# List of In Our Time programmes

In Our Time is a radio discussion programme exploring a wide variety of historical, scientific, cultural, religious and philosophical topics, broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in the United Kingdom since 1998 and hosted by Melvyn Bragg. Since 2011, all episodes have been available to download as individual podcasts.

## Programmes

* 1998–1999
* 1999–2000
* 2000–2001
* 2001–2002
* 2002–2003
* 2003–2004
* 2004–2005
* 2005–2006
* 2006–2007
* 2007–2008
* 2008–2009
* 2009–2010
* 2010–2011
* 2011–2012
* 2012–2013
* 2013–2014
* 2014–2015
* 2015–2016
* 2016–2017
* 2017–2018
* 2018–2019
* 2019–2020
* 2020–2021
* 2021–2022
* 2022–2023
* 2023–2024
* 2024–2025

### 1998–1999

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 15 October 1998 | War in the 20th Century | Michael Ignatieff, writer, broadcaster and biographer of Isaiah Berlin Michael Howard, formerly Regius Professor of History, Oxford University and joint editor of the new Oxford History of the Twentieth Century |
| 22 October 1998 | Politics in the 20th Century | Gore Vidal, American writer, commentator and author of The Smithsonian Institution Alan Clark, historian, politician and author of The Tories: Conservatives and the Nation State, 1922–97 |
| 29 October 1998 | Science's Revelations | Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist, reader in Zoology and Fellow of New College, Oxford, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, Oxford University and author of Unweaving the Rainbow: Science, Delusion and the Appetite for Wonder Ian McEwan, novelist and author of the Booker Prize-winning novel Amsterdam |
| 5 November 1998 | Science in the 20th century | John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy, University of Sussex and consultant to New Scientist Mary Midgley, moral philosopher and former Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Newcastle |
| 12 November 1998 | The City in the 20th Century | Peter Hall, Professor of Planning at the Bartlett School of Architecture and Planning, University College, London, Fellow of the British Academy and a member of the Academia Europaea Doreen Massey, Professor of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences, Open University and recipient of the Vautrin Lud International Geography Prize and the Victoria Medal of the Royal Geographical Society |
| 19 November 1998 | The Brain and Consciousness | Steven Rose, Professor of Biology and Director of the Brain and Behaviour Research Group, Open University Dan Robinson, Distinguished Research Professor, Georgetown University and visiting lecturer in Philosophy and Senior Member of Linacre College, Oxford |
| 26 November 1998 | Work in the 20th Century | Richard Sennett, visiting professor, London School of Economics and author of The Corrosion of Character – the Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism Theodore Zeldin, historian and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford Melanie Phillips, columnist on The Sunday Times and currently working on a book about The Sex Change State |
| 3 December 1998 | History's relevance in the 20th century | Simon Schama, Old Dominion Professor of Humanities, Columbia University in New York and currently filming a 16-part series for BBC Television on the history of Britain Lady Antonia Fraser, historian, writer and author of biographies of Mary Queen of Scots, Cromwell and Charles II |
| 10 December 1998 | Cultural rights in the 20th Century | Homi Bhabha, Professor in English Literature and Art, The University of Chicago, and Visiting Professor of the Humanities, University College London John N. Gray, Professor of European Thought, London School of Economics |
| 17 December 1998 | The American Century | Harry Evans, former editor of The Sunday Times and author of The American Century John Lloyd, associate editor of the New Statesman and former Times correspondent in Moscow and East European Editor of the Financial Times |
| 24 December 1998 | Neuroscience in the 20th Century | Susan Greenfield, director of the Royal Institution, Professor of Pharmacology, Oxford University and Professor of Physics at Gresham College Vilayanur S. Ramachandran, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, Director of the Brain Perception Laboratory, University of California, San Diego and Professor at the Salk Institute |
| 31 December 1998 | The British Empire's Legacy | Catherine Hall, Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History, University College, London Linda Colley, currently holder of the Leverhulme Research Professorship at the London School of Economics and former Professor of History, Yale University |
| 7 January 1999 | Feminism | Helena Cronin, Co-director of the Centre for the Philosophy of the Natural and Social Sciences, London School of Economics Germaine Greer, Professor of English and Comparative Studies, Warwick University |
| 14 January 1999 | Genetic Engineering | Grahame Bulfield, geneticist, honorary professor, Edinburgh University and Director of the Roslin Institute, Edinburgh Bryan Appleyard, features writer for The Sunday Times and author of Brave New Worlds: Genetics and the Human Experience |
| 21 January 1999 | Modern Culture | Will Self, writer and novelist Roger Scruton, novelist, philosopher and former Professor at Birkbeck College, London |
| 28 January 1999 | Ageing | Alan Walker, social gerontologist, advisor to the UN's programme on Ageing and has chaired the European Commission's observatory on Ageing and Older People Tom Kirkwood, Britain's first professor of Biological Gerontology, University of Manchester and president of the British Society for Research into Ageing |
| 4 February 1999 | Psychoanalysis and its Legacy | Juliet Mitchell, psychoanalyst, Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, Department of Political and Social Sciences Adam Phillips, psychoanalyst and author of The Beast in the Nursery |
| 11 February 1999 | Language and the Mind | Jonathan Miller, medical doctor, performer, broadcaster, author and film and opera director Steven Pinker, cognitive scientist, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Centre for Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
| 18 February 1999 | Space in Religion and Science | John Polkinghorne, Fellow of Queens' College, Cambridge and Canon Theologian of Liverpool Cathedral Margaret Wertheim, science writer and author of The Pearly Gates of Cyberspace: A History of Space from Dante to the Internet |
| 25 February 1999 | The Avant Garde's Decline and Fall in the 20th Century | Eric Hobsbawm, eminent historian and author of Behind The Times: The Decline and Fall of the Twentieth Century Avant-Gardes Frances Morris, specialist in contemporary art and Art Programme Curator for the Tate Gallery of Modern Art |
| 4 March 1999 | Shakespeare and Literary Criticism | Harold Bloom, literary critic, Professor of Humanities, Yale University and Berg Professor of English, New York University Jacqueline Rose, literary critic and Professor of English, University of London |
| 11 March 1999 | History as Science | Jared Diamond, ecologist and physiologist at the Los Angeles Medical School, University of California, and author of Guns, Germs and Steel Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History, Cambridge University |
| 18 March 1999 | Animal Experiments and Rights | Colin Blakemore, Professor of Physiology, Oxford University, president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, Fellow of the Royal Society and targeted in the 1980s by animal welfare activists protesting at his research methods Lynda Birke, biologist, teacher at Lancaster and Warwick Universities, and previously worked for 7 years in animal behaviour at the Open University |
| 25 March 1999 | Architecture in the 20th Century | Daniel Libeskind, architect of the Jewish Museum in Berlin and the Spiral Extension to London's Victoria and Albert Museum Richard Weston, architect and lecturer at De Montfort University |
| 1 April 1999 | Good and Evil | Leszek Kołakowski, author and Professor of Philosophy, Oxford University Galen Strawson, author and Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy, Jesus College, Oxford |
| 8 April 1999 | Writing and Political Oppression | Nadine Gordimer, Nobel Prize-winning South African novelist Ariel Dorfman, Chilean journalist, scholar and author of Death and the Maiden |
| 15 April 1999 | Evolution | John Maynard Smith, evolutionary biological theorist and Emeritus Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex Colin Tudge, writer, journalist and research fellow at the Centre for Philosophy |
| 22 April 1999 | Fundamentalism | Karen Armstrong, writer on the history of religious ideas and author of A History of God: From Abraham to the Present Tariq Ali, film-maker, writer and author of The Book of Saladin |
| 29 April 1999 | Artificial Intelligence | Igor Aleksander, professor, Imperial College London and inventor of Magnus – a neural computer which he says is an artificially conscious machine John Searle, Professor of Philosophy, University of California and one of only two people in the world to invent an argument, the Chinese Room Argument, which destroys the plausibility of the idea of conscious machines |
| 6 May 1999 | Mathematics | Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics and Gresham Professor of Geometry, University of Warwick Brian Butterworth, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College, London |
| 13 May 1999 | Multiculturalism | Stuart Hall, former Professor of Sociology, Open University and currently on a Commission set up by the Runnymede Trust looking at the future of multi-ethnic Britain Avtar Brah, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, Birkbeck College, London University |
| 20 May 1999 | The Universe's Origins | Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Royal Society Research Professor in Astronomy and Physics, Cambridge University Paul Davies, theoretical physicist and Visiting Professor at Imperial College, London |
| 27 May 1999 | Memory and Culture | Malcolm Bowie, Marshall Foch Professor of French Literature at Oxford University and Director of Oxford's European Humanities Research Centre Nancy Wood, Chair of Media Studies, University of Sussex and author of Vectors of Memory |
| 3 June 1999 | Just War | John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Westminster and Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy Niall Ferguson, Fellow and Tutor in Modern History, Jesus College, Oxford and author of The Pity of War |
| 10 June 1999 | The Monarchy | David Cannadine, Director of the Institute of Historical Research, London and former Lecturer in History and Fellow, Christ's College, Cambridge Bea Campbell, sociologist, journalist and author of Diana, Princess of Wales |
| 17 June 1999 | The Great Disruption | Francis Fukuyama, Hirst Professor of Public Policy, George Mason University, Washington, D.C., and author of The Great Disruption: Human Nature and the Reconstitution of Social Order Amos Oz, author and Professor of Hebrew Literature, Ben-Gurion University, Beer-Sheva |
| 24 June 1999 | Capitalism | Anatole Kaletsky, economics commentator and Associate Editor of The Times, and author of The Costs of Default and In the Shadow of Debt Edward Luttwak, Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C. and author of Turbo Capitalism: Winners and Losers in the Global Economy |
| 1 July 1999 | Intelligence | Ken Richardson, educational psychologist, former Senior Lecturer, Open University and author of The Making of Intelligence Michael Ruse, Philosopher of Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario and author of Mystery of Mysteries: Is Evolution a Social Construction? |
| 8 July 1999 | Africa | Henry Louis Gates Jr, Chair of the Afro-American Studies Department, Harvard University and presenter of the BBC 2 series Into Africa Anthony Sampson, writer, journalist and author of Mandela: The Authorised Biography |
| 15 July 1999 | Truth, Lies and fiction | Elena Lappin, novelist and author of an investigative essay published in Granta called "Truth and Lies", where she questions the veracity of the account of the Holocaust in the book Fragments by Binjamin Wilkomirski Nick Groom, lecturer in English, University of Exeter |
| 22 July 1999 | Pain | Patrick Wall, Professor of Physiology at St Thomas' Hospital, London and author of Pain: The Science of Suffering Semir Zeki, Professor of Neurobiology at University College, London |

### 1999–2000

From 6 April 2000, with the discussion on "The Natural Order", the programme moved from 30 minutes to a 45-minute format.
| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 23 September 1999 | Genetic Determinism | Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics, University College London and author of Almost Like a Whale: The Origin of Species Updated Matt Ridley, science journalist, chairman of the International Centre for Life and author of Genome: The autobiography of a species in 23 chapters |
| 30 September 1999 | Maths and Storytelling | John Allen Paulos, Presidential Scholar of Mathematics, Temple University, Philadelphia and author of Once Upon a Number – The hidden mathematical logic of stories Marina Warner, novelist, historian, critic, former Reith Lecturer and Visiting Professor at Birkbeck College, London |
| 7 October 1999 | Utopia | A. C. Grayling, human rights campaigner, lecturer in philosophy at Birkbeck College, London and Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford John Carey, distinguished critic, journalist, broadcaster, Merton Professor of English, Oxford University and editor of the Faber Book of Utopias |
| 14 October 1999 | The Nation State | Norman Davies, Emeritus Professor, London University and author of The Isles: A History Andrew Marr, former editor of The Independent and author of Ruling Britannia: the Failure and Future of British Democracy |
| 21 October 1999 | The Individual | Richard Wollheim, Professor of Philosophy, University of California in Berkeley Jonathan Dollimore, Professor of English, University of York |
| 28 October 1999 | Atrocity in the 20th Century | Jonathan Glover, philosopher and Director of the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, King's College, London Gwen Adshead, consultant psychiatrist, Broadmoor Special Hospital |
| 4 November 1999 | Education | Mary Warnock, philosopher and educationalist Ted Wragg, Professor of Education, University of Exeter |
| 11 November 1999 | The Novel | D. J. Taylor, novelist, critic, biographer of Thackeray and author of After the War Gillian Beer, King Edward VII Professor of English Literature, Cambridge University and Chairman of the Booker Prize judges 1997 |
| 18 November 1999 | Progress | Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy, University of Bradford Adam Phillips, psychoanalyst and author of Darwin's Worms |
| 25 November 1999 | Consciousness | Ted Honderich, philosopher and former Grote Professor of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic, University College London Roger Penrose, physicist, mathematician and author of The Large, the Small and the Human Mind |
| 2 December 1999 | Tragedy | George Steiner, critic, Extraordinary Fellow, Churchill College, Cambridge and author of The Death of Tragedy Catherine Belsey, Chair of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Theory, University of Cardiff and author of The Subject of Tragedy |
| 9 December 1999 | Childhood | Christina Hardyment, social historian and author of The Future of the Family Theodore Zeldin, Senior Fellow, St Antony's College, Oxford and author of An Intimate History of Humanity |
| 16 December 1999 | Medical Ethics | Barry Jackson, consultant surgeon and president of the Royal College of Surgeons of England Sheila McLean, Director of the Institute of Law and Ethics in Medicine, Glasgow University |
| 23 December 1999 | Prayer | Russell Stannard, physicist, religious writer and author of The God Experiment Andrew Samuels, Jungian analyst and Professor of Analytical Psychology, University of Essex |
| 30 December 1999 | Time | Neil Johnson, theoretical physicist at the Clarendon Laboratory, Oxford University and Royal Institution Christmas Lecturer 1999 on the subject of Time Lee Smolin, cosmologist and Professor of Physics, Pennsylvania State University |
| 6 January 2000 | Climate change | John Houghton, Co-Chair of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change – the United Nations' global warming science committee George Monbiot, environmentalist, journalist and Visiting Professor, Department of Philosophy, Bristol University |
| 13 January 2000 | Information Technology | Charles Leadbeater, Demos Research Associate and author of Living on Thin Air: The New Economy Ian Angell, Professor of Information Systems, London School of Economics and author of The New Barbarian Manifesto: How to Survive the Information Age |
| 20 January 2000 | Masculinity in Literature | Martin Amis, author of Money, Success and The Information Cora Kaplan, feminist cultural critic and Professor of English, Southampton University |
| 27 January 2000 | Economic Rights | Amartya Sen, Master of Trinity College, Cambridge and winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economic Science Will Hutton, former Editor of The Observer, Director of The Industrial Society and author of The State We're In |
| 3 February 2000 | Republicanism | Sarah Barber, lecturer in the Department of History, Lancaster University and author of Regicide and Republicanism: Politics and Ethics in the English Revolution 1646–1659 Andrew Roberts, historian, journalist, conservative thinker and author of Salisbury: Victorian Titan |
| 10 February 2000 | Goethe and the Science of the Enlightenment | Nicholas Boyle, Reader in German Literary and Intellectual History, Magdalene College, Cambridge, and biographer of Goethe Simon Schaffer, Reader in the History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University and Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge |
| 17 February 2000 | Reading | Kevin Sharpe, Professor of History, University of Southampton Jacqueline Pearson, Professor of English Literature, Manchester University |
| 24 February 2000 | Grand Unified Theory | Brian Greene, Professor of Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University and Cornell University Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Royal Society Research Professor in Astronomy and Physics at Cambridge University |
| 2 March 2000 | Metamorphosis | A. S. Byatt, novelist and one of the contributors to Ovid Metamorphosed Catherine Bates, critic and research fellow, University of Warwick |
| 9 March 2000 | The Age of Doubt | A. N. Wilson, novelist, biographer, journalist and author of God's Funeral Victoria Glendinning, author, journalist and biographer of Anthony Trollope and Jonathan Swift |
| 16 March 2000 | Lenin | Robert Service, lecturer in Russian History and Fellow of St Antony's College, Oxford and biographer of Lenin Vitali Vitaliev, author, columnist, broadcaster and former Soviet Journalist of the Year |
| 23 March 2000 | Materialism and the Consumer | Rachel Bowlby, Professor of English, University of York and author of Carried Away: The Invention of Modern Shopping William Gibson, science fiction writer and author of Neuromancer and All Tomorrow's Parties |
| 30 March 2000 | History and Understanding the Past | Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History, University of Cambridge Eric Hobsbawm, historian and author of The New Century |
| 6 April 2000 | The Natural Order | Colin Tudge, writer, scientist and author of The Variety of Life: A Survey and a Celebration of all the Creatures that Have Ever Lived Sandy Knapp, Research Botanist, Department of Botany, Natural History Museum, London Henry Gee, Senior Editor of Nature and author of Deep Time: Cladistics, the Revolution in Evolution |
| 13 April 2000 | New Wars | Michael Howard, Emeritus Professor of Modern History, Oxford University Mary Kaldor, Director of the Programme on Global Civil Society, London School of Economics Michael Rose, General, former Commander of the United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia and author of Fighting for Peace: Lessons from Bosnia |
| 20 April 2000 | Englishness | Paul Langford, Professor of Modern History, University of Oxford Peter Mandler, Professor of Modern History at London Guildhall University Lola Young, Director of the National Museum and Archives of Black History and Culture |
| 27 April 2000 | Human Origins | Leslie Aiello, Professor of Biological Anthropology, University College London Robert Foley, evolutionary ecologist, writer and lecturer in biological anthropology at Cambridge University Mark Roberts, Field Archaeologist, Project Leader of Boxgrove excavation and the discoverer of Boxgrove Man |
| 4 May 2000 | Death | Jonathan Dollimore, Professor of English, University of York Thomas Lynch, poet, essayist, funeral director and author of The Undertaking – Life Studies from the Dismal Trade Marilyn Butler, Professor of English Literature and Rector of Exeter College, Oxford |
| 11 May 2000 | Shakespeare's Work | Frank Kermode, literary critic and author of Shakespeare's Language Michael Bogdanov, theatre, television, opera and film director and a founder member of the English Shakespeare Company Germaine Greer, Professor of English and Comparative Studies, Warwick University |
| 18 May 2000 | The Wars of the Roses | Helen Castor, Fellow and Director of Studies in History, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Colin Richmond, Emeritus Professor of History, Keele University Stephen Gunn, Tudor historian and Fellow and Tutor in Modern History, Merton College, Oxford |
| 25 May 2000 | Chemical elements | Paul Strathern, former lecturer in philosophy and science, Kingston University and author of Mendeleyev's Dream: The Quest for the Elements Mary Archer, Visiting Professor of Chemistry at Imperial College, London John Murrell, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry, University of Sussex |
| 1 June 2000 | The American Ideal | Christopher Hitchens, writer, journalist and author of No One Left to Lie To: The Triangulations of William Jefferson Clinton John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Westminster and Director of the Centre for the Study of Democracy Susan Sontag, cultural critics and essayists, and author of the novel In America |
| 8 June 2000 | The Renaissance | Francis Ames-Lewis, Professor of History of Art, Birkbeck College Peter Burke, Professor of Cultural History and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Evelyn Welch, Reader in the History of Art, University of Sussex |
| 15 June 2000 | Inspiration and Genius | Arthur I. Miller, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, Department of Science & Technology, University College London Michael Howe, Professor of Psychology, Exeter University Juliet Mitchell, psychoanalyst and lecturer at Cambridge University |
| 22 June 2000 | Biography | Richard Holmes, writer, biographer and the author of Sidetracks: Explorations of a Romantic Biographer Nigel Hamilton, biographer, Director of the British Institute of Biography and Professor of Biography, De Montfort University Amanda Foreman, biographer of Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire |
| 29 June 2000 | Imagination and Consciousness | Gerald Edelman, Director of the Neurosciences Institute in California and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1972 Igor Aleksander, Professor of Neural Engineering Systems, Imperial College, London Margaret Boden, Professor of Philosophy and Psychology, University of Sussex |

### 2000–2001

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 28 September 2000 | London | Peter Ackroyd, author of London: The Biography Claire Tomalin, author and biographer of Samuel Pepys Iain Sinclair poet, novelist and author of Liquid City and Lights Out for the Territory |
| 5 October 2000 | Hitler in History | Ian Kershaw, historian and biographer of Hitler Niall Ferguson, fellow and tutor in Modern History at Jesus College, Oxford Mary Fulbrook, Professor of German History at University College London |
| 12 October 2000 | The Romantics | Jonathan Bate, Professor of English, University of Liverpool Rosemary Ashton, Professor of English, University College London Nicholas Roe, Professor of English, University of St Andrews |
| 19 October 2000 | Laws of Nature | Mark Buchanan, physicist and author of Ubiquity Frank Close, theoretical physicist and author of Lucifer's Legacy: The Meaning of Asymmetry Nancy Cartwright, Professor of Philosophy, LSE |
| 26 October 2000 | The Tudor State | John Guy, Professor of Modern History, University of St Andrews Christopher Haigh, Tutor of Modern History at Christ Church, Oxford Christine Carpenter, Fellow in History at New Hall, Cambridge |
| 2 November 2000 | Evolutionary Psychology | Janet Radcliffe Richards, Reader in Bioethics, University College, London Nicholas Humphrey, Professor of Psychology, New School for Social Research, New York Steven Rose, Professor of Physic, Open University |
| 9 November 2000 | Psychoanalysis and Literature | Adam Phillips, author of Promises Promises: Essays on Psychoanalysis and Literature Malcolm Bowie, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature, Oxford University Lisa Appignanesi, novelist and co-author of Freud's Women |
| 16 November 2000 | Nihilism | Rob Hopkins, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Birmingham Raymond Tallis, doctor and philosopher Catherine Belsey, University of Cardiff |
| 4 January 2001 | Gothic | Chris Baldick, Professor of English at Goldsmiths College, London and author of In Frankenstein's Shadow A. N. Wilson, novelist, biographer, journalist and author of God's Funeral Emma Clery, senior lecturer in the English Department at Sheffield Hallam University and author of The Rise of Supernatural Fiction |
| 11 January 2001 | Mathematics and Platonism | Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics and Gresham Professor of Geometry, University of Warwick Margaret Wertheim, science writer, journalist and author of Pythagoras' Trousers John D. Barrow, Professor of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge |
| 18 January 2001 | The Enlightenment in Britain | Roy Porter, Professor in the Social History of Medicine, Wellcome Trust Centre of University College London Linda Colley, Leverhulme Research Professor and School Professor of History, London School of Economics Jeremy Black, Professor of History at Exeter University |
| 25 January 2001 | Science and Religion | Stephen Jay Gould, Alexander Agassiz Professor of Zoology and Professor of Geology, Harvard University John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy, University of St Andrews and Stanton Lecturer in Divinity, Cambridge University Hilary Rose, sociologist and Visiting Professor of Social Policy, Bradford University |
| 1 February 2001 | Imperial Science | Richard Drayton, Professor of History at the University of Virginia and author of Nature's Government: Science, Imperial Britain and the 'Improvement' of the World Maria Misra, Lecturer in Modern History and fellow of Keble College, Oxford Ziauddin Sardar, Professor of Science and Technology Policy, Middlesex University |
| 8 February 2001 | Humanism | Tony Davies, Professor and Head of the Department of English, University of Birmingham and author of Humanism Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies, Queen Mary College, University of London and Honorary Fellow of King's College, Cambridge Simon Goldhill, Reader in Greek Literature and Culture at King's College, Cambridge |
| 15 February 2001 | The Restoration | Mark Goldie, lecturer in History, Churchill College, University of Cambridge Richard Ollard, author of The Image of the King: Charles I and Charles II Clare Jackson, lecturer and Director of Studies in History, Trinity Hall, Cambridge |
| 22 February 2001 | Quantum Gravity | John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy, University of Sussex Lee Smolin, Professor of Physics, Centre for Gravitational Physics and Geometry, Pennsylvania State University and Visiting Professor of Physics at Imperial College, London Janna Levin, Advanced Fellow, Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Cambridge University |
| 1 March 2001 | Money | Niall Ferguson, Professor of Political and Financial History at the University of Oxford Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge Jane Humphries, reader in Economic History at Oxford University |
| 15 March 2001 | Shakespeare's Life | Katherine Duncan-Jones, Professor of English at Somerville College, Oxford John Sutherland, Professor of Modern English at University College, London and textual scholar Grace Ioppolo, lecturer in English at the University of Reading |
| 22 March 2001 | Fossils | Richard Corfield, Research Associate in the Department of Earth Sciences at Oxford University Dianne Edwards, Distinguished Research Professor in Palaeobotany at Cardiff University Richard Fortey, Senior Research Palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum |
| 29 March 2001 | The Philosophy of Love | Roger Scruton, author of many books including Sexual Desire Angie Hobbs, lecturer in philosophy at Warwick University Thomas Docherty, Professor of English at the University of Kent |
| 5 April 2001 | The Roman Empire's Collapse in the 5th century | Charlotte Roueché, historian of late antiquity at King's College London David Womersley, Fellow and Tutor at Jesus College, Oxford and editor of Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire Richard Alston, Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 12 April 2001 | Black Holes | Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Cambridge University Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Professor of Physics at The Open University Martin Ward, director of the X-Ray Astronomy Group at the University of Leicester |
| 19 April 2001 | The Glorious Revolution | John Spurr, Reader in History at the University of Wales, Swansea Rosemary Sweet, Lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Leicester Scott Mandelbrote, Fellow and Director of Studies at Peterhouse, Cambridge |
| 26 April 2001 | Literary Modernism | John Carey, Merton Professor of English Literature at Oxford University Laura Marcus, Reader in English at the University of Sussex Valentine Cunningham, Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford |
| 3 May 2001 | Evil | Jones Erwin, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Limerick Stephen Mulhall, Tutor in Philosophy at New College, Oxford University Margaret Atkins, Lecturer in Theology at Trinity and All Saints College, University of Leeds |
| 14 June 2001 | The French Revolution's Legacy | Stefan Collini, Professor of Intellectual History and English Literature at Cambridge University Anne Janowitz, Professor of Romantic Poetry at Queen Mary College, London Andrew Roberts, nineteenth century historian |
| 21 June 2001 | The Sonnet | Frank Kermode, author of many books including Shakespeare's Language Phillis Levin, Poet in Residence and Professor of English at Hofstra University Jonathan Bate, King Alfred Professor of English at the University of Liverpool |
| 28 June 2001 | Existentialism | A. C. Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Christina Howells, Professor of French at the University of Oxford, fellow of Wadham College Simon Critchley, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex and author of A Companion to Continental Philosophy |
| 5 July 2001 | The Earth's Origins | Simon Winchester, author of The Map That Changed the World: the Tale of William Smith and the Birth of A Science Cherry Lewis, geologist and author of The Dating Game: One Man's Search for the Age of the Earth John Cosgrove, Structural Geologist from the Royal School of Mines at Imperial College, London |
| 12 July 2001 | Dickens | Rosemary Ashton, Professor of English at University College London Michael Slater, Professor of Victorian Literature at Birkbeck College, University of London and editor of The Dent Uniform Edition of Dickens' Journalism John Bowen, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Keele |
| 19 July 2001 | Byzantium | Charlotte Roueché, Reader in Classical and Byzantine Greek, King's College London John Julius Norwich, author of a three-part history of Byzantium: The Early Centuries, The Apogee and Decline and Fall Liz James, Senior Lecturer in the History of Art, University of Sussex |

