
23 January 2014	Sources of Early Chinese History	Roel Sterckx, [142] Joseph Needham Professorship of Chinese History, Science, and Civilization at the University of Cambridge, Tim Barrett,[143] Professor of East Asian History at SOAS, University of London, Hilde de Weerdt,[144] Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University,
16 January 2014	The Battle of Tours	Hugh N. Kennedy, [145] Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London, Rosamond McKitterick, [146] Professor of Medieval History, University of Cambridge, Matthew Innes, [147] Vice Master and Professor of History, Birkbeck, University of London
3 January 2014	Plato's Symposium	Angie Hobbs, [148] Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, Richard L. Hunter, [149] Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge, Frisbee Sheffield,[150] Director of Studies in Philosophy at Christ's College, Cambridge.
26 December 2013	The Medici	Evelyn Welch, [151] Professor of Renaissance Studies at King's College London, Robert Black,[152] Professor of Renaissance History at the University of Leeds, Catherine Fletcher, [153] Lecturer in Public History at the University of Sheffield.
19 December 2013	Complexity	Ian Stewart, [154] Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, Jeff Johnson,[155] Professor of Complexity Science and Design at the Open University, Eve Mitleton-Kelly,[156] Director of the Complexity Research Group at the London School of Economics.
12 December 2013	Pliny the Younger	Catharine Edwards, [157] Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Roy Gibson,[158] Professor of Latin at the University of Manchester, Alice König, [159] Lecturer in Latin and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews.
5 December 2013	Hindu Ideas of Creation	Jessica Frazier, [160] Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and a research fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford. Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, [161] Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University. Gavin Flood, [162] Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion at the University of Oxford.
28 November 2013	The Microscope	Jim Bennett, Visiting Keeper at the Science Museum, London, Colin Humphreys, [163] Professor of Materials Science and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge, Michelle Peckham,[164] Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Leeds.
21 November 2013	Pocahontas	Susan Castillo, Harriet Beecher Stowe Emeritus Professor of American Studies at King's College London Tim Lockley,[165] Reader in American Studies at the University of Warwick, Jacqueline Fear-Segal, Reader in American History and Culture at the University of East Anglia.
14 November 2013	The Tempest	Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, Oxford, Erin Sullivan, Lecturer and Fellow at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham, Katherine Duncan-Jones, emeritus fellow of Somerville College, Oxford.
7 November 2013	Ordinary Language Philosophy	Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy at New College, Oxford, Ray Monk, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton, Julia Tanney, Reader in Philosophy of Mind at the University of Kent.
31 October 2013	The Berlin Conference	Richard Ayton, Rhodes Professor of Imperial History at King's College London, Richard Rathbone, Emeritus Professor of African History at SOAS, University of London, Joanna Lewis, assistant professor of Imperial History at the London School of Economics, University of London.
24 October 2013	The Corn laws	Lawrence Goldman, Fellow in Modern History at St Peter's College, Oxford, Boyd Hilton, Former Professor of Modern British History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey, Reader in Political Science at the London School of Economics.
17 October 2013	The Book of Common Prayer	Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford, Alexandra Walsham, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge, Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture.
10 October 2013	Galen	Vivian Nutton, Emeritus Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London, Helen King, Professor of Classical Studies at the Open University, Caroline Petit, Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Classics at the University of Warwick.
3 October 2013	Exoplanets	Carolin Crawford, Gresham Professor of Astronomy and a member of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, Don Pollacco, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Warwick, Suzanne Aigrain, Lecturer in Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.
26 September 2013	The Mamluks	Amira Bennison, Reader in the History and Culture of the Maghrib at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge, Robert Irwin, Former Senior Research Associate in the Department of History at SOAS, University of London, Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Nasser Khalili, Professor of Islamic Art and Archaeology at SOAS, University of London.
19 September 2013	Blaise Pascal	David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York, Michael Moriarty, Professor of French at the University of Cambridge, Michela Massimi, Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh.

2012–2013

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
4 July 2013	The Invention of Radio	Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge, Elizabeth Bruton, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Leeds, John Liffen, Curator of Communications at the Science Museum, London.
27 June 2013	Romance of the Three Kingdoms	Frances Wood, Former Lead Curator of Chinese Collections at the British Library, Craig Clunas, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Oxford, Margaret Hillenbrand, University Lecturer in Modern Chinese Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Wadham College.
20 June 2013	The Physiocrats	Richard Whatmore, Professor of Intellectual History & the History of Political Thought at the University of Sussex, Joel Felix, Professor of History at the University of Reading, Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton.
13 June 2013	Prophecy	Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh, Justin Meggitt, University Senior Lecturer in the Study of Religion and the Origins of Christianity at the University of Cambridge, Jonathan Stökl, Post-Doctoral Researcher at Leiden University.
6 June 2013	Relativity	Ruth Gregory, Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Durham University, Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge, Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.
30 May 2013	Queen Zenobia	Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London, Kate Cooper, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester, Richard Stoneman, Honorary Visiting Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter.
23 May 2013	Lévi-Strauss	Adam Kuper, Visiting Professor of Anthropology at Boston University, Christina Howells, Professor of French at Oxford University, Vincent Debaene, associate professor of French Literature at Columbia University.
16 May 2013	Cosmic Rays	Carolin Crawford, Gresham Professor of Astronomy and a member of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, Alan Watson, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Leeds, Tim Greenshaw, Professor of Physics at the University of Liverpool.
9 May 2013	Icelandic Sagas	Carolyne Larrington, Fellow and Tutor in Medieval English Literature at St John's College, Oxford, Elizabeth Ashman Rowe, [166] Lecturer in Scandinavian History at the University of Cambridge, Emily Lethbridge, Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavík.
2 May 2013	Gnosticism	Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture, Caroline Humfress, Reader in History at Birkbeck College, University of London, Alastair Logan, Honorary University Fellow of the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter.
25 April 2013	Montaigne	David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at York University, Terence Cave, Emeritus Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford, Felicity Green, Chancellor's Fellow in History at the University of Edinburgh.
18 April 2013	Putney Debates	Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London, Ann Hughes, Professor of Early Modern History at Keele University, Kate Peters, Fellow in History at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.
11 April 2013	Amazons	Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University, Chiara Franceschini, Teaching Fellow at University College London and an Academic Assistant at the Warburg Institute, Caroline Vout, University Senior Lecturer in Classics and Fellow and Director of Studies at Christ's College, Cambridge.
4 April 2013	Japan's Sakoku Period	Richard Bowring, Emeritus Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge, Andrew Cobbing, associate professor of History at the University of Nottingham, Rebekah Clements, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Imperial College London.
28 March 2013	Water	Hasok Chang, Hans Rausing Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, Andrea Sella, Professor of Chemistry at University College London, Patricia Hunt, research fellow of Queens' College and Research Associate at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge.
21 March 2013	Alfred Russel Wallace	Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College London, George Beccaloni, Curator of Cockroaches and Related Insects and Director of the Wallace Correspondence Project at the Natural History Museum, Ted Benton, Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex.
14 March 2013	Chekhov	Catriona Kelly, Professor of Russian at the University of Oxford, Cynthia Marsh, Emeritus Professor of Russian ama and Literature at the University of Nottingham, Rosamund Bartlett, Founding Director of the Anton Chekhov Foundation and former Reader in Russian at the University of Durham.
7 March 2013	Absolute Zero	Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge, Stephen Blundell, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, Nicola Wilkin, Lecturer in Theoretical Physics at the University of Birmingham.
28 February 2013	Pitt Rivers	Adam Kuper, Visiting Professor of Anthropology at Boston University, Richard Bradley, Professor in Archaeology at the University of Reading, Dan Hicks, University Lecturer & Curator of Archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford.
21 February 2013	Decline and Fall	David Bradshaw, Professor of English Literature at Worcester College, Oxford, John Bowen, Professor of Nineteenth-Century Literature at the University of York, Ann Pasternak Slater, senior research fellow at St Anne's College, Oxford.
14 February 2013	Ice Ages	Jane Francis, Professor of Paleoclimatology at the University of Leeds, Richard Corfield, research fellow in Geology at the University of Oxford, Carrie Lear, Senior Lecturer in Palaeoceanography at Cardiff University.
7 February 2013	Epicureanism	Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, David Sedley, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, James Warren, Reader in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge
31 January 2013	The War of 1812	Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London, Lawrence Goldman, Fellow in Modern History at St Peter's College, University of Oxford, Frank Cogliano, Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh.
24 January 2013	Romulus and Remus	Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge, Peter Wiseman, Emeritus Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter, Tim Cornell, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester.
17 January 2013	Comets	Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University, Paul Murdin, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge, Don Pollacco, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Warwick.
10 January 2013	Le Morte d'Arthur	Helen Cooper, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge, Helen Fulton, Professor of Medieval Literature and Head of Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York, Laura Ashe, CUF Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow at Worcester College at the University of Oxford.
27 December 2012	The Cult of Mithras	Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews, Almut Hintze, Zartoshty Professor of Zoroastrianism at SOAS, University of London, John North, Acting Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London.
20 December 2012	The South Sea Bubble	Anne Murphy, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Hertfordshire, Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton, Roey Sweet, Head of the School of History at the University of Leicester.
13 December 2012	Shahnameh of Ferdowsi	Narguess Farzad, Senior Fellow in Persian at SOAS, University of London, Charles Melville, Professor of Persian History at Pembroke College, Cambridge, Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator of Middle Eastern Coins at the British Museum.
6 December 2012	Bertrand Russell	AC Grayling, Master of the New College of the Humanities and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford, Mike Beaney, Professor of Philosophy at the University of York, Hilary Greaves, Lecturer in Philosophy and Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford.
29 November 2012	Crystallography	Judith Howard, Director of the Biophysical Sciences Institute and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Durham, Chris Hammond, Life Fellow in Material Science at the University of Leeds, Mike Glazer, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and Visiting Professor of Physics at the University of Warwick.
22 November 2012	The Borgias	Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London, Catherine Fletcher, Lecturer in Public History at the University of Sheffield, Christine Shaw, Honorary Research Fellow at Swansea University.
15 November 2012	Simone Weil	Beatrice Han-Pile, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex, Stephen Plant, Runcie Fellow and Dean of Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge, David Levy, Teaching Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh.
8 November 2012	The Upanishads	Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford, Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University, Simon Brodbeck, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Cardiff.
01 November 2012	The Anarchy	John Gillingham, Emeritus Professor of History at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Louise Wilkinson, Reader in Medieval History at Canterbury Christ Church University, David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King's College London.
25 October 2012	Fermat's Last Theorem	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics & Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, Vicky Neale, Fellow and Director of Studies in Mathematics at Murray Edwards College at the University of Cambridge, Samir Siksek, Professor at the Mathematics Institute at the University of Warwick
18 October 2012	Caxton and the Printing Press	Richard Gameson, Professor of the History of the Book at the University of Durham, Julia Boffey, Professor of Medieval Studies in the English Department at Queen Mary, University of London, David Rundle, Member of the History Faculty at the University of Oxford
11 October 2012	Hannibal	Ellen O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Bristol, Mark Woolmer, Senior Tutor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Durham, Louis Rawlings, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at Cardiff University
4 October 2012	Gerald of Wales	Henrietta Leyser, Emeritus Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford, Michelle Brown, Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London, Huw Pryce, Professor of Welsh History at Bangor University
27 September 2012	The Ontological Argument	John Haldane Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews, Peter Millican, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, Clare Carlisle, Lecturer in Philosophy of religion at King's College London,
20 September 2012	The Druids	Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Oxford, Miranda Aldhouse-Green, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University, Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London
13 September 2012	The Cell	Steve Jones Professor of Genetics at University College London, Cathie Martin, MBE, Group Leader at the John Innes Centre and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia, Nick Lane, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London

2011–2012

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
12 July 2012	Hadrian's Wall	Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews David Breeze, Former Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Scotland and Visiting Professor of Archaeology at the University of Durham Lindsay Allason-Jones, Former Reader in Roman Material Culture at the University of Newcastle
5 July 2012	Scepticism	Peter Millican, Professor of Philosophy at Hertford College, Oxford, Melissa Lane, Professor of Politics at Princeton University, Jill Kraye, Professor of the History of Renaissance Philosophy and Librarian at the Warburg Institute, University of London.
28 June 2012	Al-Kindi	Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London, James Montgomery, Sir Thomas Adams's Professor of Arabic Elect at the University of Cambridge, Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge.
21 June 2012	Annie Besant	Lawrence Goldman, Fellow in Modern History at St Peter's College, Oxford, David Stack, Reader in History at the University of Reading, Yasmin Khan, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London.
14 June 2012	James Joyce's Ulysses	Steven Connor, Professor of Modern Literature and Theory at Birkbeck, University of London, Jeri Johnson, Senior Fellow in English at Exeter College, Oxford, Richard Brown, Reader in Modern English Literature at the University of Leeds.
7 June 2012	King Solomon	Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture, Philip Alexander, Emeritus Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester, Katharine Dell, Senior Lecturer in Old Testament Studies at the University of Cambridge, and Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge.
31 May 2012	The Trojan War	Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London, Ellen Adams, Lecturer in Classical Art and Archaeology at King's College London, Susan Sherratt, Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Sheffield.
24 May 2012	Marco Polo	Frances Wood, Lead Curator of Chinese Collections at the British Library, Joan Pau Rubies, Reader in International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Debra Higgs Strickland, Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Glasgow.
17 May 2012	Clausewitz and On War	Saul David, Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham, Hew Strachan, Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford, Beatrice Heuser, Professor of International Relations at the University of Reading.
10 May 2012	Game Theory	Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, Andrew Colman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leicester, Richard Bradley, Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
3 May 2012	Voltaire's Candide	David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York, Nicholas Cronk, Professor of French Literature and Director of the Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford, Caroline Warman, Lecturer in French and Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford.
26 April 2012	Battle of Bosworth Field	Anne Curry, Professor of Medieval History and Dean of Humanities at the University of Southampton, Steven Gunn, Tutor and Fellow in Modern History at Merton College, Oxford, David Grummitt, Lecturer in British History at the University of Kent.
19 April 2012	Neoplatonism	Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick, Peter Adamson, Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College London, Anne Sheppard, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London.
12 April 2012	Early Geology	Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at Lancaster University, Andrew Scott, Professor of Applied Palaeobotany at Royal Holloway, University of London, Leucha Veneer, Research Associate at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester.
5 April 2012	George Fox and the Quakers	Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London, John Coffey, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Leicester, Kate Peters, Fellow in History at Murray Edwards College at the University of Cambridge.
29 March 2012	The Measurement of Time	Kristen Lippincott, Former Director of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford, Jonathan Betts, Senior Curator of Horology at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich.
22 March 2012	Moses Mendelssohn	Christopher Clark, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge, Abigail Green, Tutor and Fellow in History at the University of Oxford, Adam Sutcliffe, Senior Lecturer in European History at King's College, London.
15 March 2012	Vitruvius and De Architectura	Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck, University of London, Robert Tavernor, Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the London School of Economics, Alice Koenig, Lecturer in Latin and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews.
8 March 2012	Lyrical Ballads	Judith Hawley, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London, Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, Oxford, Peter Swaab, Reader in English Literature at University College London.
1 March 2012	Benjamin Franklin	Simon Middleton, Senior Lecturer in American History at the University of Sheffield, Simon Newman, Sir Denis Brogan Professor of American History at the University of Glasgow, Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge.
23 February 2012	Conductors and Semiconductors	Frank Close, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford, Jenny Nelson, Professor of Physics at Imperial College London, Lesley Cohen, Professor of Solid State Physics at Imperial College London
16 February 2012	The An Lushan Rebellion	Frances Wood, Lead Curator of Chinese at the British Library, Naomi Standen, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Birmingham, Hilde de Weerdt, Fellow and Lecturer in Chinese History at Pembroke College, Oxford.
9 February 2012	Erasmus	Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford, Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge, Jill Kraye, Professor of the History of Renaissance Philosophy and Librarian at the Warburg Institute, University of London
2 February 2012	The Kama Sutra	Julius Lipner, Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion at the University of Cambridge, Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, David Smith, Reader in South Asian Religions at the University of Lancaster
26 January 2012	The Scientific method	Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge, John Worrall, Professor of the Philosophy of Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Michela Massimi, Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science at University College London.
19 January 2012	1848: Year of Revolution	Tim Blanning, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Cambridge, Lucy Riall, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London, Mike Rapport, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Stirling.
12 January 2012	The Safavid Dynasty	Robert Gleave, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter, Emma Loosley, Senior Lecturer at the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures at the University of Manchester, Andrew Newman, Reader in Islamic Studies and Persian at the University of Edinburgh.
2–6 January 2012	The Written World	Documentary series Programme 1: The Technology and Early Development of Writing Programme 2: The Evolution of Writing and the Invention of the Book Programme 3: Writing and Religion Programme 4: Literature Programme 5: The Scientific Revolution and the Age of Enlightenment
29 December 2011	Macromolecules	Tony Ryan, Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Science at the University of Sheffield, Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Robinson College, Charlotte Williams, Reader in Polymer Chemistry and Catalysis at Imperial College, London.
22 December 2011	Robinson Crusoe	Karen O'Brien, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education at the University of Birmingham, Judith Hawley, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London, Bob Owens, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the Open University.
15 December 2011	The Concordat of Worms	Henrietta Leyser, Emeritus Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford, Kate Cushing, Reader in Medieval History at Keele University, John Gillingham, Emeritus Professor of History at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
8 December 2011	Heraclitus	Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick, Peter Adamson, Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College London, James Warren, Senior Lecturer in Classics and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge
1 December 2011	Christina Rossetti	Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at Liverpool University, Rhian Williams, Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century English Literature at the University of Glasgow, Nicholas Shrimpton, Emeritus Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.
24 November 2011	Judas Maccabeus	Helen Bond, Senior Lecturer in the New Testament at University of Edinburgh, Tessa Rajak, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Reading, Philip Alexander, Emeritus Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester.
17 November 2011	Ptolemy and Ancient Astronomy	Liba Taub, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University, Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford, Charles Burnett, Professor of the History of Islamic Influences on Europe at the Warburg Institute, University of London
10 November 2011	The Continental-Analytic Split	Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy at New College, Oxford, Beatrice Han-Pile, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex, Hans Johann-Glock, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Zurich.
3 November 2011	The Moon	Paul Murdin, Visiting Professor of Astronomy at Liverpool John Moores University, Carolin Crawford, Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College and Fellow and College Lecturer at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, Ian Crawford, Reader in Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck College, London.
27 October 2011	The Siege of Tenochtitlan	Alan Knight, Professor of the History of Latin America at the University of Oxford, Elizabeth Graham, Professor of Mesoamerican Archaeology at University College, London, Caroline Dodds Pennock, Lecturer in International History at the University of Sheffield.
20 October 2011	Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People	Tim Blanning, Former Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge, Tamar Garb, Durning Lawrence Professor in the History of Art at University College London, Simon Lee, Senior Lecturer on the history of art at Reading University.
13 October 2011	The Ming Voyages	Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford, Julia Lovell, Lecturer in Chinese History at Birkbeck College, University of London, Craig Clunas, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Oxford.
6 October 2011	David Hume	Peter Millican, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford, Helen Beebee, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, James Harris, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews.
29 September 2011	The Etruscan Civilisation	Phil Perkins, Professor of Archaeology at the Open University, David Ridgway, senior research fellow at the Institute of Classical Studies at the University of London, Corinna Riva, Lecturer in Mediterranean Archaeology at University College London.
22 September 2011	Shinto	Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture, Richard Bowring, Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge, Lucia Dolce, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Religion and Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
15 September 2011	The Hippocratic Oath	Vivian Nutton, Emeritus Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London, Helen King, Professor of Classical Studies at the Open University, Peter Pormann, Wellcome Trust Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick

