Start the Week

Join three remarkable guests discussing deep historical and emotional themes. Lyndal Roper dives into the German Peasants' War, uncovering how radical ideas fueled this uprising and shaped collective identity. Hannah Durkin shares poignant stories of the last captives of the Atlantic slave trade, emphasizing the importance of centering enslaved voices. Masud Husain explores how neurological changes can redefine personal identity, offering insights through patient narratives. Together, they weave a rich dialogue on history, memory, and dignity.

Maggie Aderin-Pocock, a space scientist and presenter, shares her passion for inspiring future astronomers and discusses the Artemis moon missions. Caroline Smith, Principal Curator at the Natural History Museum, reveals how meteorites serve as cosmic clues to our solar system's origins and the search for life beyond Earth. Physicist Paul Davies introduces concepts from his book Quantum 2.0, exploring quantum mechanics' strange mysteries, potential technologies, and the implications of multiverses. The trio delves into the limits of knowledge in both space and quantum realms.

Join historian Alison Bashford, zoologist Matthew Cobb, and geneticist Charlotte Houldcroft as they delve into the fascinating intersections of palmistry, genetics, and health. Bashford unveils the surprising relationship between palmistry and science, while Cobb shares insights on Francis Crick's innovative methods and his contributions to our understanding of DNA. Houldcroft explores how ancient DNA helps trace viral evolution and informs modern health strategies. Together, they highlight the beauty of interdisciplinary dialogue in decoding our identities.

Cory Doctorow, a technology activist and author, discusses his provocative book, Enshittification, which analyzes the decay of online platforms and their exploitation of users. Novelist Naomi Alderman draws parallels from history, emphasizing lessons from writing and the printing press to address today’s information crises. Oliver Moody, a journalist, shares insights on Estonia’s pioneering digital governance and efficient systems, revealing both accomplishments and challenges of a connected state. Together, they explore the urgent need for a more user-centric digital landscape.

Wildlife biologist Jonathan Slaght shares his efforts to save the Amur tiger, revealing insights from his fieldwork in Russia. Novelist Juhea Kim discusses her cli-fi stories, exploring humanity's delicate balance with nature and advocating for activism through art. Criminal psychologist Julia Shaw delves into the psychology of green crime, explaining why people exploit the environment and how understanding these motives can help combat ecological devastation. Together, they highlight the urgent need for emotional storytelling in conservation.

Jeanette Winterson, an acclaimed novelist, discusses her new book exploring the transformative power of storytelling through Shahrazad's tales. She reflects on how narratives can serve as tools for liberation or propaganda. Former MP Rory Stewart shares insights from his collection on local democracy, revealing the broader truths found in rural life. He emphasizes the need for devolved power and community-led solutions. Musician Soweto Kinch presents his genre-blending album, reinterpreting apocalypse as an unveiling, highlighting storytelling's role in resisting AI's influence.

Renowned choreographer Wayne McGregor dives into kinesthetic empathy and the fusion of technology with dance in his upcoming exhibition, 'Infinite Bodies.' Booker Prize-winning author Anne Enright discusses her essays on literature and personal history, emphasizing the importance of deep reading for empathy. Playwright Tanika Gupta shares insights about her adaptation of 'Hedda' set in post-independence India, reflecting on identity and representation through the life of Merle Oberon. Together, they explore the intersections of art, culture, and the human experience.

The Library of Lost Maps by James Cheshire, Professor of Geographic Information and Cartography, tells the story of the discovery of a treasure-trove at the heart of University College London. In a long-forgotten room James found thousands of maps and atlases. This abandoned archive reveals how maps have traced the contours of the world, inspiring some of the greatest scientific discoveries, as well as leading to terrible atrocities and power grabs. But maps have not always been used to navigate or reveal the world, according to a new exhibition at the British Library on Secret Maps (from 24 October 2025 to 18 January 2026). Jerry Brotton, Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London, and author of Four Points of the Compass, explains how mysterious maps throughout history have been used to hide, shape and control knowledge. The biographer Jenny Uglow celebrates a different kind of mapping in her new book, A Year with Gilbert White: The First Great Nature Writer. In 1781 the country curate Gilbert White charted the world around him – from close observation of the weather, to the migration of birds to the sex lives of snails and the coming harvest – revealing a natural map of his Hampshire village.Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez

Of the 7,000 languages estimated to exist, half will have disappeared by the end of this century. That’s the stark warning from the Director of the Endangered Languages Archive, Mandana Seyfeddinipur. The evolution of languages, and their rise and fall, is part of human history, but the speed at which this is happening today is unprecedented. Mandana will be appearing at the inaugural Voiced: The Festival for Endangered Languages at the Barbican in October. A sense of loss also runs through Sverker Sörlin’s love letter to snow. The professor of Environmental History in Stockholm writes about the infinite variety of water formulations, frozen in air, in ‘Snö: A History’ (translated by Elizabeth DeNoma), and his fears about the vanishing white landscapes of his youth.In the Arctic the transformation from frozen desert into an international waterway is gathering pace. Klaus Dodds is Professor of Geopolitics at Royal Holloway, University of London and with co-author Mia Bennett sets out the fight and the future of the Arctic in ‘Unfrozen’. While territorial contest and resource exploitation is causing tensions within the region, there is also potential for new ways of working, from Indigenous governance to subsea technologies.Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez

The economist Yanis Varoufakis found himself in the eye of the storm as Greece’s Minister of Finance in 2015, at the height of the country’s debt crisis. Now he reflects on his political awakenings and the women who influenced him in Raise Your Soul. It’s a family story that starts in Egypt in the 1920s and traces Greece’s tumultuous century through Nazi occupation, civil war, dictatorship, socialism and economic crisis. The historian Professor Mary Vincent focuses on the Spanish Civil War and has written about fascism, political violence and its impact on the people. She sees both similarities and stark differences between the Greek and Spanish Civil Wars and ponders the question of how global politics influence what happens in nation states.As a new translation of Thucydides’s The History of the Peloponnesian War (by Robin Waterfield) is published, the classicist Professor Paul Cartledge explains why this ancient text has remained essential reading for military leaders and politicians for centuries. Thucydides’s account of the war between Athens and Sparta that began in 431 BCE depicts the devastation of civil war and reflects on the nature of political power.Producer: Katy Hickman Assistant Producer: Natalia Fernandez