### 2001–2002

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 18 October 2001 | Democracy | Melissa Lane, University Lecturer in the History of Political Thought David Wootton, Professor of Intellectual History at Queen Mary College, London Tim Winter, Assistant Muslim Chaplain at Cambridge University where he is lecturer in Islamic Studies |
| 25 October 2001 | Napoleon and Wellington | Andrew Roberts, military historian Mike Broers, University of Aberdeen Belinda Beaton, Department of History of Art at Oxford University |
| 1 November 2001 | Confucius | Frances Wood, Curator of the Chinese section of the British Library Tim Barrett, Professor of East Asian History at SOAS, the School of African and Oriental Studies at London University Tao Tao Liu, Tutorial Fellow in Oriental Studies at Wadham College, Cambridge University |
| 8 November 2001 | The British Empire | Maria Misra, Lecturer in Modern History and Fellow of Keble College, Oxford Peter Cain, Research Professor in History at Sheffield Hallam University Catherine Hall, Professor of Modern Social and Cultural History at University College London |
| 15 November 2001 | Surrealism | Dawn Adès, Professor of Art History and Theory at the University of Essex Malcolm Bowie, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at Oxford University and a fellow of All Souls College Darian Leader, psychoanalyst |
| 22 November 2001 | Oceanography | Margaret Deacon, visiting research fellow at Southampton Oceanography Centre and author of Scientists and the Sea Tony Rice, biological oceanographer and author of Deep Ocean Simon Schaffer, Reader in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge, and a fellow of Darwin College |
| 29 November 2001 | Third Crusade | Jonathan Riley-Smith, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University and author of many books on the Crusades Carole Hillenbrand, Professor of Islamic History at the University of Edinburgh Tariq Ali, novelist, playwright and author of The Book of Saladin |
| 6 December 2001 | Oscar Wilde | Valentine Cunningham, Professor of English Language and Literature at Oxford University Regenia Gagnier, Professor of English at the University of Exeter Neil Sammells, Dean of Humanities at Bath Spa University and author of Wilde Style |
| 13 December 2001 | Genetics | Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics and Head of the Galton Laboratory at University College London Richard Dawkins, genetic scientist, Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University Linda Partridge, Natural Environment Research Council Research Professor at the Galton Laboratory, University College London |
| 20 December 2001 | Rome and European Civilization | Mary Beard, Reader in Classics at Cambridge University Catharine Edwards, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, London University Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at St Andrews University |
| 27 December 2001 | Food | Rebecca Spang, Lecturer in Modern History at University College London Ivan Day, food historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University |
| 3 January 2002 | Sensibility | Claire Tomalin, literary biographer and author of Jane Austen: A Life and The Life and Death of Mary Wollstonecraft John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English at University College London Hermione Lee, Goldsmiths Professor of English Literature, University of Oxford |
| 10 January 2002 | Nuclear Physics | Jim Al-Khalili, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Surrey Christine Sutton, Particle Physicist and Lecturer in Physics at St Catherine's College, Oxford John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex |
| 17 January 2002 | Catharism | Malcolm Barber, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Reading Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval History at Queen Mary, University of London Euan Cameron, Professor of Modern History at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne |
| 24 January 2002 | Happiness | Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Simon Blackburn, Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University A. C. Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London |
| 31 January 2002 | Yeats and Mysticism | Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History at Oxford University Warwick Gould, Director of the Institute of English Studies, University of London Brenda Maddox, author of George's Ghosts: A New Life of W B Yeats |
| 7 February 2002 | The Universe's Shape | Martin Rees, Royal Society Research Professor in Astronomy and Physics, Cambridge University Julian Barbour, Independent Theoretical Physicist Janna Levin, Advanced Fellow in Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge |
| 14 February 2002 | Anatomy | Harold Ellis, Clinical Anatomist, School of Biomedical Sciences, King's College, London Ruth Richardson, historian and author of Death, Dissection and the Destitute, Phoenix Press Andrew Cunningham, Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in the History of Medicine, Department of History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University |
| 21 February 2002 | The Celts | Barry Cunliffe, Professor of European Archaeology at Oxford University Alistair Moffat, Historian and author of The Sea Kingdoms – The Story of Celtic Britain and Ireland Miranda Aldhouse Green, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Wales |
| 28 February 2002 | Virtue | Galen Strawson, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading Miranda Fricker, Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Roger Crisp, Uehiro Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at St Anne's College, Oxford |
| 7 March 2002 | Milton | John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary College, University of London and Honorary Fellow of King's College, Cambridge Blair Worden, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Sussex |
| 14 March 2002 | The Buddha | Peter Harvey, Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Sunderland Kate Crosby, Lecturer in Buddhist Studies, SOAS Mahinda Deegalle, Lecturer in the Study of Religions, Bath Spa University College and a Buddhist Monk from the Theravada tradition in Sri Lanka |
| 21 March 2002 | Marriage | Janet Soskice, Reader in Modern Theology and Philosophical Theology, Cambridge University Frederik Pedersen, Lecturer in History, Aberdeen University Christina Hardyment, Social historian and journalist |
| 28 March 2002 | The Artist | Emma Barker, Lecturer in Art History, The Open University Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck University of London Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge |
| 4 April 2002 | Extra Terrestrials | Simon Goodwin, Researcher in Astronomy, Cardiff University Heather Couper, Space expert Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics, Warwick University |
| 11 April 2002 | Bohemia | Norman Davies, Professor Emeritus, University of London Karin Friedrich, Lecturer in History, School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London Robert Pynsent, Professor of Czech and Slovak Literature, University College London |
| 25 April 2002 | Tolstoy | A. N. Wilson, novelist, journalist and biographer of Tolstoy Catriona Kelly, Reader in Russian, Oxford University Sarah Hudspith, Lecturer in Russian, University of Leeds |
| 2 May 2002 | The Physics of Reality | Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics, Oxford University Fay Dowker, Lecturer in Theoretical Physics, Queen Mary, University of London Tony Sudbery, Professor of Mathematics, University of York |
| 9 May 2002 | The Examined Life | A. C. Grayling, Reader in Philosophy, Birkbeck, University of London Janet Radcliffe Richards, Philosopher of Science and Reader in Bioethics, University College, London Julian Baggini, editor, The Philosopher's Magazine and co-editor of New British Philosophy: The Interviews |
| 16 May 2002 | Chaos Theory | Susan Greenfield, senior research fellow, Lincoln College, Oxford David Papineau, Professor of the Philosophy of Science, King's College London Neil Johnson, University Lecturer in Physics at Oxford University |
| 23 May 2002 | Drugs | Richard Davenport-Hines, historian and author of The Pursuit of Oblivion: A Global History of Narcotics Sadie Plant, author of Writing on Drugs Mike Jay, historian and author of Emperors of Dreams: Drugs in the Nineteenth Century |
| 30 May 2002 | The Grand Tour | Chloe Chard, Literary historian Jeremy Black, Professor of History, University of Exeter Edward Chaney, Professor of Fine and Decorative Arts, Southampton Institute |
| 6 June 2002 | The Soul | Richard Sorabji, Gresham Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College Ruth Padel, poet and author Martin Palmer, Theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture |
| 13 June 2002 | The American West | Frank McLynn, Visiting Professor in the Department of Literature, University of Strathclyde Jenni Calder, author of There Must Be a Lone Ranger: The myth and reality of the American Wild West Christopher Frayling, Rector of the Royal College of Art |
| 20 June 2002 | Wagner | John Deathridge, King Edward the Seventh Professor of Music, King's College London Lucy Beckett, author of Richard Wagner: Parsifal Michael Tanner, philosopher and author of Wagner and Nietzsche |
| 27 June 2002 | Cultural Imperialism | Linda Colley, School Professor of History, London School of Economics Phillip Dodd, director, Institute of Contemporary Arts Mary Beard, Reader in Classics, Cambridge University |
| 4 July 2002 | Freedom | John Keane, Professor of Politics, University of Westminster Bernard Williams, Professor of Philosophy, University of California Annabel Brett, Lecturer in History, University of Cambridge |
| 11 July 2002 | Psychoanalysis and democracy | Adam Phillips, general editor of the new Penguin translations of Freud Sally Alexander, Professor of History, Goldsmiths College, University of London Malcolm Bowie, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature and Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford |
| 18 July 2002 | Heritage | David Cannadine, Director of the University of London's Institute of Historical Research Miri Rubin, Professor of European History at Queen Mary, University of London Peter Mandler, Fellow in History, Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |

### 2002–2003

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 17 October 2002 | Slavery and Empire | Linda Colley, School Professor of History, LSE Catherine Hall, Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History, University College London Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Professorial Research Fellow, Queen Mary College London |
| 24 October 2002 | The Scientist | John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy, University of Sussex Patricia Fara, Lecturer on the History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University Hugh Pennington, Head of the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Aberdeen |
| 31 October 2002 | Architecture and Power | Adrian Tinniswood, Architectural historian Gavin Stamp, Senior Lecturer, Mackintosh School of Architecture, Glasgow School of Art Gillian Darley, Architectural historian and biographer of John Soane |
| 7 November 2002 | Human Nature | Steven Pinker, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Centre of Cognitive Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Janet Radcliffe Richards, philosopher, Reader in Bioethics, University College London John Gray, Professor of European Thought, London School of Economics |
| 14 November 2002 | Victorian Realism | Philip Davis, Reader in English Literature at the University of Liverpool and author of "The Victorians", a volume of the New Oxford English Literary History A. N. Wilson, novelist, biographer and author of The Victorians Dinah Birch, Fellow and tutor in English at Trinity College, Oxford |
| 21 November 2002 | Muslim Spain | Tim Winter, a convert to Islam and lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University Martin Palmer, Anglican lay preacher and theologian and author of The Sacred History of Britain Mehri Niknam, executive director of the Maimonides Foundation, a joint Jewish-Muslim Interfaith Foundation in London |
| 28 November 2002 | Imagination | Susan Stuart, Lecturer in Philosophy of Mind at the University of Glasgow Steven Mithen, Professor of Early Prehistory at the University of Reading Semir Zeki, Professor of Neurobiology at the University of London and author of Inner Vision: An Exploration of Art and the Brain |
| 5 December 2002 | The Enlightenment in Scotland | Tom Devine, Professor and Director of the Research Institute of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Aberdeen Karen O'Brien, Reader in English and American Literature at the University of Warwick Alexander Broadie, Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of Glasgow |
| 12 December 2002 | Man and Disease | Anne Hardy, Reader in the History of Medicine at the Wellcome Trust Centre at University College London David Bradley, Professor of Tropical Hygiene at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Chris Dye, epidemiologist with the World Health Organisation |
| 19 December 2002 | The Calendar | Robert Poole, Reader in History at St Martin's College Lancaster and author of Time's Alteration, Calendar Reform in Early Modern England Kristen Lippincott, Deputy Director of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich Peter Watson, Research Associate at the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at Cambridge University and author of A Terrible Beauty – A History of the People and Ideas that Shaped the Modern Mind |
| 6 February 2003 | The Epic | John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University Karen Edwards, Lecturer in English at Exeter University Oliver Taplin, Professor of Classical Languages and Literature at the University of Oxford |
| 13 February 2003 | Chance and Design | Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology at Cambridge University and author of The Crucible of Creation – the Burgess Shale and the Rise of Animals Sandy Knapp, botanist at the Natural History Museum John Brooke, Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University |
| 20 February 2003 | The Lindisfarne Gospels | Richard Gameson, Reader in Medieval History at Kent University and editor of St Augustine and the Conversion of England Clare Lees, Professor of Medieval Literature at King's College London and author of Tradition and Belief: Religious Writing in Late Anglo-Saxon England Michelle Brown, Curator of Illuminated Manuscripts at the British Library and author of A Guide to Western Historical Scripts |
| 27 February 2003 | The Aztecs | Alan Knight, Professor of the History of Latin America at Oxford University and author of Mexico: From the Beginning to the Spanish Conquest Adrian Locke, co-curator of the Aztecs exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts Elizabeth Graham, Senior Lecturer in Mesoamerican Archaeology at University College London |
| 6 March 2003 | Meteorology | Vladimir Janković, Wellcome Research Lecturer at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at Manchester University Richard Hamblyn, writer Liba Taub, Director of the Whipple Museum of the History of Science at Cambridge University |
| 13 March 2003 | Redemption | Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford Janet Soskice, Reader in Modern Theology and Philosophical Theology at Cambridge University Stephen Mulhall, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Oxford University |
| 20 March 2003 | Originality | John Deathridge, King Edward Professor of Music at King's College London Jonathan Rée, philosopher and author of Philosophical Tales Catherine Belsey, Professor and Chair of the Centre for Critical and Cultural Theory at Cardiff University |
| 27 Mar 2003 | The Life of Stars | Paul Murdin, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge Janna Levin, Advanced Fellow in Theoretical Physics in the Department of Applied Mathematics & Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge Phil Charles, Professor of Astronomy at Southampton University |
| 3 April 2003 | The Spanish Civil War | Paul Preston, Principe de Asturias Professor of Contemporary Spanish History at the London School of Economics Helen Graham, Professor of Spanish History at Royal Holloway, University of London Mary Vincent, Senior Lecturer in the Department of History at Sheffield University |
| 17 April 2003 | Proust | Jacqueline Rose, Professor of English Literature at Queen Mary, University of London and author of Albertine Malcolm Bowie, Master of Christ's College, Cambridge and author of Proust among the Stars Robert Fraser, senior research fellow in the Literature Department at the Open University and author of Proust and the Victorians |
| 24 April 2003 | Youth | Tim Whitmarsh, Lecturer in Hellenistic Literature at Exeter University Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, London Deborah Thom, Lecturer in History at Robinson College, Cambridge |
| 1 May 2003 | Roman Britain | Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at St Andrews University Mary Beard, Reader in Classics at Cambridge University Catharine Edwards, Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, London University |
| 8 May 2003 | The Jacobite Rebellion | Murray Pittock, Professor of English Literature at the University of Strathclyde Stana Nenadic, Senior Lecturer in Social History at Edinburgh University Allan Macinnes, Burnett-Fletcher Professor of History at Aberdeen University |
| 15 May 2003 | The Holy Grail | Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John's College, Oxford Jonathan Riley-Smith, Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Cambridge University Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh at the University College of Wales in Cardiff |
| 22 May 2003 | Blood | Miri Rubin, Professor of European History at Queen Mary, University of London Anne Hardy, Reader in the History of Medicine at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde |
| 29 May 2003 | Memory | Martin Conway, Professor of Psychology at Durham University Mike Kopelman, Professor of Neuropsychiatry at King's College London and St Thomas' Hospital Kim Graham, Senior Scientist at the Medical Research Council's Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit |
| 5 June 2003 | The Lunar Society | Simon Schaffer, Reader in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jenny Uglow, Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Warwick and author of The Lunar Men: The Friends who Made the Future Peter Jones, Professor of French History at the University of Birmingham |
| 12 June 2003 | The Art of War | Michael Howard, Emeritus Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter |
| 19 June 2003 | The Aristocracy | David Cannadine, Director of the University of London's Institute of Historical Research and author of The Decline and Fall of the British Aristocracy Rosemary Sweet, Lecturer in History at the University of Leicester Felipe Fernández-Armesto, Professorial Research Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 26 June 2003 | The East India Company | Huw Bowen, Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Leicester Linda Colley, School Professor of History at the London School of Economics Maria Misra, Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Keble College, Oxford |
| 3 July 2003 | Vulcanology | Hilary Downes, Professor of Geochemistry at Birkbeck, University of London Steve Self, Professor of Vulcanology at the Open University Bill McGuire, Benfield Professor of Geophysical Hazards at University College London |
| 10 July 2003 | Nature | Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick Roger Scruton, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham Karen Edwards, Lecturer in English at the University of Exeter |
| 17 July 2003 | The Apocalypse | Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Marina Benjamin, journalist and author of Living at the End of the World Justin Champion, Reader in the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway College, University of London |

### 2003–2004

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 2 October 2003 | Maxwell | Simon Schaffer, Reader in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Peter Harman, Professor of the History of Science at Lancaster University and editor of The Scientific Letters and Papers of James Clerk Maxwell Joanna Haigh, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London |
| 9 October 2003 | Bohemianism | Hermione Lee, Goldsmiths' Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford and biographer of Virginia Woolf Virginia Nicholson, author of Among the Bohemians: Experiments in Living 1900–1939 Graham Robb, writer and biographer of Balzac, Victor Hugo and Rimbaud |
| 16 October 2003 | The Schism | Henrietta Leyser, medieval historian and Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford Norman Housley, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Leicester Jonathan Shepard, editor of The Cambridge History of the Byzantine Empire |
| 23 October 2003 | Infinity | Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Robert Kaplan, co-founder of The Math Circle at Harvard University and author of The Art of the Infinite: Our Lost Language of Numbers Sarah Rees, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of Newcastle |
| 30 October 2003 | Robin Hood | Stephen Knight, Professor of English Literature at Cardiff University and author of Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography Thomas Hahn, Professor of English Literature at the University of Rochester, New York Juliette Wood, Secretary of the Folklore Society |
| 6 November 2003 | Sensation | John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English at University College London Lyn Pykett, Professor of English and Pro-Vice Chancellor at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth Dinah Birch, Professor of English at the University of Liverpool |
| 13 November 2003 | Duty | Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Annabel Brett, Fellow of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge A. C. Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 20 November 2003 | Ageing the Earth | Richard Corfield, Research Associate in the Department of Earth Sciences at Oxford University Hazel Rymer, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Open University Henry Gee, Senior Editor at Nature |
| 27 November 2003 | St Bartholomew's Day Massacre | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University and author of a new book: Reformation: Europe's House Divided 1490–1700 Mark Greengrass, Professor of History at the University of Sheffield Penny Roberts, Lecturer in History at the University of Warwick |
| 4 December 2003 | Wittgenstein | Ray Monk, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton and author of Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius Barry Smith, Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Marie McGinn, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of York |
| 11 December 2003 | The Devil | Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Alison Rowlands, Senior Lecturer in European History at the University of Essex David Wootton, Professor of Intellectual History at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 18 December 2003 | The Alphabet | Eleanor Robson, historian of Ancient Iraq and Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford Alan Millard, Rankin Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Ancient Semitic Languages at the University of Liverpool Rosalind Thomas, Professor of Greek History at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 26 December 2003 | Lamarck and Natural Selection | Sandy Knapp, Senior Botanist at the Natural History Museum Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics in the Galton Laboratory at University College London and author of Almost Like a Whale: The Origin of Species Updated Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Paleobiology at Cambridge University |
| 29 January 2004 | Cryptography | Simon Singh, science writer and author of The Code Book: The Secret History of Codes and Code-Breaking Fred Piper, Professor and Director of the Information Security Group at Royal Holloway, University of London and co-author of Cryptography: A Very Short Introduction Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London and author of Ingenious Pursuits |
| 5 February 2004 | Thermopylae | Tom Holland, historian and author of Persian Fire Simon Goldhill, Professor in Greek Literature and Culture at King's College, Cambridge Edith Hall, Leverhulme Professor of Greek Cultural History at the University of Durham and author of Inventing the Barbarian: Greek Self-Definition through Tragedy |
| 12 February 2004 | The Sublime | Janet Todd, Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow Annie Janowitz, Professor of Romantic Poetry at Queen Mary, University of London Peter de Bolla, Lecturer in English at the University of Cambridge |
| 19 February 2004 | Rutherford | Simon Schaffer, Professor in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jim Al-Khalili, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Surrey Patricia Fara, Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge |
| 26 February 2004 | The Mughal Empire | Sanjay Subrahmanyam, Professor of Indian History and Culture at the University of Oxford Susan Stronge, Curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Imperial History at the University of St Andrews |
| 4 March 2004 | Dreams | VS Ramachandran, Professor and Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition at the University of California, San Diego Mark Solms, Professor of Neuropsychology at the University of Cape Town Martin Conway, Professor of Psychology at the University of Durham |
| 11 March 2004 | The Norse Gods | Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John's College, Oxford Heather O'Donoghue, Vigfusson Rausing Reader in Ancient Icelandic Literature in the Department of English at Oxford University John Hines, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University |
| 25 March 2004 | Theories of Everything | Brian Greene, Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University and author of The Fabric of the Cosmos John Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and author of The Constants of Nature Val Gibson, particle physicist from the Cavendish Laboratory and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge |
| 1 April 2004 | China's Warring States period | Chris Cullen, Director of the Needham Research Institute at Cambridge University Vivienne Lo, Lecturer at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine Carol Michaelson, Assistant Keeper of Chinese Art in the Department of Oriental Antiquities at the British Museum |
| 8 April 2004 | The Fall | Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Griselda Pollock, Professor of Art History at the University of Leeds John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University |
| 15 April 2004 | The Later Romantics | Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick Robert Woof, Director of the Wordsworth Trust Jennifer Wallace, Director of Studies in English at Peterhouse, Cambridge |
| 22 April 2004 | Hysteria | Juliet Mitchell, Professor of Psychoanalysis and Gender Studies at the University of Cambridge and author of Mad Men and Medusas: Reclaiming Hysteria and the Effects of Sibling Relations on the Human Condition Rachel Bowlby, Professor of English at the University of York who has written the introduction to the latest Penguin translation of Sigmund Freud and Joseph Breuer's Studies in Hysteria Brett Kahr, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Psychotherapy and Mental Health at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London |
| 29 April 2004 | Tea | Huw Bowen, Senior Lecturer in Economic and Social History at the University of Leicester James Walvin, Professor of History at the University of York Amanda Vickery, Reader in History at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 6 May 2004 | Heroism | Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick and author of Plato and the Hero: Courage, Manliness and the Impersonal Good A. C. Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at the University of Cambridge |
| 13 May 2004 | Zero | Robert Kaplan, co-founder of the Maths Circle at Harvard University and author of The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 20 May 2004 | Toleration | Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London David Wootton, Professor of Intellectual History at Queen Mary, University of London Sarah Barber, Senior Lecturer in History at Lancaster University |
| 27 May 2004 | The Planets | Paul Murdin, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge Hugh Jones, planet hunter and Reader in Astrophysics at Liverpool John Moores University Carolin Crawford, Royal Society Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy in Cambridge |
| 3 June 2004 | Babylon | Eleanor Robson, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University Irving Finkel, Curator in the Department of the Ancient Near East at the British Museum Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at the School of Oriental and African Studies |
| 10 June 2004 | Empiricism | Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English at Royal Holloway, University of London Murray Pittock, Professor of Scottish and Romantic Literature at the University of Manchester Jonathan Rée, philosopher and author of Philosophy and its Past |
| 17 June 2004 | Renaissance Magic | Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London Valery Rees, Renaissance historian and a translator of Ficino's letters Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde |
| 24 June 2004 | Washington and the American Revolution | Carol Berkin, Professor of History at The City University of New York Simon Middleton, Lecturer in American History at the University of East Anglia Colin Bonwick, Professor Emeritus in American History at Keele University |

### 2004–2005

In 2005 listeners were invited to vote in a poll for the greatest philosopher in history. The winner was the subject of the final programme before the summer break. The result of the vote was:
* Karl Marx (with 27.9% of the votes)
* David Hume (12.7%)
* Ludwig Wittgenstein (6.8%)
* Friedrich Nietzsche (6.5%)
* Plato (5.6%)
* Immanuel Kant (5.6%)
* Thomas Aquinas (4.8%)
* Socrates (4.8%)
* Aristotle (4.5%)
* Karl Popper (4.2%)
| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 2 September 2004 | Pi | Robert Lee Kaplan, co-founder of the Maths Circle at Harvard University Eleanor Robson, Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick |
| 9 September 2004 | The Odyssey | Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek at King's College, Cambridge Edith Hall, Leverhulme Professor of Greek Cultural History at Durham University Oliver Taplin, Classics Scholar and Translator at Oxford University |
| 16 September 2004 | Agincourt | Anne Curry, Professor of Medieval History at Southampton University Michael Jones, medieval historian and writer John Watts, Fellow and Tutor in Modern History at Corpus Christi College, Oxford |
| 23 September 2004 | The Origins of Life | Richard Dawkins, Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University Richard Corfield, Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research at the Open University Linda Partridge, Biology and Biotechnology Research Council Professor at University College London |
| 30 September 2004 | Politeness | Amanda Vickery, Reader in History at Royal Holloway, University of London David Wootton, Professor of History at the University of York John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English at University College London |
| 7 October 2004 | Sartre | Jonathan Rée, philosopher and historian Benedict O'Donohoe, Principal Lecturer in French at the University of the West of England and Secretary of the UK Society for Sartrean Studies Christina Howells, Professor of French at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Wadham College |
| 14 October 2004 | The Han Synthesis | Christopher Cullen, Director of the Needham Research Institute Carol Michaelson, Assistant Keeper of Chinese Art in the Department of Asia at the British Museum Roel Sterckx, Lecturer in Chinese Studies at the University of Cambridge |
| 21 October 2004 | Witchcraft | Alison Rowlands, Senior Lecturer in European History at the University of Essex Lyndal Roper, Fellow and Tutor in History at Balliol College, University of Oxford Malcolm Gaskill, Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Churchill College, Cambridge |
| 28 October 2004 | Rhetoric | Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London Ceri Sullivan, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Wales, Bangor |
| 4 November 2004 | Electrickery | Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Darwin College Patricia Fara, historian of science and a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge Iwan Morus, Lecturer in the History of Science at Queen's University Belfast |
| 11 November 2004 | Zoroastrianism | Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator of Ancient Iranian Coins in the Department of Coins and Medals at the British Museum Farrokh Vajifdar, Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society Alan Williams, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Religion at the University of Manchester |
| 18 November 2004 | Higgs Boson | Jim Al-Khalili, Senior Lecturer in Physics at the University of Surrey David Wark, Professor of Experimental Physics at Imperial College London and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Roger Cashmore, Professor and former Research Director at CERN and now Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford |
| 25 November 2004 | The Venerable Bede | Richard Gameson, Reader in Medieval History at the University of Kent at Canterbury Sarah Foot, Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Sheffield Michelle Brown, manuscript specialist from the British Library |
| 2 December 2004 | Jung | Brett Kahr, Senior Clinical Research Fellow in Psychotherapy and Mental Health at the Centre for Child Mental Health in London and a practising Freudian Ronald Hayman, writer and biographer of Jung Andrew Samuels, Professor of Analytical Psychology at the University of Essex and a Jungian analyst in clinical practice |
| 9 December 2004 | Machiavelli and the Italian City States | Quentin Skinner, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London Lisa Jardine, Director of the Centre for Editing Lives and Letters at Queen Mary University of London |
| 16 December 2004 | The Second Law of Thermodynamics | John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex Peter Atkins, Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University Monica Grady, Head of Petrology and Meteoritics at the Natural History Museum |
| 23 December 2004 | Faust | Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh at the University College of Wales in Cardiff and Secretary of the Folklore Society Osman Durrani, Professor of German at the University of Kent at Canterbury Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London |
| 30 December 2004 | The Roman Republic | Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at St Andrews University Catherine Steel, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Glasgow Tom Holland, historian and author of Rubicon: the Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic |
| 6 January 2005 | Tsar Alexander II's assassination | Orlando Figes, Professor of History at Birkbeck College, University of London Dominic Lieven, Professor of Russian Government, London School of Economics Catriona Kelly, Professor of Russian, Oxford University |
| 13 January 2005 | The Mind/Body Problem | A. C. Grayling, Reader in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Julian Baggini, editor of The Philosophers' Magazine Sue James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 17 February 2005 | The Cambrian Period | Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology, Cambridge University Richard Corfield, Visiting Senior Lecturer at the Centre for Earth, Planetary, Space and Astronomical Research, Open University Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology, University of Leeds |
| 24 February 2005 | Alchemy | Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London Lauren Kassell, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster |
| 3 March 2005 | Stoicism | Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Warwick Jonathan Rée, philosopher and historian David Sedley, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy, University of Cambridge |
| 10 March 2005 | Modernist Utopias | John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature, Oxford University and editor of The Faber Book of Utopias Steven Connor, Professor of Modern Literature at Birkbeck, University of London Laura Marcus, Professor of English, University of Sussex |
| 17 March 2005 | Dark Energy | Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics, Cambridge University Carolin Crawford, Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Maths at Oxford University |
| 24 March 2005 | Angels | Martin Palmer, theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Valery Rees, Renaissance Scholar at the School of Economic Science John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy, University of St Andrews |
| 31 March 2005 | John Ruskin | Dinah Birch, Professor of English, Liverpool University Keith Hanley, Professor of English Literature and Director of the Ruskin Programme, Lancaster University Stefan Collini, Professor of Intellectual History and English Literature, University of Cambridge |
| 7 April 2005 | Alfred and the Battle of Edington | Richard Gameson, Reader in Medieval History, University of Kent at Canterbury Sarah Foot, Professor of Early Medieval History, University of Sheffield John Hines, Professor in the School of History and Archaeology, Cardiff University |
| 14 April 2005 | Archaeology and Imperialism | Tim Champion, Professor of Archaeology, University of Southampton Richard Parkinson, Assistant Keeper in the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum Eleanor Robson, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford |
| 21 April 2005 | The Aeneid | Edith Hall, Leverhulme Professor of Greek Cultural History, Durham University Philip Hardie, Corpus Christi Professor of Latin at the University of Oxford Catharine Edwards, Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History, Birkbeck College University of London |
| 28 April 2005 | Perception and the Senses | Richard Gregory, senior research fellow in the Department of Experimental Psychology, Bristol University David Moore, Director of the Medical Research Council Institute of Hearing Research, University of Nottingham Gemma Calvert, Reader in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Bath |
| 5 May 2005 | Abelard and Heloise | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Henrietta Leyser, Medieval Historian and Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford Michael Clanchy, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the Institute of Historical Research |
| 19 May 2005 | Beauty | Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Susan James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Julian Baggini, Editor of The Philosophers' Magazine |
| 26 May 2005 | The French Revolution's Reign of Terror | Mike Broers, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall Rebecca Spang, Lecturer in Modern History at University College London Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge |
| 2 June 2005 | Renaissance Maths | Robert Lee Kaplan, co-founder of the Maths Circle at Harvard University Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science and Fellow of Linacre College, University of Oxford Jackie Stedall, research fellow in the History of Mathematics, The Queen's College, Oxford |
| 9 June 2005 | The Scriblerus Club | John Mullan, Senior Lecturer in English, University College London Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English, Royal Holloway, University of London Marcus Walsh, Kenneth Allott Professor of English Literature, University of Liverpool |
| 16 June 2005 | Paganism in the Renaissance | Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies, Birkbeck College, University of London Charles Hope, Director of the Warburg Institute and Professor of the History of the Classical Tradition, University of London Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London |
| 23 June 2005 | The KT Boundary | Simon Kelley, Head of Department in the Department of Earth Sciences, Open University Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology, University of Leeds Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol |
| 30 June 2005 | Merlin | Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh at Cardiff University Stephen Knight, Distinguished Research Professor in English Literature at Cardiff University Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 7 July 2005 | Marlowe | Katherine Duncan-Jones, senior research fellow in the English Faculty of Oxford University Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature, University of Warwick Emma J. Smith, Lecturer in English, Oxford University |
| 14 July 2005 | Marx | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Francis Wheen, journalist and author of a biography of Karl Marx Gareth Stedman Jones, Professor of Political Science at Cambridge University |