2010–2011

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
7 July 2011	The Minoan Civilisation	John Bennet, [167] Professor of Aegean Archaeology at Sheffield University, Ellen Adams,[168] Lecturer in Classical Art and Archaeology at King's College London, Yannis Hamilakis, [169] Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton
30 June 2011	Tennyson's In Memoriam	Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Liverpool University, Seamus Perry, Fellow and Tutor in English at Balliol College, University of Oxford, Jane Wright, Lecturer in English at the University of Bristol
23 June 2011	Malthusianism	Karen O'Brien,[170] Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at the University of Birmingham, Mark Philp, [171] Lecturer in Politics at the University of Oxford, Emma Griffin,[172] Senior Lecturer in History at the University of East Anglia
16 June 2011	John Wycliff and the Lollards	Anthony Kenny, Philosopher and former Master of Balliol College, Oxford Anne Hudson, Emeritus Professor of Medieval English at the University of Oxford, Rob Lutton, Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Nottingham
9 June 2011	The Origins of Infectious Disease	Steve Jones, [173] Professor of Genetics at University College London, Roy Anderson, [174] Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London, Mark Pallen, [175] Professor of Microbial Genomics at the University of Birmingham.
2 June 2011	Battle of Stamford Bridge	John Hines,[176] Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University, Elizabeth Ashman Rowe, Lecturer in Scandinavian History of the Viking Age at Clare Hall, Cambridge, Stephen Baxter,[177] Reader in Medieval History at King's College London
26 May 2011	Xenophon	Paul Cartledge, [178] A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University, Edith Hall, [179] Professor of Classics and ama at Royal Holloway, University of London, Simon Goldhill, [180] Professor in Greek Literature and Culture at the University of Cambridge and Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at King's College London
19 May 2011	Custer's Last Stand	Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Adam Smith, Senior Lecturer in American History at University College London Saul David, Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham
12 May 2011	The Anatomy of Melancholy	Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and ama at the University of Nottingham Mary Ann Lund, Lecturer in English at the University of Leicester Erin Sullivan, Lecturer and Fellow at the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham
5 May 2011	Islamic Law and its Origins	Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London Robert Gleave, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Glasgow
28 April 2011	Cogito Ergo Sum	Susan James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and Professorial Research Fellow at Heythrop College, University of London Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford
21 April 2011	The Pelagian Controversy	Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture Caroline Humfress, Reader in History at Birkbeck College, University of London John Milbank, Professor in Religion, Politics and Ethics and the Director of the Centre for Theology and Philosophy at Nottingham University
14 April 2011	The Neutrino	Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Exeter College at the University of Oxford Susan Cartwright, Senior Lecturer in Particle Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Sheffield David Wark, Professor of Particle Physics at Imperial College, London, and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
7 April 2011	Octavia Hill	Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at Liverpool University Lawrence Goldman, Fellow in Modern History at St Peter's College, Oxford Gillian Darley, Historian and biographer of Octavia Hill
31 March 2011	The Bhagavad Gita	Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University Julius J. Lipner, Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion and Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge Jessica Frazier, research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and Lecturer in Religious Studies at Regent's College, London
24 March 2011	The Dawn of the Iron Age	Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford Sue Hamilton, Professor of Prehistory at University College London Timothy Champion, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton
17 March 2011	The Medieval University	Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London Ian Wei, Senior Lecturer in Medieval European History at the University of Bristol Peter Denley, Reader in History at Queen Mary, University of London
10 March 2011	Free Will (500th programme)	Simon Blackburn, Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge Helen Beebee, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham Galen Strawson, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading
3 March 2011	The Age of the Universe	Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge Carolin Crawford, Member of the Institute of Astronomy and Fellow of Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge Carlos Frenk, Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the University of Durham
24 February 2011	The Taiping Rebellion	Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford Frances Wood, Head of the Chinese Section at the British Library Julia Lovell, Lecturer in Chinese History at Birkbeck, University of London
17 February 2011	Maimonides	John Joseph Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Sarah Stroumsa Alice and Jack Ormut Professor of Arabic Studies and currently Rector at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Peter Adamson, Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College London
10 February 2011	The Nervous System	Colin Blakemore, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford Vivian Nutton, Emeritus Professor of the History of Medicine at University College, London Tilli Tansey, Professor of the History of Modern Medical Sciences at Queen Mary, University of London
3 February 2011	The Battle of Bannockburn	Matthew Strickland, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow Fiona Watson, Honorary Research Fellow in History at the University of Dundee Michael Brown, Reader in History at the University of St Andrews
27 January 2011	Aristotle's Poetics	Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Nick Lowe, Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Stephen Halliwell, Professor of Greek at the University of St Andrews
20 January 2011	The Mexican Revolution	Alan Knight, Professor of the History of Latin America at the University of Oxford Paul Garner, Cowdray Professor of Spanish at the University of Leeds Patience Schell, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester
13 January 2011	Random and Pseudorandom	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Colva Roney-Dougal, Senior Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Timothy Gowers, Royal Society Research Professor in Mathematics at the University of Cambridge
6 January 2011	Childe Harold's Pilgrimage	Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick Jane Stabler, Reader in Romanticism at the University of St Andrews Emily Bernhard Jackson. Assistant Professor in Nineteenth-Century English Literature at the University of Arkansas
30 December 2010	Consequences of the Industrial Revolution	Jane Humphries, Professor of Economic History and Fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford Emma Griffin, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of East Anglia Lawrence Goldman, Fellow and Tutor in History at St Peter's College, University of Oxford
23 December 2010	The Industrial Revolution	Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter Pat Hudson, Professor Emerita of History at Cardiff University William Ashworth, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Liverpool
16 December 2010	Daoism	Tim Barrett, Professor of East Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Hilde De Weerdt, Fellow and Tutor in Chinese History at Pembroke College, University of Oxford
9 December 2010	Thomas Edison	Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science, University of Cambridge Kathleen Burk, Professor of History, University College London Iwan Morus, Reader in History, University of Aberystwyth
2 December 2010	Cleopatra	Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London Susan Walker, Keeper of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford
25 November 2010	The History of Metaphor	Steven Connor, Professor of Modern Literature and Theory at Birkbeck, University of London Tom Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Sussex Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and ama at the University of Nottingham
18 November 2010	Foxe's Book of Martyrs	Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of Church history at the University of OxfordJustin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London, Elizabeth Evenden, Lecturer in Book History at Brunel University,
11 November 2010	The Volga Vikings	James Montgomery. Professor of Classical Arabic at the University of Cambridge, Neil Price, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen, Elizabeth Ashman Rowe [181], Lecturer in Scandinavian History of the Viking Age at Clare Hall, Cambridge,
4 November 2010	Women and Enlightenment Science	Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge, Karen O'Brien [182], Professor of English at the University of Warwick, Judith Hawley [183], Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London,
28 October 2010	The Unicorn	Juliette Wood [184], Associate Lecturer in Folklore at Cardiff University, Lauren Kassell [185], Lecturer in the History and philosophy of science at the University of Cambridge, David Ekserdjian [186], Professor of the History of Art and Film at the University of Leicester,
21 October 2010	History of Logic	A.C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London, Peter Millican, Gilbert Ryle Fellow in Philosophy at Hertford College, Oxford Rosanna Keefe [187], Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Sheffield.
14 October 2010	Sturm und Drang	T. C. W. Blanning, Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at Cambridge University, Susanne Kord [188], Professor of German at University College, London Maike Oergel [189], associate professor of German at the University of Nottingham.
7 October 2010	The Spanish Armada	Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford, Maria Jose Rodriguez-Salgado[190], Professor in International History at the London School of Economics, Nicholas Rodger, senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford.
30 September 2010	The Delphic Oracle	Paul Cartledge, A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University, Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London, Nick Lowe, Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London.
23 September 2010	Imaginary numbers	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick, Caroline Series[191], Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick.

2009–2010

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
8 July 2010	Pliny's Natural History (Pliny)	Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck, University of London Aude Doody, Lecturer in Classics at University College, Dublin Liba Taub, Reader in the History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University
1 July 2010	Athelstan	Sarah Foot, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Christ Church, Oxford John Hines, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University Richard Gameson, Professor of the History of the Book at Durham University
24 June 2010	Antarctica	Jane Francis, Professor of Paleoclimatology at the University of Leeds Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute and Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Cambridge David Walton, Emeritus Professor at the British Antarctic Survey and Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool.
17 June 2010	The Neanderthals	Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology at the University of Cambridge Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Origins at the Natural History Museum and Visiting Professor at Royal Holloway, University of London Danielle Schreve, Reader in Physical Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London
10 June 2010	Al-Biruni	James Montgomery, Professor of Classical Arabic at the University of Cambridge Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge
3 June 2010	Edmund Burke	Karen O'Brien, Professor of English at the University of Warwick Richard Bourke, Senior Lecturer in History at Queen Mary, University of London John Keane, Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney
27 May 2010	Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists	Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies and Academic Dean for Arts at Queen Mary, University of London David Ekserdjian, Professor of History of Art and Film at the University of Leicester Martin Kemp, Emeritus Professor in the History of Art at the University of Oxford
20 May 2010	The Cavendish Family	Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor of Clare College, University of Cambridge Simon Schaffer, Professor of History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge
13 May 2010	The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James	Jonathan Rée, Freelance philosopher John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Gwen Griffith-Dickson, Emeritus Professor of Divinity at Gresham College and Director of the Lokahi Foundation
6 May 2010	The Cool Universe	Carolin Crawford, Member of the Institute of Astronomy, and Fellow of Emmanuel College, at the University of Cambridge Paul Murdin, Visiting Professor of Astronomy at Liverpool John Moores University's Astronomy Research Institute Michael Rowan-Robinson, Professor of Astrophysics at Imperial College, London
29 April 2010	The Great Wall of China	Julia Lovell, Lecturer in Chinese History at Birkbeck College, University of London Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford Frances Wood, Head of the Chinese Section at the British Library
22 April 2010	Roman Satire	Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge University Denis Feeney, Professor of Classics and Giger Professor of Latin at Princeton University Duncan Kennedy, Professor of Latin Literature and the Theory of Criticism at the University of Bristol
15 April 2010	The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation	Saul David, Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham Saul Dubow, Professor of History at the University of Sussex Shula Marks, Emeritus Professor of History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
8 April 2010	William Hazlitt	Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Uttara Natarajan, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Goldsmiths College, University of London
1 April 2010	The History of the City (2 of 2)	Peter Hall, Professor of Planning and Regeneration at The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London Tristram Hunt, lecturer in History at Queen Mary College at the University of London Ricky Burdett, Professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics
25 March 2010	The History of the City (1 of 2)	Peter Hall, Professor of Planning and Regeneration at The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London Julia Merritt, associate professor of History at the University of Nottingham Greg Woolfis, Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews
18 March 2010	The Scream and Edvard Munch	David Jackson, Professor of Russian and Scandinavian Art Histories at the University of Leeds Dorothy Rowe, Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Bristol Alastair Wright, University Lecturer in the History of Art at St John's College, University of Oxford.
11 March 2010	Boudica	Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in Folklore at Cardiff University Richard Hingley, Professor of Roman Archaeology at Durham UniversityMiranda Aldhouse-Green, Professor of Archaeology in the School of History and Archaeology at Cardiff University.
4 March 2010	The Infant Brain	Usha Goswami, Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge and Director of its Centre for Neuroscience in Education Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Professorial Research Fellow at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at the Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London Denis Mareschal, Professor of Psychology at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck College, University of London
25 February 2010	Calvinism	Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Susan Hardman Moore, Senior Lecturer in Divinity at the University of Edinburgh Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford.
18 February 2010	The Indian Rebellion	Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Imperial and Indian History at the University of St Andrews Faisal Devji, University Reader in Indian History at St Antony's College, University of Oxford Shruti Kapila, University Lecturer in History and Fellow and Director of Studies at Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge.
11 February 2010	The Unintended Consequences of Mathematics	John D. Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, London Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Marcus du Sautoy, Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.
4 February 2010	Ibn Khaldun	Robert Hoyland, Professor of Islamic History at the University of Oxford Robert Graham Irwin, Senior Research Associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London Hugh N. Kennedy, is Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London.
28 January 2010	Silas Marner – George Eliot's 1861 novel	Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College, London Dinah Birch, Professor of English at Liverpool University Valentine Cunningham, Professor of English Language and Literature at Corpus Christi, University of Oxford.
21 January 2010	The Glencoe Massacre – "Murder Under Trust"	Murray Pittock, Bradley Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow Karin Bowie, Lecturer in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow Daniel Szechi, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Manchester
14 January 2010	The Frankfurt School – why no Revolution?	Jonathan Rée, a freelance historian and philosopher, currently Visiting Professor at Roehampton University and at the Royal College of Art Esther Leslie, Professor in Political Aesthetics at Birkbeck College, University of London Raymond Geuss, Professor in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge
4–7 January 2010	The History of the Royal Society	Four daily programmes in documentary format
31 December 2009	Mary Wollstonecraft – the Vindicator of the Rights of Woman	Karen O'Brien, Professor of English at the University of Warwick John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Barbara Taylor, Professor of Modern History in the School of Humanities
24 December 2009	The Samurai – from civil warriors to civil servants	Angus Lockyer, Lecturer in Japanese History and Chair of the Japan Research Centre at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Nicola Liscutin, Programme Director of Japanese Studies, Birkbeck College, University of London Gregory Irvine, Senior Curator Japan at the Victoria and Albert Museum
10 December 2009	Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans – maths and mysticism	Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck College, University of London John O'Connor, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at the University of St Andrews
3 December 2009	The Silk Road – from Dunhuang to Samarkand	Frances Wood, Head of the Chinese Section at the British Library Tim Barrett, Professor of East Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies Naomi Standen, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Newcastle University
26 November 2009	A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man – James Joyce's early masterpiece	Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History and Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford Katherine Mullin, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Leeds Jeri Johnson, Senior Fellow in English at Exeter College, Oxford
19 November 2009	Sparta – the anti-Athens	Paul Cartledge, A G Leventis Professor of Greek Culture and a Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge Edith Hall, Professor of Classics and ama at Royal Holloway, University of London Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick
12 November 2009	The Discovery of Radiation – from radio waves to gamma rays	Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Exeter College, University of Oxford Frank James, Professor of the History of Science at the Royal Institution
5 November 2009	The Siege of Münster – Apocalypse 1535	Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Charlotte Methuen, University Research Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History at the University of Oxford and Lecturer in Church History and Liturgy at Ripon College Cuddesdon Lucy Wooding, Lecturer in Early Modern History at King's College, London
29 October 2009	Schopenhauer – the tyranny of the Will	A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Christopher Janaway Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton Béatrice Han-Pile, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex
22 October 2009	The Geological Formation of Britain – our long journey north	Richard Corfield, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology, University of Leeds Sanjeev Gupta, Royal Society-Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow at Imperial College London
15 October 2009	The Death of Elizabeth I – plots, plague and politics	John Guy, Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge Clare Jackson, Lecturer and Director of Studies in History at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge Helen Hackett, Reader in English at University College London
8 October 2009	The Dreyfuss Affair – the scandal that tore France apart	Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University Robert Tombs, Professor of French History at Cambridge University Ruth Harris, Lecturer in Modern History at Oxford University
1 October 2009	Akhenaten – history's first individual	Richard Parkinson, Egyptologist at the British Museum Elizabeth Frood, Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Oxford Kate Spence, Lecturer in the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt at the University of Cambridge
24 September 2009	Leibniz vs Newton – who first calculated the calculus?	Simon Schaffer, Professor of History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, University of Cambridge Jackie Stedall, Departmental Lecturer in History of Mathematics at the University of Oxford
17 September 2009	St Thomas Aquinas – his profound influence on Western faith and philosophy	Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Annabel Brett, Lecturer in History at Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge

