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4. The End of the Beginning
What happens when one side of the nature nurture equation is a mystery?
10 Feb 2026,·23 mins
To the Sea, Going Going, Aubade, The Whitsun Weddings
Simon Armitage, the Poet Laureate, unpicks Philip Larkin's poems in his centenary year.
19 Aug 2022,·57 mins
Episode 3
The fall of the Shah led to the creation of the world's first Islamic republic.
01 Jul 2009,·30 mins
Dòmhnall Màrtainn
Ann an 2025 bhruidhinn an t-eòlaiche ionmhais Dòmhnall Màrtainn ri Cathy NicDhòmhnaill.
25 Sep 2026,·21 mins
The Sea Lion
Ben Garrod and Jess French get under the skin (and blubber) of the California sea lion.
06 Feb 2024,·27 mins
Retreat
How the effects of French and British mandates in the Middle East still reverberate today.
17 Oct 2023,·28 mins
Us and them
Tim Hayward looks at the potential of fungi to help the human body and mind.
21 Jan 2022,·28 mins
Part Five - The Industrial Age and Beyond
First broadcast in 2002. How the changes of the 18th century affected Islam
29 Mar 2002,·26 mins
5. Mudflats and Salt Marshes
Wading birds and shelducks find their favourite snacks along the Northumberland coastline.
01 Apr 2016,·15 mins
5. Diet
Sian Williams analyses the importance of diet to brain health.
21 Aug 2015,·15 mins
Death of Chairman Mao
Reaction to the death of Chairman Mao.
08 Aug 1996,·28 mins
Nicolas Bourbaki
Professor Marcus du Sautoy argues that mathematics drives science.
25 Jun 2010,·15 mins
8. Shredded
Hoover’s death starts a race to control his secret files. But his power continues.
23 Jun 2022,·14 mins
The Legacy of Magna Carta
Melvyn Bragg examines the 800-year legacy of Magna Carta.
08 Jan 2015,·43 mins
Series 2
Amelia and Grace 2
Psychotherapist Susie Orbach meets mother and daughter Amelia and Grace.
18 Nov 2016,·15 mins
Ali Ansari concludes his grand tour of Iranian history travelling from the 1700s to today.
09 Jul 2012,·28 mins
1990 to the Present Day
Miranda Sawyer explores if, in the age of cheap flights, interrailing is still popular.
20 Aug 2011,·30 mins
The Gesar of Ling
The story of King Gesar of Ling, the central epic poem of Tibet and much of Central Asia
26 Feb 2004,·25 mins
4. Filling the Mind
Education, the chattering classes and the novel in Roman society.
09 Feb 2003,·30 mins
Episode 4
Prof Robert Winston on what happens when we perform music - does it change our brains?
06 Jun 2013,·30 mins
Episode 2
Paul Mason explores dark matters of nationalism and desire in the opera Die Meistersinger
07 May 2013,·30 mins
5. The £10 Billion Fridge
Dan Neidle unpacks the bizarre, brilliant and unexpected ways tax shapes our world.
04 Apr 2025,·14 mins
Amy and Ian
Psychology graduate Amy meets Ian, who survived three years of unemployment in the 1980s.
19 Oct 2020,·28 mins
Sloth
Becky Ripley and Sophie Ward delve into the psychology of the seven sins. Last up: sloth.
02 Jan 2024,·28 mins
5. The Anthropocene
Could human engineering stabilise the Earth's climate and chemistry in the long term?
30 Oct 2021,·23 mins
Verona and Thomas
Can Cole and Charlotte find photographs from a Jamaican couple’s 1950s wedding?
06 Dec 2021,·28 mins
10. Justice
Abraham’s family and friends keep searching for justice.
16 Dec 2022,·26 mins
Omnibus
How Can I Know Anything at All?
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss how we can know anything at all.
07 Aug 2015,·58 mins
Hedy Lamarr
Hedy Lamarr: 8. Hedy’s Legacy
After her tumultuous life, will Hedy finally be recognised as an inventor?
28 Aug 2025,·27 mins
What's the Value of Culture Today?
Melvyn Bragg and his guests debate the meaning and value of culture today.
04 Jan 2013,·42 mins