### 2005–2006

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 29 September 2005 | Magnetism | Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster John Heilbron, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of California, Berkeley Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London |
| 6 October 2005 | The Field of the Cloth of Gold | Stephen Gunn, Lecturer in Modern History at Oxford University John Guy, Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge Penny Roberts, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Warwick |
| 13 October 2005 | Mammals | Richard Corfield, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Leeds |
| 20 October 2005 | Cynicism | Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Warwick Miriam Griffin, Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford John Moles, Professor of Latin, University of Newcastle |
| 27 October 2005 | Johnson | John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Jim McLaverty, Professor of English at Keele University Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 3 November 2005 | Asteroids | Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences, Open University Carolin Crawford, Royal Society Research Fellow, University of Cambridge John Zarnecki, Professor of Space Science, Open University |
| 10 November 2005 | Greyfriars and Blackfriars | Henrietta Leyser, medieval historian and Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford Alexander Murray, medieval historian and emeritus fellow of University College, Oxford Anthony Kenny, philosopher and former Master of Balliol College, Oxford |
| 17 November 2005 | Pragmatism | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Applied Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London and a Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford Julian Baggini, editor of The Philosophers' Magazine Miranda Fricker, Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London |
| 24 November 2005 | The Graviton | Roger Cashmore, Former Research Director at CERN and Principal of Brasenose College, Oxford Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey Sheila Rowan, Reader in Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow |
| 1 December 2005 | Hobbes | Quentin Skinner, Regius Professor of History at the University of Cambridge David Wootton, Professor of History at the University of York Annabel Brett, Senior Lecturer in Political Thought and Intellectual History at Cambridge University |
| 8 December 2005 | Artificial Intelligence | Jon Agar, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge Alison Adam, Professor of Information Systems, Salford University Igor Aleksander, Professor of Neural Systems Engineering at Imperial College, University of London |
| 15 December 2005 | The Peterloo Massacre | Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter Sarah Richardson, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Warwick Clive Emsley, Professor of History at the Open University |
| 22 December 2005 | Heaven | Valery Rees, Renaissance scholar and senior member of the Language Department at the School of Economic Science Martin Palmer, Theologian and Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture John Carey, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Oxford University |
| 29 December 2005 | The Oresteia | Edith Hall, Professor of Greek Cultural History at Durham University Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge Tom Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London |
| 5 January 2006 | The Oath | Alan Sommerstein, Professor of Greek at the University of Nottingham Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at the University of Cambridge Mary Beard, Professor in Classics at the University of Cambridge |
| 12 January 2006 | Prime Numbers | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Fellow of Wadham College at the University of Oxford Robin Wilson, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University and Gresham Professor of Geometry Jackie Stedall, Junior Research Fellow in the History of Mathematics at Queen's College, Oxford |
| 19 January 2006 | Relativism | Barry Smith, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Jonathan Rée, freelance philosopher who holds visiting professorships at the Royal College of Art and Roehampton University Kathleen Lennon, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Hull |
| 26 January 2006 | Seventeenth Century Print Culture | Kevin Sharpe, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London Ann Hughes, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Keele Joad Raymond, Professor of English Literature at the University of East Anglia |
| 2 February 2006 | The Abbasid Caliphs | Hugh Kennedy, Professor of History at the University of St Andrews Robert Irwin, Senior Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge |
| 9 February 2006 | Chaucer | Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John's College, Oxford Helen Cooper, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge Ardis Butterfield, Reader in English at University College London |
| 16 February 2006 | Human Evolution | Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics in the Galton Laboratory at University College London Fred Spoor, Professor of Evolutionary Anatomy at University College London Margaret Clegg, Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Biological Anthropology at University College London |
| 23 February 2006 | Catherine the Great | Janet Hartley, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics Simon Dixon, Professor of Modern History at the University of Leeds Tony Lentin, Professor of History at the Open University |
| 2 March 2006 | Friendship | Angie Hobbs, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Mark Vernon, Visiting Lecturer in Philosophy at Syracuse University and London Metropolitan University John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London |
| 9 March 2006 | Negative numbers | Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Raymond Flood, Lecturer in Computing Studies and Mathematics at Kellogg College, Oxford |
| 16 March 2006 | Don Quixote | Barry Ife, Cervantes Professor Emeritus at King's College London Edwin Williamson, Professor of Spanish Studies at the University of Oxford Jane Whetnall, Senior Lecturer in Hispanic Studies at Queen Mary University of London |
| 23 March 2006 | The Royal Society | Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster Lisa Jardine, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London Michael Hunter, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 30 March 2006 | The Carolingian Renaissance | Matthew Innes, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London Julia Smith, Edwards Professor of Medieval History at Glasgow University Mary Garrison, Lecturer in History at the University of York |
| 6 April 2006 | Goethe | Tim Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Sarah Colvin, Professor of German at the University of Edinburgh W. Daniel Wilson, Professor of German at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 13 April 2006 | The Oxford Movement | Sheridan Gilley, Emeritus Reader in Theology at the University of Durham Frances Knight, Senior Lecturer in Church History at the University of Wales, Lampeter Simon Skinner, Fellow and Tutor in History at Balliol College, Oxford |
| 20 April 2006 | Immunisation | Nadja Durbach, associate professor of History at the University of Utah Chris Dye, Co-ordinator of the World Health Organisation's work on tuberculosis epidemiology Sanjoy Bhattacharya, Lecturer in the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at UCL |
| 27 April 2006 | The Great Exhibition of 1851 | Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter Hermione Hobhouse, Architectural Historian and writer Clive Emsley, Professor of History at the Open University |
| 4 May 2006 | Astronomy and Empire | Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Kristen Lippincott, former Director of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich Allan Chapman, Historian of Science at the History Faculty at Oxford University |
| 11 May 2006 | Fairies | Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh at Cardiff University and Secretary of the Folklore Society Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor of English at Keble College, Oxford Nicola Bown, Lecturer in Victorian Studies at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 18 May 2006 | Mill | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Janet Radcliffe Richards, Reader in Bioethics at University College London Alan Ryan, Professor of Politics at Oxford University |
| 25 May 2006 | Mathematics and Music | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Robin Wilson, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the Open University Ruth Tatlow, Lecturer in Music Theory at the University of Stockholm |
| 1 June 2006 | The Heart | David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Fay Bound Alberti, research fellow at the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine at the University of Manchester Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde |
| 8 June 2006 | Uncle Tom's Cabin | Celeste-Marie Bernier, Lecturer in American Studies at the University of Nottingham Sarah Meer, Lecturer and Director of Studies in English at Selwyn College, Cambridge Clive Webb, Reader in American History at the University of Sussex |
| 15 June 2006 | Carbon | Harry Kroto, Professor of Chemistry at Florida State University Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Ken Teo, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at Cambridge University |
| 22 June 2006 | The Spanish Inquisition | John Edwards, research fellow in Spanish at the University of Oxford Alexander Murray, emeritus fellow in History at University College, Oxford Michael Alpert, Emeritus Professor in Modern and Contemporary History of Spain at the University of Westminster |
| 29 June 2006 | Galaxies | John Gribbin, Visiting Fellow in Astronomy at the University of Sussex Carolin Crawford, Royal Society University Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy at Cambridge Robert Kennicutt, Plumian Professor of Astronomy and Experimental Philosophy at the University of Cambridge |
| 6 July 2006 | Pastoral Literature | Helen Cooper, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge Laurence Lerner, former Professor of English at the University of Sussex Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and Drama at the University of Nottingham |
| 13 July 2006 | Comedy in Ancient Greek Theatre | Paul Cartledge, Professor of Greek History at the University of Cambridge Edith Hall, Professor of Drama and Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London Nick Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London |

### 2006–2007

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 28 September 2006 | Humboldt | Jason Wilson, Professor of Latin American Literature at University College London Patricia Fara, Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jim Secord, Professor in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Darwin Correspondence Project |
| 5 October 2006 | Averroes | Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London Anthony Kenny, philosopher and former Master of Balliol College, Oxford |
| 12 October 2006 | The Diet of Worms | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University David Bagchi, Lecturer in the History of Christian Thought at the University of Hull Charlotte Methuen, Lecturer in Reformation History at the University of Oxford |
| 19 October 2006 | The Needham Question | Chris Cullen, Director of the Needham Research Institute in Cambridge Tim Barrett, Professor of East Asian History at SOAS Frances Wood, Head of Chinese Collections at the British Library |
| 26 October 2006 | The Encyclopédie | Judith Hawley, Senior Lecturer in English at Royal Holloway, University of London Caroline Warman, Fellow and Tutor in French at Jesus College, Oxford David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York |
| 2 November 2006 | The Poincaré conjecture | June Barrow-Green, Lecturer in the History of Mathematics at the Open University Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford |
| 9 November 2006 | Pope | John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Jim McLaverty, Professor of English at Keele University Valerie Rumbold, Reader in English Literature at Birmingham University |
| 16 November 2006 | The Peasants' Revolt | Miri Rubin, Professor of Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London Caroline Barron, Professorial Research Fellow at Royal Holloway, University of London Alastair Dunn, author of The Peasants' Revolt – England's Failed Revolution of 1381 |
| 23 November 2006 | Altruism | Miranda Fricker, Senior Lecturer in the School of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Richard Dawkins, evolutionary biologist and the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science at Oxford University John Dupré, Professor of Philosophy of Science at Exeter University and director of Egenis, the ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society |
| 30 November 2006 | The Speed of Light | John Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Gresham Professor of Astronomy at Cambridge University Iwan Morus, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at The University of Wales, Aberystwyth Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Visiting Professor of Astrophysics at Oxford University |
| 7 December 2006 | Anarchism | John Keane, Professor of Politics at University of Westminster Ruth Kinna, Senior Lecturer in Politics at Loughborough University Peter Marshall, philosopher and historian |
| 14 December 2006 | Indian Mathematics | George Gheverghese Joseph, Honorary Reader in Mathematics Education at Manchester University Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Dennis Almeida, Lecturer in Mathematics Education at Exeter University and the Open University |
| 21 December 2006 | Hell | Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Margaret Kean, Tutor and Fellow in English at St Hilda's College, Oxford Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum |
| 28 December 2006 | Constantinople Siege and Fall | Roger Crowley, author and historian Judith Herrin, Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies at King's College London Colin Imber, formerly Reader in Turkish at Manchester University |
| 4 January 2007 | Jorge Luis Borges | Edwin Williamson, Professor of Spanish Studies at Oxford University Efraín Kristal, Professor of Comparative Literature at University of California, Los Angeles Evelyn Fishburn, Professor Emeritus at London Metropolitan University and Honorary Senior Research Fellow at University College London |
| 11 January 2007 | Mars | John Zarnecki, Professor of Space Science at the Open University and a team leader on the ExoMars mission Colin Pillinger, Professor of Planetary Sciences at the Open University and leader of the Beagle 2 expedition to Mars Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University and an expert on Martian meteorites |
| 18 January 2007 | The Jesuits | Nigel Aston, Reader in Early Modern History at the University of Leicester Simon Ditchfield, Reader in History at the University of York Dame Olwen Hufton, emeritus fellow of Merton College, Oxford |
| 25 January 2007 | Archimedes | Jackie Stedall, Junior Research Fellow in the History of Mathematics at Queen's College, Oxford Serafina Cuomo, Reader in the History of Science at Imperial College London George Phillips, Honorary Reader in Mathematics at St Andrews University |
| 1 February 2007 | Genghis Khan | Peter Jackson, Professor of Medieval History at Keele University Naomi Standen, Lecturer in Chinese History at Newcastle University George Lane, Lecturer in History at the School of Oriental and African Studies |
| 8 February 2007 | Popper | John Worrall, Professor of Philosophy of Science at the London School of Economics Anthony O'Hear, Weston Professor of Philosophy at Buckingham University Nancy Cartwright, Professor of Philosophy at the LSE and the University of California |
| 15 February 2007 | Heart of Darkness | Susan Jones, Fellow and Tutor in English at St Hilda's College, Oxford Robert Hampson, Professor of Modern Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Laurence Davies, Honorary Senior Research Fellow in English at Glasgow University and Visiting Professor of Comparative Literature at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire |
| 22 February 2007 | Wilberforce | This programme was a documentary rather than a discussion. The programme can be streamed rather than downloaded. |
| 1 March 2007 | Optics | Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science and Fellow of Linacre College at the University of Oxford Emily Winterburn, Curator of Astronomy at the National Maritime Museum |
| 8 March 2007 | Microbiology | John Dupré, Professor of Philosophy of Science at Exeter University Anne Glover, Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at Aberdeen University Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science and Medicine at Imperial College, University of London |
| 15 March 2007 | Epistolary Literature | John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Karen O'Brien, Professor in English at the University of Warwick Brean Hammond, Professor of Modern English Literature at the University of Nottingham |
| 22 March 2007 | Bismarck | Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge Christopher Clark, Reader in Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Katharine Lerman, Senior Lecturer in Modern European History at London Metropolitan University |
| 29 March 2007 | Anaesthetics | David Wilkinson, Consultant Anaesthetist at St Bartholomew's Hospital in London and President of the History of Anaesthesia Society Stephanie Snow, Research Associate at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology & Medicine at the University of Manchester Anne Hardy, Professor in the History of Modern Medicine at University College London |
| 5 April 2007 | St Hilda | John Blair, Fellow in History at The Queen's College, Oxford Rosemary Cramp, Emeritus Professor in Archaeology at Durham University Sarah Foot, Professor of Early Medieval History at Sheffield University |
| 12 April 2007 | The Opium Wars | Yangwen Zheng, Lecturer in Modern Chinese History at the University of Manchester Lars Laamann, research fellow in Chinese History at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London Xun Zhou, research fellow in History at SOAS, University of London |
| 19 April 2007 | Symmetry | Fay Dowker, Reader in Theoretical Physics at Imperial College, London Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick |
| 26 April 2007 | Greek and Roman Love Poetry | Nick Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London Edith Hall, Professor of Classics and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London |
| 3 May 2007 | Spinoza | Jonathan Rée, historian and philosopher and Visiting Professor at Roehampton University Sarah Hutton, Professor of English at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth John Cottingham, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading |
| 10 May 2007 | Victorian Pessimism | Dinah Birch, Professor of English at the University of Liverpool Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London Peter Mandler, University Lecturer and Fellow in History at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| 17 May 2007 | Gravitational Waves | Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey Carolin Crawford, Royal Society Research Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge Sheila Rowan, Professor in Experimental Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Glasgow |
| 24 May 2007 | The Siege of Orléans | Anne Curry, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Southampton Malcolm Vale, Fellow and Tutor in History at St John's College, Oxford Matthew Bennett, Senior Lecturer at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst |
| 31 May 2007 | Ockham's Razor | Anthony Kenny, philosopher and former Master of Balliol College, Oxford Marilyn Adams, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University Richard Alan Cross, Professor of Medieval Theology at Oriel College, Oxford |
| 7 June 2007 | Siegfried Sassoon | Jean Moorcroft Wilson, Lecturer in English at Birkbeck, University of London and a biographer of Sassoon Fran Brearton, Reader in English and Assistant Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry at the University of Belfast Max Egremont, a biographer of Siegfried Sassoon |
| 14 June 2007 | Renaissance Astrology | Peter Forshaw, Lecturer in Renaissance Philosophies at Birkbeck, University of London Lauren Kassell, Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde |
| 21 June 2007 | Common Sense Philosophy | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Melissa Lane, Senior University Lecturer in History at Cambridge University Alexander Broadie, Professor of Logic and Rhetoric at the University of Glasgow |
| 28 June 2007 | The Permian-Triassic Boundary | Richard Corfield, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the University of Leeds |
| 5 July 2007 | The Pilgrim Fathers | Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Harry Bennett, Reader in History and Head of Humanities at the University of Plymouth Tim Lockley, associate professor of History at the University of Warwick |
| 12 July 2007 | Madame Bovary | Andy Martin, Lecturer in French at the University of Cambridge Mary Orr, Professor of French at the University of Southampton Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford |

### 2007–2008

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 27 September 2007 | Socrates | Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy at Warwick University David Sedley, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy at Cambridge University Paul Millett, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Cambridge |
| 4 October 2007 | Antimatter | Val Gibson, Reader in High Energy Physics at the University of Cambridge Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Exeter College, University of Oxford Ruth Gregory, Professor of Mathematics and Physics at the University of Durham |
| 11 October 2007 | The Divine Right of Kings | Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London Clare Jackson, Lecturer and Director of Studies in History at Trinity Hall, Cambridge |
| 18 October 2007 | The Arabian Nights | Robert Graham Irwin, Senior Research Associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Marina Warner, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex Gerard van Gelder, Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford |
| 25 October 2007 | Taste | Amanda Vickery, Reader in History at Royal Holloway, University of London John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter |
| 1 November 2007 | Guilt | Stephen Mulhall, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at New College, Oxford Miranda Fricker, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Oliver Davies, Professor of Christian Doctrine at King's College London |
| 8 November 2007 | Avicenna | Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Nader El-Bizri, Affiliated Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge |
| 15 November 2007 | Oxygen | Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Jenny Uglow, Honorary Visiting Professor at the University of Warwick Hasok Chang, Reader in Philosophy of Science at University College London |
| 22 November 2007 | The Prelude | Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London Stephen Gill, University Professor of English Literature and Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford Emma Mason, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Warwick |
| 29 November 2007 | The Fibonacci Sequence | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Jackie Stedall, Junior Research Fellow in History of Mathematics at Queen's College, Oxford Ron Knott, Visiting Fellow in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Surrey |
| 6 December 2007 | Genetic Mutation | Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics in the Galton Laboratory, University College London Adrian Woolfson, lectures in Medicine at Cambridge University Linda Partridge, Weldon Professor of Biometry at University College London |
| 13 December 2007 | The Sassanid Empire | Hugh N. Kennedy, Professor of Arabic in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures at the School of Oriental and African Studies Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator of Iranian and Islamic Coins in the British Museum James Howard-Johnston, University Lecturer in Byzantine Studies at the University of Oxford |
| 20 December 2007 | The Four Humours | David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Vivian Nutton, Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London Noga Arikha, Visiting Fellow at the Institut Jean-Nicod in Paris |
| 27 December 2007 | The Nicene Creed | Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Caroline Humfress, Reader in History at Birkbeck College, University of London Andrew Louth, Professor of Patristic and Byzantine Studies at the University of Durham |
| 3 January 2008 | Camus | Peter Dunwoodie, Professor of French Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London David Walker, Professor of French at the University of Sheffield Christina Howells, Professor of French at Wadham College, University of Oxford |
| 10 January 2008 | The Charge of the Light Brigade | Mike Broers, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall Trudi Tate, Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge Saul David, Visiting Professor of Military History at the University of Hull |
| 17 January 2008 | The Fisher King | Carolyne Larrington, Tutor in Medieval English at St John's College, Oxford Stephen Knight, Distinguished Research Professor in English Literature at Cardiff University Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the Department of Welsh, Cardiff University and Director of the Folklore Society |
| 24 January 2008 | Plate Tectonics | Richard Corfield, Visiting Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University Joe Cann, Senior Fellow in the School of Earth and Environment at the University of Leeds Lynne Frostick, Director of the Hull Environment Research Institute and Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Hull |
| 31 January 2008 | Rudolph II | Peter Forshaw, Postdoctoral Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London and an Honorary Fellow of the University of Exeter Howard Hotson, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of Oxford Adam Mosley, Lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Wales, Swansea |
| 7 February 2008 | The Social Contract | Melissa Lane, Senior University Lecturer in History at Cambridge University Susan James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick |
| 14 February 2008 | The Statue of Liberty | Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern Contemporary History at University College London John Keane, Professor of Politics at the University of Westminster |
| 21 February 2008 | The Multiverse | Martin Rees, president of the Royal Society and Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge Fay Dowker, Reader in Theoretical Physics at Imperial College Bernard Carr, Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy at Queen Mary University of London |
| 28 February 2008 | Lear | Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick Katherine Duncan-Jones, Tutorial Fellow in English at Somerville College, Oxford Catherine Belsey, Research Professor in English at the University of Wales, Swansea |
| 6 March 2008 | Ada Lovelace | Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge Doron Swade, Visiting Professor in the History of Computing at Portsmouth University John Fuegi, Visiting Professor in Biography at Kingston University |
| 13 March 2008 | The Greek Myths | Nick Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London Richard Buxton, Professor of Greek Language and Literature at the University of Bristol Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge University |
| 20 March 2008 | Kierkegaard | Jonathan Rée, Visiting Professor at Roehampton University and the Royal College of Art Clare Carlisle, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool John Lippitt, Professor of Ethics and Philosophy of Religion at the University of Hertfordshire |
| 27 March 2008 | The Dissolution of the Monasteries | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at Oxford University Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford George Bernard, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Southampton |
| 3 April 2008 | The Laws of Motion | Simon Schaffer, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College Raymond Flood, University Lecturer in Computing Studies and Mathematics and Senior Tutor at Kellogg College, Oxford Rob Iliffe, Professor of Intellectual History and History of Science at the University of Sussex |
| 10 April 2008 | The Norman Yoke | Sarah Foot, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Christ Church, Oxford Richard Gameson, Professor in the Department of History at Durham University Matthew Strickland, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow |
| 17 April 2008 | Yeats and Irish Politics | Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History at Oxford University and Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford Fran Brearton, Reader in English at Queen's University Belfast and Assistant Director of the Seamus Heaney Centre for Poetry for Poetry Warwick Gould, Director of the Institute of English Studies in the School of Advanced Study, University of London |
| 24 April 2008 | Materialism | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Caroline Warman, Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford Anthony O'Hear, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Buckingham |
| 1 May 2008 | The Enclosures of the 18th Century | Rosemary Sweet, Director of the Centre for Urban History at the University of Leicester Murray Pittock, Bradley Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow Mark Overton, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Exeter |
| 8 May 2008 | The Brain | Vivian Nutton, Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde Marina Wallace, Professor at the University of the Arts, London, Central St Martin's College of Art and Design |
| 15 May 2008 | The Library at Nineveh | Eleanor Robson, Senior Lecturer at Cambridge University and Vice-Chair of the British Institute for the Study of Iraq Karen Radner, Lecturer in the Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London Andrew R. George, Professor of Babylonian at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London |
| 22 May 2008 | The Black Death | Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary University of London Samuel Cohn, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow Paul Binski, Professor of the History of Medieval Art at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| 29 May 2008 | Probability | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick |
| 5 June 2008 | Lysenkoism | Robert Service, Professor of Russian History at the University of Oxford Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Catherine Merridale, Professor of Contemporary History at Queen Mary University of London |
| 12 June 2008 | The Riddle of the Sands | Richard J. Evans, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London T. C. W. Blanning, Professor of Modern European History at Cambridge University |
| 19 June 2008 | The Music of the Spheres | Peter Forshaw, Postdoctoral Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Angela Voss, Director of the Cultural Study of Cosmology and Divination at the University of Kent, Canterbury |
| 26 June 2008 | The Arab Conquests | Hugh N. Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Robert Hoyland, Professor in Arabic and Middle East Studies at the University of St Andrews |
| 3 July 2008 | The Metaphysical Poets | Thomas Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Birkbeck College, University of London Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and Drama at the University of Nottingham Tom Cain, Professor of Early Modern Literature at the University of Newcastle |
| 10 July 2008 | Tacitus and the Decadence of Rome | Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Ellen O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Bristol Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London |

### 2008–2009

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 25 September 2008 | Miracles | Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Janet Soskice, Reader in Philosophical Theology at Cambridge University Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 2 October 2008 | The Translation Movement | Peter Adamson, Reader in Philosophy at King's College London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Peter Pormann, Wellcome Trust Assistant Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick |
| 9 October 2008 | Gödel's Incompleteness Theorems | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at Wadham College, University of Oxford John D. Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Gresham Professor of Geometry Philip Welch, Professor of Mathematical Logic at the University of Bristol |
| 16 October 2008 | Vitalism | Patricia Fara, Fellow of Clare College and Affiliated Lecturer in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science and Medicine at Imperial College, University of London Pietro Corsi, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford |
| 23 October 2008 | Dante's Inferno | Margaret Kean, University Lecturer in English and College Fellow at St Hilda's College, Oxford John Took, Professor of Dante Studies at University College London Claire Honess, Senior Lecturer in Italian at the University of Leeds and Co-Director of the Leeds Centre for Dante Studies |
| 30 October 2008 | Bolivar | Anthony McFarlane, Professor of Comparative American Studies at the University of Warwick John Fisher, Professor of Latin American History at the University of Liverpool Catherine Davies, Professor in the Department of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies at the University of Nottingham |
| 6 November 2008 | Aristotle's Politics | Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge Annabel Brett, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge |
| 13 November 2008 | Neuroscience | Martin Conway, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leeds, Gemma Calvert, Professor of Applied Neuroimaging at WMG, University of Warwick David Papineau, Professor of Philosophy of Science at King's College London |
| 20 November 2008 | The Baroque Movement | T. C. W. Blanning, Professor of Modern European History and Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Nigel Aston, Reader in Early Modern History at the University of Leicester Helen Hills, Professor of Art History at the University of York |
| 27 November 2008 | The Great Reform Act | Dinah Birch, Professor of English at Liverpool University Michael Bentley, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews Catherine Hall, Professor of Modern British Social and Cultural History at University College London |
| 4 December 2008 | Heat | Simon Schaffer, Professor of History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College Hasok Chang, Professor of Philosophy of Science at University College London Joanna Haigh, Professor of Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College London |
| 11 December 2008 | The Fire of London | Lisa Jardine, Centenary Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London Vanessa Harding, Reader in London History at Birkbeck, University of London Jonathan Sawday, Professor of English Studies at the University of Strathclyde |
| 18 December 2008 | The Physics of Time | Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Ian Stewart, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick |
| 1 January 2009 | The Consolations of Philosophy | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Melissa Lane, Senior University Lecturer in History at the University of Cambridge Roger Scruton, Research Professor at the Institute for the Psychological Sciences |
| 5 January 2009 | Darwin: On the Origins of Charles Darwin | Jim Moore, Professor of the History of Science at The Open University Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London David Norman, Director of The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge Colin Higgins, Assistant Librarian at Christ's College, Cambridge |
| 6 January 2009 | Darwin: The Voyage of the Beagle | Jim Moore, Professor of the History of Science at The Open University Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London David Norman, Director of The Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences and Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge Jenny Clack, Curator at The Cambridge University Museum of Zoology and Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Cambridge |
| 7 January 2009 | Darwin: On the Origin of Species | Jim Moore, Professor of the History of Science at The Open University Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Jim Secord, the Darwin Correspondence Project Johannes Vogel, Sandy Knapp and Judith Magee, all of the National History Museum |
| 8 January 2009 | Darwin: Life After Origins | Jim Moore, Professor of the History of Science at The Open University Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Alison Pearn, the Darwin Correspondence Project Nick Biddle, former garden curator at Down House |
| 15 January 2009 | Thoreau and the American Idyll | Kathleen Burk, Professor of American History at University College London Tim Morris, Lecturer in American Literature at the University of Dundee Stephen Fender, Honorary Professor in English Literature at University College London |
| 22 January 2009 | History of History | Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture and Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge John Burrow, emeritus fellow of Balliol College, Oxford Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 29 January 2009 | Swift's A Modest Proposal | John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Ian McBride, Senior Lecturer in the History Department at King's College London |
| 5 February 2009 | The Brothers Grimm | Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in Folklore at Cardiff University Marina Warner, Professor in the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies at the University of Essex Tony Phelan, Professor in German at Keble College, Oxford |
| 12 February 2009 | Carthage's Destruction | Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge Jo Quinn, Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Oxford Ellen O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Bristol |
| 19 February 2009 | The Observatory at Jaipur | Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews David Arnold, Professor of Asian and Global History at the University of Warwick Chris Minkowski, Professor in Sanskrit at the University of Oxford |
| 26 February 2009 | The Waste Land and Modernity | Steve Connor, Professor of Modern Literature and Theory at Birkbeck College, University of London Fran Brearton, Reader in English at Queen's University Belfast Lawrence Rainey, Professor of English and American Literature at the University of York |
| 5 March 2009 | The Measurement problem in Physics | Basil Hiley, Emeritus Professor of Physics at Birkbeck, University of London Simon Saunders, Reader in Philosophy of Physics and University Lecturer in Philosophy of Science at the University of Oxford Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford |
| 12 March 2009 | The Library of Alexandria | Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge Matthew Nicholls, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Reading Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck College, University of London |
| 19 March 2009 | The Boxer Rebellion | Frances Wood, Curator of Chinese Collections at the British Library Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford R. G. Tiedemann, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Christianity in China |
| 26 March 2009 | The School of Athens | Angie Hobbs, associate professor in Philosophy at the University of Warwick Valery Rees, Renaissance scholar and senior member of the Language Department at the School of Economic Science Jill Kraye, Professor of the History of Renaissance Philosophy and Librarian at the Warburg Institute at the University of London |
| 2 April 2009 | Baconian Science | Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Lancaster Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge Rhodri Lewis, University Lecturer in English at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Hugh's |
| 9 April 2009 | Aldous Huxley's Brave New World | David Bradshaw, Reader and Tutor in English Literature at Worcester College, Oxford Daniel Pick, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London Michèle Barrett, Professor of Modern Literary and Cultural Theory at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 16 April 2009 | Suffragism | Krista Cowman, Professor of History at the University of Lincoln June Purvis, Professor of Women's & Gender History at the University of Portsmouth Julia Bush, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Northampton |
| 23 April 2009 | The Building of St Petersburg | Simon Dixon, Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London Janet Hartley, Professor of International History at the London School of Economics Anthony Cross, Emeritus Professor of Slavonic Studies at the University of Cambridge |
| 30 April 2009 | The Vacuum of Space | Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Exeter College, Oxford Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Visiting Professor in Astrophysics at Oxford University Ruth Gregory, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Durham University |
| 7 May 2009 | The Magna Carta | Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King's College London Michael Clanchy, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the Institute of Historical Research |
| 14 May 2009 | The Siege of Vienna | Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter Andrew Wheatcroft, Professor of International Publishing at Stirling University Claire Norton, Lecturer in History at St Mary's University, London |
| 21 May 2009 | The Whale - A History | Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Eleanor Weston, a mammalian palaeontologist at the Natural History Museum in London Bill Amos, Professor of Evolutionary Genetics at Cambridge University |
| 28 May 2009 | St Paul | John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews John Barclay, Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at Durham University Helen Bond, Senior Lecturer in the New Testament at the University of Edinburgh |
| 4 June 2009 | The Trial of Charles I | Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford David Wootton, Professor of History at the University of York |
| 11 June 2009 | The Augustan Age | Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge University Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck College, University of London Duncan Kennedy, Professor of Latin Literature at the University of Bristol |
| 18 June 2009 | Elizabethan Revenge | Jonathan Bate, Professor of Shakespeare and Renaissance Literature at the University of Warwick Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and Drama at the University of Nottingham Janet Clare, Professor of Renaissance Literature at the University of Hull |
| 25 June 2009 | Sunni and Shia Islam | Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge Robert Gleave, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter Hugh N. Kennedy, Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London |
| 2 July 2009 | Logical Positivism | Barry Smith, Professor of Philosophy at the University of London Nancy Cartwright, Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics Thomas Uebel, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Manchester |
| 9 July 2009 | Ediacara Biota | Richard Corfield, Senior Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the Open University Martin Brasier, Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of Oxford Rachel Wood, Lecturer in Carbonate Geoscience at the University of Edinburgh |

