News
Democracy has Bad Taste
The artist Grayson Perry on how to judge quality in contemporary art Read more
now playing
Grayson Perry - Playing to the Gallery
The artist Grayson Perry on how to judge quality in contemporary art
Beating the Bounds
Grayson Perry questions the often-heard assertion that anything can be art.
Nice Rebellion, Welcome In!
The artist Grayson Perry discusses art and revolution.
I Found Myself in the Art World
Grayson Perry discusses the painful yet rewarding process of becoming an artist.
Dr Atul Gawande - The Future of Medicine
Why Do Doctors Fail?
Surgeon and writer Dr Atul Gawande explores the nature of fallibility in medicine.
The Century of the System
Atul Gawande calls for a radical rethink of medical systems to transform healthcare.
The Problem of Hubris
Atul Gawande calls for a new approach to the 'great unfixables' - ageing and death.
The Idea of Wellbeing
Atul Gawande calls for a new focus on systems to ensure doctors work more effectively.
Professor Stephen Hawking - Black Holes
Do black holes have no hair?
Professor Stephen Hawking delivers the first of his BBC Reith Lectures on black holes.
Black holes ain't as black as they are painted
Professor Stephen Hawking delivers the second of his BBC Reith Lectures on black holes.
Kwame Anthony Appiah - Mistaken Identities
Creed
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah says we overestimate scripture in our view of faith.
Country
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah argues against a mythical and romantic view of nationhood
Colour
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah argues for a world free of racial fixations.
Culture
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah asks us to give up the idea of western civilisation.
Reith Revisited: Michael Sandel on Bertrand Russell
Michael Sandel revisits the inaugural Reith Lectures given by Bertrand Russell.
Reith Revisited: Anand Menon on Robert Birley
Sarah Montague and Anand Menon revisit Robert Birley's Reith Lectures, Britain in Europe.
Reith Revisited: Brian Cox on Robert Oppenheimer
Sarah Montague and Brian Cox reconsider Robert Oppenheimer's 1953 Reith lectures.
Reith Revisited: Grayson Perry on Nikolaus Pevsner
Sarah Montague and Grayson Perry discuss Nikolaus Pevsner's lectures on 'English Art'.
Reith Revisited: Angela Stent on George Kennan
A re-examination of George Kennan's 1957 Reith Lectures, 'Russia, the Atom and the West'.
Hilary Mantel
The Day Is for the Living
Art can bring the dead back to life, argues the late novelist Hilary Mantel.
The Iron Maiden
How do we construct our pictures of the past asks Hilary Mantel.
Silence Grips the Town
The story of how historical obsession killed a Polish writer, told by Hilary Mantel.
Can These Bones Live?
Hilary Mantel on how historical fiction can make the past come to life.
Adaptation
Hilary Mantel on how fiction changes when adapted for stage or screen.
Margaret MacMillan - The Mark of Cain
War and Humanity
Margaret MacMillan asks if war is an essential part of being human.
Fearing and Loving: Making Sense of the Warrior
Margaret MacMillan explores our complex relationship with the people who go to war.
Civilians and War
Margaret MacMillan examines the role of civilians as ers and victims of conflict.
Managing the Unmanageable
Margaret MacMillan assesses attempts to constrain and justify conflict.
War's Fatal Attraction
Margaret MacMillan examines how we and represent war in art.
Jonathan Sumption - Law and the Decline of Politics
Law's Expanding Empire
Jonathan Sumption argues that the law is taking over the space once occupied by politics.
In Praise of Politics
Jonathan Sumption explains how democracy can accommodate opposing opinions and interests