2008–2009

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
9 July 2009	Ediacara Biota – the first animal?	Richard Corfield, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University, Martin Brasier, Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of Oxford, Rachel Wood, Lecturer in Carbonate Geoscience at the University of Edinburgh
2 July 2009	Logical Positivism – or is it?	Barry Smith, Professor of Philosophy at the University of London Nancy Cartwright, Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics Thomas Uebel Professor of Philosophy at the University of Manchester
25 June 2009	The Sunni-Shia Split: after Muhammad	Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Robert Gleave, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter Hugh N. Kennedy Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London
18 June 2009	Elizabethan Revenge Tragedy – theatre of blood	Jonathan Bate, Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature at the University of Warwick Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and ama at the University of Nottingham Janet Clare Professor of Renaissance Literature at the University of Hull
11 June 2009	The Augustan Age – art and propaganda at the birth of the Roman Empire	Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge University Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, University of London Duncan Kennedy Professor of Latin Literature at the University of Bristol
4 June 2009	The Trial of Charles I – the original courtroom drama	Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford David Wootton Professor of History at the University of York
28 May 2009	Saint Paul – the first Christian	John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews John Barclay, Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University Helen Bond Senior Lecturer in the New Testament at the University of Edinburgh
21 May 2009	The Whale: A History	Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Eleanor Weston, a mammalian palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in London Bill Amos Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at Cambridge University
14 May 2009	The Siege of Vienna – a clash of civilisations?	Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter Andrew Wheatcroft, Professor of International Publishing at Stirling University Claire Norton Lecturer in History at St Mary's University, London
7 May 2009	Magna Carta – foundation of law or rich man's charter?	Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King's College London Michael Clanchy Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the Institute of Historical Research
30 April 2009	The Vacuum of Space – a programme about nothing?	Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Exeter College, University of Oxford Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Visiting Professor in Astrophysics at Oxford University Ruth Gregory Professor of Theoretical Physics at Durham University
23 April 2009	The Building of St Petersburg – "a window through which Russia looks on Europe"	Simon Dixon, Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London Janet Hartley, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics Anthony Cross Emeritus Professor of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge
16 April 2009	Suffragism – the long march towards votes for women	Krista Cowman, Professor of History at the University of Lincoln June Purvis, Professor of Women's & Gender History at the University of Portsmouth Julia Bush Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Northampton
9 April 2009	Brave New World – would Soma, free love and the feelies be so bad?	David Bradshaw, Reader and Tutor in English Literature at Worcester College, University of Oxford Daniel Pick, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London Michèle Barrett Professor of Modern Literary and Cultural Theory at Queen Mary, University of London
2 April 2009	Baconian Science – Francis Bacon and the birth of modern science	Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, University of Cambridge Rhodri Lewis University Lecturer in English at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Hugh's
26 March 2009	The School of Athens – picturing Greece in Renaissance minds	Angie Hobbs, associate professor in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Valery Rees, Renaissance scholar and senior member of the Language Department at the School of Economic Science Jill Kraye Professor of the History of Renaissance Philosophy and Librarian at the Warburg Institute at the University of London
19 March 2009	The Boxer Rebellion – "Kill all Foreigners!"	Frances Wood, Curator of Chinese Collections at the British Library Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford Gary Tiedemann Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Christianity in China
12 March 2009	The Library of Alexandria – of all the books in all the world...	Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge Matthew Nicholls, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Reading Serafina Cuomo Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck College, University of London
5 March 2009	The Measurement Problem in Physics – Man is not the measure of all things	Basil Hiley, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Birkbeck, University of London Simon Saunders, Reader in Philosophy of Physics and University Lecturer in Philosophy of Science at the University of Oxford Roger Penrose Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford
26 February 2009	The Waste Land and Modernity – "I will show you fear in a handful of dust"	Steve Connor, Professor of Modern Literature and Theory at Birkbeck College, University of London Fran Brearton, Reader in English at Queen's University, Belfast Lawrence Rainey Professor of English and American Literature at the University of York
19 February 2009	The Observatory at Jaipur – Indian astronomy on the cusp of colonialism	Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews David Arnold, Professor of Asian and Global History at the University of Warwick Chris Minkowski Professor in Sanskrit at the University of Oxford
12 February 2009	The Destruction of Carthage – "Delenda Carthago!"	Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge Jo Quinn, Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Oxford Ellen O'Gorman Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Bristol
5 February 2009	The Brothers Grimm: fairy tales, Grimm – but not as we know them	Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in Folklore at Cardiff University Marina Warner, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex Tony Phelan Professor in German at Keble College, Oxford
29 January 2009	A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift – 18th century satire gets close to the bone	John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Ian McBride Senior Lecturer in the History Department at King's College London
22 January 2009	A History of History – how the writing of history has evolved	Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge John Burrow, emeritus fellow of Balliol College, Oxford Miri Rubin Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London
15 January 2009	Thoreau and the American Idyll – America in the Wilderness	Kathleen Burk, Professor of American History at University College London Tim Morris, Lecturer in American Literature at the University of Dundee Stephen Fender Honorary Professor in English Literature at University College London
8 January 2009	Darwin: Life After Origins	Jim Moore, geneticist at University College London Steve Jones, Darwin expert Alison Pearn of the Darwin Correspondence Project Nick Biddle, former garden curator at Down House
7 January 2009	Darwin: On the Origin of Species	Jim Moore, Steve Jones, geneticist at University College London Jim Secord of the Darwin Correspondence Project Johannes Vogel, Sandy Knapp and Judith Magee, all of the National History Museum.
6 January 2009	Darwin: The Voyage of the Beagle	Jim Moore, Professor of the History of Science at The Open University Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London David Norman, Director of The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge Jenny Clack, Curator at The Cambridge University Museum of Zoology and Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Cambridge
5 January 2009	Darwin: On the Origins of Charles Darwin	Jim Moore, Professor of the History of Science at The Open University Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London David Norman, Director of The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge Colin Higgins, Assistant Librarian at Christ's College, Cambridge
1 January 2009	The Consolation of Philosophy – a new year's message from Boethius	A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Melissa Lane, Senior University Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge Roger Scruton Research Professor at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences
18 December 2008	The Physics of Time – does time even exist?	Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Ian Stewart Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick
11 December 2008	The Great Fire of London – London's burning, fetch the engines...	Lisa Jardine, Centenary Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London Vanessa Harding, Reader in London History at Birkbeck, University of London Jonathan Sawday Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde
4 December 2008	Heat: A History -from fire to thermodynamics	Simon Schaffer, Professor of History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College Hasok Chang, Professor of Philosophy of Science at University College London Joanna Haigh Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London
27 November 2008	The Great Reform Act: reform – but was it great?	Dinah Birch, Professor of English at Liverpool University Michael Bentley, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews Catherine Hall Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History at University College London
20 November 2008	The Baroque – – the misshapen pearl of Europe	T. C. W. Blanning, Professor of Modern European History and Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge Nigel Aston, Reader in Early Modern History at the University of Leicester Helen Hills Professor of Art History at the University of York
13 November 2008	Neuroscience – does the brain rule the mind?	Martin Conway, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leeds, Gemma Calvert, Professor of Applied Neuroimaging at WMG, University of Warwick David Papineau Professor of Philosophy of Science at King's College London
6 November 2008	Aristotle's Politics – a perfect society?	Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge Annabel Brett Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge
30 October 2008	Simón Bolívar – the liberator of Spanish America	Anthony McFarlane, Professor of Comparative American Studies at the University of Warwick John Fisher, Professor of Latin American History at the University of Liverpool Catherine Davies Professor in the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies at the University of Nottingham
23 October 2008	Dante's Inferno – to Hell and back	Margaret Kean, University Lecturer in English and College Fellow at St Hilda's College, University of Oxford John Took, Professor of Dante Studies at University College London Claire Honess Senior Lecturer in Italian at the University of Leeds and Co-Director of the Leeds Centre for Dante Studies
16 October 2008	Vitalism – the spark of life	Patricia Fara, Fellow of Clare College and Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science and Medicine at Imperial College, University of London Pietro Corsi Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford
9 October 2008	Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems – the dirty secret of maths science	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at Wadham College, University of Oxford John D. Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Gresham Professor of Geometry Philip Welch Professor of Mathematical Logic at the University of Bristol
2 October 2008	The Translation Movement – movement in Baghdad which translated Aristotle and Greek classics into Arabic	Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Peter Pormann Wellcome Trust Assistant Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick
25 September 2008	Miracles – will they never cease? Religion	Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Janet Soskice, Reader in Philosophical Theology at Cambridge University Justin Champion Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London