### 2009–2010

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 17 September 2009 | St Thomas Aquinas | Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Annabel Brett, Lecturer in History at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge |
| 24 September 2009 | Calculus | Simon Schaffer, Professor of History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge Jackie Stedall, Departmental Lecturer in History of Mathematics at the University of Oxford |
| 1 October 2009 | Akhenaten | Richard Parkinson, Egyptologist at the British Museum Elizabeth Frood, Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Oxford Kate Spence, Lecturer in the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt at the University of Cambridge |
| 8 October 2009 | The Dreyfus Affair | Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at Oxford University Robert Tombs, Professor of French History at Cambridge University Ruth Harris, Lecturer in Modern History at Oxford University |
| 15 October 2009 | The Death of Elizabeth I | John Guy, Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge Clare Jackson, Lecturer and Director of Studies in History at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge Helen Hackett, Reader in English at University College London |
| 22 October 2009 | The Geological Formation of Britain | Richard Corfield, Visiting Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology, University of Leeds Sanjeev Gupta, Royal Society-Leverhulme Trust Research Fellow at Imperial College London |
| 29 October 2009 | Schopenhauer | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Beatrice Han-Pile, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex Christopher Janaway, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton |
| 5 November 2009 | The Siege of Munster | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Charlotte Methuen, University Research Lecturer in Ecclesiastical History at the University of Oxford and Lecturer in Church History and Liturgy at Ripon College Cuddesdon Lucy Wooding, Lecturer in Early Modern History at King's College, London |
| 12 November 2009 | Radiation | Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Theoretical Physics and Chair in the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Surrey Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Exeter College, University of Oxford Frank James, Professor of the History of Science at the Royal Institution |
| 19 November 2009 | Sparta | Paul Cartledge, A G Leventis Professor of Greek Culture and a Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge Edith Hall, Professor of Classics and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick |
| 26 November 2009 | Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man | Roy Foster, Carroll Professor of Irish History and Fellow of Hertford College, Oxford Katherine Mullin, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Leeds Jeri Johnson, Senior Fellow in English at Exeter College, Oxford |
| 3 December 2009 | The Silk Road | Frances Wood, Head of the Chinese Section at the British Library Tim Barrett, Professor of East Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies Naomi Standen, Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies at Newcastle University |
| 10 December 2009 | Pythagoras | Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck College, University of London John O'Connor, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at the University of St Andrews |
| 24 December 2009 | The Samurai | Angus Lockyer, Lecturer in Japanese History and Chair of the Japan Research Centre at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Nicola Liscutin, Programme Director of Japanese Studies, Birkbeck College, University of London Gregory Irvine, Senior Curator Japan at the Victoria and Albert Museum |
| 31 December 2009 | Mary Wollstonecraft | Karen O'Brien, Professor of English at the University of Warwick John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Barbara Taylor, Professor of Modern History in the School of Humanities |
| 4 January 2010 | The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 1 | Documentary format |
| 5 January 2010 | The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 2 | Documentary format |
| 6 January 2010 | The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 3 | Documentary format |
| 7 January 2010 | The Royal Society and British Science: Episode 4 | Documentary format |
| 14 January 2010 | The Frankfurt School | Jonathan Rée, a freelance historian and philosopher, currently Visiting Professor at Roehampton University and at the Royal College of Art Esther Leslie, Professor in Political Aesthetics at Birkbeck College, University of London Raymond Geuss, Professor in the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge |
| 21 January 2010 | The Glencoe Massacre | Murray Pittock, Bradley Professor of English Literature at the University of Glasgow Karin Bowie, Lecturer in Scottish History at the University of Glasgow Daniel Szechi, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Manchester |
| 28 January 2010 | Silas Marner | Rosemary Ashton, Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College, London Dinah Birch, Professor of English at Liverpool University Valentine Cunningham, Professor of English Language and Literature at Corpus Christi, University of Oxford |
| 4 February 2010 | Ibn Khaldun | Robert Hoyland, Professor of Islamic History at the University of Oxford Robert Graham Irwin, Senior Research Associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London Hugh N. Kennedy, is Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London |
| 11 February 2010 | The Unintended Consequences of Mathematics | John D. Barrow, Professor of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Cambridge and Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, London Colva Roney-Dougal, Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Marcus du Sautoy, Charles Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford |
| 18 February 2010 | The Indian Mutiny | Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Imperial and Indian History at the University of St Andrews Faisal Devji, University Reader in Indian History at St Antony's College, University of Oxford Shruti Kapila, University Lecturer in History and Fellow and Director of Studies at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge |
| 25 February 2010 | Calvinism | Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Susan Hardman Moore, Senior Lecturer in Divinity at the University of Edinburgh Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford |
| 4 March 2010 | The Infant Brain | Usha Goswami, Professor of Education at the University of Cambridge and Director of its Centre for Neuroscience in Education Annette Karmiloff-Smith, Professorial Research Fellow at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at the Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London Denis Mareschal, Professor of Psychology at the Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck College, University of London |
| 11 March 2010 | Boudica | Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in Folklore at Cardiff University Richard Hingley, Professor of Roman Archaeology at Durham University Miranda Aldhouse-Green, Professor of Archaeology in the School of History and Archaeology at Cardiff University |
| 18 March 2010 | Munch and The Scream | David Jackson, Professor of Russian and Scandinavian Art Histories at the University of Leeds Dorothy Rowe, Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Bristol Alastair Wright, University Lecturer in the History of Art at St John's College, Oxford |
| 25 March 2010 | The City - a history, part 1 | Peter Hall, Professor of Planning and Regeneration at The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London Julia Merritt, associate professor of History at the University of Nottingham Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews |
| 1 April 2010 | The City - a history, part 2 | Peter Hall, Professor of Planning and Regeneration at The Bartlett School of Planning, University College London Tristram Hunt, lecturer in History at Queen Mary College at the University of London Ricky Burdett, Professor of Urban Studies at the London School of Economics |
| 8 April 2010 | William Hazlitt | Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London Uttara Natarajan, Senior Lecturer in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at Goldsmiths College, University of London |
| 15 April 2010 | The Rise and Fall of the Zulu Nation | Saul David, Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham Saul Dubow, Professor of History at the University of Sussex Shula Marks, Emeritus Professor of History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London |
| 22 April 2010 | Roman Satire | Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at Cambridge University Denis Feeney, Professor of Classics and Giger Professor of Latin at Princeton University Duncan Kennedy, Professor of Latin Literature and the Theory of Criticism at the University of Bristol |
| 29 April 2010 | The Great Wall of China | Julia Lovell, Lecturer in Chinese History at Birkbeck College, University of London Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford Frances Wood, Head of the Chinese Section at the British Library |
| 6 May 2010 | The Cool Universe | Carolin Crawford, Member of the Institute of Astronomy, and Fellow of Emmanuel College, at the University of Cambridge Paul Murdin, Visiting Professor of Astronomy at Liverpool John Moores University's Astronomy Research Institute Michael Rowan-Robinson, Professor of Astrophysics at Imperial College, London |
| 13 May 2010 | William James's The Varieties of Religious Experience | Jonathan Rée, Freelance philosopher John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Gwen Griffith-Dickson, Emeritus Professor of Divinity at Gresham College and Director of the Lokahi Foundation |
| 20 May 2010 | The Cavendish Family in Science | Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor of Clare College, University of Cambridge Simon Schaffer, Professor of History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge |
| 27 May 2010 | Giorgio Vasari's Lives of the Artists | Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies and Academic Dean for Arts at Queen Mary, University of London David Ekserdjian, Professor of History of Art and Film at the University of Leicester Martin Kemp, Emeritus Professor in the History of Art at the University of Oxford |
| 3 June 2010 | Edmund Burke | Karen O'Brien, Professor of English at the University of Warwick Richard Bourke, Senior Lecturer in History at Queen Mary, University of London John Keane, Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney |
| 10 June 2010 | Al-Biruni | James Montgomery, Professor of Classical Arabic at the University of Cambridge Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge |
| 17 June 2010 | The Neanderthals | Simon Conway Morris, Professor of Evolutionary Palaeobiology at the University of Cambridge Chris Stringer, Research Leader in Human Origins at the Natural History Museum and Visiting Professor at Royal Holloway, University of London Danielle Schreve, Reader in Physical Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 24 June 2010 | Antarctica | Jane Francis, Professor of Paleoclimatology at the University of Leeds Julian Dowdeswell, Director of the Scott Polar Research Institute and Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Cambridge David Walton, Emeritus Professor at the British Antarctic Survey and Visiting Professor at the University of Liverpool |
| 1 July 2010 | Athelstan | Sarah Foot, Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Christ Church, Oxford John Hines, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University Richard Gameson, Professor of the History of the Book at Durham University |
| 8 July 2010 | Pliny's Natural History | Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck, University of London Aude Doody, Lecturer in Classics at University College, Dublin Liba Taub, Reader in the History and Philosophy of Science, Cambridge University |

### 2010–2011

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 23 September 2010 | Imaginary numbers | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Caroline Series, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick |
| 30 September 2010 | The Delphic Oracle | Paul Cartledge, A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Royal Holloway, University of London Nick Lowe, Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 7 October 2010 | The Spanish Armada | Diane Purkiss, Fellow and Tutor at Keble College, Oxford Maria Jose Rodriguez-Salgado, Professor in International History at the London School of Economics Nicholas Rodger, senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford |
| 14 October 2010 | Sturm und Drang | T. C. W. Blanning, Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at Cambridge University Susanne Kord, Professor of German at University College, London Maike Oergel, associate professor of German at the University of Nottingham |
| 21 October 2010 | Logic | A. C. Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Peter Millican, Gilbert Ryle Fellow in Philosophy at Hertford College, Oxford Rosanna Keefe, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Sheffield |
| 28 October 2010 | The Unicorn | Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in Folklore at Cardiff University Lauren Kassell, Lecturer in the History and philosophy of science at the University of Cambridge David Ekserdjian, Professor of the History of Art and Film at the University of Leicester |
| 4 November 2010 | Women and Enlightenment Science | Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge Karen O'Brien, Professor of English at the University of Warwick Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 11 November 2010 | The Volga Vikings | James Montgomery, professor of Classical Arabic at the University of Cambridge Neil Price, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen Elizabeth Ashman Rowe, Lecturer in Scandinavian History of the Viking Age at Clare Hall, Cambridge |
| 18 November 2010 | Foxe's Book of Martyrs | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of Church history at the University of Oxford Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Elizabeth Evenden, Lecturer in Book History at Brunel University |
| 25 November 2010 | History of Metaphor | Steven Connor, Professor of Modern Literature and Theory at Birkbeck, University of London Tom Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Sussex Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature at the University of Nottingham |
| 2 December 2010 | Cleopatra | Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London Susan Walker, Keeper of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum at the University of Oxford |
| 9 December 2010 | Thomas Edison | Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science, University of Cambridge Kathleen Burk, Professor of History, University College London Iwan Morus, Reader in History, University of Aberystwyth |
| 16 December 2010 | Daoism | Tim Barrett, Professor of East Asian History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education and Culture Hilde de Weerdt, Fellow and Tutor in Chinese History at Pembroke College, University of Oxford |
| 23 December 2010 | The Industrial Revolution | Jeremy Black, Professor of History at the University of Exeter Pat Hudson, Professor Emerita of History at Cardiff University William Ashworth, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Liverpool |
| 30 December 2010 | Consequences of the Industrial Revolution | Jane Humphries, Professor of Economic History and Fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford Emma Griffin, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of East Anglia Lawrence Goldman, Fellow and Tutor in History at St Peter's College, University of Oxford |
| 6 January 2011 | Childe Harold's Pilgrimage | Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the University of Warwick Jane Stabler, Reader in Romanticism at the University of St Andrews Emily Bernhard Jackson, Assistant Professor in Nineteenth-Century English Literature at the University of Arkansas |
| 13 January 2011 | Random and Pseudorandom | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Colva Roney-Dougal, Senior Lecturer in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Timothy Gowers, Royal Society Research Professor in Mathematics at the University of Cambridge |
| 20 January 2011 | The Mexican Revolution | Alan Knight, Professor of the History of Latin America at the University of Oxford Paul Garner, Cowdray Professor of Spanish at the University of Leeds Patience Schell, Senior Lecturer in Latin American Cultural Studies at the University of Manchester |
| 27 January 2011 | Aristotle's Poetics | Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Nick Lowe, Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Stephen Halliwell, Professor of Greek at the University of St Andrews |
| 3 February 2011 | The Battle of Bannockburn | Matthew Strickland, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Glasgow Fiona Watson, Honorary Research Fellow in History at the University of Dundee Michael Brown, Reader in History at the University of St Andrews |
| 10 February 2011 | The Nervous System | Colin Blakemore, Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Oxford Vivian Nutton, Emeritus Professor of the History of Medicine at University College, London Tilli Tansey, Professor of the History of Modern Medical Sciences at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 17 February 2011 | Maimonides | John Joseph Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Sarah Stroumsa, Professor of Arabic Studies and currently Rector at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Peter Adamson, Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College London |
| 24 February 2011 | The Taiping Rebellion | Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford Frances Wood, Head of the Chinese Section at the British Library Julia Lovell, Lecturer in Chinese History at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 3 March 2011 | The Age of the Universe | Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge Carolin Crawford, Member of the Institute of Astronomy and Fellow of Emmanuel College at the University of Cambridge Carlos Frenk, Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the University of Durham |
| 10 March 2011 | Free Will(500th programme) | Simon Blackburn, Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge Helen Beebee, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham Galen Strawson, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading |
| 17 March 2011 | The Medieval University | Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London Ian Wei, Senior Lecturer in Medieval European History at the University of Bristol Peter Denley, Reader in History at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 24 March 2011 | The Iron Age | Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford Sue Hamilton, Professor of Prehistory at University College London Timothy Champion, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton |
| 31 March 2011 | The Bhagavad Gita | Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University Julius J. Lipner, Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion and Fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge Jessica Frazier, research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies and Lecturer in Religious Studies at Regent's College, London |
| 7 April 2011 | Octavia Hill | Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at Liverpool University Lawrence Goldman, Fellow in Modern History at St Peter's College, Oxford Gillian Darley, Historian and biographer of Octavia Hill |
| 14 April 2011 | The Neutrino | Frank Close, Professor of Physics at Exeter College at the University of Oxford Susan Cartwright, Senior Lecturer in Particle Physics and Astrophysics at the University of Sheffield David Wark, Professor of Particle Physics at Imperial College, London, and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory |
| 21 April 2011 | The Pelagian Controversy | Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture Caroline Humfress, Reader in History at Birkbeck College, University of London John Milbank, Professor in Religion, Politics and Ethics and the Director of the Centre for Theology and Philosophy at the University of Nottingham |
| 28 April 2011 | Cogito Ergo Sum | Susan James, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and Professorial Research Fellow at Heythrop College, University of London Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford |
| 5 May 2011 | Islamic Law and its Origins | Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic in the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London Robert Gleave, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Glasgow |
| 12 May 2011 | The Anatomy of Melancholy | Julie Sanders, Professor of English Literature and Drama at the University of Nottingham Mary Ann Lund, Lecturer in English at the University of Leicester Erin Sullivan, Lecturer and Fellow at the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham |
| 19 May 2011 | Custer's Last Stand | Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Adam Smith, Senior Lecturer in American History at University College London Saul David, Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham |
| 26 May 2011 | Xenophon | Paul Cartledge, A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University Edith Hall, Professor of Classics and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London Simon Goldhill, Professor in Greek Literature and Culture at the University of Cambridge and Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at King's College London |
| 2 June 2011 | The Battle of Stamford Bridge | John Hines, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University Elizabeth Ashman Rowe, Lecturer in Scandinavian History of the Viking Age at Clare Hall, Cambridge Stephen Baxter, Reader in Medieval History at King's College London |
| 9 June 2011 | The Origins of Infectious Disease | Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Roy Anderson, Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at Imperial College London Mark Pallen, Professor of Microbial Genomics at the University of Birmingham |
| 16 June 2011 | Wyclif and the Lollards | Anthony Kenny, Philosopher and former Master of Balliol College, Oxford Anne Hudson, Emeritus Professor of Medieval English at the University of Oxford Rob Lutton, Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Nottingham |
| 23 June 2011 | Malthusianism | Karen O'Brien, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education at the University of Birmingham Mark Philp, Lecturer in Politics at the University of Oxford Emma Griffin, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of East Anglia |
| 30 June 2011 | Tennyson's In Memoriam | Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Liverpool University, Seamus Perry, Fellow and Tutor in English at Balliol College, University of Oxford, Jane Wright, Lecturer in English at the University of Bristol |
| 7 July 2011 | The Minoan Civilisation | John Bennet, Professor of Aegean Archaeology at Sheffield University Ellen Adams, Lecturer in Classical Art and Archaeology at King's College London Yannis Hamilakis, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Southampton |

### 2011–2012

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 15 September 2011 | The Hippocratic Oath | Vivian Nutton, Emeritus Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London Helen King, Professor of Classical Studies at the Open University Peter Pormann, Wellcome Trust Associate Professor in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Warwick |
| 22 September 2011 | Shinto | Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture Richard Bowring, Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge Lucia Dolce, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Religion and Japanese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London |
| 29 September 2011 | The Etruscan Civilisation | Phil Perkins, Professor of Archaeology at the Open University David Ridgway, senior research fellow at the Institute of Classical Studies at the University of London Corinna Riva, Lecturer in Mediterranean Archaeology at University College London |
| 6 October 2011 | David Hume | Peter Millican, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford Helen Beebee, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham James Harris, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews |
| 13 October 2011 | The Ming Voyages | Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China at the University of Oxford Julia Lovell, Lecturer in Chinese History at Birkbeck College, University of London Craig Clunas, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Oxford |
| 20 October 2011 | Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People | Tim Blanning, Former Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Tamar Garb, Durning Lawrence Professor in the History of Art at University College London Simon Lee, Senior Lecturer on the history of art at Reading University |
| 27 October 2011 | The Siege of Tenochtitlan | Alan Knight, Professor of the History of Latin America at the University of Oxford Elizabeth Graham, Professor of Mesoamerican Archaeology at University College, London Caroline Dodds Pennock, Lecturer in International History at the University of Sheffield |
| 3 November 2011 | The Moon | Paul Murdin, Visiting Professor of Astronomy at Liverpool John Moores University Carolin Crawford, Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College and Fellow and College Lecturer at Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge Ian Crawford, Reader in Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck College, London |
| 10 November 2011 | The Continental-Analytic Split | Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy at New College, Oxford Beatrice Han-Pile, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex Hans-Johann Glock, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Zurich |
| 17 November 2011 | Ptolemy and Ancient Astronomy | Liba Taub, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at Cambridge University Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Charles Burnett, Professor of the History of Islamic Influences on Europe at the Warburg Institute, University of London |
| 24 November 2011 | Judas Maccabeus | Helen Bond, Senior Lecturer in the New Testament at University of Edinburgh Tessa Rajak, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Reading Philip Alexander, Emeritus Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester |
| 1 December 2011 | Christina Rossetti | Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research at Liverpool University Rhian Williams, Lecturer in Nineteenth-Century English Literature at the University of Glasgow Nicholas Shrimpton, Emeritus Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford |
| 8 December 2011 | Heraclitus | Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Peter Adamson, Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College London James Warren, Senior Lecturer in Classics and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge |
| 15 December 2011 | The Concordat of Worms | Henrietta Leyser, Emeritus Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford Kate Cushing, Reader in Medieval History at Keele University John Gillingham, Emeritus Professor of History at the London School of Economics and Political Science |
| 22 December 2011 | Robinson Crusoe | Karen O'Brien, Pro-Vice Chancellor for Education at the University of Birmingham Judith Hawley, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Bob Owens, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the Open University |
| 29 December 2011 | Macromolecules | Tony Ryan, Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Science at the University of Sheffield Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Robinson College Charlotte Williams, Reader in Polymer Chemistry and Catalysis at Imperial College, London |
| 2 January 2012 | The Written World: Episode 1 | Documentary format |
| 3 January 2012 | The Written World: Episode 2 | Documentary format |
| 4 January 2012 | The Written World: Episode 3 | Documentary format |
| 5 January 2012 | The Written World: Episode 4 | Documentary format |
| 6 January 2012 | The Written World: Episode 5 | Documentary format |
| 12 January 2012 | The Safavid dynasty | Robert Gleave, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter Emma Loosley, Senior Lecturer at the School of Arts, Histories and Cultures at the University of Manchester Andrew Newman, Reader in Islamic Studies and Persian at the University of Edinburgh |
| 19 January 2012 | 1848: Year of Revolution | Tim Blanning, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Cambridge Lucy Riall, Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London Mike Rapport, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Stirling |
| 26 January 2012 | The Scientific method | Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge John Worrall, Professor of the Philosophy of Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science Michela Massimi, Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science at University College London |
| 2 February 2012 | The Kama Sutra | Julius Lipner, Professor of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion at the University of Cambridge Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies David Smith, Reader in South Asian Religions at the University of Lancaster |
| 9 February 2012 | Erasmus | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Eamon Duffy, Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge Jill Kraye, Professor of the History of Renaissance Philosophy and Librarian at the Warburg Institute, University of London |
| 16 February 2012 | The An Lushan Rebellion | Frances Wood, Lead Curator of Chinese at the British Library Naomi Standen, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Birmingham Hilde de Weerdt, Fellow and Lecturer in Chinese History at Pembroke College, Oxford |
| 23 February 2012 | Conductors and Semiconductors | Frank Close, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford Jenny Nelson, Professor of Physics at Imperial College London Lesley Cohen, Professor of Solid State Physics at Imperial College London |
| 1 March 2012 | Benjamin Franklin | Simon Middleton, Senior Lecturer in American History at the University of Sheffield Simon Newman, Sir Denis Brogan Professor of American History at the University of Glasgow Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor at Clare College, Cambridge |
| 8 March 2012 | Lyrical Ballads | Judith Hawley, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, Oxford Peter Swaab, Reader in English Literature at University College London |
| 15 March 2012 | Vitruvius and De Architectura | Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck, University of London Robert Tavernor, Emeritus Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the London School of Economics Alice König, Lecturer in Latin and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews |
| 22 March 2012 | Moses Mendelssohn | Christopher Clark, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Abigail Green, Tutor and Fellow in History at the University of Oxford Adam Sutcliffe, Senior Lecturer in European History at King's College, London |
| 29 March 2012 | The Measurement of Time | Kristen Lippincott, Former Director of the Royal Observatory, Greenwich Jim Bennett, Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Jonathan Betts, Senior Curator of Horology at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich |
| 5 April 2012 | George Fox and the Quakers | Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London John Coffey, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Leicester Kate Peters, Fellow in History at Murray Edwards College at the University of Cambridge |
| 12 April 2012 | Early Geology | Stephen Pumfrey, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science at Lancaster University Andrew Scott, Professor of Applied Palaeobotany at Royal Holloway, University of London Leucha Veneer, Research Associate at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester |
| 19 April 2012 | Neoplatonism | Angie Hobbs, associate professor of Philosophy and Senior Fellow in the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Peter Adamson, Professor of Ancient and Medieval Philosophy at King's College London Anne Sheppard, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 26 April 2012 | The Battle of Bosworth Field | Anne Curry, Professor of Medieval History and Dean of Humanities at the University of Southampton Stephen Gunn, Tutor and Fellow in Modern History at Merton College, Oxford David Grummitt, Lecturer in British History at the University of Kent |
| 3 May 2012 | Voltaire's Candide | David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Nicholas Cronk, Professor of French Literature and Director of the Voltaire Foundation at the University of Oxford Caroline Warman, Lecturer in French and Fellow of Jesus College, Oxford |
| 10 May 2012 | Game theory | Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Andrew Colman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Leicester Richard Bradley, Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics and Political Science |
| 17 May 2012 | Clausewitz and On War | Saul David, Professor of War Studies at the University of Buckingham Hew Strachan, Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford Beatrice Heuser, Professor of International Relations at the University of Reading |
| 24 May 2012 | Marco Polo | Frances Wood, Lead Curator of Chinese Collections at the British Library Joan Pau Rubies, Reader in International History at the London School of Economics and Political Science Debra Higgs Strickland, Senior Lecturer in the History of Art at the University of Glasgow |
| 31 May 2012 | The Trojan War | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London Ellen Adams, Lecturer in Classical Art and Archaeology at King's College London Susan Sherratt, Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Sheffield |
| 7 June 2012 | King Solomon | Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture Philip Alexander, Emeritus Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester Katharine Dell, Senior Lecturer in Old Testament Studies at the University of Cambridge, and Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge |
| 14 June 2012 | James Joyce's Ulysses | Steven Connor, Professor of Modern Literature and Theory at Birkbeck, University of London Jeri Johnson, Senior Fellow in English at Exeter College, Oxford Richard Brown, Reader in Modern English Literature at the University of Leeds |
| 21 June 2012 | Annie Besant | Lawrence Goldman, Fellow in Modern History at St Peter's College, Oxford David Stack, Reader in History at the University of Reading Yasmin Khan, Senior Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 28 June 2012 | Al-Kindi | Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London James Montgomery, Sir Thomas Adams's Professor of Arabic Elect at the University of Cambridge Amira Bennison, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies at the University of Cambridge |
| 5 July 2012 | Scepticism | Peter Millican, Professor of Philosophy at Hertford College, Oxford Melissa Lane, Professor of Politics at Princeton University Jill Kraye, Professor of the History of Renaissance Philosophy and Librarian at the Warburg Institute, University of London |
| 12 July 2012 | Hadrian's Wall | Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews David Breeze, Former Chief Inspector of Ancient Monuments for Scotland and Visiting Professor of Archaeology at the University of Durham Lindsay Allason-Jones, Former Reader in Roman Material Culture at the University of Newcastle |

