Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of the idea of Purgatory. Read more
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Purgatory
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of the idea of Purgatory.
Enzymes
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss enzymes, the catalysts essential for life.
Christine de Pizan
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of Christine de Pizan (c1364-1430).
The American Populists
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the rural protest movement in America's Gilded Age.
Eugene Onegin
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Pushkin's masterpiece, Eugene Onegin, a novel in verse.
Plato's Republic
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the great works of political and ethical theory.
Bird Migration
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how birds navigate and the risks and benefits of migration
Kant's Categorical Imperative
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the difference between right and wrong, according to Kant.
Wuthering Heights
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Emily Bronte's only novel, Wuthering Heights.
Constantine the Great
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Roman emperor Constantine the Great.
Aphra Behn
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Aphra Behn (1640-1689): playwright, poet, spy.
The Congress of Vienna
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Congress of Vienna, 1814-15.
Feathered Dinosaurs
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss which dinosaurs were feathered, and their links to birds.
Picasso's Guernica
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the events behind and impact of Picasso's iconic work.
The Picts
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss history and culture of the Picts.
Germaine de Stael
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the ideas and works of the great woman of letters.
Thebes
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Greek city of Thebes in myth, drama and history.
Carl Friedrich Gauss
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Gauss, one of the great mathematicians.
Moby Dick
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the most popular idea sent in by listeners.
Thomas Becket
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life, murder and impact of Thomas Becket (c 1118-1170)
Beethoven
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and influence of Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Hamlet
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Shakespeare's best known, longest and most quoted play.
The Siege of Malta, 1565
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Ottoman attack on the Knights Hospitaller in Malta.
Anna Akhmatova
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and work of the celebrated Russian poet.
Cicero
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the political philosophy of Marcus Tullius Cicero.
Cephalopods
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the biology of squid, octopus, cuttlefish and nautilus.
Frederick Douglass
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life and ideas of Frederick Douglass, born to slavery.
Fungi
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss fungi.
Rosalind Franklin
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the pioneering scientist Rosalind Franklin.
Sun Tzu and The Art of War
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the influential ancient Chinese work on military strategy.
The Highland Clearances
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss evictions and migrations in the 18th and 19th centuries.