Arts & Ideas Podcast
Leading thinkers discuss the ideas shaping our lives – looking back at the news and making links between past and present. Broadcast as Free Thinking, Fridays at 9pm on BBC Radio 4. Presented by Matthew Sweet, Shahidha Bari and Anne McElvoy.
Episodes to download
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Free Thinking - The Cultural Revolution
Wed 11 May 2016
Frank Dikötter, Xiaolu and Xinran join Rana Mitter to revisit the Cultural Revolution
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Free Thinking - Revolutionary thinking: Paul Mason, Bryan and Mary Talbot, Dacher Keltner.
Wed 11 May 2016
Paul Mason and Bryan and Mary Talbot discuss Louise Michel with Matthew Sweet.
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Free Thinking - Olafur Eliasson. Andrey Kurkov. Mary Dejevsky and Zinovy Zinik on Soviet Culture.
Wed 4 May 2016
Philip Dodd talks to the artist Olafur Eliasson and novelist Andrey Kurkov.
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Free Thinking - TE Lawrence on stage. Jeremy Thorpe. Privacy.
Thu 28 Apr 2016
Playwright Howard Brenton and director Adrian Noble discuss dramas depicting TE Lawrence.
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Free Thinking - Writers Writing about Love
Wed 27 Apr 2016
Anne McElvoy with novelists A L Kennedy, Tahmima Anam and Alain de Botton talking Love
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Free Thinking - The Winter's Tale Landmark
Wed 27 Apr 2016
Samuel West, Carol Rutter, Michael Dobson and Matthew Sweet discuss The Winter's Tale.
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Free Thinking - Concrete: Marina Lewycka, Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Lynsey Hanley
Mon 25 Apr 2016
Matthew Sweet explores concrete homes with Marina Lewycka and looks at art at the YSP
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Free Thinking - Sounds of Shakespeare: Shakespeare's Bookshelf
Mon 25 Apr 2016
Edith Hall, Nandini Das and Beatrice Groves on the books which inspired Shakespeare
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Free Thinking - Sicily. John Hardyng's Chronicle. The London Library
Thu 21 Apr 2016
Anne McElvoy on Sicily plus the London Library at 175 with Tom Stoppard.
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Free Thinking - Slavoj Zizek.
Thu 21 Apr 2016
Philip Dodd debates migration, global solidarity with Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek
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Free Thinking - Landmark: Tarkovsky's Stalker.
Mon 18 Apr 2016
Konstantin von Eggert, Sophie Fiennes and Geoff Dyer discuss Tarkovsky's 1979 film.
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Free Thinking - Syrian buildings. Judging Book Prizes. Georgian Literature
Thu 14 Apr 2016
Anne McElvoy talks to architect Marwa Al-Sabouni about Syria's built environment.
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British Conceptual Art.
Wed 13 Apr 2016
Philip Dodd talks to artist Bruce McLean about British Conceptual Art on show at Tate.
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Jonathan Coe and Richard Cameron on stage at Birmingham Rep
Tue 12 Apr 2016
Matthew Sweet talks to Jonathan Coe about the first stage production of The Rotter's Club
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Free Thinking - Economics: Liam Byrne, John Redwood, Luke Johnson, Juliet Michaelson and Matt Wolf
Thu 7 Apr 2016
Anne McElvoy considers new books from Thomas Piketty and Yanis Varoufakis.
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Free Thinking - Saki. Ria Sattouf. Anders Lustgarten. ‘A Thing’
Wed 6 Apr 2016
Rana Mitter talks to playwright Anders Lustgarten & rereads Saki's satirical stories.
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Evelyn Waugh.
Tue 5 Apr 2016
Bryony Lavery, Alexander Waugh, Philip Eade and Adam Mars-Jones celebrate Evelyn Waugh
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Free Thinking: Light: Ann Wroe, Dan Flavin, Blackpool Illuminations, The Sun.
Thu 31 Mar 2016
Ann Wroe joins Anne McElvoy for an exploration of light from Blackpool to the South Downs
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Nationalisms: Jerry Brotton, Elif Shafak, John Breuilly
Wed 30 Mar 2016
Jerry Brotton talks to Rana Mitter about Elizabethan England and the Islamic World.
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Suits. Neil LaBute
Thu 24 Mar 2016
Shahidha Bari explores the history of suits with Anne McElvoy. Plus dramatist Neil LaBute
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Free Thinking - The Green Man. George Monbiot.
Wed 23 Mar 2016
Rana Mitter considers the myth of the Green Man and our relationship with Nature.
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Free Thinking – Daniel Clowes; Alan Clarke's TV career; Ken Loach tribute to Barry Hines
Tue 22 Mar 2016
Phil Davis and Clio Barnard discuss the career of director Alan Clarke.
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Free Thinking - Russia and the Arts: Julian Barnes, Roxana Silbert and Suhayla El-Bushra
Thu 17 Mar 2016
Julian Barnes reviews portaits of Russian cultural figures on show at the NPG.
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Free Thinking - Philosophy: Bryan Magee
Wed 16 Mar 2016
Matthew Sweet considers the state of philosophy today
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Free Thinking – Identity in Britain: Martin Parr.
Tue 15 Mar 2016
Photographer Martin Parr has curated a show exploring views of the UK from outsiders.
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Free Thinking – The Holy Roman Empire; Peter H Wilson, Janet Soskice, Rupert Shortt. Iranian art
Thu 10 Mar 2016
Rana Mitter reads a new history of the Holy Roman Empire & discusses Christianity today.
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Free Thinking – Javier Marias; Cervantes; Spanish politics today
Wed 9 Mar 2016
Javier Marias talks to Philip Dodd about fiction, politics & the writing of Cervantes.
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Free Thinking - International Women's Day: Hollie McNish, Emily Hall, Helen Pearson, Edwina Attlee and Ailsa Grant Ferguson
Tue 8 Mar 2016
Performance poet Hollie McNish and scientist Helen Pearson join Anne McElvoy.
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Free Thinking - Botticelli Reimagined, A New Biography of Hitler
Thu 3 Mar 2016
How German historians view Hitler now and Anne McElvoy reviews Botticelli at the V&A
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