Classicist Mary Beard picks Tacitus as a figure who still has relevance if we're thinking about satire, power and celebrity. Shahidha Bari is joined by Mary, historian Helen Carr, who co-edited What is History Now? political sketch-writer from The Times newspaper Tom Peck and Konnie Huq, writer and former presenter of the children's TV show Blue Peter. On April 21st 1964, the tv channel BBC 2 launched with an episode for children of Play School and programmes like Bluey and Peppa Pig, have been making headlines so what do we want from kids TV? Plus - poet Lord Byron died 200 years ago this week - scholar Dr Corin Throsby has been reading the fan mail he received.
Listen out for Mary Beard and the new series of Being Roman coming to BBC Radio 4 in May - and the first series is available on BBC Sounds. And if you're a fan of Oliver Postgate - The Clangers, Bagpuss and Noggin you can find a Free Thinking episode exploring those programmes.
Producer: Lisa Jenkinson Studio Manager: Tim Heffer
Kingship and ceremony
Sidney Poitier
Sound, conflict and central heating
Lady Antonia Fraser
Queen Charlotte, fashion and music
New Thinking: Fashion, sustainability and Earth Day
Hilma af Klint
Tartan, Kidnapped and Highland writing
Galatea and Shakespeare
Caruso, Elsie Houston, Peter Brathwaite
Land and soil politics
Ginger Rogers
Children of the Waters
Pirates
Revolutionary free speech
Fugitive slaves, Victorian justice
Religion and Science
A family of witches
New Thinking: Raiding Gay’s the Word & Magnus Hirschfeld
The Rossettis and Walter Pater
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It is Free
The Modern West
Global News Podcast
The Infinite Monkey Cage
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins