Main content

Wikipedia Founder Jimmy Wales

At The Sage Gateshead, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales launches the 2011 Free Thinking festival with a lecture on how the internet will continue to radically change our world.

Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales launches this year's 大象传媒 Radio 3 Free Thinking festival of ideas with a lecture on how the internet will continue to radically change our world

American internet entrepreneur Jimmy Wales has created the most referenced source of knowledge on the planet. His ever-expanding invention Wikipedia has over 19 million free articles, is one of the internet's top five websites, and has revolutionised our access to information. Time magazine named him one of the world's most influential people.

Jimmy Wales' talk about the internet marks the start of three weeks of Free Thinking broadcasts on Radio 3. It was recorded earlier tonight in front of an audience at The Sage Gateshead and presented by Philip Dodd.

This year's festival theme is Change: exploring the mania for change sweeping the globe. Speakers include the Foreign Secretary William Hague, Germaine Greer, Giles Fraser, Susie Orbach, Linda Colley, Charles Jencks, Kevin Fong and Margaret Drabble. Plus original live drama by Skins writer Jack Thorne, and music from the Mercury nominated band Maximo Park.

Now in its sixth year, the Free Thinking Festival takes place at The Sage Gateshead 4 - 6 November and is produced and broadcast by 大象传媒 Radio 3. It's a platform for today's innovative thinkers, who debate the ideas shaping our world.

Go to www.bbc.co.uk/freethinking for more details.

Available now

1 hour

Last on

Fri 4 Nov 2011 22:00

Broadcast

  • Fri 4 Nov 2011 22:00

The Arts & Ideas Podcast

The Arts & Ideas Podcast

You can download all the past episodes of Radio 3's Free Thinking

Discussions and talks from the Free Thinking Festival 2019

Discussions and talks from the Free Thinking Festival 2019

Angry politics, what we can鈥檛 say, being diplomatic, weeping, emotion in music, film & TV

Click to listen to discussions, talks and music as the Free Thinking Festival 2019 Gets Emotional

Click to listen to discussions, talks and music as the Free Thinking Festival 2019 Gets Emotional

Angry politics, what we can鈥檛 say, being diplomatic, weeping, emotion in music, film & TV

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE programmes from the Free Thinking Festival 2018: The One & the Many

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE programmes from the Free Thinking Festival 2018: The One & the Many

We examine the fast-changing relationship between the individual & the crowd

CLICK to LISTEN & SEE all programmes, images, clips & features from 2017's festival

Free Thinking Festival 2017: The Speed of Life