### 2012–2013

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 13 September 2012 | The Cell | Steve Jones, Professor of Genetics at University College London Cathie Martin, Group Leader at the John Innes Centre and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia Nick Lane, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London |
| 20 September 2012 | The Druids | Barry Cunliffe, Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Oxford Miranda Aldhouse-Green, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 27 September 2012 | The Ontological Argument | John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at the University of St Andrews Peter Millican, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oxford Clare Carlisle, Lecturer in Philosophy of religion at King's College London |
| 4 October 2012 | Gerald of Wales | Henrietta Leyser, Emeritus Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford Michelle Brown, Professor Emerita of Medieval Manuscript Studies at the School of Advanced Study, University of London Huw Pryce, Professor of Welsh History at Bangor University |
| 11 October 2012 | Hannibal | Ellen O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Bristol Mark Woolmer, Senior Tutor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Durham Louis Rawlings, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at Cardiff University |
| 18 October 2012 | Caxton and the Printing Press | Richard Gameson, Professor of the History of the Book at the University of Durham Julia Boffey, Professor of Medieval Studies in the English Department at Queen Mary, University of London David Rundle, Member of the History Faculty at the University of Oxford |
| 25 October 2012 | Fermat's Last Theorem | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics & Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford Vicky Neale, Fellow and Director of Studies in Mathematics at Murray Edwards College at the University of Cambridge Samir Siksek, Professor at the Mathematics Institute at the University of Warwick |
| 1 November 2012 | The Anarchy | John Gillingham, Emeritus Professor of History at the London School of Economics and Political Science Louise Wilkinson, Reader in Medieval History at Canterbury Christ Church University David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King's College London |
| 8 November 2012 | The Upanishads | Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University Simon Brodbeck, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Cardiff |
| 15 November 2012 | Simone Weil | Beatrice Han-Pile, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex Stephen Plant, Runcie Fellow and Dean of Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge David Levy, Teaching Fellow in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh |
| 22 November 2012 | The Borgias | Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary, University of London Catherine Fletcher, Lecturer in Public History at the University of Sheffield Christine Shaw, Honorary Research Fellow at Swansea University |
| 29 November 2012 | Crystallography | Judith Howard, Director of the Biophysical Sciences Institute and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Durham Chris Hammond, Life Fellow in Material Science at the University of Leeds Mike Glazer, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and Visiting Professor of Physics at the University of Warwick |
| 6 December 2012 | Bertrand Russell | A. C. Grayling, Master of the New College of the Humanities and a Supernumerary Fellow of St Anne's College, Oxford Mike Beaney, Professor of Philosophy at the University of York Hilary Greaves, Lecturer in Philosophy and Fellow of Somerville College, Oxford |
| 13 December 2012 | Shahnameh of Ferdowsi | Narguess Farzad, Senior Fellow in Persian at SOAS, University of London Charles Melville, Professor of Persian History at Pembroke College, Cambridge Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator of Middle Eastern Coins at the British Museum |
| 20 December 2012 | The South Sea Bubble | Anne Murphy, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Hertfordshire Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton Roey Sweet, Head of the School of History at the University of Leicester |
| 27 December 2012 | The Cult of Mithras | Greg Woolf, Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews Almut Hintze, Zartoshty Professor of Zoroastrianism at SOAS, University of London John North, Acting Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London |
| 10 January 2013 | Le Morte d'Arthur | Helen Cooper, Professor of Medieval and Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge Helen Fulton, Professor of Medieval Literature and Head of Department of English and Related Literature at the University of York Laura Ashe, CUF Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow at Worcester College at the University of Oxford |
| 17 January 2013 | Comets | Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Paul Murdin, Senior Fellow at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge Don Pollacco, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Warwick |
| 24 January 2013 | Romulus and Remus | Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge Peter Wiseman, Emeritus Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter Tim Cornell, Emeritus Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester |
| 31 January 2013 | The War of 1812 | Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Lawrence Goldman, Fellow in Modern History at St Peter's College, Oxford Frank Cogliano, Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh |
| 7 February 2013 | Epicureanism | Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield David Sedley, Laurence Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge James Warren, Reader in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge |
| 14 February 2013 | Ice ages | Jane Francis, Professor of Paleoclimatology at the University of Leeds Richard Corfield, research fellow in Geology at the University of Oxford Carrie Lear, Senior Lecturer in Palaeoceanography at Cardiff University |
| 21 February 2013 | Decline and Fall | David Bradshaw, Professor of English Literature at Worcester College, Oxford John Bowen, Professor of Nineteenth-Century Literature at the University of York Ann Pasternak Slater, senior research fellow at St Anne's College, Oxford |
| 28 February 2013 | Pitt Rivers | Adam Kuper, Visiting Professor of Anthropology at Boston University Richard Bradley, Professor in Archaeology at the University of Reading Dan Hicks, University Lecturer & Curator of Archaeology at the Pitt Rivers Museum at the University of Oxford |
| 7 March 2013 | Absolute Zero | Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge Stephen Blundell, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford Nicola Wilkin, Lecturer in Theoretical Physics at the University of Birmingham |
| 14 March 2013 | Chekhov | Catriona Kelly, Professor of Russian at the University of Oxford Cynthia Marsh, Emeritus Professor of Russian ama and Literature at the University of Nottingham Rosamund Bartlett, Founding Director of the Anton Chekhov Foundation and former Reader in Russian at the University of Durham |
| 21 March 2013 | Alfred Russel Wallace | Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College London George Beccaloni, Curator of Cockroaches and Related Insects and Director of the Wallace Correspondence Project at the Natural History Museum Ted Benton, Professor of Sociology at the University of Essex |
| 28 March 2013 | Water | Hasok Chang, Hans Rausing Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Andrea Sella, Professor of Chemistry at University College London Patricia Hunt, Senior Lecturer in Chemistry at Imperial College London |
| 4 April 2013 | Japan's Sakoku Period | Richard Bowring, Emeritus Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Cambridge Andrew Cobbing, associate professor of History at the University of Nottingham Rebekah Clements, research fellow of Queens' College and Research Associate at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge |
| 11 April 2013 | The Amazons | Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at Cambridge University Chiara Franceschini, Teaching Fellow at University College London and an Academic Assistant at the Warburg Institute Caroline Vout, University Senior Lecturer in Classics and Fellow and Director of Studies at Christ's College, Cambridge |
| 18 April 2013 | The Putney Debates | Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London Ann Hughes, Professor of Early Modern History at Keele University Kate Peters, Fellow in History at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge |
| 25 April 2013 | Montaigne | David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at University of York Terence Cave, Emeritus Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford Felicity Green, Chancellor's Fellow in History at the University of Edinburgh |
| 2 May 2013 | Gnosticism | Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture Caroline Humfress, Reader in History at Birkbeck College, University of London Alastair Logan, Honorary University Fellow of the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter |
| 9 May 2013 | Icelandic Sagas | Carolyne Larrington, Fellow and Tutor in Medieval English Literature at St John's College, Oxford Elizabeth Ashman Rowe, Lecturer in Scandinavian History at the University of Cambridge Emily Lethbridge, Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Árni Magnússon Institute for Icelandic Studies in Reykjavík |
| 16 May 2013 | Cosmic rays | Carolin Crawford, Gresham Professor of Astronomy and a member of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge Alan Watson, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Leeds Tim Greenshaw, Professor of Physics at the University of Liverpool |
| 23 May 2013 | Lévi-Strauss | Adam Kuper, Visiting Professor of Anthropology at Boston University Christina Howells, Professor of French at Oxford University Vincent Debaene, associate professor of French Literature at Columbia University |
| 30 May 2013 | Queen Zenobia | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London Kate Cooper, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Manchester Richard Stoneman, Honorary Visiting Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter |
| 6 June 2013 | Relativity | Ruth Gregory, Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Durham University Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal and Emeritus Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge Roger Penrose, Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford |
| 13 June 2013 | Prophecy | Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies at the University of Edinburgh Justin Meggitt, University Senior Lecturer in the Study of Religion and the Origins of Christianity at the University of Cambridge Jonathan Stökl, Post-Doctoral Researcher at Leiden University |
| 20 June 2013 | The Physiocrats | Richard Whatmore, Professor of Intellectual History & the History of political thought at the University of Sussex Joel Felix, Professor of History at the University of Reading Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton |
| 27 June 2013 | Romance of the Three Kingdoms | Frances Wood, Former Lead Curator of Chinese Collections at the British Library Craig Clunas, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Oxford Margaret Hillenbrand, University Lecturer in Modern Chinese Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Wadham College |
| 4 July 2013 | The Invention of Radio | Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge Elizabeth Bruton, Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Leeds John Liffen, Curator of Communications at the Science Museum, London |

### 2013–2014

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 19 September 2013 | Pascal | David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Michael Moriarty, Professor of French at the University of Cambridge Michela Massimi, Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh |
| 26 September 2013 | The Mamluks | Amira Bennison, Reader in the History and Culture of the Maghrib at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Magdalene College, Cambridge Robert Irwin, Former Senior Research Associate in the Department of History at SOAS, University of London Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Nasser Khalili Professor of Islamic Art and Archaeology at SOAS, University of London |
| 3 October 2013 | Exoplanets | Carolin Crawford, Gresham Professor of Astronomy and a member of the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Cambridge Don Pollacco, Professor of Astronomy at the University of Warwick Suzanne Aigrain, Lecturer in Astrophysics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford |
| 10 October 2013 | Galen | Vivian Nutton, Emeritus Professor of the History of Medicine at University College London Helen King, Professor of Classical Studies at the Open University Caroline Petit, Wellcome Trust Senior Research Fellow in Classics at the University of Warwick |
| 17 October 2013 | The Book of Common Prayer | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Alexandra Walsham, Professor of Modern History at the University of Cambridge Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture |
| 24 October 2013 | The Corn Laws | Lawrence Goldman, Fellow in Modern History at St Peter's College, Oxford Boyd Hilton, Former Professor of Modern British History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge Cheryl Schonhardt-Bailey, Reader in Political Science at the London School of Economics |
| 31 October 2013 | The Berlin Conference | Richard Drayton, Rhodes Professor of Imperial History at King's College London Richard Rathbone, Emeritus Professor of African History at SOAS, University of London Joanna Lewis, assistant professor of Imperial History at the London School of Economics, University of London |
| 7 November 2013 | Ordinary language philosophy | Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy at New College, Oxford Ray Monk, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton Julia Tanney, Reader in Philosophy of Mind at the University of Kent |
| 14 November 2013 | The Tempest | Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, Oxford Erin Sullivan, Lecturer and Fellow at the Shakespeare Institute, University of Birmingham Katherine Duncan-Jones, emeritus fellow of Somerville College, Oxford |
| 21 November 2013 | Pocahontas | Susan Castillo, Harriet Beecher Stowe Emeritus Professor of American Studies at King's College London Tim Lockley, Reader in American Studies at the University of Warwick Jacqueline Fear-Segal, Reader in American History and Culture at the University of East Anglia |
| 28 November 2013 | The Microscope | Jim Bennett, Visiting Keeper at the Science Museum, London Colin Humphreys, Professor of Materials Science and Director of Research at the University of Cambridge Michelle Peckham, Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Leeds |
| 5 December 2013 | Hindu Ideas of Creation | Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and a research fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University Gavin Flood, Professor of Hindu Studies and Comparative Religion at the University of Oxford |
| 12 December 2013 | Pliny the Younger | Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Roy Gibson, Professor of Latin at the University of Manchester Alice König, Lecturer in Latin and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews |
| 19 December 2013 | Complexity | Ian Stewart, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics at the University of Warwick Jeff Johnson, Professor of Complexity Science and Design at the Open University Eve Mitleton-Kelly, Director of the Complexity Research Group at the London School of Economics |
| 26 December 2013 | The Medici | Evelyn Welch, Professor of Renaissance Studies at King's College London Robert Black, Professor of Renaissance History at the University of Leeds Catherine Fletcher, Lecturer in Public History at the University of Sheffield |
| 3 January 2014 | Plato's Symposium | Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield Richard L. Hunter, Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge Frisbee Sheffield, Director of Studies in Philosophy at Christ's College, Cambridge |
| 16 January 2014 | The Battle of Tours | Hugh N. Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London Rosamond McKitterick, Professor of Medieval History, University of Cambridge Matthew Innes, Vice Master and Professor of History, Birkbeck, University of London |
| 23 January 2014 | Sources of Early Chinese History | Roel Sterckx, Joseph Needham Professorship of Chinese History, Science, and Civilization at the University of Cambridge Tim Barrett, Professor of East Asian History at SOAS, University of London Hilde de Weerdt, Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University |
| 30 January 2014 | Catastrophism | Andrew Scott, Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London Jan Zalasiewicz, Senior Lecturer in Geology at the University of Leicester Leucha Veneer, Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester |
| 6 February 2014 | The Phoenicians | Mark Woolmer, Assistant Principal at Collingwood College, Durham University Josephine Quinn, Martin Frederiksen Fellow and Tutor in Ancient History, Worcester College, Oxford Cyprian Broodbank, Professor of Mediterranean Archaeology at University College London |
| 13 February 2014 | Chivalry | Miri Rubin, Professor of Early Modern History at Queen Mary University of London Matthew Strickland, Professor at School of Humanities / Sgoil nan Daonnachdan, University of Glasgow Laura Ashe, University Lecturer and Tutorial Fellow Worcester College, University of Oxford |
| 20 February 2014 | Social Darwinism | Adam Kuper, Centennial Professor of Anthropology at the LSE, University of London Gregory Radick, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Leeds Charlotte Sleigh, Reader in the History of Science at the University of Kent |
| 27 February 2014 | The Eye | Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor and Director of Studies Clare College, Cambridge William Ayliffe, FRCS PhD, Consultant Ophthalmologist at Lister Hospital, London, Professor at Gresham College Robert Iliffe, Professor of Intellectual History and History of Science, University of Sussex |
| 6 March 2014 | Spartacus | Mary Beard, Professor of Classics Newnham College, Cambridge Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin, co-director of the Centre for Research into the Dynamics of Civilisation, University College London Theresa Urbainczyk, Associate Professor of Classics (Scoil na gClasaicí UCD), University College Dublin |
| 13 March 2014 | The Trinity | Janet Soskice, Professor of Philosophical Theology at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture The Reverend Graham Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity at the University of Oxford and a Canon of Christ Church |
| 20 March 2014 | Bishop Berkeley | Peter Millican, Gilbert Ryle Fellow and Professor of Philosophy at Hertford College, Oxford Tom Stoneham, Professor of Philosophy at the University of York Michela Massimi, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh |
| 27 March 2014 | Weber's The Protestant Ethic | Peter Ghosh, Fellow in History at St Anne's College, Oxford Sam Whimster, Honorary Professor in Sociology at the University of New South Wales Linda Woodhead, Professor of Sociology of Religion at Lancaster University |
| 3 April 2014 | States of Matter | Andrea Sella, Professor of Materials and Inorganic Chemistry at University College London Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge Justin Wark, Professor of Physics and Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford |
| 10 April 2014 | Strabo's Geographica | Paul Cartledge, A. G. Leventis Professor of Greek Culture at the University of Cambridge Maria Pretzler, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at Swansea University Benet Salway, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at University College London |
| 17 April 2014 | The Domesday Book | Stephen Baxter, Reader in Medieval History at King's College London Elisabeth van Houts, Honorary Professor of Medieval European History at the University of Cambridge David Bates, Professorial Fellow in Medieval History at the University of East Anglia |
| 24 April 2014 | Tristram Shandy | Judith Hawley, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Mary Newbould, Bowman Supervisor in English at Wolfson College, University of Cambridge |
| 1 May 2014 | The Tale of Sinuhe | Richard B. Parkinson, Professor of Egyptology and Fellow of The Queen's College, Oxford Roland Emmarch, Senior Lecturer in Egyptology at the University of Liverpool Aidan Dodson, Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Bristol |
| 8 May 2014 | The Sino-Japanese War | Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China; Fellow of St Cross College University of Oxford Barak Kushner, Senior Lecturer in Japanese History at the University of Cambridge Tehyun Ma, Lecturer in Chinese History at University of Exeter |
| 15 May 2014 | Photosynthesis | Sandra Knapp, Botanist at The Natural History Museum, London Nick Lane, Reader in Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London John F. Allen, Professor of Biochemistry at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 22 May 2014 | The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam | Charles Melville, Professor of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge Daniel Karlin, Winterstoke Professor of English at the University of Bristol Kirstie Blair, Professor of English Studies at the University of Stirling |
| 29 May 2014 | The Talmud | Philip Alexander, Professor of Post-Biblical Jewish Literature at the University of Manchester Norman Solomon, Rabbi, Former Lecturer at the Oxford Centre for Jewish and Hebrew Studies Laliv Clenman, Lecturer in Rabbinic Literature at Leo Baeck College and a Visiting Lecturer at the Department of Theology and Religious Studies, King's College London |
| 5 June 2014 | The Bluestockings | Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at King's College London Elizabeth Eger, Reader at King's College London Nicole Pohl, Reader in Early Modern Literature and Critical Theory at Oxford Brookes University |
| 12 June 2014 | Robert Boyle | Simon Schaffer, Professor the History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge Michael Hunter, Professor at the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck College, University of London Anna Marie Roos, Senior Lecturer in Faculty of Media Humanities and Performance at the University of Lincoln |
| 19 June 2014 | The Philosophy of Solitude | Melissa Lane, Professor of Politics at Princeton University Simon Blackburn, Fellow of University of Cambridge John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy at University of St Andrews |
| 26 June 2014 | Hildegard of Bingen | Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History and Head of the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London William Flynn, Lecturer in Medieval Latin at the University of Leeds Almut Suerbaum, Lecturer in German, Fellow of Somerville at the University of Oxford |
| 3 July 2014 | Mrs Dalloway | Hermione Lee, President of Wolfson College, Oxford Jane Goldman, Reader in English Literature at the University of Glasgow Kathryn Simpson, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at Cardiff Metropolitan University |
| 10 July 2014 | The Sun | Carolin Crawford, Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, Professor of Astronomy at Gresham College Yvonne Elsworth, Professor of Helioseismology, Poynting Professor of Physics at the University of Birmingham Louise Harra, Professor of solar physics at Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL |

### 2014–2015

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 25 September 2014 | e | Colva Roney-Dougal, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews June Barrow-Green, Senior Lecturer in the History of Maths at the Open University Vicky Neale, Whitehead Lecturer at the Mathematical Institute and Balliol College, Oxford |
| 2 October 2014 | Julius Caesar | Christopher Pelling, Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Oxford Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics at the University of Glasgow Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London |
| 9 October 2014 | The Battle of Talas | Hilde de Weerdt, Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University Michael Höckelmann, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at King's College London Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London |
| 16 October 2014 | Rudyard Kipling | Howard Booth, Senior Lecturer in English Literature, University of Manchester Daniel Karlin, Research Fellow in English, William Wills of English, University of Bristol Jan Montefiore, Professor of 20th Century English Literature, University of Kent |
| 23 October 2014 | The Haitian Revolution | Kate Hodgson, Doctor of Cultures, Languages and Area Studies, University of Liverpool Tim Lockley, School of Comparative American Studies, University of Warwick Karen Salt, Research Fellow at School of Divinity, History and philosophy, University of Aberdeen |
| 30 October 2014 | Nuclear Fusion | Philippa Browning, Professor of Astrophysics, Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Manchester Steve Cowley, Professor in Plasma Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Department of Physics Imperial College, London Justin Wark, Professor of Physics, University of Oxford |
| 6 November 2014 | Hatshepsut | Elizabeth Frood, Associate Professor of Egyptology; Fellow of St Cross College the University of Oxford Kate Spence, Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Cambridge Campbell Price, Curator of Department of Egypt & Syria, Manchester Museum (The University of Manchester) |
| 13 November 2014 | Brunel | Julia Elton, Past President of the Newcomen Society Ben Marsden, Senior Lecturer, School of Divinity, History and philosophy, University of Aberdeen Crosbie Smith, Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Kent |
| 20 November 2014 | Aesop | Pavlos Avlamis, Faculty of Classics Research Lecturer, Trinity College, Oxford Lucy Grig, Senior Lecturer in Roman History at the University of Edinburgh Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek Literature and Culture, Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics at King's College, Cambridge |
| 27 November 2014 | Kafka's The Trial | Elizabeth Boa, Emeritus Professor of German, University of Nottingham Steve Connor, Professor of English, Peterhouse, Cambridge Ritchie Robertson, Taylor Professor of the German Language and Literature, The Queen's College, Oxford |
| 4 December 2014 | Zen | Tim Barrett, Emeritus Professor at Department of the Study of Religions, SOAS, University of London Lucia Dolce, Numata Reader in Japanese Buddhism at SOAS, University of London Eric Greene, Lecturer in East Asian Religions at the University of Bristol |
| 11 December 2014 | Behavioural ecology | Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics, School of Life and Medical Sciences at University College London Rebecca Kilner, Professor of Evolutionary biology at Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge John Krebs, Principal at Jesus College, Oxford |
| 18 December 2014 | Truth | Simon Blackburn, Fellow of Trinity College, University of Cambridge, and Professor of Philosophy at the New College of the Humanities Jennifer Hornsby, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London Crispin Wright, Regius Professor of Logic at the University of Aberdeen, and Professor of Philosophy at New York University |
| 15 January 2015 | Bruegel's The Fight Between Carnival and Lent | Louise Milne, Lecturer in Visual Culture in the School of Art at the University of Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier University Jeanne Nuechterlein, Senior Lecturer in the Department of History of Art, University of York Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History and Head of the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 22 January 2015 | Phenomenology | Simon Glendinning, Professor of European Philosophy in the European Institute at the London School of Economics Joanna Hodge, Professor of Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy and Tutor at New College, Oxford |
| 29 January 2015 | Thucydides | Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge Katherine Harloe, Associate Professor in Classics and Intellectual History at the University of Reading Neville Morley, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Bristol |
| 5 February 2015 | Ashoka the Great | Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent and a research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Naomi Appleton, Chancellor's Fellow in Religious Studies at the University of Edinburgh Richard Gombrich, Founder and Academic Director of the Oxford Centre for Buddhist Studies and Emeritus Professor of Sanskrit at the University of Oxford |
| 12 February 2015 | The Photon | Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Oxford Wendy Flavell, Professor of Surface Physics at the University of Manchester Susan Cartwright, Senior Lecturer in Physics and Astronomy at the University of Sheffield |
| 19 February 2015 | The Wealth of Nations | Richard Whatmore, Professor of Modern History and Director of the Institute of Intellectual History at the University of St Andrews Donald Winch, Emeritus Professor of Intellectual History at the University of Sussex Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton |
| 26 February 2015 | The Eunuch | Karen Radner, Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London Shaun Tougher, Reader in Ancient History at Cardiff University Michael Hoeckelmann, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at King's College London |
| 5 March 2015 | Beowulf | Laura Ashe, Associate Professor in English at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Worcester College Clare Lees, Professor of Medieval English Literature and History of the Language at King's College London Andy Orchard, Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford |
| 12 March 2015 | Dark matter | Carolin Crawford, Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge Gresham Professor of Astronomy Carlos Frenk, Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics and Director of the Institute for Computational Cosmology at the University of Durham Anne Green, Reader in Physics at the University of Nottingham |
| 19 March 2015 | Al-Ghazali | Peter Adamson, Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Carole Hillenbrand, Professor of Islamic History at Edinburgh and St Andrews Universities Robert Gleave, Professor of Arabic Studies at the University of Exeter |
| 26 March 2015 | The Curies | Patricia Fara, Senior Tutor of Clare College, University of Cambridge Robert Fox, Emeritus Professor of the History of Science at the University of Oxford Steven T Bramwell, Professor of Physics and former Professor of Chemistry at University College London |
| 2 April 2015 | The California Gold Rush | Kathleen Burk, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Jacqueline Fear-Segal, Reader in American History and Culture at the University of East Anglia Frank Cogliano, Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh |
| 9 April 2015 | Sappho | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College, London Margaret Reynolds, Professor of English at Queen Mary University of London Dirk Obbink, Professor of Papyrology and Greek Literature at the University of Oxford |
| 16 April 2015 | Matteo Ricci and the Ming dynasty | Mary Laven, Reader in Early Modern History at the University of Cambridge Craig Clunas, Professor of the History of Art at the University of Oxford Anne Gerritsen, Reader in History at the University of Warwick |
| 23 April 2015 | Fanny Burney | Nicole Pohl, Reader in English Literature at Oxford Brookes University Judith Hawley, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London |
| 30 April 2015 | The Earth's core | Stephen Blundell, Professor of Physics and Fellow of Mansfield College, University of Oxford Arwen Deuss, associate professor in Seismology at Utrecht University Simon Redfern, Professor of Mineral Physics at the University of Cambridge |
| 7 May 2015 | Tagore | Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews Bashabi Fraser, Professor of English Literature and Creative Writing at Edinburgh Napier University John Stevens, Leverhulme Postdoctoral Fellow at SOAS, University of London |
| 14 May 2015 | The Lancashire Cotton Famine | Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews Emma Griffin, Professor of History at the University of East Anglia David Brown, Senior Lecturer in American Studies at University of Manchester |
| 21 May 2015 | Josephus | Tessa Rajak, Professor Emeritus of Ancient History, University of Reading Philip Alexander, Professor Emeritus of Jewish Studies, University of Manchester Martin Goodman, Professor of Jewish Studies, University of Oxford and President of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies |
| 28 May 2015 | The Science of Glass | Paul McMillan, Professor of Chemistry at University College London Dame Athene Donald, Professor of Experimental Physics at the University of Cambridge and Master of Churchill College, Cambridge Jim Bennett, Former Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford and Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum |
| 4 June 2015 | Prester John | Marianne O'Doherty, associate professor in English at the University of Southampton Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture Amanda Power, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Sheffield |
| 11 June 2015 | Utilitarianism | Melissa Lane, The Class of 1943 Professor of Politics at Princeton University Janet Radcliffe Richards, Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Oxford Brad Hooker, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading |
| 18 June 2015 | Jane Eyre | Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at the University of Liverpool Karen O'Brien, Vice Principal and Professor of English Literature at King's College London Sara Lyons, Lecturer in Victorian Literature at the University of Kent |
| 25 June 2015 | Extremophiles | Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Ian Crawford, Professor of Planetary Science and Astrobiology at Birkbeck, University of London Nick Lane, Reader in Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London |
| 2 July 2015 | Frederick the Great | Tim Blanning, Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Katrin Kohl, Professor of German Literature at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Jesus College Thomas Biskup, Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Hull |
| 9 July 2015 | Frida Kahlo | Patience Schell, Chair in Hispanic Studies at the University of Aberdeen Valerie Fraser, Emeritus Professor of Latin American Art at the University of Essex Alan Knight, Emeritus Professor of the History of Latin America at the University of Oxford |

