Free Thinking

Robert Crawford and Fiona Stafford discuss how the Romantic movement linked Beethoven with the poetry of Scottish writers such as Burns, James Macpherson and Walter Scott. Presented by Susan Hitch. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Rana Mitter introduces an anthology of unexpected readings from the letters and autobiography of the English composer Michael Tippett. With guests Ivan Hewett and Oliver Soden. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

The writers Simon Heffer and Andrew O'Hagan discuss the halcyon days of light music at the BBC and beyond with Matthew Sweet. With its jaunty melodies and cascading strings, they restore it to its proper place: the heart of British musical life. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

In a special event John le Carré celebrates the 50th anniversary of his groundbreaking Cold War espionage novel, The Spy who Came in from the Cold, the book which brought him international fame and which was described by Graham Greene as 'the best spy story I have ever read'. Anne McElvoy presents in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events, with readings by John Shrapnel.

Wagner's stage directions are notorious: giant dragons; underwater singing; horses on stage; storms; destruction by raging fires. Designer Peter Mumford and Dr John Snelson of the ROH discuss the solutions available to 21st century artists and some famous 19th and 20th century stagings. Presented by Anne McElvoy and including readings by David Rintoul. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

What makes Falstaff, Prince Hal's fat, boastful and cowardly companion so irresistible to writers and composers? The character appears in several Shakespeare plays and in musical works by Verdi, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Salieri. Samira Ahmed talks to Timothy West and Desmond Barrit about their experience of playing one of Shakespeare's greatest characters.

Polish is the third most spoken language in the UK, after English and Welsh, and the 2011 census found over half a million Poles living in Britain. But you don't need to speak Polish in order to embrace Polish culture, thanks to a current boom in translating Polish novels into English. Rana Mitter asks the Polish-born writers Eva Hoffman and A.M. Bakalar to provide a guide to the most exciting writing coming out of Poland today. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as part of this year's Proms Plus events.

Rana Mitter talks to conductor and music blogger Kenneth Woods to bust some popular Mahler myths. Actor Nicholas Boulton reads extracts from his passionate and sometimes monstrous letters to Alma. The stormy angst-ridden man of popular perception had a very different side to him according to Kenneth and a rare audio recording provides a chance to hear a first-hand account of what he was like from a musician who actually worked under him. Recorded in front of an audience at the Royal College of Music as the first of this year's Literary Proms Plus events.

In conversation with Anne McElvoy, Boris Johnson discusses leadership ambitions, what Cicero has to teach us about politics, and why a politician should sometimes dare to be dull. Sarah Frankcom tells Anne why she and Maxine Peake are reviving Shelley's poetic account of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. New Generation Thinker John Gallagher guides the listener on a romp through 16th century phrasebooks for travellers. And writer Tim Lott and critic Kate Muir discuss depictions of holidays gone wrong in film.

Rana Mitter chairs a debate from the York Festival of Ideas on whether we can afford ethical business. The panel includes The Guardian's Lucy Siegle, Adrian Wooldridge of The Economist, founder of Ethical Superstore Andy Redfern and economist Virginie Perotin. As austerity bites into family finances and public services, cheap goods seem ever more attractive, even vital. But is there a price to pay in fairness, and to the environment? York has a long history of making ethical business ideals a reality, but can those ideas be carried forward into the era of austerity?