2007–2008

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
10 July 2008	Tacitus – The Decadence of Rome	Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Ellen O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Bristol Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London
3 July 2008	The Metaphysical Poets – sex and death in the 17th century	Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and ama at the University of Nottingham Tom Cain, Professor of Early Modern Literature at the University of Newcastle
26 June 2008	The Arab Conquests – the 7th century new world order	Hugh N. Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Robert Hoyland, Professor in Arabic and Middle East Studies at the University of St Andrews
19 June 2008	The Music of the Spheres – a dose of heavenly harmonies	Peter Forshaw, Postdoctoral Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Angela Voss, Director of the Cultural Study of Cosmology and Divination at the University of Kent, Canterbury
12 June 2008	The Riddle of the Sands – how Britain learned to fear the Germans	Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London T. C. W. Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at Cambridge University
5 June 2008	Lysenkoism – political campaign against genetics and science-based agriculture in the Soviet Union	Robert Service, Professor of Russian History at the University of Oxford Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Catherine Merridale, Professor of Contemporary History at Queen Mary, University of London
29 May 2008	Probability – heads or tails?	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick
22 May 2008	The Black Death – a plague on all our houses	Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London Samuel Cohn, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow Paul Binski, Professor of the History of Medieval Art at Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge
15 May 2008	The Library at Nineveh –	Eleanor Robson, Senior Lecturer at Cambridge University and Vice-Chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq Karen Radner, Lecturer in the Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London Andrew R. George, Professor of Babylonian at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London
8 May 2008	The Brain: A History – history of ideas about the human brain	Vivian Nutton, Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde Marina Wallace, Professor at the University of the Arts, London, Central St Martin's College of Art and Design
1 May 2008	The Enclosures – dividing the country	Rosemary Sweet, Director of the Centre for Urban History at the University of Leicester Murray Pittock, Bradley Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow Mark Overton, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Exeter
24 April 2008	Materialism – are we living in a material world?	A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Caroline Warman, Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham
17 April 2008	Yeats and Irish Politics – "a terrible beauty is born"	Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History at Oxford University and Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford Fran Brearton, Reader in English at Queen's University, Belfast and Assistant Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry Warwick Gould, Director of the Institute of English Studies in the School of Advanced Study, University of London
10 April 2008	The Norman Yoke – 1067 and all that	Sarah Foot, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Christ Church, Oxford Richard Gameson, Professor in the Department of History at Durham University Matthew Strickland, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow
3 April 2008	Newton's Laws of Motion – they put a man on the Moon	Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College Raymond Flood, University Lecturer in Computing Studies and Mathematics and Senior Tutor at Kellogg College, University of Oxford Rob Iliffe, Professor of Intellectual History and History of Science at the University of Sussex
27 March 2008	The Dissolution of the Monasteries – religion in ruins	Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford George Bernard, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Southampton
20 March 2008	Søren Kierkegaard – fear and trembling in Copenhagen	Jonathan Rée, Visiting Professor at Roehampton University and the Royal College of Art Clare Carlisle, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool John Lippitt, Professor of Ethics and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Hertfordshire
13 March 2008	The Greek Myths – soap opera of the gods	Nick Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London Richard Buxton, Professor of Greek Language and Literature at the University of Bristol Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge University
6 March 2008	Ada Lovelace – prophet of the computer age	Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge Doron Swade, Visiting Professor in the History of Computing at Portsmouth University John Fuegi, Visiting Professor in Biography at Kingston University
28 February 2008	King Lear – Shakespeare's finest fairy tale	Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick Katherine Duncan-Jones, Tutorial Fellow in English at Somerville College, Oxford Catherine Belsey, Research Professor in English at the University of Wales, Swansea
21 February 2008	The Multiverse – the universe is not enough	Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society and Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge Fay Dowker, Reader in Theoretical Physics at Imperial College Bernard Carr, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Queen Mary, University of London
14 February 2008	The Statue of Liberty – From France with love...	Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern Contemporary History at University College London John Keane, Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster
7 February 2008	The Social Contract – Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau and the Origins of Society	Melissa Lane, Senior University Lecturer in History at Cambridge University Susan James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick
31 January 2008	The Court of Rudolf II – the lost powerhouse of Renaissance ideas	Peter Forshaw, Postdoctoral Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London and an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter Howard Hotson, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford Adam Mosley, Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Wales, Swansea
24 January 2008	Plate Tectonics – the day the Earth moved	Richard Corfield, Visiting Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University Joe Cann, Senior Fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds Lynne Frostick, Director of the Hull Environment Research Institute and Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Hull
17 January 2008	The Fisher King – the wound that does not heal	Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John's College, Oxford Stephen Knight, Distinguished Research Professor in English Literature at Cardiff University Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh, Cardiff University and Director of the Folklore Society
10 January 2008	The Charge of the Light Brigade – "All in the valley of Death rode the six hundred"	Mike Broers, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall Trudi Tate, Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge Saul David, Visiting Professor of Military History at the University of Hull
3 January 2008	Albert Camus – Rebel with a Cause	Peter Dunwoodie, Professor of French Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London David Walker, Professor of French at the University of Sheffield Christina Howells, Professor of French at Wadham College, University of Oxford
27 December 2007	The Nicene Creed – when Christ became God	Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Caroline Humfress, Reader in History at Birkbeck College, University of London Andrew Louth, Professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at the University of Durham
20 December 2007	The Four Humours – yellow bile, blood, choler and phlegm in the original theory of everything	David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Vivian Nutton, Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London Noga Arikha, Visiting Fellow at the Institut Jean-Nicod in Paris
13 December 2007	The Sassanian Empire – – in the shadow of Ancient Persia	Hugh N. Kennedy, Professor of Arabic in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures at the School of Oriental and African Studies Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator of Iranian and Islamic Coins in the British Museum James Howard-Johnston, University Lecturer in Byzantine Studies at the University of Oxford
6 December 2007	Genetic Mutation – the error-strewn secrets of life	Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics in the Galton Laboratory, University College London Adrian Woolfson, lectures in Medicine at Cambridge University Linda Partridge, Weldon Professor of Biometry at University College London
29 November 2007	The Fibonacci Sequence – – the numbers in nature	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Jackie Stedall, Junior Research Fellow in History of Mathematics at Queen's College, Oxford Ron Knott, Visiting Fellow in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Surrey
22 November 2007	The Prelude – the greatest poem in the English language?	Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London Stephen Gill, University Professor of English Literature and Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford Emma Mason, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Warwick
15 November 2007	The Discovery of Oxygen – feuds and revolutions at the birth of modern chemistry	Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jenny Uglow, Hasok Chang, Reader in Philosophy of Science at University College London
8 November 2007	Avicenna – wine, women and philosophy	Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Nader El-Bizri, Affiliated Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge
1 November 2007	Guilt – what is it good for?	Stephen Mulhall, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at New College, Oxford Miranda Fricker, Oliver Davies, Professor of Christian Doctrine at King's College London
25 October 2007	Taste – the good, the bad and the ugly in 18th century	Amanda Vickery, Reader in History at Royal Holloway, University of London John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter
18 October 2007	The Arabian Nights – The art of story-telling	Robert Graham Irwin, Senior Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Marina Warner, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex Gerard van Gelder Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford
11 October 2007	Divine Right of Kings – "there's such divinity doth hedge a king"	Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London Clare Jackson, Lecturer and Director of Studies in History at Trinity Hall, Cambridge
4 October 2007	Antimatter – where has it all gone?	Val Gibson, Reader in High Energy Physics at the University of Cambridge Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Exeter College, University of Oxford Ruth Gregory, Professor of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Durham
27 September 2007	Socrates – the man and the myth	Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy at Warwick University David Sedley, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy at Cambridge University Paul Millett, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Cambridge

2006–2007

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
12 July 2007	Madame Bovary – the literary sensation caused by Gustave Flaubert's novel Madame Bovary	Andy Martin, Lecturer in French at the University of Cambridge Mary Orr, Professor of French at the University of Southampton Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford
5 July 2007	The Pilgrim Fathers – the original American dream	Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Harry Bennett, Reader in History and Head of Humanities at the University of Plymouth Tim Lockley, associate professor of History at the University of Warwick
28 June 2007	Permian-Triassic Boundary – when 95% of life was killed off	Richard Corfield, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Leeds
21 June 2007	Common Sense Philosophy – "there is no statement so absurd that no philosopher will make it"	A C Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Melissa Lane, Senior University Lecturer in History at Cambridge University Alexander Broadie, Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of Glasgow
14 June 2007	Renaissance Astrology – "we are merely the stars' tennis balls, struck and bandied which way please them"	Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London Lauren Kassell, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde.
7 June 2007	Siegfried Sassoon – the poet who survived	Jean Moorcroft Wilson, Lecturer in English at Birkbeck, University of London and a biographer of Sassoon Fran Brearton, Reader in English and Assistant Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at the University of Belfast Max Egremont, a biographer of Siegfried Sassoon
31 May 2007	Occam's Razor – cutting medieval philosophy down to size	Anthony Kenny, philosopher and former Master of Balliol College, Oxford Marilyn Adams, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University Richard Alan Cross, Professor of Medieval Theology at Oriel College, Oxford
24 May 2007	The Siege of Orleans – did Joan of Arc really rescue France?	Anne Curry, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Southampton Malcolm Vale, Fellow and Tutor in History at St John's College, Oxford Matthew Bennett, Senior Lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.
17 May 2007	Gravitational Waves – a new window on the universe	Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey Carolin Crawford, Royal Society Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridgee Sheila Rowan, Professor in Experimental Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow
10 May 2007	Victorian Pessimism – fear and loathing in the late 19th century	Dinah Birch, Professor of English at the University of Liverpool Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London Peter Mandler, University Lecturer and Fellow in History at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge
3 May 2007	Spinoza – believed that God and Nature were the same thing	Jonathan Rée, historian and philosopher and Visiting Professor at Roehampton University Sarah Hutton, Professor of English at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth John Cottingham, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading.
26 April 2007	Greek and Roman Love Poetry – the pursuit of the Beloved from Sappho to Catullus	Nick Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London Edith Hall, Professor of Classics and ama at Royal Holloway, University of London Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London
19 April 2007	Symmetry – the pattern at the heart of our physical world	Fay Dowker, Reader in Theoretical Physics at Imperial College, London Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick.
12 April 2007	The Opium Wars – a conflict that was to affect British-Chinese relations for generations	Yangwen Zheng, Lecturer in Modern Chinese History at the University of Manchester Lars Laamann, research fellow in Chinese History at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London Xun Zhou, research fellow in History at SOAS, University of London
5 April 2007	St Hilda – the life and times of the Abbess of Whitby	John Blair, Fellow in History at The Queen's College, Oxford Rosemary Cramp, Emeritus Professor in Archaeology at Durham University Sarah Foot, Professor of Early Medieval History at Sheffield University.
29 March 2007	Anaesthetics – from ether frolics to pain free surgery	David Wilkinson, Consultant Anaesthetist at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London and President of the History of Anaesthesia Society Stephanie Snow, Research Associate at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology & Medicine at the University of Manchester Anne Hardy, Professor in the History of Modern Medicine at University College London
22 March 2007	Bismarck – The Iron Chancellor	Richard J Evans, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge Christopher Clark, Reader in Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Katharine Lerman, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at London Metropolitan University
15 March 2007	Epistolary Literature – great novels of fictional letters	John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Karen O'Brien, Professor in English at the University of Warwick Brean Hammond, Professor of Modern English Literature at the University of Nottingham.
8 March 2007	Microbiology – the story of the invisible masters of the universe	John Dupré, Professor of Philosophy of Science at Exeter University Anne Glover, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at Aberdeen University Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science and Medicine at Imperial College, University of London
1 March 2007	The History of Optics – from telescopes to microscopes, a new way of seeing the world	Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science and Fellow of Linacre College at the University of Oxford Emily Winterburn, Curator of Astronomy at the National Maritime Museum
22 February 2007	William Wilberforce – the man and his legacy	This broadcast was a documentary rather than a discussion
15 February 2007	Heart of Darkness – one of the most influential novels of the 20th century	Susan Jones, Fellow and Tutor in English at St Hilda's College, Oxford Robert Hampson, Professor of Modern Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Laurence Davies, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in English at Glasgow University and Visiting Professor of Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire
8 February 2007	Karl Popper – his ideas challenged our approach to the philosophy of science	John Worrall, Professor of Philosophy of Science at the London School of Economics Anthony O'Hear, Weston Professor of Philosophy at Buckingham University Nancy Cartwright, Professor of Philosophy at the LSE and the University of California
1 February 2007	Genghis Khan – founder of one of the world's largest ever land-based empires	Peter Jackson, Professor of Medieval History at Keele University Naomi Standen, Lecturer in Chinese History at Newcastle University George Lane, Lecturer in History at the School of Oriental and African Studies
25 January 2007	Archimedes – the Greek mathematician and his Eureka moments	Jackie Stedall, Junior Research Fellow in the History of Mathematics at Queen's College, Oxford Serafina Cuomo, Reader in the History of Science at Imperial College London George Phillips, Honorary Reader in Mathematics at St Andrews University
18 January 2007	The Jesuits – the school masters of Europe	Nigel Aston, Reader in Early Modern History at the University of Leicester Simon Ditchfield, Reader in History at the University of York Dame Olwen Hufton, emeritus fellow of Merton College, Oxford.
11 January 2007	Mars – the search for life on the Red Planet	John Zarnecki, Professor of Space Science at the Open University and a team leader on the ExoMars mission Colin Pillinger, Professor of Planetary Sciences at the Open University and leader of the Beagle 2 expedition to Mars Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University and an expert on Martian meteorites.
4 January 2007	Jorge Luis Borges – the life and work of Argentina's best loved short story writer	Edwin Williamson, Professor of Spanish Studies at Oxford University Efraín Kristal, Professor of Comparative Literature at University of California, Los Angeles Evelyn Fishburn, Professor Emeritus at London Metropolitan University and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London.
28 December 2006	The Siege of Constantinople – the end of a thousand years of the Byzantine Empire	Roger Crowley, author and historian Judith Herrin, Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies at King's College London Colin Imber, formerly Reader in Turkish at Manchester University.
21 December 2006	Hell – its representation through the ages	Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Margaret Kean, Tutor and Fellow in English at St Hilda's College, Oxford Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum.
14 December 2006	Indian Maths – laying the foundations for modern numerals and zero as a number	George Gheverghese Joseph, Honorary Reader in Mathematics Education at Manchester University Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Dennis Almeida, Lecturer in Mathematics Education at Exeter University and the Open University.
7 December 2006	Anarchism – a question of authority?	John Keane, Professor of Politics at University of Westminster Ruth Kinna, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Loughborough University Peter Marshall, philosopher and historian.
30 November 2006	The Speed of Light – a cosmic speed limit?	John Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Gresham Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge University Iwan Morus, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Visiting Professor of Astrophysics at Oxford University.
23 November 2006	Altruism – how can evolutionary biology explain it?	Miranda Fricker, Senior Lecturer in the School of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University John Dupré, Professor of Philosophy of Science at Exeter University and director of Egenis, the ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society.
16 November 2006	The Peasants' Revolt – a lasting legacy for popular uprising?	Miri Rubin, Professor of Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London Caroline Barron, Professorial Research Fellow at Royal Holloway, University of London Alastair Dunn, author of The Peasants' Revolt – England's Failed Revolution of 1381.
9 November 2006	Alexander Pope – "short is my date, but deathless my renown"	John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Jim McLaverty, Professor of English at Keele University Valerie Rumbold, Reader in English Literature at Birmingham University.
2 November 2006	The Poincaré conjecture – how a 19th-century mathematician changed how we think about the shape of the universe	June Barrow-Green, Lecturer in the History of Mathematics at the Open University Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford.
26 October 2006	The Encyclopédie – the great project of the Enlightenment	Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English at Royal Holloway, University of London Caroline Warman, Fellow and Tutor in French at Jesus College, Oxford David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York.
19 October 2006	The Needham Question – did China lay the foundations of modern science?	Chris Cullen, Director of the Needham Research Institute in Cambridge Tim Barrett, Professor of East Asian History at SOAS Frances Wood, Head of Chinese Collections at the British Library.
12 October 2006	The Diet of Worms – Luther's stand against the Church	Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University David Bagchi, Lecturer in the History of Christian Thought at the University of Hull Charlotte Methuen, Lecturer in Reformation History at the University of Oxford.
5 October 2006	Averroes – the battle between faith and reason	Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London Anthony Kenny, philosopher and former Master of Balliol College, Oxford.
28 September 2006	Alexander von Humboldt – the remarkable career of the Prussian naturalist	Jason Wilson, Professor of Latin American Literature at University College London Patricia Fara, Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jim Secord, Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Darwin Correspondence Project.

