The Reith Lectures Podcast
Significant international thinkers deliver the BBC's flagship annual lecture series
Episodes to download
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War's Fatal Attraction—Margaret MacMillan
Tue 24 Jul 2018
Margaret MacMillan examines how we remember and represent war in art.
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Managing the Unmanageable—Margaret MacMillan
Tue 17 Jul 2018
Margaret MacMillan assesses attempts to constrain and justify conflict.
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Civilians and War—Margaret MacMillan
Tue 10 Jul 2018
Margaret MacMillan examines the role of civilians as supporters and victims of conflict.
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Fearing and Loving: Making Sense of the Warrior—Margaret MacMillan
Tue 3 Jul 2018
Margaret MacMillan explores our complex relationship with the people who go to war.
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War and Humanity—Margaret MacMillan
Tue 26 Jun 2018
Margaret MacMillan asks if war is an essential part of being human.
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Angela Stent on George Kennan
Fri 29 Sep 2017
Significant international thinkers deliver the BBC's flagship annual lecture series
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Grayson Perry on Nikolaus Pevsner
Thu 28 Sep 2017
Significant international thinkers deliver the BBC's flagship annual lecture series
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Brian Cox on Robert Oppenheimer
Wed 27 Sep 2017
Significant international thinkers deliver the BBC's flagship annual lecture series
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Anand Menon on Robert Birley
Wed 27 Sep 2017
Significant international thinkers deliver the BBC's flagship annual lecture series
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Michael Sandel on Bertrand Russell
Wed 27 Sep 2017
Significant international thinkers deliver the BBC's flagship annual lecture series
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Adaptation—Hilary Mantel
Tue 11 Jul 2017
Hilary Mantel on how fiction changes when adapted for stage or screen.
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Can These Bones Live?—Hilary Mantel
Tue 4 Jul 2017
Hilary Mantel on how historical fiction can make the past come to life.
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Silence Grips the Town—Hilary Mantel
Tue 27 Jun 2017
The story of how historical obsession killed a Polish writer, told by Hilary Mantel.
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The Iron Maiden—Hilary Mantel
Tue 20 Jun 2017
How do we construct our pictures of the past asks Hilary Mantel.
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The Day Is for the Living—Hilary Mantel
Tue 13 Jun 2017
Art can bring the dead back to life argues novelist Hilary Mantel.
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Culture—Kwame Anthony Appiah: Mistaken Identities
Tue 8 Nov 2016
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah asks us to give up the idea of western civilisation.
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Colour—Kwame Anthony Appiah: Mistaken Identities
Tue 1 Nov 2016
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah argues for a world free of racial fixations.
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Country—Kwame Anthony Appiah: Mistaken Identities
Tue 25 Oct 2016
Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah argues against a mythical and romantic view of nationhood
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Creed—Kwame Anthony Appiah: Mistaken Identities
Tue 18 Oct 2016
1/4 Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah says we overestimate scripture in our view of faith.
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Black holes ain't as black as they are painted—Professor Stephen Hawking: Black Holes
Tue 1 Dec 2015
Professor Stephen Hawking delivers the second of his BBC Reith Lectures on black holes.
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Do black holes have no hair?—Professor Stephen Hawking: Black Holes
Tue 24 Nov 2015
Professor Stephen Hawking delivers the first of his BBC Reith Lectures on black holes.
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The Idea of Wellbeing—Dr Atul Gawande: The Future of Medicine
Tue 16 Dec 2014
4/4 Atul Gawande calls for a new focus on systems to ensure doctors work more effectively.
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The Problem of Hubris—Dr Atul Gawande: The Future of Medicine
Tue 9 Dec 2014
3/4 Atul Gawande calls for a new approach to the 'great unfixables' - ageing and death.
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The Century of the System—Dr Atul Gawande: The Future of Medicine
Tue 2 Dec 2014
2/4 Atul Gawande calls for a radical rethink of medical systems to transform healthcare.
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Why Do Doctors Fail?—Dr Atul Gawande: The Future of Medicine
Tue 4 Nov 2014
1/4 Surgeon and writer Dr Atul Gawande explores the nature of fallibility in medicine.
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I Found Myself in the Art World—Grayson Perry: Playing to the Gallery: 2013
Tue 5 Nov 2013
4/4 Grayson Perry discusses the painful yet rewarding process of becoming an artist.
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Nice Rebellion, Welcome In!—Grayson Perry: Playing to the Gallery: 2013
Tue 29 Oct 2013
3/4 Grayson Perry asks if revolution is a defining idea in art, or has it met its end?
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Beating the Bounds—Grayson Perry: Playing to the Gallery: 2013
Tue 22 Oct 2013
2/4 Grayson Perry questions the often-heard assertion that anything can be art.
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Democracy Has Bad Taste—Grayson Perry: Playing to the Gallery: 2013
Tue 15 Oct 2013
1/4 Grayson Perry analyses the complex process of judging quality in contemporary art.
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Civil and Uncivil Societies—Niall Ferguson: The Rule of Law and Its Enemies: 2012
Sat 14 Jul 2012
4/4 Niall Ferguson asks what constitutes a vibrant and independent civil society.
New to the Reith Lectures? Here’s where to start
Four lectures recommended by the series producer.
The Hellishly Difficult War Quiz
How much do you know about historical conflicts and those who fought in them?
