Significant international thinkers deliver the BBC's flagship annual lecture series
Radio 4,·312 episodes
I Found Myself in the Art World
Grayson Perry discusses the painful yet rewarding process of becoming an artist.
05 Nov 2013,·42 mins
The Human Hive
Niall Ferguson argues that institutions determine the success or failure of nations.
19 Jun 2012,·42 mins
The Darwinian Economy
Niall Ferguson reflects on the causes and lessons of the global financial crisis.
26 Jun 2012,·42 mins
The Landscape of the Law
Niall Ferguson asks if different systems of law are key to economic success.
03 Jul 2012,·42 mins
Civil and Uncivil Societies
Niall Ferguson asks what constitutes a vibrant and independent civil society.
14 Jul 2012,·58 mins
Aung San Suu Kyi: Liberty
Aung San Suu Kyi explores what freedom means in the first of the 2011 Reith Lectures.
28 Jun 2011,·45 mins
Aung San Suu Kyi: Dissent
Aung San Suu Kyi examines what drives people to dissent in the second Reith Lecture 2011.
05 Jul 2011,·45 mins
Eliza Manningham-Buller: Terror
Eliza Manningham-Buller reflects on 9/11 in the first of her Reith Lectures 2011.
06 Sep 2011,·45 mins
Eliza Manningham-Buller: Security
Assessing the role of security and intelligence services in a democracy.
13 Sep 2011,·43 mins
Eliza Manningham-Buller: Freedom
Ex-M15 boss Eliza Manningham-Buller discusses foreign policy in her third Reith Lecture.
20 Sep 2011,·43 mins
The Scientific Citizen
Prof Martin Rees asks who we should trust to explain the risks we face.
01 Jun 2010,·45 mins
Surviving the Century
Does science have the answers to help us save our planet?
08 Jun 2010,·45 mins
What We'll Never Know
Professor Martin Rees explains where the limits of our scientific knowledge lie.
15 Jun 2010,·45 mins
The Runaway World
Prof Rees calls for the UK to stay at the forefront of scientific research and discovery.
22 Jun 2010,·45 mins
Markets and Morals
Prof Michael Sandel considers the expansion and moral limits of markets.
09 Jun 2009,·45 mins
Morality in Politics
Michael Sandel asks what role, if any, there is for moral argument in politics.
16 Jun 2009,·45 mins
Genetics and Morality
Professor Sandel considers how we should use our ever-increasing scientific knowledge.
23 Jun 2009,·45 mins
A New Politics of the Common Good
Professor Sandel makes the case for a moral and civic renewal in democratic politics.
30 Jun 2009,·45 mins
Confucian Ways
Spence reflects on China's most enduring thinker, Confucius.
03 Jun 2008,·45 mins
English Lessons
Spence examines China's relations with the United Kingdom through three centuries.
10 Jun 2008,·45 mins
American Dreams
Spence explores the relationship between China and the US over two centuries.
17 Jun 2008,·45 mins
The Body Beautiful
Spence discusses how Chinese ideas of sport and athleticism have slowly evolved.
24 Jun 2008,·45 mins
Bursting at the Seams
Jeffrey Sachs delivers the first of five lectures, recorded at The Royal Society in London
11 Apr 2007,·45 mins
Survival in the Anthropocene
Sachs discusses China's emergence as an economic superpower and the effect on climate.
18 Apr 2007,·45 mins
The Great Convergence
Jeffrey Sachs talks about the need for international cooperation to achieve peace.
25 Apr 2007,·45 mins
Economic Solidarity for a Crowded Planet
Jeffrey Sachs delivers the fourth of five lectures. He considers the challenges of poverty
02 May 2007,·45 mins
Global Politics in a Complex Age
Jeffrey Sachs calls for a new Enlightenment to help make globalisation work for all.
09 May 2007,·45 mins
In the Beginning was Sound
Musician and conductor Daniel Barenboim examines the physical phenomenon of sound.
07 Apr 2006,·43 mins
The Neglected Sense
Daniel Barenboim examines what he calls 'the neglected sense'; the ear.
14 Apr 2006,·43 mins
The Magic of Music
Daniel Barenboim argues that classical music can and should be accessible to all.
21 Apr 2006,·43 mins
