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Free Thinking 2013 Festival Episodes

Back up to: Free Thinking

  1. Penny Woolcock

    Director Penny Woolcock talks to Samira Ahmed about working in opera and film.

  2. Whose Strife Is It Anyway?

    Who has the right to depict the experiences of the powerless? Rana Mitter chairs a debate.

  3. What's Eating You?

    Authors Lionel Shriver and Val Curtis ask if we are too obsessed with food and body image.

  4. Are Audiences Killing Culture?

    Matthew Sweet presents a debate asking if the arts are leading or following public taste.

  5. Why Are Maps Still So Powerful?

    A discussion asking if maps can reveal too much and how they direct our thinking.

  6. Who's Got Hold of Children's Imaginations?

    Authors Patrick Ness and Professor Charles Fernyhough discuss children's imaginations.

  7. Controlling the Countryside

    Fiona Reynolds and Simon Thurley discuss planning and power pressures on rural areas.

  8. An Interview with John Waters

    Filmmaker John Waters talks to Samira Ahmed about Hairspray, hitchhiking and Baltimore.

  9. Teaching the Teachers: The Future of Education

    Lecture in which Professor Sugata Mitra talks about teaching ourselves using computers.

  10. Controlling Moods and Minds: Depression and Smart Drugs

    A debate about depression, decision-making and the morality of medical treatments.

  11. How on Earth Can We Cope with Less?

    Philip Dodd chairs a discussion about scarcity, sustainability and creativity.

  12. Power to the People: What Choices Do We Have?

    David Skelton, David Aaronovitch and Julie Moore discuss power and consultation.

  13. Science Fiction and Surveillance: Zamyatin's We

    Matthew Sweet discusses Zamyatin's 1919 novel We, which depicts spying in a glass city.

  15. Are We at a Tipping Point? Controlling Infection and Combatting Disease

    Professor Sally Davies, chief medical officer for England, lectures on disease.

  16. Michael Marmot on Self-Control

    Michael Marmot's Free Thinking Lecture, asking 'Is self-control the key to a long life?'.