Popular protest movements have helped shift attitudes and shape Australia. Like the millions who marched to demand an end to Vietnam War. Today, Extinction Rebellion protesters are taking to the streets.  What are the ingredients of a successful protest?  Do rallies and radical activism, still get results?

Great inventors have a strong passion for their field, but don’t fall in love with their ideas. Most of them go straight into the bin.

Persistency is key, as is optimism that there is a solution to their specific problem out there.

And it’s far more about teamwork and interdisciplinary cooperation than genius.

On Big Ideas, four inventors share their secrets about the path to success.

What does it take to be a leader in an era of rapid change? Two business analysts have travelled the world to see what works and what doesn't. They say the top-down, macho model is so last century! Successful leaders now need a different set of skills from those who led big corporations in the past.

Shakespeare is one of Britain’s favourite sons but his popularity is global. While the Elizabethan English is a challenge for modern audiences his characters and plots are timeless.

Four hundred years after his death, Shakespeare’s plays are still being performed in every part of the world and his characters and plots are re-worked in movies and television. Shakespearean actor and theatre director John Bell describes his life-long dedication to the Bard.

Shakespeare is at the top of the western literary canon and despite attempts to knock him off his perch it looks like he’s in a pretty safe spot. Acclaimed Shakespearean actor and director John Bell talks about the power of Shakespeare and his life-long dedication to the Bard.

We are living longer, we are happy in our later years, and most of us will not end up in a nursing home with dementia. It is aged based discrimination – ageism – that is one of the big impediments to leading a fulfilling life in our later years.

There are certain images which stay with you forever.  Paintings and photographs which you can’t get out of your mind. For American author Sarah Sentilles it was the image of the hooded prisoner tortured at Abu Ghraib. She changed the direction of her life to study photography and art as a way to change the world.

Is artistic freedom at risk ? Author Lionel Shriver attracted a storm of protest when she criticized identity politics and the pressure on writers to promote progressive social and political attitudes. She argues that the freedom to create characters who are not like you is at the heart of fiction writing.

Should there be limits on writers and artists who dip into into other cultures for ideas and inspiration? Are writers expected to promote progressive views? Lionel Shriver is a vocal critic of identity politics and says artistic freedom is under threat.