In Our Time (radio series)

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Infobox radio show

In Our Time is a BBC Radio 4 discussion series and podcast exploring a wide variety of historical, scientific and philosophical topics, presented by Melvyn Bragg, since 15 October 1998.<ref Name="IOT">BBC In our time.</ref> It is one of Radio 4's most successful discussion programmes, acknowledged to have "transformed the landscape for serious ideas at peak listening time".<ref Name="Ankles"/><ref name="The Times">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

The series passed its 1,000th episode in September 2023<ref name=listing/> and attracts a weekly audience exceeding two million listeners.<ref name="bragg11"/>

On 3 September 2025, the BBC reported that Bragg had decided to retire from the programme ahead of its new series. A new presenter is to be announced in due course.<ref name=":0">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Programme

Template:See also The series, devised and produced by Olivia Seligman (with others) and currently produced by Simon Tillotson<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> with Victoria Brignell,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> runs weekly throughout the year on BBC Radio 4, except for a summer break of approximately eight to ten weeks between July and September. Each programme covers a specific historical, philosophical, religious, cultural or scientific topic. In a November 2009 interview, Bragg described how he prepares for each show: "It's not easy, but I like reading. I enjoy what was called swotting in my day. I get the notes late Friday afternoon for the following Thursday morning. I find all the spare time I can for reading, get up very early on a Thursday morning, have a final two hours of nervousness, and away we go."<ref name="scot09">Template:Cite news</ref>

Bragg hosts discussion of the week's subject featuring what he has characterised as "three absolutely top-class academics"<ref name="bragg11"/> on the subject. The programme is normally broadcast live and unedited on Thursday mornings at 9Template:Nbspa.m., lasting around 42 minutes, and is then available online. He begins each episode with a short summary of the week's topic, then introduces the three guests. He guides the discussion along a generally chronological route, then either concludes the programme himself or invites summation remarks from one of the specialists.

History

In Our Time was conceived for Bragg in 1998 after he was forced to quit his decade-long role as presenter for Start the Week due to a perceived conflict of interest arising from his appointment as a Labour life peer.<ref name="scot09"/> He was offered the Thursday "death-slot" and decided he would "do what [he] always wanted to do,"<ref name="scot09"/> and "hastily battered out a simple idea" with producer Olivia Seligman<ref name="bragg11">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> expecting the show would only last a few months. By September 1999, he had taken a time slot that was previously attracting an audience of 600,000 and grown it to 1.5 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 2000, the half-hour show was expanded to 45 minutes and to include three guest speakers.<ref name="500tele11">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 2004,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the programme was made available as a podcast from the BBC website and iTunes for one week after broadcast. Until July 2014,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> listeners could also sign up for weekly email newsletters from Bragg, where he mentioned any additional information relating to the programme, along with snippets from his own personal and intellectual life. In 2009, selected transcripts of episodes from the programme were compiled in the book In Our Time: A Companion to the Radio 4 series, edited by Bragg.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Since 2010, every episode of the programme has been available from its website as streaming audio,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> making it one of the first BBC programmes to have its entire archive released.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Since 2011, the entire archive has been available to download as individual podcasts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 3 September 2025 Melvyn Bragg announced that he was stepping down as presenter.<ref name=":0" />

Cultural impact

The programme is considered one of the BBC's most successful projects, acknowledged to have "transformed the landscape for serious ideas at peak listening time".<ref Name="Ankles">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="The Times"/> Frequent contributors to the programme since 1998 include Angie Hobbs, Simon Schaffer, Martin Palmer, Steve Jones , Paul Cartledge, Carolin Crawford, Edith Hall, A. C. Grayling, Patricia Fara, David Wootton, Jonathan Bate, and Karen O'Brien.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>Template:Better source needed

In 2005, listeners were invited to vote in a popularity contest for the "greatest philosopher in history" with the winner selected as the subject of the final programme before the summer break. With 30,000 votes cast,<ref Name="Brand">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> the contest was won by Karl Marx with 27.9% of the votes. Other shortlisted figures were 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%) and Karl Popper (4.2%).<ref>In Our Time's Greatest Philosopher Result from the BBC Radio 4 website</ref> The poll was controversial but led to widespread reporting, and a boost in the programme's overall listenership, as various UK celebrities and news outlets championed their favourites.<ref Name="Brand"/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• In Our Time BBC Radio 4 homepage, with iPlayer archive of past programmes
• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: tt13891328

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• A Dewey Decimal classification of In Our Time episodes