2005–2006

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
13 July 2006	Greek Comedy – sing as you revel and rout	Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at the University of Cambridge Edith Hall, Professor of ama and Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London Nick Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London.
6 July 2006	Pastoral Literature – the romantic idealisation of the countryside	Helen Cooper, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge Laurence Lerner, former Professor of English at the University of Sussex Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and ama at the University of Nottingham.
29 June 2006	Galaxies – extra-galactic nebulae, black holes, stars and dark matter	John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex Carolin Crawford, Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge Robert Kennicutt, Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.
22 June 2006	The Spanish Inquisition – one of the most barbaric episodes in European history	John Edwards, research fellow in Spanish at the University of Oxford Alexander Murray, emeritus fellow in History at University College, Oxford Michael Alpert, Emeritus Professor in Modern and Contemporary History of Spain at the University of Westminster
15 June 2006	Carbon – the basis of life	Harry Kroto, Professor of Chemistry at Florida State University Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Ken Teo, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at Cambridge University.
8 June 2006	Uncle Tom's Cabin – the novel that started the American Civil War	Celeste-Marie Bernier, Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Nottingham Sarah Meer, Lecturer and Director of Studies in English at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge Clive Webb, Reader in American History at the University of Sussex.
1 June 2006	The Heart – its anatomical and cultural history	David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Fay Bound Alberti, research fellow at the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine at the University of Manchester Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde.
25 May 2006	Mathematics and Music – the science behind sound and composition	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Robin Wilson, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University Ruth Tatlow, Lecturer in Music Theory at the University of Stockholm.
18 May 2006	John Stuart Mill – one of the most influential philosophers of the 19th Century	A C Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Janet Radcliffe Richards, Reader in Bioethics at University College London Alan Ryan, Professor of Politics at Oxford University.
11 May 2006	Faeries – supernatural creatures that are neither gods nor humans	Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh at Cardiff University and Secretary of the Folklore Society Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor of English at Keble College, Oxford Nicola Bown, Lecturer in Victorian Studies at Birkbeck, University of London.
4 May 2006	Astronomy and Empire – the link between colonial expansion and scientific discovery	Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Kristen Lippincott, former Director of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich Allan Chapman, Historian of Science at the History Faculty at Oxford University.
27 April 2006	The Great Exhibition – a wonder of the Victorian world	Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter Hermione Hobhouse, Architectural Historian and Writer Clive Emsley, Professor of History at the Open University.
20 April 2006	The Search for Immunisation – and the battle against smallpox	Nadja Durbach, associate professor of History at the University of Utah Chris Dye, Co-ordinator of the World Health Organisation's work on tuberculosis epidemiology Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Lecturer in the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL
13 April 2006	The Oxford Movement – Anglicans and Catholics in the 19th century	Sheridan Gilley, Emeritus Reader in Theology at the University of Durham Frances Knight, Senior Lecturer in Church History at the University of Wales, Lampeter Simon Skinner, Fellow and Tutor in History at Balliol College, Oxford.
6 April 2006	Goethe – formation of a German cultural icon	Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Sarah Colvin, Professor of German at the University of Edinburgh W. Daniel Wilson, Professor of German at Royal Holloway, University of London.
30 March 2006	The Carolingian Renaissance – the revival of early medieval Western Europe	Matthew Innes, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London Julia Smith, Edwards Professor of Medieval History at Glasgow University Mary Garrison, Lecturer in History at the University of York
23 March 2006	The Royal Society – the first club for experimental science	Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London Michael Hunter, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London.
16 March 2006	Don Quixote – Spanish romance and the first novel	Barry Ife, Cervantes Professor Emeritus at King's College London Edwin Williamson, Professor of Spanish Studies at the University of Oxford Jane Whetnall, Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Queen Mary, University of London.
9 March 2006	Negative numbers – how they spread across civilizations	Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Raymond Flood, Lecturer in Computing Studies and Mathematics at Kellogg College, Oxford.
2 March 2006	Friendship – thinking philosophically about our close companions	Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Mark Vernon, Visiting Lecturer in Philosophy at Syracuse University and London Metropolitan University John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London.
23 February 2006	Catherine the Great – the Enlightened Despot of Eighteenth Century Russia	Janet Hartley, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics Simon Dixon, Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds Tony Lentin, Professor of History at the Open University.
16 February 2006	Human Evolution – from early hominids to Homo sapiens	Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics in the Galton Laboratory at University College London Fred Spoor, Professor of Evolutionary Anatomy at University College London Margaret Clegg, Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Biological Anthropology at University College London.
9 February 2006	Geoffrey Chaucer – the first Great English Poet	Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John's College, Oxford Helen Cooper, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge Ardis Butterfield, Reader in English at University College London.
2 February 2006	The Abbasid Caliphs – when Baghdad ruled the Muslim world.	Hugh Kennedy, Professor of History at the University of St Andrews Robert Irwin, Senior Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge.
26 January 2006	Seventeenth Century Print Culture – piety, populism and political protest	Kevin Sharpe, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London Ann Hughes, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Keele Joad Raymond, Professor of English Literature at the University of East Anglia.
19 January 2006	Relativism – the battle against transcendent knowledge	Barry Smith, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Jonathan Rée, freelance philosopher who holds visiting professorships at the Royal College of Art and Roehampton University Kathleen Lennon, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Hull.
12 January 2006	Prime Numbers – the building blocks of mathematics	Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Fellow of Wadham College at the University of Oxford Robin Wilson, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University and Gresham Professor of Geometry Jackie Stedall, Junior Research Fellow in the History of Mathematics at Queen's College, Oxford.
5 January 2006	The Oath – guaranteeing law, government and the army in the Classical world	Alan Sommerstein, Professor of Greek at the University of Nottingham Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at the University of Cambridge Mary Beard, Professor in Classics at the University of Cambridge
29 December 2005	Aeschylus' Oresteia – the birth of tragedy	Edith Hall, Professor of Greek Cultural History at Durham University Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge Tom Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London.
22 December 2005	Heaven – a journey through the afterlife	Valery Rees, Renaissance scholar and senior member of the Language Department at the School of Economic Science Martin Palmer, Theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University.
15 December 2005	The Peterloo Massacre – democratic protest and brutal repression	Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter Sarah Richardson, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Warwick Clive Emsley, Professor of History at the Open University.
8 December 2005	Artificial Intelligence – the quest for a machine that can think	Jon Agar, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge Alison Adam, Professor of Information Systems, Salford University Igor Aleksander, Professor of Neural Systems Engineering at Imperial College, University of London.
1 December 2005	Thomas Hobbes and the political philosophy of Leviathan	Quentin Skinner, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge David Wootton, Professor of History at the University of York Annabel Brett, Senior Lecturer in Political Thought and Intellectual History at Cambridge University.
24 November 2005	The Graviton – the quest for the theoretical gravity particle	Roger Cashmore, Former Research Director at CERN and Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey Sheila Rowan, Reader in Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow.
17 November 2005	Pragmatism – a practical philosophy fit for 20th century America	A C Grayling, Professor of Applied Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London and a Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford Julian Baggini, editor of The Philosophers' Magazine Miranda Fricker, Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London.
10 November 2005	Greyfriars and Blackfriars – philosophy, evangelism and fund-raising in the 13th century Church	Henrietta Leyser, medieval historian and Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford Alexander Murray, medieval historian and emeritus fellow of University College, Oxford Anthony Kenny, philosopher and former Master of Balliol College, Oxford.
3 November 2005	Asteroids – celestial bodies from the beginning of time	Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, Open University Carolin Crawford, Royal Society Research Fellow, University of Cambridge John Zarnecki, Professor of Space Science, Open University.
27 October 2005	Samuel Johnson and His Circle – life with the professional man of letters	John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Jim McLaverty, Professor of English at Keele University Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English at Royal Holloway, University of London.
20 October 2005	Cynicism – bold and populist, the history of a shocking philosophy	Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Warwick Miriam Griffin, Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford John Moles, Professor of Latin, University of Newcastle.
13 October 2005	The Rise of the Mammals – life in a cold climate	Richard Corfield, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Leeds.
6 October 2005	Field of the Cloth of Gold – a Renaissance entente cordiale	Steven Gunn, Lecturer in Modern History at Oxford University John Guy, Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge Penny Roberts, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Warwick.
29 September 2005	Magnetism – an attractive history	Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster John Heilbron, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London.

2004–2005

In 2005 listeners were invited to vote in a poll for the greatest philosopher in history. The winner was the subject of the final programme before the summer break. The vote was won by Karl Marx with 27.9% of the votes. Other shortlisted figures were David Hume (12.7%), Ludwig Wittgenstein (6.8%), Friedrich Nietzsche (6.5%), Plato (5.6%), Immanuel Kant (5.6%), Thomas Aquinas (4.8%), Socrates (4.8%), Aristotle (4.5%) and Karl Popper (4.2%).

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
14 July 2005	Karl Marx – In Our Time's Greatest Philosopher	Anthony Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Francis Wheen, journalist and author of a biography of Karl Marx Gareth Stedman Jones, Professor of Political Science at Cambridge University.
7 July 2005	Christopher Marlowe – poet, spy, atheist, murder victim?	Katherine Duncan-Jones, senior research fellow in the English Faculty of Oxford University Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature, University of Warwick Emma J. Smith, Lecturer in English, Oxford University.
30 June 2005	Merlin – the original Welsh wizard	Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh at Cardiff University Stephen Knight, Distinguished Research Professor in English Literature at Cardiff University Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London.
23 June 2005	The K–T boundary – did the dinosaurs burn out or fade away?	Simon Kelley, Head of Department in the Department of Earth Sciences, Open University Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology, University of Leeds Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol.
16 June 2005	Paganism in the Renaissance – how the classical gods returned to the Christian cities	Tom Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies, Birkbeck College, University of London Charles Hope, Director of the Warburg Institute and Professor of the History of the Classical Tradition, University of London Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London.
9 June 2005	The Scriblerus Club – the satirists-in-chief of the 18th century	John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English, University College London Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English, Royal Holloway, University of London Marcus Walsh, Kenneth Allott Professor of English Literature, University of Liverpool.
2 June 2005	Renaissance Maths – the birth of modern mathematics?	Robert D. Kaplan, co-founder of the Maths Circle at Harvard University Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of Science and Fellow of Linacre College, University of Oxford Jackie Stedall, research fellow in the History of Mathematics, The Queen's College, Oxford
26 May 2005	The Terror – when Madame Guillotine ruled France	Mike Broers, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall Rebecca Spang, Lecturer in Modern History at University College London Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge.
19 May 2005	Beauty – the philosophy of beauty	Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Susan James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Julian Baggini, Editor of The Philosophers' Magazine.
5 May 2005	Abelard and Heloise – love, sex and theology in 12th century Paris	Anthony Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Henrietta Leyser, Medieval Historian and Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford Michael Clanchy, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the Institute of Historical Research.
28 April 2005	Perception and the Senses – how do we see what we see?	Richard Gregory, senior research fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology, Bristol University David Moore, Director of the Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, University of Nottingham Gemma Calvert, Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bath.
21 April 2005	The Aeneid – the Roman history of the world	Edith Hall, Leverhulme Professor of Greek Cultural History, Durham University Philip Hardie, Corpus Christi Professor of Latin at the University of Oxford Catharine Edwards, Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, Birkbeck College University of London
14 April 2005	Archaeology and Imperialism – conquest of the past	Tim Champion, Professor of Archaeology, University of Southampton Richard Parkinson, Assistant Keeper in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum Eleanor Robson, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford.
7 April 2005	Alfred and the Battle of Edington – without Alfred, no England?	Richard Gameson, Reader in Medieval History, University of Kent at Canterbury Sarah Foot, Professor of Early Medieval History, University of Sheffield John Hines, Professor in the School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University.
31 March 2005	John Ruskin – a different kind of Victorian	Dinah Birch, Professor of English, Liverpool University Keith Hanley, Professor of English Literature and Director of the Ruskin Programme, Lancaster University Stefan Collini, Professor of Intellectual History and English Literature, University of Cambridge.
24 March 2005	Angels – how they got their wings	Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Valery Rees, Renaissance Scholar at the School of Economic Science John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy, University of St Andrews
17 March 2005	Dark Energy – the unknown force breaking the universe apart	Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics, Cambridge University Carolin Crawford, Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Maths at Oxford University.
10 March 2005	Modernist Utopias – the original 21st century	John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature, Oxford University and editor of The Faber Book of Utopias Steve Connor, Professor of Modern Literature at Birkbeck, University of London Laura Marcus, Professor of English, University of Sussex.
3 March 2005	Stoicism – the search for inner calm	Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Warwick Jonathan Rée, philosopher and historian David Sedley, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy, University of Cambridge.
24 February 2005	Alchemy – seeking the perfection of all things	Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London Lauren Kassell, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster.
17 February 2005	The Cambrian Explosion – the big bang of evolutionary history	Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, Cambridge University Richard Corfield, Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research, Open University Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology, University of Leeds.
13 January 2005	The Mind/Body Problem – does the mind rule the body or the body rule the mind?	Anthony Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Julian Baggini, editor of The Philosophers' Magazine Sue James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.
6 January 2005	The Assassination of Tsar Alexander II – did his killing cause the Russian Revolution?	Orlando Figes, Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London Dominic Lieven, Professor of Russian Government, London School of Economics Catriona Kelly, Professor of Russian, Oxford University
30 December 2004	The Roman Republic – what were Rome's republican ideals?	Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at St Andrews University Catherine Steel, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Glasgow Tom Holland, historian and author of Rubicon: the Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic.
23 December 2004	Faust – the original pact with the Devil	Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh at the University College of Wales in Cardiff and Secretary of the Folklore Society Osman Durrani, Professor of German at the University of Kent at Canterbury Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London.
16 December 2004	The Second Law of Thermodynamics – the most important thing you will ever know	John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex Peter Atkins, Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University Monica Grady, Head of Petrology and Meteoritics at the Natural History Museum.
9 December 2004	Machiavelli and the Italian City States – high politics and low cunning in the Italian Renaissance	Quentin Skinner, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London Lisa Jardine, Director of the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters at Queen Mary, University of London.
2 December 2004	Carl Gustav Jung – Discovering the Self	Brett Kahr, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Psychotherapy and Mental Health at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London and a practising Freudian Ronald Hayman, writer and biographer of Jung Andrew Samuels, Professor of Analytical Psychology at the University of Essex and a Jungian analyst in clinical practice.
25 November 2004	The Venerable Bede – the father of English history	Richard Gameson, Reader in Medieval History at the University of Kent at Canterbury Sarah Foot, Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Sheffield Michelle Brown, a manuscript specialist from the British Library.
18 November 2004	Higgs Boson – the search for the God particle	Jim Al-Khalili, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Surrey David Wark, Professor of Experimental Physics at Imperial College London and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Professor Roger Cashmore, former Research Director at CERN and now Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford.
11 November 2004	Zoroastrianism – was the religion of the Persian Empire the first monotheism?	Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator of Ancient Iranian Coins in the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum Farrokh Vajifdar, Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society Alan Williams, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Religion at the University of Manchester.
4 November 2004	Electrickery – the origins of electricity	Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Darwin College Patricia Fara, historian of science and a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge Iwan Morus, Lecturer in the History of Science at Queen's University Belfast
28 October 2004	Rhetoric – from the original sophists to latter-day demagogues	Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London Ceri Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Wales, Bangor.
21 October 2004	Witchcraft – Reformation Europe turned upon itself	Alison Rowlands, Senior Lecturer in European History at the University of Essex Lyndal Roper, Fellow and Tutor in History at Balliol College, University of Oxford Malcolm Gaskill, Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Churchill College, Cambridge.
14 October 2004	The Han Synthesis – creating the Chinese cosmos	Christopher Cullen, Director of the Needham Research Institute Carol Michaelson, Assistant Keeper of Chinese Art in the Department of Asia at the British Museum Roel Sterckx, Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Cambridge.
7 October 2004	Jean-Paul Sartre – a man condemned to be free	Benedict O'Donohoe, Principal Lecturer in French at the University of the West of England and Secretary of the ;UK Society for Sartrean Studies Christina Howells, Professor of French at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Wadham College.
30 September 2004	Politeness – the great 18th century craze	Amanda Vickery, Reader in History at Royal Holloway, University of London David Wootton, Professor of History at the University of York John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English at University College London.
23 September 2004	The Origins of Life – how it all began	Richard Dawkins, Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University Richard Corfield, Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research at the Open University Linda Partridge, Biology and Biotechnology Research Council Professor at University College London.
16 September 2004	Agincourt – the real facts behind the battle.	Anne Curry, Professor of Medieval History at Southampton University Michael Jones, medieval historian and write John Watts, Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.
9 September 2004	The Odyssey – Homer's epic tale of Odysseus' return home	Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek at King's College, Cambridge Edith Hall, Leverhulme Professor of Greek Cultural History at Durham University Oliver Taplin, Classics Scholar and Translator at Oxford University.
2 September 2004	Pi – the number that doesn't add up	Robert D. Kaplan, co-founder of the Maths Circle at Harvard University Eleanor Robson, Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick.