### 2015–2016

From the start of 2016 (Saturn) the podcast version of the programme started to include a few minutes of unbroadcast extra material, which would generally be prompted by the question So, what did we miss?
| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 24 September 2015 | Perpetual motion | Ruth Gregory, Professor of Mathematics and Physics at Durham University Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Oxford Steven Bramwell, Professor of Physics and former Professor of Chemistry at University College London |
| 1 October 2015 | Alexander the Great | Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge Diana Spencer, Professor of Classics at the University of Birmingham Rachel Mairs, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Reading |
| 15 October 2015 | Holbein at the Tudor Court | Susan Foister, Curator of Early Netherlandish, German and British Painting at the National Gallery John Guy, a fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge Maria Hayward, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Southampton |
| 22 October 2015 | Simone de Beauvoir | Christina Howells, Professor of French and Fellow of Wadham College at the University of Oxford Margaret Atack, Professor of French at the University of Leeds Ursula Tidd, Professor of Modern French Literature and Thought at the University of Manchester |
| 29 October 2015 | The Empire of Mali | Amira Bennison, Reader in the History and Culture of the Maghrib at the University of Cambridge Marie Rodet, Senior Lecturer in the History of Africa at SOAS Kevin MacDonald, Professor of African Archaeology, Chair of the African Studies Programme at University College London |
| 5 November 2015 | P v NP | Colva Roney-Dougal, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Timothy Gowers, Royal Society Research Professor in Mathematics at the University of Cambridge Leslie Ann Goldberg, Professor of Computer Science and Fellow of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford |
| 12 November 2015 | The Battle of Lepanto | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Kate Fleet, Director of the Skilliter Centre for Ottoman Studies and Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge Noel Malcolm, senior research fellow in History at All Souls College, University of Oxford |
| 19 November 2015 | Emma | Janet Todd, Professor Emerita of Literature, University of Aberdeen, and Honorary Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge John Mullan, Professor of English at University College London Emma Clery, Professor of English at the University of Southampton |
| 29 November 2015 | The Salem Witch Trials | Susan Castillo, Harriet Beecher Stowe Professor of American Studies at King's College London Simon Middleton, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Sheffield Marion Gibson, Professor of Renaissance and Magical Literatures at the University of Exeter |
| 3 December 2015 | Voyages of James Cook | Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge Rebekah Higgitt, Lecturer in the History of Science at the University of Kent Sophie Forgan, Retired Principal Lecturer at the University of Teesside, and Chairman of Trustees of the Captain Cook Museum, Whitby |
| 10 December 2015 | Chinese Legalism | Frances Wood, Former Curator of the Chinese Collections at the British Library Hilde de Weerdt, Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University Roel Sterckx, Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History at the University of Cambridge |
| 17 December 2015 | Circadian rhythms | Russell Foster, Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford Debra Skene, Professor of Neuroendocrinology at the University of Surrey Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College London |
| 25 December 2015 | Michael Faraday | Geoffrey Cantor, Professor Emeritus of the History of Science at the University of Leeds Laura Herz, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford Frank James, Professor of the History of Science at the Royal Institution |
| 31 December 2015 | Tristan and Iseult | Laura Ashe, associate professor of English at Worcester College, Oxford Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the School of Welsh at Cardiff University Mark Chinca, Reader in Medieval German literature at the University of Cambridge |
| 14 January 2016 | Saturn | Carolin Crawford, Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Michele Dougherty, Professor of Space Physics at Imperial College London Andrew Coates, Deputy Director in charge of the Solar System at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London |
| 21 January 2016 | Thomas Paine's Common Sense | Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Nicholas Guyatt, University Lecturer in American History at the University of Cambridge Peter Thompson, associate professor of American History at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Cross College |
| 28 January 2016 | Eleanor of Aquitaine | Lindy Grant, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Reading Nicholas Vincent, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia Julie Barrau, University Lecturer in British Medieval History at the University of Cambridge |
| 4 February 2016 | Chromatography | Andrea Sella, Professor of Chemistry at University College London Apryll Stalcup, Professor of Chemical Sciences at Dublin City University Leon Barron, Senior Lecturer in Forensic Science at King's College London |
| 11 February 2016 | Rumi's Poetry | Alan Williams, British Academy Wolfson Research Professor at the University of Manchester Carole Hillenbrand, Professor of Islamic History at the University of St Andrews and Professor Emerita of University of Edinburgh Lloyd Ridgeon, Reader in Islamic Studies at the University of Glasgow |
| 18 February 2016 | Robert Hooke | David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Patricia Fara, President Elect of the British Society for the History of Science Rob Iliffe, Professor of History of Science at University of Oxford |
| 25 February 2016 | Mary Magdalene | Joanne Anderson, Lecturer in Art History at the Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London Eamon Duffy, Emeritus Professor of the History of Christianity at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Magdalene College Joan Taylor, Professor of Christian Origins and Second Temple Judaism at King's College London |
| 3 March 2016 | The Dutch East India Company | Anne Goldgar, Reader in Early Modern European History at King's College London Chris Nierstrasz, Lecturer in Global History at Erasmus University, Rotterdam, formerly at the University of Warwick Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton |
| 10 March 2016 | The Maya Civilization | Elizabeth Graham, Professor of Mesoamerican Archaeology at University College London Matthew Restall, Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of Latin American History and Anthropology at Pennsylvania State University Benjamin Vis, Eastern ARC Research Fellow in Digital Humanities at the University of Kent |
| 17 March 2016 | Bedlam | Hilary Marland, Professor of History at the University of Warwick Justin Champion, Professor of the History of Early Modern Ideas at Royal Holloway, University of London and president of the Historical Association Jonathan Andrews, Reader in the History of Psychiatry at Newcastle University |
| 24 March 2016 | Aurora Leigh | Margaret Reynolds, Professor of English at Queen Mary University of London Daniel Karlin, Winterstoke Professor of English Literature at the University of Bristol Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at King's College London |
| 31 March 2016 | Agrippina the Younger | Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Alice König, Lecturer in Latin and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews Matthew Nicholls, associate professor of Classics at the University of Reading |
| 7 April 2016 | The Sikh Empire | Gurharpal Singh, Professor in Inter-Religious Relations and Development at SOAS, University of London Chandrika Kaul, Lecturer in Modern History at the University of St Andrews Susan Stronge, Senior Curator in the Asian Department of the Victoria and Albert Museum |
| 14 April 2016 | The Neutron | Val Gibson, Professor of High Energy Physics at the University of Cambridge and fellow of Trinity College Andrew Harrison, chief executive officer of Diamond Light Source and Professor in Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Oxford |
| 21 April 2016 | 1816, the Year Without a Summer | Clive Oppenheimer, Professor of Volcanology at the University of Cambridge Jane Stabler, Professor in Romantic Literature at the University of St Andrews Lawrence Goldman, Director of the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London |
| 28 April 2016 | Euclid's Elements | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford Serafina Cuomo, Reader in Roman History at Birkbeck, University of London June Barrow-Green, Professor of the History of Mathematics at the Open University |
| 5 May 2016 | Tess of the d'Urbervilles | Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Impact at the University of Liverpool Francis O'Gorman, Professor of Victorian Literature at the University of Leeds Jane Thomas, Reader in Victorian and early Twentieth Century literature at the University of Hull |
| 12 May 2016 | Titus Oates and his 'Popish Plot' | Clare Jackson, Senior Tutor and Director of Studies in History at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge Mark Knights, Professor of History at the University of Warwick Peter Hinds, associate professor of English at Plymouth University |
| 19 May 2016 | The Muses | Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and A. G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy, University of Sheffield Penelope Murray, Founder member and retired Senior Lecturer, Department of Classics, University of Warwick |
| 26 May 2016 | The Gettysburg Address | Catherine Clinton, Denman Chair of American History at the University of Texas and International Professor at Queen's University Belfast Susan-Mary Grant, Professor of American History at Newcastle University Tim Lockley, Professor of American History at the University of Warwick |
| 2 June 2016 | Margery Kempe and English Mysticism | Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London Katherine Lewis, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Huddersfield Anthony Bale, Professor of Medieval Studies at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 9 June 2016 | Penicillin | Laura Piddock, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Birmingham Christoph Tang, Professor of Cellular Pathology and Professorial Fellow at Exeter College at the University of Oxford Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College London |
| 16 June 2016 | The Bronze Age Collapse | John Bennet, Director of the British School at Athens and Professor of Aegean Archaeology at the University of Sheffield Linda Hulin, Fellow of Harris Manchester College and Research Officer at the Oxford Centre for Maritime Archaeology at the University of Oxford Simon Stoddart, Fellow of Magdalene College and Reader in Prehistory at the University of Cambridge |
| 23 June 2016 | Songs of Innocence and of Experience | Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, Oxford Sarah Haggarty, Lecturer at the Faculty of English and Fellow of Queens' College, Cambridge Jon Mee, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of York |
| 30 June 2016 | Sovereignty | Melissa Lane, Class of 1943 Professor of Politics at Princeton University Richard Bourke, Professor in the History of Political Thought at Queen Mary, University of London Tim Stanton, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics at the University of York |
| 7 July 2016 | The Invention of Photography | Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge Elizabeth Edwards, Emeritus Professor of Photographic History at De Montfort University Alison Morrison-Low, Research Associate at National Museums of Scotland |

### 2016–2017

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 22 September 2016 | Zeno's paradoxes | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford Barbara Sattler, Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews James Warren, Reader in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge |
| 29 September 2016 | Animal Farm | Steven Connor, Grace 2 Professor of English at the University of Cambridge Mary Vincent, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Sheffield Robert Colls, Professor of Cultural History at De Montfort University |
| 6 October 2016 | Lakshmi | Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Kent, research fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies at the University of Oxford Jacqueline Suthren-Hirst, Senior Lecturer in South Asian Studies at the University of Manchester Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University |
| 13 October 2016 | Plasma | Justin Wark, Professor of Physics and Fellow of Trinity College at the University of Oxford Kate Lancaster, research fellow for Innovation and Impact at the York Plasma Institute at the University of York Bill Graham, Professor of Physics at Queen's University Belfast |
| 20 October 2016 | The 12th Century Renaissance | Laura Ashe, associate professor of English at Worcester College, Oxford Elisabeth van Houts, Honorary Professor of Medieval European History at the University of Cambridge Giles Gasper, Reader in Medieval History at Durham University |
| 27 October 2016 | John Dalton | Jim Bennett, Associate Former Director of the Museum of the History of Science at the University of Oxford and Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum Aileen Fyfe, Reader in British History at the University of St Andrews James Sumner, Lecturer in the History of Technology at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester |
| 3 November 2016 | Epic of Gilgamesh | Andrew George, Professor of Babylonian at SOAS, University of London Frances Reynolds, Shillito Fellow in Assyriology at the Oriental Institute, University of Oxford and Fellow of St Benet's Hall Martin Worthington, Lecturer in Assyriology at the University of Cambridge |
| 10 November 2016 | The Fighting Temeraire | Susan Foister, Curator of Early Netherlandish, German and British Painting at the National Gallery David Blayney Brown, Manton Curator of British Art 1790–1850 at Tate Britain James Davey, Curator of Naval History at the National Maritime Museum |
| 17 November 2016 | Justinian's Legal Code | Caroline Humfress, Professor of Medieval History at the University of St Andrews Simon Corcoran, Lecturer in Ancient History at Newcastle University Paul du Plessis, Senior Lecturer in Civil law and European legal history at the School of Law University of Edinburgh |
| 24 November 2016 | Baltic Crusades | Aleks Pluskowski, associate professor of Archaeology at the University of Reading Nora Berend, Fellow of St Catharine's College and Reader in European History at the Faculty of History at the University of Cambridge Martin Palmer, Director of the International Consultancy on Religion, Education, and Culture |
| 1 December 2016 | Garibaldi and the Risorgimento | Lucy Riall, Professor of Comparative History of Europe at the European University Institute and Professor of History at Birkbeck, University of London Eugenio Biagini, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at the University of Cambridge David Laven, associate professor of History at the University of Nottingham |
| 8 December 2016 | Harriet Martineau | Valerie Sanders, Professor of English at the University of Hull Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford Ella Dzelzainis, Lecturer in 19th Century Literature at Newcastle University |
| 15 December 2016 | The Gin Craze | Angela McShane, research fellow in History at the Victoria and Albert Museum and University of Sheffield Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th century literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Emma Major, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of York |
| 21 December 2016 | Four Quartets | David Moody, Emeritus Professor of English and American Literature at the University of York Fran Brearton, Professor of Modern Poetry at Queen's University Belfast Mark Ford, Professor of English and American Literature at University College London |
| 29 December 2016 | Johannes Kepler | David Wootton, Professor of History at the University of York Ulinka Rublack, Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge Adam Mosley, associate professor in the Department of History at Swansea University |
| 12 January 2017 | Nietzsche's Genealogy of Morality | Stephen Mulhall, Professor of Philosophy and a Fellow and Tutor at New College, Oxford Fiona Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Essex Keith Ansell-Pearson, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick |
| 19 January 2017 | Mary, Queen of Scots | David Forsyth, Principal Curator, Scottish Medieval-Early Modern Collections at National Museums Scotland Anna Groundwater, Teaching Fellow in Historical Skills and Methods at the University of Edinburgh John Guy, Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge |
| 26 January 2017 | Parasitism | Steve Jones, Emeritus Professor of Genetics at University College, London Wendy Gibson, Professor of Protozoology at the University of Bristol Kayla King, associate professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford |
| 2 February 2017 | Hannah Arendt | Lyndsey Stonebridge, Professor of Modern Literature and History at the University of East Anglia Frisbee Sheffield, Lecturer in Philosophy at Girton College, University of Cambridge Robert Eaglestone, Professor of English at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 9 February 2017 | John Clare | Jonathan Bate, Professor of English Literature at the Worcester College, Oxford University Mina Gorji, Senior Lecturer in the English Faculty and fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge Simon Kövesi, Professor of English Literature at Oxford Brookes University |
| 16 February 2017 | Maths in the Early Islamic World | Colva Roney-Dougal, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Peter Pormann, Professor of Classics & Graeco-Arabic Studies at the University of Manchester Jim Al-Khalili, Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey |
| 23 February 2017 | Seneca the Younger | Mary Beard, Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London Alessandro Schiesaro, Professor of Classics at the University of Manchester |
| 2 March 2017 | The Kuiper belt | Carolin Crawford, Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Stephen Lowry, Reader in Planetary and Space Sciences, University of Kent |
| 9 March 2017 | North and South | Sally Shuttleworth, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford Dinah Birch, Pro-vice Chancellor for Research and Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool Jenny Uglow, Biographer of Elizabeth Gaskell |
| 16 March 2017 | The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum | Dame Jane Francis, Professor of Palaeoclimatology at the British Antarctic Survey Mark Maslin, Professor of Palaeoclimatology at University College London Tracy Aze, Lecturer in Marine Micropaleontology at the University of Leeds |
| 23 March 2017 | The Battle of Salamis | Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Professor in Ancient History at Cardiff University Lindsay Allen, Lecturer in Greek and Near Eastern History, King's College London Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, Cambridge |
| 30 March 2017 | Hokusai | Angus Lockyer, Lecturer in Japanese History at SOAS University of London Rosina Buckland, Senior Curator of Japanese Collections at the National Museum of Scotland Ellis Tinios, Honorary Lecturer in the School of History, University of Leeds |
| 6 April 2017 | Pauli's exclusion principle | Frank Close, Fellow Emeritus at Exeter College, Oxford Michela Massimi, Professor of Philosophy of Science at the University of Edinburgh Graham Farmelo, Bye-Fellow of Churchill College, Cambridge |
| 13 April 2017 | Rosa Luxemburg | Jacqueline Rose, Co-Director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities, Birkbeck, University of London Mark Jones, Irish Research Council fellow at the Centre for War Studies, University College Dublin Nadine Rossol, Senior lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Essex |
| 20 April 2017 | Roger Bacon | Jack Cunningham, Academic Coordinator for Theology at Bishop Grosseteste University, Lincoln Amanda Power, associate professor of Medieval History at the University of Oxford Elly Truitt, associate professor of Medieval History at Bryn Mawr College |
| 27 April 2017 | The Egyptian Book of the Dead | John Taylor, Curator at the Department of Ancient Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum Kate Spence, Senior Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at Cambridge University and Fellow of Emmanuel College Richard Parkinson, Professor of Egyptology at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Queen's College |
| 4 May 2017 | The Battle of Lincoln 1217 | Louise Wilkinson, Professor of Medieval History at Canterbury Christ Church University Stephen Church, Professor of Medieval History at the University of East Anglia Thomas Asbridge, Reader in Medieval History at Queen Mary College, University of London |
| 11 May 2017 | Emily Dickinson | Fiona Green, Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Cambridge and a Fellow of Jesus College Linda Freedman, Lecturer in English and American Literature at University College London Paraic Finnerty, Reader in English and American Literature at the University of Portsmouth |
| 18 May 2017 | Louis Pasteur | Andrew Mendelsohn, Reader in the School of History at Queen Mary, University of London Anne Hardy, Honorary Professor at the Centre for History in Public Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Michael Worboys, Emeritus Professor in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the University of Manchester |
| 25 May 2017 | Purgatory | Laura Ashe, associate professor of English and fellow of Worcester College at the University of Oxford Matthew Treherne, Professor of Italian Literature at the University of Leeds Helen Foxhall Forbes, associate professor of Early Medieval History at Durham University |
| 1 June 2017 | Enzymes | Nigel Richards, Professor of Biological Chemistry at Cardiff University Sarah Barry, Lecturer in Chemical Biology at King's College London Jim Naismith, Director of the Research Complex at Harwell. Bishop Wardlaw Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of St Andrews, Professor of Structural Biology at the University of Oxford |
| 8 June 2017 | Christine de Pizan | Helen Swift, Associate Professor of Medieval French at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Hilda's College Miranda Griffin, Lecturer in French and Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Marilynn Desmond, Distinguished Professor of English and Comparative Literature at Binghamton University |
| 15 June 2017 | The American Populists | Lawrence Goldman, Professor of History at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London Mara Keire, Lecturer in US History at the University of Oxford Christopher Phelps, Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham |
| 22 June 2017 | Eugene Onegin | Andrew Kahn, Professor of Russian Literature at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Edmund Hall Emily Finer, Lecturer in Russian and Comparative Literature at the University of St Andrews Simon Dixon, The Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London |
| 29 June 2017 | Plato's Republic | Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield M.M. McCabe, Professor of Ancient Philosophy Emerita at King's College London James Warren, Fellow of Corpus Christi College and a Reader in Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge |
| 6 July 2017 | Bird migration | Barbara Helm, Reader at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow Tim Guilford, Professor of Animal Behaviour and Tutorial Fellow of Zoology at Merton College, Oxford Richard Holland, Senior Lecturer in Animal Cognition at Bangor University |

### 2017–2018

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 21 September 2017 | Kant's Categorical Imperative | Alison Hills, Professor of Philosophy at St John's College, Oxford David S. Oderberg, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Reading John Callanan, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at King's College London |
| 28 September 2017 | Wuthering Heights | Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford John Bowen, Professor of Nineteenth Century Literature at the University of York Alexandra Lewis, Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Aberdeen |
| 5 October 2017 | Constantine the Great | Christopher Kelly, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Cambridge and President of Corpus Christi College Lucy Grig, Senior Lecturer in Roman History at the University of Edinburgh Greg Woolf, Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London |
| 12 October 2017 | Aphra Behn | Janet Todd, Former President of Lucy Cavendish College, Cambridge University Ros Ballaster, Professor of 18th Century Literature at Mansfield College, University of Oxford Claire Bowditch, Post-doctoral Research Associate in English and Drama at Loughborough University |
| 19 October 2017 | The Congress of Vienna | Tim Blanning, Emeritus Professor of Modern European History at the University of Cambridge Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London John Bew, Professor in History and Foreign Policy at the War Studies Department at King's College London |
| 26 October 2017 | Feathered dinosaurs | Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Bristol Steve Brusatte, Reader and Chancellor's Fellow in Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Edinburgh Maria McNamara, Senior Lecturer in Geology at University College Cork |
| 2 November 2017 | Picasso's Guernica | Mary Vincent, Professor of Modern European History at the University of Sheffield Gijs van Hensbergen, Historian of Spanish Art and Fellow of the LSE Cañada Blanch Centre for Contemporary Spanish Studies Dacia Viejo Rose, Lecturer in Heritage in the Department of Archaeology at the University of Cambridge, Fellow of Selwyn College |
| 9 November 2017 | The Picts | Katherine Forsyth, Reader in the Department of Celtic and Gaelic at the University of Glasgow Alex Woolf, Senior Lecturer in Dark Age Studies at the University of St Andrews Gordon Noble, Reader in Archaeology at the University of Aberdeen |
| 16 November 2017 | Germaine de Staël | Catriona Seth, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford Alison Finch, Professor Emerita of French Literature at the University of Cambridge Katherine Astbury, Associate Professor and Reader in French Studies at the University of Warwick |
| 23 November 2017 | Thebes | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London Samuel Gartland, Lecturer in Ancient History at Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford Paul Cartledge, Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture and A. G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge |
| 30 November 2017 | Carl Friedrich Gauss | Marcus du Sautoy, Professor of Mathematics and Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford Colva Roney-Dougal, Reader in Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Nick Evans, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Southampton |
| 7 December 2017 | Moby Dick | Bridget Bennett, Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds Katie McGettigan, Lecturer in American Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Graham Thompson, Associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham |
| 14 December 2017 | Thomas Becket | Laura Ashe, Associate Professor of English at Worcester College, University of Oxford Michael Staunton, Associate Professor in History at University College Dublin Danica Summerlin, Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Sheffield |
| 21 December 2017 | Beethoven | Laura Tunbridge, Professor of Music and Henfrey Fellow, St Catherine's College, Oxford John Deathridge, Emeritus King Edward Professor of Music at King's College London Erica Buurman, Senior Lecturer in Music, Canterbury Christ Church University |
| 28 December 2017 | Hamlet | Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, Oxford Carol Rutter, Professor of Shakespeare and Performance Studies at the University of Warwick Sonia Massai, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at King's College London |
| 11 January 2018 | The Siege of Malta, 1565 | Helen Nicholson, Professor of Medieval History at Cardiff University Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Kate Fleet, Director of the Skilliter Centre for Ottoman Studies and Fellow of Newnham College, Cambridge |
| 18 January 2018 | Anna Akhmatova | Katharine Hodgson, Professor in Russian at the University of Exeter Alexandra Harrington, Reader in Russian Studies at Durham University Michael Basker, Professor of Russian Literature and Dean of Arts at the University of Bristol |
| 25 January 2018 | Cicero | Melissa Lane, Professor of Politics at Princeton University. Carlyle Lecturer at the University of Oxford Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics at the University of Glasgow Valentina Arena, Reader in Roman History at University College London |
| 1 February 2018 | Cephalopods | Louise Allcock, Lecturer in Zoology at the National University of Ireland, Galway Paul Rodhouse, Emeritus Fellow of the British Antarctic Survey Jonathan Ablett, Senior Curator of Molluscs at the Natural History Museum |
| 9 February 2018 | Frederick Douglass | Celeste-Marie Bernier, Professor of Black Studies in the English Department at the University of Edinburgh Karen Salt, Assistant Professor in Transnational American Studies at the University of Nottingham Nicholas Guyatt, Reader in North American History at the University of Cambridge |
| 15 February 2018 | Fungi | Lynne Boddy, Professor of Fungal Ecology at Cardiff University Sarah Gurr, Professor of Food Security in the Biosciences Department at the University of Exeter David Johnson, N8 Chair in Microbial Ecology at the University of Manchester |
| 22 February 2018 | Rosalind Franklin | Patricia Fara, president of the British Society for the History of Science Jim Naismith, Interim lead of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, Director of the Research Complex at Harwell and Professor at the University of Oxford Judith Howard, Professor of Chemistry at Durham University |
| 1 March 2018 | Sun Tzu and The Art of War | Hilde de Weerdt, Professor of Chinese History at Leiden University Tim Barrett, Professor Emeritus of East Asian History at SOAS, University of London Imre Galambos, Reader in Chinese Studies at the University of Cambridge |
| 8 March 2018 | The Highland Clearances | Tom Devine, Professor Emeritus of Scottish History at the University of Edinburgh Marjory Harper, Professor of History at the University of Aberdeen and Visiting Professor at the University of the Highlands and Islands Murray Pittock, Bradley Professor of English Literature and Pro Vice Principal at the University of Glasgow |
| 15 March 2018 | Augustine's Confessions | Kate Cooper, Professor of History at the University of London and Head of History at Royal Holloway Morwenna Ludlow, Professor of Christian History and Theology at the University of Exeter Martin Palmer, Visiting Professor in Religion, History and Nature at the University of Winchester |
| 22 March 2018 | Tocqueville: Democracy in America | Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford Susan-Mary Grant, Professor of American History at Newcastle University Jeremy Jennings, Professor of Political Theory and Head of the School of Politics & Economics at King's College London |
| 5 April 2018 | Roman Slavery | Neville Morley, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter Ulrike Roth, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh Myles Lavan, Senior lecturer in Ancient History at the University of St Andrews |
| 11 April 2018 | George and Robert Stephenson | Michael Bailey, Railway historian and editor of the most recent biography of Robert Stephenson Julia Elton, Past President of the Newcomen Society for the History of Engineering and Technology Colin Divall, Professor Emeritus of Railway Studies at the University of York |
| 18 April 2018 | Middlemarch | Rosemary Ashton, Emeritus Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London Kathryn Hughes, Professor of Life Writing at the University of East Anglia John Bowen, Professor of Nineteenth-Century Literature at the University of York |
| 26 April 2018 | The Proton | Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Oxford Helen Heath, Reader in Physics at the University of Bristol Simon Jolly, Lecturer in High Energy Physics at University College London |
| 3 May 2018 | The Almoravid Empire | Amira Bennison, Professor in the History and Culture of the Maghreb at the University of Cambridge Nicola Clarke, Lecturer in the History of the Islamic World at Newcastle University Hugh Kennedy, Professor of Arabic at SOAS, University of London |
| 10 May 2018 | The Mabinogion | Sioned Davies, Professor in the School of Welsh at Cardiff University Helen Fulton, Professor of Medieval Literature at the University of Bristol Juliette Wood, Associate Lecturer in the School of Welsh at Cardiff University |
| 17 May 2018 | The Emancipation of the Serfs | Sarah Hudspith, Associate Professor in Russian at the University of Leeds Simon Dixon, The Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London Shane O'Rourke, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of York |
| 25 May 2018 | Margaret of Anjou | Katherine Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Huddersfield James Ross, Reader in Late Medieval History at the University of Winchester Joanna Laynesmith, Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Reading |
| 31 May 2018 | Henrik Ibsen | Tore Rem, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oslo Kirsten Shepherd-Barr, Professor of English and Theatre Studies and Tutorial Fellow, St Catherine's College at the University of Oxford Dinah Birch, Professor of English Literature and Pro-Vice Chancellor for Cultural Engagement at the University of Liverpool |
| 7 June 2018 | Persepolis | Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones, Professor of Ancient History at Cardiff University Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis, Curator of Middle Eastern Coins at the British Museum Lindsay Allen, Lecturer in Greek and Near Eastern History at King's College London |
| 14 June 2018 | Montesquieu | Richard Bourke, Professor in the History of Political Thought at Queen Mary, University of London Rachel Hammersley, Senior Lecturer in Intellectual History at Newcastle University Richard Whatmore, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews and Director of the St Andrews Institute of Intellectual History |
| 21 June 2018 | Echolocation | Kate Jones, Professor of Ecology and Biodiversity at University College London Gareth Jones, Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Bristol Dean Waters, Lecturer in the Environment Department at the University of York |
| 28 June 2018 | The Mexican-American War | Frank Cogliano, Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh Jacqueline Fear-Segal, Professor of American and Indigenous Histories at the University of East Anglia Thomas Rath, Lecturer in Latin American History at University College London |
| 5 July 2018 | William Morris | Ingrid Hanson, Lecturer in 18th and 19th Century Literature at the University of Manchester Marcus Waithe, University Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Magdalene College Jane Thomas, Professor of Victorian and Early 20th Century Literature at the University of Hull |

### 2018–2019

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 13 September 2018 | The Iliad | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London Barbara Graziosi, Associate Professor of Medieval History at Princeton University Paul Cartledge, A.G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor of Greek Culture at Clare College, Cambridge |
| 20 September 2018 | Automata | Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at Cambridge University Elly Truitt, Professor of Classics at Bryn Mawr College Franziska Kohlt, Doctoral Researcher in English Literature and the History of Science at the University of Oxford |
| 27 September 2018 | Dietrich Bonhoeffer | Stephen Plant, Dean and Runcie Fellow at Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge Eleanor McLaughlin, Lecturer in Theology and Ethics at the University of Winchester and Lecturer in Ethics at Regent's Park College at the University of Oxford Tom Greggs, Marischal Chair of Divinity at the University of Aberdeen |
| 4 October 2018 | Edith Wharton | Hermione Lee, Biographer, former President of Wolfson College, Oxford Bridget Bennett, Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds Laura Rattray, Reader in North American Literature at the University of Glasgow |
| 11 October 2018 | Is Shakespeare History? The Plantagenets | Emma J. Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford Gordon McMullan, Professor of English at King's College London and Director of the London Shakespeare Centre Katherine Lewis, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of Huddersfield |
| 18 October 2018 | Is Shakespeare History? The Romans | Jonathan Bate, Provost of Worcester College, University of Oxford Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics and Dean of Research in the College of Arts at the University of Glasgow Patrick Gray, Associate Professor of English Studies at Durham University |
| 25 October 2018 | The Fable of the Bees | David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton John Callanan, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at King's College London |
| 1 November 2018 | Free Radicals | Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London Anna Croft, Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of Nottingham Mike Murphy, Professor of Mitochondrial Redox Biology at Cambridge University |
| 8 November 2018 | Marie Antoinette | Catriona Seth, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford Katherine Astbury, Professor of French Studies at the University of Warwick David McCallam, Reader in French Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of Sheffield |
| 15 November 2018 | Horace | Emily Gowers, Professor of Latin Literature at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge William Fitzgerald, Professor of Latin Language and Literature at King's College London Ellen O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Bristol |
| 22 November 2018 | Hope | Beatrice Han-Pile, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Essex Robert Stern, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield Judith Wolfe, Professor of Philosophical Theology at the University of St Andrews |
| 29 November 2018 | The Long March | Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China and Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford Sun Shuyun, historian, writer and film maker Julia Lovell, Professor in Modern Chinese History and Literature at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 6 December 2018 | The Thirty Years War | Peter Wilson, Chichele Professor of the History of War at the University of Oxford Ulinka Rublack, Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge Toby Osborne, Associate Professor in History at Durham University |
| 13 December 2018 | Sir Gawain and the Green Knight | Laura Ashe, Professor of English Literature at Worcester College, University of Oxford Ad Putter, Professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Bristol Simon Armitage, Poet and Professor of Poetry at the Universities of Leeds and Oxford |
| 20 December 2018 | The Poor Laws | Emma Griffin, Professor of Modern British History at the University of East Anglia Samantha Shave, Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Lincoln Steven King, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Leicester |
| 27 December 2018 | Venus | Carolin Crawford, Public Astronomer at the Institute of Astronomy and Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Colin Wilson, Senior Research Fellow in Planetary Science at the University of Oxford Andrew Coates, Professor of Physics at Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London |
| 10 January 2019 | Papal Infallibility | Tom O'Loughlin, Professor of Historical Theology at the University of Nottingham Rebecca Rist, Professor in Medieval History at the University of Reading Miles Pattenden, Departmental Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Oxford |
| 17 January 2019 | Samuel Beckett | Steven Connor, Professor of English at the University of Cambridge Laura Salisbury, Professor of Modern Literature at the University of Exeter Mark Nixon, Associate Professor in Modern Literature at the University of Reading and co-director of the Beckett International Foundation |
| 24 January 2019 | Emmy Noether | Colva Roney-Dougal, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews David Berman, Professor in Theoretical Physics at Queen Mary, University of London Elizabeth Mansfield, Professor of Mathematics at the University of Kent |
| 31 January 2019 | Owain Glyndŵr | Huw Pryce, Professor of Welsh History at Bangor University Helen Fulton, Professor of Medieval Literature at the University of Bristol Chris Given-Wilson, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of St Andrews |
| 7 February 2019 | Aristotle's biology | Armand Leroi, Professor of Evolutionary Development Biology at Imperial College London Myrto Hatzimichali, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Cambridge Sophia Connell, Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 14 February 2019 | Judith beheading Holofernes | Susan Foister, Curator of Early Netherlandish, German and British Painting at the National Gallery John Gash, Senior Lecturer in History of Art at the University of Aberdeen Ela Nutu Hall, Research Associate at the Sheffield Institute for Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies, at the University of Sheffield |
| 21 February 2019 | Pheromones | Tristram Wyatt, Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford Jane Hurst, William Prescott Professor of Animal Science at the University of Liverpool Francis Ratnieks, Professor of Apiculture and Head of the Laboratory of Apiculture and Social Insects at the University of Sussex |
| 28 February 2019 | Antarah ibn Shaddad | James Montgomery, Sir Thomas Adams's Professor of Arabic at the University of Cambridge Marlé Hammond, Senior Lecturer in Arabic Popular Literature and Culture at SOAS, University of London Harry Munt, Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of York |
| 7 March 2019 | William Cecil | Diarmaid MacCulloch, Professor of the History of the Church at the University of Oxford Susan Doran, Professor of Early Modern British History at the University of Oxford John Guy, Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge |
| 14 March 2019 | Authenticity | Sarah Richmond, Associate Professor in Philosophy at University College London Denis McManus, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton Irene McMullin, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Essex |
| 21 March 2019 | Gerard Manley Hopkins | Catherine Phillips, R J Owens Fellow in English at Downing College, University of Cambridge Jane Wright, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Bristol Martin Dubois, Assistant Professor in Nineteenth Century Literature at Durham University |
| 28 March 2019 | The Danelaw | Judith Jesch, Professor of Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham John Hines, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University Jane Kershaw, ERC Principal Investigator in Archaeology at the University of Oxford |
| 4 April 2019 | The Great Irish Famine | Cormac O'Grada, Professor Emeritus in the School of Economics at University College Dublin Niamh Gallagher, University Lecturer in Modern British and Irish History at the University of Cambridge Enda Delaney, Professor of Modern History and School Director of Research at the University of Edinburgh |
| 11 April 2019 | The Evolution of Teeth | Gareth Fraser, Assistant Professor in Biology at the University of Florida Zerina Johanson, Merit Researcher in the Department of Earth Sciences at the Natural History Museum Philip Donoghue, Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol |
| 18 April 2019 | A Midsummer Night's Dream | Helen Hackett, Professor of English Literature and Leverhulme Research Fellow at University College London Tom Healy, Professor of Renaissance Studies at the University of Sussex Alison Findlay, Professor of Renaissance Drama at Lancaster University and chair of the British Shakespeare Association |
| 25 April 2019 | Nero | Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London Matthew Nicholls, Fellow and Senior Tutor at St John's College, Oxford Shushma Malik, Lecturer in Classics at the University of Roehampton |
| 2 May 2019 | The Gordon Riots | Ian Haywood, Professor of English at the University of Roehampton Catriona Kennedy, Senior Lecturer in Modern British and Irish History and Director of the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies at the University of York Mark Knights, Professor of History at the University of Warwick |
| 9 May 2019 | Bergson and Time | Keith Ansell-Pearson, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Emily Thomas, Assistant Professor in Philosophy at Durham University Mark Sinclair, Reader in Philosophy at the University of Roehampton |
| 16 May 2019 | Frankenstein | Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford Michael Rossington, Professor of Romantic Literature at Newcastle University Jane Thomas, Professor of Victorian and Early 20th Century Literature at the University of Hull |
| 23 May 2019 | Kinetic Theory | Steven Bramwell, Professor of Physics at University College London Isobel Falconer, Reader in History of Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Ted Forgan, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Birmingham |
| 30 May 2019 | President Ulysses S Grant | Erik Mathisen, Lecturer in US History at the University of Kent Susan-Mary Grant, Professor of American History at Newcastle University Robert Cook, Professor of American History at the University of Sussex |
| 6 June 2019 | Sir Thomas Browne | Claire Preston, Professor of Renaissance Literature at Queen Mary, University of London Jessica Wolfe, Professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Kevin Killeen, Professor of English at the University of York |
| 13 June 2019 | The Inca | Frank Meddens, Visiting Scholar at the University of Reading Helen Cowie, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of York Bill Sillar, Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Archaeology at University College London |
| 20 June 2019 | The Mytilenaean Debate | Angela Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield Lisa Irene Hau, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Glasgow Paul Cartledge, Emeritus AG Leventis Professor of Greek Culture, University of Cambridge and Senior Research Fellow of Clare College |
| 27 June 2019 | Doggerland | Vincent Gaffney, Anniversary Professor of Landscape Archaeology at the University of Bradford Carol Cotterill, Marine Geoscientist at the British Geological Survey Rachel Bynoe, Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Southampton |
| 4 July 2019 | Lorca | Maria Delgado, Professor of Creative Arts at the Royal Central of Speech and Drama, University of London Federico Bonaddio, Reader in Modern Spanish at King's College London Sarah Wright, Professor of Hispanic Studies and Screen Arts at Royal Holloway, University of London |

