1999

Feminism 7 Jan

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss one of the most important events of the 20th century - the rise of Feminism and the subsequent empowerment of women.
300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology
Genetic Engineering 14 Jan

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the implications of the developments in genetic engineering.
570 Biology
Modern Culture 21 Jan

Melvyn Bragg and guests debate the state of Modern Culture in the 20th century.
800 Literature, rhetoric and criticism
Ageing 28 Jan

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss ageing.
610 Medicine and health

Psychoanalysis and its Legacy 4 Feb

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the relevance of psychoanalysis at the end of the 20th century.
150 Psychology
Language and the Mind 11 Feb

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of our ideas about the formation of language.
400 Language
Space in Religion and Science 18 Feb

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of thought about space, and examines whether cyberspace has introduced a new concept of space in our world or if its roots are in Einsteinian physics.
500 Science
The Avant Garde’s Decline and Fall in the 20th Century 25 Feb

Melvyn Bragg examines the social and aesthetic impact of the Avant Garde and discusses whether it has failed in making painting relevant in the 20th century.
700 Arts

Shakespeare and Literary Criticism 4 Mar

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the enduring popular and academic appeal of Shakespeare.
820 English and Old English literatures
History as Science 11 Mar

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the importance of geography and ecology in determining world history since civilisation began.
900 History
Animal Experiments and Rights 18 Mar

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the role of animals in humankind’s search for knowledge.
170 Ethics
Architecture in the 20th Century 25 Mar

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the rise in so-called spectacular architecture at the end of the 20th century.
720 Architecture

Good and Evil 1 Apr

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss whether religion can still be seen as a way of interpreting and judging good and evil in modern western civilisation and examines what the discoveries of Darwin and our knowledge of the true physiological nature and history of man has done for us in terms understanding our concepts of good and evil.
200 Religion
Writing and Political Oppression 8 Apr

Melvyn Bragg examines how two writers’ work have been shaped by political oppression and explores whether writers have a political role in modern society.
320 Political science
Evolution 15 Apr

Melvyn Bragg examines the future of gene therapy and advances in evolutionary biology.
570 Biology
Fundamentalism 22 Apr

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the roots and the consequences of religious fundamentalism.
200 Religion
Artificial Intelligence 29 Apr

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss artificial intelligence.
000 Computer science, knowledge and systems

Mathematics 6 May

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the way perceptions of the importance of mathematics have fluctuated in the 20th century, the nature of mathematical ability, and what mathematics can show us about how life began, and how it might continue.
510 Mathematics
Multiculturalism 13 May

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss multiculturalism.
300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology
The Universe’s Origins 20 May

Melvyn Bragg examines the history of what we know about the origins of the universe.
520 Astronomy
Memory and Culture 27 May

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss memory.
150 Psychology

Just War 3 Jun

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the idea of a just war.
170 Ethics
The Monarchy 10 Jun

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the British monarchy.
940 History of Europe
The Great Disruption 17 Jun

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the shift that has gone on through the 20th century from our being an industrial society to what is often called ‘the information society’.
300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology
Capitalism 24 Jun

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss capitalism throughout the last two centuries.
330 Economics

Intelligence 1 Jul

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss a question that has stalked the twentieth century: Intelligence.
150 Psychology
Africa 8 Jul

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss Africa.
960 History of Africa
Truth, Lies and Fiction 15 Jul

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss truth, lies and fiction.
800 Literature, rhetoric and criticism
Pain 22 Jul

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss pain; something of which everyone has an individual experience.
610 Medicine and health

Genetic Determinism 23 Sep

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the theory of Genetic Determinism.
570 Biology
Maths and Storytelling 30 Sep

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the relationship between maths and storytelling.
510 Mathematics

Utopia 7 Oct

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the concept of Utopia.
320 Political science
The Nation State 14 Oct

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the Nation State.
320 Political science
The Individual 21 Oct

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of the concept of the individual.
100 Philosophy
Atrocity in the 20th Century 28 Oct

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the widespread and chilling atrocities of the 20th century.
900 History

Education 4 Nov

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history and the modern purpose of education.
370 Education
The Novel 11 Nov

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the development and the future of the novel.
800 Literature, rhetoric and criticism
Progress 18 Nov

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss progress.
100 Philosophy
Consciousness 25 Nov

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the problems of consciousness, one of the greatest mysteries facing science and philosophy today.
120 Epistemology

Tragedy 2 Dec

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of the ancient genre of tragedy and examines whether we have a psychological need for it, either as catharsis or Schadenfreude.
800 Literature, rhetoric and criticism
Childhood 9 Dec

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss childhood.
300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology
Medical Ethics 16 Dec

Melvyn Bragg examines the technological advances and ethics of modern medicine.
170 Ethics
Prayer 23 Dec

Melvyn Bragg examines the purpose and effects of prayer.
200 Religion
Time 30 Dec

Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the history of mankind’s attempt to understand the nature of time.
110 Metaphysics