The Forum

The programme that explains the present by exploring the past.

World Service,763 episodes

Episodes

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Indigo: the bluest blue
Blue Gold or Devil's Dye? The complex history of the precious blue dye
24 Oct 2019,44 mins
The Cat: In from the wild
Domesticated cats have been worshipped, vilified and revered throughout history
17 Oct 2019,44 mins
Manuela Sáenz: South America’s revolutionary heroine
The Ecuadorian woman who fought for South American independence in the 19th Century
10 Oct 2019,39 mins
Electric telegraph: the first worldwide web
The Morse code messaging network that changed the world forever
03 Oct 2019,44 mins
The history of opium
Opium’s journey from vital medicine to dangerously addictive drug
26 Sep 2019,44 mins
Albert Camus: Embracing life’s absurdity
The Stranger and other key works of Algeria’s great humanist Albert Camus
19 Sep 2019,44 mins
The submarine: Stealth machine
Exploring the silent and secretive world of underwater vessels
12 Sep 2019,39 mins
Fernando Pessoa: The man who multiplied himself
The great Portuguese writer Fernando Pessoa who invented dozens of alter egos
05 Sep 2019,44 mins
Einstein: Revolution in time and space
How one man defined the role of science and scientists in the modern age
29 Aug 2019,44 mins
Imhotep: The man behind The Mummy
Uncovering the identity of the bandaged villain of Hollywood legend
22 Aug 2019,44 mins
Andy Warhol: The prince of Pop Art
Exploring the life and work of artist Andy Warhol
15 Aug 2019,44 mins
Coco Chanel: French style icon
Exploring the rags to riches life story of the French fashion designer
08 Aug 2019,44 mins
Nineteen Eighty-Four: Orwell's dystopian classic
Why George Orwell's novel remains topical 70 years after publication
01 Aug 2019,44 mins
The Spartans: Ancient Greece’s fighting machine
The warriors famed for their discipline, fearless self-sacrifice and brutality
25 Jul 2019,44 mins
Leeuwenhoek: The fabric seller who discovered bacteria
The life and work of Antonie van Leeuwenhoek, the Dutch pioneer of microscopy
18 Jul 2019,44 mins
Kafka's The Metamorphosis: A man turns into a monstrous bug
A man transforms into a kind of huge vermin overnight – Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis
11 Jul 2019,44 mins
Hugh Masekela: The iconic South African musician
Looking back at the life and career of the South African musician and activist
04 Jul 2019,44 mins
James Watt: The power of steam
How the Scottish engineer's ingenuity transformed industry
27 Jun 2019,44 mins
The Bhagavad Gita: A guide to spiritual wisdom
The metaphysical and philosophical manual for Hindus and non-Hindus alike
20 Jun 2019,44 mins
Cnut: England's Viking king
King Cnut the Great ruled much of northern Europe a millennium ago
13 Jun 2019,44 mins
How Afghanistan won its freedom from Britain
1919 and the creation of independent Afghanistan
06 Jun 2019,44 mins
Rasputin: The Siberian mystic who charmed the Tsar
Untangling the web of contradictions of the spiritual guide to the Romanov dynasty
30 May 2019,44 mins
The Moon from Earth
The science, culture and mythology of the Moon
23 May 2019,44 mins
Pearls: Treasures of the sea
The social history of pearls as a fashion and status symbol over the centuries
16 May 2019,44 mins
Thoreau: the writer who went to the woods
The author of the American classic ‘Walden’
09 May 2019,40 mins
Fado: Portuguese soul music
Nostalgic song from Portugal, a small country with a big heart
02 May 2019,40 mins
Queen Njinga of Angola: Fearless fighter
The remarkable 17th Century leader who defied European oppression
25 Apr 2019,39 mins
Inside the mind of Leonardo da Vinci
The Italian artist’s unique understanding of science and the natural world
18 Apr 2019,40 mins
Chess: a chequered history
A war on the board - one of the oldest strategy games in the world
11 Apr 2019,40 mins
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas
Jules Verne's classic adventure novel
04 Apr 2019,40 mins