### 2019–2020

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 19 September 2019 | Napoleon's Retreat from Moscow | Janet Hartley, Professor emeritus of International History, LSE Michael Rowe, Reader in European History, King's College London Michael Rapport, Reader in Modern European History, University of Glasgow |
| 26 September 2019 | The Rapture | Elizabeth Phillips, research Fellow at the Margaret Beaufort Institute at the University of Cambridge and Honorary Fellow in the Department of Theology and Religion at Durham University Crawford Gribben, professor of Early Modern British History at Queen's University Belfast Nicholas Guyatt, reader in North American History at the University of Cambridge |
| 3 October 2019 | Dorothy Hodgkin | Georgina Ferry, science writer and biographer of Dorothy Hodgkin Judith Howard, professor of Chemistry at Durham University Patricia Fara, fellow of Clare College, Cambridge |
| 10 October 2019 | Rousseau on Education | Richard Whatmore, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews and Co-Director of the St Andrews Institute of Intellectual History Caroline Warman, Professor of French Literature and Thought at Jesus College, Oxford Denis McManus, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southampton |
| 17 October 2019 | The Time Machine | Simon Schaffer, Professor of History of Science at Cambridge University Amanda Rees, Historian of science at the University of York Simon James, Professor in the Department of English Studies at Durham University |
| 24 October 2019 | Robert Burns | Robert Crawford, Professor of Modern Scottish Literature and Bishop Wardlaw Professor of Poetry at the University of St Andrews Fiona Stafford, Professor of English at the University of Oxford Murray Pittock, Bradley Professor of English Literature and Pro Vice Principal at the University of Glasgow |
| 31 October 2019 | Hybrids | Sandra Knapp, Tropical Botanist at the Natural History Museum Nicola Nadeau, Lecturer in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Sheffield Steve Jones, Senior Research Fellow in Genetics at University College London |
| 7 November 2019 | The Treaty of Limerick | Jane Ohlmeyer, Chair of the Irish Research Council and Erasmus Smith's Professor of Modern History at Trinity College Dublin Clare Jackson, Member of the History Faculty at the University of Cambridge and Senior Tutor of Trinity Hall Thomas O'Connor, Professor of History at Maynooth University |
| 14 November 2019 | Crime and Punishment | Sarah Huspith, Associate Professor in Russian at the University of Leeds Oliver Ready, Lecturer in Russian at the University of Oxford, Research Fellow at St Antony's College and a translator of this novel Sarah Young, Associate Professor in Russian at the School of Slavonic and East European Studies, University College London |
| 21 November 2019 | Melisende, Queen of Jerusalem | Natasha Hodgson, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History and Director of the Centre for the Study of Religion and Conflict at Nottingham Trent University Katherine Lewis, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of Huddersfield Danielle Park, Visiting Lecturer at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 28 November 2019 | Li Shizhen | Craig Clunas, Professor Emeritus in the History of Art at the University of Oxford Anne Gerritsen, Professor in History at the University of Warwick Roel Sterckx, Joseph Needham Professor of Chinese History at the University of Cambridge |
| 5 December 2019 | Lawrence of Arabia | Hussein Omar, Lecturer in Modern Global History, University College Dublin Catriona Pennell, Associate Professor of Modern History and Memory Studies, University of Exeter Neil Faulkner, Director of Military History Live and Editor of the magazine Military History Matters |
| 12 December 2019 | Coffee | Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Markman Ellis, Professor of 18th Century Studies at Queen Mary University of London Jonathan Morris, Professor in Modern History at the University of Hertfordshire |
| 19 December 2019 | Auden | Mark Ford, Poet and Professor, English at University College London Janet Montefiore, Professor Emerita of 20th Century English Literature at the University of Kent Jeremy Noel-Tod, Senior Lecturer in Literature and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia |
| 26 December 2019 | Tutankhamun | Elizabeth Frood, Associate Professor of Egyptology, Director of the Griffith Institute and Fellow of St Cross at the University of Oxford Christina Riggs, Professor of the History of Visual Culture at Durham University and a Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford John Taylor, Curator at the Department of Egypt and Sudan at the British Museum |
| 11 January 2020 | Catullus | Gail Trimble, Brown Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Trinity College at the University of Oxford Simon Smith, Reader in Creative Writing at the University of Kent, poet and translator of Catullus Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London |
| 16 January 2020 | The Siege of Paris (1870-71) | Karine Varley, Lecturer in French and European History at the University of Strathclyde Robert Gildea, Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford Julia Nicholls, Lecturer in French and European Studies at King's College London |
| 23 January 2020 | Solar Wind | Andrew Coates, Professor of Physics and Deputy Director in charge of the Solar System at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory, University College London Helen Mason, Reader in Solar Physics at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Fellow at St Edmund's College, Cambridge Tim Horbury, Professor of Physics at Imperial College London |
| 30 January 2020 | Alcuin | Joanna Story, Professor of Early Medieval History at the University of Leicester Andy Orchard, Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Pembroke College Mary Garrison, Lecturer in History at the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York |
| 6 February 2020 | George Sand | Belinda Jack, Fellow and Tutor in French at Christ Church, University of Oxford Angela Ryan, Senior Lecturer in French at University College Cork Nigel Harkness, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Humanities and Social Sciences and Professor of French at Newcastle University |
| 13 February 2020 | Battle of the Teutoburg Forest | Matthew Nicholls, Fellow and Senior Tutor St John's College, Oxford Ellen O'Gorman, Senior Lecturer in Classics University of Bristol Peter Heather, Professor of Medieval History King's College London |
| 20 February 2020 | The Valladolid Debate | Caroline Dodds Pennock, Senior Lecturer in International History at the University of Sheffield John Edwards, Faculty Fellow in Spanish at the University of Oxford Julia McClure, Lecturer in Late Medieval and Early Modern Global History at the University of Glasgow |
| 27 February 2020 | The Evolution of Horses | Alan Outram, Professor of Archaeological Science at the University of Exeter Christine Janis, Honorary Professor in Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol and Professor Emerita in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at Brown University John Hutchinson, Professor in Evolutionary Biomechanics at the Royal Veterinary College |
| 5 March 2020 | Paul Dirac | Graham Farmelo, Biographer of Dirac and Fellow at Churchill College, Cambridge Valerie Gibson, Professor of High Energy Physics at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Trinity College David Berman, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Queen Mary University of London |
| 12 March 2020 | The Covenanters | Roger Mason, Professor of Scottish History at the University of St Andrews Laura Stewart, Professor of Early Modern British History at the University of York Scott Spurlock, Professor of Scottish and Early Modern Christianities at the University of Glasgow |
The 2019–2020 series was truncated because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

### 2020–2021

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 17 September 2020 | Pericles | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge Peter Liddel, Senior Lecturer in Ancient History at the University of Manchester |
| 24 September 2020 | Cave Art | Alistair Pike, Professor of Archaeological Sciences at the University of Southampton Chantal Conneller, Senior Lecturer in Early Pre-History at Newcastle University Paul Pettitt, Professor of Palaeolithic Archaeology at Durham University |
| 1 October 2020 | Macbeth | Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford Kiernan Ryan, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London David Schalkwyk, Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of Global Shakespeare at Queen Mary, University of London |
| 8 October 2020 | Deism | Richard Serjeantson, Fellow and Lecturer in History, Trinity College, University of Cambridge Katie East, Lecturer in History with the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at Newcastle University Thomas Ahnert, Professor of Intellectual History at the University of Edinburgh |
| 15 October 2020 | Alan Turing | Leslie Ann Goldberg, Professor of Computer Science and Fellow of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford Simon Schaffer, Professor of the History of Science at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Darwin College Andrew Hodges, Biographer of Turing and Emeritus Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford |
| 22 October 2020 | Maria Theresa | Catriona Seth, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford Martyn Rady, Professor of Central European History at University College London Thomas Biskup, Lecturer in Early Modern History at the University of Hull |
| 29 October 2020 | Piers Plowman | Laura Ashe, Professor of English Literature at Worcester College, University of Oxford Lawrence Warner, Professor of Medieval English at King's College London Alastair Bennett, Lecturer in Medieval Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 5 November 2020 | Mary Astell | Hannah Dawson, Senior Lecturer in the History of Ideas at King's College London Mark Goldie, Professor Emeritus of Intellectual History at the University of Cambridge Teresa Bejan, Associate Professor of Political Theory at Oriel College, University of Oxford |
| 12 November 2020 | Albrecht Dürer | Susan Foister, Deputy Director and Curator of German Paintings at the National Gallery Giulia Bartrum, Freelance art historian and Former Curator of German Prints and Drawings at the British Museum Ulinka Rublack, Professor of Early Modern European History and Fellow of St John's College, Cambridge |
| 26 November 2020 | The Zong Massacre | Vincent Brown, Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University Bronwen Everill, Class of 1973 Lecturer in History and Fellow at Gonville & Caius College, University of Cambridge Jake Subryan Richards, Assistant Professor of History at the London School of Economics |
| 3 December 2020 | Fernando Pessoa | Cláudia Pazos-Alonso, Professor of Portuguese and Gender Studies and Senior Research Fellow at Wadham College, University of Oxford Juliet Perkins, Visiting Senior Research Fellow in Portuguese Studies at King's College London Paulo de Medeiros, Professor of English and Comparative Literary Studies at the University of Warwick |
| 10 December 2020 | John Wesley and Methodism | Stephen Plant, Dean and Runcie Fellow at Trinity Hall at the University of Cambridge Eryn White, Reader in Early Modern History at Aberystwyth University William Gibson, Professor of Ecclesiastical History at Oxford Brookes University and Director of the Oxford Centre for Methodism and Church History |
| 17 December 2020 | The Cultural Revolution | Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China and Fellow of St Cross College, University of Oxford Sun Peidong, Visiting Professor at the Center for International Studies at Sciences Po Julia Lovell, Professor in Modern Chinese History and Literature at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 31 December 2020 | Eclipses | Carolin Crawford, Public Astronomer based at the Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge and a fellow of Emmanuel College Frank Close, Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford Lucie Green, Professor of Physics and a Royal Society University Research Fellow at Mullard Space Science Laboratory at University College London |
| 14 January 2021 | The Great Gatsby | Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of London Philip McGowan, Professor of American Literature at Queen's University Belfast William Blazek, Associate Professor and Reader in American Literature at Liverpool Hope University |
| 21 January 2021 | The Plague of Justinian | John Haldon, Professor of Byzantine History and Hellenic Studies Emeritus at Princeton University Rebecca Flemming, Senior Lecturer in Classics at the University of Cambridge Greg Woolf, Director of the Institute of Classical Studies, University of London |
| 28 January 2021 | Saint Cuthbert | Jane Hawkes, Professor of Medieval Art History at the University of York Sarah Foot, The Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History at the University of Oxford and Canon of Christ Church Cathedral John Hines, Professor of Archaeology at Cardiff University |
| 4 February 2021 | Emilie du Châtelet | Patricia Fara, Emeritus Fellow of Clare College, Cambridge David Wootton, Anniversary Professor of History at the University of York Judith Zinsser, Professor Emerita of History at Miami University of Ohio and biographer of Emilie du Châtelet |
| 11 February 2021 | The Rosetta Stone | Penelope Wilson, Associate Professor of Egyptian Archaeology at Durham University Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan at the Manchester Museum Richard Bruce Parkinson, Professor of Egyptology and Fellow of The Queen's College, University of Oxford |
| 18 February 2021 | Medieval Pilgrimage | Miri Rubin, Professor of Medieval and Early Modern History at Queen Mary, University of London Kathryn Rudy, Professor of Art History at the University of St Andrews Anthony Bale, Professor of Medieval Studies and Dean of the School of Arts at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 25 February 2021 | Marcus Aurelius | Simon Goldhill, Professor of Greek Literature and Culture and Fellow of King's College, Cambridge Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield Catharine Edwards, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 4 March 2021 | The Rime of the Ancient Mariner | Jonathan Bate, Professor of Environmental Humanities at Arizona State University Tom Mole, Professor of English Literature and Book History at the University of Edinburgh Rosemary Ashton, Emeritus Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London |
| 11 March 2021 | The Late Devonian Extinction | Jessica Whiteside, Associate Professor of Geochemistry in the Department of Ocean and Earth Science at the University of Southampton David Bond, Professor of Geology at the University of Hull Mike Benton, Professor of Vertebrate Paleontology at the School of Life Sciences, University of Bristol |
| 18 March 2021 | The Bacchae | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at King's College London Emily Wilson, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania Rosie Wyles, Lecturer in Classical History and Literature at the University of Kent |
| 25 March 2021 | David Ricardo | Matthew Watson, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton Richard Whatmore, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews and Co-Director of the St Andrews Institute of Intellectual History |
| 1 April 2021 | The Russo-Japanese War | Simon Dixon, The Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London Naoko Shimazu, Professor of Humanities at Yale-NUS College Oleg Benesch, Reader in Modern History at the University of York |
| 8 April 2021 | Pierre-Simon Laplace | Marcus du Sautoy, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Oxford Timothy Gowers, Professor of Mathematics at the Collège de France Colva Roney-Dougal, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews |
| 15 April 2021 | Arianism | Judith Herrin, Professor of Late Antique and Byzantine Studies, Emeritus, at King's College London Robin Whelan, Lecturer in Mediterranean History at the University of Liverpool Martin Palmer, Visiting Professor in Religion, History and Nature at the University of Winchester |
| 22 April 2021 | The Franco-American Alliance 1778 | Frank Cogliano, Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Michael Rapport, Reader in Modern European History at the University of Glasgow |
| 29 April 2021 | Ovid | Maria Wyke, Professor of Latin at University College London Gail Trimble, Brown Fellow and Tutor in Classics at Trinity College at the University of Oxford Dunstan Lowe, Senior Lecturer in Latin Literature at the University of Kent |
| 6 May 2021 | The Second Barons' War | David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at King's College London Louise Wilkinson, Professor of Medieval Studies at the University of Lincoln Sophie Thérèse Ambler, Lecturer in Later Medieval British and European History at Lancaster University |
| 13 May 2021 | Longitude | Rebekah Higgitt, Principal Curator of Science at National Museums Scotland Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum Simon Schaffer, Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge |
| 20 May 2021 | Journey to the West | Julia Lovell, Professor of Modern Chinese History and Literature at Birkbeck, University of London Chiung-yun Evelyn Liu, Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Literature and Philosophy, Academia Sinica, Taiwan Craig Clunas, Professor Emeritus of the History of Art at Trinity College, University of Oxford |
| 27 May 2021 | The Interregnum | Clare Jackson, Senior Tutor at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge Micheál Ó Siochrú, Professor in Modern History at Trinity College Dublin Laura Stewart, Professor in Early Modern History at the University of York |
| 3 June 2021 | Kant's Copernican Revolution | Fiona Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Essex Anil Gomes, Associate Professor and Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Trinity College, Oxford John Callanan, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at King's College London |
| 10 June 2021 | Booth's Life and Labour Survey | Emma Griffin, Professor of Modern British History at the University of East Anglia Sarah Wise, Adjunct Professor at the University of California Lawrence Goldman, Emeritus Fellow in History at St Peter's College, University of Oxford |
| 17 June 2021 | Edward Gibbon | David Womersley, The Thomas Wharton Professor of English Literature at St Catherine's College, University of Oxford Charlotte Roberts, Lecturer in English at University College London Karen O'Brien, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford |
| 24 June 2021 | Shakespeare's Sonnets | Hannah Crawforth, Senior Lecturer in Early Modern Literature at King's College London Don Paterson, Poet and Professor of Poetry at the University of St Andrews Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, Oxford |

### 2021–2022

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 16 September 2021 | The Evolution of Crocodiles | Anjali Goswami, Research Leader in Life Sciences and Dean of Postgraduate Education at the Natural History Museum Philip Mannion, Lecturer in the Department of Earth Sciences at University College London Stephen L. Brusatte, Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh |
| 23 September 2021 | Herodotus | Tom Harrison, Professor of Ancient History at the University of St Andrews Esther Eidinow, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Bristol Paul Cartledge, A. G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge |
| 30 September 2021 | The Tenant of Wildfell Hall | Alexandra Lewis, Lecturer in English and Creative Writing at the University of Newcastle (Australia) Marianne Thormählen, Professor Emerita in English Studies, Lund University John Bowen, Professor of Nineteenth Century Literature at the University of York |
| 7 October 2021 | The Manhattan Project | Bruce Cameron Reed, The Charles A. Dana Professor of Physics Emeritus at Alma College, Michigan Cynthia Kelly, Founder and president of the Atomic Heritage Foundation Frank Close, Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Exeter College, Oxford |
| 14 October 2021 | The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth | Robert I. Frost, The Burnett Fletcher Chair of History at the University of Aberdeen Katarzyna Kosior, Lecturer in Early Modern History at Northumbria University Norman Davies, Professor Emeritus in History and Honorary Fellow of St Antony's College, University of Oxford |
| 21 October 2021 | Iris Murdoch | Anil Gomes, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Trinity College, University of Oxford Anne Rowe, Visiting Professor at the University of Chichester and Emeritus Research Fellow with the Iris Murdoch Archive Project at Kingston University Miles Leeson, Director of the Iris Murdoch Research Centre and Reader in English Literature at the University of Chichester |
| 28 October 2021 | Corals | Steve Jones, Senior Research Fellow in Genetics at University College London Nicola Foster, Lecturer in Marine Biology at the University of Plymouth Gareth Williams, Associate Professor in Marine Biology at Bangor University School of Ocean Sciences |
| 4 November 2021 | The Song of Roland | Laura Ashe, Professor of English Literature and Fellow in English at Worcester College, Oxford Miranda Griffin, Assistant Professor of Medieval French at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge Luke Sunderland, Professor in the School of Modern Languages and Cultures at Durham University |
| 11 November 2021 | William and Caroline Herschel | Monica Grady, Professor of Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University Carolin Crawford, Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge and an Emeritus Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge Jim Bennett, Keeper Emeritus at the Science Museum in London |
| 18 November 2021 | The Decadent Movement | Neil Sammells, Professor of English and Irish Literature and Deputy Vice Chancellor at Bath Spa University Kate Hext, Senior Lecturer in English Literature at the University of Exeter Alex Murray, Senior Lecturer in English at Queen's University Belfast |
| 25 November 2021 | Plato's Gorgias | Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield Frisbee Sheffield, University Lecturer in Classics and Fellow of Downing College, Cambridge Fiona Leigh, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University College London |
| 2 December 2021 | The Battle of Trafalgar | James Davey, Lecturer in Naval and Maritime History at the University of Exeter Marianne Czisnik, Independent researcher on Nelson and editor of his letters to Lady Hamilton Kenneth Johnson, Research Professor of National Security at Air University, Alabama |
| 9 December 2021 | The May Fourth Movement | Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China and Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford Elisabeth Forster, Lecturer in Chinese History at the University of Southampton Song-Chuan Chen, Associate Professor in History at the University of Warwick |
| 16 December 2021 | A Christmas Carol | Juliet John, Professor of English Literature and Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at City, University of London Jon Mee, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of York Dinah Birch, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Cultural Engagement and Professor of English Literature at the University of Liverpool |
| 23 December 2021 | The Hittites | Claudia Glatz, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Glasgow Ilgi Gercek, Assistant Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Languages and History at Bilkent University Christoph Bachhuber, Lecturer in Archaeology at St John's College, Oxford |
| 30 December 2021 | Fritz Lang | Stella Bruzzi, Professor of Film and Dean of Arts and Humanities at University College London Joe McElhaney, Professor of Film Studies at Hunter College, City University of New York Iris Luppa, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies in the Division of Film and Media at London South Bank University |
| 13 January 2022 | Thomas Hardy's Poetry | Mark Ford, poet, and Professor of English and American Literature, University College London Jane Thomas, Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Hull and Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Leeds Tim Armstrong, Professor of Modern English and American Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 20 January 2022 | The Gold Standard | Catherine Schenk, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Oxford Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton Matthias Morys, Senior Lecturer in Economic History at the University of York |
| 27 January 2022 | Colette | Diana Holmes, Professor of French at the University of Leeds Michèle Roberts, Writer, novelist, poet and Emeritus Professor of Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia Belinda Jack, Fellow and Tutor in French Literature and Language at Christ Church, University of Oxford |
| 3 February 2022 | The Temperance Movement | Annemarie McAllister, Senior Research Fellow in History at the University of Central Lancashire James Kneale, Associate Professor in Geography at University College London David Buckingham, Associate Professor in Cultural and Historical Geography at the University of Nottingham |
| 10 February 2022 | Walter Benjamin | Esther Leslie, Professor of Political Aesthetics at Birkbeck, University of London Kevin McLaughlin, Dean of the Faculty and Professor of English, Comparative Literature and German Studies at Brown University Carolin Duttlinger, Professor of German Literature and Culture at the University of Oxford |
| 17 February 2022 | Romeo and Juliet | Helen Hackett, Professor of English Literature at University College London Paul Prescott, Professor of English and Theatre at the University of California Merced Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford |
| 24 February 2022 | Peter Kropotkin | Ruth Kinna, Professor of Political Theory at Loughborough University Lee Dugatkin, Professor of Biology at the University of Louisville Simon Dixon, The Sir Bernard Pares Professor of Russian History at University College London |
| 3 March 2022 | The Arthashastra | Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in the Study of Religion at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies James Hegarty, Professor of Sanskrit and Indian Religions at Cardiff University Deven Patel, Associate Professor of South Asia Studies at the University of Pennsylvania |
| 10 March 2022 | Seismology | James Hammond, Reader in Geophysics at Birkbeck, University of London Rebecca Bell, Senior Lecturer at Imperial College London Zoe Mildon, Lecturer in Earth Sciences at the University of Plymouth |
| 17 March 2022 | Charisma | Tom F. Wright, Reader in Rhetoric at the University of Sussex Linda Woodhead, Professor of Sociology of Religion at Lancaster University David A. Bell, Sidney and Ruth Lapidus Professor in the Era of North Atlantic Revolutions at Princeton University |
| 24 March 2022 | Antigone | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Durham University Oliver Taplin, Classics Scholar and Translator at Oxford University Lyndsay Coo, Senior Lecturer in Ancient Greek Language and Literature at University of Bristol |
| 31 March 2022 | The Sistine Chapel | Catherine Fletcher, Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University Sarah Vowles, The Smirnov Family Curator of Italian and French Prints and Drawings at the British Museum Matthias Wivel, The Aud Jebsen Curator of Sixteenth-Century Italian Paintings at the National Gallery |
| 07 April 2022 | Polidori's The Vampyre | Nick Groom, Professor of Literature in English at the University of Macau Samantha George, Associate Professor of Research in Literature at the University of Hertfordshire Martyn Rady, Professor of Central European History at University College London |
| 14 April 2022 | Homo erectus | Peter Kjærgaard, Director of the Natural History Museum of Denmark and Professor of Evolutionary History at the University of Copenhagen José Joordens, Senior Researcher in Human Evolution at Naturalis Biodiversity Center and Professor of Human Evolution at Maastricht University Mark Maslin, Professor of Earth System Science at University College London |
| 21 April 2022 | Olympe de Gouges | Catriona Seth, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford Katherine Astbury, Professor of French Studies at the University of Warwick Sanja Perovic, Reader in 18th century French studies at King's College London |
| 28 April 2022 | Early Christian Martyrdom | Candida Moss, Edward Cadbury Professor of Theology at the University of Birmingham Kate Cooper, Professor of History at Royal Holloway, University of London James Corke-Webster, Senior Lecturer in Classics, History and Liberal Arts at King's College London |
| 5 May 2022 | The Davidian Revolution | Richard Oram, Professor of Medieval and Environmental History at the University of Stirling Alice Taylor, Professor of Medieval History at King's College London Alex Woolf, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of St Andrews |
| 12 May 2022 | Tang Era Poetry | Tim Barrett, Professor Emeritus of East Asian History at SOAS, University of London Tian Yuan Tan, Shaw Professor of Chinese at the University of Oxford and Professorial Fellow at University College Frances Wood, Former Curator of the Chinese Collections at the British Library |
| 19 May 2022 | Comenius | Vladimir Urbanek, Senior Researcher in the Department of Comenius Studies and Early Modern Intellectual History at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences Suzanna Ivanic, Lecturer in Early Modern European History at the University of Kent Howard Hotson, Professor of Early Modern Intellectual History at the University of Oxford and Fellow of St Anne's College |
| 26 May 2022 | Hegel's Philosophy of History | Sally Sedgwick, Professor and Chair of Philosophy at Boston University Robert Stern, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield Stephen Houlgate, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick |
| 9 June 2022 | The Death of Stars | Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge Carolin Crawford, Emeritus Member of the Institute of Astronomy and Emeritus Fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge Mark Sullivan, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Southampton |
| 16 June 2022 | Dylan Thomas | Nerys Williams, Associate Professor of Poetry and Poetics at University College Dublin John Goodby, Professor of Arts and Culture at Sheffield Hallam University Leo Mellor, The Roma Gill Fellow in English at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge |
| 23 June 2022 | Angkor Wat | Piphal Heng, postdoctoral scholar at the Cotsen Institute and the Programme for Early Modern Southeast Asia at University of California, Los Angeles Ashley Thompson, Hiram W Woodward Chair of Southeast Asian Art at SOAS University of London Simon Warrack, stone conservator who has worked extensively at Angkor Wat |
| 30 June 2022 | John Bull | Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Miles Taylor, Professor of British History and Society at Humboldt University of Berlin Mark Knights, Professor of History at the University of Warwick |