2003–2004

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
24 June 2004	George Washington and the American Revolution – the most significant event in history	Carol Berkin, Professor of History at The City University of New York Simon Middleton, Lecturer in American History at the University of East Anglia Colin Bonwick, Professor Emeritus in American History at Keele University.
17 June 2004	Renaissance Magic – the great passion of the age	Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London Valery Rees, Renaissance historian and a translator of Ficino's letters Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde.
10 June 2004	Empiricism – the English philosophy?	Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English at Royal Holloway, University of London Murray Pittock, Professor of Scottish and Romantic Literature at the University of Manchester Jonathan Rée, philosopher and author of Philosophy and its Past.
3 June 2004	Babylon – the great forgotten civilisation	Eleanor Robson, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University Irving Finkel, Curator in the Department of the Ancient Near East at the British Museum Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at the School of Oriental and African Studies.
27 May 2004	Planets – the astronomy of the 21st century	Paul Murdin, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge Hugh Jones, planet hunter and Reader in Astrophysics at Liverpool John Moores University Carolin Crawford, Royal Society Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge
20 May 2004	Toleration – from medieval intolerance to religious freedom	Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London David Wootton, Professor of Intellectual History at Queen Mary, University of London Sarah Barber, Senior Lecturer in History at Lancaster University
13 May 2004	Zero – everything about nothing	Robert D. Kaplan, co-founder of the Maths Circle at Harvard University and author of The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London.
6 May 2004	Heroism – do we live in an heroic age?	Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick and author of Plato and the Hero: Courage, Manliness and the Impersonal Good Anthony Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at the University of Cambridge.
29 April 2004	Tea – an empire in a teacup	Huw Bowen, Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Leicester James Walvin, Professor of History at the University of York Amanda Vickery, Reader in History at Royal Holloway, University of London.
22 April 2004	Hysteria – the normal state of human beings?	Juliet Mitchell, Professor of Psychoanalysis and Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge and author of Mad Men and Medusas: Reclaiming Hysteria and the Effects of Sibling Relations on the Human Condition Rachel Bowlby, Professor of English at the University of York who has written the introduction to the latest Penguin translation of Sigmund Freud and Joseph Breuer's Studies in Hysteria Brett Kahr, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Psychotherapy and Mental Health at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London.
15 April 2004	The Later Romantics – the world of Byron, Keats and Shelley	Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick Robert Woof, Director of the Wordsworth Trust Jennifer Wallace, Director of Studies in English at Peterhouse, Cambridge.
8 April 2004	The Fall – how Adam and Eve affect us all	Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Griselda Pollock, Professor of Art History at the University of Leeds John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University.
1 April 2004	China: The Warring States period – the fiery beginnings of Chinese civilisation	Chris Cullen, Director of the Needham Research Institute at Cambridge University Vivienne Lo, Lecturer at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine Carol Michaelson, Assistant Keeper of Chinese Art in the Department of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum.
25 March 2004	Theories of Everything – still the holy grail of physics?	Brian Greene, Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos John Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and author of The Constants of Nature Val Gibson, particle physicist from the Cavendish Laboratory and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge.
18 March 2004	The Roman Empire's Decline and Fall – was Edward Gibbon right about the reasons? ( Repeat of episode 5 April 2001 )	Charlotte Roueché, historian of late antiquity at King's College London David Womersley, Fellow and Tutor at Jesus College, Oxford and editor of Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Richard Alston, Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London.
11 March 2004	The Norse Gods – the great myths of pagan Europe	Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John's College, Oxford Heather O'Donoghue, Vigfusson Rausing Reader in Ancient Icelandic Literature in the Department of English at Oxford University John Hines, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University.
4 March 2004	Dreams – is there a science of dreams?	VS Ramachandran, Professor and Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego Mark Solms, Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town Martin Conway, Professor of Psychology at the University of Durham.
26 February 2004	The Mughal Empire – the glory of India	Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Professor of Indian History and Culture at the University of Oxford Susan Stronge, Curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Imperial History at the University of St Andrews.
19 February 2004	Rutherford – the father of nuclear physics	Simon Schaffer, Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jim Al-Khalili, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Surrey Patricia Fara, Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge.
12 February 2004	The Sublime – defining the state of awe	Janet Todd, Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow Annie Janowitz, Professor of Romantic Poetry at Queen Mary, University of London Peter de Bolla, Lecturer in English at the University of Cambridge
5 February 2004	The Battle of Thermopylae – battle that defined East and West	Tom Holland, historian and author of Persian Fire Simon Goldhill, Professor in Greek Literature and Culture at King's College, Cambridge Edith Hall, Leverhulme Professor of Greek Cultural History at the University of Durham and author of Inventing the Barbarian: Greek Self-Definition through Tragedy.
29 January 2004	Cryptography – secret history of ciphers and codes	Simon Singh, science writer and author of The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-Breaking Professor Fred Piper, Director of the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway, University of London and co-author of Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London and author of Ingenious Pursuits.
26 December 2003	Lamarck and Natural Selection – the Lamarckian Heresy	Sandy Knapp, Senior Botanist at the Natural History Museum Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics in the Galton Laboratory at University College London and author of Almost Like a Whale: The Origin of Species Updated Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Paleobiology at Cambridge University.
18 December 2003	The Alphabet – its creation and development	Eleanor Robson, historian of Ancient Iraq and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford Alan Millard, Rankin Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Ancient Semitic Languages at the University of Liverpool Rosalind Thomas, Professor of Greek History at Royal Holloway, University of London
11 December 2003	The Devil – a brief biography	Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Alison Rowlands, Senior Lecturer in European History at the University of Essex David Wootton, Professor of Intellectual History at Queen Mary, University of London.
4 December 2003	Wittgenstein – a philosophy of linguistics	Ray Monk, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton and author of Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius Barry Smith, Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Marie McGinn, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of York.
27 November 2003	St Bartholomew's Day Massacre – slaughter in Paris.	Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University and author of a new book: Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490–1700 Mark Greengrass, Professor of History at the University of Sheffield Penny Roberts, Lecturer in History at the University of Warwick.
20 November 2003	Ageing the Earth – a journey in geological time.	Richard Corfield, Research Associate in the Department of Earth Sciences at Oxford University Hazel Rymer, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Open University Henry Gee, Senior Editor at Nature.
13 November 2003	Duty – concepts of obligation.	Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Annabel Brett, Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge Anthony Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London.
6 November 2003	Sensation – the best sellers of the 19th century.	John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English at University College London Lyn Pykett, Professor of English and Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth Dinah Birch, Professor of English at the University of Liverpool
30 October 2003	Robin Hood – the greatest of English myths.	Stephen Knight, Professor of English Literature at Cardiff University and author of Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography Thomas Hahn, Professor of English Literature at the University of Rochester, New York Juliette Wood, Secretary of the Folklore Society.
23 October 2003	Infinity – a brief history.	Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Robert D. Kaplan, co-founder of The Math Circle at Harvard University and author of The Art of the Infinite: Our Lost Language of Numbers Sarah Rees, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of Newcastle.
16 October 2003	The Schism – between East and West in Christianity.	Henrietta Leyser, medieval historian and Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford Norman Housley, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Leicester Jonathan Shepard, editor of the Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire.
9 October 2003	Bohemianism – a life of art, freedom and poverty	Hermione Lee, Goldsmiths' Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford and biographer of Virginia Woolf Virginia Nicholson, author of Among the Bohemians: Experiments in Living 1900–1939 Graham Robb, writer and biographer of Balzac, Victor Hugo and Rimbaud.
2 October 2003	James Clerk Maxwell – great 19th century physicist	Simon Schaffer, Reader in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Peter Harman, Professor of the History of Science at Lancaster University and editor of The Scientific Letters and Papers of James Clerk Maxwell Joanna Haigh, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London

2002–2003

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
17 July 2003	The Apocalypse – was it a revelation?	Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Marina Benjamin, journalist and author of Living at the End of the World Justin Champion, Reader in the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway College, University of London.
10 July 2003	Nature – from Homer to Darwin	Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick Roger Scruton, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham Karen Edwards, Lecturer in English at the University of Exeter.
3 July 2003	Vulcanology – significance of volcanoes.	Hilary Downes, Professor of Geochemistry at Birkbeck, University of London Steve Self, Professor of Vulcanology at the Open University Bill McGuire, Benfield Professor of Geophysical Hazards at University College London.
26 June 2003	The East India Company – a corporate route to Empire.	Huw Bowen, Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Leicester Linda Colley, School Professor of History at the London School of Economics Maria Misra, Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Keble College, Oxford.
19 June 2003	The Aristocracy – how the ruling class survives	David Cannadine, Director of the University of London's Institute of Historical Research and author of The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy Rosemary Sweet, Lecturer in History at the University of Leicester Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Professorial Research Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London.
12 June 2003	The Art of War – maintaining the objective?	Michael Howard, Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter.
5 June 2003	The Lunar Society – scientific ferment 200 years ago.	Simon Schaffer, Reader in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jenny Uglow, Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Warwick and author of The Lunar Men: The Friends who Made the Future Peter Jones, Professor of French History at the University of Birmingham.
29 May 2003	Memory – and the brain	Martin Conway, Professor of Psychology at Durham University Mike Kopelman, Professor of Neuropsychiatry at King's College London and St Thomas' Hospital Kim Graham, Senior Scientist at the Medical Research Council's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit.
22 May 2003	Blood – its religious, medical and moral significance	Miri Rubin, Professor of European History at Queen Mary, University of London Anne Hardy, Reader in the History of Medicine at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde.
15 May 2003	The Holy Grail – just a medieval myth?	Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John's College, Oxford Jonathan Riley-Smith, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh at the University College of Wales in Cardiff.
8 May 2003	The Jacobite Rebellion – could it have succeeded?	Murray Pittock, Professor of English Literature at the University of Strathclyde Stana Nenadic, Senior Lecturer in Social History at Edinburgh University Allan Macinnes, Burnett-Fletcher Professor of History at Aberdeen University.
1 May 2003	Roman Britain – the effects of 400 years of occupation	Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at St Andrews University Mary Beard, Reader in Classics at Cambridge University Catharine Edwards, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, London University.
24 April 2003	Youth – from Adonis to James Dean	Tim Whitmarsh, Lecturer in Hellenistic Literature at Exeter University Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, London Deborah Thom, Lecturer in History at Robinson College, Cambridge
17 April 2003	Proust – his life and work	Jacqueline Rose, Professor of English Literature at Queen Mary, University of London and author of Albertine Malcolm Bowie, Master of Christ's College, Cambridge and author of Proust among the Stars Robert Fraser, senior research fellow in the Literature Department at the Open University and author of Proust and the Victorians.
3 April 2003	The Spanish Civil War – causes and legacy	Paul Preston, Principe de Asturias Professor of Contemporary Spanish History at the London School of Economics Helen Graham, Professor of Spanish History at Royal Holloway, University of London Mary Vincent, Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at Sheffield University.
27 March 2003	Supernovas – the life cycle of stars	Paul Murdin, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge Janna Levin, Advanced Fellow in Theoretical Physics in the Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge Phil Charles, Professor of Astronomy at Southampton University.
20 March 2003	Originality – is it just a romantic notion?	John Deathridge, King Edward Professor of Music at King's College London Jonathan Rée, philosopher and author of Philosophical Tales Professor Catherine Belsey, Chair of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Theory at Cardiff University
13 March 2003	Redemption – the concept of salvation	Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford Janet Soskice, Reader in Modern Theology and Philosophical Theology at Cambridge University Stephen Mulhall, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Oxford University.
6 March 2003	Meteorology – why does it still fascinate us?	Vladimir Janković, Wellcome Research Lecturer at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at Manchester University Richard Hamblyn, writer Liba Taub, Director of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science at Cambridge University.
27 February 2003	The Aztecs – looking behind the myths	Alan Knight, Professor of the History of Latin America at Oxford University and author of Mexico: From the Beginning to the Spanish Conquest Adrian Locke, co-curator of the Aztecs exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts Elizabeth Graham, Senior Lecturer in Mesoamerican Archaeology at University College London.
20 February 2003	The Lindisfarne Gospels – unifying Christianity in Britain	Richard Gameson, Reader in Medieval History at Kent University and editor of St Augustine and the Conversion of England Professor Clare Lees, Professor of Medieval Literature at King's College London and author of Tradition and Belief: Religious Writing in Late Anglo-Saxon England.
13 February 2003	Chance and Design in Evolution – Design in Nature	Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology at Cambridge University and author of The Crucible of Creation – the Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals Sandy Knapp, botanist at the Natural History Museum John Brooke, Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University.
6 February 2003	The Epic – from Homer to Joyce	John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University Karen Edwards, Lecturer in English at Exeter University Oliver Taplin, Professor of Classical Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford.
19 December 2002	The Calendar – a history of the Calendar	Robert Poole, Reader in History at St Martin's College Lancaster and author of Time's Alteration, Calendar Reform in Early Modern England Kristen Lippincott, Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich Peter Watson, Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge University and author of A Terrible Beauty – A History of the People and Ideas that Shaped the Modern Mind.
12 December 2002	Man and Disease – the fight against diseases and plagues	Anne Hardy, Reader in the History of Medicine at the Wellcome Trust Centre at University College London David Bradley, Professor of Tropical Hygiene at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Chris Dye, epidemiologist with the World Health Organisation.
5 December 2002	The Scottish Enlightenment – how enlightened?	Professor Tom Devine, Director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen Karen O'Brien, Reader in English and American Literature at the University of Warwick Alexander Broadie, Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of Glasgow.
28 November 2002	Imagination – just what is it?	Susan Stuart, Lecturer in Philosophy of Mind at the University of Glasgow Steven Mithen, Professor of Early Prehistory at the University of Reading Semir Zeki, Professor of Neurobiology at the University of London and author of Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and the Brain.
21 November 2002	Muslim Spain – a culture of tolerance?	Tim Winter, a convert to Islam and lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University Martin Palmer, Anglican lay preacher and theologian and author of The Sacred History of Britain Mehri Niknam, executive director of the Maimonides Foundation, a joint Jewish-Muslim Interfaith Foundation in London.
14 November 2002	Victorian Realism – how real?	Philip Davis, Reader in English Literature at the University of Liverpool and author of "The Victorians", a volume of the New Oxford English Literary History A. N. Wilson, novelist, biographer and author of The Victorians Dinah Birch, Fellow and tutor in English at Trinity College, Oxford.
7 November 2002	Human Nature – innate or nurtured?	Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Centre of Cognitive Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Janet Radcliffe Richards, Philosopher, Reader in Bioethics, University College London John Gray, Professor of European Thought, London School of Economics.
31 October 2002	Architecture and Power – imagery of imperialism	Adrian Tinniswood, Architectural historian Gavin Stamp, Senior Lecturer, Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art Gillian Darley, Architectural historian and biographer of John Soane.
24 October 2002	The Scientist in History – missionary or monster?	John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy, University of Sussex Patricia Fara, Lecturer on the History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University Hugh Pennington, Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Aberdeen.
17 October 2002	Slavery and Empire – were Britons also captives?	Linda Colley, School Professor of History, LSE Catherine Hall, Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History, University College London Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Professorial Research Fellow, Queen Mary College London.

