Free Thinking

Scottish poet and musician Don Paterson joins Philip Dodd for an extended conversation. As his Selected Poems have recently been published, drawing upon 20 years of his work, Paterson discusses poetry as a secular prayer, his passion for the sonnets of Shakespeare and Rilke, and his reasons for preferring Satie to Mozart.

Education minister David Willetts and research chief Dame Janet Finch are in the studio to debate Open Access along with Professor Roey Sweet, New Generation Thinker Nandini Das and scientist Ross Mounce, discussing the ramifications of this fundamental rethink of the way academic research is published and crucially - who pays for it?

Following the death of the celebrated – and controversial – Marxist historian Eric Hobsbawm, Matthew Sweet is joined by Journalist David Aaronovitch, writer Anne Applebaum, historian Richard J. Evans, and Radio 3’s Alyn Shipton to consider his life and work. Historian Mark Mazower explores the tensions between the ideas and the powers of international institutions. And New Generation Thinker Matthew Smith joins historian and writer Sarah Wise to discuss changing attitudes towards madness and incarceration.

Jack Straw joins Anne McElvoy for a candid interview in which the former Labour cabinet minister discusses ambition, the importance of rat-like cunning in politics, and psychoanalysis. Mike Goldsmith, the author of ‘Discord – the story of noise’, and sound artist and curator Robin McGinley consider the past, present and future of noise. And Professor Mary Fulbrook, author of ‘A Small Town Near Auschwitz’, explains the story of an ‘ordinary’ Nazi of the Third Reich.

As NASA’s rover Curiosity conducts its mission on Mars, Samira Ahmed presents a special programme on the Red Planet. To plot a course through the clouds of theology, astronomy and pure speculation, Samira is joined by the science writer Marcus Chown, theoretical physicist Lawrence M. Krauss, and one of Radio 3's New Generation Thinkers, Josh Nall - a science historian from Cambridge University. They're joined on board by the writers Francis Spufford, Liz Williams and Sophia McDougall who'll dissect the fictional record of our involvement with Mars. And sound artist and broadcaster Robert Worby ponders the planet’s influence on musicians and composers.

Matthew Sweet examines the newly opened Islamic art wing at the Paris Louvre with Karl Sharro. There's a review, also from Paris of the global hit comedy about disability, race and class; Untouchable. Matthew talks to Tarun J Tejpal, a novelist and journalist who founded Tehelka a leading weekly political magazine in India. And Pamela Cox and Emma Griffin, a Radio3 New Generation Thinker, take Night Waves downstairs to discuss the history of servants.

Philip Dodd talks to Mark Rylance, the former artistic director of the Globe. He has been called the greatest stage performer in the world and won awards on both sides of the Atlantic for his performance as Johnny ‘Rooster’ Byron in Jerusalem. But he made his name with Shakespeare, and in this extended conversation Philip Dodd examines Rylance’s passion for engaging with "original practice" versions of the Bard to challenging audience relationship with the action on stage, through to playing Shakespeare's most notorious villain.

As a new biography of Ryszard Kapuscinski is released, the author Artur Domoslawski and Channel 4 International editor Lindsey Hilsum join Anne McElvoy to discuss the greatness and failings of the iconic Polish writer. New Generation Thinker Jonathan Healey discusses the history of the concept of the ‘undeserving poor’. Susannah Clapp reviews Mademoiselle Julie at the Barbican, starring Juliette Binoche. And Artistic Director Tom Morris shows Anne around the magnificently restored Bristol Old Vic Theatre.

Philip Dodd talks to Howard Jacobson and discusses Zoo Time, his first novel since winning the Man Booker Prize in 2010. The philosopher Julian Baggini, the theologian John Millbank and historian Roey Sweet discuss morality. And Philip talks to Barbara Hulanicki, the founder of the iconic clothes store Biba, who is celebrated in a new exhibition at Brighton Museum & Art Gallery.

Sir John Major talks to Matthew Sweet and is joined by comedian Roy Hudd to discuss the performers and history of the quintessentially British Music Hall. Salman Rushdie talks about his life as Joseph Anton in his new autobiographical novel. And Susan Hitch reviews the ENO's new opera; Julietta.