### 2022–2023

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 15 September 2022 | Nineteen Eighty-Four | David Dwan, Professor of English Literature and Intellectual History at the University of Oxford Lisa Mullen, Teaching Associate in Modern Contemporary Literature at the University of Cambridge John Bowen, Professor of English Literature at the University of York |
| 22 September 2022 | Plato's Atlantis | Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Durham University Christopher Gill, Emeritus Professor of Ancient Thought at the University of Exeter Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield |
| 29 September 2022 | The Electron | Victoria Martin, Professor of Collider Physics at the University of Edinburgh Harry Cliff, Research Fellow in Particle Physics at the University of Cambridge Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics and Fellow Emeritus at Exeter College at the University of Oxford |
| 6 October 2022 | The Knights Templar | Helen Nicholson, Professor of Medieval History at Cardiff University Mike Carr, Lecturer in Late Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh Jonathan Phillips, Professor of Crusading History at Royal Holloway, University of London |
| 13 October 2022 | Berthe Morisot | Tamar Garb, Professor of History of Art at University College London Lois Oliver, Curator at the Royal Academy and Adjunct Professor of Art History at the American University of Notre Dame London Claire Moran, Reader in French at Queen's University Belfast |
| 20 October 2022 | The Fish-Tetrapod Transition | Emily Rayfield, Professor of Palaeobiology at the University of Bristol Michael Coates, Chair and Professor of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at the University of Chicago Steve Brusatte, Professor of Palaeontology and Evolution at the University of Edinburgh |
| 27 October 2022 | Wilfred Owen | Jane Potter, Reader in The School of Arts at Oxford Brookes University Fran Brearton, Professor of Modern Poetry at Queen's University Belfast Guy Cuthbertson, Professor of British Literature and Culture at Liverpool Hope University |
| 3 November 2022 | The Morant Bay Rebellion | Matthew J Smith, Professor of History and Director of the Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery at University College London Diana Paton, The William Robertson Professor of History at the University of Edinburgh Lawrence Goldman, Emeritus Fellow in History at St Peter's College, University of Oxford |
| 10 November 2022 | Bauhaus | Robin Schuldenfrei, Tangen Reader in 20th Century Modernism at The Courtauld Institute of Art Alan Powers, History Leader at the London School of Architecture Michael White, Professor of the History of Art at the University of York |
| 17 November 2022 | Demosthenes' Philippics | Paul Cartledge, A. G. Leventis Senior Research Fellow at Clare College, University of Cambridge Kathryn Tempest, Reader in Latin Literature and Roman History at the University of Roehampton Jon Hesk, Reader in Greek and Classical Studies at the University of St Andrews |
| 24 November 2022 | The Challenger Expedition 1872-1876 | Erika Jones, Curator of Navigation and Oceanography at Royal Museums Greenwich Sam Robinson, Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute Research Fellow at the University of Southampton Giles Miller, Principal Curator of Micropalaeontology at the Natural History Museum, London |
| 1 December 2022 | The Nibelungenlied | Sarah Bowden, Reader in German and Medieval Studies at King's College London Mark Chinca, Professor of Medieval German and Comparative Literature at the University of Cambridge Bettina Bildhauer, Professor of Modern Languages at the University of St Andrews |
| 8 December 2022 | The Irish Rebellion of 1798 | Ian McBride, Foster Professor of Irish History at Hertford College, University of Oxford Catriona Kennedy, Senior Lecturer in Modern History at the University of York Liam Chambers, Head of Department and Senior Lecturer in History at Mary Immaculate College, Limerick |
| 15 December 2022 | Citizen Kane | Stella Bruzzi, Professor of Film and Dean of Arts and Humanities at University College London Ian Christie, Professor of Film and Media History at Birkbeck, University of London John David Rhodes, Professor of Film Studies and Visual Culture at the University of Cambridge |
| 22 December 2022 | Persuasion | Karen O'Brien, Vice-Chancellor of Durham University Fiona Stafford, Professor of English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford Paddy Bullard, Associate Professor of English Literature and Book History at the University of Reading |
| 29 December 2022 | The Great Stink | Rosemary Ashton, Emeritus Quain Professor of English Language and Literature at University College London Stephen Halliday, Author of The Great Stink of London: Sir Joseph Bazalgette and the Cleansing of the Victorian Metropolis Paul Dobraszczyk, Lecturer at the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London |
| 12 January 2023 | John Donne | Mary Ann Lund, Associate Professor in Renaissance English Literature at the University of Leicester Sue Wiseman, Professor of Seventeenth Century Literature at Birkbeck, University of London Hugh Adlington, Professor of English Literature at the University of Birmingham |
| 19 January 2023 | Rawls' Theory of Justice | Fabienne Peter, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick Martin O'Neill, Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of York Jonathan Wolff, The Alfred Landecker Professor of Values and Public Policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford and Fellow of Wolfson College |
| 26 January 2023 | Superconductivity | Nigel Hussey, Professor of Experimental Condensed Matter Physics at the University of Bristol and Radbout University Suchitra Sebastian, Professor of Physics at the Cavendish Laboratory at the University of Cambridge Stephen Blundell, Professor of Physics at the University of Oxford and Fellow of Mansfield College |
| 2 February 2023 | Tycho Brahe | Ole Grell, Emeritus Professor in Early Modern History at the Open University Adam Mosley, Associate Professor of History at Swansea University Emma Perkins, Affiliate Scholar in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge. |
| 9 Feb 2023 | Chartism | Joan Allen, Visiting Fellow in History at Newcastle University and Chair of the Society for the Study of Labour History Emma Griffin, Professor of Modern British History at the University of East Anglia and President of the Royal Historical Society Robert Saunders, Reader in Modern British History at Queen Mary University of London |
| 16 Feb 2023 | Stevie Smith | Jeremy Noel-Tod, Associate Professor in the School of Literature, Drama and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia Noreen Masud, Lecturer in Twentieth Century Literature at the University of Bristol Will May, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Literature at the University of Southampton |
| 23 Feb 2023 | Paul Erdős | Colva Roney-Dougal, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the University of St Andrews Timothy Gowers, Professor of Mathematics at the Collège de France in Paris and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge Andrew Treglown, Associate Professor in Mathematics at the University of Birmingham |
| 2 Mar 2023 | Megaliths | Vicki Cummings, Professor of Neolithic Archaeology at the University of Central Lancashire Julian Thomas, Professor of Archaeology at the University of Manchester Susan Greaney, Lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Exeter |
| 9 March 2023 | The Ramayana | Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in the Study of Religion at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad, Distinguished Professor of Comparative Religion and Philosophy at Lancaster University Naomi Appleton, Senior Lecturer in Asian Religions at the University of Edinburgh |
| 16 March 2023 | Mercantilism | D'Maris Coffman, Professor in Economics and Finance of the Built Environment at University College London Craig Muldrew, Professor of Social and Economic History at the University of Cambridge and a Member of Queens' College Helen Paul, Lecturer in Economics and Economic History at the University of Southampton |
| 23 March 2023 | Solon the Lawgiver | Melissa Lane, Class of 1943 Professor of Politics at Princeton University Hans van Wees, Grote Professor of Ancient History at University College London William Allan, Professor of Greek and McConnell Laing Tutorial Fellow in Greek and Latin Languages and Literature at University College, University of Oxford |
| 30 March 2023 | A Room of One's Own | Hermione Lee, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford Michele Barrett, Emeritus Professor of Modern Literary and Cultural Theory at Queen Mary University of London Alexandra Harris, Professor of English at the University of Birmingham |
| 6 April 2023 | Cnut | Erin Goeres, Associate Professor of Old Norse Language and Literature at University College London Pragya Vohra, Lecturer in Medieval History at the University of York Elizabeth Tyler, Professor of Medieval Literature and Co-Director of the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of York |
| 13 April 2023 | The Battle of Crécy | Anne Curry, Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of Southampton Andrew Ayton, Senior Research Fellow in History at Keele University Erika Graham-Goering, Lecturer in Late Medieval History at Durham University |
| 20 April 2023 | Linnaeus | Staffan Müller-Wille, University Lecturer in History of Life, Human and Earth Sciences at the University of Cambridge Stella Sandford, Professor of Modern European Philosophy at Kingston University London Steve Jones, Senior Research Fellow in Genetics at University College London |
| 27 April 2023 | Walt Whitman | Sarah Churchwell, Professor of American Literature and the Public Understanding of the Humanities at the University of London Peter Riley, Lecturer in 19th Century American Literature at the University of Exeter Mark Ford, Professor of English and American Literature at University College London |
| 4 May 2023 | The Dead Sea Scrolls | Sarah Pearce, Ian Karten Professor of Jewish Studies and Head of the School of Humanities at the University of Southampton Charlotte Hempel, Professor of Hebrew Bible and Second Temple Judaism at the University of Birmingham George Brooke, Rylands Professor Emeritus of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester |
| 11 May 2023 | The Shimabara Rebellion | Satona Suzuki, Lecturer in Japanese and Modern Japanese History at SOAS University of London Erica Baffelli, Professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Manchester Christopher Harding, Senior Lecturer in Asian History at the University of Edinburgh |
| 18 May 2023 | Virgil's Georgics | Katharine Earnshaw, Senior Lecturer in Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter Neville Morley, Professor of Classics and Ancient History at the University of Exeter Diana Spencer, Professor of Classics at the University of Birmingham |
| 25 May 2023 | Louis XIV: The Sun King | Catriona Seth, Marshal Foch Professor of French Literature at the University of Oxford Guy Rowlands, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of St Andrews Penny Roberts, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Warwick |
| 01 June 2023 | Mitochondria | Mike Murphy, Professor of Mitochondrial Redox Biology at the University of Cambridge Florencia Camus, NERC Independent Research Fellow at University College London Nick Lane, Professor of Evolutionary Biochemistry at University College London |
| 08 June 2023 | Oedipus Rex | Nick Lowe, Reader in Classical Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Fiona Macintosh, Professor of Classical Reception and Fellow of St Hilda's College at the University of Oxford Edith Hall, Professor of Classics at Durham University |
| 15 June 2023 | Death in Venice | Karolina Watroba, Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in Modern Languages at All Souls College, University of Oxford Erica Wickerson, a Former Research Fellow at St Johns College, University of Cambridge Sean Williams, Senior Lecturer in German and European Cultural History at the University of Sheffield |
| 22 June 2023 | Elizabeth Anscombe | Rachael Wiseman, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool Constantine Sandis, Visiting Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, and Director of Lex Academic Roger Teichmann, Lecturer in Philosophy at St Hilda's College, University of Oxford |
| 29 June 2023 | Jupiter | Michele Dougherty, Professor of Space Physics and Head of the Department of Physics at Imperial College London Leigh Fletcher, Professor of Planetary Science at the University of Leicester Carolin Crawford, Emeritus Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, and Emeritus Member of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge |

### 2023–2024

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 14 September 2023 | Albert Einstein | Richard Staley, Professor in History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Professor in History of Science at the University of Copenhagen Diana Kormos Buchwald, Robert M. Abbey Professor of History and Director and General Editor of the Einstein Papers Project at the California Institute of Technology John Heilbron, Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley |
| 21 September 2023 | The Seventh Seal (1000th program) | Jan Holmberg [sv], Director of the Ingmar Bergman Foundation [sv], Stockholm Laura Hubner, Professor of Film at the University of Winchester Claire Thomson, Professor of Cinema History and Director of the School of European Languages, Culture and Society at University College London |
| 21 September 2023 | Melvyn Bragg talks to Mishal Husain | To mark his 1000th episode of In Our Time, Melvyn Bragg talks to Mishal Husain for Radio 4's Today programme. |
| 28 September 2023 | The Economic Consequences of the Peace | Margaret MacMillan, Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford Michael Cox, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Founding Director of LSE IDEAS Patricia Clavin, Professor of Modern History at the University of Oxford |
| 05 October 2023 | Plankton | Dame Carol V. Robinson, Professor of Marine Sciences at the University of East Anglia Abigail McQuatters-Gollop, Associate Professor of Marine Conservation at the University of Plymouth Christopher Lowe, Lecturer in Marine Biology at Swansea University |
| 12 October 2023 | The Federalist Papers | Frank Cogliano, Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh and Interim Saunders Director of the International Centre for Jefferson Studies at Monticello Kathleen Burk, Professor Emerita of Modern and Contemporary History at University College London Nicholas Guyatt, Professor of North American History at the University of Cambridge |
| 19 October 2023 | Julian of Norwich | Katherine Lewis, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Huddersfield Philip Sheldrake, Professor of Christian Spirituality at the Oblate School of Theology, Texas and Senior Research Associate of the Von Hügel Institute, University of Cambridge Laura Kalas, Senior Lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Swansea University |
| 26 October 2023 | Germinal | Susan Harrow, Ashley Watkins Chair of French at the University of Bristol Kate Griffiths, Professor in French and Translation at Cardiff University Edmund Birch, Lecturer in French Literature and Director of Studies at Churchill College & Selwyn College, University of Cambridge |
| 02 November 2023 | Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics | Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield Roger Crisp, Director of the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, Professor of Moral Philosophy and Tutor in Philosophy at St Anne's College, University of Oxford Sophia Connell, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London |
| 09 November 2023 | The Barbary Corsairs | Joanna Nolan, Research Associate at SOAS, University of London Claire Norton, Former Associate Professor of History at St Mary's University, Twickenham Michael Talbot, Associate Professor in the History of the Ottoman Empire and the Modern Middle East at the University of Greenwich |
| 16 November 2023 | The Theory of the Leisure Class | Matthew Watson, Professor of Political Economy at the University of Warwick Bill Waller, Professor of Economics at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, New York Mary Wrenn, Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of the West of England |
| 23 November 2023 | Marguerite de Navarre | Sara Barker, Associate Professor of Early Modern History and Director of the Centre for the Comparative History of Print at the University of Leeds Emily Butterworth, Professor of Early Modern French at King's College London Emma Herdman, Lecturer in French at the University of St Andrews |
| 30 November 2023 | Edgar Allan Poe | Bridget Bennett, Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds Erin Forbes, Senior Lecturer in 19th-century African American and US Literature at the University of Bristol Tom Wright, Reader in Rhetoric at the University of Sussex |
| 07 December 2023 | Karl Barth | Stephen Plant, Dean and Runcie Fellow at Trinity Hall, University of Cambridge Christiane Tietz, Professor for Systematic Theology at the University of Zurich Tom Greggs, Marischal Professor of Divinity at the University of Aberdeen |
| 14 December 2023 | Tiberius | Matthew Nicholls, Senior Tutor at St. John's College, University of Oxford Shushma Malik, Assistant Professor of Classics and Onassis Classics Fellow at Newnham College at the University of Cambridge Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics at the University of Glasgow |
| 21 December 2023 | Vincent van Gogh | Christopher Riopelle, The Neil Westreich Curator of Post 1800 Paintings at the National Gallery Martin Bailey, a leading Van Gogh specialist and correspondent for The Art Newspaper Frances Fowle, Professor of Nineteenth Century Art at the University of Edinburgh and Senior Curator at National Galleries of Scotland |
| 28 December 2023 | Twelfth Night, or What You Will | Pascale Aebischer, Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Performance Studies at the University of Exeter Michael Dobson, Professor of Shakespeare Studies and Director of the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford |
| 11 January 2024 | Condorcet | Rachel Hammersley, Professor of Intellectual History at Newcastle University Richard Whatmore, Professor of Modern History at the University of St Andrews and Co-Director of the St Andrews Institute of Intellectual History Tom Hopkins, Senior Teaching Associate in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Selwyn College |
| 18 January 2024 | Nefertiti | Aidan Dodson, Honorary Professor of Egyptology at the University of Bristol Joyce Tyldesley, Professor of Egyptology at the University of Manchester Kate Spence, Senior Lecturer in Egyptian Archaeology at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Emmanuel College |
| 25 January 2024 | Panpsychism | Tim Crane, Professor of Philosophy and Pro-Rector at the Central European University, Director of Research, FWF Cluster of Excellence, Knowledge in Crisis Joanna Leidenhag, Associate Professor in Theology and Philosophy at the University of Leeds Philip Goff, Professor of Philosophy at Durham University |
| 1 February 2024 | The Hanseatic League | Justyna Wubs-Mrozewicz, Associate Professor of Medieval History at the University of Amsterdam Georg Christ, Senior Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern History at the University of Manchester Sheilagh Ogilvie, Chichele Professor of Economic History at All Souls College, University of Oxford |
| 8 February 2024 | Hormones | Sadaf Farooqi, Professor of Metabolism and Medicine at the University of Cambridge Rebecca Reynolds, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Edinburgh Andrew Bicknell, Associate Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Reading |
| 15 February 2024 | Alice's Adventures in Wonderland | Franziska Kohlt, Leverhulme Research Fellow in the History of Science at the University of Leeds and the Inaugural Carrollian Fellow of the University of Southern California Kiera Vaclavik, Professor of Children's Literature and Childhood Culture at Queen Mary University of London Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Professor of English Literature at Magdalen College, University of Oxford |
| 22 February 2024 | The Sack of Rome 1527 | Stephen Bowd, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Edinburgh Jessica Goethals, Associate Professor of Italian at the University of Alabama Catherine Fletcher, Professor of History at Manchester Metropolitan University |
| 29 February 2024 | Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle | Fay Dowker, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London Harry Cliff, Research Fellow in Particle Physics at the University of Cambridge Frank Close, Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics and Fellow Emeritus at Exeter College at the University of Oxford |
| 07 March 2024 | The Mokrani Revolt | Natalya Benkhaled-Vince, Associate Professor of the History of Modern France and the Francophone World, Fellow of University College, University of Oxford Hannah-Louise Clark, Senior Lecturer in Global Economic and Social History at the University of Glasgow Jim House, Senior Lecturer in French and Francophone History at the University of Leeds |
| 14 March 2024 | The Waltz | Susan Jones, Emeritus Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford Derek B. Scott, Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Leeds Theresa Buckland, Emeritus Professor of Dance History and Ethnography at the University of Roehampton |
| 21 March 2024 | Julian the Apostate | James Corke-Webster, Reader in Classics, History and Liberal Arts at King's College, London Lea Niccolai, Assistant Professor in Classics at the University of Cambridge and Fellow and Director of Studies in Classics, Trinity College Shaun Tougher, Professor of Late Roman and Byzantine History at Cardiff University |
| 28 March 2024 | The Kalevala | Riitta-Liisa Valijärvi, Associate Professor in Finnish and Minority Languages at University College London Thomas A. DuBois, The Halls-Bascom Professor of Scandinavian Folklore and Literature at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Daniel Abondolo, Formerly Reader in Hungarian at University College London |
| 04 April 2024 | Nikola Tesla | Simon Schaffer, Emeritus Fellow of Darwin College, University of Cambridge Jill Jonnes, Historian and author of Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse and the Race to Electrify the World Iwan Morus, Professor of History at Aberystwyth University |
| 11 April 2024 | Lysistrata | Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge Sarah Miles, Associate Professor in the Department of Classics and Ancient History at Durham University James Robson, Professor of Classical Studies at the Open University |
| 18 April 2024 | Napoleon's Hundred Days | Michael Rowe, Reader in European History at King's College London Katherine Astbury, Professor of French Studies at the University of Warwick Zack White, Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellow at the University of Portsmouth |
| 25 April 2024 | Bertolt Brecht | Laura Bradley, Professor of German and Theatre at the University of Edinburgh David Barnett, Professor of Theatre at the University of York Tom Kuhn, Professor of Twentieth Century German Literature, Emeritus Fellow of St Hugh's College, University of Oxford |
| 02 May 2024 | Mercury | Emma Bunce, Professor of Planetary Plasma Physics and Director of the Institute for Space at the University of Leicester David Rothery, Professor of Planetary Geosciences at the Open University Carolin Crawford, Emeritus Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge, and Emeritus Member of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge |
| 09 May 2024 | Sir Thomas Wyatt | Brian Cummings, 50th Anniversary Professor of English at the University of York Susan Brigden, Retired Fellow at Lincoln College, University of Oxford Laura Ashe, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford |
| 16 May 2024 | Philippa Foot | Anil Gomes, Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at Trinity College, University of Oxford Sophie Grace Chappell, Professor of Philosophy at the Open University Rachael Wiseman, Reader in Philosophy at the University of Liverpool |
| 23 May 2024 | Empress Dowager Cixi | Yangwen Zheng, Professor of Chinese History at the University of Manchester Rana Mitter, The S.T. Lee Professor of US-Asia Relations at the Harvard Kennedy School Ronald Po, Associate Professor in the Department of International History at London School of Economics and Visiting Professor at Leiden University |
| 30 May 2024 | Marsilius of Padua | Annabel Brett, Professor of Political Thought and History at the University of Cambridge George Garnett, Professor of Medieval History and Fellow and Tutor at St Hugh's College, University of Oxford Serena Ferente, Professor of Medieval History at the University of Amsterdam |
| 06 June 2024 | The Orkneyinga Saga | Judith Jesch, Professor of Viking Studies at the University of Nottingham Jane Harrison, Archaeologist and Research Associate at Oxford and Newcastle Universities Alex Woolf, Senior Lecturer in History at the University of St Andrews |
| 13 June 2024 | Fielding's Tom Jones | Judith Hawley, Professor of 18th Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Henry Power, Professor of English Literature at the University of Exeter Charlotte Roberts, Associate Professor of English Literature at University College London |
| 20 June 2024 | Karma | Monima Chadha, Professor of Indian Philosophy and Tutorial Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in the Study of Religion at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Karen O'Brien-Kop, Lecturer in Asian Religions at King's College London |
| 27 June 2024 | Monet in England | Karen Serres, Senior Curator of Paintings at the Courtauld Gallery, London Frances Fowle, Professor of Nineteenth-Century Art at the University of Edinburgh and Senior Curator of French Art at the National Galleries of Scotland Jackie Wullschläger, Chief Art Critic for the Financial Times and author of Monet, The Restless Vision |
| 04 July 2024 | Bacteriophages | Martha Clokie, Director for the Centre for Phage Research and Professor of Microbiology at the University of Leicester James Ebdon, Professor of Environmental Microbiology at the University of Brighton Claas Kirchhelle, Historian and Chargé de Recherche at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research's CERMES3 Unit in Paris. |

### 2024–2025

| Broadcast date Listen again | Title | Contributors and positions held at time of broadcast |
| 19 September 2024 | Benjamin Disraeli | Lawrence Goldman, Emeritus Fellow in History at St Peter's College, University of Oxford Emily Jones, Lecturer in Modern British History at the University of Manchester Daisy Hay, Professor of English Literature and Life Writing at the University of Exeter. |
| 26 September 2024 | Wormholes | Toby Wiseman, Professor of Theoretical Physics at Imperial College London Katy Clough, Senior Lecturer in Mathematics at Queen Mary, University of London Andrew Pontzen, Professor of Cosmology at Durham University. |
| 3 October 2024 | The Haymarket Affair | Ruth Kinna, Professor of Political Theory at Loughborough University Christopher Phelps, associate Professor of American Studies at the University of Nottingham Gary Gerstle, Paul Mellon Professor of American History Emeritus at the University of Cambridge. |
| 10 October 2024 | Robert Graves | Paul O'Prey, Emeritus Professor of Modern Literature at the University of Roehampton, London Fran Brearton, Professor of Modern Poetry at Queen's University, Belfast Bob Davis, Professor of Religious and Cultural Education at the University of Glasgow. |
| 17 October 2024 | Hayek's The Road to Serfdom | Bruce Caldwell, Research Professor of Economics at Duke University and Director of the Center for the History of Political Economy Melissa Lane, The Class of 1943 Professor of Politics at Princeton University and the 50th Professor of Rhetoric at Gresham College in London Ben Jackson, Professor of Modern History and fellow of University College at the University of Oxford. |
| 24 October 2024 | Little Women | Bridget Bennett, Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Leeds Erin Forbes, Senior Lecturer in African American and U.S. Literature at the University of Bristol Tom Wright, Reader in Rhetoric and Head of the Department of English Literature at the University of Sussex. |
| 31 October 2024 | The Venetian Empire | Maartje van Gelder, Professor in Early Modern History at the University of Amsterdam Stephen Bowd, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Edinburgh Georg Christ, Reader in Senior Lecturer in Medieval and Early Modern History at the University of Manchester. |
| 07 November 2024 | George Herbert | Helen Wilcox, Professor Emerita of English Literature at Bangor University Victoria Moul, Formerly Professor of Early Modern Latin and English at UCL Simon Jackson, Director of Music and Director of Studies in English at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge. |
| 14 November 2024 | The Antikythera Mechanism | Mike Edmunds, Emeritus Professor of Astrophysics at Cardiff University Jo Marchant, Science journalist and author of Decoding the Heavens on the Antikythera Mechanism Liba Taub, Professor Emerita in the Department of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge and Visiting Scholar at the Deutsches Museum, Munich. |
| 21 November 2024 | Italo Calvino | Guido Bonsaver, Professor of Italian Cultural History at the University of Oxford Jennifer Burns, Professor of Italian Studies at the University of Warwick Beatrice Sica, Associate Professor in Italian Studies at UCL. |
| 28 November 2024 | The Hanoverian Succession | Andreas Gestrich, Professor Emeritus at Trier University and Former Director of the German Historical Institute in London Elaine Chalus, Professor of British History at the University of Liverpool Mark Knights, Professor of History at the University of Warwick. |
| 05 December 2024 | Nizami Ganjavi | Christine van Ruymbeke, Professor of Persian Literature and Culture at the University of Cambridge Narguess Farzad, Senior Lecturer in Persian Studies at SOAS, University of London Dominic Parviz Brookshaw, Professor of Persian Literature and Iranian Culture at the University of Oxford. |
| 12 December 2024 | The Habitability of Planets | Jayne Birkby, Associate Professor of Exoplanetary Sciences at the University of Oxford and Tutorial Fellow in Physics at Brasenose College Saidul Islam, Assistant Professor of Chemistry at Kings College, London Oliver Shorttle, Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Clare College. |
| 19 December 2024 | Plutarch's Parallel Lives | Judith Mossman, Professor Emerita of Classics at Coventry University Andrew Erskine, Professor of Ancient History at the University of Edinburgh Paul Cartledge, AG Leventis Senior Research Fellow of Clare College, University of Cambridge. |
| 26 December 2024 | Vase-mania | Jenny Uglow, writer and biographer Rosemary Sweet, Professor of urban history at the University of Leicester Caroline McCaffrey-Howarth, Lecturer in the history of art at the University of Edinburgh. |
| 02 January 2025 | Slime Moulds | Jonathan Chubb, Professor of Quantitative Cell Biology at University College, London Elinor Thompson, Reader in microbiology and plant science at the University of Greenwich Merlin Sheldrake, Biologist and writer. |
| 16 January 2025 | The Battle of Valmy | Michael Rowe, Reader in European History at King's College London Heidi Mehrkens, Lecturer in Modern European History at the University of Aberdeen Colin Jones, Professor Emeritus of History at Queen Mary, University of London. |
| 23 January 2025 | Socrates in Prison | Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield Fiona Leigh, Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at University College London James Warren, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. |
| 30 January 2025 | Pope Joan | Katherine Lewis, Honorary Professor of Medieval History at the University of Lincoln and Research Associate at the University of York Laura Kalas, Senior Lecturer in Medieval English Literature at Swansea University Anthony Bale, Professor of Medieval & Renaissance English at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Girton College. |
| 06 February 2025 | Sir John Soane | Frances Sands, the Curator of Drawings and Books at Sir John Soane’s Museum Frank Salmon, Associate Professor of the History of Art at the University of Cambridge and Director of the Ax:son Johnson Centre for the Study of Classical Architecture Gillian Darley, historian and author of Soane's biography. |
| 13 February 2025 | Catherine of Aragon | Lucy Wooding, Langford Fellow and Tutor in History at Lincoln College, University of Oxford and Professor of Early Modern History at Oxford Maria Hayward, Professor of Early Modern History at the University of Southampton Gonzalo Velasco Berenguer, Lecturer in Global Medieval and Early Modern History at the University of Bristol. |
| 20 February 2025 | Oliver Goldsmith | David O’Shaughnessy, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Studies at the University of Galway Judith Hawley, Professor of Eighteenth-Century Literature at Royal Holloway, University of London Michael Griffin, Professor of English at the University of Limerick. |
| 27 February 2025 | Kali | Bihani Sarkar, Senior Lecturer in Comparative Non-Western Thought at Lancaster University Julius Lipner, Professor Emeritus of Hinduism and the Comparative Study of Religion at the University of Cambridge Jessica Frazier, Lecturer in the Study of Religion at the University of Oxford and fellow at the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. |
| 06 March 2025 | Pollination | Beverley Glover, Director of the Cambridge University Botanic Garden Jane Memmott, Professor of Ecology at the University of Bristol Lars Chittka, Professor of Sensory and Behavioural Ecology at Queen Mary, University of London. |
| 13 March 2025 | Cyrus the Great | Mateen Arghandehpour, a researcher for the Invisible East Project at Oxford University Lindsay Allen, Senior Lecturer in Ancient Greek and Near Eastern History at King's College London Lynette Mitchell, Professor Emerita in Classics and Ancient History at Exeter University. |
| 20 March 2025 | Thomas Middleton | Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford Lucy Munro, Professor of Shakespeare and Early Modern Literature at King's College London Michelle O’Callaghan, Professor of Early Modern Literature at the University of Reading. |
| 27 March 2025 | The Gracchi | Catherine Steel, Professor of Classics at the University of Glasgow Federico Santangelo, Professor of Ancient History at Newcastle University Kathryn Tempest, Lecturer in Roman History at the University of Leicester. |