2001–2002

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
18 July 2002	History of Heritage	David Cannadine, Director of the University of London's Institute of Historical Research Miri Rubin, Professor of European History at Queen Mary, University of London Peter Mandler, Fellow in History, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge.
11 July 2002	Psychoanalysis – do people crave dictatorship?	Adam Phillips, general editor of the new Penguin translations of Freud Sally Alexander, Professor of History, Goldsmiths College, University of London Malcolm Bowie, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature and Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford.
4 July 2002	Freedom – a principle worth fighting and dying for?	John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Westminster Bernard Williams, Professor of Philosophy, University of California Annabel Brett, Lecturer in History, University of Cambridge.
27 June 2002	Cultural Imperialism – should we try to prevent it?	Linda Colley, School Professor of History, London School of Economics Phillip Dodd, Director, Institute of Contemporary Arts Mary Beard, Reader in Classics, Cambridge University.
20 June 2002	Richard Wagner – his influence on the German spirit.	John Deathridge, King Edward the Seventh Professor of Music, King's College London Lucy Beckett, author of Richard Wagner: Parsifal Michael Tanner, philosopher and author of Wagner and Nietzsche.
13 June 2002	The American West – was it an "experiment of liberty"?	Frank McLynn, Visiting Professor in the Department of Literature, University of Strathclyde Jenni Calder, author of There Must Be a Lone Ranger: The myth and reality of the American Wild West Christopher Frayling, Rector of the Royal College of Art.
6 June 2002	The Soul – the key to our individuality as humans?	Richard Sorabji, Gresham Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College Ruth Padel, poet and author Martin Palmer, Theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture.
30 May 2002	The Grand Tour – what drove this desire for travel?	Chloe Chard, Literary historian Jeremy Black, Professor of History, University of Exeter Edward Chaney, Professor of Fine and Decorative Arts, Southampton Institute.
23 May 2002	History of Drug] – their role in medicine and the arts	Richard Davenport-Hines, historian and author of The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of Narcotics Sadie Plant, author of Writing on Drugs Mike Jay, historian and author of Emperors of Dreams: Drugs in the Nineteenth Century.
16 May 2002	Chaos Theory – was the universe chaotic or orderly?	Susan Greenfield, senior research fellow, Lincoln College, Oxford University David Papineau, Professor of the Philosophy of Science, King's College London Neil Johnson, University Lecturer in Physics at Oxford University.
9 May 2002	The Examined Life – is an unexamined life worth living?	Anthony Grayling, Reader in Philosophy, Birkbeck, University of London Janet Radcliffe Richards, Philosopher of Science and Reader in Bioethics, University College, London Julian Baggini, Editor, The Philosopher's Magazine and co-editor of New British Philosophy: The Interviews.
2 May 2002	Physics of Reality – Quantum Mechanics	Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics, Oxford University Fay Dowker, Lecturer in Theoretical Physics, Queen Mary, University of London Tony Sudbery, Professor of Mathematics, University of York.
25 April 2002	Tolstoy – the influence of the Russian Novel	A N Wilson, Novelist, journalist and biographer of Tolstoy Catriona Kelly, Reader in Russian, Oxford University Sarah Hudspith, Lecturer in Russian, University of Leeds.
11 April 2002	Bohemia – what did it mean to be Bohemian?	Norman Davies, Professor Emeritus, University of London Karin Friedrich, Lecturer in History, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London Robert Pynsent, Professor of Czech and Slovak Literature, University College London
4 April 2002	Extraterrestrial life – new life within our solar system	Simon Goodwin, Researcher in Astronomy, Cardiff University Heather Couper, Space expert Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics, Warwick University.
28 March 2002	The Artist – a special kind of human being?	Emma Barker, Lecturer in Art History, The Open University Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck University of London Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge.
21 March 2002	Marriage – its various forms and the role of the State	Janet Soskice, Reader in Modern Theology and Philosophical Theology, Cambridge University Frederik Pedersen, Lecturer in History, Aberdeen University Christina Hardyment, Social historian and journalist.
14 March 2002	The Buddha – why has it captured the spirit of our age?	Peter Harvey, Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Sunderland Kate Crosby, Lecturer in Buddhist Studies, SOAS Mahinda Deagallee, Lecturer in the Study of Religions, Bath Spa University College and a Buddhist Monk from the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka.
7 March 2002	John Milton – poet or politician?	John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary College, University of London and Honorary Fellow of King's College Cambridge Blair Worden, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Sussex.
28 February 2002	Virtue – is it derived from reason?	Galen Strawson, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading Miranda Fricker, Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Roger Crisp, Uehiro Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at St Anne's College, Oxford.
21 February 2002	The Celts – what were the Celts in Britain really like?	Barry Cunliffe, Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford University Alistair Moffat, Historian and author of The Sea Kingdoms – The Story of Celtic Britain and Ireland Miranda Aldhouse Green, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Wales.
14 February 2002	Anatomy – 2000 years of anatomical study	Harold Ellis, Clinical Anatomist, School of Biomedical Sciences, King's College, London Ruth Richardson, Historian, and author of Death, Dissection and the Destitute, Phoenix Press Andrew Cunningham, Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in the History of Medicine, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University.
7 February 2002	The Universe's Shape	Martin Rees, Royal Society Research Professor in Astronomy and Physics, Cambridge University Julian Barbour, Independent Theoretical Physicist Janna Levin, Advanced Fellow in Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge.
31 January 2002	W. B. Yeats and Mysticism	Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History at Oxford University Warwick Gould, Director of the Institute of English Studies, University of London Brenda Maddox, author of George's Ghosts: A New Life of W B Yeats
24 January 2002	Happiness	Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Simon Blackburn, Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University Anthony Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London.
17 January 2002	Catharism	Malcolm Barber, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Reading Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval History at Queen Mary, University of London Euan Cameron, Professor of Modern History at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne.
10 January 2002	Nuclear Physics	Jim Al-Khalili, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Surrey Christine Sutton, Particle Physicist and Lecturer in Physics at St Catherine's College Oxford John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex.
3 January 2002	Sensibility	Claire Tomalin, literary biographer and author of Jane Austen: A Life and The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English at University College London Hermione Lee, Goldsmiths Professor of English Literature, University of Oxford.
27 December 2001	History of food in Modern Europe	Rebecca Spang, Lecturer in Modern History at University College London Ivan Day, food historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University.
20 December 2001	Rome and European Civilization	Mary Beard, Reader in Classics at Cambridge University, Catherine Edwards, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, London University Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at St Andrews University.
13 December 2001	Genetics	Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics and Head of the Galton Laboratory at University College London Richard Dawkins, genetic scientist, Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University Linda Partridge, Natural Environment Research Council Research Professor at the Galton Laboratory, University College London
6 December 2001	Oscar Wilde	Valentine Cunningham, Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford University Regenia Gagnier, Professor of English at the University of Exeter Neil Sammells, Dean of Humanities at Bath Spa University and author of Wilde Style.
29 November 2001	Third Crusade	Jonathan Riley-Smith, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University and author of many books on the Crusades Carole Hillenbrand, Professor of Islamic History at the University of Edinburgh Tariq Ali, novelist, playwright and author of The Book of Saladin.
22 November 2001	Oceanography	Margaret Deacon, visiting research fellow at Southampton Oceanography Centre and author of Scientists and the Sea Tony Rice, biological oceanographer and author of Deep Ocean Simon Schaffer, Reader in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, and a fellow of Darwin College.
15 November 2001	Surrealism	Dawn Adiss, Professor of Art History and Theory at the University of Essex Malcolm Bowie, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at Oxford University and a fellow of All Souls College Darian Leader, the psychoanalyst
8 November 2001	The British Empire	Maria Misra, Lecturer in Modern History and Fellow of Keble College Oxford Peter Cain, Research Professor in History at Sheffield Hallam University Catherine Hall, Professor of Modern Social and Cultural History at University College London
1 November 2001	Confucius	Frances Wood, Curator of the Chinese section of the British Library Tim Barrett Professor of East Asian History at SOAS, the School of African and Oriental Studies at London University Tao Tao Liu, Tutorial Fellow in Oriental Studies at Wadham College, Cambridge University.
25 October 2001	Napoleon and Wellington	Andrew Roberts, military historian Mike Broers, University of Aberdeen Belinda Beaton, from the Department of History of Art, at Oxford University.
18 October 2001	Democracy	Melissa Lane, University Lecturer in the History of Political Thought David Wootton, Professor of Intellectual History at Queen Mary College, London Tim Winter, Assistant Muslim Chaplain at Cambridge University where he is lecturer in Islamic Studies.

2000–2001

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
19 July 2001	Byzantium	Charlotte Roueché, Reader in Classical and Byzantine Greek, King's College London John Julius Norwich, author of a three-part history of Byzantium: The Early Centuries, The Apogee and Decline and Fall Liz James Senior Lecturer in the History of Art, University of Sussex.
12 July 2001	Dickens	Rosemary Ashton, Professor of English at University College London Michael Slater, Professor of Victorian Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London and editor of The Dent Uniform Edition of Dickens' Journalism John Bowen Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Keele.
5 July 2001	The Earth's Origins	Simon Winchester, author of The Map That Changed the World: the Tale of William Smith and the Birth of A Science Cherry Lewis, geologist and author of The Dating Game: One Man's Search for the Age of the Earth John Cosgrove Structural Geologist from the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College, London
28 June 2001	Existentialism	A. C. Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Christina Howells, Professor of French at the University of Oxford, fellow of Wadham College Simon Critchley Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex and author of A Companion to Continental Philosophy.
21 June 2001	The Sonnet	Frank Kermode, author of many books including Shakespeare's Language Phillis Levin, Poet in Residence and Professor of English at Hofstra University Jonathan Bate King Alfred Professor of English at the University of Liverpool
14 June 2001	The French Revolution's Legacy	Stefan Collini, Professor of Intellectual History and English Literature at Cambridge University Anne Janowitz, Professor of Romantic Poetry at Queen Mary College, London Andrew Roberts the nineteenth century historian
3 May 2001	Evil	Jones Erwin, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Limerick Stephen Mulhall, Tutor in Philosophy at New College, Oxford University Margaret Atkins, Lecturer in Theology at Trinity and All Saints College, University of Leeds
26 April 2001	Literary Modernism	John Carey, Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford University Laura Marcus, Reader in English at the University of Sussex Valentine Cunningham Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford
19 April 2001	The Glorious Revolution	John Spurr, Reader in History at the University of Wales, Swansea Rosemary Sweet, Lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Leicester Scott Mandelbrote Fellow and Director of Studies at Peterhouse, Cambridge
12 April 2001	Black Holes	Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal – 2001, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Cambridge University Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Professor of Physics at The Open University Martin Ward director of the X-Ray Astronomy Group at the University of Leicester
5 April 2001	The Roman Empire's Collapse in the 5th century	Charlotte Roueché, historian of late antiquity at King's College London David Womersley, Fellow and Tutor at Jesus College, Oxford and editor of Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Richard Alston Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London
29 March 2001	The Philosophy of Love	Roger Scruton, author of many books including Sexual Desire Angie Hobbes, lecturer in philosophy at Warwick University Thomas Docherty Professor of English at the University of Kent
22 March 2001	Fossils	Richard Corfield, Research Associate in the Department of Earth Sciences at Oxford University Dianne Edwards, Distinguished Research Professor in Palaeobotany at Cardiff University Richard Fortey Senior Research Palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum
15 March 2001	Shakespeare's Life	Katherine Duncan-Jones, Professor of English at Somerville College, Oxford John Sutherland, Professor of Modern English at University College, London and textual scholar Grace Ioppolo lecturer in English at the University of Reading
1 March 2001	Money	Niall Ferguson, Professor of Political and Financial History at the University of Oxford Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge Jane Humphries reader in Economic History at Oxford University
22 February 2001	Quantum Gravity	John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy, University of Sussex Lee Smolin, Professor of Physics, Centre for Gravitational Physics and Geometry, Pennsylvania State University and Visiting Professor of Physics at Imperial College, London Janna Levin Advanced Fellow, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge University
15 February 2001	The Restoration	Mark Goldie, lecturer in History, Churchill College, University of Cambridge Richard Ollard, author of The Image of the King: Charles I and Charles II Clare Jackson lecturer and Director of Studies in History, Trinity Hall, Cambridge
8 February 2001	Humanism	Tony Davies, Professor and Head of the Department of English, University of Birmingham and author of Humanism Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies, Queen Mary College, University of London and Honorary Fellow of King's College Cambridge Simon Goldhill Reader in Greek Literature and Culture at King's College Cambridge.
1 February 2001	Imperial Science	Richard Ayton, Professor of History at the University of Virginia and author of Nature's Government: Science, Imperial Britain and the ‘Improvement' of the World Maria Misra, Lecturer in Modern History and fellow of Keble College Oxford Ziauddin Sardar Professor of Science and Technology Policy, Middlesex University.
25 January 2001	Science and Religion	Stephen Jay Gould, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Professor of Geology, Harvard University John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy, University of St Andrews and Stanton Lecturer in Divinity, Cambridge University Hilary Rose sociologist and Visiting Professor of Social Policy, Bradford University.
18 January 2001	The Enlightenment in Britain	Roy Porter, Professor in the Social History of Medicine, Wellcome Trust Centre of University College London, Linda Colley, Leverhulme Research Professor and School Professor of History, London School of Economics Jeremy Black Professor of History at Exeter University.
11 January 2001	Mathematics and Platonism	Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics and Gresham Professor of Geometry, University of Warwick Margaret Wertheim, science writer, journalist and author of Pythagoras' Trousers John D. Barrow Professor of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge.
4 January 2001	Gothic	Chris Baldick, Professor of English at Goldsmiths College, London and author of In Frankenstein's Shadow A. N. Wilson, novelist, biographer, journalist and author of God's Funeral Emma Clery senior lecturer in the English Department at Sheffield Hallam University and author of The Rise of Supernatural Fiction
16 November 2000	Nihilism	Rob Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Birmingham Raymond Tallis, doctor and philosopher Catherine Belsey University of Cardiff
9 November 2000	Psychoanalysis and Literature	Adam Phillips, author of Promises Promises: Essays on Psychoanalysis and Literature Malcolm Bowie, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature, Oxford University Lisa Appignanesi novelist and co-author of Freud's Women.
2 November 2000	Evolutionary Psychology	Janet Radcliffe Richards, Reader in Bioethics, University College, London Nicholas Humphrey, Professor of Psychology, New School for Social Research, New York Steven Rose Professor of Physic, Open University
26 October 2000	The Tudor State	John Guy, Professor of Modern History, University of St Andrews Christopher Haigh, Tutor of Modern History at Christ Church, Oxford Christine Carpenter Fellow in History at New Hall, Cambridge
19 October 2000	Laws of Nature	Mark Buchanan, physicist and author of Ubiquity Frank Close, theoretical physicist and author of Lucifer's Legacy: The Meaning of Asymmetry Nancy Cartwright Professor of Philosophy, LSE
12 October 2000	The Romantics	Jonathan Bate, Professor of English, University of Liverpool Rosemary Ashton, Professor of English, University College London Nicholas Roe Professor of English, University of St Andrews
5 October 2000	Hitler in History	Ian Kershaw, historian and biographer of Hitler Niall Ferguson, fellow and tutor in Modern History at Jesus College Oxford Mary Fulbrook Professor of German History at University College London.
28 September 2000	London	Peter Ackroyd, author of London: The Biography Claire Tomalin, author and biographer of Samuel Pepys Iain Sinclair poet, novelist and author of Liquid City and Lights Out for the Territory.

1999–2000

From 1 June 2000, and the discussion on The American Ideal, the programme moved from 30 minutes to a 45-minute format.

