Moral revolution — Dutch historian Rutger Bregman’s BBC Reith Lecture 1 — A time of monsters

Rutger Bregman believes we are living in a time of moral decay, in a world governed by un-serious elites. But history shows us that we have been here before, and just like in past times, we can overcome it again.

Rutger Bregman's first BBC Reith Lecture, A Time of Monsters, was recorded with an audience in London and first aired on BBC Radio 4 on 25 November 2025.

Speakers

Rutger Bregman Historian, author, Humankind: a hopeful history, Utopia for Realists (and how we can get there), and Moral Ambition: Stop Wasting Your Talent and Start Making a Difference, 2025 BBC Reith Lecturer

Anita Anand (host) BBC Radio 4 journalist, co-presenter (with William Dalrymple) of Empire: World History podcast, and author, The Patient Assassin: A True Tale of Massacre, Revenge, and India's Quest for Independence, Sophia: Princess, Suffragette, Revolutionary and more

Further information:

Historian berates billionaires at Davos over tax avoidance - The Guardian, 30 January 2019

BBC tells staff they cannot quote Trump line removed from Reith lecture - The Guardian 28 November 2025