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
29 June 2000	Imagination and Consciousness	Gerald Edelman, Director of the Neurosciences Institute in California and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1972 Igor Aleksander, Professor of Neural Engineering Systems, Imperial College, London Margaret Boden, Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, University of Sussex.
22 June 2000	Biography	Richard Holmes, writer, biographer and the author of Sidetracks: Explorations of a Romantic Biographer Nigel Hamilton, biographer, Director of the British Institute of Biography and Professor of Biography, De Montfort University Amanda Foreman, biographer of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.
15 June 2000	Inspiration and Genius	Arthur I. Miller, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, Department of Science & Technology, University College London Michael Howe, Professor of Psychology, Exeter University Juliet Mitchell, psychoanalyst and lecturer at Cambridge University.
8 June 2000	The Renaissance	Francis Ames-Lewis, Professor of History of Art, Birkbeck College Peter Burke, Professor of Cultural History and Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge Evelyn Welch, Reader in the History of Art, University of Sussex.
1 June 2000	The American Ideal	Christopher Hitchens, writer, journalist and author of No One Left to Lie To: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Westminster and Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy Susan Sontag, cultural critics and essayists, and author of the novel In America.
25 May 2000	Chemical Elements	Paul Strathern, former lecturer in philosophy and science, Kingston University and author of Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements Mary Archer, Visiting Professor of Chemistry at Imperial College, London John Murrell, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, University of Sussex.
18 May 2000	The Wars of the Roses	Helen Castor, Fellow and Director of Studies in History, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Colin Richmond, Emeritus Professor of History, Keele University Steven Gunn, Tudor historian and Fellow and Tutor in Modern History, Merton College, Oxford
11 May 2000	Shakespeare's Work	Frank Kermode, literary critic and author of Shakespeare's Language Michael Bogdanov, theatre, television, opera and film director and a founder member of the English Shakespeare Company Germaine Greer, Professor of English and Comparative Studies, Warwick University.
4 May 2000	Death	Jonathan Dollimore, Professor of English, York University Thomas Lynch, poet, essayist, funeral director and author of The Undertaking – Life Studies from the Dismal Trade Marilyn Butler, Professor of English Literature and Rector of Exeter College, Oxford.
27 April 2000	Human Origins	Leslie Aiello, Professor of Biological Anthropology, University College London Robert Foley, evolutionary ecologist, writer and lecturer in biological anthropology at Cambridge University Mark Roberts, Field Archaeologist, Project Leader of Boxgrove excavation and the discoverer of Boxgrove Man
20 April 2000	Englishness	Paul Langford, Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford Peter Mandler, Professor of Modern History at London Guildhall University Lola Young, Director of the National Museum and Archives of Black History and Culture.
13 April 2000	New Wars	Michael Howard, Emeritus Professor of Modern History, Oxford University Mary Kaldor, Director of the Programme on Global Civil Society, London School of Economics Michael Rose, General. former Commander of the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia and author of Fighting for Peace: Lessons from Bosnia.
6 April 2000	The Natural Order	Colin Tudge, writer, scientist and author of The Variety of Life: A Survey and a Celebration of all the Creatures that Have Ever Lived Sandy Knapp, Research Botanist, Department of Botany, Natural History Museum, London Henry Gee, Senior Editor of Nature and author of Deep Time: Cladistics, the Revolution in Evolution.
30 March 2000	History and Understanding the Past	Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge Eric Hobsbawm, historian and author of The New Century.
23 March 2000	Materialism and the Consumer	Rachel Bowlby, Professor of English, University of York and author of Carried Away: The Invention of Modern Shopping William Gibson, science fiction writer and author of Neuromancer and All Tomorrow's Parties.
16 March 2000	Lenin	Robert Service, lecturer in Russian History and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford and biographer of Lenin Vitali Vitaliev, author, columnist, broadcaster former Soviet Journalist of the Year
9 March 2000	The Age of Doubt	A. N. Wilson, novelist, biographer, journalist and author of God's Funeral Victoria Glendinning, author, journalist and biographer of Anthony Trollope and Jonathan Swift.
2 March 2000	Metamorphosis	A. S. Byatt, novelist and one of the contributors to Ovid Metamorphosed Catherine Bates, critic and research fellow, University of Warwick
24 February 2000	Grand Unified Theory	Brian Greene, Professor of Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University and Cornell University Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Royal Society Research Professor in Astronomy and Physics at Cambridge University.
17 February 2000	Reading	Kevin Sharpe, Professor of History, University of Southampton Jacqueline Pearson, Professor of English Literature, Manchester University
10 February 2000	Goethe and the Science of the Enlightenment	Nicholas Boyle, Reader in German Literary and Intellectual History, Magdalene College, Cambridge, and biographer of Goethe Simon Schaffer, Reader in the History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University and Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge.
3 February 2000	Republicanism	Sarah Barber, lecturer in the Department of History, Lancaster University and author of Regicide and Republicanism: Politics and Ethics in the English Revolution 1646–1659 Andrew Roberts, historian, journalist, conservative thinker and author of Salisbury: Victorian Titan
27 January 2000	Economic Rights	Amartya Sen, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge and winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Science Will Hutton, former Editor of The Observer, Director of The Industrial Society and author of The State We're In.
20 January 2000	Masculinity in Literature	Martin Amis, author of Money, Success and The Information Cora Kaplan, feminist cultural critic and Professor of English, Southampton University.
13 January 2000	Information Technology	Charles Leadbeater, Demos Research Associate and author of Living On Thin Air: The New Economy Ian Angell, Professor of Information Systems, London School of Economics and author of The New Barbarian Manifesto: How to Survive the Information Age.
6 January 2000	Climate Change	John Houghton, Co-Chair of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change – the United Nations' global warming science committee George Monbiot, environmentalist, journalist and Visiting Professor, Department of Philosophy, Bristol University
30 December 1999	Time	Neil Johnson, theoretical physicist at the Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford University and Royal Institution Christmas Lectures 1999 on the subject of Time Lee Smolin, cosmologist and Professor of Physics, Pennsylvania State University.
23 December 1999	Prayer	Russell Stannard, physicist, religious writer and author of The God Experiment Andrew Samuels, Jungian analyst and Professor of Analytical Psychology, University of Essex.
16 December 1999	Medical Ethics	Barry Jackson, consultant surgeon and President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Sheila McLean, Director of the Institute of Law and Ethics in Medicine, Glasgow University.
9 December 1999	Childhood	Christina Hardyment, social historian and author of The Future of the Family Theodore Zeldin, Senior Fellow, St Antony's College, Oxford and author of An Intimate History of Humanity.
2 December 1999	Tragedy	George Steiner, critic, Extraordinary Fellow, Churchill College, Cambridge and author of The Death of Tragedy Catherine Belsey, Chair of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Theory, University of Cardiff and author of The Subject of Tragedy.
25 November 1999	Consciousness	Ted Honderich, philosopher and former Grote Professor of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic, University College London Roger Penrose, eminent physicist, mathematician and author of The Large, The Small, and the Human Mind.
18 November 1999	Progress	Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy, University of Bradford Adam Phillips, psychoanalyst and author of Darwin's Worms
11 November 1999	The Novel	D. J. Taylor, novelist, critic, biographer of Thackeray and author of After the War Gillian Beer, King Edward VII Professor of English Literature, Cambridge University and Chairman of the Booker Prize judges 1997
4 November 1999	Education	Mary Warnock, philosopher and educationalist Ted Wragg, Professor of Education, University of Exeter.
28 October 1999	Atrocity in the 20th Century	Jonathan Glover, philosopher and Director of the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, King's College, London Gwen Adshead, consultant psychiatrist, Broadmoor Special Hospital
21 October 1999	The Individual	Richard Wollheim, Professor of Philosophy, University of California in Berkeley Jonathan Dollimore, Professor of English, York University.
14 October 1999	The Nation State	Norman Davies, Emeritus Professor, London University and author of The Isles: A History Andrew Marr, former editor of The Independent and author of Ruling Britannia: the Failure and Future of British Democracy.
7 October 1999	Utopia	A. C. Grayling, human rights campaigner, lecturer in philosophy at Birkbeck College, London and Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford John Carey, distinguished critic, journalist, broadcaster, Merton Professor of English, Oxford University and editor of the Faber Book of Utopias.
30 September 1999	Maths and Storytelling	John Allen Paulos, Presidential Scholar of Mathematics, Temple University, Philadelphia and author of Once Upon a Number – The hidden mathematical logic of stories Marina Warner, novelist, historian, critic, former Reith Lecturer and Visiting Professor at Birkbeck College, London
23 September 1999	Genetic Determinism	Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics, University College London and author of Almost Like a Whale: The Origin of Species Updated Matt Ridley, science journalist, chairman of the International Centre for Life and author of Genome: The autobiography of a species in 23 chapters.

1998–1999

Broadcast date Listen again	Title	Contributors
22 July 1999	Pain	Patrick Wall, Professor of Physiology at St Thomas' Hospital, London and author of Pain: The Science of Suffering Semir Zeki, Professor of Neurobiology at University College, London.
15 July 1999	Truth, Lies and Fiction	Elena Lappin, novelist and author of an investigative essay published in Granta called "Truth and Lies", where she questions the veracity of the account of the Holocaust in the book Fragments by Binjamin Wilkomirski Nick Groom lecturer in English, University of Exeter
8 July 1999	Africa	Henry Louis Gates Jr, Chair of the Afro-American Studies Department, Harvard University and presenter of the BBC 2 series Into Africa Anthony Sampson, writer, journalist and author of Mandela: The Authorised Biography.
1 July 1999	Intelligence	Ken Richardson, educational psychologist, former Senior Lecturer, Open University and author of The Making of Intelligence Michael Ruse, Philosopher of Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario and author of Mystery of Mysteries: Is Evolution a Social Construction?
24 June 1999	Capitalism	Anatole Kaletsky, economics commentator and Associate Editor of The Times, and author of The Costs of Default and In the Shadow of Debt Edward Luttwak, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C. and author of Turbo Capitalism: Winners and Losers in the Global Economy.
17 June 1999	The Great Disruption	Francis Fukuyama, Hirst Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University, Washington, D.C., and author of The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order Amos Oz, author and Professor of Hebrew Literature, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva.
10 June 1999	The Monarchy	David Cannadine, Director of the Institute of Historical Research, London and former Lecturer in History and Fellow, Christ's College, Cambridge Bea Campbell, sociologist, journalist and author of Diana, Princess of Wales.
3 June 1999	Just War	John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Westminster and Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy Niall Ferguson, Fellow and Tutor in Modern History, Jesus College, Oxford and author of The Pity of War.
27 May 1999	Memory and Culture	Malcolm Bowie, Marshall Foch Professor of French Literature at Oxford University and Director of Oxford's European Humanities Research Centre Nancy Wood, Chair of Media Studies, University of Sussex and author of Vectors of Memory.
20 May 1999	The Universe's Origins	Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Royal Society Research Professor in Astronomy and Physics, Cambridge University Paul Davies, theoretical physicist and Visiting Professor at Imperial College, London.
13 May 1999	Multiculturalism	Stuart Hall, former Professor of Sociology, Open University and currently on a Commission set up by the Runnymede Trust looking at the future of multi-ethnic Britain Avtar Brah, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Birkbeck College, London University
6 May 1999	Mathematics	Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics and Gresham Professor of Geometry, University of Warwick Brian Butterworth, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College, London
29 April 1999	Artificial Intelligence	Igor Aleksander, Professor, Imperial College London and inventor of Magnus – a neural computer which he says is an artificially conscious machine John Searle Professor of Philosophy, University of California and one of only two people in the world to invent an argument, the Chinese Room Argument, which destroys the plausibility of the idea of conscious machines
22 April 1999	Fundamentalism	Karen Armstrong, writer on the history of religious ideas and author of A History of God: From Abraham to the Present Tariq Ali, film-maker, writer and author of The Book of Saladin
15 April 1999	Evolution	John Maynard Smith, evolutionary biological theorist and Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex Colin Tudge, writer, journalist and research fellow at the Centre for Philosophy
8 April 1999	Writing and Political Oppression	Nadine Gordimer, Nobel Prize-winning South African novelist Ariel Dorfman, Chilean journalist, scholar and author of Death and the Maiden
1 April 1999	Good and Evil	Leszek Kołakowski, author and Professor of Philosophy, Oxford University Galen Strawson, author and Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy, Jesus College, Oxford
25 March 1999	Architecture in the 20th Century	Daniel Libeskind, architect of the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Spiral Extension to London's Victoria and Albert Museum Richard Weston, architect and lecturer at De Montfort University
18 March 1999	Animal Experiments and Rights	Colin Blakemore, Professor of Physiology, Oxford University, President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow of the Royal Society and targeted in the 1980s by animal welfare activists protesting at his research methods Lynda Birkebiologist, teacher at Lancaster and Warwick Universities, and previously worked for 7 years in animal behaviour at the Open University.
11 March 1999	History as Science	Jared Diamond, ecologist and physiologist at the Los Angeles Medical School, University of California, and author of Guns, Germs and Steel Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History, Cambridge University
4 March 1999	Shakespeare and Literary Criticism	Harold Bloom, literary critic, Professor of Humanities, Yale University and Berg Professor of English, New York University Jacqueline Rose, literary critic and Professor of English, University of London.
25 February 1999	The Avant Garde's Decline and Fall in the 20th Century	Eric Hobsbawm, eminent historian and author of Behind The Times: The Decline and Fall of the Twentieth Century Avant-Gardes Frances Morris, specialist in contemporary art and Art Programme Curator for the Tate Gallery of Modern Art.
18 February 1999	Space in Religion and Science	John Polkinghorne, Fellow of Queen's College, Cambridge and Canon Theologian of Liverpool Margaret Wertheim, science writer and author of The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace: A History of Space from Dante to the Internet.
11 February 1999	Language and the Mind	Jonathan Miller, medical doctor, performer, broadcaster, author and film and opera director Steven Pinker, cognitive scientist, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Centre for Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
4 February 1999	Psychoanalysis and its Legacy	Juliet Mitchell, psychoanalyst, Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, Department of Political and Social Sciences Adam Phillips, psychoanalyst and author of The Beast in the Nursery.
28 January 1999	Ageing	Alan Walker, social gerontologist, advisor to the UN's programme on Ageing and has chaired the European Commission's observatory on Ageing and Older People Tom Kirkwood, Britain's first professor of Biological Gerontology, University of Manchester and President of the British Society for Research into Ageing .
21 January 1999	Modern Culture	Will Self, writer and novelist Roger Scruton, novelist, philosopher and former Professor at Birkbeck College, London.
14 January 1999	Genetic Engineering	Grahame Bulfield, geneticist, honorary professor, Edinburgh University and Director of the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh Bryan Appleyard, features writer for The Sunday Times and author of Brave New Worlds: Genetics and the Human Experience
7 January 1999	Feminism	Helena Cronin, Co-director of the Centre for the Philosophy of the Natural and Social Sciences, London School of Economics Germaine Greer, Professor of English and Comparative Studies, Warwick University
31 December 1998	The British Empire's Legacy	Catherine Hall, Professor Modern British Social and Cultural History, University College, London Linda Colley, currently holder of the Leverhulme Research Professorship at the London School of Economics and former Professor of History, Yale University.
24 December 1998	Neuroscience in the 20th Century	Susan Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution, Professor of Pharmacology, Oxford University and Professor of Physics at Gresham College Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, Director of the Brain Perception Laboratory, University of California, San Diego and Professor at the Salk Institute
17 December 1998	The American Century	Harry Evans, former editor of The Sunday Times and author of The American Century John Lloyd, associate editor of the New Statesman and former Times correspondent in Moscow and East European Editor of the Financial Times.
10 December 1998	Cultural rights in the 20th Century	Homi Bhabha, Professor in English Literature and Art, Chicago University, and Visiting Professor of the Humanities, University College London John N. Gray, Professor of European Thought, London School of Economics
3 December 1998	History's relevance in the 20th century	Simon Schama, Old Dominion Professor of Humanities, Columbia University in New York and currently filming a 16-part series for BBC Television on the history of Britain Lady Antonia Fraser, historian, writer and author of biographies of Mary Queen of Scots, Cromwell and Charles II.
26 November 1998	Work in the 20th Century	Richard Sennett, visiting professor, London School of Economics and author of The Corrosion of Character – the Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism Theodore Zeldin, historian and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford Melanie Phillips, columnist on The Sunday Times and currently working on a book about The Sex Change State.
19 November 1998	The Brain and Consciousness	Steven Rose, Professor of Biology and Director of the Brain and Behaviour Research Group, Open University Dan Robinson, Distinguished Research Professor, Georgetown University and visiting lecturer in Philosophy and Senior Member of Linacre College, Oxford
12 November 1998	The City in the 20th Century	Peter Hall, Professor of Planning at the Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, University College, London, Fellow of the British Academy and a member of the Academia Europaea Doreen Massey, Professor of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, Open University and recipient of the Vautrin Lud International Geography Prize and the Victoria Medal of the Royal Geographical Society.
5 November 1998	Science in the 20th century	John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy, University of Sussex and consultant to New Scientist Mary Midgleymoral philosopher and former Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Newcastle
29 October 1998	Science's Revelations	Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, reader in Zoology and Fellow of New College, Oxford Charles Simonyi Chair of Public Understanding of Science, Oxford University and author of Unweaving The Rainbow: Science, Delusion and The Appetite For Wonder Ian McEwan novelist, and author of the Booker Prize-winning novel Amsterdam.
22 October 1998	Politics in the 20th Century	Gore Vidal, American writer, commentator and author of The Smithsonian Institution Alan Clark. historian, politician and author of The Tories: Conservatives and the Nation State, 1922–97.
15 October 1998	War in the 20th Century	Michael Ignatieff, writer, broadcaster and biographer of Isaiah Berlin Michael Howard, formerly Regius Professor of History, Oxford University and joint editor of the new Oxford History of the Twentieth Century.

External links

• Programme archive